This week hasn't been the best but not the worst either. Nothing really happened, it's just been more or less boring. I guess I'm anxious to get this move and everything behind us.
We did hear from the hospital again in Omaha, so Mike is going to call tomorrow and hopefully get some answers. I told him that if they called after 2 weeks (since the first call), they probably really are interested in him. He has me worried a bit because he seems so despondent about the possibility of moving to Omaha. He knows that we have to go where he's going to have a job, but he just doesn't like the idea of Omaha at all. He's hoping that we are moving back to my hometown instead because he knows there are things that he wants to do there, and we have no clue what would be awaiting us in Omaha.
Neither of us are really excited about Omaha, but I'm looking at it as, if it's where we are meant to be then that's where it will be. I'm not exactly excited about moving home, either, mostly because I don't feel like that's home anymore and feel like somewhere else between here and there is going to be the home we've been looking for.
I did have a strange dream the other day. I dreamed that we were moving into my great grandma's old house. A cousin bought the house shortly before my great grandma died but it's been sold, and I haven't been to her house for years. I was looking at houses on Craigslist the next day and one of the houses I looked at was almost the mirror image of her house except it didn't have a garage. Kinda creepy and maybe prophetic.
On the weight loss front, this week was a bust...I have the feeling it's because I've been off the NPC for 2 weeks. While I was using it for 21 days each cycle, I was having consistent weight loss, and now that I changed it to the last 14 days of the cycle, I start gaining again. I'm sure there are other factors involved but we'll see next weigh in.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Official Moving Date
It's official, we are moving on April 20th, the Thursday before Easter. We talked to Mike's parents this afternoon and told them we were moving. They took it a lot better than we were expecting. So, it is officially a countdown to our move.
I know that day is going to be hard for Mike because he's only ever been away from his family once and that was for JobCorps up in Reno. I think once we are officially on our way, he's going to be even more excited than he is now.
On the plus side...I weighed in 2 days earlier than usual and have lost 2 pounds this week. I think the combo of progesterone cream and acknowledging and meditating my stress away is really what's doing it.
Now, we have to get a bigger storage unit, move almost all of our stuff into it and it's going to stay here for a year until we come back next year to visit his family with my parents and then we are going to get a uhaul truck and drive it back to wherever we are living then.
We also have been talking about what we are going to do for Mike's work. We are thinking about starting a green home deep-cleaning business for him. There are some maid services and some carpet/floor cleaning businesses but not any that combine the two in the area. I know enough people there that we can probably get some business just through word of mouth and with the 2 of us doing it. We would both probably have to work for the business until we find out where it's going or if it's going anywhere, but that's doable. We just would have to come up with the money for the business licenses and equipment.
At least with our own business, if it's even moderately successful, then we don't have to worry about Mike having work and I can still do my freelancing there, so we'll have money coming in.
I know that day is going to be hard for Mike because he's only ever been away from his family once and that was for JobCorps up in Reno. I think once we are officially on our way, he's going to be even more excited than he is now.
On the plus side...I weighed in 2 days earlier than usual and have lost 2 pounds this week. I think the combo of progesterone cream and acknowledging and meditating my stress away is really what's doing it.
Now, we have to get a bigger storage unit, move almost all of our stuff into it and it's going to stay here for a year until we come back next year to visit his family with my parents and then we are going to get a uhaul truck and drive it back to wherever we are living then.
We also have been talking about what we are going to do for Mike's work. We are thinking about starting a green home deep-cleaning business for him. There are some maid services and some carpet/floor cleaning businesses but not any that combine the two in the area. I know enough people there that we can probably get some business just through word of mouth and with the 2 of us doing it. We would both probably have to work for the business until we find out where it's going or if it's going anywhere, but that's doable. We just would have to come up with the money for the business licenses and equipment.
