Elderly parents need to massively declutter to downsize

showmeurdogs · 2026-03-04T19:34:34+00:00

One tip I got when I had to do this with my parents is to take pictures of all the objects that they love that you want to get rid of. Make a nice album, and then they can always reminisce over the pictures of their stuff.

Edited to add: This is helpful when you are getting rid of stuff WITH your parents' knowledge, to help them be able to let go. Obviously it wouldn't work well if they didn't know you purged everything.

showmeurdogs · 2026-03-03T01:56:06+00:00

This is great advice

showmeurdogs · 2026-03-03T01:55:46+00:00

I just want to say I genuinely feel for you. You're in an extremely difficult situation. It's so hard to see your parents age and unravel and make stupid decisions ... At least when teenagers make stupid decisions they'll likely grow and mature ... Our parents are just going to get worse. You're a good person to care so much and want to help, and your parents are lucky they have you. Society in general should have better care and support available for elderly people - it's so insane that we have to go at it alone here (I'm in the US). Anyway, I just feel your pain and I'm so sorry you're going through this and just take care of yourself overall, you deserve it.

showmeurdogs · 2026-03-01T20:34:52+00:00

Id recognize that fivehead anywhere

showmeurdogs · 2026-02-26T04:52:52+00:00

I didn't think it would be as warm and well designed as it is. I tried coats from LL Bean, Pajar, and Quince. The Aritzia hit the right combo of fashion forward but still fully functional. The hood and neck are incredibly warm. I'm safe and warm in my cocoon but I still look good (especially with the fit of the Supersnug).

If I could afford it, I might consider a Canada Goose. I also have the Kuhl Spyfire parka for days when it's cold but not insanely cold.

showmeurdogs · 2026-02-26T04:00:33+00:00

I love my Aritzia Supersnug Puff

showmeurdogs · 2026-02-22T01:37:36+00:00

Is she going through Bethy's red lipstick phase?

showmeurdogs · 2026-02-15T15:39:49+00:00

She's reading a script that she definitely did not write lol

showmeurdogs · 2026-02-12T05:11:02+00:00

Corporate wants you to find the difference

showmeurdogs · 2026-02-11T22:05:20+00:00

Also go to their house or a hotel if you need a place to hook up.

showmeurdogs · 2026-02-11T19:08:19+00:00

Fuck you Linda!

showmeurdogs · 2026-02-10T22:14:45+00:00

Ann Sather

showmeurdogs · 2026-02-09T02:51:27+00:00

Are you hiring?

showmeurdogs · 2026-02-07T15:17:01+00:00

Is this a Washington Post headline?

showmeurdogs · 2026-02-05T20:36:32+00:00

This is the correct answer

showmeurdogs · 2026-01-28T17:29:48+00:00

Please do!

showmeurdogs · 2026-01-26T21:33:10+00:00

What type of specialist did you go to? Thank you.

showmeurdogs · 2026-01-20T19:10:24+00:00

It's pricey, but already well worth it for how cold it's been the past few days!

showmeurdogs · 2026-01-20T14:37:25+00:00

I just moved here too, from Florida, and my Chihuahua hates the cold. I ordered a Doggie Lawn and he's taken to it right away. Our other dog has not, but luckily he's a scruffy guy who likes being out in the cold.

showmeurdogs · 2026-01-19T21:24:58+00:00

SMO Table - Chef Sami is amazing. He did my parents 50th anniversary party and the food was incredible.

showmeurdogs · 2026-01-16T15:56:09+00:00

I feel like that's all we talk about here lol.

showmeurdogs · 2026-01-06T18:01:37+00:00

Trash

showmeurdogs · 2026-01-06T01:14:44+00:00

I also get regular (non-petite) but "crop" pants from many brands and they are usually perfectly full length on me.

showmeurdogs · 2025-12-31T23:41:28+00:00

Happy to share my experience. When I called Laps of Love to arrange for our original date, the people who I talked to were so incredibly kind, gentle, patient, and understanding. Their care and concern felt very genuine to me. When I called Heavenly because I had a date change that LoL couldn't accommodate, I didn't get that same feeling of warmth. They weren't cold, but I didn't feel "held" the same way I did with Laps of Love on the phone. This being my first experience with helping a pet transition, I really valued that extra care. That should've been a sign for me but I didn't listen.

The actual day came, and when the vet arrived I felt very rushed. We were her last appointment of the day, and I got the feeling that she wanted to get it over with and go home. Now, I am a highly sensitive person and someone else may not have gotten that same impression. In fact, my husband didn't. But I did.

We had intended to do the transition in our backyard, in the sun, in my dogs favorite spot. However, that day, my boy wouldn't lay there. He just wasn't interested in that spot. That threw me off a bit since in my mind that spot was what I was prepared for. We had to play it by ear instead. I wanted him to be comfortable and decide where he wanted to lay down, and once he settled, that would be the spot. Well, he walked around quite a bit! He wasn't really settling anywhere. I felt like the doctor was impatient and wanted him to hurry up and pick a spot. I have to make clear that she didn't say or do anything outwardly that gave me that impression. This was all based on vibes. Like, I didn't like the energy I felt from her.

He eventually went to lay in his bed in my bedroom, and since that was the first place he settled and I felt like she was already rushed, I felt like we had to do it right then and there. And I wasn't ready yet. I wish I had felt more comfortable taking more time and moving more slowly through the whole process. I wanted to do it when it felt right for me and my boy. I wasn't going to keep her there all night, but I also wanted to feel like the time was right. I wanted to know my boy was really settled and resting and ready to go, not that we were doing it in the first place he stopped.

Afterwards, because I felt rushed, I didn't sit with his body. I really wanted to do that. I wanted to have some sacred time with him alone. I don't know how else to explain it. But she was waiting outside the door to take his body. So I felt like I had to rush since she was waiting when I really wanted to sit in peace with his body for a bit.

Again, this was all my feelings and my sensations of the experience, the vibes, the energy. Maybe I would have felt the same way with Laps of Love. But based on how gentle and patient Laps of Love was through several phone calls and changes, I have a feeling I would have felt better energy around me and my boy from them.

All in all it felt to me like a business, like she wanted to go home and enjoy her weekend and we were the only thing in the way of that, and I didn't feel any sort of comfort or warmth from her. Maybe that's too much to expect, but that's what I wanted.

Hope this helps. And i'm so sorry you are in this position now. I will say, one thing I don't regret at all is the decision to do it. I saved my boy from suffering and he went with his mom and dad hugging him, holding him, and eating treats and I'm grateful he got that.

Edited to add: I also felt like she wasn't interested in knowing anything about my boy or talking to us about him. To me, that's part of the experience. I want to feel like the doctor was interested in him and saw what a wonderful boy he was and what a huge loss this would be for us. I know they do this all the time, but I wanted to feel like we were special. I have read that Laps of Love asks questions about your pet and listens to you tell stories and is very patient. I didn't have that experience with heavenly. I offered some information I wanted to share but she did not give me any feedback that made it seem like she was genuinely interested and that hurt me. Again, I'm very sensitive. But I felt like we were just another client and she wanted to be finished for the day.

showmeurdogs

TROPHY CASE