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In 35 years of MTing, I've NEVER made

Posted By: more than 40K at the very most, and that - sm on 2009-06-08
In Reply to:

was while being paid hourly as an on-site MT. Now that I'm paid a lousy 8.5cpl, my income is closer to 20K/year.


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    Well, 10 years+ MTing, so kind of new...I see what you are saying about putting in a few sm
    hours, etc. Can I be honest? I like working on holidays. I really do. BUT, that was not my point. My point was that I don't like other MTs telling me that I SHOULD work that day. And that is my obligation. Because to that I say, no it isn't!
    I've been made to feel like
    I was born into dh's family. It's nice because my dad's only sibling, my aunt, lives at the southern end of the state and she's never been emotionally close to us and my mom's family is in England. Dh's aunts organize family barbecues at least 3-4 times a year just to keep the families connected.

    I've never made dumplings before,

    but that made me think of chicken and waffles.  My kids love that dish.  I looked up a few recipes for dumplings and maybe I'll give that a try this weekend (since I'll need a trip to the grocery store for a few things).  Thanks for the ideas!


    I'm making pumpkin whoopie pies tomorrow night for the kids' Halloween parties at school.  Yummy!!!


    I made my son one a few years ago SM

    It was SpongeBob on one side and solid red on the other side.  He still loves it.  He is starting to outgrow it too, so I may make him a new one this year.  My other 2 would probably love one too, but the material is sort of expensive to make them all blankets that are big enough.  I'll have to think about it. 


    Chickadee


    I made these a few years ago and they were a big hit...
    my grandpa (who is 84) actually said I should go into business---LOL...I think he thought I had sewn them or something so he was quite impressed...they are really fun to make too...
    Yes - I've made hundreds of candles
    and have used tons of scrap wax - not from glass jars but believe that could be done. My recommendation for doing this:  Use double boiler - pot of water, large coffee can filled with water and your candle jar clothes-pinned to side of coffee can or other large can.... water in inner can will eventually melt jar wax and then you will need to very carefully pour jarred wax to another container.  Be sure the inner coffee can filled with water has enough water in it to come up to the level of at least half of jar candle - does that make sense?  Jarred candle needs to sit down inside water to melt....  You can do just the jar inside a pot of water on the stove but the inner can just gives you another layer for safety... good luck!
    Well now you've made me feel worse!
    Not your fault, just don't like this whole situation, as you can tell. I hate the idea of paddling. I spanked my kids a few times when they were younger but I honestly had no idea school districts still did this sort of thing.

    If the principal/vice principal bruises my daughter you'd better believe I'll be in there Tuesday morning demanding some answers! Maybe I'll write on the slip "Only if soft enough not to bruise." There is NO EXCUSE for causing that kind of damage to my child. You say there is no bruising IF done by a thick wooden paddle or not done with one? Seems like that's what would bruise. I know they use a paddle, but I don't know any details about it, how thick it is or if it has any holes in it (which I assume makes it worse).

    I don't think I'm going to sleep well tonight. This is so hard on a mom, you know. I like your extra pair of undies idea. I have a pair of control-top underwear that I've never worn before, I wonder if they'd fit my daughter. They're pretty padded.

    Not happy.
    As for the meals you've made that you end up tossing, sm
    why don't you freeze leftovers in single-serving sizes, in microwave containers? I do this for lunches with leftover main meals, and it works quite well. Almost everything is freezable - chili, spaghetti, etc.
    I did years back, but made up with her..and then

    SO.....don't waste that emotion *hate* because we don't know when our lives end.  My sister was 30 when she died, in the late 1970s.  I'm just happy we had made up 6 months prior to that.  Her death was a shock to all of us.  One of my children was named after her AND even looks like her....


    One never knows around the corner........


    I did 2 years ago. BEST decision I ever made for myself.
    I was 44 when I had the surgery. I went from a 36 DDD/E to a 36 B/C, and I'm ridiculously happy about it. No more aching back. The grooves in my shoulders are almost gone. Clothes fit, and I am much more active, so I generally feel better.

