Rant for the Day (keep it clean)

[backlash]

I'm surprised he got his number wrong when he originally wrote it on the wall.

 

[Magus]

Wasn't me.

Sadly, it was only where to buy booze on the weekend.
so yeah, I changed it.

 

[Grimm]

I have been noticing that Roo is starting to steal things from my craft room and stash them in her room. The only reason I even searched her room is she stole money from her sister's piggy bank and I wanted to see what else she has been taking. Turns out she stole new unwrapped toys from the Christmas toy drive box in the garage, stole new unwrapped toys from my gifts box (I buy gifts for when they go to birthday parties so I don't have to run out and scramble for something) and she has been stealing from my room and my personal things like my dresser or jewelry box. Not to mention she stole CDs from my collection and scratched them.

I am at my wits end with her behavior. I trashed her room looking for more stolen items with her help and now am going through their toys to cut the amount of toys they do have by 3/4. My goal is to make her and Juju appreciate what little they have left so they take care of it. 90% of the toys they own are destroyed or damaged in one way or another.

I told her that instead of birthday presents this year she will go to the store with me and pick out toys to donate to the toy drive to replace what she stole. I am thinking no toys this year for Christmas for either girl. They will get presents but not toys of do-dads like normal. Books, clothes and needed items only.

K thinks I am being too hard on her but I want this behavior to stop NOW!

 

[Amish Heart]

I'm frustrated with you, Grimm. Keep at it, although I wish I had suggestions for you. The twins have been a nightmare and still are, although they are doing the silent treatment to me right now, so I don't exist. They are never home anyway. We didn't have too much stealing, but some. Mostly grandson will take tools or other stuff and just trash it, leave it outside to rust, return something by throwing it on the garage floor, that sort of thing. I did find a big bag of glue sticks that were mine on his sister's dresser last week, and took them back. We have cameras in our office and bedroom, and a door alarm when we sleep, so if I want something not to be touched, it goes in one of those rooms.

 

[Magus]

I have been noticing that Roo is starting to steal things from my craft room and stash them in her room. The only reason I even searched her room is she stole money from her sister's piggy bank and I wanted to see what else she has been taking. Turns out she stole new unwrapped toys from the Christmas toy drive box in the garage, stole new unwrapped toys from my gifts box (I buy gifts for when they go to birthday parties so I don't have to run out and scramble for something) and she has been stealing from my room and my personal things like my dresser or jewelry box. Not to mention she stole CDs from my collection and scratched them.

I am at my wits end with her behavior. I trashed her room looking for more stolen items with her help and now am going through their toys to cut the amount of toys they do have by 3/4. My goal is to make her and Juju appreciate what little they have left so they take care of it. 90% of the toys they own are destroyed or damaged in one way or another.

I told her that instead of birthday presents this year she will go to the store with me and pick out toys to donate to the toy drive to replace what she stole. I am thinking no toys this year for Christmas for either girl. They will get presents but not toys of do-dads like normal. Books, clothes and needed items only.

K thinks I am being too hard on her but I want this behavior to stop NOW!

Hoarding speaks of anxiety. something scare her recently?

 

[Grimm]

I'm frustrated with you, Grimm. Keep at it, although I wish I had suggestions for you. The twins have been a nightmare and still are, although they are doing the silent treatment to me right now, so I don't exist. They are never home anyway. We didn't have too much stealing, but some. Mostly grandson will take tools or other stuff and just trash it, leave it outside to rust, return something by throwing it on the garage floor, that sort of thing. I did find a big bag of glue sticks that were mine on his sister's dresser last week, and took them back. We have cameras in our office and bedroom, and a door alarm when we sleep, so if I want something not to be touched, it goes in one of those rooms.

Roo is taking mostly my craft supplies, junk jewelry, books that are collector's editions that are out of print and trashing them, and the toys from the charity box. It upsets me that her excuse is that she "feels like she doesn't have enough toys" and "I like all your nice stuff because it is better than mine!"

