polypropylene is plastic, recycling code #5. It's extremely durable and chemical resistant. I don't have a rug from it (no rugs in my house at all), but I would expect it to be extremely durable and probably easy to clean. I would also expect it to last in decent condition for many years. Fun fact, it's one of the two plastics (the other being HDPE) that are chemical resistant enough to be used with lye (NaOH) solutions. It will melt at like 300F or something, so don't drop a hot pan from the oven on it. I also wouldn't put it in front of a fireplace.
I will never, never EVER volunteer to chaperone a kindergarden field trip EVER again. Good God that was hell.
I have no more children going into Kindy so it's a non issue. And one of us will always have to go on Little Kids field trip because of her epipen. BUT the next one is all on H. I'm tapping out until they're older.
Update! It arrived today and my husband and I built it in about 4 hours with no fights!!! I could not have done it alone. The bases are heavy and my hands weren’t always strong enough to pull the slipcovers on but we did it. Yay!!! I love it. We did mostly deep so I didn’t order through Costco. Got a great deal and am thrilled with my purchase. Thanks all!
Fuck our county commissioners. They're trying to remove next year's budget increase for our county library in retaliation for librarians protesting book bans. And reinstate late fines for adults. I hate ringleader so much.
I'm chaperoning my Kindergartner's field trip to the zoo on Friday. I'm not looking forward to it. (But why are you going if you don't want to?! Let someone who actually wants to go be a chaperone! And to that I say my kid requires an epipen, which per school policy means either her dad or I need to go on the field trip, or she's going to have to stay with the teacher all day because they can't give her epipen to a random parent. And her dad has to work that day so.....)
My parents were both in Tech at IBM. We had a computer before I started first grade (1990). By the time I was in middle school we had multiple computers.
At the end of the day there is VERY little daylight between them on policy, and so it comes down to the fact that the tone of his campaign gives me the ick.
barf. Nothing, though. If it was a baby from a nest, try to keep him away from it. Sometimes mom bunny will move the babies if the nest is discovered. He might get an upset belly but you don't usually need to worry about pups getting sick from something like this. Anna caught so many critters, it was nasty. I found her with part of a deer leg once. A fox or vulture must have dropped it in the yard. I panicked and called the vet, who were very unconcerned about it.
This is helpful. Google makes me feel like she will have rabies. LOL
Ugh—that dog. She’s getting a good tooth brushing today.
lol no. It's really rare for rabbits and squirrels (and any smaller mammals) to have rabies, they don't have enough tissue for the virus to infect, essentially. At most you might be worried about parasites but as long as you're taking her to the vet yearly it will be caught and treated. 100% get the ick factor from knowing what's been in her mouth. The first time Anna caught a squirrel I took her right into the bath. I got over it eventually, she was a menace.
My beagle just caught and ate a bunny. Wtf do I do?!? 🤮
barf. Nothing, though. If it was a baby from a nest, try to keep him away from it. Sometimes mom bunny will move the babies if the nest is discovered. He might get an upset belly but you don't usually need to worry about pups getting sick from something like this. Anna caught so many critters, it was nasty. I found her with part of a deer leg once. A fox or vulture must have dropped it in the yard. I panicked and called the vet, who were very unconcerned about it.
I think my husband is trying to plan something for me for my birthday this year. I legitimately don't know how I feel about this. I spent a month figuring out why I hate celebrating my birthday in therapy. Boils down to never feeling prioritized by my family growing up* and if I deny doing anything I protect myself from being disappointed. I'm trying to just let it happen but it's very hard to resist shutting down whatever he's planning.
*birthday is two days before a holiday that we always went out of town for. We were either traveling on my birthday or prepping to travel for the majority of birthdays while I was growing up.
Also to gardengal, point, documentation of any known learning limitation can potentially help with future education. I worked for a community college with a big Disability Support team (hooray!) and they often pointed to get your most recent testing (typically from high school) as a starting point. I wasn't in the conversation after that about testing documentation time limits and things, but it was something to start with.
Thinking about this further I've always struggled with sleep as well. I'm more of a night owl, but often will stretch my bed time and try to sleep in the morning instead. In my college days I stayed up really late and was just tired all the time if I had early morning classes. I wake up a lot during the night too. Naps are really important for me whenever possible, although lately I've been able to get down to about 2.5 hour naps on the weekends where they used to be 3+ hours. I thought I read on another ADHD thread that someone felt more even energy distribution throughout the day/better sleep once medicated. I haven't been tested for sleep apena, but I have thyroid issues, and a lot of bad dreams and process stress in my sleep. I'm sure I'm a cross pollination of things, but the sleep thing above checks a box for me.
My sleep improved dramatically when I started meds. We're still figuring out what works best, so for a few weeks I was taking the ADHD med later in the morning (10-noon) instead of first thing and my sleep went to shit. Switched back to ADHD med as soon as I woke up and I'm back to great, restful sleep. I also used to nap a lot, or fall asleep in front of the tv/movies.
