2021 Declutter Stuff & Organize Your Life

[toomuchreality]

Nov 2, 2021 15:39:58 GMT -5 startsmart said:

Omg purple quilt is DONE and I am so happy. I do need to quilt and bind them but won’t be able to start until mid-November.

The whole series is here if you’re interested: imgur.com/a/Z2Kg6oK

OMG. They are FABULOUS! I am WAY impressed! I can't imagine doing all of that! And they're beautiful!
Well done! And cute picture, too!

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 2, 2021 20:07:52 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Nov 1, 2021 16:45:57 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Yes, he is still in the rear facing car seat.  They do think a large part of it is because he can't see.  He doesn't cry.  He just is sick the entire time.

By the time I talked to them last night, he had eaten--3 times what he usually eats and had 4 bottles of milk.  He was hungry and acted fine.

DN1 was car sick as a kid but he said it was because he insisted on reading in the car.  I asked my sister and she said he didn't get car sick until he started reading in the car and was too stubborn to stop.

The toddler isn't reading so it isn't that.

But it could have something to do visual. I can't read in the car. I have to be able to the horizon. When I'm on a boat, I start throwing up, as soon as I lose sight of land. Even though I grew up with a boat.

They think it's visual.

[CCL]

Nov 1, 2021 15:54:33 GMT -5 debthaven said:

TheOtherMe they sell acupressure bracelets at the pharmacy for kiddie carsickness here, but I have no idea of how effective they are. 
    It would be good for them to find a solution for this, even if they opt not to go to your sister's house for Christmas. There are a lot of fun experiences to be had for him closer to home, it would be a shame for him to miss out on them. 

I had scheduled two annual routine medical appts this week since it was a quiet week. Then I had to add an emergency dental appt AND 2 PT appts.

I can't do 5 medical appts in one week. Plus the emergency dental appt was at the same time as my mammogram, so I rescheduled the mammogram for late Nov.

I *may* cancel another appointment but I'm trying not to. I'm trying to get ahead while not being overwhelmed.

Story of my life LOL!

They have wristbands available here called Sea-Bands. I wore them on our cruise and they actually worked! I'm not sure how, they are similar to old-school sweatbands. They make them in kids' sizes and only cost $8-$9 for the pair. Might be worth a try TheOtherMe

[TheOtherMe]

Thank you.  I will suggest them.  

[laterbloomer]

Nov 2, 2021 20:02:07 GMT -5 startsmart said:

I did the math and it was an average of 15 pieces assembled a day for 11 months which feels like it was way easier than I thought. 

See now, easy is not a word I would associate with that. That is serious commitment.

[seriousthistime]

Lovely quilting, startsmart !

[anciana]

OK, I will need to decide what to tackle next but in the mean time we're trying to figure out another situation. I could use some advice if you have any.

Once our kids outgrew cribs we bought them twin beds since the rooms were very small. We moved to a house with bigger bedrooms but kept the same beds for them. Now one of the kiddos has grown so long that his legs and arms are hanging out and it's making it a bit uncomfortable so we're thinking of getting a bigger bed (probably queen with a tight fit). The same kiddo is chomping at the bits to leave for college and not live at home which would happen in less than 2 years, yikes. That brings the question of what do we do about the bed purchase now. 

Option one, leave him in twin bed to suffer through until he leaves which doesn't sit well with me always trying to make the life of my family better, even if it seems like a big expense for a short term comfort. Option two, buy a queen bed that fits the room which means dealing with it after two years and the leftover twin bed now. We have a queen bed in guest room already that wouldn't fit so we would really need to buy a specific, different one. No, I don't think he would want to move into the guest bedroom as most of his other furniture wouldn't fit there but we might explore that.

I am thinking, if everything happens as it looks like now and we buy the bigger bed, we can turn kiddo's bedroom in a guest bedroom and possibly use the guestroom bed for us. Or at some point kiddo could decide to take one or both of the beds with him. I am thinking the kid will come home for visits with an SO at some point and having another queen bed makes sense. But I really don't know what the future holds.

What am I not thinking about? What else should I consider? Any other options I am not seeing?

[debthaven]

anciana in my experience the kids keep coming home! Both from college and after college ... so if you can swing the expense, I'd probably go for the bigger bed.