It breaks my heart because she never asks and doesn't take care of anything she has!

 

[Magus]

When she breaks your stuff, take away hers.

 

[Grimm]

Hoarding speaks of anxiety. something scare her recently?

This has been going on longer than the recent chase by the road rager. She was stealing food from the fridge (and still takes it out of our pantry) since her sister was born.

 

[Grimm]

When she breaks your stuff, take away hers.

Been doing that for years and it just makes her theft worse.

 

[Magus]

Sounds like a holdover reflex (IF you believe in reincarnation.)
then take ALL of it but her bed and blanket and tell her if she keeps it up, she loses dinner too. (just threaten it.)

 

[Grimm]

I started going through the hand-me-down totes to get the next size clothing for Juju so I can see what I need to replace or add to. I found more stashes of my things and craft supplies and clothing she has damaged that she hid in these totes to prevent from getting in trouble. I am grossed out by some of the nasty clothing I found that she hid from me.

I made the decision to start buying all of Roo's clothing from thrift stores since she doesn't seem to care about the brand new clothing we have been buying for her and thinks cutting holes in jeans and tops is perfectly fine. I have tried getting her to earn the money to replace the things she has damaged and she was angry about having to spend her hard earned money on brand new jeans after she cut holes in a brand new pair she wore once. She ended up going off the deep end and destroying her sister's things.

I have a running list of the damages she has made to the rental property so I know what we have to fix and how much money I am taking out of her bank account (that I have been funding) to cover it all. She is worse than having a boy!

The week we moved in to this house she was hanging off the towel bar in their bathroom and pulled it out of the wall and bent the bar. K patched the wall and rehung the fixture with the bent bar and I was able to find a replacement bar online. I will not install the new bar until we are moved out and before we turn over the keys.

The house has wide blinds on the windows. She has stood on window sills to bend and break the slats at the top of the window. Again I have new blinds but will not replace until we move out.

She has taken a hammer that she stole from my tool box (different type of hammer than what K uses) and smashed an outlet cover just because she thought it was funny. She then lied and said Juju did it when we moved her bed and found it.

She took one of my drafting pens and drew on the wall under her bed. It is permanent ink. Magic eraser doesn't remove it but smear it on the painted wall. I will be buying paint to cover it.

K and I have never lost a security deposit. I think we might end up losing this one. I could go on.

 

[Magus]

Alcohol removes drafting ink.

Sounds like Roo needs a good sit down and talking to. I went digging for gold in the arm of Mom's new couch when I was 4. I didn't see TV again for months!

 

[zannej]

Grimm, that sounds like a very tough situation. Please take this with a grain of salt as I am not a parent, but have studied psychology and know how I felt about certain things. Please don't take things away from Juju because of Roo's bad behavior. If Juju is not stealing, then she will feel as if she's being punished for things Roo did & it may cause some issues going forward. Having things taken away can lead to hoarder tendencies. I found that out firsthand. Now, it's one thing if the stuff is broken and no longer able to be played with, but Roo is the problem & group punishment (even though this may not be intended as punishment) can make things worse. I used to get punished a lot for things my brother did and it made me more rebellious and angry. It sounds like locks are needed for some of the doors (even if temporary). I wonder if any sort of therapy would help with getting Roo back on track and stop the destructive behavior. I'm assuming that you've already sat down with her and asked her why she does these things & didn't get a satisfactory answer.

If alcohol doesn't work to remove the permanent marker, I've heard acetone can do it. Never tried it though. Anyone tried it?

I checked up on the status of the laptop that I mailed off to CyberpowerPC for warranty repair. Address was in City of Industry. USPS tracking shows it was delivered, but not to that address. Said it went to an "individual" in Le Puente about 4 miles away from the address I put on the box. I have no idea why they would deliver it to a different location like that unless there is something screwy going on or the individual works there-- but still, why the hell did it go to a different city/town & address than what I put on the box & it doesn't say the exact address? I've emailed CyberpowerPc to find out if they got the package but will have to wait for business hours to resume again. It's still frustrating. If they misdelivered & we don't get the laptop back we'll have to file an insurance claim to get our $ back but we won't be ordering a new one so Mom will be without a laptop.