That's about 33% experience in keeping the tension right on the yarn and 66% using a blocking rig to make them all the same.
Should we start a Maryland crochet club? I have been getting into crochet but have no idea what a blocking rig is so I think I have a lot to learn lol.
I am making a blanket and my edges are a mess. It's a forgiving pattern and yarn so I think it's fine, but at some point I need to learn how to do things properly
LOL I'd be in for a crochet/craft meet up! Edges are always a mess until it's washed and dried.
litskispeciality, ADHD has such a range of symptoms/signs that even as a non-parent you can still add insight! My concern with getting Big Kid tested is that we will be dismissed because she does complete her work, and she gets some of the highest grades in her class. I consistently didn't do homework yet I was still getting As and Bs, so my parents were just like "eh, can't make her do it and she's learning anyway so who cares". When I first brought up that I thought Big Kid has ADHD to my husband he wasn't really convinced. Even listing it all out, he was just like "ok maybe, lets talk to her doc and her teachers." Then when I got to the bottom of why she was so resistant to eating breakfast in the morning (because she doesn't feel hungry yet, but her whole attitude changes as soon as she eats) and told H, he was "oh holy shit I do that too that is 100% an ADHD trait". That was the point he really got on board. Big Kid and H both do it and it seems to be exactly like what you describe.
If you have the basics down you can do granny squares! I assume you figured out the double crochet stitch? If nobody's told you yet, UK crochet terms are different than US terms, so check your pattern/instructions before you start. US UK Slip Stitch Single Crochet Single Crochet Double Crochet Double Crochet Treble Crochet ETC
Yes! I have a book that has patterns using both terms but I feel like I need a person to tell me what to do. Granny squares seem so square and exact!!
That's about 33% experience in keeping the tension right on the yarn and 66% using a blocking rig to make them all the same.
rhian, Mine were embarrassingly old when they went to the dentist for the first time. Like 10 and 4. I have a ton of trauma and anxiety around the dentist and I couldn't do it. I told H a long time ago that he needed to be the one to take them, and with his ADHD it just took forever for him to make the first appointments. As far as I know they didn't give him any grief over not bringing them in sooner. Not that he told me at least, though knowing my history he may have left it out deliberately. Neither kid had anything requiring a follow up, though they'll both need braces eventually.
I'd assume mostly teens, but really open to anyone. I'd put language like that in my knitting group postings to make it clear that absolutely anyone was welcome. Also, if this doesn't work out for you I will totally meet up somewhere and teach you.
Thank you! I did figure out some basic stitches and did some basic stuff but now I want to try granny squares and I’m not sure I’m up to it!
If you have the basics down you can do granny squares! I assume you figured out the double crochet stitch? If nobody's told you yet, UK crochet terms are different than US terms, so check your pattern/instructions before you start. US UK Slip Stitch Single Crochet Single Crochet Double Crochet Double Crochet Treble Crochet ETC
I have done fuck all today and I don't really care. Well, that's not true, I finished two embroidery projects and hung them on the wall. And did prep for the next project I'm starting. That's all.
If your library was having a learn to crochet meet up at 3 pm on a weekday tagged as for adults, teens and seniors but also as “afterschool” (and “arts and crafts”) would you think it actually was open for adults? Or just kids?
I did ask last time I was at the library but it hadn’t started yet (it’s new and will be weekly) and whoever was in the branch that day didn’t know.
I don’t want to put on real clothes if it is just going to be 12 year olds and me!
ETA; I feel like my branch normally has adult activities at night/weekends but I know others have them at all sorts of random times.
I'd assume mostly teens, but really open to anyone. I'd put language like that in my knitting group postings to make it clear that absolutely anyone was welcome. Also, if this doesn't work out for you I will totally meet up somewhere and teach you.
Leeham Rimes, I call my mom a "Serial Crafter" and have long before I knew it was likely ADHD (undiagnosed). I'm the same way, though not nearly as bad as she is and I often go back to things I've dropped in the past, whereas she rarely goes back to things she's tried already.
The effort to start "boring" or repetitive tasks is SO REAL. And the irritation when interrupted made me so angry while the kids were little and needed something every 10 minutes.
missva, I think you should get that evaluation. More information is always good.
raleighnc, Big Kid WANTS the meds. I get it, though. She hates how her brain functions sometimes and she's very much in the mind of "if my brain doesn't make the right chemicals there's nothing wrong with taking medicine to get them". H is very against stimulants, though, since he was put on them in second grade and hated it. I just want to get her diagnosed to we can understand and teach her how her brain works.
While he hits a few of the criteria for ADHD, from what you've written it doesn't sound like he has enough of the symptoms to qualify for an ADHD diagnosis. Doesn't mean he doesn't have ADHD or won't be diagnosed in the future. If you are concerned it wouldn't hurt to talk to his doctor and get a referral for an evaluation.
I was trying to think of things that are less common signs of ADHD, things that H, I and Big Kid all do. It doesn't sound like your kid does most of these.
