Thursday Randoms!

waltsgirl102503

Post your random thoughts, vents, whatever!

waltsgirl102503

I just bought two new pairs of shoes on 6pm.com.  I hope they fit and look nice!

My cat was outside all night long!  We carried in a cabinet for the bathroom and had the door open, I never thought he'd go outside.  But he did and we didn't know.   I heard him crying when I was in the shower this morning, and I thought he was stuck somewhere.  After I woke DH up to help me, we realized it was coming from outside.  There he was on the side porch!  Poor buddy!  He came in and used the litter box first thing - I guess he didn't realize the world was his litter box last night.   He's 14 and has always been an inside cat, so I'm just so thankful that nothing happened to him!

lala5507

I am tired of living in a construction zone.  It's nice to be in a new neighborhood but the jack hammer at the crack of dawn combined with a sinus headache is not my version of a good morning. 

northhillsbride

Took the kids to school and heard a nasty noise coming from the car. Ended up taking it into a place that had dozens of rave reviews online; they wanted to charge $1253 for four rotors, four brake pads and a brake flush (which isn't even necessary).

Thankfully, my DH can do the work himself and should be able to do it tonight - I was just trying to avoid that bc 1) we didn't know his schedule for today and 2) now he has to spend probably 3-4hrs doing the work in this humid, hot heat. The auto parts place next door to the repair shop charged $285 for all of the parts needed. So, these repair guys saw the out-of-state plates, and big ol' me walk in and thought they could make about $1K on the job.

Grrrrrrrrrr.........

I ended up showing the boys online photos of starving kids in Africa and the US last night after they both balked at dinner (cheesy pasta and broccoli with chicken) - all food they eat, but it was together in a "bake" and "wasn't the right mac & cheese" according to the 3-yr old. I know we're at least mostly to blame for the attitude and pickiness, but dang they were so unusually rude about it last night that I had had enough!

amyjoy18

northhillsbride said:

Took the kids to school and heard a nasty noise coming from the car. Ended up taking it into a place that had dozens of rave reviews online; they wanted to charge $1253 for four rotors, four brake pads and a brake flush (which isn't even necessary).

Thankfully, my DH can do the work himself and should be able to do it tonight - I was just trying to avoid that bc 1) we didn't know his schedule for today and 2) now he has to spend probably 3-4hrs doing the work in this humid, hot heat. The auto parts place next door to the repair shop charged $285 for all of the parts needed. So, these repair guys saw the out-of-state plates, and big ol' me walk in and thought they could make about $1K on the job.

Grrrrrrrrrr.........

I ended up showing the boys online photos of starving kids in Africa and the US last night after they both balked at dinner (cheesy pasta and broccoli with chicken) - all food they eat, but it was together in a "bake" and "wasn't the right mac & cheese" according to the 3-yr old. I know we're at least mostly to blame for the attitude and pickiness, but dang they were so unusually rude about it last night that I had had enough!

I'm curious--what was their reaction to the starving kids in Africa?  

My random--I am addicted to Osh Kosh.  I have a full cart full of fall/winter clothes for the kids that I want to pull the trigger on so badly, but they really don't need any more clothes--especially DD who is in the same size from last year.  So I'm holding them in there and I may order a few for Christmas--maybe she'll grow and I can deem them a necessary purchase..  

lala5507

northhillsbride said:

 

I ended up showing the boys online photos of starving kids in Africa and the US last night after they both balked at dinner (cheesy pasta and broccoli with chicken) - all food they eat, but it was together in a "bake" and "wasn't the right mac & cheese" according to the 3-yr old. I know we're at least mostly to blame for the attitude and pickiness, but dang they were so unusually rude about it last night that I had had enough!

I made the wrong mac and cheese, the wrong chicken and the wrong potatoes all the time 8-| Good to know I'm not the only one.  How did they react to the pic?

Meghan&Rich

I have so much that I need to get done around the house (cleaning out closets, purging toys, deep cleaning from top to bottom, etc.) that I just get overwhelmed thinking about it so I don't do any of it. 