    I had my surgery as an outpatient. Surgery was at 8:00 a.m. and by 3:30 I was home. I won't lie to you. It was pretty painful immediately afterwards, but that's what meds are for. These are extensive incisions with layers of stitches and staples. You have to expect pain. I also had an On-Q pump for pain medication. But to be honest, I really don't think that helped all that much. I was part of a study for that, and I know that our hospital has recently stopped using it. I guess the feedback wasn't very positive. Mostly, I took Percocet for about a week. I had drains on both sides, and the pain was MUCH better once those were removed about 3 days after surgery. So the worst of the pain was during the first three postop days. After that, I was usually pretty good during the day with just Tylenol and an occasional Percocet. I did take the Percocet at night. Sleeping was tough for a while because positioning comfortably was difficult. After the drains were removed and then all of the staples and sutures (about a week), I was up and out of the house and doing my normal activities. I just wasn't doing anything high impact. A month after the surgery, I did a slow but steady 8-mile hike with a daypack on and even camped in my tent and slept on the ground for two nights. I was fine. Not absolutely pain-free, but active and happy and looking great.

    I gotta tell ya! To be 46 and have perky breasts makes me smile. My scarring isn't bad at all. (Thank you Mederma!) But I never planned to do a layout for Playboy, so a few red lines under my clothes don't bother me at all, especially because I'm able to walk about without a bra, if I really want to. :) The pain is just a distant memory now, and soooo worth it. My plastic surgeon told me that breast reduction surgery receives the most positive feedback from patients, more than any other plastic surgery procedure. I can't remember the exact figure, but something like 95% of women say they are pleased they had the surgery and are happy with the results.


    I made my own bread for years sm
    I have celiac disease, so no more, but the kids loved it.

    I have had a bread machine, but they are not friendly in higher altitudes, so I gave it away. I baked by hand and yes, I was an MT at the time. I used to make 6 to 10 loaves at a time, which is a lot of kneading. I found that kneading it as I did clay when I was throwing on a pottery wheel worked best for my hands. It is a spiral kneading technique, hard to explain. I sit on the floor and knead in a very large steel bowl. The angle of my wrists and hands is much better that way.

    Anyway, my favorite bread recipes come out of the original Laurel's Kitchen. I don't like the new anniversary edition and I don't like their bread book. You'd need to look in the library for this, but it is worth it.

    While I don't own one (have not found one) I understand that the best and easiest way to knead bread is a bread bucket. You can buy them from a couple of places on line that cater to Amish people. It looks sorta like an old-fashioned ice cream bucket, but you put bread in the bucket and crank.

    I stand by something called Hungarian High-Altitude flour. I have used it at high altitude and low altitude, it is equally good. If you can, get bulk yeast from a health food store because those packets are pricey and not as fresh as you need for premium bread. Made by hand, the best bread comes from the best sponge beforehand.

    Feel free to email me about anything I have said.
    i made that choice for 5 years
    and now i really enjoy my meat, esp bison and chicken.
    Make sure his Will is made out and pray. I've seen too many people like this in my nursing career
    s
    i made a memorial site for my mom for my sister and my grandmother a few years ago. sm
    neither were cremated, but mom wanted a memorial. we took a spot in her back yard and made a rose garden out of it. we planted several rose bushes. i got some of those make your own stones from hobby lobby. it is like cement that you pour into the mold. i then wrote in the cement before it dried their names at the bottom and in loving memory of at the top. decorated the stones up with some heart gems. these are in the middle of the rose flower bed. we also got her a covered canopy bench to sit next to it. everyone in the family loves to go there. just FYI there is a rose that is a red and white mixture rose that is called the love rose and this is the very center of our "memorial". i can't recall the name and it was very hard to locate. this was several years ago and the roses are growing pretty than ever.
    Reminds me a lot of MTing when you get a new job
    They make promises; you totally believe them (not you, probably more me), and then you find out they count lines strangely and you don't know the formula, the DD is not in the bank when it should be, your health insurance rates change or you were never enrolled when you should be, etc. We especially in this business should be gunshy of any concrete promises from any money-giving source (except maybe our mom) that it won't necessarily be when or what we expect it. I was burned because ours was supposed to be in last week, I spent my child support for my son on clothes for him for the summer, etc. and then we had nothing left. Uggg. I was sure we'd get the DD. My husband has been on the bank site every day waiting. Isn't this sad? That we are depending on this stimulus? That's because there are no raises for cost of living, costs of gas went up, cost of bread, milk. We can't even eat out anymore, and had promised the children we'd eat out last weekend, guess we won't this weekend either. And, when the money does come, bet it will have to go to bills. I just hope we get at least one night at a hotel at the beach from it; that's all I expect anymore, used to be week long cruises in the good old days of MTing. Remember then? Good luck to everyone on the stimulus, hope you get it soon! MTmom.
    Anyone burned out with MTing? sm
    i've been MTing for about 14 years.  i love being at home for the fact i have a 10 y/o and a 6 y/o.  but sometimes i find myself being bored sitting here typing.  i think of doing other things, medically related.  i think it would be so cool to be a surgery tech.  the thing is here where i live, i can make about the same as they do working at home.  it's just getting boring.  anyone else feel that way or have made a change?  i often think about when my boys get a little bigger, i'll go outside the house and work and possibly go back to college even.  i would like to do some kind of work where i can make a difference in people's lives. 
    I've been like that for 30 years

    I sometimes fall asleep at 8 p.m., wake up after an hour, then can't get back to sleep until midnight.


