Hump Day

ei34

How's everyone?  Hopefully staying warm and nothing too stressful going on!

ei34

Fairly SSDD here. I think I tweaked my back a bit shoveling snow on Monday, but nothing too crazy.  Glad we are at an almost-halfway point this week, I haven't been sleeping great for some reason and I'm feeling it during the day.

banana468

We haven't had enough snow that required addressing yet.   But it's now at the 'everything is cold' and I need to run the shower water for what feels like a full minute so it's warm when I get in if I'm the first to hop in.

It's a busy night w/ a tournament for Chiquita's team and DH has trivia.

We've also started to entertain the idea of looking for a replacement for my car.  There's nothing inherently wrong with my minivan but it's now 14 years old and we know that it will need some scheduled repairs PLUS I don't want to get caught again like we did last summer where the alternator died.   Plus, we know that with Chiquita turning 16 in two years that's another vehicle that we'll be buying.  I don't want her to drive one of our cars and given where we live, it's not like we can rely on public transport.  So I want to try to mitigate our expenses. 

Casadena

2 weeks off is too much for small kids. Mornings have been a nightmare this week and attitudes after school til bedtime have been terrible. I know they need time to adjust, it's just been hard getting back into the routine! I'm in a dinner rut - cooking for 2 adults and 2 kids who are medium picky eaters is so much harder than cooking for a larger group like i've been doing for the last few weeks with people at our house. 

I can't access any of my drives at work today, so mostly reading industry/market stuff til that gets sorted. Everyone is super chatty at work today. Nice to see people but the morning is 2 hours gone and i've done very little. 

Getting Chipotle for lunch today before we start our Factor meal delivery again next week. Very excited about that, lol. 

Hope your back feels better @ei34!

levioosa

Well, things are a little stressful here. Last night three fires exploded in the LA area. My grandparents are under mandatory evacuation. I made the executive decision to book them a hotel and it's a good thing I did because they were hemming and hawing about it and within 30 minutes all of the hotels in a 20 mile radius were booked and by the time they checked in 45 minutes later, all of the hotels even further out were booked too. I'm glad I didn't give them an option and just booked it. It's crazy because my parents live down the street, and they have two extra rooms, but their house is so chaotic with the mental illness that there's no room to stay. I doubt they'll be able to stay at the hotel tonight because they asked to extend the booking last night and the front desk said they weren't sure if they would have availability. So the options are my Aunt's house or mine, and both are very far away from their normal routine. Grandpa also has to get daily treatments at the hospital so my house is not a good option ultimately. 

Needless to say, it was a less than optimal night for sleep and my plans to wake up at 5 and do a workout did not come to fruition.

I hope your back feels better @ei34. 

CharmedPam

@levioosa, those fires look scary as heck! I’m glad you got them a room. Hopefully temporary housing doesn’t last long, but I also know those fires are hard to get under control.
@Casadena, two weeks off of work is hard! Lol.  My damn desk/chair is not ergonomic for me, and my back/shoulder hurts which is something I forgot about in the 2 weeks I wasn’t in here. 

@banana468. Good luck with the hunt.  I’m not super info cars or anything, and was going to ask what you were looking at, but I’m zero help on that lol.

Yesterday I spent an astronomical amount on my face.  Gravity, age and weightloss got to it! So I looked into something called the y lift.  AKA the liquid facelift. My face HURTS but not as bad as yesterday, the day of.  Plus, he goes conservative and offers one price, 2 rounds so I’m back at it next Thursday. I didn’t get the results I want so far (should be instant) and I’ll be mad if it doesn’t address them after round 2.

So, incase your wondering the difference from ylift fillers and normal ones -  traditional facial filler placement places the filler in the fat and soft tissue space, just below the skin, The Y Lift/ Structural Volumizing places filler at the structural level of the bone, and in between the muscle layer. 

