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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 22, 2018 12:13:28 GMT -6
We made it to the ranch! The forecast for the next few days is high of 28 or some BS with no snow. If it’s going to get this cold it should at least snow so we can go tobogganing. I’ll have to catch up later. Just got baby down for nap 😅 and I need to pick up stuff since we got in yesterday evening and were just trying to get set up for dinner bath and bed. Baby did well despite barely napping all day.
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Post by curmudgeon on Dec 22, 2018 13:49:34 GMT -6
cythe I’m sure it’s frustrating. Can you put all her toys on stuff? Tables, couch, bench, etc so nothing is on the floor and easy to get to by crawling? She isnt even crawling so nothing is easy to get to lmao (laughing but crying on the inside) oh damn I knew that. I’m sorry cythe. Hopefully the pedi doesn’t give you too hard a time about it. Not much to do when they are just stubborn little toddlers. Meanwhile my kid will look me straight in the eye and do something he knows he shouldn’t be. I may have googled when it’s acceptable to do time-outs. |
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Post by doodlemommy on Dec 22, 2018 13:58:08 GMT -6
I’m sorry cythe, that’s frustrating. Is there any way to get physio help even though she didn’t qualify for EI? |
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Post by doodlemommy on Dec 22, 2018 13:59:24 GMT -6
We are having a nice relaxing day at home and then have a Christmas party at my aunt’s house tonight that we are really looking forward to! We are going to put the kids down and then do a yankee gift exchange and play games!
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cythe
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Post by cythe on Dec 22, 2018 15:03:24 GMT -6
I’m sorry cythe, that’s frustrating. Is there any way to get physio help even though she didn’t qualify for EI? The lady who did her EI sent me some exercises so I have her email, I'm sure I could email her but I wonder how far I could go before she suggest I come into her office aka actually pay (which she should do lol). I doubt we could afford services OOP. I wish the exercises she sent were doing anything, they dont seem like they are very helpful. Most of them are very basic, which she is past and dont seem to address our issues. Sigh. |
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 22, 2018 21:14:32 GMT -6
cythe That does sound frustrating - I’m sorry you are dealing with that. I can empathize- DS1 has a similar attitude and was/is very stubborn. CoachTsWife I’m glad your mom is coming to help, but I still feel so bad for you all! I hope your H recovers quickly from the surgery. I can’t imagine how much stress you must be under. duskymonkey Are you at your ILs again this year? Isn’t it always really cold there? Good luck!!! curmudgeon Ugh - I would be annoyed too.
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cythe
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Post by cythe on Dec 22, 2018 22:09:38 GMT -6
cythe, I really feel for your mom. DH is in soooooo much pain, I can't imagine someone going through this 4 times. Did she ever have surgery for a herniated disc? What was her recovery like?. Sorry I started typing up a response and then I decided to ask my mom. She had her surgeries over the last 25 years so technology has changed a lot since she first had them and even a fair bit since her most recent one, so keep that in mind. I remember her being laid up in bed for a good chunk of time, but for the most part once the surgery is over H should be in a lot less pain. Of course there will be surgery pain and all that. I'm sure you know he will be out of commission for a while and will definitely not be a jungle gym for at least a month (I'd guess). The key for my mom was figuring out why her discs ruptured to begin with and regular care with a chiropractor has immensely helped with her overall disc health. I also have the same spine as my mom and so I see a chiro once a month for regular maintenance so my discs dont compress and rupture like hers did. So far, so go |
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cythe
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Post by cythe on Dec 22, 2018 22:10:45 GMT -6
So good? No idea why tapa wont let me finish that post. The whole thing goes white, even when I try and edit it. Oh well.
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 22, 2018 22:38:07 GMT -6
CoachTsWife Thinking of you and your H and your boys. Big hugs and sending all the good healing vibes to your H. Wishing the surgery will go smoothly and recovery will be quick and your H will be able to get back on his feet with much gusto as before. Hang in there. Glad to hear you are surrounded and have great family support.