We are actually planning to do the same thing for DS3, but we can't manage to take apart DS3's single bed! (If we had, we would have replaced it already.) We'd put his single bed in the basement for one of the kids to take later (it's a beautiful handmade wooden Alpine bed). 

If you don't need the twin and it's in good shape, maybe you can sell it? 

PS Other thought ... get him a regular-size double bed, rather than a queen, if it would be better in his room?

You may also be able to find a good gently used frame and buy a new mattress. That's probably what we'll do if we can ever manage to take apart his single bed.

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 2, 2021 23:13:31 GMT -5 CCL said:

Nov 1, 2021 15:54:33 GMT -5 debthaven said:

TheOtherMe they sell acupressure bracelets at the pharmacy for kiddie carsickness here, but I have no idea of how effective they are. 
    It would be good for them to find a solution for this, even if they opt not to go to your sister's house for Christmas. There are a lot of fun experiences to be had for him closer to home, it would be a shame for him to miss out on them. 

I had scheduled two annual routine medical appts this week since it was a quiet week. Then I had to add an emergency dental appt AND 2 PT appts.

I can't do 5 medical appts in one week. Plus the emergency dental appt was at the same time as my mammogram, so I rescheduled the mammogram for late Nov.

I *may* cancel another appointment but I'm trying not to. I'm trying to get ahead while not being overwhelmed.

Story of my life LOL!

They have wristbands available here called Sea-Bands. I wore them on our cruise and they actually worked! I'm not sure how, they are similar to old-school sweatbands. They make them in kids' sizes and only cost $8-$9 for the pair. Might be worth a try TheOtherMe

I found Sea-Bands in kids' size on Amazon.ca and sent them a pair.  Of course, I found more things to send, too.  

[TheOtherMe]

Today I decluttered my bank account for the cost of the guest room minus what I spent for postage yesterday.

Niece in law's return is also on it's way back.  

I'm going to tell them no more package mailing until after Christmas.

The line at UPS was out the door when I left.  People were actually shipping gifts already.  That takes longer than returns.  I was the only person in a mask

[CCL]

Nov 3, 2021 10:49:37 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Nov 2, 2021 23:13:31 GMT -5 CCL said:

They have wristbands available here called Sea-Bands. I wore them on our cruise and they actually worked! I'm not sure how, they are similar to old-school sweatbands. They make them in kids' sizes and only cost $8-$9 for the pair. Might be worth a try TheOtherMe

I found Sea-Bands in kids' size on Amazon.ca and sent them a pair.  Of course, I found more things to send, too.  

With a 1-year-old I would just check periodically to be sure he's not trying to eat the little pressure pads (not sure what they are actually called) and that they are not loosening although they seem very secure. My grandbaby puts everything in his mouth.

[CCL]

Nov 3, 2021 10:15:09 GMT -5 anciana said:

OK, I will need to decide what to tackle next but in the mean time we're trying to figure out another situation. I could use some advice if you have any.

Once our kids outgrew cribs we bought them twin beds since the rooms were very small. We moved to a house with bigger bedrooms but kept the same beds for them. Now one of the kiddos has grown so long that his legs and arms are hanging out and it's making it a bit uncomfortable so we're thinking of getting a bigger bed (probably queen with a tight fit). The same kiddo is chomping at the bits to leave for college and not live at home which would happen in less than 2 years, yikes. That brings the question of what do we do about the bed purchase now. 

Option one, leave him in twin bed to suffer through until he leaves which doesn't sit well with me always trying to make the life of my family better, even if it seems like a big expense for a short term comfort. Option two, buy a queen bed that fits the room which means dealing with it after two years and the leftover twin bed now. We have a queen bed in guest room already that wouldn't fit so we would really need to buy a specific, different one. No, I don't think he would want to move into the guest bedroom as most of his other furniture wouldn't fit there but we might explore that.

I am thinking, if everything happens as it looks like now and we buy the bigger bed, we can turn kiddo's bedroom in a guest bedroom and possibly use the guestroom bed for us. Or at some point kiddo could decide to take one or both of the beds with him. I am thinking the kid will come home for visits with an SO at some point and having another queen bed makes sense. But I really don't know what the future holds.

What am I not thinking about? What else should I consider? Any other options I am not seeing?

I like the idea of a used bed with a new mattress and new box springs. I'd most likely paint the bed to freshen it up, but still keep the expense low. IME most of the new furniture is flimsy particle board and would never have held up to my growing boys. You may be able to get a much better bed for less money going with used. I would never buy a used mattress or box springs, though.