At least with our own business, if it's even moderately successful, then we don't have to worry about Mike having work and I can still do my freelancing there, so we'll have money coming in.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Weekly Update 3/5/11
Okay, a few things happened this week that are very promising. We bought a car, a 1995 volvo 960. It's used but for the price and quality, we couldn't turn it down because even the purchase price and minor things that have to be fixed before we can license it aren't going to cost more than the $2000 we budgeted for buying a car.
The second thing is that my fertility shutdown is going very well, but because of our financial situation, I am only going to do it for 2 cycles instead of 3. So, beginning the next cycle, I'm only going to be doing the progesterone cream from CD14-CD27. I have noticed a lot of positive changes with it, one of those being that I am recognizing when I am stressed and am taking time to meditate the stress away instead of bottling it inside.
The last is that, despite not really following any eating program and only eating when I'm hungry, I've managed to lose weight the last two weeks. I attribute this partly to the progesterone cream because it's fighting the estrogen dominance which makes the weight creep up or just stubbornly stay on. Progesterone also helps women lose weight, that's why a lot of plus size women lose weight when they get pg if they were estrogen dominant before pg.
The second thing is that my fertility shutdown is going very well, but because of our financial situation, I am only going to do it for 2 cycles instead of 3. So, beginning the next cycle, I'm only going to be doing the progesterone cream from CD14-CD27. I have noticed a lot of positive changes with it, one of those being that I am recognizing when I am stressed and am taking time to meditate the stress away instead of bottling it inside.
The last is that, despite not really following any eating program and only eating when I'm hungry, I've managed to lose weight the last two weeks. I attribute this partly to the progesterone cream because it's fighting the estrogen dominance which makes the weight creep up or just stubbornly stay on. Progesterone also helps women lose weight, that's why a lot of plus size women lose weight when they get pg if they were estrogen dominant before pg.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A Brand New Life
I know I've been going on and on about how much we want to move out of Vegas and how we can't wait to do it. We both have an idealized outlook on how we want our lives to be and it's just not possible in Vegas. The problem is, we aren't too sure that it's possible in Illinois where my family is either.
What we really want is to have a place that is ours. Not necessarily that we don't have a support system there but that they aren't as demanding of our time and as critical of our choices. We want to be able to make our decisions and not have someone there telling us we're making a mistake before we have a chance to really make a decision. Sounding boards are fine but trying to make yourself so important in the decision making process that we can't make a decision without having to hear unnecessary opinions is far from what we need.
Basically, what it comes down to is both Mike and I dislike being dictated to, being told what we can and can't do, what we can and can't spend our money on, and always being asked where we are going when we go somewhere. We are adults, not teenagers. We are married, not sneaking around. We have made our own financial and life decisions together for years and don't need the interference of others who so generously think we need their opinions to make the right decisions.
We both love our families but they are always in the forefront of things and have high expectations that have no basis on what we want. I moved to Vegas because I felt burdened by the expectations of my family. They didn't want for me what I wanted, and here it's the same for Mike. When his family does get involved in our day-to-day life, their expectations for us aren't what we want. I don't see how my family will be able to understand why I love my job because my mom already believes that my job is unstable and temporary even though I've done this for over 2 years. I can see them pushing Mike in the wrong way to be out looking for a job. They don't know what motivates him because they don't really know him, so they need to leave that up to the 2 of us.
I guess what I'm saying is that I'm looking at this move as a way to start a brand new life together away from the influences and bad advice. We need to live somewhere neutral, so that it doesn't appear we are choosing one family over the other and so that we don't have to deal with interference. I want to live somewhere that is about halfway between both families so that it's not so far to get to either of them and they can't just show up.