Sounds hurty? It is. 

ei34

Two weeks is a LOT @Casadena!  We were off 12/23-1/2 and it was hard, two weeks forget it.  Hope they start easing into the routine as the week passes, for your sake if not theirs!
So smart of you to book them a hotel @levioosa, that was really good thinking.  The coverage looks so scary, I hope your grandparents aren't too thrown from their routine by staying in a hotel.  (Though safety first of course, it's incredible that you were able to get them one!)

levioosa

@charmedpam as the fellow facial experimental diva, I got the solawave red light mask and it has made my skin so. bad. Like dishearteningly bad. All of a sudden after one-two weeks of use I have all of this raised texture on my cheeks that wasn't there before. Have you heard of that before? I knew it could cause some irritation, but most of the time it was described like sunburn type irritation. That's what I get for getting the cheaper mask (still not cheap).

banana468

LOL @CharmedPam.  For my car it's likely a 2022-2024 Toyota Sienna in the trim levels that have some of the features we're wanting (like heated steering wheel, ventilated seats, AWD).  

As long as I'm driving kids and my ILs live close (we are less likely to drive my own parents) I'll have a van.  After doing the Girl Scout trip over the summer it was CLEAR which vehicles held people and gear and which didn't hold as much.  

For Chiquita I'm not sure what we're looking for and we likely have a wider selection.   DH is wanting to look for a manual if possible and I think I want either a hatchback or a smaller SUV.  

levioosa

@banana468 I love my Hyundai Tuscon. It's not crazy large and it has pretty good safety ratings. I did get the "top of the line" Limited trim, but honestly I am shocked at how many features it has comparable to a Lexus Rx or Nx, which (obviously) you pay a premium for the name, but my car has some stuff even they didn't with the same year. I even have heated rear seats (was not a common option when I got my car), heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, full moon/sun roof, AWD! They have an even smaller SUV, the Kona, but I can't speak on that one. 

banana468

@levioosa that could be a good fit for Chiquita when the time comes.   DH is the car aficionado and shops for fun the way I'll look at the latest sales for clothing.   I definitely like an option for her that doesn't have a ton of seating but does have a hatch for easier loading/unloading of anything.    CT's licensing requirements and her age means she won't turn 16 until the middle of her Jr year and even if she gets her license shortly after that time it will be mid summer before she can even have her BROTHER in the car with her and by nearly middle of her senior year before she can have a human in the car that isn't related to her.   So seating won't be a priority AT ALL but we'll still want one that's a reliable option.

Vent: Just looked at the laws again and it's technically illegal for a licensed driver under 18 to use the phone as a mapping system.  So....the legal options are to print out PAPER directions or find a car w/ Android Auto. 

VarunaTT

I love my Subaru Crosstrek and it comes in a manual.  Reliable, the price point isn't too terrible (especially for used), and can take a beating.  It has maps within it, I don't have to hook it to my phone.  I do need to look into how to update it though.  Note: just did and it seems easy, IDK why I didn't look it up before. I don't have to take it to the dealership.

Just finished getting my allergy shots.  My left arm is still hurting and after falling yesterday and now the shots, it's really aching.  Hopefully I don't have too much more work that requires typing.  Have to cook tonight, and then otherwise SSDD.  I stayed up way too late last night watching "Laid".  I don't think I can recommend the show, the characters are way too terrible, but the plot itself is interesting and I just want to see the mystery solved.  I might just read about it though.

flantastic

@banana468 I love our 2022 Sienna.

CharmedPam

levioosa said:

@charmedpam as the fellow facial experimental diva, I got the solawave red light mask and it has made my skin so. bad. Like dishearteningly bad. All of a sudden after one-two weeks of use I have all of this raised texture on my cheeks that wasn't there before. Have you heard of that before? I knew it could cause some irritation, but most of the time it was described like sunburn type irritation. That's what I get for getting the cheaper mask (still not cheap).

Noooo! But you bring up a valid point! I bought one of those off of temu because they had the eye shields build in… and now that you mention it, I have a few raised bumps on my cheeks now too! Maybe i’ll stop using it and see what happens? Good observation because I didn’t connect the two 

ILoveBeachMusic

It's still cold here but at least the sun is out. The streets have been pretty well cleared but this snow will hang around for a while. The pup is not amused - when you are only about 6" tall and the snow is 8-9" deep it makes going potty a bit difficult. H shovels an area for him but after a couple of days it has been marked too many times for the Princely Puppy!