    Other times, I'm awake until 10 p.m., sleep until 1:30 a.m., fall back to sleep by 3:30 a.m., only to have to get up at 4:30 a.m.


    And then there's the "no wake" pattern. Get about 4 hours sleep and feel great, but then I can't stay awake during the day. I'm in that mode now.


    I have never taken anything for it, never even thought of it, but the suggestions below has given me some ideas. I'm no spring chicken (even though I usually feel like one) but lack of sleep is really beginning to wear me down.


    I've been looking at them for years.

    We have a very long house (75 feet long) and it takes forever for the hot water to get to the spigots and shower. We must waste 2 gallons of water before it's hot. 


    They have been on our wish list for years, planning on getting one for under the sink and one for in the bathroom that is at the one end of the house, but just haven't been able to afford them yet.


    I've been married 20 years, and
    I can usually figure out a way to motivate mine. He does take after his stubborn mother, but ve haff vays, hehehehe.


    We've been married for 22 years and

    I've had my own checking account for the last 15.  It is so much easier, IMO.  In fact, he just recently opened his own separate checking account over the summer.  So we have our joint account, which I rarely touch, and we each have our own. 


    And I agree that Christmas is for everyone.  I'm as bad as the kids on Chrismtas Eve, as far as not being able to sleep.  It's my favorite holiday.  We get to see my whole family and DH's whole family and spend time together.  Love it.  In fact, it's my year to cook dinner for DH's family and I'm so excited.


    I've been divorced now for 5 years and have....sm
    recently started dating, if you want to call it that.  Things seem to be a lot different now when it comes to "relationships."  There are 2 men that I am interested in and 1 of these men is more interested in me than the other one.  Do I follow my heart or do I follow my head?  They both have positives and negatives, as we all do.  I just don't want to make a bad decision that I may later regret.  I know this is not a lot of info but I have heard "follow your head" and I've also heard "follow your heart, no matter where the road may lead."  Help!!!
    I've been married 21 years.
    I really think God picked us for each other, and that happiness will not be found with another as long as we both shall live.

    It's not that we never squabble or fuss or have the occasional day where we almost pretend the other doesn't exist. But I know that the only other person I could stand to spend this much time with would be my twin sister. These are the only 2 people I can be completely open with, be myself with. When it's good, it's really great.

    We have furkids only.
    I've been married 13 years and

    I would never allow my husband to tell me who I can and cannot see.  If I were you, I wouldn't bring it up to him until closer to her visit.  As you said, who is he to say where your sister can and cannot go.  As the time approaches, a week or so in advance, I would simply tell him that your sis will be in town next week and you are planning on seeing her.  If he throws a fit, let him.  It seems to me, he gets away with this because you let him. 


    If the situation arises where he becomes intolerable, perhaps you could spend the night at sis's hotel room catching up.  Let him stay home.  It's his loss, but it doesn't have to be yours as well.


    Really? I've been doing this over 12 years and never had the problem before nm
    x
    You've been married 15 years
    and you've put up with it for 15 years. There's really no reason for him to change, is there? You've allowed him to do this to you.

    Sorry to be so blunt.
    Unfortunately we've had to do that for the last couple of years
    We really wanted to go on expensive family vacations, but we have a rather large credit card bill that we're trying to pay down so we decided no elaborate vacations until we can really afford it.
    I've had my checking with WAMU for years -
    I just called a couple of days ago and it was obvious their calls are now being answered overseas. It took so long for them to understand what I was calling about, I ended up just hanging up and doing it myself on line. I'm thinking of switching or at least complaining. It's a disappointment.
    I've been in scouts for 11 years and am a cubmaster now.
    The Pinewood Derby is supposed to be a help-your-son event, but you are right to rant about some adults being overly involved. I've seen very, very sad little boys whose fathers don't let them help in building at all.
    Some of the things that we've done in our pack to help prevent this are:

    1. Hold a Pinewood Derby building clinic(s). We get some veteran derby builders (usually dads) to come out with tools to help the boys design and build cars on a Saturday a couple of weeks before the race. Most of the work is done then, and we have stations where the boys and their adults learn about design, then how to make the axles and wheels perform better, etc. etc. By the time the clinic is over, the boys usually only have to finish painting and install their wheels.

