I've had help once a week for several years now. It's not because I CAN'T do it, but because I'd rather be doing something else. Plus there's the Hubby factor. He just doesn't see dirt. Me, I can't stand a dirty house. I can stand a little clutter, but not a dirty house. After constant arguing about it, we decided the solution was to have someone clean the house. That was about 10 years ago, and we haven't had an argument about it since. With my first cleaning lady, I sat down with my list of everything I wanted her to do, and she gave me her price. Over the next few months, she added a few things I had missed, and we were so pleased with her work, we gave her a raise. We were sorely disappointed when she and her husband moved away, but she referred us to a friend of hers who also cleaned houses for a living, and this woman has been so wonderful. I am positive she cleans BETTER than I would, and she's done in about 4 hours. She's also very kind and responsible. She now cleans for my mother-in-law, who is 79, and will call me if she thinks there is a problem. She will check the house if we're away, and one time, when she checked in the middle of winter, the furnace had died. Her husband came over and tried to get it going, and when he couldn't, the two of them stayed there, keeping our fireplace going, until the furnace people could come and fix everything. There have even been days when she has swung by on her way to another job just to let my dog out. She's just a saint and I'd trust her with anything. I'm just grateful that she's quite a bit YOUNGER than I am, because I'd hate to have to replace her any time soon! I guess the main point of this post is to encourage you to go ahead, as it can be such a wonderful experience, and to see if you can find a reference from someone for your worker. If you use something like "The Maids", be sure to check their references too. And write down everything you want done. I'm sure you will find that, after being relieved of those chores, there will be more you will want to let go of as well. As for me, I am still doing the "everyday" stuff. Hubby still leaves dishes all over the house, crumbs all over the counter, food out everywhere, etc. He still thinks you can go a whole week without sweeping the kitchen floor or wiping out the kitchen sink. Sigh! Well, I've trained him as best I could. But the thing is, I know that one day per week, my home will be pristine, and all I have to do from there is "keep it up". It makes a HUGE difference, and I'm not crabbing at hubby for all the little habits I know will never change. MacThayer

Copy/paste of original post: Ok. If you look at my pictures, you will see my problem. I am in terrible need of landscaping around my new home. I know there are tons of problems, but my main concern is a privacy hedge. I am located in zone 6 or 7 (borderline). There are many deer that constantly roam my yard, which is, by the way, about a one acre lot. My first and most important project is a privacy screen. I really want an evergreen screen to run along side the creek, which is about 350 feet. Now the hard part. Here are things i have to consider. 1. deer, pests, diseases 2. cost must be low 3. really want it to grow fast, at least the first 150 feet that is near my house. the rest could grow slower. I can even use a mix of slow, med, and fast growers, i just want some screening now.... 4. I kill plants. not on purpose, but they always seem to die. 5. There are power lines that could interfere with tall trees two sets, estimated at 30 feet. 6. At one point, the space between my house and the creek is only 22-23 feet. This is the same area where the power lines are. I could put a shorter variety here, but would still like it to be taller than me. 7. Good hedges = good neighbors. I really really thick, thick, possibly multilayer and staggered. I would love to be able to use my back yard, but at this point, i really can't until I have some screening. 8. I am probably going to plant seedlings from arborday.com or my states nursery. I also have a home depot that I could purchase plants from. 9. I would like the plants to at least live as long as I do, preferably longer. 10. I do not mind having a mix of different types of trees, but I would have no idea which ones to place beside each other. 11. This area is full sun, but i have no idea on the type of soil. I know there is some asphalt chips sprinkled in the front (contractor used for fill dirt). Regulary dirt is about 5 inches or so down. I know that no one plant will probably fit my needs, but after all my research, i feel more confused than ever. Here is what i have been researching, perhaps in a mixed screen. I just do not know how to place them for a nice 5-6 yr down the road outcome. Green giants, leyland cypress, willow, nellie stevens holly, different pine types - white, austrian, scotch, red, spruces,arizona cypress, white and douglas firs, cryptomeria, and even thought about blending in some deciduous like maples, empress tree, willow hybrid, and dogwood. I have more on my list, but i thought i would toss these out for some opinions. In the pictures, when you are looking at the front of the house, the creek is on the left. I would love some suggestions. I really am clueless about planting things. Just in case anyone has an idea for the road side hill (which is about 5 feet high, quite steep in some places)let me know.. I wanted some ground cover that spread fast so that we wouldnt have to use the weed eater for hours every week in the summer. I was considering juniper or ivy but im not sure on their spread rate. Also, if you notice anything that you think would look good in another part of the yard, let me know that as well. In my backyard, close to my porch, (not on creek side) I have a septic system. I understand I have to be careful what i plant there. Any way thank you for reading! I welcome any comment to point me in the right direction

