Start with safety, then energy efficiency, then the pretty stuff.
Posted By: Get Outside on 2006-12-27
In Reply to: Need help with ideas for remodeling house and decorating. We bought a house - pkmt
We live in a house built in 1915, and we bought it in 1985. It was in a very, very sad state. We're still working on it, and are even re-doing things we fixed years ago. Firstly, make sure that everything is safe. Could the wiring cause a fire? Fix that for sure! How about the plumbing, roofing, gutters, all the things that can cause water damage when in disrepair. Water damage is a really awful thing. If all of that is ok, try to save some money with some energy efficient things. We have more than 50 windows in our house, and bit by bit we've replaced most of them. I love the tilt-in, easy-to-clean new windows that are also energy efficient. We also replaced our boiler. (We have hot water heat in the winter and elaborate, cast iron radiators from the 1920s.) That saved us lots of money over the long run. Same with the hot water heater. (We don't have a/c.)
For the fun stuff, I used to love going to Lowe's, Home Depot, etc, and just walk around to get some ideas. They also sell really nice design books. And then, there's t.v. Check out home and garden network, style, and DIY networks. They all have websites. Google the style of design that you like and see what nice ideas you can find. The computer makes research so easy!
Enjoy!
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No energy
Yes, I am exactly the same way! This year has started earlier than usual but that might be due to the fact that I haven't found a job yet. But I hate the medications they suggest because it makes me feel detached, what do you do or take for it?
I get the low energy part too... sm
I use several things ...ginsana helps and I also use Emergen-C packets that you mix with water are helpful. Those things help with that part, but not 100% cure. I feel like half the month I am taking something to help me stay awake during the day, something to help me sleep at night, and something to calm me down during PMS. I never imagined perimenopause would include all of these symptoms! I am going to do some research and see if I can find any answers!
Ideas for Low Energy
hi, just wanted to offer some encouragement, if possible, to say hang in there and we all feel like that sometimes. I think it's a matter of frequency and duration, though, as to determining for yourself what's tolerable and what's not. also, you don't mention specifics such as your age, level of fitness, etc. i know that when i started having perimenopausal symptoms, i wasn't feeling very energetic at all. i looked into some herbal supplements like maca root, which has helped somewhat. there's a supplement called nadh as well, or NAD, and that's supposed to help with low energy while not having the same side effects as, say, a ton of caffeine (although I MUST have my morning coffee!). another option is an herbal infusion made of stinging nettle: http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Energy_Stamina.htm
having energy is a very multifaceted issue, imho, which takes into account one's whole being on a physical/emotional/spiritual level, and so i tackle it with a multifaceted approach. as a single mom of a young boy, in my mid-40s, i need all the energy i can get! i work out at least 3 times a week or more doing cardio SO THAT I SWEAT. sometimes it's a struggle to do it but i put on the tunes and go for it for 45 min. i keep hydrated. i use herbals. but i also nurture my soul...When i'm working, classical or jazz or other soft music is on in the background. i give myself comfort foods, and yes, coffee. i do an email here and there in between notes or in the middle of one for a very quick break (case in point). if i'm low energy for too long, i ask myself why that might be, which it sounds like you're doing. sounds like you're overworked and worried too, which doesn't help. trying to find ways to reduce stress is key. sometimes for me it's a glass of wine, or watching my favorite show once a week for a treat. whatever is FUN for you is key.
again, just my humble opinion, but it's something i've dealt with often, and these are ideas that have worked for me, including a "gratitude list" on occasion, or a gripe list, whatever feels right at the time!
Good luck!
For those people with school aged children when do vacations start to dwindle and you start getting
ready for school. I usually take a vacation when things slow down at the end of Summer and I am just wondering when in August most people start getting into school things and less vacations are taken.
okay...so it is supposed to conserve energy--sm
now could you possibly explain to me HOW it is supposed to conserve energy?? All they are doing is taking an hour off the morning and putting it onto the evening. So, it is still dark in the am when you get up and you turn on a light to see, but you don't have to turn one on until later in the evening because it is still light out. So, in my baffled mind...how does this make any difference????
to the other poster who's smart alarm clock DID change, do you know what brand it is??? Mine did not change this time, but it HAS changed with daylight savings time in the past. just curious.
thanks.
energy star light bulbs
Just remember if you drop and break one of the new energy efficent light bulbs they have mercury in them. you can't just suck up the mess with your Dirt Devil(: On the back package there is a list of how to clean up mercury spills or you can call the EPA in your area. Leave it to our govt to create a light bulb where you need a govt run agency to help you clean it up!
