startsmart
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Post by startsmart on Feb 7, 2012 21:17:59 GMT -5
Just wrapped up two great days with my mentors in Connecticut and I am filled and overflowing with ideas! Lots to implement and work on over the next few months in my business. Of course all the good (people, connections, yummy wine, etc) was tipped by the one crazy person who attended and cornered me in the lobby tonight when I was trying to relax. So if any of you got my SOS message, I apologize blue eyes called me with a fake emergency so I could run up to my room. Whew. Crises averted. Spending tomorrow in NYC and then back home soon!
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Feb 8, 2012 9:28:21 GMT -5
red - I agree with Shanen. Who says you only have to have one shower? Or you can do some "showery" type stuff at the bachelorette party.
dakota - A couple months ago you were asking for songs to workout too. I just added a good one - Stronger By Kelly Clarkson. I actually just added 8 new songs, but I think that is the best to workout to. (Also added Since U been gone and Mr Know it all by Kelly Clarkson, Brighter Than the Sun - Colbie Calliet, Edge of Glory and Born this way by Lady Gaga, Waking up in Vegas and Last FRiday night by Katy Perry)
Ben's 2 year checkup is today. DH has a consultation on his sleep study tomorrow. Then he has physical therapy and I have a counselling session next week. Currently his sleep study is scheduled for the 24th. At the recommendation of the counselor, we have a date on Saturday.
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dakota4600
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Post by dakota4600 on Feb 8, 2012 11:01:48 GMT -5
Yesterday was a spend. I had a couple doctors appts and decided to take the whole day because I have the time. I ended up organizing our 2011 docs and setting up the files for the 2012 stuff, but of course I needed more folders and a portable filing box (we just got rid of our filing cabinet). While I was out I picked up dog food too.
Muttley- Thanks for the recommendation. I'm almost down 30 pounds and have started to notice some definition in my arms and calves. Less then 20 pounds to go!
Hope Ben's 2 year check up goes well.
Start- Glad you are enjoying your trip.
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redwagon
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Post by redwagon on Feb 8, 2012 11:11:01 GMT -5
shanen, muttley - a second shower is a good suggestion, but she's already doing a Jack and Jill party in addition to the shower and bachelorette. I think another shower would be too much. Plus, anyone I'd invite is already going to be at the one her mom is throwing. I'm just going to focus my energies on the bachelorette and make sure that is fun and relaxed. Bride is already kind of annoyed that people are taking control away from her on the jack and jill and the rehearsal dinner, so I want to give her a really chill event (mini winery tour with rented limo). Thanks though. I'm feeling better about it now, though still sad her mom didn't feel like including me. She bawled her eyes out at my wedding at how touched she was to be invited, thought we'd bonded. She's a very closed off person normally. I'll let her do her thing. I'll just enjoy the breakfast buffet!
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Feb 8, 2012 11:30:53 GMT -5
3 NSD Hopefully today and tomorrow will both be NSDs too, but we may give in and go get a 3rd extendable leash for Howie since the roomie can't find his old one. Friday Howie has a vet appt and then we plan to do our shopping. Last night nothing useful got done- DH got home from class and then we went to visit the MIL in her new SNF. It's on the north end of Seattle and we live on the south end, and it was rush hour, so we left the house shortly after 5pm and didn't get back until almost 8pm. We ate dinner and watched NCIS as a "family". We are pretty happy with the new facility. We happened across the speech therapist and the physical therapist on our way in last night. They had all sorts of questions and seemed very engaged in her care, which is more than we got from the last place. This is also a home that has an Alzheimer's ward, so they are used to slightly erratic behavior and don't seem like they'll flip out and start prescribing anti-psychotics if something appears to change. So, fingers crossed, though MIL has been off her feet for long enough that we're kind of back to full on rehab to get her walking again.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Feb 8, 2012 11:48:04 GMT -5
Red- See if you and your friend can do something simple and relaxing leading up to the big day. I took BFF to get pedicures a day or two before her wedding. We got a chance to just sit in the big massage chairs and visit. She really appreciated a chance to get away from all the hassle of the wedding stuff.
shanen- glad the new facility seems to be a better fit for your MIL. Is this a permanent move or will you be hoping to move her back to her regular apartment after her Phy. Therapy is done?
muttley- hoping DS' check up goes well today.
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redwagon
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Post by redwagon on Feb 8, 2012 11:48:54 GMT -5
sheila - good idea. I'll have to figure out how to work that - she lives 3 hours away!
