themartianchick

Despite the best-laid plans, I have not had time to post in the past few days. Friday was the day for me to clean out my office to facilitate my move into a new position with my employer. I start in my new building on Monday. Unfortunately, Friday morning was the day that my mom had to go to the hospital. I sent my mom's aide with her because there was no way that I could go AND take care of my work obligations. She was diagnosed with pneumonia in one lung and is now in the ICU. We are all pretty worried about her, as the ICU only allows one visitor per day. My sister and I both visited on Saturday and Sunday as we didn't know about the rule. Yesterday was the first time that we were even told of its existence. This could cause some issues for mom's recovery because she generally doesn't feel safe in the hospital due to a situation that happened last year.

We are hopeful that she will be able to pull through this, but it is really scary. One thing that I have learned about being a caretaker of a parent is that you learn to stop "reacting" to everything. We've made many trips to the local hospitals over the past few years and it has almost become routine. This is the first trip to the ICU and it doesn't feel the same.

9 hours ago, Jeepers said:

 

But here's the thing, I went on Amazon and they only had 3 boxes (100 each box) left. I read about them and found out that they are discontinuing my model and have made a more expensive one and the test strips for that machine are $24.00 for 50 strips according to Amazon. I bought all 3 boxes to be delivered Monday. I also ordered the little 33 gauge lancets. My fingers are getting so sore. But to be fair, I use the same one for 4-6 pokes  .

 

I realized that the possibilities that I mentioned had already been explored and wanted to add:

 I use this one from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Care-Touch-Diabetes-Testing-Kit/dp/B076VSN7TR/ref=sr_1_5?crid=HWG8T5AJE5UN&keywords=glucose+meter&qid=1650804280&sprefix=glucose+meter%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-5

100 test strips cost $22.99

14 hours ago, Jeepers said:

I'm putting off a trip to Wal-Mart. I don't wanna go. I have only one test strip thingy for my blood monitor thingy and they are the only one who sells them around here. It's no huge deal. I don't really keep up with it like I should. I'm 'just' pre diabetic but lately I've been checking it more often. They keep them locked up so I'll have to scrounge up an assistant and they will take them to the register where I'll have to wait for someone else to find them again. They are just test strips, not medication. Sigh.  Maybe they sell them online. Pffft. Might as well put on my big girl panties (Literally!) and get it over with. 

I usually order things from Walmart and have them delivered to my mom's apartment. Would you be able to order them for car-side delivery (or whatever they call that service)? Like you, I am not diabetic but I test regularly. Since my sister lost her vision as a result of diabetes, I am a bit paranoid. I bought my own test kit from Amazon and can get the strips and sharps delivered within a day or two.

On 4/18/2022 at 4:36 PM, Jeepers said:

Congrats on your harvest!

Guess what I woke up to today?

Not a lot yet but it's still coming down.

 

Do do doo, lookin' out my back door.

 

 

That is what it looked like here in NY today. By the time I left work...it was gone!

We have no mortgages on any of our properties. We've also never really relied on a single income stream. When the kids were young, I usually worked 2 jobs or worked and went to school to increase my earning potential. We have rental property that can cover our most basic necessities. We never buy new vehicles because hubby is good at finding and repairing used ones. Most years, I had a garden to produce the more unusual and expensive veggies. We burn firewood as much as possible and we will pick it up at the curb when others take down trees. We also pick up construction scraps that people put out with the trash, too. We use those for all sorts of projects around the house and for our rentals. We accept free pallets when we can get them and cut them up for kindling or use them for backyard projects.

I have a lot of clothes and shoes because my job kind of requires that. However, I don't pay full price for any of them and only shop the clearance and sale racks. I also don't shop often.  I buy quality clothes and execute my own repairs. I can't remember the last time that I paid more than $12 for a top or sweater, though. I love Ryka brand sneakers and have about 15 or 20 pairs. I bought most of them a few years ago for $11 a pair and probably have enough to dress stylishly casual for the next 10 years! We source out the least expensive cell phones that we can get , based upon our usage. For us, that is Consumer Cellular. Our iPhones 7s are 3 years old and were out of style when we bought them. My one, true splurge is computer technology. I always have a lot of tech at my fingertips. I try to buy it on sale and make it pay for itself with my contracting.

Dogmom, your story is so similar to mine... I have thought about leaving my job to alleviate some of the work-related stress, but I'm afraid that I'd pick up additional stress by being a full-time caregiver to mom. Instead, I decided to switch jobs and hope that this one will have fewer...complications.