I didn't have time to eat lunch today so I ate a bag of chex mix.  Now I feel gross.

Fall TV is starting and I can't wait!

kris356

northhillsbride said:

Took the kids to school and heard a nasty noise coming from the car. Ended up taking it into a place that had dozens of rave reviews online; they wanted to charge $1253 for four rotors, four brake pads and a brake flush (which isn't even necessary).

That actually isn't out of line price wise. You should always bleed the brakes after you have work done. Also, if they were using original manufacturers parts and not aftermarket, it definitely effects the price. My sister just had the same work done and it was about that.

waltsgirl102503

Meghan&Rich said:

I have so much that I need to get done around the house (cleaning out closets, purging toys, deep cleaning from top to bottom, etc.) that I just get overwhelmed thinking about it so I don't do any of it. 

Meghan, I feel the same way.  The bathroom work (which may be close to being done!) has made my house a wreck.  The dust from sanding and other work is everywhere.  Everything being displaced.  I feel like once it's done I'm going to have to take a week off of work just to deep clean the house.

northhillsbride

kris356 said:

northhillsbride said:

Took the kids to school and heard a nasty noise coming from the car. Ended up taking it into a place that had dozens of rave reviews online; they wanted to charge $1253 for four rotors, four brake pads and a brake flush (which isn't even necessary).

That actually isn't out of line price wise. You should always bleed the brakes after you have work done. Also, if they were using original manufacturers parts and not aftermarket, it definitely effects the price. My sister just had the same work done and it was about that.

I love it when you chime in! So are parts that you buy in a place like NAPA, considered aftermarket? Ugh.

As for those wondering about the kids' reaction to the pictures - Conall really didn't have much of a clue. Gavin asked a lot of good questions, "what do they eat? why don't they have food? can they play outside?" Between his age and his bleeding heart, I think he seemed to have gotten my point.

The tricky part for us is where religion and God play a role - he learns that "God is good" - but then why does God not help the people who need it? 

Gavin did want to continue to scroll through the pictures, but I didn't want him to do it without me there (mainly for explanation purposes). It also got me wondering why you don't see commercials for UNICEF or other world organizations much on tv anymore - I remember them vividly as a kid.

Maybe it's unorthodox of us, but we don't shelter the kids from the news and happenings going on (like school shootings). I want them to know that this stuff happens and I want them to ask questions. Gavin is an over-analyzer / kind of dramatic kid as it is and I want to make sure I can reassure him and talk things through with him so that he understands as much as he can for his age.

(Case in point: we had him at urgent care last week for a rash; one thing mentioned as a possibility was chicken pox - well, Gavin immediately said that that meant he had shingles (due to a commerical he has seen).) It took about 10 minutes of talking about shingles to convince him that it wasn't that - just an allergic reaction or skin infection!

Good thing he's learning about shingles but not starving kids from commercials...

:-?

kris356

northhillsbride said:

kris356 said:

northhillsbride said:

Took the kids to school and heard a nasty noise coming from the car. Ended up taking it into a place that had dozens of rave reviews online; they wanted to charge $1253 for four rotors, four brake pads and a brake flush (which isn't even necessary).

That actually isn't out of line price wise. You should always bleed the brakes after you have work done. Also, if they were using original manufacturers parts and not aftermarket, it definitely effects the price. My sister just had the same work done and it was about that.

I love it when you chime in! So are parts that you buy in a place like NAPA, considered aftermarket? Ugh.

If you don't get them from the dealer, they are aftermarket. Parts stores can get OEM (manufacuter's original equipment) but there is a significant difference in price. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing "wrong" with aftermarket stuff, my husband used them on my old car. But if you went to the dealer, they are going to use OEM. And you are paying anywhere from $75-$100 an hour for the tech. That is probably a 3 hour job at least. Plus the time to bleed them.

lala5507

northhillsbride said:

kris356 said:

northhillsbride said:

Took the kids to school and heard a nasty noise coming from the car. Ended up taking it into a place that had dozens of rave reviews online; they wanted to charge $1253 for four rotors, four brake pads and a brake flush (which isn't even necessary).

