Monday Randoms

[macmars45]

Just a normal day here except the kids at work (elementary school) are so excited that Halloween is this.close. So their attention spans and silliness are not what they usually are.

[beerlover]

Just hit my 3000th strength workout on Peloton. I joined a live 10 min Pilates class hoping for a shoutout from Rebecca this morning but didn't get one, but that's OK. I don't know why I bother anymore lol.

I don't have too many meetings today so I'm hoping for a nice quiet day of getting some organizational tasks done.

The leaf vacuum truck has started to come around in my town, so H and I need to hustle tonight to get some leaves out to the curb. Exciting times over here.

[lavenderblue]

I gave my house a much needed deep clean this weekend, and even got caught up on all of my laundry. And then my dog promptly threw up on one of my washable rugs. Sigh.

As part of my deep cleaning, I did my gross baseboards. I was influenced on TikTok to buy a steam cleaner which then sat in my cabinet for 2 months, but finally pulled it out this weekend and oh my goodness, that made a dreaded job so much freaking easier. Definitely recommend.

[hermione]

Had a great weekend in NYC with the husband and kid. We fly home in a few hours and I need to get us all up and moving.

[ssmjlm]

My gastro appointment was a lot of information, a lot of appointments coming up, and figuring out meds and what insurance will cover. Insurance is probably my second highest bill after our mortgage and yet, here I am hoping it covers this med. And her talking about assistance and I'm thinking I make way too much money for any prescription assistance.

And then I broke down in the car when I called DH, got myself some breakfast, and logged into work.

[Jalapeñomel]

My daughter is coughing so much, and the ped I follow says that pneumonia is going around. But if she does have it, a course of antibiotics will fix it. If she doesn’t have it, back to the drawing board.

[meanie]

I am just waiting for Halloween to get over with so I can put my tree up.

[candreco]

I caved and bought myself the milky way LEGO set this morning, mostly because I also wanted the current free gift with purchase, which is the cutest little bookshelf/reading nook set. I'll probably hand the big set over to DH to give me for Christmas.

Despite having approximately one million other things I should have been doing, I started painting my home office yesterday. It's going to be a PITA to move furniture around to get the rest painted, but I can't wait to squeeze out time to keep going. It was the only room in the house we haven't painted since we moved in almost 13 years ago, and I love the new color so much. Goal is to be done before DH gets home so I can make him help me hang the peel and stick wallpaper on one wall.

Kids carved pumpkins at youth group last night, so in a bid to not have to deal with it on Thursday and keep our porch pumpkins intact, I stuck theirs in the garage fridge to hopefully stay in good enough shape to use on Halloween.

[mysteriouswife]

Today is a full fledged Monday. I dropped my coffee in my car all over my brand new blue jacket. I sent H a text telling him. At the same damn time he sent me a picture of his mess. He stopped for breakfast and his cup tore spilling all over him and the car. So both cars need to be cleaned tonight. 🙄

[ssmjlm]

Oct 28, 2024 9:25:56 GMT -5 meanie said:

I am just waiting for Halloween to get over with so I can put my tree up.

After a terrible weekend I almost asked DH to get out the lights he puts around the railing of our back porch and deck and put them up.

I need some Christmas cheer.

[circa1978]

Hugs, ssmjlm; Re: Rx assistance. It's always at least worth calling. I hope it works out.

[fluffycookie]

Oct 28, 2024 9:18:47 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

My gastro appointment was a lot of information, a lot of appointments coming up, and figuring out meds and what insurance will cover. Insurance is probably my second highest bill after our mortgage and yet, here I am hoping it covers this med. And her talking about assistance and I'm thinking I make way too much money for any prescription assistance.

And then I broke down in the car when I called DH, got myself some breakfast, and logged into work.

If it's prescription assistance it may not be income based.  When DS was on remicade we were able to enroll in a program with the drug company so that the medicine was only $25/month.  Good luck!!

[meanie]

ssmjlm go for it, you deserve a little cheer with all you have going on. We went through something similar with insurance and we did get through it but it was rough!

Do the medicine manufacturers have any assistance programs of their own? H needed a monthly shot that cost thousands and the company had an assistance program that basically helped cover your deductible until insurance kicked in.

[mysteriouswife]

Oct 28, 2024 9:20:56 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

My daughter is coughing so much, and the ped I follow says that pneumonia is going around. But if she does have it, a course of antibiotics will fix it. If she doesn’t have it, back to the drawing board.