    2. We hold an adult race where there are no rules. This sometimes ends up to be quite a hilarious race.

    3. Awards should be given in lots of different categories that have nothing to do with how well a car performs on the track.

    If you think that these ideas would be helpful to your pack, why not join the Pinewood Derby Committee for next year to help plan and have more of a say. Usually packs are dying for volunteers to help out.


    I've gotten them all up for years, including the hubs. Should have
    s
    we've had our squblles/differences over the years...sm

    but we still speak to one another at least 2-3 times week...I live 1004 miles away from them...We talk about everything and nothing...What's for dinner?...Have you poked your spouse in the eye with a sharp stick yet?...How's Mommy doin'?....Kids, animals, politics, music, lots of trivia...  


    I miss the 3-part harmony and team cooking especially during the holidays.  Cat


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wiVkdVPGoY


    I used to let it slide, but I've been married 23 years.
    Probably about year 5 or so, when we had children and she felt it necessary to comment on my mothering, I finally just gave it right back to her. She has four children, and the only one who turned out well was my husband, and I'm quite sure it's because he spent a lot of time away from home when he was growing up.

    She lives just down the street, and now that we know where we stand, we have no problems.
    I've had DirectV for years and love it. sm
    AT&T recently offered me a free year of Dish, but I turned it down. I'm happy with DirecTV. Love my TiVO, too!
    You've waited at least 5 years too long already.
    Your boyfriend has the best of both worlds and has no reason to marry you. If you stay with this person out of "love" I guarantee you will look back on your life one day with deep regret.

    More concerning is that you say the other man is able to take care of you. Is that what you're looking for, someone to take care of you? You can't expect another person to make you happy or to validate your worth; it can only come from you.

    I think your biggest issue is lack of self-esteem, and if you learn to love yourself the question about your relationship will answer itself.

    I've lived here for 25 years, a transplant from the NY area.

    I live in the "burbs" like the other poster, but if you have a choice, go to NY!!  It is WONDERFUL this time of year.  The crowds are what make it New York at holiday season.  Rockefeller Center, Radio City, and all thos wonderful things.  I lived close enough to NY that I could hop on a train and be there in 15 minutes.  I miss New York - lots. 


    Hang in there! I've been cigarette free for three years now...SM

    It is definitely one of the hardest things you will ever do, but it is also one of the best things. 


    Check out this website and follow your progress and what happens to your body as time goes on without cigarettes.  It is encouraging.  http://healthbolt.net/2006/07/19/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-stop-smoking-right-now/


    DON'T join this site, but just do the first step of registration to see how much $$ you will save and how many days you will add to your life by quitting.  It is very interesting. I used to have another site that gave this same info without having to join anything, but I couldn't find it, but this gives you the same basic info, but only do the first step in the registration process.   https://secure.quitnet.com/


    Again, hang in there.  YOU CAN DO IT!   You will start feeling better within a couple weeks. 


    I love that I can smell so much better now and that I don't stink like cigarettes.  I find it very nasty now when I smell a person who has just smoked, which is something you can't smell when you are a smoker.  Yuck.


    i've had mine for almost three years, still works great sm

    i leave my monitor on all the time, but it has a "sleep mode" after so long.  it's a Dell.  actually the whole computer system has been great!


     


    Hey trose, I've had many yard sales over the years and have

    seem some pretty surprising stuff go on, only to watch people battle off and jump in their "fancy" cars.  I've had people set a whole pile of stuff in front of me and throw a 5 at me and try to take off knowing that what they had cost more. I had one lady say "quarter?" over and over and over trying to buy two folding lawn chairs and I kept saying, "NO." She finally gave up and left.  I've had people steal right out from under my nose and jump in their "fancy" cars and take off.  I've had a whole "family" of Mexicans pile out of a very nice van and converge upon my yard sale with one person trying to keep my attention while their family members steal whatever they could from me.  When I saw a one of the kids stick an X-Box game in his shirt, I told him he had to pay for it and he tried to walk away.  When my husband came up on the boy, the father tried to start a fight with my husband.  My neighbor called the police and when they arrived they had the adults and teens in cuffs and the children in the back of a unit.  Turned out they were illegal and were arrested and hauled off and then a tow truck came and got the van. 