 

[Grimm]

It just keeps getting worse! My parents called to set up a family celebration for my mom's, Roo's and my birthday at the end of the month. It came out that Roo went through my mom's nightstand, her dresser and her jewelry box the last time we visited. She was trying to keep that info from my dad (he would write Roo off if she ever stole from my mom). I mentioned that my mom said Roo went through her sewing room when we were there and my mom let it slip what Roo actually did. Yeah...! Not happy at all!

The teenage years are going to be HELL for us!

 

[zannej]

Ugh. I wonder what her problem is and why she's being so disrespectful of other people's property-- and her own for that matter. Have you considered taking her to some sort of counselor or therapist to see if this is some sort of disorder or if something is bothering her that is triggering this behavior? Does she show any signs of remorse or any sign of caring that she's upsetting you or hurting your feelings or causing problems? Could this be some sort of klepto compulsion? Therapy was a bad word when I was growing up, but the right therapist can help in some situations. I wish I could help you fix this situation, but I know there is no easy fix. All I can suggest is getting her to talk to a therapist/counselor that has no emotional investment in the situation and see if she'll open up and explain why she is acting like this-- if she even knows why. If its some sort of psychological compulsion she may need help to adjust her behavior or get more self-control to stop herself. I'm concerned that if this persists as she gets older she might start shoplifting and getting into legal trouble. I know you didn't raise her to act like this so something weird must be going on.

 

[Magus]

Sorry to hear that Grimm, but look on the bright side, she don't have access to explosives or have a thing for fire like I did as a kid. I was a lousy kid, my parents were glad to get rid of me. little did they know my sister would be worse! She became a religious zealot and garbage hoarder. insanity runs in my family it seems.

 

[Magpie]

Roo is taking mostly my craft supplies, junk jewelry, books that are collector's editions that are out of print and trashing them, and the toys from the charity box. It upsets me that her excuse is that she "feels like she doesn't have enough toys" and "I like all your nice stuff because it is better than mine!"

It breaks my heart because she never asks and doesn't take care of anything she has!

Coming into this conversation blind; so apologies if I'm missing something. Could you invite her into your craft room and have her make something with you? A friend had a similar issue with a staff member, but when he offered her commission on top of her wages, all thieving stopped. If she had her own craft corner, would she be more focused on it and feel it was as good as yours?

 

[Magpie]

My rant is I went to the post office to purchase sterling for my daughter, who is going to Scotland at Hallowe'en. I was buying 200 pound, and was asked for my date of birth, and my postcode!! I gave a fake d.o.b, but had to give my postcode as the postwoman serving me knows it. Gov rules 'Because of money laundering' she said -bloody hell if I was money laundering I'd be heading to a casino, not a post office

 

[Grimm]

Coming into this conversation blind; so apologies if I'm missing something. Could you invite her into your craft room and have her make something with you? A friend had a similar issue with a staff member, but when he offered her commission on top of her wages, all thieving stopped. If she had her own craft corner, would she be more focused on it and feel it was as good as yours?

She is stealing the craft supplies and kits I bought to share with her but she does not have the sewing/knitting/etc skills to use yet. I have done many crafts with her and her sister and she is also steal supplies I bought for commissioned crafts and decor. I can't keep replacing things she steals and get my work done on time.

 

[SheepDog]

Theft is a crime... If you have a friend who is a cop ask him/her to help you make an impression.

 

[Wingnut]

When you say "stealing" it sounds more like enabling on your part... perhaps a "Come to Jesus" meeting with the gal will help set some boundaries where property is concerned. Just my $.02, but as noted, theft is a crime, and you don't want the gal to get the idea that she can easily do it somewhere else.

 

[Peanut]

@Grimm Just curious, did her behavior start just before your last move or just after and has continued to present?