DS has it over the summer. They are seeing an increase in lung infections with kids. I hope she feels better and the RX works.

[ssmjlm]

Oct 28, 2024 9:41:43 GMT -5 meanie said:

ssmjlm go for it, you deserve a little cheer with all you have going on. We went through something similar with insurance and we did get through it but it was rough!

Do the medicine manufacturers have any assistance programs of their own? H needed a monthly shot that cost thousands and the company had an assistance program that basically helped cover your deductible until insurance kicked in.

Since it's an injectable it gets sent to the Hospitals prescription dept and she said they will look into coverage and then call me.

[livinitup]

HEY EVERYBODY beerlover HIT

3000 WORKOUTS TODAY

🎉🎈 🥳 🎉🎈 🥳🎉🎈 🥳🎉🎈 🥳

[sometimesrunner]

Oct 28, 2024 9:44:13 GMT -5 livinitup said:

HEY EVERYBODY beerlover HIT

3000 WORKOUTS TODAY

🎉🎈 🥳 🎉🎈 🥳🎉🎈 🥳🎉🎈 🥳

OMG that's amazing! Huge congrats, beerlover !!!

[tacokick]

I keep feeling like Halloween should already be over. This year has been a lot and my sense of time is all wonky. You could tell me it’s Thanksgiving this week and it would seem legit.

[lavenderblue]

Oct 28, 2024 9:25:56 GMT -5 meanie said:

I am just waiting for Halloween to get over with so I can put my tree up.

I never took my tree down from last year LOL To be fair, it's my secondary tree in the basement, but it's pretty and makes me happy, so there it stays

[Wallflower]

Oct 28, 2024 10:04:12 GMT -5 lavenderblue said:

Oct 28, 2024 9:25:56 GMT -5 meanie said:

I am just waiting for Halloween to get over with so I can put my tree up.

I never took my tree down from last year LOL To be fair, it's my secondary tree in the basement, but it's pretty and makes me happy, so there it stays

We did that with my mother this year. She has a little 4 ft. tree and loves it. Every year, she takes it down because she's supposed to - "what would the neighbors think??" So this year, I started buying seasonal decorations and we swap them out and it thrills her little 92-year-old heart. It's a silly little thing but it seriously makes her so happy. 

[noodleoo]

Oct 28, 2024 9:20:56 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

My daughter is coughing so much, and the ped I follow says that pneumonia is going around. But if she does have it, a course of antibiotics will fix it. If she doesn’t have it, back to the drawing board.

My DD1 had pneumonia last week and after 1 dose of antibiotics she was already so much better. It’s going around like crazy here. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what it is.

[Covergirl82]

Congrats, beerlover!

MIL's birthday is tomorrow, so we had a small family lunch at her dad's house yesterday. MIL mentioned a few days ago that she was going to drive a neighbor to a doctor appointment an hour away (one-way) this week. She was just diagnosed with Alzheimer's last week, and the doctor told her (and MIL's sister, who was at the appointment with her) that MIL should limit driving as much as possible, until she gets a driving simulation test done. So yesterday we all tried to explain to her the steps to tell her neighbor how to call their insurance company to see if they can get a ride through their insurance. MIL was taking notes, but after we got home, I thought it would have been better if one of us had just written down the steps for her to give her neighbor, but it's a new situation for us all, so hard to always know in the moment what to do. MIL was working part-time as a massage therapist at a chiropractor office, up until a few weeks ago, when the chiropractor abruptly closed his practice. Since then, it seems like her cognition went downhill quickly. DH is waiting for the social worker to give him a call so he, his sister, and his aunt can start going through the checklist of to-do's. I am also willing to help and DH's BIL will too. It feels a lot like a hurry-up-and-wait situation at this point.

[circa1978]

My DS has been wanting to visit Niagra Falls for more than year. The airfare cost for us is close to $1,000K or more per person round trip to Toronto flying direct on Air Canada on the most economy, no refunds, no luggage setting (about $760 if we do a fight with a layover with Southwest to Buffalo). Spending close to $3K on airfare alone to go to Niagra Falls (which I've seen, they are fine, but good lord) seems insane to me, but I've been tracking the fare since spring, and it never gets better. I feel like a shit mom, because it's one of the only things he's ever asked for but we literally went to Maui for less this summer, and we still have to board the dogs and pay hotel and food for the trip and it will be miserable during Christmas or our spring break (which is in March), and even more expensive in the summer. What options (other than driving) am I not thinking of? Other airports to fly into?