    I haven't had a yard sale in a long, long time.


    I've been to Branson a few times. Haven't been in several years

    tho.  Actually, it's been 13 years.  My son was 3 and we did Silver Dollar City and a couple of shows.  We also did that duck boat thing.  I don't remember what it was called.  But it's a boat that drives on land and you drive it right into the water.


    I know Branson has come a long way since the last time I was there.  So I'm kind of excited!


    in the last few years, I've stayed at Flamingo, great location, in the heart sm
    of the strip, right across from Ceasars Palace. Rooms are very, very nice and reasonably priced. Also stayed at Stratosphere but it's located on the north end of strip, I compared it to a Motel 6 and didn't have any hot water for the 5 days I was there BUT there is a great IHOP next door. Stayed at Ceasar's but IMO not worth the $$. A long walk thru casino just to get to the elevators. I stayed for a week at a "condo/extended stay" hotel which had a kitchen, etc. was a block off the strip - unfortunately have to stay at least 6 days but it was nice because there were no slot machines, very family oriented, could walk to Aladdin. Anyway I book all my travel thru Expedia and the package deals are the best. I went for 3 full days, air fare from Fla, hotel (Flamingo) and rental car for $250 so I really suggest looking online. The hotels give out coupons to half price magic shows etc. They are ok but what's great w/Vegas is that there are a lot of freebie shows and inexpensive places:
    1. Red Rock Canyon - $5 per car, 13 mile scenic drive. It's 15 mins west of the strip.
    2. Bellagio water show, every 15 mins starting at 8 pm, free.
    3. Volcano eruption at Mirage, every 30 mins starting at 8, free.
    4. Treasure Island, pirate show, every hour or so, starting at 7, free.
    5. Sigfried/Roy Secret Gardens, $15 per person, up close to their beautiful tigers.
    6. Top of Stratosphere, $8, see Vegas at night, also at top is roller coaster.
    7. MGM, at 10 am let lions out to room in clear cage while you gamble nearby, free.
    8. Fremont Street. Old Vegas, downtown, 4 blocks long, closed off to traffic (Cris Angel sometimes performs on the street). The most amazing light show done to music, every hour starting at 8, free.
    9. Flamingo. They have flamingos and penguins outside near valet parking, free.
    10. New York/New York. Roller coaster inside/out $8 to ride. Look around inside if never been to NY.
    11. Paris. Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, $15.
    12. Mandalay Bay, shark reef, $18 per person.
    13. Luxor, pyramid shape casino, go in and look around.
    14. The Wynn. Most expensive to build, $4 billion, absolutely gorgeous inside.

    Places to eat - I avoid eating inside the casinos as I can't afford to pay $25 per person for a buffet. Across the street from the Wynn Casino is "Fashion Mall" which is 2 stories, top floor has about 20-25 places to eat, very inexpensive.

    Renting a car is very inexpensive compared to trying to walk everywhere or take a taxi or the "monorail" which is broken half the time. Getting around Vegas in a car is very easy, of course that's my opinion.

    Hope this helps.
    My family made home-made mozzarella,
    and it was very good. I was pretty small at the time, so I don't remember the exact process, just that it was done pretty quickly, and a lot of milk was used.

    I don't know if you'll save a lot of money making your own cheese. The cost of milk is very high, too, and you need a lot of milk to make cheese.
    My husband is 7.5 years younger. Been together almost 20 happy years...nm
    nm
    My feelings; people shacking up together for years and years
    and then all of a sudden deciding to get married don't need a thing, obviously. A shower should not even be given. I lived with my now husband a while (nowadays who doesn't!) before we married and I also had been married before years ago but he was not....so of course HIS mom wanted a shower. I told her absolutely not unless it was just the immediate family, his mom, sisters, etc, more like a celebration/get together. And so that's what we did. Showers are tacky, period. Unless it's a couple of young kids getting married straight out of the house and that doesn't happen much anymore.
    Been with a man 13 years older, now with a man 4 years younger.
    Younger is better, at least in my case ;)
    Sorry, meant 75 cents. Still, that was years and years ago.
    xx
    I studied to be a scopist years and years ago
    Back in the early 1990s I took a course called Note reader Scopist. They read court reporter notes (those long skinny papers that looks like a cash receipt) and types them into documents. I had found the course through something called At Home Professions but just didn't finish it because it was too expensive for me. But I am familiar with them and even found my book from the first course I took. Looking back I think it would have been a blast if I had kept up with it.