I want to live somewhere where we can be confident we made the right decision and have no one telling us what we are doing is wrong. We have certain ideals that we want to live by and definitely can't do it in Vegas, and it trying to live that way when it's a way of life your family doesn't understand just makes it that much more difficult when they are in close proximity. For instance, we have done a lot of research on parenting, pregnancy, and childbirth and want to practice peaceful parenting. Many of the practices involved in peaceful parenting, neither of our families understand nor would be supportive of. Exclusive breastfeeding, elimination communication instead of diapers, lotus births, not circumcising any sons we might have...even trying to explain the choices and the reasoning behind them causes arguments.
When it comes right down to it, Mike and I are very simple people. We crave a simple, low key lifestyle. Money doesn't motivate us, I won't say we don't need it, but we aren't a couple who can be bought for the highest dollar. We want wide open spaces, fresh air, and to see the changes the four seasons bring each year. I guess you could say, the lifestyle that would fit us best is a natural lifestyle. We want things that most people don't consider mainstream because of modern technology.
We want to buy about 10 or so acres of land somewhere and build an underground house. I don't mean dirt floors and walls, and bugs everywhere. I mean, digging 14 ft down and about 1200 sq ft, and shoring it up and waterproofing it the same way you would a basement. It would have above ground windows in every room, a wood-burning fireplace, wind & solar power, and a well tapped to provide water.
It sounds far-fetched and idealistic to say the least, but by utilizing natural energy and water sources we would save money on that and by living 6 or more feet underground, the house would maintain the same temperature as the earth, which is about 55 to 60 degrees year around. Yes, that's cold, so even during the summer using the fireplaces for heat would be necessary. During the winter, it would be cold yes, but unlike a house on top of land that has to be kept warm because it constantly cools to the outside temperature, an underground house is insulated by the earth, so the temperature remains constant even with heat from a fireplace or wood stove.
We want to have an organic greenhouse too, so we can grow our own fruits and vegetables. The problem with all of this is that this is our dream, not reality. This dream will probably never come true because we will probably never have the money to do it, but this is the kind of lifestyle we want. It would be a brand new life and a way of life we would both be proud to raise our future children in.
I'm also going to say something about what I want to do with the rest of my life. For so long I've wanted to be a writer, and do consider myself to be one, but I want more. I want to educate women on the choices they have before, during, and after pregnancy. After Mike gets a new job, and we can afford it, I am going to start taking classes on becoming a midwife and doula. I don't so much want to deliver babies as I want to educate parents and provide a safe haven for women like myself who are TTC or pregnant and have been lectured repeatedly about their weight by doctors. I want to open a conception to post partum education center for parents-to-be, so they can raise their babies in a way they decide is best, not in the way they've seen others do because they don't know there are other options.
What we really want is to have a place that is ours. Not necessarily that we don't have a support system there but that they aren't as demanding of our time and as critical of our choices. We want to be able to make our decisions and not have someone there telling us we're making a mistake before we have a chance to really make a decision. Sounding boards are fine but trying to make yourself so important in the decision making process that we can't make a decision without having to hear unnecessary opinions is far from what we need.
Basically, what it comes down to is both Mike and I dislike being dictated to, being told what we can and can't do, what we can and can't spend our money on, and always being asked where we are going when we go somewhere. We are adults, not teenagers. We are married, not sneaking around. We have made our own financial and life decisions together for years and don't need the interference of others who so generously think we need their opinions to make the right decisions.
We both love our families but they are always in the forefront of things and have high expectations that have no basis on what we want. I moved to Vegas because I felt burdened by the expectations of my family. They didn't want for me what I wanted, and here it's the same for Mike. When his family does get involved in our day-to-day life, their expectations for us aren't what we want. I don't see how my family will be able to understand why I love my job because my mom already believes that my job is unstable and temporary even though I've done this for over 2 years. I can see them pushing Mike in the wrong way to be out looking for a job. They don't know what motivates him because they don't really know him, so they need to leave that up to the 2 of us.
I guess what I'm saying is that I'm looking at this move as a way to start a brand new life together away from the influences and bad advice. We need to live somewhere neutral, so that it doesn't appear we are choosing one family over the other and so that we don't have to deal with interference. I want to live somewhere that is about halfway between both families so that it's not so far to get to either of them and they can't just show up.