House is almost back to normal. Tomorrow I have to tackle the kitchen and mudroom area but everything else is cleaned and de-Christmased. I've left up a few snow men in the kitchen just for fun.

@banana468 all 3 of my kids (who are now all over 30 yo) had used Honda CRVs. They hauled athletic and band gear. We bought them used and all 3 lasted them beyond college. We are a Honda family - H has an Accord and I have a CRV now. We love them.

banana468

@ILoveBeachMusic the CRV may be a match for Chiquita.  I am shying away from a Honda for the next car for me.  I have had the Odyssey that I've driven for over 10 years.  The issue I have at the moment is that the current Odysseys are not available with a Hybrid (so my in-town mileage which is the majority of my driving will still be low fuel economy) and they are still known for poorer noise reduction in the cabin along with fewer options for the way they modify fuel economy.  Example: I drove my BIL's Odyssey a few years ago and the option it has is to turn off the engine at every stop that's more than 2 seconds.  It's physically jarring.     Plus the Sienna is available in AWD (vs. FWD only for Odysseys) which helps for the times that I may be driving in winter weather or taking the kids camping on some uneven terrain.  Come winter we'll still switch to winter tires. 

So for me, it's going to be a Sienna at this point unless we find a spectacularly fabulous deal on an Odyssey.  

That said, our S2000 isn't going away! 

charlotte989875

I love our Toyota highlander so much! 

Busy here as usually. Work is nuts. Baby J sick still. M back in school and (knocks on wood) he’s doing great with the transition even though he keeps asking if it’s a home day or a school day. 

ei34

@ILoveBeachMusic we're a Honda family too!  My favorite is the CRV as well, I had a 2010 up until this summer when I bought a certified pre-owned 2022 HRV, it was less than the CRVs and all three kids fit in the back (and should until they're old enough to take turns riding up front).  Both of my sisters have Pilots and love the third row, my parents and brothers have CRVs.  

ILoveBeachMusic

ei34 said:

@ILoveBeachMusic we're a Honda family too!  My favorite is the CRV as well, I had a 2010 up until this summer when I bought a certified pre-owned 2022 HRV, it was less than the CRVs and all three kids fit in the back (and should until they're old enough to take turns riding up front).  Both of my sisters have Pilots and love the third row, my parents and brothers have CRVs.  

If my grandkids lived in town, I would have a Pilot just so I can tote them around. They are all three in carseats still so it would be crowded in my CRV. Other than that, I do love my CRV. It is 2017.

banana468

ILoveBeachMusic said:

ei34 said:

@ILoveBeachMusic we're a Honda family too!  My favorite is the CRV as well, I had a 2010 up until this summer when I bought a certified pre-owned 2022 HRV, it was less than the CRVs and all three kids fit in the back (and should until they're old enough to take turns riding up front).  Both of my sisters have Pilots and love the third row, my parents and brothers have CRVs.  

If my grandkids lived in town, I would have a Pilot just so I can tote them around. They are all three in carseats still so it would be crowded in my CRV. Other than that, I do love my CRV. It is 2017.

Pilots are decent.  The issues we had and why we went with (and will still go with) a van are:
-Sliding doors.  Loading a baby was infinitely easier.  Now they're easy kids who are just not aware of their surroundings and can swing doors open first and look second.  
-Cargo volume: The Odyssey has a larger interior space and holds more.    Like I said we did the DC trip and I had my Odyssey while there was another mom with her full sized SUV (I think a Pathfinder).  I could actually get a ton of luggage in my car even with 6 passengers and the SUV drivers needed to off-load to a car that was set to hold the cargo. 

Last year I was on pickup duty for Girl Scout cookies and I took out ALL the interior seats.  It was AMAZING to see how much could be loaded in for the troop.

I'm sad I may lose that when we go for a new van but there's still not enough that Honda is doing in the minivan market to make them better than Toyota for me right now.