My transgressions weren’t on her scale and I was a little older than her… but my childhood home was destroyed by a tornado, flattened, nothing left. For a time afterwards I “collected” a few items and hid them away. For months I slept at a different home each night, had no sense of stability. But I found a pile of debris here on the farm I knew would not be touched for years if ever, a place to stash my new possessions (2). I had no practical need for those items.

I think I was attempting to establish a sense of security/stability that had been ripped from my life. A few things that were mine, hidden away and safe that nothing could touch. The specific item wasn't important, what they gave me was priceless.

Now granted, Roo hasn’t lived through that but maybe your move happened at a time when she was already feeling adrift, without anchor. A time when (for what ever reason) she was feeling very insecure and vulnerable. The move may have just exacerbated what she was already feeling. A move can be very traumatic for some folks.

Just a thought...

 

[Wingnut]

Peanut, that's exactly what I was thinking, perhaps there's an underlying reason for this "theft" of materials which aren't really worth a whole lot (compared to gold, silver, jewels, and the like). Might be worthwhile to ask some questions in a loving manner and see if there IS some underlying reason... again, just my $.02 on the topic, don't want the gal to turn to a life of crime, lol.

 

[Peanut]

My favorite spatula bit the dust. First, I never thought I’d utter the words "my favorite spatula".

33yrs since I bought this one. It died tonight, rinsed it, flicked off the water and it broke in half. Darn, now I have to find another one...

It’s been with me longer than any pet. Should I bury it in the backyard?

Aside from underwear I don’t think I’ve owned anything this long.

My real rant... this was the most interesting part of my day... making up jokes about a broken spatula.

 

[Wingnut]

Haha, Peanut, I'm the same way with kitchen implements or utensils... the cheap Chinese cr@p they sell nowadays doesn't hold up like the old gear. I had the same problem not too long ago when a rubber spatula I liked bit the dust... had a hard time finding anything close to the one I used for many years.

 

[Supervisor42]

My favorite spatula bit the dust. First, I never thought I’d utter the words "my favorite spatula".
33yrs since I bought this one. It died tonight, rinsed it, flicked off the water and it broke in half. Darn, now I have to find another one...
It’s been with me longer than any pet. Should I bury it in the backyard?
Aside from underwear I don’t think I’ve owned anything this long.
My real rant... this was the most interesting part of my day... making up jokes about a broken spatula.

View attachment 95336

I expect a picture of a nice headstone after the funeral.
Sorry about your loss, I know what it's like to lose a longtime friend.

 

[zannej]

Peanut, this may be the hoarder in me talking, but is it possible to repair it? Maybe some wood glue, superglue, or JB Weld. Possibly some strips of aluminium cans glued on either side or some sort of flat metal reinforcement and some tennis racket handle tape around it to secure it and give better grip?

The stopper in my bathtub (which has an S-trap) slipped out and I could smell the sewer gases in my room. I didn't remember there was a stopper and I carefully removed enough stuff from my tub to access the drain. Slowly poured a bunch of water down the drain but it siphoned right out and sent more sewer gases up into my face. Then I spotted the stopper plug and put it back in. It is flimsy so I put a plunger (in a little container thing it came with) on top to hold it down. No more sewer gases but I inhaled enough to make me feel sick. Got a migraine and felt exhausted. Slept until 5pm. Which was when two of my cats decided to have a bad fight. Yasuke ran to me for protection but since I was asleep I wasn't able to defend him right away. So they landed on my shoulder, clawed the hell out of my arm through my cardigan, I'm not sure exactly how, but I think I must have curled up defensively and had my left leg up enough that they clawed it up & even managed to bruise it. Normally if I get between them and tell them to knock it off they will stop, but since I was not lucid enough to break it up at the moment they landed on me, Yasuke ran out of the room with Snugglebum on his tail. I had to get up and stumble over to step in between them and order Senator Snugglebum back into my room and nudge Yasuke in the opposite direction. Snugglebum understood and obeyed once I blocked Yasuke from his line of sight. He then followed me to my bathroom where I got some hydrogen peroxide to clean my wounds and stop the bleeding.