I want to live somewhere where we can be confident we made the right decision and have no one telling us what we are doing is wrong. We have certain ideals that we want to live by and definitely can't do it in Vegas, and it trying to live that way when it's a way of life your family doesn't understand just makes it that much more difficult when they are in close proximity. For instance, we have done a lot of research on parenting, pregnancy, and childbirth and want to practice peaceful parenting. Many of the practices involved in peaceful parenting, neither of our families understand nor would be supportive of. Exclusive breastfeeding, elimination communication instead of diapers, lotus births, not circumcising any sons we might have...even trying to explain the choices and the reasoning behind them causes arguments.
When it comes right down to it, Mike and I are very simple people. We crave a simple, low key lifestyle. Money doesn't motivate us, I won't say we don't need it, but we aren't a couple who can be bought for the highest dollar. We want wide open spaces, fresh air, and to see the changes the four seasons bring each year. I guess you could say, the lifestyle that would fit us best is a natural lifestyle. We want things that most people don't consider mainstream because of modern technology.
We want to buy about 10 or so acres of land somewhere and build an underground house. I don't mean dirt floors and walls, and bugs everywhere. I mean, digging 14 ft down and about 1200 sq ft, and shoring it up and waterproofing it the same way you would a basement. It would have above ground windows in every room, a wood-burning fireplace, wind & solar power, and a well tapped to provide water.
It sounds far-fetched and idealistic to say the least, but by utilizing natural energy and water sources we would save money on that and by living 6 or more feet underground, the house would maintain the same temperature as the earth, which is about 55 to 60 degrees year around. Yes, that's cold, so even during the summer using the fireplaces for heat would be necessary. During the winter, it would be cold yes, but unlike a house on top of land that has to be kept warm because it constantly cools to the outside temperature, an underground house is insulated by the earth, so the temperature remains constant even with heat from a fireplace or wood stove.
We want to have an organic greenhouse too, so we can grow our own fruits and vegetables. The problem with all of this is that this is our dream, not reality. This dream will probably never come true because we will probably never have the money to do it, but this is the kind of lifestyle we want. It would be a brand new life and a way of life we would both be proud to raise our future children in.
I'm also going to say something about what I want to do with the rest of my life. For so long I've wanted to be a writer, and do consider myself to be one, but I want more. I want to educate women on the choices they have before, during, and after pregnancy. After Mike gets a new job, and we can afford it, I am going to start taking classes on becoming a midwife and doula. I don't so much want to deliver babies as I want to educate parents and provide a safe haven for women like myself who are TTC or pregnant and have been lectured repeatedly about their weight by doctors. I want to open a conception to post partum education center for parents-to-be, so they can raise their babies in a way they decide is best, not in the way they've seen others do because they don't know there are other options.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Time Out
Ok, I am usually the last person that admits to being stressed and that's an issue for me. I can usually adapt to most situations pretty well but that doesn't mean it doesn't cause any stress. I try to be optimistic because there are really very few things we can actually control in this life, so going with the flow rather than fighting it seems to be the right thing to do. I do, however, feel like I need a time out or a vacation, or something.
It is very stressful living with people you don't like. I love my sister, but don't always like her. They are 100% different from me and Mike, and expect people to just go along with whatever they say/want instead of having their own opinions/thoughts. More and more, I want to just up and move without waiting out the time period we've given ourselves. They keep trying to throw obstacles at us in regards to us moving out of Vegas. I honestly think they might be jealous that we are working harder than they are to make this move work out in the best way possible as early as possible.