[gretchenindisguise]

For those with cats - how do you do a Christmas tree? Ours are climbers, biters and scratchers.

And on the cat subject - we are having them both spayed on Wednesday. We've never had animals that go through this under our care, any tips?

[maudefindlay]

beerlover you are amazing!! Keep it up!

hermione we need a trip recap when you have time.

candreco please post photos and/or share paint color and wallpaper print.

ssmjlm I hope you do get a break on the med costs and I hope even more that they are effective for you. You have been thru the ringer with GI issues. My SIL ended up going to Mayo and the doctors there work with her local doctors now and she is on a regimine that is finally in a maintenance phase. Just sharing in case you ever need to go that route that it can be helpful.

[bbdoll]

Oct 28, 2024 10:35:34 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

My DS has been wanting to visit Niagra Falls for more than year. The airfare cost for us is close to $1,000K or more per person round trip to Toronto flying direct on Air Canada on the most economy, no refunds, no luggage setting (about $760 if we do a fight with a layover with Southwest to Buffalo). Spending close to $3K on airfare alone to go to Niagra Falls (which I've seen, they are fine, but good lord) seems insane to me, but I've been tracking the fare since spring, and it never gets better. I feel like a shit mom, because it's one of the only things he's ever asked for but we literally went to Maui for less this summer, and we still have to board the dogs and pay hotel and food for the trip and it will be miserable during Christmas or our spring break (which is in March), and even more expensive in the summer. What options (other than driving) am I not thinking of? Other airports to fly into?

Depending on how far you're willing to drive, Erie International Airport is about two hours from Niagara Falls.  Pittsburgh International Airport is about four hours away.

[NewGirlNic]

Oct 28, 2024 10:35:34 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

My DS has been wanting to visit Niagra Falls for more than year. The airfare cost for us is close to $1,000K or more per person round trip to Toronto flying direct on Air Canada on the most economy, no refunds, no luggage setting (about $760 if we do a fight with a layover with Southwest to Buffalo). Spending close to $3K on airfare alone to go to Niagra Falls (which I've seen, they are fine, but good lord) seems insane to me, but I've been tracking the fare since spring, and it never gets better. I feel like a shit mom, because it's one of the only things he's ever asked for but we literally went to Maui for less this summer, and we still have to board the dogs and pay hotel and food for the trip and it will be miserable during Christmas or our spring break (which is in March), and even more expensive in the summer. What options (other than driving) am I not thinking of? Other airports to fly into?

gosh, where are you flying from? I'm in Buffalo and cannot believe flights are that much. You can fly into Niagara Falls, USA (they have a small airport). I know people who fly out of there and always talk about great deals they get. I've never personally looked into it. I guess doing holiday travel will never be cheap. But I feel like I flew quite a bit over the last couple summers and have never paid a lot for return trips. I fly almost exclusively SW from Buffalo. 

You could also try Rochester, it's about an hour from Buffalo. But most people I know who live there end up flying out of Buffalo or go the other way to Syracuse, since flights are typically cheaper. 

[maudefindlay]

gretchenindisguise, when I had a cat she layed on a chair for 2 to 3 days and had a forlorn expression on her face. So I say have a soft and comfy spot for them to recouperate and maybe put towels/blankets down for any bleeding. My cat did not eat much those days either fyi.

[lavenderblue]

Oct 28, 2024 10:52:14 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

For those with cats - how do you do a Christmas tree? Ours are climbers, biters and scratchers.

And on the cat subject - we are having them both spayed on Wednesday. We've never had animals that go through this under our care, any tips?

My cats just got spayed last week. I highly recommend the post-surgery suits. They are so much more comfortable for them than the cone collars. Our Vet does the incision on the side of their belly instead of the bottom, so because of that we just had to be extra careful when handling them. My girls were honestly back to being their crazy selves within 48 hours of their surgery. We are now 3 weeks out and their incisions are completely healed. 

As for the Christmas tree, I've had my tree up since last Christmas and other than occasionally batting at a low hanging ornament, they don't bother with it. That said, when I've had cats in the past that were more tempted to climb, I just screwed an eye hook in to the wall behind and tied the tree up to that to keep it from falling over. 

[candreco]

maudefindlay, paint color is SW Rosemary, and the wallpaper is the Cressida print from Painted Paper. I don't know how well the paint color comes across on screen, but in person it's a really gorgeous mossy green-gray.