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 3, 2021 14:53:12 GMT -5 CCL said:

Nov 3, 2021 10:49:37 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I found Sea-Bands in kids' size on Amazon.ca and sent them a pair.  Of course, I found more things to send, too.  

With a 1-year-old I would just check periodically to be sure he's not trying to eat the little pressure pads (not sure what they are actually called) and that they are not loosening although they seem very secure. My grandbaby puts everything in his mouth.

One of his developmental problems is that he puts nothing in his mouth using his hands.  He refuses finger food, so that shouldn't be a problem.  Hopefully they and the doctor figure all of this out.  Somewhere he missed the finger food step.

He has never put toys in his mouth, etc.  

[moneysquirrel]

anciana -- Not sure if you can find them but I think most college dorms use a twin bed that is longer than a regular twin.  If you can find one that might be a possible solution especially in a smallish room.

[moneysquirrel]

Oct 31, 2021 12:45:40 GMT -5 moneysquirrel said:

Goals for this upcoming week:

* Need to renew or add a new listing of at least two or three items on Etsy. Did one and plan to do at least one more this week.
* Need to calculate and send in state and local taxes for craft show -- will do later this week after I call about one thing. Missing form?? Sent in the ones I had forms for.  Still waiting for the other form.
* Need to remake another one of the holiday earrings that sold out. I plan to only make a few pairs. Have at least one craft show before that holiday.  Plus I picked up an order for two of them this morning. Aiming to make at least 4 pairs -- 1 is done, 3nd in process.
* Paperwork to do.
* Spreadsheet to work on and another one to update. ongoing
* Update the handouts for my class this week.  
* Appointment -- Tuesday morning
* Classes -- Tuesday (after the appt.) -- Zoom, Wednesday -- Zoom, and Thursday -- Zoom and in-person. Will be missing one in-person class on Wednesday. 
* Lunch --Wednesday -- with DS
** Possible roof replacement -- estimated for this week. This will involve a major decluttering of my EF. Roofers are currently on the roof working.  They may be finished later today or tomorrow. I think.

Also finished another load of laundry this morning and repotted a plant.  My bank account took a hit this week as I did the deposit for the roof.  Another hit will be coming soon.  

[nidena]

Nov 3, 2021 10:15:09 GMT -5 anciana said:

OK, I will need to decide what to tackle next but in the mean time we're trying to figure out another situation. I could use some advice if you have any.

Once our kids outgrew cribs we bought them twin beds since the rooms were very small. We moved to a house with bigger bedrooms but kept the same beds for them. Now one of the kiddos has grown so long that his legs and arms are hanging out and it's making it a bit uncomfortable so we're thinking of getting a bigger bed (probably queen with a tight fit). The same kiddo is chomping at the bits to leave for college and not live at home which would happen in less than 2 years, yikes. That brings the question of what do we do about the bed purchase now. 

Option one, leave him in twin bed to suffer through until he leaves which doesn't sit well with me always trying to make the life of my family better, even if it seems like a big expense for a short term comfort. Option two, buy a queen bed that fits the room which means dealing with it after two years and the leftover twin bed now. We have a queen bed in guest room already that wouldn't fit so we would really need to buy a specific, different one. No, I don't think he would want to move into the guest bedroom as most of his other furniture wouldn't fit there but we might explore that.

I am thinking, if everything happens as it looks like now and we buy the bigger bed, we can turn kiddo's bedroom in a guest bedroom and possibly use the guestroom bed for us. Or at some point kiddo could decide to take one or both of the beds with him. I am thinking the kid will come home for visits with an SO at some point and having another queen bed makes sense. But I really don't know what the future holds.

What am I not thinking about? What else should I consider? Any other options I am not seeing?

An XL Twin Bed is five inches longer than a regular Twin Bed.  80" vs 75"  Might be an option.

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 3, 2021 15:51:00 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Nov 3, 2021 14:53:12 GMT -5 CCL said:

With a 1-year-old I would just check periodically to be sure he's not trying to eat the little pressure pads (not sure what they are actually called) and that they are not loosening although they seem very secure. My grandbaby puts everything in his mouth.

One of his developmental problems is that he puts nothing in his mouth using his hands.  He refuses finger food, so that shouldn't be a problem.  Hopefully they and the doctor figure all of this out.  Somewhere he missed the finger food step.