We got married while both of us were unemployed. We'd been planning our wedding for months and couldn't just cancel it because the casino we'd worked for decided to go out of business. It was a challenge but we pulled through it together. I got a job about a month and a half after Westward Ho closed but it took Mike over a year to finally get the job at the Imperial Palace. He worked at other jobs throughout that year, and we wouldn't have started ttc or gotten pg if he hadn't been working, but those jobs didn't work out. The thing about Mike is he's a very loyal, hard-working employee and once he's working somewhere he doesn't plan on leaving, so that year was very hard for both of us especially when we found out Nora was dying.
The problem during that year was that Mike was used to people coming after him offering jobs once he'd applied so he wasn't used to actually having to hunt for a job and because I was working at a new job, I didn't really have much time to help him look either. So, he put out very few applications and had one temp job at the convention center and two jobs during that year that were both duds before he got the job at the IP. Everyone we know were very critical of him during that time because I was supporting us, though we didn't look at it that way. We hated always hearing that he wasn't trying hard enough or looking in the right places. It was worse after I got pg too.
The difference this time is that he's put out more applications in the last 2 weeks than he did probably that entire year, and those are to locations throughout the middle part of the country. We are both really resistant to having to move back with my parents because the more we talk about it with them, the more it seems like we are going to be in their way even if we are paying rent and such. So far we've put out about 2 dozen applications in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, and 1 in Vegas. The hard part is, there really is very little available for him in the area where my family lives, but everywhere else there's jobs out the yingyang.
So, I think I'm taking a time out from the stress and am going to try to become more zen-like. Things are going very well otherwise and I'm anxious to see if my first real week back on the WW without the watchers has been successful. I haven't really exercised much because my neck and shoulder have been bothering me so much in addition to trying to get my work done and help Mike put out applications. Please keep your fingers crossed that we are heading down the right path with this.
It is very stressful living with people you don't like. I love my sister, but don't always like her. They are 100% different from me and Mike, and expect people to just go along with whatever they say/want instead of having their own opinions/thoughts. More and more, I want to just up and move without waiting out the time period we've given ourselves. They keep trying to throw obstacles at us in regards to us moving out of Vegas. I honestly think they might be jealous that we are working harder than they are to make this move work out in the best way possible as early as possible.
We got married while both of us were unemployed. We'd been planning our wedding for months and couldn't just cancel it because the casino we'd worked for decided to go out of business. It was a challenge but we pulled through it together. I got a job about a month and a half after Westward Ho closed but it took Mike over a year to finally get the job at the Imperial Palace. He worked at other jobs throughout that year, and we wouldn't have started ttc or gotten pg if he hadn't been working, but those jobs didn't work out. The thing about Mike is he's a very loyal, hard-working employee and once he's working somewhere he doesn't plan on leaving, so that year was very hard for both of us especially when we found out Nora was dying.
The problem during that year was that Mike was used to people coming after him offering jobs once he'd applied so he wasn't used to actually having to hunt for a job and because I was working at a new job, I didn't really have much time to help him look either. So, he put out very few applications and had one temp job at the convention center and two jobs during that year that were both duds before he got the job at the IP. Everyone we know were very critical of him during that time because I was supporting us, though we didn't look at it that way. We hated always hearing that he wasn't trying hard enough or looking in the right places. It was worse after I got pg too.
The difference this time is that he's put out more applications in the last 2 weeks than he did probably that entire year, and those are to locations throughout the middle part of the country. We are both really resistant to having to move back with my parents because the more we talk about it with them, the more it seems like we are going to be in their way even if we are paying rent and such. So far we've put out about 2 dozen applications in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, and 1 in Vegas. The hard part is, there really is very little available for him in the area where my family lives, but everywhere else there's jobs out the yingyang.
So, I think I'm taking a time out from the stress and am going to try to become more zen-like. Things are going very well otherwise and I'm anxious to see if my first real week back on the WW without the watchers has been successful. I haven't really exercised much because my neck and shoulder have been bothering me so much in addition to trying to get my work done and help Mike put out applications. Please keep your fingers crossed that we are heading down the right path with this.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Progesterone Cream Testimonial
I know, I know, I already posted today but I have to post a testimonial to the progesterone cream shutdown I've been doing. At first I was skeptical about it actually working because, frankly, why would an OTC cream work when pharmacy meds haven't.
