For life...take two..LINK TO PART 3 ON PAGE 245

[Marshay]

Cheri -- on a happy note, that party sounds great!! I love water balloon fights!

re: the contractor. If you guys can, definitely sue the pants off that guy. It's obvious it was a scam. I can't believe he would have people go up on your roof w/o you guys' approval. This shows how devious he is.

Definitely check out any paperwork that you signed with him...make sure there isn't any "fine print" that says once an estimate is given, they can begin work.

Get lots of pictures. Write down exactly what happened with dates and times and people involved from the first conversation you had with them until current. You don't want to forget anything and if you do end up suing him, it could be months down the line until you get before a judge and/or settle.

 

[Marshay]

Tat -- here's some good news ...

my milk cup runneth over ... if you know what I mean ... gotta go bag it for the freezer



OK, TMI, but I thought it was funny so it must be getting late! I'm busy typing one-handed and holding up the pumps with the other and all of a sudden I look down to see that the bottle is full.

 

[Marshay]

And on that note, this mama cow is going to bed!

Hope you can read this (this was taken the day after I came home from the hospital!)

 

[Marshay]

oh, one more post ... for those with kids (or anyone else who wants to comment)

How do you know when your child is ready to go on vacation without you for a week?

My parents have taken my nephews to Mrytle Beach when they were 4 years old. So now it is my DD's turn as she turns 4 the day they plan to leave my house. Now she will be the youngest (my nephews were several months past 4) and although she knows her grandparents, it's not like it is with my nephews who live about 1-2 miles away from them.

So my DD knows them but hasn't really spent a lot of time with them ... only one night (3 different times) when DH and I weren't around to put her to bed...never an overnight where we weren't there for her in the morning.

Everytime I talk to her about it, she just cries and says she doesn't want to be gone for 8 days -- wants to only do 2 or 3 days but that isn't possible since my parents have ressies for the whole week.

On a positive note, my sister, BIL and nephews will also be going to MB with my parents, so DD3 will have a "better time" IMO, since she'll be able to play with her cousins and my sis/BIL can help out, too.

With the sometimes 'indifference' that my dad shows to my girls and my mom's physical limitations on the sand, I was really leary about letting her go. But now that my sister and her family will be there, I think it would be a great chance for her to get away, go to the beach and get lots of attention (something she lacks right now).

So how do I prepare her for the trip? I already told her that it is ok to be sad/cry...we will miss her too ... we'll be in her heart and she will be in ours ... we can talk everyday, multiple times if we need to...she'll have lots of fun, etc.

 

[cherbear]

Oh that is great news you got an atty appt and he is all for the case, good! You deserve it and now, hopefully not, but you could have water damage because water already started raining in! Make sure you take some pictures of the tarps you have had to buy to cover the roof, I'm sure Mike still has the receipt and if you get any water in the house, take pics of that to with you. I'll keep you in my prayers!

Good Luck at the dentist, I need a cleaning one day soon as well, had some work done in FL so hoping I won't have any cavaties either!

Well Mike thinks he caught it before we could get any water. Thankfully.

We kept the receipts from the tarps, took pictures of everything before the tarps were put on, he even took pictures of the contractor arguing with him, the men while they were on the roof and coming down, etc. And we kept the receipts from developing/printing the pictures at Walgreens too.
Thanks for the prayers!

It went well even though there was a different hygenist (the usual hygenist apparently had a family emergency/sickness of some sort)

 

[cherbear]

Yea really, kids make great remote controls, they can turn those old knobs on the TVs anytime, no push buttons back then!

I remember having one of those when I was a kid...I think it had like 13 channels.

Oh my gosh. I am just proud of Mike for not kicking his rear end, I am not proud to say it but I may have hit the guy myself. I say go for it.

My dad said he'd have hit him, too.

We're meeting with the lawyer this afternoon. We'll see what he says...

 

[cherbear]

Hey everyone!!! Jason said mama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wow...that's amazing! How proud you must be

 

[cherbear]

Thanks to all who gave advice....I really really really apprecitated it........choked me up.......UJ was flubbering.......the whole thing tears me up......