That actually isn't out of line price wise. You should always bleed the brakes after you have work done. Also, if they were using original manufacturers parts and not aftermarket, it definitely effects the price. My sister just had the same work done and it was about that.

I love it when you chime in! So are parts that you buy in a place like NAPA, considered aftermarket? Ugh.

As for those wondering about the kids' reaction to the pictures - Conall really didn't have much of a clue. Gavin asked a lot of good questions, "what do they eat? why don't they have food? can they play outside?" Between his age and his bleeding heart, I think he seemed to have gotten my point.

The tricky part for us is where religion and God play a role - he learns that "God is good" - but then why does God not help the people who need it? 

Gavin did want to continue to scroll through the pictures, but I didn't want him to do it without me there (mainly for explanation purposes). It also got me wondering why you don't see commercials for UNICEF or other world organizations much on tv anymore - I remember them vividly as a kid.

Maybe it's unorthodox of us, but we don't shelter the kids from the news and happenings going on (like school shootings). I want them to know that this stuff happens and I want them to ask questions. Gavin is an over-analyzer / kind of dramatic kid as it is and I want to make sure I can reassure him and talk things through with him so that he understands as much as he can for his age.

(Case in point: we had him at urgent care last week for a rash; one thing mentioned as a possibility was chicken pox - well, Gavin immediately said that that meant he had shingles (due to a commerical he has seen).) It took about 10 minutes of talking about shingles to convince him that it wasn't that - just an allergic reaction or skin infection!

Good thing he's learning about shingles but not starving kids from commercials...

:-?

It is tricky to talk about God is good but bad things happen.  DD once asked if God wants me to be safe, why didn't he help me when I fell down and got hurt? 

So glad your son doesn't have shingles!  :P It's funny some times what sticks in their minds. 

Meghan&Rich

When my cousin was around 5, he would always refuse his dinner and complain about what my aunt made.  She became so frustrated one time that she told him that he should be lucky to have a warm dinner because some families didn't have the money for food and had to eat other people's left overs out of the garbage.  The next night, she saw him standing by the garbage can and she asked him what he was doing - he said he was wrapping some cookies in saran wrap so that the poor kids would have some clean cookies to eat.  So funny and sweet!

northhillsbride

Meghan&Rich said:

When my cousin was around 5, he would always refuse his dinner and complain about what my aunt made.  She became so frustrated one time that she told him that he should be lucky to have a warm dinner because some families didn't have the money for food and had to eat other people's left overs out of the garbage.  The next night, she saw him standing by the garbage can and she asked him what he was doing - he said he was wrapping some cookies in saran wrap so that the poor kids would have some clean cookies to eat.  So funny and sweet!

I love how kids think!

There was just a story on the news here about a 10-yr old boy who rode his bike to a local police dept. and (anonymously) dropped off a bag of change that he wanted to donate to them. He had just learned (more) about 9-11 in school and he felt the police dept. could use the $10+ change he had in his piggy bank towards good things. He never even told his parents he was doing it.

kris356

My mom's line was "it's a longtime til morning" which she got from my grandma. If we didn't eat dinner, we got nothing until the morning. She was mean :P

egpitt22

Meghan, I'm with you on the closets.  I can't get a firm grasp on how to best organize them, so I get frustrated & just stuff everything in and shut the door so I don't have to see it.  And don't even get me started about the fact that in just a few weeks I'll need to do the seasonal change-over for the kids clothes....the sorting, storing, and organizing feels like a full time job!!

Meghan&Rich

waltsgirl102503 said:

Meghan&Rich said:

I have so much that I need to get done around the house (cleaning out closets, purging toys, deep cleaning from top to bottom, etc.) that I just get overwhelmed thinking about it so I don't do any of it. 

Meghan, I feel the same way.  The bathroom work (which may be close to being done!) has made my house a wreck.  The dust from sanding and other work is everywhere.  Everything being displaced.  I feel like once it's done I'm going to have to take a week off of work just to deep clean the house.