The first cycle that I did the USP progesterone cream shutdown only lasted 19 days, which is very short for me, and I didn't O during that time. At first, I was a little worried about it because that was such a short time between, but in my research on this, I've found that it's actually quite common for the 1st cycle on the PC to be very short. Despite that, I did increase my dosage to 1tsp a day instead of the 1/2tsp during the 1st cycle. Even though I was disappointed in having such a short cycle, I am thrilled that my body finally started a normal cycle on its own with only the PC to help.
I'm 10 days into my 2nd cycle, and though I haven't been following the program strictly, like going strictly organic and eating as healthy as possible, I can tell it's working. In my reading, they say once you apply the PC you should feel an instant almost tingling rush from the site that you applied it. Basically, this is caused by the influx of hormones entering your system and when you have low progesterone levels it's considered a "feel good" hormone. I didn't pay much attention before when I was putting it on, but since we've moved, I put it on when it's quiet, like in the morning right after I get up and right before we go to bed, and I've noticed that little rush when there aren't as many things calling for my attention.
I am very hopeful for this. I know I have to work on other things as well, but I am loving the effects of the PC so far. I have noticed since I started using it that I don't lose as much hair when I wash it, my hair is shinier, my skin is a little more glowy and has more color to it, I generally remain peppy during the day without as many bad moods, and I sleep much better at night than before. I have stopped the pregnenolone also because I think it wasn't helping and taking it along with the PC may have been the cause of that early cycle. I realized the pregnenolone was too much when I started having trouble sleeping even though I was dead tired...that's a side effect of too much progesterone/other hormones in your system.
So, if you are interested in using PC I recommend Emerita Pro-Gest, but any brand with at least 450mg of pure USP progesterone per ounce of cream and without parabens will work. I get a box of 45 individual packets for $16 including shipping from Amazon.com and am currently using 4 packets per day but you should start with 2 per day either together or separately and only increase it if your cycles remain irregular or if your cycles start early like I mentioned mine did. For the shutdown, I know I've mentioned how it works before, you use the PC from CD5 thru CD26 and repeat for at least one more cycle but for best results another 2 cycles. After that, OR if you don't want to do the shutdown, use each cycle from CD14 thru CD28 (basically 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off). Never use the PC for more than 21 days each cycle. It is safe to use during pg because your body should produce progesterone during that time and the small amount you'll get from the PC isn't going to do anything to harm your pg but don't stop it immediately if you get a BFP because your body might need the boost. IF you get a BFP, you can use less but don't discontinue use completely until at least 12 weeks pg and then begin weaning your body from it but talk to your ob/gyn about discontinuing it first because they might want you to stay on it.
The first cycle that I did the USP progesterone cream shutdown only lasted 19 days, which is very short for me, and I didn't O during that time. At first, I was a little worried about it because that was such a short time between, but in my research on this, I've found that it's actually quite common for the 1st cycle on the PC to be very short. Despite that, I did increase my dosage to 1tsp a day instead of the 1/2tsp during the 1st cycle. Even though I was disappointed in having such a short cycle, I am thrilled that my body finally started a normal cycle on its own with only the PC to help.
I'm 10 days into my 2nd cycle, and though I haven't been following the program strictly, like going strictly organic and eating as healthy as possible, I can tell it's working. In my reading, they say once you apply the PC you should feel an instant almost tingling rush from the site that you applied it. Basically, this is caused by the influx of hormones entering your system and when you have low progesterone levels it's considered a "feel good" hormone. I didn't pay much attention before when I was putting it on, but since we've moved, I put it on when it's quiet, like in the morning right after I get up and right before we go to bed, and I've noticed that little rush when there aren't as many things calling for my attention.
