Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I love this topic! My younger two are 5 and 8. I bring hot chocolate and let the smell get to them. I tell them if they don’t get up, the hot chocolate will get cold and they won’t get another one. That usually works.
Odd suggestion: what about not interfering at all? Maybe the kids are relying on you to wake them up rather than building in their own internal alarm clocks? Make arrangements with the school to give the kids extra homework, tests, or just plain dock grades for lateness and absence. Then let the kids learn to wake themselves up. It might take a week, but the harsher the consequences, the likelier their motivation will peak.
At the same time, every time they are up on time, have an awesome breakfast waiting for them. If they don’t make it down to the kitchen, eat it yourself!
Really? You wouldn’t be embarrassed to ask a posek? I’ve never been able to get the nerve up to ask any of the Rebbeim that I know such a question. They would tell me to get rid of the dog. Hands down. My female working dog is not fixed, but she is an outdoor dog in a fenced area. I know she would probably live two years longer if she were fixed, but I can’t bring myself to ask my Rav. Who would specialize in such a shaila anyways??
In retrospect; I think our purchase of a dog specifically for herding our livestock was a mistake. I could have spent the money on better fencing (and maybe a gun or two) and called it a day. It would have been a lot easier.
My kids always have to have play-dates out of the house; because even though the dog lives outside and is housed in the barn; our 150 pound marshmallow really scares people.
Now, of course, we have very little money, and I am always struggling to feed the animals. The halacha to feed your animals first takes on a new meaning when I have to chose between buying food for us or food for them.
The livestock will, I’Y’H support us one day, but the dog is hard to justify at this point. But she is part of our family now and highly trained to herd. I rely on her for so many things it’s hard to give her up. We have considered it!!
Dogs are a serious time and money drain-well worth it if you live in a community that will tolerate it, but not even an option in any haredi environment. Don’t fool yourself; it will be a stone around your neck.
Better off getting a pet hen! You can keep them inside; and they lay eggs. Yes, there are hen diapers!! I don’t know the halacha, cause hens aren’t “caged”. She should have run of the house and the yard, then I think you’re good to go. Very trainable too!!
OH my gosh, Fert!! I have been waiting for someone to ask this question!! I am fabulously impoverished, and I will tell you how I have internet:
My adult daughter gave me an old laptop. My neighbors don’t bother putting a password on their wireless.
My local library has internet.
I have access to internet where I work…yes, I do work…in fact several part time jobs, and so does my husband. We do scurry around like mice all day and most of the night, but every once in a while we like to check the weather and the news.
Thanks for asking!!
I’ve tried to wean myself off of paper goods because of the expense, but when I have the cash, I try to go to Cosco or Amazing Savings. I just bought 420 good quality plastic cups at Amazing Savings for $10 – I thought that was pretty good.
I’m post=vegetarian. We raise our own animals, live off the grid, and use a local shoichet to come to our place.I’m more and more interested in healthy food being available for all socioeconomic groups. It drives me batty that the health food industry (organic produce, supplements, alternative medicine, etc) is only accessible to the wealthy.
The globalization of food and the ability to buy cherries in January (for example) is just…wrong.
Also, I work in this field (preparing bio-available fermented and sprouted foods) for a local alternative health practitioner and her clients. Interesting work.
Our digestive systems are “creatures of habit”. Of course if you never eat X, eating it is going to make you ill. That doesn’t mean X is evil; just that you have conditioned your system to tolerate certain foods. When I eat sour gummy bears; I always quip that one day I may be marooned on an island with only a bucket of gummy bears to keep me alive. I want to make sure that my system can digest them – so the odd gummy bear I eat is …pikuach nefesh!
Bears and crocodiles. I’ve had close encounters with both, and it was terrible! (crocodile/alligator – whatever those things are in the water in Florida)
I work in an environment where I have to go down to the basement of the building a lot to get stuff. The light has been broken so I use a flashlight. There is an old well – like thing in the darkest corner down there, and I was stupid enough to shine my flashlight into it. Curious I guess. There were hundreds of spiders…climbing up and down the walls. Good thing I’m not afraid of spiders!
Hi David;
Basically, I am you. I have been very wealthy in my lifetime and very destitute; several times over. The daily grind of being impoverished; the stress of owing massive amounts of money, and the toll of long term poverty are a very difficult nisayon. But I do have some very basic words of commiseration/advice for you – and not for your supporters or detractors.
1. Stop focusing on the inability of the financially functional to understand your matzav. That is the way HaShem made human beings.
2. Be VERY HAPPY anytime anyone gives you even the most meager of donations. Give them a brocha and mean it.
3. When you are humiliated by the potential giver; use this humiliation and give the person a brocha. Tell them that you are humiliated, and that even though the feeling is equivalent to death, you would like to use the opportunity to offer a brocha. Be sincere. You have tremendous zchus to give powerful brochas when you are in a state of public humiliation.
4. Consider collecting with your wife and child.
5. Consider moving. I know it’s major, and your current job/support system may not make this even possible, but you my be able to position your family in a better situation by getting out of the city and relocating to a smaller out of town (healthier, cleaner air) community.
6. Attempt to get a letter of recommendation/support from a respected Rav. He should also be able to provide you with direction.
7. On the other side of the Rav’s letter, print your resume. This is not in order to find you a job; which I am sure you and your wife have several; but to help in securing donations.
8. Know that you are in good company. Many of our illustrious forefathers and mothers lived in destitute. Glean comfort from their stories. I know I do!
If you wish, have your wife contact me through YWN and I will swap ideas on how to cook good healthy meals for pennies a day – how to stretch Tomchei Shabbos to last all week, and how to stay positive!
Much Hotzlocha!!
Downandin