I was thinking of taking a few days off of work!  I hate having to do that stuff in the evenings and weekends because that's our time with the kids so I don't want to miss out on any more time, especially to do something stupid like clean and organize!  Although I know that if I do take a few days off of work, I will have a leisurely breakfast, watch Ellen, take a nap, and then it will be 3pm and I will have done nothing.  haha!

kris356

Um, we just moved and I am having a horrible time with the organizing! In some ways, we have more storage (bigger kitchen, bigger bedroom closets) but we have less space, i.e. no full attic. There is so much left in the attic at the old house and I am banished from bringing it over until I know exactly where it is going. Well then, I guess we are never having any Christmas decorations again because there in literally nowhere to put them since the garage is off limits.  ~X(

I still have unpacked boxes in the ? room. I need to figure this all out since my mom's entire family is coming in two weeks and they all want to come over. Awesome.

I also need to clean but am so unmotivated.

amyjoy18

kris356 said:

Um, we just moved and I am having a horrible time with the organizing! In some ways, we have more storage (bigger kitchen, bigger bedroom closets) but we have less space, i.e. no full attic. There is so much left in the attic at the old house and I am banished from bringing it over until I know exactly where it is going. Well then, I guess we are never having any Christmas decorations again because there in literally nowhere to put them since the garage is off limits.  ~X(

I still have unpacked boxes in the ? room. I need to figure this all out since my mom's entire family is coming in two weeks and they all want to come over. Awesome.

I also need to clean but am so unmotivated.

We had stacks of boxes in our office.  DH finally just took them downstairs and figured if we needed to get something out of them we could go down there.  Some of them were just paperwork, which I have the toughest time knowing what i need to keep and keeping organized.

kris356

My main problem is that I just can't part with my clothes! I need serious help. My youngest sister has similar issues and my dad is freaking out. So we are going to help each other out and be brutally honest about what needs to go! Now we just have to do it!  :P

The worst part is that I have literally sent 15 bags to goodwill already. I have clothes from high school, literally. I graduated 20 years ago and was a lot skinnier. 

Meghan&Rich

Kris, I have the same issue!  I way too many clothes in my closet that are nothing special, but I cannot part with them because I think, what if I need this one day?  What if I'm desperate for something to wear to work?  It doesn't help that my weight has yo-yo'd my entire life, so I am afraid to get rid of stuff when it doesn't fit after I've gained or lost weight.  I have clothes from size 8-18!!  It also doesn't help that I am at a size I haven't been in a while and I was able to pull some old clothes out of storage, so I was able to justify my hoarding!

My entire wardrobe sucks.  I need to just get rid of everything and just need to start over.

kris356

My problem is that it is easy to get rid of the crappy stuff (Old Navy, Marshall's, Kohls, wierd random sh!t bought off the sale rack) but I have a lot of expensive crap (J.Crew, Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Nordstrom) that while I don't necessarily wear it, I paid a lot for it and don't want to get rid of it! Plus, it doesn't help that I have switched jobs and every job had a different dress code.

denalea

Meghan&Rich said:

I have so much that I need to get done around the house (cleaning out closets, purging toys, deep cleaning from top to bottom, etc.) that I just get overwhelmed thinking about it so I don't do any of it. 

I didn't have time to eat lunch today so I ate a bag of chex mix.  Now I feel gross.

Fall TV is starting and I can't wait!

This sounds like my life. Except you can sub the chex mix for a different carb of your choice.  (Bread...Donuts...English Muffins....)

I get so overwhelmed at all of the cleaning organizing that the two hours I DO have when S is sleeping (on my days off) I end up bouncing around from one thing to the next and really doing nothing.   Or, it takes so long to do the daily stuff (dishes, toys, clothes) that I can't do any of the big things.  Add to that a husband who thinks if it is out of site, its clean, means that every single one of our closets, cupboards, and our garage are a pit!

ryanthegirl

kris356 said:

My problem is that it is easy to get rid of the crappy stuff (Old Navy, Marshall's, Kohls, wierd random sh!t bought off the sale rack) but I have a lot of expensive crap (J.Crew, Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Nordstrom) that while I don't necessarily wear it, I paid a lot for it and don't want to get rid of it! Plus, it doesn't help that I have switched jobs and every job had a different dress code.