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Feb 8, 2012 12:12:55 GMT -5
Red- Sorry I hadn't thought about the travel distance part. Was easy in my case- once I flew here for the wedding everything we did was in town (same town we all live in now) so it was only a matter of saying- Meet me at Indulge at 3pm for a surprise
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WholeLottaNothin
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Post by WholeLottaNothin on Feb 8, 2012 12:13:58 GMT -5
FP- Good luck on your interview. Let us know how it goes.
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redwagon
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Post by redwagon on Feb 8, 2012 12:18:17 GMT -5
sheila - I'll see if she has anything planned for the day before, as that's the only other day I'll be up there (on blue's birthday, no less, and he'll be up in Maine for one of our good friends' wedding... sad I can't go to that one. It'll be more fun, honestly). I guess I'm just feeling overwhelmed with all the weddings we have between now and then... (hers will be the sixth, and I have three showers and several bachelorette parties). Even if I wanted to do a separate day, I don't think I have a free weekend. It's crazy this year.
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mrslynch
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Post by mrslynch on Feb 8, 2012 12:34:11 GMT -5
mizbear--thanks for the welcome! i've missed visiting here. shanen--i'll take a stab at life by pets if you want. just tell me what you have in mind and i'll get started. red--i would just let it go. some moms feel like it's their job to do this for their daughters. also, you still get to plan the bachelorette party. that's way more fun! spruby--i sent you a pm
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redwagon
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Post by redwagon on Feb 8, 2012 12:44:59 GMT -5
mrslynch - I am. Going to use all my celtic ideas for the St Patty's party I'm throwing instead. Thanks :-)
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Feb 8, 2012 13:31:48 GMT -5
sheila: The goal is still for her to be able to live independently. That was the whole point in getting the knee surgery. The sepsis and other infections may have made that impossible, but we don't know yet. The therapists at the new place understand our goals and while they aren't super optimistic (and if you met MIL at this point, you wouldn't be either), but have promised to keep them in mind and to let us know if they determine that just won't be possible. (We're still paying rent on her apartment and all.)
mrsl: I need to think about it. I'll send you an email.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Feb 8, 2012 14:01:05 GMT -5
DS's 2 year checkup - The doctor wants to see him in 3 months to see how his speech is then. I just feel like he's doing it on his time frame and he since he doesn't fit into their box then there is something "wrong". If you write down a letter, he can tell you what sound it makes! He just doesn't want to talk. Just one more doctor's appointment for us.
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Feb 8, 2012 18:29:14 GMT -5
update; 8 NSD, 0 EOD. Still using gift cards for food and such.
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financialpeace
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Post by financialpeace on Feb 8, 2012 19:29:47 GMT -5
Update: 6/15 NSDs
Thanks for all the good luck wishes for the interview. I just got a call back, and I got the job. ;D The pay is a little more than my old job, so that's nice. It's supposed to last three months or so, but it could go longer if volume stays up. Minimal chance of it working into something permanent, though.
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dakota4600
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Post by dakota4600 on Feb 8, 2012 20:01:15 GMT -5
Congrats financialpeace!
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Feb 9, 2012 9:20:52 GMT -5
Congrats FP! You know the old saying- "it's easier to get a job if you already have one" This may not lead to anything permanent with this company but not having that gap of unemployment will help when applying for different jobs. muttley: DS had to do the whole speech therapy thing starting at about your DS age. Wasn't bad- they would come to his daycare during the day twice a week and work/play with him. A couple of my cousins have masters degrees in speech pathology and therapy. They say the earlier they can get a kid in the better- they can head a lot of problems and issues off before the kid even gets to kindergarten. Still hope it's nothing but if they do go the speech therapy route there is a good change that your DS will see it as enjoyable- he gets one on one attention from a "teacher" and stickers at the end of the lesson
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MittenKitten
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Home of the Circus
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Post by MittenKitten on Feb 9, 2012 10:36:47 GMT -5
congrats FP! Nice also that it is more pay then your last job, even if not permanent.
muttley: You can also have him evaluated through your school district. Then you don't have to pay for private speech therapy or an evaluation. I agree with Sheila. While I worked in Early Childhood Special Ed a number of kids would have no problems with their speech by the time kindergarden started and no longer have an IEP. They were honestly the ONLY kids I ever saw that would get off an IEP. Being that he is under 3 he would be under IDEA Part C and serviced at home. Our evaluation took place at home and was pretty painless. So while you believe he doesn't have any speech issues it isn't going to hurt to get it checked out either.