I think I might go and ask my daughter for the keys to her car and leave a big poster board with our familly photos on it and write her a letter and let her know she really hurt me but that I still love her sooooo much......

UJ

That's a great idea. Or like Marshay said, do the electronic one. I'm sure it will mean a lot.

Cherbear,
I have a contractors license in Mi. The builder should be insured if he is legit......Sue him for damages to the roof and tell the courts you want someone else to repair the roof he ruined.....and then negotiate with that builder on the rest of the job....the new builder will surely way overbid the repair job and should give you some savings on the remainder.......Thet courts will probablly require you to get 3 bids on the repair........but DO NOT let that clown on your roof again.....EVER!!
UJ
I hope you didnt sign anything during the estimate process!!!

We have signed NOTHING with this guy. That's what makes this whole thing SO FREAKING BIZARRE!! All he did was tape an estimate to the door!

We actually have some people starting today on the roof. We didn't want to wait and these guys were able to come and do it. DH's coworker knows them well and they really needed work right now. We had gotten a quote from them before but the reason we didn't hire them right away was because we wanted to look around first. Now we are kicking ourselves for not just hiring them in the first place!!

And for sure...that guy will NEVER be let on our roof and if we can help it, on none of our neighbors roofs either. Maybe not on a roof ever again!!

 

[cherbear]

Any news yet on what the lawyer said? And do you have a cavity??


UJ, how are you doing? Did you make your poster yet? or are you too busy watching the Detroit game?? 2 mins left - gettin crazyyyyyy

we meet with him this afternoon at 1:30. I will let y'all know. And no, no cavities. I'm still clean.

Wow, I've missed a lot.

UJ, I'm hurting for you. I'm sure you know that I have a 16 year old son. It's kind of the same situation with him wanting to stay with the *%^#@ because of the lack of rules. I think it is something all teens go through. I know I liked going to his house when I was a teenager...no rules and no consequences.

And the ex does the same thing with using my son to hurt me. It works. He knows that he can't beat the hell out of me anymore, so he uses my son. And that hurts worse.

I read Mommom's reply to you and I agree with everything she said. I don't really have time to type out a whole reply to you right now, but I totally agree with her.

If you ever need to talk, I'm here for you. Not sure if you have my number, but your SIL does. Call me, text me (wait, can you do that?), whatever. I know how hard it is to have a child that you love so much and all they seem to want to do is make your life hell. for you.

And how about that hockey game?

Cheri, I can't believe everything you're going through. Jeez, when are you gonna give us some good news? Hope things get better soon.

DisneyBunny - Hi, I'm Nikki. I guess I missed the boat on giving you advice, but I agree with what the others said. Hope you can work things out with Anna. I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with someone with cancer, too. Seems to be too much of that going on around here lately. Hope you stick around. These girls and guys are great friends to have and really help out when you're feeling down.

Steph - Did he really say that? He's not even 5 months old yet! Wow. I can't remember how old mine were when they first said that, but I had an early walker (Shane was 7 months and toddling around - we knew he'd be our athlete) and an early pottier (Kyleigh was potty trained at 11 months - as soon as she started walking, she was ripping her diaper off and going). That's great that he's learned that already.

Nic - Sorry the hubby's gone. I know you must miss him.

Hi to everyone else. Sorry, I've been really busy lately.

Where's Betsy? And can somebody please have some good news?

good news? I sure hope soon!! Thanks girl.

 

[cherbear]

Cheri -- on a happy note, that party sounds great!! I love water balloon fights!

re: the contractor. If you guys can, definitely sue the pants off that guy. It's obvious it was a scam. I can't believe he would have people go up on your roof w/o you guys' approval. This shows how devious he is.

Definitely check out any paperwork that you signed with him...make sure there isn't any "fine print" that says once an estimate is given, they can begin work.

Get lots of pictures. Write down exactly what happened with dates and times and people involved from the first conversation you had with them until current. You don't want to forget anything and if you do end up suing him, it could be months down the line until you get before a judge and/or settle.