Emotional Disregulation: very common in ADHD. It's probably the biggest sign of ADHD behind the fidgeting and forgetfulness. Big Kid has struggled with emotional regulation since she was little. Her teachers have told me she would grow out of it but she never did. At 12, if she thinks she's in trouble, failed at something, or just straight up doesn't want to do something, she completely shuts down. I found her on the kitchen floor curled up in a ball last weekend after asking her to put the dishes away, for example. Sleep: Usually it's about taking a long time to fall asleep, but can also be putting off bed time because you want to do more things or frequently waking up. Eating is usually one of the extremes: binging or forgetting to eat entirely. Binging to try to get the dopamine from food (me) or not feeling hunger cues until you have hit massively HANGRY (H and Big Kid). TV: always needing something to do with your hands, be it phone or craft project Music: seeking sensory stimulation in audio or using it to tune out. I always have something on because if I tune out whatever I'm listening to I can tune out the rest of the world and focus better. Time blindness is huge with ADHD. Always late or early. Thinking that a task is going to take longer than it actually will so you put it off as long as possible.
SS- no, I don't have a lot of pictures of me or me with the kids but that is because I utterly hate having my picture taken. I abhor it. I will take pictures with the kids on occasion because it's important to me that they have those pictures whenever I'm gone (hopefully many many years in the future). But I will go out of my way to NOT be in candid pictures unless I'm mentally prepared for them.
Puberty can make ADHD symptoms worse. Does he hit any of the other criteria for ADHD besides the forgetfulness? If he's just forgetful it's probably not ADHD, but there is a lot more that can point to ADHD than just being scatterbrained.
Big Kid is 12 and she's been SO MUCH WORSE lately with the ADHD symptoms. She's a straight A student, for what it's worth, but it has become increasingly obvious in the last 3 months that she has ADHD. As we dive into her behavior and why she's doing the things she's doing we are uncovering more and more evidence that reinforces the ADHD diagnosis. We have an appointment to begin the official evaluation at the end of May.
If it's someone who's gender isn't obvious I'll use non-gendered language. I do recognize that this does make assumptions based on physical appearance that may be incorrect if they look more traditionally male or female. If I spot a pronoun pin or a non-binary flag I'll use whatever pronouns are appropriate or non-gendered language until corrected. I notice them much more now than a few years ago, both because they're more common and because I'm looking for them. Big Kid's Best Friend who is also the youngest child of my closest friends is non-binary and it has made me very conscientious of gender indicators.
Grammar rules are always changing. It feels more natural now to use they/them than it did just a few years ago. I am also trying to get Little Kid to recognize they/them. Best Friend is the only one in our circle who uses they/them and I have corrected Little Kid on their pronouns for literally years, but it wasn't until now in Kindergarten that she finally is consistently using they/them for Best Friend. My hope is that she (Little Kid) never feels uncomfortable using they/them appropriately.
EDIT: I'll also add that I made a very deliberate choice to not use gendered language in my business.
Parenting a pre-teen may break me. Parenting a pre-teen with undiagnosed and untreated ADHD WILL break me. Big Kid has been nothing but a challenge lately, and every time we try to get to the bottom of it we uncover more evidence of ADHD. Fortunately her 12 year well visit was yesterday and we laid it all on the table for her doctor, who referred us to their psych practitioner and he has an opening at the end of the month to start the diagnosis process. I've suspected AHDH for months, thought H would disagree but when I laid it out for him with the specific things she does he was open to at least talking about it. After the past few weeks he's just as convinced as I am.
H got the eGO i think when our riding mower crapped out. he loves the thing. I don't cut the grass, I have no opinion. I know the battery is plenty to do our front yard. Our back is much bigger (3/4 of an acre total) and that requires several charges. But he usually breaks it up and does it in sections anyway, especially when it's hot in the summer.
EDIT: ALSO literally 4 out of 6 of us on the court have the eGo now. The two hold outs are one with a really old push mower that she's still limping along and another who pays someone else to cut the grass. Everyone with one loves it.
I will just say that we also have dogs that jump on our couch with wet/muddy paws, but I refuse to let them ruin our furniture. Our solution has been to buy blankets to cover our couch (better than the clear plastic of yore, at least?) that are easy to wash when they get disgusting from the dogs, and then if we want to sit somewhere the dogs have gotten dirty but don't want to wash/change the blankets yet, we just fold over the blanket or move it before sitting, and put it back when we get up. When people come over, we just take all the blankets off and throw them in the laundry room. My kids honestly just sit on top the blankets (they are the Big Ones from Kohls and at least match our decor).
Our sectional is from Wayfair, and we took a huge risk in ordering online without sitting on it but it worked out (3 pieces recline and it's super comfortable). It's a pain to wash all the blankets, but I do it weekly at least, so I can't imagine how much a pain it would be to do the covers of a couch.
I think we will leave a light sheet or something on it to help prevent damage and make it easier to de-fur it.
This is what we did. Sheet or just yardage of fleece. Easier to wash. And she was a heavy shed-er too.