We lost my oldest sister to cancer, just before COVID hit. I have one remaining sibling, but she doesn't exactly share the "mom-care duties" with me. She helps out every other weekend. She is also a little tone deaf and makes comments about how I should take a vacation or it stinks that we can't visit our place in Florida. She just told me that she and her friend are going to spend a week in Orlando this summer. (Am I wrong if I wish for 7 days of thunderstorms in Central Florida?)During the work week, I am only in my own home for about 12 hours total. It is sort of like being homeless and I find that to be stressful, as well.

My blood pressure is particularly concerning because my late sister was diabetic and had high blood pressure. As a result, she lost most of her vision and passed away 10 years later. This is something that I am particularly fearful of. I have found one thing to lower my blood pressure, so that has been good. I have been taking niacin pills for the past 2 weeks and my readings have been lower, though not as low as I'd like. I've been trying to avoid being put on BP medication. 

I like the idea of yoga and meditation, but I would probably need more of a guided meditation because it is difficult to clear my head and not make a grocery list, to-do list or get distracted by something else.

Over the course of my life, I have done different types of things to slow down and unwind. When I was young, I didn't think of stress as something that could be...Well, so darn STRESSFUL!!! I just preferred to do things that I enjoyed. If they relieved stress, then that was just a bonus.

Today, I see stress as the enemy. It affects me in ways that are both physical and mental. In the past year, I have begun tracking my blood pressure and also my mood. Both have suffered. My blood pressure used to be extremely low and now it is routinely in the "elevated" zone. There are so many things that I am unable to do for myself due to my work schedule or because I am caring for my mom. I still manage to finagle a couple of rituals into my life to try to combat the stress, though. One thing that I do (almost) every evening is walk in the dark in my mom's apartment while listening to ocean sounds. I find that it is really soothing and helps to put me in a better frame of mind before going to bed. Another is listening to bird sounds for a few minutes in the morning, when I throw seeds out onto the patio. The app that I use for birdsongs helps to elevate my mood, That recording sings, even if the local birds don't feel like breaking out in song. Lastly, I learned to push back and say, "No." For such a little word, it has outsized power. It helps to keep me from taking on additional projects and committing myself to doing too many favors for others. Self-preservation is the first law of nature. I am no good to anyone else, if I don't take care of myself.

So... What do you do to beat stress?

I turned my back for a few days and all sorts of stuff has happened to so many of you! I am definitely glad that things seem to be improving and hope that they continue to do so. It sounds as though we could all stand to partake in some stress-relieving activities. (Maybe, I will start a post about it!)

So far, this has been another hectic week. I am changing jobs and don't quite know when I am supposed to start my new position. It is with the same employer but in a different department and building. My current job has been pretty stressful and doesn't come with a lot of support. That should change with the new job. (At least my fingers are crossed!)

I haven't done a whole lot of stocking and storing. Last weekend, we celebrated Dad's birthday and this weekend is Easter. It is pretty difficult to prepare a full holiday meal for the whole family in mom's apartment, so we are going to have more of an Easter party. Mom loves it when everyone gathers together. She still is not quite as healthy as I'd like her to be, but we did manage to avoid the hospital so far. I have to work a half-day tomorrow and get her to an appointment. There is sunshine in our forecast, so I feel pretty good about that!

I haven't posted in a few days, as it has been busy around here. I spent the weekend in my own house (for a change) and we celebrated dad's birthday. I also spent some time finalizing plans for our mini-vacation. Hubby is grilling for dinner tonight, so no need for me to stress over that. Today, I am back at work and fielding text messages about my mom's health. I may need to leave work early to manage that situation and hustle her off to the hospital. Fingers crossed!

Keeping your mom in my thoughts, Annarchy! 

This is really helpful, Dee! I usually use the following formula for prepared goods:

54 minutes ago, snapshotmiki said:

 

 

I bought a new propane grill Saturday and my neighbor helped me put it together Sunday. Wow! It took over 2 hours. The schematic looked like something the coyote would build with ACME parts! Got it together finally. Not sure what has been holding my old grill together. It is about 12 years old. LOL

Meep-meep! 

So, glad that your hubby is home and feeling better, Miki!

These are some great ideas! I don't really feel as though I have any organizational hacks to pass along. My house is a 2-family that we have always used as a 1-family. There are two kitchens and I utilize one as a pantry. We have lots of cabinet space but the cabinets are odd and deep. To me, they'd be better for a workshop, rather than a kitchen! One of my daughters shared that she uses clear plastic bins to keep her fridge and freezer organized. She has 5 children and hates when they rummage around trying to find something. I bought some of the bins that she uses last week and have installed them in the freezer of my small refrigerator. I still have more of them to use in our larger fridge. I expected them to allow me to put more stuff in the freezer, but they actually caused less stuff to fit. They organize no better than any of the cheaper bins and things that you've all shared. I think that I got a bad deal!

