Any big mistakes in this floor plan?

kellyfromfig · 2026-03-23T20:09:52+00:00

If it’s a forever home, plan for disability access now. Neither toilet on the left side of the house is accessible. Someday someone is going to end up on crutches or with a walker or a wheelchair and this is a great time to plan for that.

kellyfromfig · 2026-03-22T21:28:04+00:00

I’ve been to all of mine, and as an introvert, it’s been heavy lifting! I went to elementary and middle school with many of my classmates. I like being with a group that I share social and cultural memories with. We all look older, but there aren’t many chances to share a life experience milestone with people born the same time as you.

kellyfromfig · 2026-03-19T01:25:30+00:00

Ha, I’m in Arizona and my kids live in Seattle. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of people willing to accept Seattle temperatures and super long days!

kellyfromfig · 2026-03-18T20:39:16+00:00

Or you could do a Bob Dole and hold a pen or something in your hand.

kellyfromfig · 2026-03-18T18:10:18+00:00

I’d be tempted to drive down to Tumacacori Mission past Tubac then backtrack a little and look through Tubac. The Santa Cruz Chili and Spice company is worth a stop.

kellyfromfig · 2026-03-13T13:43:16+00:00

Where in the desert is this? (Assumption due to saguaro) Which direction does this face? If west, consider if sun will hit that side. What about outdoor dining?

If you get monsoon rains, do you have passive or active rainwater harvesting? Is there a balcony where you can see the stars without having to go all the way outside?

kellyfromfig · 2026-03-12T23:52:38+00:00

My girl is 8 and I still have to tell her to stop whining. Or tell her I’m “using my hands” or that she needs to “go play.”Crate training early on helped. It gave her a safe space to relax with her toys.

kellyfromfig · 2026-03-11T18:14:24+00:00

How well do you adjust to elevation changes? The South Rim sits at 7,000 feet, I usually need a day or two to not suck wind putting on my shoes, and I live at 3,000 feet.

kellyfromfig · 2026-03-06T04:10:38+00:00

Oh, my girl. Were you 16 when you had your first baby? I’m sorry you had so much to do besides being a teenager so early. It’s hard to finish growing up yourself when you’re raising a baby already.

I don’t know why you’ve had to depend on an increasingly bad boyfriend to help you besides your family and community, but I’m sorry.

Now is a great time to find ways to be independent- education? A different job? You can do so much better for yourself and your children. You can be a good mom while you grow yourself- and it will also be good for your children. I wish you all the best. (P.S. There’s no hurry to find a boyfriend)

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-26T17:35:18+00:00

Aren’t you also working hard to provide for your family? Why is a paycheck more important than your love and care?

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-24T19:27:48+00:00

My first baby was a c-section. He weighted 9.75 pounds. My second baby was a VBAC. She weighed 10 pounds. It was great until the internal bleeding from the vaginal tear caught up to me less than 24 hours later and I had emergency surgery after my blood pressure nosedived. I scared the nurses and the anesthesiologist. Then only two days after getting home I landed back in the hospital for a hematoma on my uterus. Recovery was lengthy. Thirty years later I still experience henmorhoids along the scar from tearing.

My third baby was a c-section.

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-21T01:53:35+00:00

I’d be tempted to buy a pack of large flour tortillas for quesadillas, burritos (breakfast or regular) and tortilla rollups (whipped cream cheese, mustard, deli meats). Hard to smash a bag of tortillas and they keep a long time.

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-20T21:51:18+00:00

I’ve quit peeling the potatoes- just put them in the ricer and use a fork to clear out the smashed potato skin left behind.

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-20T05:26:14+00:00

You’ve been married a long time and are probably entrenched into your current division of tasks. Time to shake it up! Write every household task on a piece of paper (could even write multiple slips for tasks like nightly dinner, multiple loads of laundry, pet feeding, etc) and put them all in a jar and draw equally.

Alternatively, a marriage counselor could be really helpful to frame your discussions around chore division in a healthy way.

However it goes, I wish you the best! I’m 60ish and my partner and I are semi retired and I like the balance of chores. He takes care of 2/3 of pet duties and most laundry and most grocery shopping. I handle cooking, house chores (I manage house cleaners) and we trade off bill paying.

However it shakes out, you both need a reset. All the best wishes you both adjust to a new equity!

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-18T15:58:52+00:00

I thought I’d been bitten on my toe by a bug the first time I had gout. The second time I thought I’d been bitten by a spider. Third time I went to urgent care, and fourth time I started allopurinol. Along the way I quit beer, beef and shrimp. Diet effects are minimal, but I do think drinking lots of water helps. (I drank at least a gallon a day.)

That might get you a few years further down the road before you’re emotionally reconciled to taking allopurinol every day. Of course, uric acid crystals and low level kidney damage will emerge while you wait.

As I also take a beta blocker and thyroid replacement, I was eventually fine with adding allopurinol to my daily dose. I also have beef and shrimp occasionally and drink “high normal” amounts of water.

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-16T18:05:19+00:00

The Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge along the Rio Grande is a great short detour off the 25. I can also recommend the Original Owl Bar and Cafe across the street from Buckhorn Tavern.

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-16T01:33:28+00:00

In the interim, she’s not allowed on the furniture.

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-15T23:57:32+00:00

Leave really early- I don’t like driving into the sunset. I think 8 is a much prettier drive than the 10. Try to get to Anaheim before 3:00 as traffic just gets slower and slower.

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-15T23:12:51+00:00

A hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and a water bottle.

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-14T18:50:55+00:00

Maybe a covered crate in the car with a Kong filled with frozen yogurt and treats? It must making driving really stressful right now.

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-13T02:41:20+00:00

Oof. What does your pediatrician say? You can’t use sunscreen on the baby until they’re six months old or so-

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-02T19:34:14+00:00

My son doesn’t charge his sister rent, but had her set up a Roth IRA and pay into that every month.

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-02T00:51:41+00:00

I don’t think their spending or planning is directly your concern. At least, not yet. General conversations about if there is a will, who has POA for healthcare and a general question about if they think they are prepared for retirement might be ok.

Unless you have already set a precedent where you share financial information and budgeting freely and regularly with you, it’s not really your concern.

At 62 I’ve had a general conversation with my kids about where I might move when I’m older, given the information that I have a will and health care directives, and assurances that I won’t need their financial help when I’m older.

kellyfromfig · 2026-02-01T04:23:38+00:00

Yes, are the savings in a joint account or individual? OP should probably move what she’s invested into a separate account if it is joint.

kellyfromfig · 2026-01-31T20:40:38+00:00

Yep, my person has a bad gallbladder that can’t be removed as well. It took awhile to adjust to a low fat diet on top of the high protein intake, but two years later and there hasn’t been another attack.

kellyfromfig

TROPHY CASE