I'm coming in late, but since I just received estimates for moving, this may help. To get a sense of what it will cost to move, per pound, ask an agent for a major moving company to give you a complete estimate. It will state the estimated total weight and the estimated total charge. Just divide the price by the weight and you will be close enough. Keep in mind that the time when you want to move will make a difference. I'm moving from Los Angeles to Boston, more than 3,000 miles. There is some seasonal variation in rates; the time I'll be moving is neither the most nor the least expensive season. The destination is one that does not have any special charges. (There are sometimes surcharges for destinations that do not have about an equal amount of stuff being moved out.) The estimates I've been given all work out to slightly less than 90 cents per pound. So this means that if something weighs 100 pounds, it is worth paying to move it unless I could replace it for $90 or less, provided that I would replace it. This means that I will be keeping some heavy furniture that is in good condition and that I like. I am not keeping anything that is broken or nearly worn out, or that is no longer to my taste. For example, I will replace a sofa that is structurally sound and in fairly good appearance, but that's because I want a different style in the new place. I'm simplifying some things, e.g., I'll move only one computer printer, the newer and lighter one, even though I currently use both. I have more than 1,000 pounds of books. I'm going to pack them all myself and send them as Media Mail, which costs about 41 cents a pound regardless of the distance. If the mover's per-pound rate were 50 cents rather than 90, as it could be for a shorter distance, I probably wouldn't do this.

Maybe this is overly simplistic, but if he seems to enjoy the attention he gets when he misbehaves, perhaps he is misbehaving to get more attention. It's a classic, common problem for young children, and while you sound very pleased (and indeed, fortunate) to have an experienced and capable foster mom for your son, she may not be giving him quite the same level of attention he would get from you. Honestly, that would be a lot to expect... The programs you are asking about seem to be "fix him" type programs. "Just play the tape while he's asleep and it'll all get better." or "Have him watch the video about how to be good." Yeah - right. I'd expect that only a very 'hands-on' program with a high degree of parental involvement would be really effective pretty quickly. On the bright side though, getting him back seems like a good and natural time to start implementing an effective program. 1-2-3 Magic is a great program. There's a video you can watch about implementing it that is 100% worth your time to see. Don't let anyone convince you that a 'quickie verbal 'how-to' is all you need. There are pieces of the system, such as being sure you have his attention, maintaining eye contact, tone of voice, making it 100% clear that you expect compliance and waiting until you get it -- SO many things that the video illustrates and explains that a 'here's how it works' talk will miss. So get your hands on that video. 'Natural Consequences' is a discipline philosophy that may or may not have it's own 'program video', but it's very effective with strong-willed children. The whole idea is that misbehavior causes bad things to happen, and that the bad things are a direct result of the bad behavior. Touch a hot stove - you burn your finger. So for the car-seat incident, a good natural consequence would be that the trip (if it's a fun one) immediately gets cancelled. "We can't go if you can't stay buckled in your car seat - sorry." Or if it's not a fun trip, stop now, but go again later, cancelling another fun activity because you have to run that errand. Or sit by the side of the road until he buckles up (however long it takes), then sadly have to miss a fun activity because of the time wasted sitting at the side of the road. You get the idea -- The bad behavior causes an unpleasant consequence. The flip side of this strategy is positioning a positive for right after an unpleasant chore. "We'll have our snack right after we pick up these toys." Another strategy that might work is called 'social stories' -- It's used mainly for autistic children to teach them appropriate social interractions and what to expect in situations that might cause anxiety, but basically, they're stories that explain in explicit and concrete terms how certain situations work and what the 'good' or 'appropriate' behavior for that situation is. For example, a trip to the dentist might include getting into the car seat and staying buckled, waiting patiently in the waiting room and playing quietly until it's our turn, sitting calmly in the chair and opening his mouth when the dentist asks and not biting the dentist! It would explain that the dentist uses a lot of funny-looking tools that sometimes make loud or strange sounds, and that the sounds, while strange, won't hurt, and that these tools are used to keep his teeth healthy and strong. Again - the basic idea is to explain about the situation, in advance, in enough detail to remove the anxiety-provoking 'unknown' and give the child a model of behavior to follow. It's amazing how effective these stories can be. And last but certainly not least -- One of my favorites is to catch him being good and offer explicit praise. "That was really nice when you shared your truck with Johnny!" or "You did a great job brushing your teeth tonight - thank you!" Praise and success are the best kinds of attention there is -- Best of luck to you --