He has never put toys in his mouth, etc.  

Received a video.  He ate finger food tonight.  That's a first.  The therapy really is helping.

[debthaven]

Lots of great ideas for anciana here!

But given his age and the fact that he's off to college in two years, and that I'm assuming that anciana wants him to continue to come home, I'd still opt for the double bed LOL. 

anciana , how often do you have guests in the guest room? Because another option would be to sell the guest room bed, and to put your son's twin bed in there for now. 

I absolutely get the dilemna, because we raised four kids in 1800 square feet, and we had to move furniture around and change bedrooms around as our kids grew up. When DS3 (4th kid) came along, there went the guest room. So "important guests" (ie very close family) would use his room, and he'd sleep with a sibling.

When DS3 left for college, we created a basement bedroom for him, and the three younger kids "moved up" a room, and the tiny bedroom became a guest room again.

IMO the kids are far more important than "guests". Worst-case scenario, one kid bunks with the other if "important guests" need a double bed ...

(Says this grandma whose son proudly invited us to his guest room, and then realized the room was too small to fully open the high riser ... so DH slept on the twin and I slept on 2/3 of the other mattress on the floor. We're not looking forward to doing that again although I'm sure we will LOL.)

I didn't cancel that other medical appointment! Plus it was near a supermarket, so DH and I went there afterwards. I haven't been in a supermarket in well over a month, so I stocked up on a bunch of things. I also caught up on laundry. 

Can't wait to do my semester update tomorrow!!! Next week will be all about the play, and marking 33 papers ...

[CCL]

Nov 3, 2021 19:04:03 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Nov 3, 2021 15:51:00 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

One of his developmental problems is that he puts nothing in his mouth using his hands.  He refuses finger food, so that shouldn't be a problem.  Hopefully they and the doctor figure all of this out.  Somewhere he missed the finger food step.

He has never put toys in his mouth, etc.  

Received a video.  He ate finger food tonight.  That's a first.  The therapy really is helping.

Yay! He sounds like a doll!

[TheOtherMe]

Today's laundry is in the dryer.  Now to make myself fold it while I watch 5, yes 5, high school volleyball matches.  It's state championship day and the girls' state championships are all televised by the local PBS station.

[Lizard Queen]

Nov 3, 2021 19:06:38 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Lots of great ideas for anciana here!

But given his age and the fact that he's off to college in two years, and that I'm assuming that anciana wants him to continue to come home, I'd still opt for the double bed LOL. 

anciana , how often do you have guests in the guest room? Because another option would be to sell the guest room bed, and to put your son's twin bed in there for now. 

I absolutely get the dilemna, because we raised four kids in 1800 square feet, and we had to move furniture around and change bedrooms around as our kids grew up. When DS3 (4th kid) came along, there went the guest room. So "important guests" (ie very close family) would use his room, and he'd sleep with a sibling.

When DS3 left for college, we created a basement bedroom for him, and the three younger kids "moved up" a room, and the tiny bedroom became a guest room again.

IMO the kids are far more important than "guests". Worst-case scenario, one kid bunks with the other if "important guests" need a double bed ...

(Says this grandma whose son proudly invited us to his guest room, and then realized the room was too small to fully open the high riser ... so DH slept on the twin and I slept on 2/3 of the other mattress on the floor. We're not looking forward to doing that again although I'm sure we will LOL.)

I didn't cancel that other medical appointment! Plus it was near a supermarket, so DH and I went there afterwards. I haven't been in a supermarket in well over a month, so I stocked up on a bunch of things. I also caught up on laundry. 

Can't wait to do my semester update tomorrow!!! Next week will be all about the play, and marking 33 papers ...

I was also thinking about a full size bed, but those are shorter than queens. Not sure exactly how tall her DS is, but I'd double check that. (My DH is a little tall for even our queen. We make do, but it means his knees stick into me sometimes.)

[debthaven]

Ah I didn't realize they were shorter too ...

Semester countdown: 11/15 weeks done!!! Just 4 weeks left! 

The physical therapist scheduled me for 4 more sessions over the next 2 weeks, so 6 sessions total. Then hopefully done!!! 

He gave me one of those "gripmaster" things but told me not to grip it too hard, because the one he should have given me was missing. He lends them out freely but some people don't return them.    

