This week has been very difficult for me. I have been waiting with baited breath for a response from Bank of America about whether our request for a mortgage loan modification has been approved.
This modification has been under review for at least 30 days, and during that time, we have had to fax and re-fax umpteen forms, tax returns, and paystubs. And we are waiting, and wondering: what we will do if our modification is denied?
We are already down to a bare bones budget. We eat a few meatless meals each week, shop for clothing and footwear needs at Salvation Army and Savers and hang clothes out to save on energy. We kept our thermostat at 65 this winter and at 60 upstairs.
So the only options would be to let the house go and find somewhere to rent (and with 3 children at home and a boatload of animals a very tall order, not to mention the cost) or I would have to get a job.
This would be somewhat traumatic to our family as I have been home with all five of my children since they were born. Two are grown now, but three are still at home. I also homeschool them. We are very close.
But I'm still praying hard for the modification, and if it doesn't come, well, we'll just go with the flow. I know God has a plan in all of this, even though it seems so difficult right now. Our family has been through difficult times before, and it always seemed that doors opened at all the right times to help us. I'm trusting on the hope that things will happen for us again.
But as these last days of waiting come to a close, I almost like being in limbo because I can't do anything right now. I am forced to wait and that is somehow comforting to me.
I will certainly keep you all updated as to what happens and I would appreciate any prayers you can spare for us!
Here are my top ten supplements I take every day to stay healthy (and happy)!
l. A multivitamin with iron (I like the gummie kind. They absorb better).
2. Fish oil (1000 mg.) for nerves and heart health
3. B Complex (gummies) for nerves and energy
4. Lecithin (400 mg.) for processing cholesterol
5. Ginger (500 mg.) for digestion and joints
6. D3 (1000 mg.) for immunity
7. L-Carnitine (100 mg.) for heart health
8. COQ10 (100 mg.) for heart health
9. Vitamin C (500 mg.) for immunity and allergies
l0. Hawthorne (500 mg.) for heart health
These are what I take on a daily basis. Please consult your own physician before adding any new supplements to your diet.
OK, I think I've had enough. Can I get off now?
Lately, I feel like I've been in one of those hamster thingies, you know, the exercise wheel where the hamster gets in and keeps running and going nowhere.
That's me.
Please let me off! But I'm not sure how to get off. I jump out of bed in the morning and somehow I'm right back on the wheel. I keep running, but I'm going nowhere. The day goes by in a blur and then suddenly, I'm back in front of my bathroom mirror, brushing my teeth before bed, and I can't, for the life of me, even count three things I may have accomplished that day. And then it's into bed to sleep and jump back on the wheel in the morning.
This problem seems to have become worse once I turned 50. I thought things slowed down then. Is it because of my children that I'm still homeschooling? Are they making my life fly by? Is it because I have so much to do? I almost feel dizzy the way time flies by. And I'm not sure how I can stop it or even slow it. I try to take a deep breath and relax, but that only helps for a moment, and then I'm off to the races again.
I thought by posting this, maybe some of you out there might have some suggestions. I'm open to try just about anything, jut let me get off this wheel!
It's Top Ten Tuesday my friends, so I thought I would share my top ten tips on laundry, our favorite chore!
l. Use half the detergent called for in your washer and your clothes will be clean (if not cleaner). This tip from a washer repairman.
2. Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to washer to soften water and clothes, as well as add to the cleaning power of your detergent.
3. Dry off seal on HE machines, especially at the bottom to prevent mold and mildew.
4. Leave door open on HE washers when not in use to also prevent mold and mildew.
5. Don't overload washer or clothes won't clean as well as a lighter load.
6. Use mild baby detergent on delicate sweaters, blouses and slacks. The clothes will stay new-looking longer and they also smell great!
7. Use cold water to wash, especially on nice clothes to prevent shrinkage.
8. Don't use softener sheets in the dryer as they can clog your lint screen with softener residue. Also, softener sheets may have chemicals in them that are not good to inhale.
9. Use the cool-down cycle on your dryer to prevent wrinkles.
10. Hang blouses and slacks up immediately after removal from dryer to avoid ironing later (and who likes to iron?).
I hope these tips help you in your laundry tasks this week. Please feel free to add any tips you might have regarding laundry. I would love to add them!