Been ill, have had strep throat since Sunday afternoon and completely incompasitated Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday I was able to deal with the kids by myself and today I am at about 50 percent. YUCK I SO hate strep. I used to get it all the time as a kid and basically a week is lost to it.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Feb 9, 2012 11:02:05 GMT -5
4 NSD Roomie got his tax refund and confirmation of his 14% raise yesterday so brought home steaks as a celebration.
fp: congrats on getting the job.
muttley: I had a lisp as a child and went to speech therapy in first grade. I remember it being lots of fun. I still remember the ST's name (Mr. Love). Of course, when I'm really, really tired, my lisp will start to come back (also if I'm drunk, but I haven't been drunk for over 14 years now). It's like my tongue gets tired and forgets the training of the last 30 years.
taxes: I did a preliminary tax return last night- I'm still missing one piece of information- I probably have it and tossed it somewhere, so I couldn't actually do them last night, but I had expected to pay. We paid last year. Turns out we'll get a refund, a rather sizable one. One thing I hadn't checked last year was that if we'd been able to take the tuition credit for C, we wouldn't have had to pay last year, or at least not paid much at all. This year, even though we didn't pay taxes on DH's UE, he only got 55% as much as he had in 2010, and I had my new higher paying jobthe whole year. Our taxable income only dropped by ~2k from 2010, but because my higher salary changed how they pulled taxes, I paid $2,200 more in taxes this year than last. Combined with the $2,500 education credit straight off of our tax burden, we're getting around $3,100 back.I think around $500 of it will be used for a trip to Austin next month to visit former roomie, $1,000 will go toward a big payment on my student loans, and the rest will go into savings to add cushion for replacing the windows this summer. On a side note, I got a reminder of how well we're doing in debt repayment- for the first time since I got my graduate student loans, I did not max out the student loan interest deduction in 2011.
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redwagon
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Post by redwagon on Feb 9, 2012 12:09:00 GMT -5
FP - awesome! congrats!!
shanen - yay for getting a refund! even better that it was unexpected! Our tax burden has lowered to less than $800 at this point, but I'm still missing blue's interest info for his savings accounts. He's so stressed with work and class I'm not going to bother him about it until class is over in three weeks.
This is copied from my post on the Losers thread, sorry if you've read it already. But I'm just so proud of myself:
I have a new method of menu planning. Why I didn't think of this sooner is beyond me... when we try a new recipe and like it, I now immediately put it on a future date on the calendar. We have a page-a-week calendar, so it's really easy to do this. Eventually I figure all meals will be planned without me thinking about it, and i'll know they are healthy. Once we get to the future date and if we still really enjoy it, I'll add the meal again 6-8 weeks out. Some favorite meals (taco casserole) will probably get made a bit more often. I make sure not to do similar meals in the same week (I wouldn't do quesadillas and taco casserole in the same week, etc). It's kind of fun, and when I like a recipe but forget about it, it's always sad, so now I won't! I also make a note of what cookbook and page, or if it's a printout, so I can find the recipe again later.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Feb 9, 2012 12:16:24 GMT -5
Red- Brilliant idea Muttley- I should have mentioned- Stephen's stuff was all through the school district. The lady came to daycare just because that's where he was during the day and that's what we worked out. The evaluation was pretty straight forward- she came to our house and spent about an hour with DS asking him questions and checking his fine and gross motor skills. Lots of flashcards "What is this a picture of" They want to access the depth of his vocabulary and his pronounciation skills.
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startsmart
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Post by startsmart on Feb 9, 2012 12:49:03 GMT -5
About to head home and I'm torn, NYC was a ton of fun and I learned so much at the conference! But ready to be home with the boys and settle in to get this work done in my business!
This trip I connected with a ton of really talented colleagues, found a few potential clients, saw Jimmy Fallon at the NBC studio and visited the Museum of Modern Art. Lots of good memories!
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3catslady
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Post by 3catslady on Feb 10, 2012 8:13:15 GMT -5
update; 9 NSD, 0 EOD, I am still holding strong but I may fold tonight. I usually buy a certain brand of frozen pizza but I looked for it last night and I was disappointed. It came with 2 slices in the box last week and now it comes with one slice BUT IT IS STILL THE SAME PRICE. Last week I was getting 2 slices for $2.98 and this week there was 1 slice for, yup, you guessed it, $2.98. I did not get it and got a different brand but it did not taste good so now I am going to eat out and get a good pizza for $10 but I should have enough for 3 or 4 meals if I don't eat it all the first night.
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redwagon
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Post by redwagon on Feb 10, 2012 9:35:37 GMT -5
startsmart - glad you enjoyed NYC and got a lot out of it. Would have been nice to meet up but I've felt seriously drained all week. I keep expecting to wake up with the flu one morning...
