Saving money

I've had this post running through my head all year, but have never sat down to write it.  But, now that I'm writing more, so here goes.

Really, we shouldn't still be hanging on to our 4 horses.  We're pretty much broke.  Nate's pay checks go to all the house bills, my small social security check goes to the horses, and we're on as much government support as they'll let us have... which is pretty much medicaid for the kids and me, sometimes food stamps when Nate has to cut his hours more for him to go to school.  Oh, and our house and nearly 7 acres was purchased through a subsidized loan program.  Anyway, things just keep getting more expensive all the time, and we found out how to make our own detergent when we moved last year and that helps not to be adding THAT expense.

 Here's the recipe we use:
1/3 bar of Zote soap

1/2 cup of Borax

3/4 - 1 cup of Washing Soda

You blend the Zote in a blender, it's best to cut it into small pieces as you add it in the blender because it likes to stick up the blades.  Then add all 3 ingredients together in a bowl/container, we use old formula containers that we can shake it up in and we ultimately store it in too.  I do NOT suggest blending all three together in the blender, it REALLY gumbs up the blades!  Two table spoons does the trick.

Then, with the horses, I've been letting their feet go longer in between trims and then Nate and I have really cut down on our grain.  Two years ago, almost everyone got some sort of grain.  This year, just Firecracker, Nate's old mare and that's only because she's missing a bunch of teeth and has too much trouble chewing hay.  Senior feed has increased in price almost $10 a bag in the last 2 years too.  So, we've been combining alfalfa pellets (for forage) and another pelleted grain.  It was Safe Choice, but that's been climbing too, so now we're doing a sweet feed that's somewhat pelleted.  And now Nate tells me THAT is going up in price, and that we may be putting her down soon just because of how expensive it is to feed her.  (and no, the cats do get their own food, this picture was from when Firecracker was on senior feed, and our new kitten at the time loved it)

Also, we're both VERY consistences of our fuel mileage.  As long as we keep our RPMs at or below around 2000 we both get around 30 miles a gallon, as long as we keep up with repairs - so we figure out our mileage every time we fill up either of our cars and know to look for things needing repair if the miles per gallon go down drastically.  I've also noticed that my Stratus gets better fuel mileage if I fill my tank before it gets much below half empty.  Since starting to watch my RPMs so closely, I've been amazed at the number of people who lay on the gas taking off from stop lights, etc.  I seem to notice it more with bigger, low fuel mileage vehicles like pick-ups and suburbans too. Wonder if they realize how much more money they're costing themselves in fuel use?  If they can afford to drive them daily, they probably don't care.

Have child, will continue to travel

Well, I WAS going to just write about my experiences going to PT over the last week, but as the title came into my head I couldn't help but think of my travels over this fall.

Life can get 'complicated' when you have MS, or kids, but double that when you're dealing with both.  Luckily I have some great friends who are willing to help me get around with both 'weights' in tow.  Most memorable is a friend who drove my car for me, as I'm fatigue prone and it was a long trip, and help me get Cody taken care of, since I have to use the power chair at home.  Then another who was looking for an auction comrade to go on another long trip to an out door auction.  I didn't even THINK that both kids would have to go with and that she'd have to help me with Cody, but she took me anyway!  SO, we load up the stroller, the walker, provisions for us and the baby and Cody, Jayda and I and head off to spend most of the day walking around in a big field, she pushing Cody and I pushing my walker (which comes in handy at an event like this because it has a seat :-)).  Oh, I miss the days of just jumping in the car and going somewhere, but thank God for people who look past all the luggage.

Now what originally prompted the post.  Last week I started going to Physical Therapy again, 1 part on my knees and the weak hip muscles adding to their pain and instability, 1 part on the MS - supposed to be aqua therapy.  I found out the therapy/fitness/medical plaza that I started seeing a chiropractor in 2 weeks ago ALSO has childcare available while you are in the building.  SO, I got my prescriptions sent there and started last Friday.  I did my 'land therapy' first, consecrating on my legs and glut/stabilizing muscles, and that went fine.  So I went and changed for the pool.  They have a nice little heated 'track pool' which is an oval with a current and an open rectangle in the middle with some steps.  Generally, 'we' (people with MS) are told to stay away from hot tubs and saunas because of the heat.  This is 92*, probably the same temp as my shower and bath water, and I never noticed any problems while I was in the water.  (OH MY, aqua therapy is a lot more work than I thought it'd be!!)  I got out, fine, and went and started changing, then I started getting weaker, and weaker, and w-e-a-k-e-r.  So I'm dressed, and looking at my suit and shorts sitting about 4 feet from me trying to figure out how I'm going to go over there, pick them up, and carry them out using the walker they'd let me use since we didn't know how I'd react to the workout.  Chair.  I can do about anything out of my power chair, I bet that if they have walkers here for people to barrow, the have wheel chairs.  So I go ask for one.  Mind you, I'm getting more and more wobbly this whole time, and I really don't think PTs like seeing you come up to them like that. lol  I was intending to clean up my stuff myself, but that was not going to happen, the PT I had with me in the pool got my suit and stuff for me and took me up front.  Asked if I was ready to go, well, no, going with the cane back to the child care center and getting a 20+ lb. boy out to and in the car, no, I need to sit more.  'Oh, we can help you get out to the car.', the 2 PTs who were with me then say.  'Baby and all?', I ask.  'Well yes', and they did.  They got Cody loaded in his stroller, both of us out to the car (I'm still in the chair!) and even loaded Cody and helped me with the stroller.  I was feeling better by now, but sat a while more and ate my granola bar and rested.  Today, they kept me to just land, and will start aqua therapy in a few weeks.

It seems like a LOT of things to do to get a baby out and about when you can't simply unbuckle them and carry them in.

Handicapped accessible...

I still don't like the term 'handicapped', but it's a lot more understood than, say, 'altered'.  Although... wouldn't it be fun to have 'altered tags' and 'altered parking spaces' - I'm envisioning someone swinging upside down from a trapeze for the emblem, rather than that darn chair.... 

Anyway, in my opinion (IMO), people's idea of 'handicapped accessible' varies as much as the different type of 'handicaps' out there.  Take 'handicapped' parking spaces that are located AWAY from the door....

 

... just because that's the 'easiest' place to put the ramp.  Guess what, not all 'handicapped' people use a ramp.  Some, like me, use a cane and need a shorter distance over the use of a ramp, though both would be best.  

OR, take for instance, take bathrooms.  My husband and I were at a store this summer and, suffering from a weak bladder, I suddenly needed to use a restroom.  No public restroom, but when they were told I sometimes have frequency incontinence, I was told I could go upstairs and use the employee one.  RIGHT.  Thank goodness I never worked in a place like this and broke my leg!  Yeah, we left.  SO, there are handicapped accessible parking spaces, and handicapped accessible stores.

Most stores are not very 'disabled person' friendly, IMO.  Some of the bigger ones are better, providing scooters so that you are able to go all the way around the store AND be able to shop, but not all.  Even some of the ones that provide scooters still do not leave enough room between displays to be able to negotiate through.  Then, I've found the few department stores I've tried to shop at, don't have scooters, and where as you can find a manual wheel chair, good luck fitting it through any openings to actually LOOK at the clothes (or 'sport of your choice' items).

I really wish the architects and managers would consult with disabled people when they are designing the store's layouts.