God bless you!
I did it. I survived the first week of Daylight Savings Time. Surviving Daylight Savings is so exhausting, I must say. I still feel like a zombie, wandering aimlessly through the day.
For instance, on Monday, it took a pry bar to get my eyes open. Now mind you, we homeschool, so I didn't have to be up to meet any time deadlines but my own. But still, starting homeschool at 10:00 a.m. can really put you behind the whole day. I decided to just accept the fact that Monday would be a "wasted" day and try not to stress out about all the things I wasn't accomplishing. And pray without ceasing!
And did you notice how long the evening seemed this week? It seemed that after dinner, it took forever to reach bedtime. I just gave up and went to bed to get it over with instead of waiting for it to come to me!
And if you take medication like I do, especially one that has to be taken at the same time every day, (and I mean on the dot), this week can be an exercise in math skills. My phone alarm would go off at 7:00 p.m. when I am scheduled to take it, but it would really only be 6:00 (pre-Daylight Savings). So I would have to set the timer for 50 minutes and take it then. Then the next day, I would set it for 45 minutes and so on and so forth. Even with all that, I am still struggling.
I feel bad for Moms with babies that eat every 3-4 hours. Just when you have their schedule all down pat, here comes Daylight Savings time to mess it up. I used to use the method that I use for my medication to try and ease my babies back into a schedule.
But, all in all, I survived Daylight Savings. I'm still feeling a little bleary-eyed and sort of in a fog, but it's getting better every day. And a gorgeous day like today helps a lot. I think I'll sit out on my deck for a bit today and enjoy Spring bursting at its seams.
God bless you and please, I love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment. I try to respond to each and every one!
Since I've passed the 50 year mark, I've noticed some pounds creeping up on me and it's frustrating as I've never had to watch my weight before. So I thought I'd share my top ten tips to lose a few pounds (and they're relatively easy)!
1. Drink only water.
2. Eat a small salad before lunch and dinner.
3. Exercise at least 20 minutes per day, 4-5 days per week.
4. Eat a handful of nuts between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. each day.
5. Eat only rye bread when you have a bread product.
6. Eat at least 1/2 - 1 cup raw carrots each day.
7. Eat 1/2 cup cottage cheese or Greek yogurt each day.
8. Eat 2 squares of Dove chocolate each day.
9. Try to include avocados and olives into your diet.
10. Have a small snack before retiring (I eat 1/2 cup corn flakes or rice chex.)
These little changes can help ward off those nagging pounds that can creep up on us.
Please feel free to comment and add any tips you have found to work for you!
God bless!
Have you ever heard of the "Ikea Effect"? Well, let me try and explain it to you.
This past Friday I was shopping in a local antique place that has four floors stuffed with "treasures". It was so much fun to look at all the things that were for sale. Only problem is, after going through the first two floors, my eyes started to dart from item to item, and I wasn't able to focus on anything. Everything became a blur and I knew it was time to leave. The "Ikea Effect" had begun.
This syndrome was first noted in our family at the local Ikea store, and thus the name "Ikea Effect". When Ikea first opened near here a few years ago, we ventured forth to check it out as we had heard a lot about the store, but had never been in one.
It was amazing! And cheap! It was so much fun, for the first floor. And then, we all became overwhelmed with the sheer number of items and started to wander in a zombie-like state. In fact, we had to consult our map (which should have been a warning to us) in order to find our way out. We couldn't even remember ten things we had seen between us at the store!
There are other places that can bring on the "Ikea Effect". Large craft stores, large quilt stores in New Hampshire, Disneyworld, and flea markets can all bring on the symptoms.
Perhaps it is because I have late onset attention deficit disorder. But I wanted to warn others in order to save them from embarrassment.
If you have felt the symptoms of "The Ikea Effect" please comment below and we can join forces to find a way to cure this unusual problem.
Yup, today was a day gone wrong. I should have known from the moment I opened my eyes. My broken crown tooth was hurting and I got up late. I went downstairs and found a big puddle outside the catbox. There was a sinkful of dishes needing to be loaded in the dishwasher.
