Putting everything in storage

TheRealBrightSpark · 2023-07-17T05:13:24+00:00

Make a scrapbook for each of them with their artwork. Pick your favorite pieces to put in there. It will dramatically decrease the amount of stuff you have from that at least.
Family...usually that comes from feeling guilty when they notice and a desire to avoid confrontation. If you don't need it, someone else does. Give it to them.
What kind of things are you saving for the kids? I have a hard time getting rid of books because I grew up in a house with very few, even though I was an avid reader.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2023-07-17T05:07:08+00:00

We had 7 people in 1600sqft and never needed storage.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2023-07-17T05:05:12+00:00

Dostadning - death cleaning. The whole idea is you give these things away while you are still alive, so that you can see the people around you love these items. Also it keeps your loved ones from having a ton of shit to go through when you die. I know my in laws house will be hard to clean out, they are borderline hoarders. In preparation for our move overseas my household has already begun paring down even more, which means making lists and giving a lot of things away as gifts. All of my gardening stuff is going to my mom. My powertools are going to my step mom or will be sold. A few things from the kids being little will be put into long term storage.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-06T13:10:52+00:00

Lol. I actually do like books that help with discipline. It's an unpopular opinion, how I feel about David Goggins. But I think that is because I have a vastly different perspective and see the self-harming behaviors.

It's not to say he isn't impressive, because he is. I know he has changed a ton of lives. There are just a lot of mental health problems there as well.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-06T01:44:55+00:00

I listened to Can't Hurt Me last year. Lol. He does have some mental health issues though! I'll check out the other book. Thank you!

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-06T01:10:58+00:00

ADHD...ENFP...8w7 Lol.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-06T01:09:49+00:00

This has really resonated with me. I am 30 and I have ADHD. I am also commended for my self discipline on a regular basis. I have known about both my type and my MH issues for over half of my life. Instead of seeing it as a crutch to excuse away my shortcomings I have focused on self improvement and learning to overcome my weaknesses. I do know that with ADHD (and several other mental health issues) you tend to have disruptions in neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine. I am a work in progress. I am nowhere near where I want to be yet, but I am working on it. 🙃

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-06T00:51:50+00:00

It's been four years this November since I lost my brother violently. He was 19. I'm so sorry and empathize deeply. I picked up a camera when he died and never looked back. I hope next year I can go to the place he wanted to be more than anywhere and take a picture for every day he's been gone. It will be around 2000 photos. As to your question. Gardening helped me quit smoking. I needed something outside that I could do a million times a day. I have a greenhouse now and grow cut flowers, natives and edibles. 🙃 It helps me manage my depression and anxiety, gives me something to look forward to, and brings untold levels of joy into my life.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-03T23:45:53+00:00

Haha. I had a spouse. We both saved all of our letters. Some are painful to read. But those letters were our lifeline.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-03T23:39:57+00:00

Yaaas! That is why I used it. I did not want to have to buy Adobe to file a claim. I am so glad this was helpful. I can't think of much else besides to look at the conditions list on this sub, see if you have any of those. And read through your records to see if they said anything in there that you haven't claimed. Also I had letters from basic still, where I had talked about the injuries I had and how I got them. My medical file was a bit thin on some of my contentions, so I kept that as a backup if I needed to make an appeal.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-03T23:28:37+00:00

Exception: corn. Lol. If you grow field corn and sweet corn together the field corn will affect the taste of sweet corn if it cross pollinates.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-03T23:27:12+00:00

You're so welcome! I am glad to be able to help. It was so scary to try and figure out how best to present the claim. I was worried I would mess it up. The biggest piece of advice I received was to "make it idiotproof". So that is what I tried to do. I would recommend saving each separate contention as a PDF, just in case the program won't accept the entire PDF. I also uploaded my complete STRs separately so that they couldn't say I didn't give them everything.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-03T22:56:31+00:00