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 22, 2018 22:49:22 GMT -6
codex320 I hope your gingerbread men turned out like gentlemen! Taitai @augustbloom I only made 8 of them and yes all of them turned out vulgar ROTFL. That's what I said to hubs when they came out of the oven that my gingerbread men needed underwear to cover their shameful state. DS doesnt know any better and ate them and so did hubs hahaha! They really weren't meant to be made larger than the size of a quarter like this 
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 22, 2018 23:33:19 GMT -6
So far so good, both boys seemed to adjust being at my ILs. Yes Taitai its always super cold here and the only heat source in the house is a fireplace. We have a space heater in the room we're packed like sardines now in. Literally it's the PnP, DS' kid sized ari mattress and a queen sized air mattress is all that can fit in the windowless room - it's essentially a closet. I think I may have mentioned, no washer and dryer and it's rough with kids so I had to pack extra for any disasters. The shower has hot water but not the sink in the bathroom so I had to bring the stupid duck inflatable tub - I like to cut its head off TYVM - so unnecessary for packing and traveling and I also have to run back and forth to the kitchen which is the only faucet which has hot water carrying 2 gallon sized ice cream tubs of hot water to fill the duck. lil fella of course loves the duck tub. Anyways my ILs are super nice and I love them and they try their best to accommodate us. DS was super excited to come here. Too bad it's been really too cold to even go for a walk in the woods. Hoping it will warm up some before we leave and DS can at least go tromping in the woods. Oh...I also found salad dressings in the fridge with best by dates from 2014 WTF! MIL also doesn't cook so we'll be eating frozen dinners until Christmas - I'll be making prime rib and there'll be green bean casserole I think, turkey loaf ( whatever that is ) ham from a can ( hello super sodium ), corn ( which isn't bad however when it doesn't get rinsed out of the can - oy! ) MIL has limited kitchen ware plus no basic essentials like even oil! or salt! They had to get salt when hubs told them I made really good prime rib years ago so they let me do that and my recipe is really easy too and requires next to no kitchen ware other than an oven and roasting pan and I sear it out on the grill instead of on the stovetop ( no kitchen mess moreover no vent hood and with carpet in kitchen oy! ) Despite the lack of kitchen ware I've offered year after year to make the Christmas meal and told hubs we can cater Christmas meal too but they won't hear about it. Anyways SIL will always bring a lasagna and another dish. It's crazy but BIL and his family will always eat before they come too so there's so much leftovers which hubs and I will have to eat up. Anyways it's really pretty here, we're surrounded by the woods and abundance of wildlife, DS loves watching the birds feeding at the bird feeders and if there was snow we'd be out on the toboggan. Anything thing is they also don't have trash pick up. Something I haven't talk about here is that for about 6 months now I've been putting lil fella on the potty - no pressure just started a routine after am wake up and before bath and before naps and its been 2 weeks now that he hasn't had a poopy diaper. We brought the potty ring with us for DS and put lil fella on it and since we arrived, he's pooped in the toilet 4x! Every time we mention the word potty and poop ( cos of DS ) lil fella makes a poopy face hahaha! if he keeps this up for the next week, we could be on to something. |
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 22, 2018 23:42:04 GMT -6
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 22, 2018 23:51:21 GMT -6
Taitai couldn't help it...hope lil fella will get accustomed to the snow and see how much fun it is! 
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 22, 2018 23:55:28 GMT -6
Taitai couldn't help it...hope lil fella will get accustomed to the snow and see how much fun it is! This was basically LO about 30 min ago 🤣😂 |
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 22, 2018 23:59:49 GMT -6
So far so good, both boys seemed to adjust being at my ILs. Yes Taitai its always super cold here and the only heat source in the house is a fireplace. We have a space heater in the room we're packed like sardines now in. Literally it's the PnP, DS' kid sized ari mattress and a queen sized air mattress is all that can fit in the windowless room - it's essentially a closet. I think I may have mentioned, no washer and dryer and it's rough with kids so I had to pack extra for any disasters. The shower has hot water but not the sink in the bathroom so I had to bring the stupid duck inflatable tub - I like to cut its head off TYVM - so unnecessary for packing and traveling and I also have to run back and forth to the kitchen which is the only faucet which has hot water carrying 2 gallon sized ice cream tubs of hot water to fill the duck. lil fella of course loves the duck tub. Anyways my ILs are super nice and I love them and they try their best to accommodate us. DS was super excited to come here. Too bad it's been really too cold to even go for a walk in the woods. Hoping it will warm up some before we leave and DS can at least go tromping in the woods. Oh...I also found salad dressings in the fridge with best by dates from 2014 WTF! MIL also doesn't cook so we'll be eating frozen dinners until Christmas - I'll be making prime rib and there'll be green bean casserole I think, turkey loaf ( whatever that is ) ham from a can ( hello super sodium ), corn ( which isn't bad however when it doesn't get rinsed out of the can - oy! ) MIL has limited kitchen ware plus no basic essentials like even oil! or salt! They had to get salt when hubs told them I made really good prime rib years ago so they let me do that