I like to jump on the internet as soon as I arrive at work. I check for articles that pertain to my work and usually find something to post on LinkedIn. I bring a personal laptop to work, so I often log on to this site and a few others throughout the course of the day. If I am on a Zoom meeting and am not obligated to contribute, I will usually turn off the camera and do something else. Sometimes, Mrs. S. is that "something else". I might peek in again during lunch, as I always eat at my desk. The evening is when I feel most free to post here, though. 

My condolences to you and your friend's family, Buttercup.

Great story, Dee! Your husband's car-packing skill reminds me of my childhood. My parents always bought station wagons, but they liked to go to auctions and buy antique furniture. Dad was pretty good at managing to make everything fit. Sometimes, we had to drive extra slowly. In the country...that's okay! When we got our first poultry, the woman who gave them to us put them in burlap sacks for transport. Our first ducks never liked us as a result! 

11 hours ago, Cricket said:

My 19 year old stove went crazy this morning with the oven stuck in the self-cleaning fires of hell temp range. It wouldn’t turn off and the outside of the stove was dangerously hot. We had to turn off the circuit then my guys used potholders to pull it away from the wall and unplug it. 
 

Brand and model recommendations  for an electric stove will be appreciated! 

I had something like that happen to the stove in my condo several years ago. It scared me because I had exactly ZERO experience with an electric stove. I unplugged it from the wall and allowed it to cool overnight. The next day, it worked fine and has never done it again. Since that time, I don't think that we've stayed in the condo for any lengthy period of time to really test whether or not it was just a fluke. I also don't bake much when we are in residence there. My stove is a GE, circa 1980.

I no longer have my quail cage, but I do still have my chicken house. It is too small to be called a coop. It was originally a child's playhouse that I ordered from Home Depot. At the time, chickens were illegal, so we put it together on the second floor of our carriage house and built a cage/pen. At the time, it was the best way to ensure that no one could see them. In order to catch sight of them, a person would have to trespass. I still have another one of the playhouse kits that I never used. In the time since I had chickens, the laws have changed in my city to allow them. I have a lot of yard space and could now keep them outside. I just don't want to put that responsibility on my husband. I am only home a few evenings after work per week and every other weekend. The chickens would become another chore for him to manage in my absence.

50 minutes ago, Ambergris said:

I nailed a knotted string to the pantry doorframe, and put Sharpies on the string.  The Sharpies keep migrating, but sometimes one will return to the string over and over for months. 

I have to hide my Sharpies in strange places (behind the cans in the pantry or in my underwear drawer). I also have to hide my good scissors! Hubby once borrowed a pair of good gardening shears and used them to cut basecove while remodeling a bathroom in one of our rental units. 

I'm definitely NOT and expert on this, but...

Does your state require school districts to provide additional assistance/supports for students with your daughter's medical issue?

What has the school district done to alleviate the situation?

Not trying to be nosy, but what type of bullying are we talking about? Are kids making her feel unattractive, picking on her due to a perceived "difference" or specific incident?

In my state, there are lots of options for high school. There is the traditional  bricks and mortar option, there are online options that are outside of the districts control (online companies that provide the education). There are also other high schools that a child can be transferred to. Parental homeschooling is one option, but there are also homeschooling clubs based upon specific churches or "clubs" that support parents during homeschooling. In her last couple of years of high school, there may even be some options with your local community college. Some kids in my area complete their senior year on the college campus while working on an Associate's Degree. Some of these options may be available to you in your area.

Hmmm... Is there a neighbor who could help? A favor that you could call in?

9 minutes ago, Dee said:

We rent our 50 acres pasture out to a kid who runs cattle on it all summer.  Sometimes when he butchers, he'll bring us about 20 lbs. of hamburger.  I feel like we've won the lottery when he does that.  

This year, that might be considered a jackpot!

8 minutes ago, Ambergris said:

Ordering takeout is like getting a 20% discount, if you don't have to tip the people who fix the takeout bag.

In our county, we had a program to boost restaurants after COVID. The program was a buy one, get one free for restaurant gift cards. The cards never expire. We bought a lot of them and used a few for gifts. The rest, we are using for our Friday night dinners. It is like getting the food for 50% off and then we give a small tip.

Keeping your friend in my thoughts, Buttercup.

Hubby and I plan to order something from a nice restaurant (but not too nice, due to the prices!) and hang out at home. We eat differently from each other, but it is a nice way to get what we want and enjoy a nice conversation or a movie.