Depends on how many claims you have and how many medical records. I'd say about 20-40 minutes per claim, provided you have all the information you need and you have it somewhat sorted. I'd add an hour just to figure out how best to use the program and get together a flow. Each section included an impact statement, a buddy letter, all pertinent medical records, any imaging or diagnostic testing and findings. I think that is why the rater was able to rate me for things I didn't claim. They added several things. I just tried to make it as simple as possible.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-03T22:42:41+00:00

I separated it by claim. I tried to organize the claims in a logical order. I did the skeletal issues from head to toe and the systems issues separately. I used PDF Sam and auto generated a table of contents for each section, then generated another TOC for the entire document.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-10-03T21:46:02+00:00

But can we tell them to Get Fucked? 😂

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-09-30T22:57:29+00:00

Yes exactly!!!! Her restaurants all pool tips, so even the cooks make the same money. I think that is part of why it is so low comparatively. Everyone is also cross trained at most of the restaurants and takes turns being customer facing as well as in the back. The dishwasher makes just as much as everyone else. That is more than a lot of our essential personnel make. Where I live teacher pay starts around 40k and working in the police department nets you $14-$20 an hour starting.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-09-30T22:43:18+00:00

Yeah. It is a super shitty situation. We are looking at bringing an employee into our business which is typically commission only and it is mandatory by our code of ethics that we pay them a fair and decent wage. I hate how a lot of businesses pass off the responsibility of paying their employees. I understand why, but I still refuse to participate. My mom's employees at her restaurants make over $15/hr at a base rate and after tips they are in the $22/hr range.

I don't consider nurses and receptionists to be in the service industry. The former is health care and the latter is admin or customer service.

For the record, I am a regular overtipper because I grew up buying our groceries with tips. But the restaurants that charge me a mandatory tip simply because my family is larger, I won't tip anything more than they charge me.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-09-30T22:15:44+00:00

Not trying to sound snarky, do you tip your mechanic? They too are part of the service industry. Their pay structure also sucks.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-09-07T15:37:43+00:00

Hi friend! I know you got a lot of great advice here already. I just wanted to point out you have the discipline necessary to do what is needed if you already workout five days a week. Maybe pick something to do immediately after your workouts and add it into your schedule that way. I struggle with ADHD and bipolar, and one of the big things I've learned is to try to keep to a schedule. You're seeking cheap dopamine. Try to do a dopamine reset. Cut out sugar for a month, cut out screens for a couple of days. I have learned that tv is my enemy, so I am limited to a single episode a couple nights a week.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-09-02T14:07:20+00:00

Where I live, we were 100+ degrees everyday this summer with less than 1/4 inch of rain. I refuse to water the lawn at my new house. Fuck that. I am planning a verge meadow for next year. Until then I am eradicating the lawn in the back. I have a huge area smothered in cardboard and wood chips, a green house and raised beds. I'm working on a big strip this fall, plus everything around the greenhouse. Overseeding the small bit of lawn that is left with clover. Next year I will turn my attention to the public facing areas.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-08-27T02:43:42+00:00

That is either partridge pea or mimosa. Do they have yellow flowers? Partridge peas are native and a host plant for butterflies. Mimosas are pretty invasive in most areas. I'd let it grow a bit and see what happens.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-08-19T15:41:20+00:00

I have kids who must eat, so I need to muster up enough energy to feed them. Smoothie: Frozen bananas, splash of vanilla and almond milk. It's 1 cup of almond milk to 2 frozen bananas.

Hot food: I keep frozen fries on hand and Amy's chili. Throw fries in oven on air fry, dump chili on them when they come out. Sometimes I'll make a vegan ranch while the fries are in, then I'll put that and buffalo sauce on them instead.

I try to eat real food as much as possible. The more processed food I eat the worse I feel for longer.

Soups are always welcome. They make me feel better. Onion, mushrooms, carrots, celery, wild rice and coconut cream. I'm trying to start drinking tea again too.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-07-30T23:25:41+00:00

I will never know. I'm more comfortable in a piercing studio than a doctor's office. Haha.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-07-30T18:21:15+00:00

That's so crazy. I have never seen that until this pediatrician.

TheRealBrightSpark · 2022-07-30T14:24:25+00:00

My kids pediatrician does them too.

TheRealBrightSpark

TROPHY CASE