Tricia, I have tried breaking tasks down to several 10 minute jobs. I can usually do just about any activity for 10 minutes so I'll set the timer and do as much as I can in the kitchen.....or my bedroom or wherever I'm cleaning. I know that the timer will go off soon and I can take a short break. I think just knowing that helps me to push myself a little more. Sort of like when there's something in the microwave and I try to finish whatever I'm doing before the timer goes off!! I know it's silly but I've done that as long as I can remember.

I know what you mean, though, about things taking longer to do. I can't stand as long as I used to be able to. My legs, especially my left one, have gotten weaker.

Whatever works and helps get at least a little "extra push" is a good thing.
Might try this myself.





Gerry

Hi Everyone!

Ger - Thanks for the tip. I will ask the nurse practitioner when I see her today. Since I normally have low blood pressure (average is about 105/60) it's going to be tricky with diuretics. Of course, recently my bp has jumped up a bit but still isn't even 120/80. Water weight is so weird. I feel slushy, like I should make a slushing/swooshing noise when I walk. Do you get that way?

Kelly - That's a great idea!!! I never thought to break the tasks down in increments like that. What a great way to conserve energy. I normally try to complete the task in one go and end up fatiguing myself. I'm going to have to try the 10 minute segments. I do that with exercising only I use step counts. I try to get at least a miles worth of steps in a day. I walk around my apartment. I break it down in to 200 to 500 steps per time. So, the 10 minute cleaning segments will work great as I love doing something similar with my steps.

Barb - How is your sister doing? I have been keeping you all in my prayers.

Doydie - Things have been stressful for you lately. I hope everything settles down soon and you and Charlie get back to a more normal routine.

DD24 moves this weekend! I am so excited and happy for her. She's nervous and excited. The place she is moving in to is a cute little casita type home. There are several in the community. It will be so good for her and she'll have lots more room for her and my grandson. I'm sure I will be spending sometime over there this weekend. I have to be there tomorrow as her couch is being delivered. That's my job - to sit and wait for her couch. Everyone else will be moving the big stuff.

I have been so nostalgic over the past few days. Middle age is such a weird stage in life. I keep thinking about the times when my girls were younger and living at home. I miss those times. I miss the activity and hustle and bustle of juggling school, activities, work, etc. I miss listening to music and dancing and singing with them. I miss our Friday night movie camp out nights where we would get all the blankets and pillows, make popcorn, and camp out in the living room and watch movies. I miss going places with them; taking them to museums, parties, and shopping. I am fortunate that I see DDs often, maybe once a week or so. I see DD24 more often because I am the back up sitter in case DGS's dad or other grandma can't watch him and she helps me a lot by taking me shopping and getting me out of the house. But, I still miss the days when they were younger. I hope they remember those times as fondly as I do.

I have no big plans for the day today. As mentioned, I see the nurse practitioner today. It's just to go over blood test results. Other than that, I have no plans.

I hope you all have a great day!

tkrik, I miss those days also. We had slumber parties in our family room to. When my oldest daughter went to college she wanted to do one last one before she left the house. Our treats were Ritz crackers and the cheese that comes in a can, can't remember the brand. We always likes the American cheese. The other thing besides chips, dip, etc was graham crackers and vanilla frosting. Poor Charlie had to stay upstairs and could not come down at all. No men allowed, except our male dog. Those were the days. Now we enjoy telling the grand kids what we used to do for fun as younger versions of ourselves. They just can't believe we did that. Of course we try that now and can't make it past 3 AM. My oldest asked me to be her matron of honor at her wedding since I was her best friend. I respectfully refused. Told her she couldn't have a weeping matron of honor.

My relationships with my two girls were two completely different things after oldest went off to school. I then some how became evil Mom. I stayed that way through her one year of college and then a couple of years living at home. It improved as I showed her that no matter how you treat me, how you rebel, I still love you. She turned herself around and now we are best friends and I almost have to beg older sister to call me. Younger one is the one who lives here in town and i don't know what we would do without her. I keep on telling her that if the situation ever arises that she has the opportunity to marry or get a better job and move away that she should never say she has to stay here because of us. Our lives would change. For one thing we would have to pay for all she does for us!!!!

Hi Everyone!

I hope everyone had a nice 4th of July and stayed cool! It was hot here, as usual. I didn't go see the fireworks. DD24 just moved this weekend and I stayed the night with her last night. It's too hot for me to go out and watch fireworks and she and the little one were too tired to go watch.

I didn't do much today. I always feel like I should be spending my days doing lots of different things and then feel guilty when I don't do anything at all. I did finish up a book I was reading. That was the highlight of my morning. Now, my goal is to read Middlemarch. It's a big book so I'm giving myself the rest of the summer to read it.

Doydie - Both my girls have such different personalities that my relationship with each of them is different. I'm glad they are that way as they each bring something to me. I had someone ask me which one was my favorite. I told her neither and that they each bring something different to my relationship with them. She insisted that everyone has a favorite and proceeded to tell me all about her favorite. It just floored me!!! It sounds like you have similar relationships with your girls - different with each of them and love them both dearly.

I hope everyone has a great evening!

Yes, both my girls are as different as night and day. In high school I always went on one end of the building for the oldest daughter because that's where choir and musicals/dramas were. The other daughter I was in the other parking lot and entrance for basketball, volleyball and any other sports she was in. I love it yet get perturbed at it when they are together. They are worse than my 2 grand children as far as how hyper and giggly and playing tricks on one another or me.