I'd have a lot more energy and inclination to consider that if I got 7 days of fair help with hou
y
Safety first and she is related to you
You have to put fears of rejection and people's reactions aside and put the safety of the child first. I would definitely want to know!!! On the other hand, I see people who live near me who don't watch their kids. I saw girls going in the woods every day at age 13 and smoking and drinking but the mothers of these kids probably actually know about it or don't care. If you think your sister would care, you better hurry up!!! Just tell her you don't know if it's true but you heard something disturbing and you think it's a safety issue otherwise you would mind your own business. If the kid gets hurt will you be sorry you minded your own business. Somebody better tell me if anything like that is going on . I'd be thanking you. But I do watch my teens.
Help is a safety net you have paid for sm
Food stamps are a safety net we all pay for, all forms of public assistance are things we have been paying for all along. TAKE the help you need! Do move closer to family if you possibly can.
I have been in your shoes myself. I lost my home to foreclosure 4 years ago because of having a near-fatal drug interaction and losing my job of nearly 7 years. I made a couple of moves and finally ended up in a small town out of state from where I had lived for 30 years. I lived with a close friend for about 9 months and had the opportunity to buy a mobile home for $3000. The people I bought it from said I could make payments and I was able to pay it off in 5 months. It needed a lot of work and it has gotten it, most of which I have done myself. This project really helped me to regain parts of myself I had lost. It gave me a reason to get up and get going on my days off. I turned this ugly old thing into a lovely, comfortable home I cherish. I have lost about 50-60 lbs since living here and I have brought the idea of vastly cutting expenses in line with making more money. The end result is that I am very well off financially, better than in my entire life.
DO get medication to help you if you can. I didn't have medication to help because I am allergic to every psychotropic in existence. I did this by pulling myself up by the boot straps, but if I could have had help, I would have. There IS a brighter future out there. You CAN have that brighter future because you DESERVE IT. That said, no one expects you to get there alone!!!
Don't be embarrassed to ask and receive help. You will be able to help others later. Years ago, when my kids were young, I was a single parent, no support and it was Christmas time. My kids didn't even have adequate clothing or food. A neighbor I hardly knew handed me a Christmas card. Inside was a $100 gift card to K-Mart. She said that many years before that, she had been in my shoes and someone had given her $100 one Christmas, she was now paying this forward to me. The only provision was that I return this favor when I could, and that I bought something for myself too because I deserve nice things for my hard work. It was a turning point for me. I have been more of a giver since. Although I could have paid this back last year, I didn't know anyone who would appropriately benefit. This year, I do and I had to tell her that I was going to do this and why. She cried and felt embarrassed because, she said, she was usually in the position to give and it hurt a little to receive. I reminded her that she was GIVING me the gift of giving with pleasure.
Others are going to give to you with pleasure, love, friendship and concern for your well being. TAKE IT. One day you'll post back here about how good things are and I'll want to hear it.
Just make sure you have the safety hinges on it so a kid can't get
s
I also agree her children's safety comes first n/m
x
Safety check - Watchdog site.
Map that lets you check for sex offenders in your neck of the woods. See pictures, addresses in some areas.
http://www.familywatchdog.us/
Mary, I offer my prayers for the safety of your sons. SM
I thought brothers could not be in battle zones at the same time. Did they choose to?
In MHO when they start asking its time to start explaining.
My daughter and I started discussing the basics in like second or third grade.
Good luck it was much harder for me with my son.
Food safety question - left chicken in oven overnight (sm)
I baked two pans of chicken last night and one of them I forgot and left in the oven all night. It has not been touched or opened since being cooked. If I reheat it today do you think it is ok to eat or would you be afraid of food poisoning???
Anyone else going to Cancun for Spring Break and concerned about current safety concerns
We're all set to go to Cancun for Spring Break and then we hear all of this on the news about people being careful in Mexico because of the drug cartel activities and killings etc. Does this even involve Cancun or is it just the border places. The Spring Breakers are being warned about going so it makes me wonder if it is just the borders as most Spring Breakers do not go to the border towns. Does anyone have anymore information. I have a good friend who met her husband in Mexico, has crossed the borders etc and she said going to Mexico isnt worth risking your life because they hate Americans. Yikes.. I don't know whether to go or not or if I'm just being paranoid now.
I think we are going to start having more
play dates with my sister's dog. She is an adorable mix that looks like a border collie, and my sister's hubby does not allow spoiling of mere dogs. Therefore, any time we have pet sit for them, this young dog has had a wonderful time, though Misha found her a bit, um, disrespectul to her queenliness, but it was just inexperienced puppy excitement My sister lives 5 minutes away, and it was my sister's idea. So when we go to a park, if I feel like doing 2 dogs, I'll go get her. When we want to go to a pet store or other more civilized place, then I'll just take my well-mannered Sasha.
Where to start. -
I have 2 teenage boys and yes I so agree with you there. If I have to tell them one more time to put a belt on that I do not want to see their underwear I am going to scream.