Nothing was EVER signed. Isn't it CRAZY?! Mike woke up to banging on the roof and an estimate taped to the door!!

oh yeah, he took a bunch of pics and already has them printed. We're taking them with us to the lawyer this afternoon.

Thanks for the tips. We'll have to do some writing this evening. There really wasn't much correspondence at all though...this is so nuts!

Tat -- here's some good news ...

my milk cup runneth over ... if you know what I mean ... gotta go bag it for the freezer



OK, TMI, but I thought it was funny so it must be getting late! I'm busy typing one-handed and holding up the pumps with the other and all of a sudden I look down to see that the bottle is full.

 

[cherbear]

And on that note, this mama cow is going to bed!

Hope you can read this (this was taken the day after I came home from the hospital!)

aww..that's funny!

 

[cherbear]

Morning everybody!

 

[kaoden39]

oh, one more post ... for those with kids (or anyone else who wants to comment)

How do you know when your child is ready to go on vacation without you for a week?

My parents have taken my nephews to Mrytle Beach when they were 4 years old. So now it is my DD's turn as she turns 4 the day they plan to leave my house. Now she will be the youngest (my nephews were several months past 4) and although she knows her grandparents, it's not like it is with my nephews who live about 1-2 miles away from them.

So my DD knows them but hasn't really spent a lot of time with them ... only one night (3 different times) when DH and I weren't around to put her to bed...never an overnight where we weren't there for her in the morning.

Everytime I talk to her about it, she just cries and says she doesn't want to be gone for 8 days -- wants to only do 2 or 3 days but that isn't possible since my parents have ressies for the whole week.

On a positive note, my sister, BIL and nephews will also be going to MB with my parents, so DD3 will have a "better time" IMO, since she'll be able to play with her cousins and my sis/BIL can help out, too.

With the sometimes 'indifference' that my dad shows to my girls and my mom's physical limitations on the sand, I was really leary about letting her go. But now that my sister and her family will be there, I think it would be a great chance for her to get away, go to the beach and get lots of attention (something she lacks right now).

So how do I prepare her for the trip? I already told her that it is ok to be sad/cry...we will miss her too ... we'll be in her heart and she will be in ours ... we can talk everyday, multiple times if we need to...she'll have lots of fun, etc.

Hi Marshay, eight days seems like a long time to me. When my kids were four I am not sure they would have stayed away that long without major drama. I can see hesitating about it.

 

[Marshay]

Hi Marshay, eight days seems like a long time to me. When my kids were four I am not sure they would have stayed away that long without major drama. I can see hesitating about it.

thanks! That's what I thought too, but my dad won't go to a local beach for just a few days since 'we're already spending all this money for Myrtle Beach.'

My mom says that both boys cried too and they went for 10 days at a time with just them so DD3 should be able to do 8 days considering her cousins will be there too.

I thought about just sending DD3 up to their house for a long weekend but I know if they are home, then my dad will just work at the house, they'll still go to their doctor appts, church meetings, etc. It won't really be a vacation for DD. My parents live in a community with no walking trails, no parks or playgrounds, etc.

 

[cherbear]

oh, one more post ... for those with kids (or anyone else who wants to comment)

How do you know when your child is ready to go on vacation without you for a week?

My parents have taken my nephews to Mrytle Beach when they were 4 years old. So now it is my DD's turn as she turns 4 the day they plan to leave my house. Now she will be the youngest (my nephews were several months past 4) and although she knows her grandparents, it's not like it is with my nephews who live about 1-2 miles away from them.

So my DD knows them but hasn't really spent a lot of time with them ... only one night (3 different times) when DH and I weren't around to put her to bed...never an overnight where we weren't there for her in the morning.

Everytime I talk to her about it, she just cries and says she doesn't want to be gone for 8 days -- wants to only do 2 or 3 days but that isn't possible since my parents have ressies for the whole week.

On a positive note, my sister, BIL and nephews will also be going to MB with my parents, so DD3 will have a "better time" IMO, since she'll be able to play with her cousins and my sis/BIL can help out, too.

With the sometimes 'indifference' that my dad shows to my girls and my mom's physical limitations on the sand, I was really leary about letting her go. But now that my sister and her family will be there, I think it would be a great chance for her to get away, go to the beach and get lots of attention (something she lacks right now).

