A little good news..

...to break up the bad.

1. It's actually nice outside. I think it might be around 60 degrees.
   
2. The bad stuff has made the rest of us (mom, kids, and me) much closer. We've been doing a lot more things together, such as...
3. The daily walks we've been taking have been paying off big time! Just a half hour a day and I dropped 5 lbs. Of course, stress probably played a part there as well.
4. Erwin! My beloved, clunky, dinosaur of a computer. I forgot that I had him stashed away temporarily. I was going to donate him to a school, but might need him after all. (Yes, I named my computer. I name everything.)
5. Also found old notebook comp that my father gave to my mom after he got the newer one. It's loaded down with viruses and spyware, but I'm sure I can get that up and running, too.
   
6. There was no screaming last night. I think he realized that it was only working him since it only had my mom telling him off and me asking when he was leaving. Also had The Girl asking me why "grandpa was being such a jerk" and wishing he would either go away or "behave himself" prompting me to reply, "He may be a jerk, but he's still your grandpa-- nothing you can do will change that, believe me-- and you should be more respectful. And I hope soon because he's really being a jerk."
7. I impressed my mom with my resourceful budgeting. Told her I could at least cut the food bill in half, if not more. Might actually get it down a lot lower. Most of our food spending was to please the only person in the house who didn't like leftovers and refused to eat them. I pointed out all the food we wasted that the rest of us actually prefer to eat. Also suggested ways to slash other bills. Things might get tight for a bit, but I'm not feeling panicky because I'm sure they'll smooth out. (That's saying a lot. I'm a classic worrier.)

Hoping things stay good and get better.