and my recipe is really easy too and requires next to no kitchen ware other than an oven and roasting pan and I sear it out on the grill instead of on the stovetop ( no kitchen mess moreover no vent hood and with carpet in kitchen oy! ) Despite the lack of kitchen ware I've offered year after year to make the Christmas meal and told hubs we can cater Christmas meal too but they won't hear about it. Anyways SIL will always bring a lasagna and another dish. It's crazy but BIL and his family will always eat before they come too so there's so much leftovers which hubs and I will have to eat up. Anyways it's really pretty here, we're surrounded by the woods and abundance of wildlife, DS loves watching the birds feeding at the bird feeders and if there was snow we'd be out on the toboggan. Anything thing is they also don't have trash pick up. Something I haven't talk about here is that for about 6 months now I've been putting lil fella on the potty - no pressure just started a routine after am wake up and before bath and before naps and its been 2 weeks now that he hasn't had a poopy diaper. We brought the potty ring with us for DS and put lil fella on it and since we arrived, he's pooped in the toilet 4x! Every time we mention the word potty and poop ( cos of DS ) lil fella makes a poopy face hahaha! if he keeps this up for the next week, we could be on to something. The bath, lack of salt/oil, and your room situation has me all...  On the bright side, at least it’s beautiful, you are surrounded by kind family members, and the potty business is going well!! |
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 23, 2018 1:13:11 GMT -6
So good? No idea why tapa wont let me finish that post. The whole thing goes white, even when I try and edit it. Oh well. Tapa is being weird- it won’t let me attach pics. Sigh. |
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 23, 2018 1:16:25 GMT -6
Okay - Tapa is now letting me post pics I think! I will be an AW. Here are some shots of DS1 and LO in the snow. 💕💕
PDQ
Poof!
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Post by CoachTsWife on Dec 23, 2018 4:18:57 GMT -6
cythe I can't believe your mom has had 4 discs rupture. My goodness.  Thanks for the insight, it is helpful.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Dec 23, 2018 11:08:44 GMT -6
Taitai the boys are adorable and it looks beautiful where you’re at! duskymonkey that sounds like something 😬 you sound much more gracious than I would be. I get it’s the holidays and family and all but I need my holidays to be at least somewhat relaxing and that does not sound very relaxing. CoachTsWife still thinking of your H and you -what a bummer for you all around the holidays. How you all holding up with the ILs gone?
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Post by August Blooms on Dec 23, 2018 11:08:51 GMT -6
danvers DD1 has been at an 11 all week due to all the different stuff they’ve been doing all kinds of things at daycare hyping Christmas. I can see how kids who are out of their routine would act out, can’t imagine at that age excluding a kid unless it’s very serious. CoachTsWife Fx for a smooth surgery and and easy recovery. Hang in there! Taitai Looks like fun! duskymonkey You are much more positive than I would be in those conditions. Enjoy your visit!
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Post by August Blooms on Dec 23, 2018 11:13:06 GMT -6
We had our friends over last night for a game night and it was super fun. I think 6 bottles of wine were polished off. I am tired but not hung over since I took it easy, DH did not and is feeling it today.
We are currently watching Elf and I’m scouring the internet for a good gluten free cookie recipe to bake with DD this afternoon.
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Post by CoachTsWife on Dec 23, 2018 13:07:26 GMT -6
CoachTsWife still thinking of your H and you -what a bummer for you all around the holidays. How you all holding up with the ILs gone? Yesterday my mom was here so I was able to get groceries and finish the boys' Christmas. I still don't have as much as we intended and I hope DS1 doesn't notice. LO is getting all the molars and is a mess. Lots of small poops, bad diaper rash due to all the poop, and just cranky in general. I'm so thankful he decided to start nursing again last Saturday, I was so tired of pumping and now I have an easy way to comfort him again. This is definitely not how any of us wanted to spend Christmas break, but I do enjoy not running around to all the family gatherings. I'm 🙏 it works out for me to take the boys to the Christmas Eve service at church tomorrow. We're usually at mom's, so we miss it. It is one of my favorite services of the year. |
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Dec 23, 2018 13:56:07 GMT -6
We’re doing Christmas at H’s parents today with SIL’s family. I know DD1 is super excited to play with her cousins. FIL just had knee surgery so DD1 watching the old Grinch with him while she not-so-patiently waits for her cousins to arrive.
I know some of the toys the girls are getting but it’s always interesting to see what else. My SIL is very all about “fair” so she demands equal number of presents and toys among all the kids from my MIL. This often means my children get “filler” crap from dollar tree (usually grossly inappropriate for young children - small parts, sharp plastic, etc) that I toss the second we get home. We have told her time and again we do not care about the $ spent or gift amounts. We are trying to raise gracious, happy children who do not need a ton of presents but SIL continues to make this difficult for everyone. H says SIL has always been a “more is better” so this probably will never change.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Dec 23, 2018 14:34:16 GMT -6
And SIL just texted she’s putting their 3 yr old down for. Nap. Now. At 3:30. So it will be almost 2 more hours before they’re here.
