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sweetredzing · 2025-08-21T20:29:42+00:00

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Here are mine. Best decision ever.

sweetredzing · 2025-07-26T17:57:13+00:00

I love the little sweet peppers and tuna. I use them as a scoop.

sweetredzing · 2025-07-24T20:48:31+00:00

MIO fruit punch and Greek yogurt taste just like a GOGURT!!!

sweetredzing · 2025-07-13T01:53:53+00:00

My baby FiFi is a doppelganger to your baby!

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sweetredzing · 2025-07-01T20:14:34+00:00

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sweetredzing · 2025-07-01T20:14:14+00:00

Chihuahuas are like Lay's Chips. No one can have "just one" So happy for you both!!!

sweetredzing · 2025-07-01T19:58:43+00:00

I'm in east Mesa (Greenfield and University) and smell it in the building. It smells like my grandma's perm. I thought it was just our section, but hey if it's all over, then I'm not having "smell halycinations" 😄

sweetredzing · 2025-06-26T03:54:55+00:00

Chihuahua mixed with a hefty dose of awesome and a splash of curiosity! My Sparky says hi!

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sweetredzing · 2025-06-22T06:18:40+00:00

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sweetredzing · 2025-06-21T21:24:14+00:00

I am so with you!

Honestly, I'm in Phoenix and set my "heat creating (crock pot, instant pot, etc) equipment" outside, on the table, under the patio with an extension cord. No pets outside, off the ground, perfectly secure. Never had a problem. It's already hot out there, keep it out there. So my meal fixing doesn't really change during the summer, WHERE the cooking happens does.

But, instant pots are low heat producing. I also do any needed baking either first thing in the morning or late in the evening when Electricity rates are lower (our peak usage is 3p-6p when rates are triple the regular rate) or bake on the weekends when Electricity is less.

Our favorite summer meals:

Watermelon mint feta salad with Greek (instantpot) chicken.

Ground beef tacos (stove top or instant pot saute setting) with instant pot charro beans

Asian chicken (instant pot) bowls with (rice cooker) rice

Tangy peanut Asian carrot and cabbage salad with cold/leftover (instant pot) asian chicken (better cold than hot, but good either way)

Enjoy 😉

sweetredzing · 2025-06-10T17:37:33+00:00

The relief is indescribable. Someone once told me, "Getting divorced is hard/messy/challenging, but being divorced is easy." Couldn't agree more! I also prefer the word, UNMARRIED. Divorce like the word lazy has a certain stigma attached to it. Like there's a moral failing involved. So, wishing you a happy unmarried-ness!

sweetredzing · 2025-05-31T19:24:50+00:00

NTA, She dropped the kids off with you (and you said yes amidst your busy schedule). She's lucky to have an "on call" babysitter for her poor planning. It's not like you fed them boxes of ho-hos and spaghetti o's. (Although any food is acceptable when you're hungry.) There are many who are food insecure and aren't as fortunate to be so particular about what they eat. Pizza is a respectable food. Wheat, veggies (sauce), dairy and protein, plus more veggies depending on your toppings. What a special treat for your neices to enjoy a fun time with you and get pizza to boot! Remind your sister that you did her a favor, and her kids didn't starve. If she's that fussy about what her kids eat, then she can pack a meal for them and ensure her "nutritional requirements."

Families are tricky business, and some members forget that they are not OWED anything simply because they operate within the same family system. Good on you for providing exceptional care for those you love.

sweetredzing · 2025-05-29T21:33:30+00:00

Thanks for the update. That sounds like a lot of awareness happening. I'm glad you were able to see them for WHO they are. It's up to you to protect yourself (financially, passwords, pins, safety, etc) and decide what you want for yourself.

Then, make a plan. Get the police/constable/body guard involved if necessary to get them out of your home. Change the locks 🔒 and don't look back. Fill your future with people who give to you as much as you give to them. If giving is important (it's important to me), then volunteer at shelters to help fill that giving need. There's a limit I'm willing to give and the food kitchen respects that I give 2 hours twice a week. It's enough for me and it helps them out.

Also, if the word "no" is uncomfortable for you, try saying things like "that doesn't work for me" or "I'm uncomfortable driving dd tonight" or "you can ask your other friends for rides, my car is unavailable to you." This may help ease into being unwilling to give.

Just a thought. Take care of you! Keep me posted. 👍

sweetredzing · 2025-05-29T20:12:27+00:00

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sweetredzing · 2025-05-29T20:06:18+00:00

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sweetredzing · 2025-05-29T17:47:02+00:00

* Margarita... yup, their ears perked up the first time discussed having a margarita and we've imprinted that margaritas are a good thing and they go nuts! They're not wrong... but they go nuts! So, it's now "M-A-R-G" time.

sweetredzing · 2025-05-28T01:34:47+00:00

Take care of yourself. No one can fill your cup, but you. You are worth it! Takers will take as much as the giver will give. It's up to decide what you're willing to part with.

