Daydreaming while waiting impatiently!

[tortoise]

DH pet Splash again today. I re-started food transition, so I'm hoping Splash doesn't get diarrhea again. Stanky farts!! I set up Alexa to alert me when he whines or barks. The home device tells him to "settle" and plays dog relaxation music - and sends a notification to my phone. Nice. I worry about leaving him too long when I go to the shelter and run errands on the same day. After a couple hours, he started barking/whining every half hour or so, so I headed home in hopes of avoiding a poopocalypse. All clear!

Outsourcing routines to Alexa has made a big difference in just a couple days! I'm not struggling nearly as much with everyday "adulting" tasks, like remembering which kid is in time-out for how long or making calls to schedule appointments. That (reduction in cognitive demand) is showing up as my house being cleaner! I've barely scratched the surface of how I can use this tool. I plan to set up some movement/exercise routines because I simply forget to move when I'm home [in winter].

Baymax and Splash have been playing! I've never seen Baymax play with another dog before this (and not for lack of opportunities...)

 

[tortoise]

I gotta rave about Alexa again. DS7 does a morning routine now - without tantrums! Unbelievable!

The smart lights (set to circadian rhythm so they change color and brightness throughout the day) have helped with my sleep. I'm finally waking up alert - and just before my alarm.

I got back into time restricted feeding (a.k.a. intermittent fasting) because I set reminders. I had been forgetting I was fasting. 🙄 I'm back to my 20:4 maintenance routine. 🎉

I'm not missing doses of pets' medications anymore. I'm "remembering" to brush dogs' teeth.

I don't have as much cognitive load. I can think about things other that trying to remember what I forgot. 🙄 I have less anxiety - especially around those kid routines.

DH hates Alexa so very much 🙄🤐

 

[baymule]

I have an Alexa story for you. My youngest granddaughter, DG3, is 6 years old and is quite a handful. Brilliant smart, but the attention span of a gnat. She can’t concentrate long enough to get herself dressed and ready to go to school in the morning. As a baby, she barely slept. Getting her to go to sleep is often an ordeal. She has gotten much better but it’s still a challenge for her parents.

BTW, it’s not a problem for me, I wear her little butt out….

A few nights ago, DG3 was crying for a snack. Already in bed, it’s a ruse she uses to extend awake time. She knew if she went downstairs she would get a spanking. So she used the Alexa in her room to talk to her parents through the Alexa downstairs. Wailing, crying, begging for a snack, the little stinker drove them nuts. So son in law unplugged the downstairs Alexa. What did she do? She used Alexa to call them on their cell phones!

 

[tortoise]

Thanks All. The sudafed and ibuprofen did the trick! I walked Splash during my kids' swim lessons. It was 36 degrees F! Really nice for this time of year!

Afterward, I took kids to get a gift for DH. He is hard to shop for, but he told the kids something he would like. (a new wallet, his has holes worn through the leather)

My sister (widowed/single mom of 3 kids - 2 of them with special needs) lost her job. Rough! I ordered Hannukah gifts for her kids, and a birthday gift for her kiddo with a December birthday. I will wrap them and ship them to her.

Next up is making frosting and decorating more cookies for the library because some of the first batch stuck together. Whoops.

 

[tortoise]

Buddy got adopted!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

My sister (widowed/single mom of 3 kids - 2 of them with special needs) lost her job.

What a terrible thing to happen. Hope she can find something soon and land on her feet.

 

[tortoise]

DS15 had a good day at the shelter. He learned about Fear Free cat housing online, and then applied what he learned to make sure all the caged cats at the shelter had a hiding spot in their cage. 🤩 The dogs I'm working with are all making progress. Slowly, because I'm spread thin at the shelter. DS15 and I updated cage cards, feeding instructions, etc. The animals turn over quickly so it can be hard to keep up on that stuff.

I worked on 4-H dog project documents for one level of obedience class. I'm about 1/3 done. It should go pretty fast since I'm just rewording and reformatting from last year's documents.

Splash can go on off-leash potty walks with me at home! 🤩 I found a treat he is completely obsessed with, and I saved it for the important stuff (like off-leash recall). He is learning to hold a dumbbell in his mouth, put his front paws on targets, and orbit trick. He's doing great on these - almost ready for more!

 

[tortoise]

😔🤔🙄Must you???? Maybe he's just "there"?

I put the application and check on the fridge. DH didn't notice. (In his defense, his eyelid got irritated and swollen right before he came inside and it as bothering him quite a bit)

At supper DS7 said (twice) that "we went to the shelter and adopted Splash." 🤦‍♀️ we went to the shelter to pet cats (while DS15 finished a couple projects he was working on). All possiblilities for a surprise are gone.

 

[tortoise]

DH cleared branches out of the road about a mile from home and lost it. DH was able to log in from a computer, see its location, and make it ring at full volume. I drove out and found it that way. Right next to the branch in the ditch, but under a few inches of snow. Whew! That was a stressful couple hours!

There are a lot of trees down. We expect the power will be out for days. We are running the generator for the freezers and furnace now, and then will turn it off for the rest of the day.

I have fridge stuff (drinks, milk, leftovers) chilling on the deck in snow so we don't open the fridge. 10 gallons of water for flushing the toilet, and 3 gallons for drinking. I boiled water in an electric hot pot [the generator can't handle the microwave] and made travel mugs of hot cococa and coffee. I wrapped each in a towel. They will stay hot for hours.

I built a blanket fort with DS7 's PVC pipe building set, dog bed and extra blankets. It heats up quick with people and pets in there.

I'm feeling ready for anything. But ask me again when my toes get cold 😬

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Congrats on being ready for this and handling it so well!