[anciana]

Thank you all for the suggestions! We're still mulling it over so any and all ideas are welcome!

moneysquirrel and nidena, I though about getting an XL twin bed originally, it would make the most sense right now as it would fit the best size wise and would serve a purpose for a long limbed teen. The issue I had with it was that he probably wouldn't take it with him to college or afterwards, and we wouldn't get as much use out of it at home after the initial 2 years, so a queen would make more sense short and long term.

CCL, I've been looking for a while around here for a used frame and headboard and, unfortunately, I am coming empty time and time again but that was (and still is) definitely the first avenue explored.

Lizard Queen, I don't think any of the beds I am looking at would be necessarily longer (except for the XL twin). My though was that he could spread out, or sleep diagonally without having his limbs hang over the edge if the bed is generally bigger, even if it's only wider.

debthaven, I've seen how much your kids come and visit and all your changing of the bedroom arrangements. My hope is that our kids will visit and we will have space for them and their future families That is why I am definitely leaning toward a queen bed now and dealing with it afterwards as it seems to open more possibilities later. We already have the twin beds and would prefer not to get another one. Before covid we used to have guests come and stay with us quite frequently, friends and family, so we hope once things normalize a bit more, this will continue. 

Thank you all for helping me think this through and being my sounding board, I really appreciate hearing your thoughts and ideas! 

[Lizard Queen]

Nov 4, 2021 10:14:22 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Ah I didn't realize they were shorter too ...

Semester countdown: 11/15 weeks done!!! Just 4 weeks left! 

Actually, I just measured mine, and it seems to be the same length as the twin. Of course, you can sleep diagonally on it if you're not sharing.

anciana we also have a corner bed that would hold a xl twin, which can be used as a daybed. I'll look for a link, so you can see what I mean.

Ok, it looks sorta like this, but black vinyl:
www.furniture.com/products/teen/twin-beds/lucie-blue-4-pc-twin-corner-bed_3502060p

[TheOtherMe]

Called the company that installed the garage door opener and key pad.  Key pad doesn't work.  They came out and no, it wasn't programmed.
It works now.

I had also called to see why there was no light in the garage door opener.  They said manufacturers no longer supply them.  I had bought some so he put one in while he was here.

Hopefully garage door openers are no longer on a list of things I might have to do.

[debthaven]

Sorry you needed to call them again, but sounds like progress TheOtherMe !

Next week is a short week because of Veteran's Day. BUT I'm getting 33 papers tomorrow, and next week is Play Week. I have an all-day rehearsal on Saturday. So this is my goal (as well as keeping up with kitchen/laundry).

This weekend:
- file DH's company papers/Fri
- mark 33 papers 

The papers are due tomorrow at 6 pm. I'm not supposed to mark them before 6pm, because "the student can always decide to resubmit." That has happened to me exactly ONCE in 3 years.

So I'm planning to mark a bunch tomorrow. I need them done before Monday/Play Week.

[bean29]

Anciana on the bed for your DS, my kids are strange, when my DS was a teen she had a bed, but slept on the floor in the basement. In HS and all through college she sleeps on a sofa in the basement. She has a Queen bed in her room and a Queen Bed in the Guest Room she can sleep in, she just never does. We never have guests, having a guest bedroom seems like a waste to me, but DH insists we have one.

I would consider a sofa or a twin XL

[debthaven]

This weekend:
- mark 11/33 papers Fri
- mark 11/33 papers Sat
- mark 11/33 papers Sun
- file DH's company papers

Not great progress, I was hoping to do more. All-day rehearsal tomorrow but home Sunday. I really want to finish these before Monday for my own peace of mind, but it's not the end of the world if I don't.

[finnime]

We closed on the home equity loan yesterday and should get the funding next week, so that's good news.

Today I ordered: a new front door light (old one is shot); a bathroom sink, lights, faucet and p-trap to go with the new medicine cabinet in the upstairs bath. I hadn't planned on buying a new sink, but it was important to DH, so I went with it. It will make a big difference in the first impression of that bathroom, especially once it's painted and I replace the plantation shutters. So, the work on the house has commenced with purchases.

Counting on the contractor/painter starting on 11/22. I need to ask him if he has an electrician and a plumber in his crew, or do I need to hire them separately.

[debthaven]

Great news finnime ! If he's a contractor, he should.