3cats - that's ridiculous. I'd definitely write to them and complain. Stupid pizza people... get your yummy pizza out and enjoy it over a few meals. We're getting pizza tonight (a new thing, pizza on fridays. makes it easier than trying to decide when I get home). We usually get Saturday lunch out of it too.
Yesterday was a spend, as I finished up getting my niece her birthday present and got some tea stuff for me. I can't believe she's going to be 2. Feels like yesterday she was born in the middle of a blizzard...
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dakota4600
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Post by dakota4600 on Feb 10, 2012 9:48:49 GMT -5
Wed & Thursday were NS's for me. I'm not doing well with counting them, but I think we are doing okay for the month. Today will be a spend. DS's heater in his room went out and we tried not using it but his room is really cold without it and he woke up twice last night, so to keep DH & I sane we are getting a new heater. I really thought he'd be okay without it, because he is always all sweaty.
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shanendoah
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Post by shanendoah on Feb 10, 2012 11:51:43 GMT -5
Yesterday was a gas only NSD. Today will be a spend. We have to take Howie to the vet (should be covered by the rescue). Then we plan on doing our shopping for the weekend. We did no regular shopping last week- only got the dim sum stuff we needed for the Superbowl, so today should be a pretty significant trip. I'm dealing with medical bills for the MIL this morning. Two have been fairly easy- one was actually a legit bill of what she owed, but it showed that she also still owed money that we paid back on Dec 30. When I called the billing office, though, they had credited the December payment, so I made the new payment online and we're good there. Another didn't show billing the insurance company at all, so I called to verify information, and it turns out they had a glitch in their system for sending out bills. The correct insurance has been billed and we can ignore the current bill. I've got two more offices to call- one that it doesn't appear ever tried to bill any insurance company, and another that billed the old insurance company who denied it- which they would have a right to do if the MIL now had no insurance, but since she still has insurance, they will actually end up being responsible for it. But I'm not going to make that argument. I'm going to give the office the new insurance information and then the new insurance can argue with the old insurance. Neither of those offices open for another 10 minutes or so, though. Luckily I have copies of both insurance cards and financial DPOA so I at least have everything I need to deal with this. It's just not even 9am and I'm ready to be done for the day.
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redwagon
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Post by redwagon on Feb 10, 2012 15:52:32 GMT -5
I made a little book for my BFF's shower that people can write advice to her in. It has some photos of the couple, etc. Finally used my mixbook Groupon! So I feel better about contributing. thanks for listening to me whine. Here I go again...
My brother got a job offer and is likely moving to Florida this summer with his wife. This is GREAT because he hates his current job, hates the winter, loves Florida, it will hopefully help with his depression and anxiety, and he will be living in the same state as my dad and so my dad will get a little more time with at least one of us. It is also great because my SIL would go too. I love her, in small doses. Unfortunately, my mom gets super sized doses of her. SIL's mom is in Thailand, and my mom is the surrogate. Sometimes it's a little much. SIL will be happier in a warmer climate too, plus Miami is club central, and both of them like to club. I'm a horrible person for thinking "Oh good, I get my mom back!" Living farther away, I feel like SIL has inserted herself into my former role. It's made me sad from time to time. I just feel bad for my mom, although she is supposedly encouraging the move because she knows it'll make DB happy even though it'll make both her kids multiple hours away. So, just conflicted. I don't see my brother often as it is, and when I do SIL is always around ruining it (unintentionally, but why should he talk when she can do it for the both of them? you know what I mean, right?). So the distance probably won't make a huge difference in our relationship. And it will hopefully destress both my brother and my mother, who wants nothing more than for him to find happiness in life (it's been an up and down battle since high school). So, there that is. Now they need to sell their house (a major cause of stress for my brother because it's way more work and money than he'd anticipated, so he needs to sell it anyways) and move and all that good stuff. It'll be nice to have a place to crash in Miami though...
thanks for letting me work through that. I guess I'm mostly happy about it. Maybe my mom will come visit more now. Blue will just love that! Seriously. Just another excuse for pizza and wine!
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mizbear
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Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
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Post by mizbear on Feb 10, 2012 21:26:57 GMT -5
fp- YAY!!!!!
red- HUGS. I hope it works out. My DB is a PIA and seems to have a really bad knack with women.
Still muddling through here. Go to the doc on Tues to find out what is going on with me.
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on Feb 10, 2012 21:55:34 GMT -5
Update: 8 NS Days, 1 CS Day
Just stopping in to day hello.
MK -- Hope you feel better 3cats -- glad you have a computer again Red -- Your friend will be happy with whatever you choose SS -- glad your trip was inspiring MizBear -- tke care of yourself
Had more comments on the post the board ate. Will try to check in more often.
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