If I put my 3 yr old down at 3:30 she would still be awake at 10:00 or 11:00 😑😑😑
There are not enough annoyed emojis for how I feel (SIL is also bitch eating crackers for me so I acknowledge my judgement is clouded).
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 23, 2018 14:46:03 GMT -6
Taitai your boys are too cute! 😍 August Blooms sounded like a great time. BTW here’s a true gluten free cookie. petitateliercuisine.blogspot.com/2009/12/first-on-this-years-christmas-cookie.html?m=0It’s DS fav and I now use 1.5 cookie cutters to cut them out. They’re easy but you’d have to let it “rest” min 3 hrs more is better and do not overbake. There’s only 1 bakery outside of Chicago which I know you can get it from during the holidays and owner is Swiss or former partner. I believe the lekerlis or berner hasselnuss are gluten free as well.
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Post by doodlemommy on Dec 23, 2018 15:21:56 GMT -6
DD and I just finished baking a birthday cake for baby Jesus and she made a sign on a popsicle stick to put in and we washed the play set nativity people to put on top as well. She is so excited, it’s adorable.
Going to spend my afternoon getting all packed up and making my food contributions for tomorrow and Christmas Day so that tomorrow morning we can just relax before heading to my parents house
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Post by bootsorhearts1 on Dec 23, 2018 18:36:39 GMT -6
CoachTsWife healing vibes being sent to your hubs! cythe Hopefully she catches up soon. Kids are all different. My DS had this weird crawl where he like dragged one leg behind him. He never crawled regularly and if I googled it, I read all kinds of horror stories about what it meant. Needless to say he’s just fine but it was really worrisome! duskymonkey wow, just wow. That is impressive! I am somewhat embarrassed to admit DH is 5 and still sleeps with a pull up. I know we should work on it but 🤷♀️ 😬 We are as ready for Christmas as we’re going to be. Both kids are asleep and it’s only 7pm. I know I should get out of bed and do some prep but I have a case of the lazies and we have a lot of driving to do tomorrow.
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Post by bootsorhearts1 on Dec 23, 2018 18:43:38 GMT -6
danvers this is my mom too, she’s a quantity over quality gifter and we always end up with a bunch of dollar store stuff, 2nd hand things and whatnot. Most of it goes to the goodwill. Sorry not sorry.
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Post by codex320 on Dec 23, 2018 18:46:19 GMT -6
codex320 I hope your gingerbread men turned out like gentlemen! Taitai @augustbloom I only made 8 of them and yes all of them turned out vulgar ROTFL. That's what I said to hubs when they came out of the oven that my gingerbread men needed underwear to cover their shameful state. DS doesnt know any better and ate them and so did hubs hahaha! They really weren't meant to be made larger than the size of a quarter like this They were delicious! They were Harry Potter gingerbread cookies. They kept their share surprisingly. I'll post the recipe I used if anyone is interested. I'm going to try to make more tomorrow Sorry guys I'm having a rough time keeping up here. Work was crazy busy and I found out on Friday that were hosting Christmas so there's that. I won't complain though, it just caught me off guard. |
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 23, 2018 19:53:41 GMT -6
danvers Your SIL sounds like a pain! I don’t think I’d get along with her. @goodynewfy Heeey! Good luck hosting the last minute Christmas gathering! CoachTsWife I am sure your DS1 will be happy with the presents and not notice - hope you can make it to service tonight! Christmas Eve mass was always my fav growing up. doodlemommy My family bakes a birthday cake for baby Jesus too! Funny - didn’t realize others did that. Our cake is a chocolate chip sponge cake with custard filling and frosting. It’s so good, but it takes 3.5 hours to make. I can’t make it in Southeast Asia where we live either - too humid and the cake falls. Sigh. Maybe we’ll start that tradition once we move someplace colder some day! August Blooms We have a super super tasty gluten free choc chip cookie recipe. It uses coconut flour instead of regular flour, and it’s sooooo good. Here is the recipe: Makes 1 dozen small cookies - best to double or triple the batch if you want to make for a bunch of ppl. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Ingredients: 1/3 cup coconut flour 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp salt 2 eggs 1/4 cup dark choc chips (or as many as you want - we use ghiradelli) First combine wet stuff in vitamix/blender/food processor (syrup, oil, vaniila, eggs). Pulse in Vitamix/blender until thoroughly blended. Vitamix is good b/c it fully blends coconut oil without making it too hot. Dump wet mixture into bowl and add coconut flour and salt. At first - it will seem too goupy, but the coconut flour will soak everything up. Make into small balls (a cookie scooper works well for this) and put on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 mins.
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