So how do I prepare her for the trip? I already told her that it is ok to be sad/cry...we will miss her too ... we'll be in her heart and she will be in ours ... we can talk everyday, multiple times if we need to...she'll have lots of fun, etc.

I meant to reply to this.

How far is that from you? I'm not a parent so it's hard for me to give an opinion. However, I can certainly see why you'd be so nervous and hesitant. I'm not sure what it would take to convince her that she would be okay. Maybe if she sees pictures of the kids on their previous trips there showing how much fun they had! And if she can talk to her aunt (your sister) maybe she can tell her how much fun they will have together.

 

[kaoden39]

thanks! That's what I thought too, but my dad won't go to a local beach for just a few days since 'we're already spending all this money for Myrtle Beach.'

My mom says that both boys cried too and they went for 10 days at a time with just them so DD3 should be able to do 8 days considering her cousins will be there too.

I thought about just sending DD3 up to their house for a long weekend but I know if they are home, then my dad will just work at the house, they'll still go to their doctor appts, church meetings, etc. It won't really be a vacation for DD. My parents live in a community with no walking trails, no parks or playgrounds, etc.

I see where your parents want to share this with DD but she is still little. Part of me thinks that maybe it will be good for her because this a big girl thing for her, and the other part is the over protective Mom side. I let Kacy and Kody go with my parents to Disneyland when they were three and almost two. In the case of the girls going with my parents they were really close with them.

 

[Marshay]

I meant to reply to this.

How far is that from you? I'm not a parent so it's hard for me to give an opinion. However, I can certainly see why you'd be so nervous and hesitant. I'm not sure what it would take to convince her that she would be okay. Maybe if she sees pictures of the kids on their previous trips there showing how much fun they had! And if she can talk to her aunt (your sister) maybe she can tell her how much fun they will have together.

It's an 8 hour drive plus stops for food/gas.

Good idea on talking to my sister and I should have the boys talk to her too about it.

 

[Marshay]

I see where your parents want to share this with DD but she is still little. Part of me thinks that maybe it will be good for her because this a big girl thing for her, and the other part is the over protective Mom side. I let Kacy and Kody go with my parents to Disneyland when they were three and almost two. In the case of the girls going with my parents they were really close with them.

yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head (!). Since we don't live really close by, it's hard for them to bond. My parents do come to visit every 2-4 months but it's different than my sis who had the boys sleep overnight regularly with my parents.

Did your parents take Kacy and Kody together? or did they do one-on-one?

 

[Marshay]

To my "Sci-Fi Dine In" friends

I just saw a picture of the seats at this restaurant and now I'm reconsidering...do you think the "car seats" would work with small kids?

I think DD3 will be ok, just one of us would have to sit with her ... but our then 8.5 month old will need a highchair. It looks like the cars are raised off the ground, so if a highchair was on the floor, it would not be easy to feed baby. A booster seat on a booth for an 8.5 mo old doesn't work well...

Thoughts?

 

[cherbear]

I'm going nuts here waiting for 1:30 so we can see the lawyer.

Get this....the other guys we found to do the roof came this morning (can't remember if I told y'all about that...we had gotten a quote before, they don't work with a contractor though...) Anywho, they came and got straight up on the roof. Well...bad news! (yes, again) When Mike finally got a good look at the shingles this morning, Mike noticed Lowe's sent the wrong ones!! Right color, just not the right architectural style. BUT he thought, well, we're just gonna have to get it done with these because our freakin roof is exposed. Oh, did I mention we don't need to do the part of the roof that's over our newest addition (the carport/garage) so that means this new roof will be DIFFERENT than the part over the carport/garage area. Which means we will have to have it done AGAIN. Or have them stop and leave our roof bare right now...which is just not an option for us. So we're going to have to bring all this up at the lawyers too. If this guy hadn't screwed up and sent his workers to start tearing down our roof, we would have just sent these shingles back and waited til the right ones came in and then had our roof done. But he messed EVERYTHING up for us. This is going to be MAJOR.