After loading laundry into the washer, my daughter and I put an exercise DVD into the player and began to do the wretched thing. A few minutes into it, our ancient old dog decided to have some sort of seizure where he ran around at 100 miles per hour all the while bumping into the walls and anything else in his way.
So we had to stop the video and I had to hold the dog so he wouldn't hurt himself. Twenty minutes later he lay down and went to sleep, thank goodness, poor thing. I then tried to gulp down some breakfast and begin some sort of homeschool.
Next came a quick lunch and then a trip to our local Registry of Motor Vehicles. You see, I happened to notice on Monday that my license had expired three weeks ago on my birthday. Now, I did try to renew it that very afternoon, but when I went in, there was a huge crowd and they were all holding the same renewal paper I had. So, I thought, I'll try again tomorrow.
So, I had planned to be there this morning, but the doggie incident kind of scrapped my plans. Anyway, I arrived at the RMV at 1:45 and saw that I had 20 people in front of me after looking at my paper with my number to be served. Only I hadn't noticed that there was an I in front of 172. And that there was also an A172, D172, etc.
So, I took a seat on the hard wooden bench and got ready to wait. At that time, I recalled how I had gulped down a large glass of iced tea at lunch before arriving at the RMV. Big mistake. No bathrooms. Finally, after exactly one hour, I made my way to the window, looked in the vision machine, took my picture, signed away and paid my $50 and then left that place as quick as I could.
On the way home later, we stopped to vote in the primary. It was my daughter's first time voting and we were both excited about that. Until we got to the table and found that she was not on the voter list even though she registered this past summer. So that meant that all the elderly ladies working the polls had to figure out what happened. Not to mention that they couldn't find my name either, but that was due to the fact that our itty bitty town had been split into two precincts, and both were voting from the same elementary school gym. Does that make sense?
So, finally, I voted, and then my daughter finished all her paperwork to allow her to actually vote. I even took a picture of her outside next to the "vote here" sign.
And now, after reading my post, I feel a little sheepish calling it a "day gone wrong". It ended up being an all right day and one we probably won't forget for a while.
I'm sure you've had days like this! Please share yours by commenting below. I'd love to hear your stories!
Yesterday, I witnessed an upsetting incident at our local McDonald's Drive-Thru at lunchtime.
There are two entrances to the drive-thru that merge into one, with traffic coming off the highway for one entrance and traffic coming through the shopping plaza for the other. We were coming through the plaza and when we entered the line, heard a car beeping its horn over and over. In looking to see who it was, we saw a man in a small car trying to squeeze in front of the vehicle right ahead of me. He was beeping his horn and yelling out his window at the driver.
She (the vehicle in front of me) continued forward to the order microphone. This made the man very upset. He jumped out of his car and was gesturing and yelling loudly at the other driver, saying she cut him in line and then he kept jumping in and out of his car and yelling even more.
I'm not sure what he wanted her to do, as there is no way out of the drive-thru once you've entered, but he proceeded to try and back up and drive over the curbing through the landscaping. He must have thought better of it, because he jumped back in his car and moved forward to order. After ordering, he again jumped out of his car and was yelling at the lady as she was paying at the window.
Now, I must say, I was ready to dial 911 and said so to the employee at the ordering microphone, but he said it had been taken care of, I guess meaning that the manager of the restaurant had called the police.
I, as well as the woman being harassed, had children in the car which made the whole scenario even more traumatizing, as we didn't know what the man would do next. I really wanted to get out of there, but there was no way to escape.
The police did arrive, but only after the angry man had left the area.
It was frightening to behold the anger the man displayed just because he had to wait one more car to order his lunch. It just seems that these days, there are a lot more angry, impatient people out there, especially on the road and when waiting in line.
Whatever happened to manners or just being kind or gallant? Is it because everyone is overdosing on caffeine, turbocharging and energy drinks? And nowadays, you never know if that angry person will become violent, instead of just verbally abusive. It really scares me as I wonder where it will all end.
So, if you recognize this happening where you are, too, please let me know. And if you know someone like this, maybe you can gently encourage them to handle their anger in a better way.
God bless!