I went to Walmart for groceries & bc I wasn't feeling up to cooking. Grabbed some ribs and salads for dinner. Ate a few ribs and half of a salad. I'll still probably have to cook later but was feeling dizzy. Had to pick up prescriptions but there was an issue with my brother's refill so they couldn't fill it. The doctor keeps not responding to refill requests. As an aside, I got another bill from the doctor's office for something that was already paid last year. I also keep getting notices saying that I owe for appointments I didn't have. Not sure what is going on with their billing department. When I asked their office they said it shows I don't owe anything but I still get bills in the mail. I was goin to fuel up and get cow feed but since I was feeling dizzy I decided to skip it until tomorrow. Unloaded groceries at home, gave food to mom and watched a little tv but felt too tired and am lying down again. While I was in line at the pharmacy, the dude who attacked my friend was behind me in line. (Friend said the guy had limped over that morning and apologized to him).

Still feeling tired & having arrhythmia. Got my fans blowing to give me some fresher air.

 

[angie_nrs]

I have one of those Peanut! I also have others that are older and I really like. The new stuff is too darned big and bulky and I don't like them at all b/c they are a pain to store in a drawer. I can usually find the older stuff like that at second hand stores or garage sales and I scoop them up when I find them. I have 3 ladles like that spatula and I use them all constantly in the winter when soup and stew season is upon us. I made soup last week and those ladles get used by all of us at different times, so having several is a bonus.

I hope you find a good replacement soon. I feel your pain.

 

[joel]

It has cooled down some what here, now I need to make room for my plants, inside.

 

[zannej]

My friend keeps having to miss work bc of his crappy gf. He hasn't been able to go to his own medical appointments bc he's taking her to appointments or having to babysit her bc she's acting like a child. I got a little miffed bc I saw her posting on FB how much she loves her son & how she couldn't live without him. She ignores the kid, leaves him in dirty diapers for hours, whines that she has to spend any time with him at all, & only pays attention to him when people are around. When she doesn't know people are looking she will shove him away and yell at him if he wants to cuddle. Plus he's over 2yrs old now and can't say even a single word and doesn't understand anything-- he barely understand his own name. I'm frustrated bc neither my friend nor his gf seem to care that the kid's development is so stunted. Friend keeps making excuses that kids in the area his age are delayed too. But they are not *that* delayed. Kid should be able to say at least 50 words and he can't even say ONE. Not even mama or dada. I can't seem to get him to understand that this is a critical point and the kid needs to be assessed and get help. I tried talking to the kid's mother but every time I bring it up she pulls out her phone and starts facetiming someone and says "It'll be alright". She truly does not give a crap about that kid. They have to go to a special doctor in Opelousas because she smoked & vaped while pregnant and stunted the growth of the fetus. Then she is full of drama about not getting what she wanted at the baby shower. She hired a photographer to do maternity photos for her (without asking my friend) and then wanted my friend to pay bc she doesn't have a job or income. She's already posted the photos online. She is so incredibly vain. She cares more about her appearance and getting attention and using the kid as a prop on Instagram to get attention/likes/compliments.

Friend had to miss work again today bc she claimed she was going into labor prematurely so he had to take her to the hospital. The doctors confirmed she wasn't in labor but it took his entire shift waiting. She's now due until November. She's going to use this to get him to come home whenever she wants now.

Some people should not be parents. I love my friend to death, but he's an awful parent. I know he never had a good example of parents since his couldn't be bothered to raise him & he was just left to watch tv or play video games. He's doing the same thing with this kid, only at least his grandmother read to him. No one reads to this kid & the mother feeds him by throwing food on the floor. In another state he'd be taken away for neglect/abuse but not here.

I feel so sorry for the next one bc its going to have a terrible life if it survives.