Another one is people who say K-Marts and Wal-Marts. There is no "s" on the end of these stores. I drives me crazy!
You know what I would start saying? (sm)
"Oh my goodness!! You better knock - one day you're gonna walk in and see me naked!! LOL! Maybe also put a little note on the door that says "please knock". that way it is to everyone and not just them.
I could start doing that...
We have a baby that still takes naps so it would be for everyone too...and especially knowing we have a little one they continue to do this anyways...barge right in and yell HELLO...good grief...can't wait until we move---LOL
Where does it start? sm
What I mean is, where is the line drawn between helping and enabling? I'm not talking drinking, etc. There's no drinking or drugs involved, just an 18 year old son who started community college because his h.s. grades were too bad for a four-year, hasn't made it to school on time more than a handful of times since September, finally got his driver's license (after our driving him to and from school 30 miles away for two months), and two weeks later totaled the car in a rollover. No ticket - he swerved to avoid a squirrel. He has no job, puts in an occasional application. But he's obviously not ready to live on his own. How do we know if we're helping or enabling him?
Well, where should I start?...sm
I love comedies and it's hard to choose just a couple.
The Birdcage
8 heads in a duffel bag
Sister Act
Meet the Parents
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (that's a given)
To Wong Foo
Stir Crazy
Bananas
Miss Congeniality
I could go on and on.... Cat
How do you start on that? I went there..
Do you just make a profile, introduce yourself, and then go on your own diet? It seems like a good place to check back in for support. Is there anything else there I didn't find?
Looking for help on where to start
over. I've decided to leave my husband and will be searching the internet for affordable places to live, etc. I would prefer to live in warmer climate year round. Any ideas, sugesstions would be appreciated. This has been a long time coming and I'm tired of this battle. Thanks for your feedback. Please fee free to Email me if you would prefer.
Start here
Read this article and check some of the links.
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/09/14/debt_consolidation/
what age did this start?
I am 42. My NP said that sometimes husbands refer their wives for hormones. I just told her at my house they just make fun of me until I realize that I am skipping off the cliff.
As soon as they start asking! sm
My mother never spoke to me about things when I was young. Maybe, if she had, I wouldn't have been a single mother in my teens.
I am completely honest with my kids about everything. What good does it do to lie? If some think it protects them, it won't.
My kids are all pretty much grown now but they have all told me that they appreciate my honesty about my past because it means more coming from someone who has been through it, not just telling them not to do something.
I trust my kids but I don't expect them to be perfect. There will be mistakes and errors in judgement, it happens.
Only one has gotten into any trouble (minor in possession) and has never had any trouble since then, graduated from high school, joined the military, and now married.
Trust me, I wasn't really comfortable talking about it with my kids but I felt I was doing them a favor and hopefully preventing them from the same or worse.
Where to start?
I could use some help finding a starting point.
Background:
Yesterday I called a friend and found out she is wanting to leave her DH. She has 2 kids. One 6 and one 2 yo.
Her complaints:
1. He will not spend any time with the kids.
2. He will not spend any time with her. He told her "Haven't you noticed when I have something to do (hunting or spending time with guys) I get off work at 2:30. When I have to be with you, I work until 6:30."
3. Money. They have not made their Jan. house payment, yet he has money to go out.
She has begged him to go to marriage counseling or at least talk to her about the problems. He refuses. She told him she was going to leave. He told her she was not and makes fun of her abut it.
OK, she wants to know some of the laws about leaving. Especially pertaining to taking the kids to another state. As far as I know there is no physical abuse. I would like to help her at least look up stuff online, if such stuff is indeed online. She does not have internet.
Where to start? Any advice? She wants to have her ducks in a row by the end of thie school year.
TIA
Here's a start...sm
See the link below and please read it carefully, by which I mean following the links in the article as well.
http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=498
As for Obama's rep as the "abortion president", etc., perhaps you don't watch the news but I presume you know how to use Google and won't have any problem educating yourself on that score. And please remember, I don't sign the executive orders...he does.
Where do I start
Sorry to get you all excited, but I don't have the time or energy to go into it all now ... I will just say it all starts from noticing some things don't add up. You accidentally catch them and then just set out to prove it to yourself.
No, because they always put stuff in the L&F -sm
so why would this time be any different? Plus she probably would have called me at home to tell me that she took them home, she knows I am there 3 nights out of 5. Yes, I hope I am upset over nothing, but I fear that is not the case. Just makes you wonder if you can trust anyone these days.