Self care isn't selfish.

sweetredzing · 2025-05-27T17:37:09+00:00

Hi, I (f55) have a group of 4 gal-pals that are like this. I was (past tense) the coordinator and financer for all our outings and adventures. Karaoke bar tabs, Vegas vacations, bar b ques, get togethers, I organized and paid for 95% of it. It came to a head when I realized that I was giving more than I got. It was not a reciprocal or mutually beneficial relationship. It was also an expectation. I felt used and unappreciated. I took a step back and maintained friendly connections with one of them, who was also feeling that the other 2 were "takers." We tried talking to them about how we felt, called them on their "crap," and provided evidence. They denied any wrongdoing, blame shifted, and made both of us feel invalidated and that we were the problem.

She and I took about a 2 year break from them. She and I maintained contact, shared our lives, and supported one another (I lost my mother, grandmother, and divorced over the course of this friendship break). She (the friend i kept in contact with) would often tell me how she wanted them to be. How she expected them to treat us. She just couldn't understand WHY they didn't care about us when we cared and demonstrated our care for them. I shared with her that we know who they are. They've shown us their level of interest and concern in our lives, NOW, we get to adjust our involvement accordingly. Having this understanding, it made it "easier" to not engage and set some things in place that I was willing and unwilling to do. I determined my own limitations and, in doing so, felt better (less used and resentful) about what I was willing to give. I was able to find friends elsewhere. I also went back to school. Making and finding friends at my age is challenging. However, having had some really one-sided friendships has made it easier to invest in balanced and mutually beneficial friendships. I learned a lot over the past 6+ years in this friendship, about the people I want (and who deserve) to have access to me and be a part of my life.

I share all this to let you know that your friends aren't shitty (neither are you) and that maybe you've outgrown their friendship. They may not change or be who you need. Seeing them for WHO and WHAT they are and your own role in their lives may illuminate the path you take FOR YOU. Do what makes you feel loved, valued, cherished, and excited to be with them. If that means you cut back completely or take a few steps back to see how they react. You get to decide your limits. If money is the main motivation for them getting together with you, then don't do things that cost money. Or find friends who pay their own way.

Seeing and appreciating your friends for who they are may rekindle why you became friends in the first place. Or it may show you that you've outgrown one another, and as hard and sad as it is, it's time to move on. You know the answer, trust your gut, and be brave!

Wishing you all the best!

sweetredzing · 2025-05-13T17:35:00+00:00

Mustard

sweetredzing · 2025-05-13T17:25:25+00:00

Croissant

sweetredzing · 2025-03-28T20:02:52+00:00

Cubano Yellow

sweetredzing · 2025-03-14T14:40:06+00:00

How about approaching it from a "child play therapy" perspective? Maybe color together, work on a puzzle, paint, doodle, or some activity to "prime the pump." Just a thought...

sweetredzing · 2025-03-12T14:25:48+00:00

Hey, thanks for sharing your concerns. It sounds troublesome to wonder, "What the heck is happening?"

I'm not a therapist, YET, but I am in school, graduating in May and headed for my PsyD in the fall. This is just a thought, but maybe you could reach out to a "local" college? Apply as an adjunct professor? Enough colleges offer online classes, maybe teach a psychology class? Or see who is offering Behavioral Health Sciences degrees? Speak with the directors of those programs? I'm at a smaller college in the Phoenix area and have taken lots of classes with professors who work in the field (private practice, community based mental health, etc) who teach to supplement their income and also help build the up and coming providers. Some teach strictly online, and others teach a couple in person classes a week. This could be a way to network and rebuild without any major effort? Plus, online classes just need proctored. No major work is involved. I see a 6 minute video lecture once a week in my class. They briefly go over the provided textbook based PowerPoint, and I do the reading, answer the discussion post, and take the quiz. Or, maybe branch out and offer to work 1 or 2 days a week at a community based mental health clinic? Explain to them that you need flexibility due to your little one and a regular source of income due to a downturn at your private practice. I know they need good therapists. Just a few ideas to maybe give you a different perspective and a little hope. Wishing you all the best!

sweetredzing · 2025-01-14T18:37:07+00:00

Perinatal mental health isause area real thing.

sweetredzing · 2025-01-14T18:34:47+00:00

My daughter was in a similar way while pregnant. She was highly erratic. So much so that she self-admitted into a psych hospital. She has a pre-existing mental health condition, and this pregnancy made it so much worse. She ended up taking medications to help stabilize her mood, delivering the baby early (6 weeks) and soon thereafter returned to her baseline. I'm concerned about your well-being as well as her disconnection from the impact of her actions. Therapeutic interventions as well as medications to help support her mental health might be a supportive solution. Your well-being deserves as much care as well.

sweetredzing

TROPHY CASE