But then I look at my siblings. My sister has two children also. She says she had 2 only children because of how far apart they are in age. 8 years! When my niece comes up here her and her brother never speak, hug or anything. Her son has one child and now that he has graduated from high school they want to move where he is in college. Her daughter is married to a guy who was brought up to think of Indiana being the enemy. They are from Arkansas. She says the at of having childbirth and having to have a vaginal exam is not worth having a child. So my sister only has one grand child who really wants to move away. Next sibling is a brother. They only have one child. But this poor nephew is the most fertile man. He has 4 children and has never married. The last sibling is another brother. He has two boys, both with all sorts of mental problems. They both have all the alphabet illnesses. ADHD, ADD, OCDO, and others. The first one is also fertile, 4 children and not married, the other just turned 19 got engaged after dating 2 weeks and she is pregnant. None of these kids have any intention of getting married.

So what I am saying is that I am so proud of my girls. When we have all the family together at Christmas I am the only one who can look around the room and see normal family relationships, my kids who love each other and want to spend as much time as they can together, grand children who have the same parents who are also married to each other. We also love to take a yearly vacation together. Sometimes it's a whole week and sometimes it is only 3 or 4 days. But we stay in the same house and have fun. My youngest daughter loves my oldest daughter's husband so much that they drive in a separate car since we have to much stuff for 1 car. They love their head banging music and love to be with each other. Secretly I also think that Paul likes some time away from his wife who likes to boss him around.

Wow, crazy families . For the most part our family is close, except my two siblings when it comes to me. As for my brother it's a no skin off my nose kind of thing and when he gets over himself we'll chat again as is our usual pattern. My sister on the other hand... yeah, it's really not a punishment at all for her to not be talking to me . We have a love-hate relationship where we just love to hate each other.

But as for the rest of my family I'm super excited because it's getting closer and closer to the time for me to blow out of GA and head on up to good ol' NH. And it seems we'll be taking along my grandson as well as he should be back with his mom before we go. . So I guess my mom and I are glutton for punishment in bringing two very high strung and active kids (aged 2 and 4) on a 20 hour car trip, but at least once we're there I'll have more family members than I can shake a stick at to keep the tots from too much trouble as they run amok in the white mountain countryside.

We just started a bit more of the trip preparation today by hitting up the Goodwills around here. They like to do 50 cent sales by colored tags on clothes so it seemed a great time to gather up some things for the kids to wear and destroy while up there. Serviceable over fashion was what we were going for but still got some really cute and hearty looking finds for both the kids. And of course I had to stock up on some more books. The Goodwill in town had a bunch of books that looked brand new! Including a hardcover version of Charlotte's Web that the spine hadn't even been broken in yet on. And best of all, they were only 39 cents a piece. So the library is growing quickly for the grandbabies. Now I have to get grandpa to make them a nice little book case to hold all the books.

Between the Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity and Dollar Tree, at least the GBs will never be able to say "there's nothing to read". And I shouldn't have to worry about overdue fees at the local library, not that I do anyways since my friend is the director, but hey I believe in paying my dues, even my past dues... I just wonder when the Friends of the Library is going to be doing another book fair. They take donated books and old books from the library and sell them off, sometimes if you can hold off until the last day and the final hours they'll sell off the books by paper bags full for $1.00. Much slimmer pickings, but when you think of the number of books you can cram into a paper bag .... Instant home library.

But I'm sure in NH too, we'll be hitting up tons of book used book stores. They're everywhere up there so my mom and I can never miss the chance to check them out. And with 2 GBs who are just starting to enter the world of literacy, it's going to be that much more a treat to go scouring the shelves looking for old favorites and some new tales to wow the kiddies. And we also can't forget to hit up the fabric warehouse up there!!!! It's like Joann's on steroids, they have everything you could even think of and for a mere fraction of what you would pay at any of the chain stores. Not just fabric either, they have bins and bins of yarn, threads, notions galore, cross-stitch and embroidery patterns, and of course pattern books a plenty. Including tons of old... and I mean we're talking antique pattern "magazines" for knitting and crochet and even housekeeping, some of the things we saw last time went back to the late 1800's. It is my heaven on earth. Especially since it doesn't matter if the book was printed in 1892 or 1992 it's the same price.

Though given the musty smell inside, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the fabric was from 1892 either. But that's the fun of it all, searching for those really cool fabrics and notions that they just don't make anymore. Or at least not like they used to, sure you can always find the cheap knock offs but it's hard to find a bolt of material that looks like 1960's retro mod, because it really is a bolt of 1960's mod material.

I would be dancing with excitement right now... but honestly, it's too hot to dance. It got up to a 110 degrees this week and that's not including the heat index. I have spent much of the week hiding in my bathroom, because it's the coolest room in the house. Run a bit of cold water through the shower and then just curl up on the stone floor until it starts to warm up too much again, rinse and repeat. And yet still I've been slammed all week with migraines and debilitating pain. The GB and I are counting down the days... her to learn numbers and me in curiosity over whether I can survive that long.

starz, I would really like to go shopping with you. I don't think anyone could ever be depressed after going out with you. Have fun on your trip.

Starz, I've always loved Charlotte's Web. My kids liked it too.

Hope it will cool off for you. Hot weather is so very miserable.

It's been in the upper 90's here but the "heat index" has been over 100. Miserable!!

I have used nearly an entire 10# bag of ice PER DAY just filling up the outside kitties water bowl to keep cool water available for them. I worry so about them.

I have not been anywhere in over a month. Not left the cool confines of my house in over 30 days!! And I don't care!! It's cool here and I don't have to wear a bra!!!

Now, when my electric bill gets here I might have to take up a pity party collection!!