Kris,

You should take your stuff to Clothes Mentor in Bridgeville or on McKnight, you would get it out of your house and get a little cash for it! I've never sold anything so I can't speak to their practices, but it's worth a shot.

http://www.clothesmentor.com/

denalea

lala5507 said:

northhillsbride said:

kris356 said:

northhillsbride said:

Took the kids to school and heard a nasty noise coming from the car. Ended up taking it into a place that had dozens of rave reviews online; they wanted to charge $1253 for four rotors, four brake pads and a brake flush (which isn't even necessary).

That actually isn't out of line price wise. You should always bleed the brakes after you have work done. Also, if they were using original manufacturers parts and not aftermarket, it definitely effects the price. My sister just had the same work done and it was about that.

I love it when you chime in! So are parts that you buy in a place like NAPA, considered aftermarket? Ugh.

As for those wondering about the kids' reaction to the pictures - Conall really didn't have much of a clue. Gavin asked a lot of good questions, "what do they eat? why don't they have food? can they play outside?" Between his age and his bleeding heart, I think he seemed to have gotten my point.

The tricky part for us is where religion and God play a role - he learns that "God is good" - but then why does God not help the people who need it? 

Gavin did want to continue to scroll through the pictures, but I didn't want him to do it without me there (mainly for explanation purposes). It also got me wondering why you don't see commercials for UNICEF or other world organizations much on tv anymore - I remember them vividly as a kid.

Maybe it's unorthodox of us, but we don't shelter the kids from the news and happenings going on (like school shootings). I want them to know that this stuff happens and I want them to ask questions. Gavin is an over-analyzer / kind of dramatic kid as it is and I want to make sure I can reassure him and talk things through with him so that he understands as much as he can for his age.

(Case in point: we had him at urgent care last week for a rash; one thing mentioned as a possibility was chicken pox - well, Gavin immediately said that that meant he had shingles (due to a commerical he has seen).) It took about 10 minutes of talking about shingles to convince him that it wasn't that - just an allergic reaction or skin infection!

Good thing he's learning about shingles but not starving kids from commercials...

:-?

It is tricky to talk about God is good but bad things happen.  DD once asked if God wants me to be safe, why didn't he help me when I fell down and got hurt? 

So glad your son doesn't have shingles!  :P It's funny some times what sticks in their minds. 

The God stuff can be so hard - balancing the truth that God is good, with the truth that bad things happen.  It's hard for everyone, but especially small ones.

With the idea of starving children, I often tell kids that God doesn't want there to be hungry people....it breaks God's heart.  And then I challenge them that we can be a part of the way God helps people who are hungry 1. by not wasting the things we've been given to eat (There is more than enough food in the world to feed everyone in the world....developed nations just have more access to it and more resources....and we waste a WHOLE lot of it.) and 2. by sharing what we have with people in need.   Since we can't send our leftover food, we can share other things.  Food banks are of course  good one.  Also, there are several good organizations that pack meals that cost $0.25 each.  (Check out Stop Hunger Now....I've packed the meals.  It is super fun!  We did 30,000 in about 6 hours over 3 days.)  A quarter is something a kid can wrap their head around.  As you talk about hungry people, maybe it would be a good family project to collect quarters at dinner time in special bank or bucket.  It may be a good way to talk about being thankful for what you have.  It's not a huge financial or time commitment, but hopefully will make an impact. 

These things may not change the complaints about the wrong mac-n-cheese, but it at least gives a little background to the comeback "Be thankful for what you have" and gives some concrete ways to make a difference.

northhillsbride

Thanks for the input, Dena. I like the quarter bucket idea. Gavin definitely understands a quarter (as he took one from his own bank last week to buy an ice pop at lunch!).