GPS stuff
As a family we do something called "Geocaching" (geocaching.com) which uses GPSs and coordinates from the internet to do a 21st century treasure hunt. Over the past 5 years we've had both Garmin and Magellan devices . . . if I had an option, I'd choose a Garmin. Our first Magellan let me download maps, etc... which showed me where restaurants, hotels, etc... were, which was a super bonus on vacation with a 1-year-old and a cranky need-food-now mommy! We vacation in Maine, and there are only so many roads, so if you can't read a map, a GPS won't help much ! Have you tried out "www.thegpsstore.com"? They have reviews, etc... that might help you sort out what you need, and what you really don't. Some systems may cost $75, but you won't be able to download maps or anything. However, the big bucks versions might have too many bells and whistles that will just make it more of a hassle than a joy. I'd also suggest a sporting goods store, i.e. Cabellas, Dicks Sporting Goods, EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) since the salespeople will more likely have a clue about how to use the thing and be able to tell you pros/cons of each system.
Sorry for the ramble . . . hope I didn't confuse the issue even more!
Never, but I look at the stuff on there a lot.
Money is tight right now, so I never bought, but most of the stuff is cool. Some of its just weird - once I saw homemade reusable tampons made out of bamboo and yarn I think.
I do stuff like that
I have to say that probably it is the thin skin of your daughter and not your lack of experience with death. I rarely say anything to my teenager (when they are upset) that is the "correct" thing to say. I think the drama is actually coming from these young people's first experiences with death, and I have found that teenagers can be profoundly sensitive to even the deaths of people they do not know.
You are just "mom." Your job is to keep her from going over the emotional cliff. Even when it is a member of your own family, that is still your primary job. That "everything is going to be okay" is the correct thing to say.
fun stuff!
I jumped on my sister in an elevator because I'm cool like that and because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars.
My son's did not turn out so well at all . . .
I loved my brother under your bed because that's how I roll.
If he wants to come and get his stuff, that
is fine. But I would not have him bring an officer, I would have him set a time to do so and YOU have an officer there with your paperwork on the restraining order.
This will start a thread about who does not like her
but I was reminded when I saw your post about seeing Sylvia Browne in person 1 time. She said if someone toxic, no matter who they were, your own son, you should exclude them. I truly believe this to be the case.
It all has to start somewhere doesn't it?
xx
Maybe if you start a fire in your
fireplace, your swamp cooler will be more effective!
Either that or get a dehumidifier.
I hate humidity also, and here I am in NC. Would you believe that when people are sick they sometimes run HUMIDIFIERS HERE?? Makes no sense to me when they could just step outside most of the time, and we have enough fungus amongus, LOL.
Now he just came in and asked me to start over (sm)
He hugged me and said, "do you want to let's start over?" (which we have been through so many times) and I said, "how do we start over? I lose weight and get super-organized?" and he said, "Well, not SUPER organized."
Here in mid-TN they start the first of August, sm
Unfortunately, the temps have been 100+ and messing up the air-conditioning, so some school districts were just going half days, also no air-conditioning on buses.
Local university started classes today.
Where Did the MyBad start at?
I keep hearing the younger generation saying this and it isn't even proper english.Where did it start and When. What made me think of it I just seen a commercial for Macys and JS unpluged the radio and she said MyBad. I get onto my kids and Grandkids for saying it I tell them it isn't proper english and to talk right.I know its slang but dang its stupi*d.
Were you always in shape before that or did you start at 49? nm
x
Anyone start Atkins on Jan 1?
I'm doing it again......Atkins that is. I started January 2 and have lost 6 pounds, yea! I want to lose about 30. Anyone else start it that wants to encouarge each other on here? I can't find a dieting forum, so hope it's okay to put it on the gab board. Think I'll go eat some chicken!
But if you are going to change, have to start some
x
I definitely will let you know when I start seeing results! I sm
am usually a quitter when it comes to stuff like this b/c I'm so busy with work, home, kids, but I am not giving up this time even if I don't start seeing results in 3 months!
I start feeling bad when #s go into the 60-70s. Had
x
Thank you everyone! What a great start to my day
I can't thank you all enough for your kind words and hugs here today. I figure today is the last day of bad stress since tomorrow is my husband's final hearing and we received the report from the court that the children will stay here, but the child support and financial issue stands on the table for tomorrow. So today is the last day I can be subpoenaed (the ex always subpoenas at the last minute) and after today's "knock on the door" and tomorrow's judge decision, maybe things will let up. But you are all right about counting blessings and so nice for saying I am strong and everything. Just knowing there are people out there understanding, especially MTs (who I value opinions) it will help me get through the next few days. Thank you! And BTW: The birds are fine today and DH cleaned the living room! Today is another day. But I will refer back to this often. And thank you so very much! :)
It is going to hurt less if you just say no at the start.
//
my way to start to achieve this.
human scum who abuse innocent, defenseless children and animals should be quietly eliminated.
And just wait until they start using your DNA sm
to profile everyone for genetic health risks. I see that day coming. Some states already are proposing creating a "DNA databank" for newborns....
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