It's 2023 and my mother is still up to her old tricks.  I guess my warning to her to "behave or else there will be consequences" didn't stick in her brain.  But again, she has dementia, so I guess that makes sense.  She hasn't attacked me or provoked me really, she did a little though.  She's lactose intolerant and asked me to buy her a chocolate shake and I said no, you are lactose intolerant.  She kept saying she wasn't and I just shook my head.  So she said she'd ask her BFF Christmas to bring her one the next time she came over.  I was going to call Christmas right away, but I haven't yet.  But maybe tomorrow I will.  My mother has HORRIBLE diarrhea and we're doing everything we can to stop it from happening before she goes to diapers and now she wants thick-ass milk products to make the matter worse.  Yay.  But that's about as saucy as she's been all month.  

We're getting a full-sized portable dishwasher on Wednesday.  Thank freaking goodness.  I am also going to wash the dishes tomorrow and start purging them again.  We don't need so many freaking dishes.  I mean, I've already gone "minimalist" in the kitchen, but I think I may need to pare down even more.  The dishes situation is insane lately.  That's because we're cooking at home several times a day.  I got the kids off the disgusting and nasty and unhealthy "keto diet" and now we're all eating a plant-based whole-foods diet to see if my blood pressure and cholesterol go down (and my oldest son's too).  So far my BP hasn't, but we'll see.  Maybe it takes a minute?  I don't know.  I think I need this IUD out of me.  I think that's the cause of my high BP.  It's definitely the cause of my weight gain.  I have a consultation for a vaginal hysterectomy (meaning no down-time, no scars, no surgery) on the first of February, so hopefully we'll get this party started.  God, if I get my IUD out, I will no longer have migraines either.  I'll still get cervicogenic headaches, but the actual migraines should cease.  Oh, and it causes PAINFUL CYSTS on ovaries (some that need surgery)!  Little did I know.  Thank you, Thanksgiving 2022, when I was in the ER all night scared I was dying.  Good god, I have never had pain like that.  I think it was worse than contractions in childbirth.  I will be so very happy to be rid of all that jazz, thank you very much.  Also, according to ehealth.me, Mirena has been found in women who've been using it at least 2-5 years to have high blood pressure.  And that's me.  It's been almost 10 for me.  So, I bet you $1,000,000 once it's gone my BP will return to normal.  We'll see though. 

So, this is the year of saving for a down payment for a house.  We're paying off a large piece of debt first, around $4,000.  That's large to us.  Then we're off to the races.  

My mental health has been declining this winter.  It always does.  I have SAD.  I need one of those sunlight lamps.  I will look it up to get one and see if it works.  I am glad Amazon has a good return policy so I don't have to be stuck with something that doesn't work, like other stores.  I need a boost and medication doesn't work on me (one gives me horrible side effects and all the others don't work).  I can push myself to feel better, but most of the time I just can't anymore.  And I don't like that feeling.  Oh, I found a good one, so I'll be purchasing it tomorrow.  Here's the link (click here). 

2023 seems to hold some promise for us, if we can stick to our plans.  But it also seems like it will hold some terribleness to it, as well.  Three out of my five dogs seem to be on their last legs.  Two dogs are elderly: one who is fourteen (almost fifteen) has dementia, one who is seventeen is blind and deaf, and one who isn't even ten yet seems to have cancer with a tumor that is pushing her ribcage out.  She's going to the vet ASAP.  Sigh.  I really don't want to lose three dogs in a year, so let's hope some of them, or all of them, have more life left.  

That's just about it.  I have to quit typing before my computer dies.  So until next time.