    It is definitely legitimate. A lot has changed since the early 90s, so I'm not too familiar with the industry now. I do remember what was really weird was it didn't take a lot for me to learn it. For instance I could look at a line of court notes and see something that looked like: NV p srn - and I seemed to know exactly what it said. Just weird. My DH used to say that I understood it because I was an alien and my ship crashed in Roswell. HA HA HA Anyway...that's what I know about it. But if you Google note reader scopist or at home professions i'm sure you could probably find a lot of info.
    I have been vegetarian on/off for 35 years, was vegan for about 5 years sm
    not that hard. Right now, I am having so many issues with food allergies and celiac disease, having to give up nightshade veggies...nothing left to eat. I am eating some meat now, but not when the gastroparesis sets in!

    Being vegan is not hard...unless you are a celiac. This is how I figured out the celiac part because so many of the meat analogs and vegan packaged foods use gluten for the protein and I got really sick from it. I gave up all the premade things and the whole grains with gluten and I was fine.

    There is vegan and then there is VE-GAN. By definition, vegans don't wear, use or consume anything that is derived of animals...no leather shoes, most shampoos and toothpastes are off the list, as are deodorants. No wool or silk. Anything with soap usually has animal byproducts. It is very involved and rather difficult to do.

    Giving up meat, eggs and dairy is no big deal, except for cheese. You hear that ad about "comfort proteins" in a baby formula and there is such a thing. Mother's milk, be it human, cow, goat, whatever...contains a chemical that triggers the release of endorphins in the brain so that feeding feels good in more ways than one. The purpose of this is ensure that the nursed young want to nurse and thrive. Human milk has a lot of these, so does cow's milk and cow juice triggers the same reaction in the adult human brain. Cheese is concentrated milk and therefore these chemicals are also concentrated. As a result, cheese is an addictive substance. This is the hardest thing to give up when going vegan. Vegan cheese substitutes are nasty and they don't melt. If a dairy-free cheese melts, it contains casein, an animal protein and not vegan.
    I studied this years and years and years ago
    Most definitely is legitimate. In the late 1980s I studied to be a note reader scopist through a group called At Home Professions. I loved it, but unfortunately could not continue due to no funds. It was reading the court reporters notes which looked like a grocery receipt with a bunch of letters scattered on it. The weird thing was I found it extremely easy. For instance I would see a line that looked like: av e cr, and for some reason I would know what it said. My DH told me that's because I'm an alien and my ship landed in Roswell. HA HA. Well I know that a lot has changed, after all it's been over 20 years since I took the first course and know a lot of it is computerized now, but it is most definitely legitimate and I've heard people like to do it. I think I remember one of the courses was in medical terminology and another course was in legal terminology. Should be able to find a lot of it on google, or maybe go to your local college if they offer it and talk to an instructor.
    If you've got one, you've got bunches!

    How do ya feel about cats?  That's what I'd do...get a cat...but I love cats and love it when they bring me 'presents' of dead varmints. 



    If that's not an option, and you're not comfortable with baiting, glue traps, or that sort of thing, it'd be worth it to hire a professional 'cridder ridder' or exterminator.  Those things will chew up your walls and floorboards like you have no idea and cause incredible amounts of damage.  Good luck in your jihad! 



     


     


    I've done this 12 yrs and I've had to take breaks sm
    Took a break and worked at my kids preschool one year, worked at a hospital one year, took a couple months off once. It does burn you out because it takes all of your concentration. When I worked at the hospital as a secretary I could not believe how easy the job was ;-) I was sooo used to just getting paid for actual work that when I had a conversation with a coworker or a phone call or took lunch, I felt like I was getting away with a lot! I hope your break works out!! I wish you lived close-by, we could take turns watching each others kids ;-)
    This has happened for years and years, where have you been?
    Frank Sinatra, Elvis, the Beatles, and on and on. This person is acting very normal like the age she is. You would have to have been under a rock to think differently, like this was an abnormal behavior....
    Lost my mom 23 years ago and dad 18 years ago.
    My son was not even 1 when my mom died....she was only 50.  My dad died at age 59.  So even though I feel your pain....I would have been very grateful to have them into their 80's.  I guess we take what we get and be thankful.  Sometimes it is hard though.