I am very hopeful for this. I know I have to work on other things as well, but I am loving the effects of the PC so far. I have noticed since I started using it that I don't lose as much hair when I wash it, my hair is shinier, my skin is a little more glowy and has more color to it, I generally remain peppy during the day without as many bad moods, and I sleep much better at night than before. I have stopped the pregnenolone also because I think it wasn't helping and taking it along with the PC may have been the cause of that early cycle. I realized the pregnenolone was too much when I started having trouble sleeping even though I was dead tired...that's a side effect of too much progesterone/other hormones in your system.
So, if you are interested in using PC I recommend Emerita Pro-Gest, but any brand with at least 450mg of pure USP progesterone per ounce of cream and without parabens will work. I get a box of 45 individual packets for $16 including shipping from Amazon.com and am currently using 4 packets per day but you should start with 2 per day either together or separately and only increase it if your cycles remain irregular or if your cycles start early like I mentioned mine did. For the shutdown, I know I've mentioned how it works before, you use the PC from CD5 thru CD26 and repeat for at least one more cycle but for best results another 2 cycles. After that, OR if you don't want to do the shutdown, use each cycle from CD14 thru CD28 (basically 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off). Never use the PC for more than 21 days each cycle. It is safe to use during pg because your body should produce progesterone during that time and the small amount you'll get from the PC isn't going to do anything to harm your pg but don't stop it immediately if you get a BFP because your body might need the boost. IF you get a BFP, you can use less but don't discontinue use completely until at least 12 weeks pg and then begin weaning your body from it but talk to your ob/gyn about discontinuing it first because they might want you to stay on it.
Bad Week Continued
Okay, so I know I said it was a bad week and the scale reflected that with a 3.5 pound gain. I'm not surprised but I do know that I need to get my act together and stop using the stress of moving again as an excuse to go off program.
I am still having some trouble with my neck, not so much my shoulder and neck. I don't know what it is, maybe because our bed is softer than the bed at the apartment we had, meaning it conforms better to the body, so my neck isn't as supported with my usual pillow arrangement. I've been making sure my neck is fully supported before going to sleep and it's been reducing the pain to a dull ache.
Now, I have to bitch a bit about living with my sister and BIL. I love them but really can't stand living with them. When we've shared apartments before it's always been all about them (they control the thermostat, they get the master suite but use our bathroom anyways, they never turn the heat on during the winter even when we are freezing, and they bitch non-stop about anything and every little thing our dog might do), and this time we understand they are letting us live with them out of the goodness of their hearts, but it doesn't mean they don't still do things that piss us off.
Our dog is fully house-trained but my sister's 4 dogs tend to do their business in the house if they aren't taken out when they need to go. The last time we lived with them, this practice made our dog forget her house-training and she started to go inside but she hasn't done that since we lived in our house. She's also like any other dog when it comes to going outside, if she sees the other dogs going out, she wants to go too even if she was just out 10 minutes before. BUT if she runs out without a leash on, unlike most other dogs, if you say her name she drops down to the ground and you have to practically pick her up and carry her because she won't move.
My sister sleeps till the very last possible minute on the days she works and as late as possible on her days off, but the problem with that is, either we ignore her dogs begging to go outside when we take ours out or we take them out, which isn't fair to us because they aren't even our dogs. I understand wanting to sleep in on your days off but if you want to have pets you have to take care of them and my sister is the kind that can get up take them out and go back to sleep but she doesn't do that.
The other thing I have to complain about is they are hyper-critical of us spending any money. We are used to making small trips to the store throughout the 2 weeks between Mike's paydays and that's a hard habit to change because we don't usually buy enough food to last us a full 2 weeks when we do big trips to the store anyways. Every time we go the store I feel like we have to make up excuses for it and we shouldn't have to explain our finances to them. Yes, we are living with them because it's less than having to live on our own, but just because Mike is unemployed now that doesn't mean they need to know exactly where every penny we spend goes. They are always yelling at us for leaving a light on somewhere but they don't use CFL bulbs to save on their electricity and they are worse about it than us. They leave a light on in their bedroom all the time, but heaven forbid we make a short trip somewhere during the middle of the night and leave the living room or hallway light on so we can see when we get back because if one of them wake up and see that it's on, we'll get lectured on how they are trying to save money.
We are beginning to despair having to live with them for even 4 months and are really starting to think we should just get out as soon as possible and possibly get a car and a truck instead of just a truck, at least that way we can move much more of our stuff without a moving truck. We probably will be getting rid of our furniture with the exception of the bed and the desk. It's really nice but we just can't afford to move it all and UHaul are a bunch of idiots because they claim both of our debit cards are pre-paid cards not debit cards, so they won't let us rent a truck from them and I'm kind of afraid of having to drive one of those trucks across the country.
I am still having some trouble with my neck, not so much my shoulder and neck. I don't know what it is, maybe because our bed is softer than the bed at the apartment we had, meaning it conforms better to the body, so my neck isn't as supported with my usual pillow arrangement. I've been making sure my neck is fully supported before going to sleep and it's been reducing the pain to a dull ache.
Now, I have to bitch a bit about living with my sister and BIL. I love them but really can't stand living with them. When we've shared apartments before it's always been all about them (they control the thermostat, they get the master suite but use our bathroom anyways, they never turn the heat on during the winter even when we are freezing, and they bitch non-stop about anything and every little thing our dog might do), and this time we understand they are letting us live with them out of the goodness of their hearts, but it doesn't mean they don't still do things that piss us off.
Our dog is fully house-trained but my sister's 4 dogs tend to do their business in the house if they aren't taken out when they need to go. The last time we lived with them, this practice made our dog forget her house-training and she started to go inside but she hasn't done that since we lived in our house. She's also like any other dog when it comes to going outside, if she sees the other dogs going out, she wants to go too even if she was just out 10 minutes before. BUT if she runs out without a leash on, unlike most other dogs, if you say her name she drops down to the ground and you have to practically pick her up and carry her because she won't move.
My sister sleeps till the very last possible minute on the days she works and as late as possible on her days off, but the problem with that is, either we ignore her dogs begging to go outside when we take ours out or we take them out, which isn't fair to us because they aren't even our dogs. I understand wanting to sleep in on your days off but if you want to have pets you have to take care of them and my sister is the kind that can get up take them out and go back to sleep but she doesn't do that.
The other thing I have to complain about is they are hyper-critical of us spending any money. We are used to making small trips to the store throughout the 2 weeks between Mike's paydays and that's a hard habit to change because we don't usually buy enough food to last us a full 2 weeks when we do big trips to the store anyways. Every time we go the store I feel like we have to make up excuses for it and we shouldn't have to explain our finances to them. Yes, we are living with them because it's less than having to live on our own, but just because Mike is unemployed now that doesn't mean they need to know exactly where every penny we spend goes. They are always yelling at us for leaving a light on somewhere but they don't use CFL bulbs to save on their electricity and they are worse about it than us. They leave a light on in their bedroom all the time, but heaven forbid we make a short trip somewhere during the middle of the night and leave the living room or hallway light on so we can see when we get back because if one of them wake up and see that it's on, we'll get lectured on how they are trying to save money.
We are beginning to despair having to live with them for even 4 months and are really starting to think we should just get out as soon as possible and possibly get a car and a truck instead of just a truck, at least that way we can move much more of our stuff without a moving truck. We probably will be getting rid of our furniture with the exception of the bed and the desk. It's really nice but we just can't afford to move it all and UHaul are a bunch of idiots because they claim both of our debit cards are pre-paid cards not debit cards, so they won't let us rent a truck from them and I'm kind of afraid of having to drive one of those trucks across the country.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)