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Ya know what I hate to do. Floss. They say its sooo important and I know it is but what a pain it is to do. Especially the back teeth.
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Gershun, don't you hate it when the floss gets caught between the teeth.... now what? Do I spend the rest of my life this way? Do I use floss to get the other floss out?
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Exactly FF. I sometimes worry I've going to pull my whole tooth out and then my gums start bleeding. ARGGG!!!!!!
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My mom passed away earlier this year and I still haven't gotten myself to the dentist, I think it's been 3 yrs. I did make sure she got there! And that her bill was paid! But doing that was enough, so that my own maintenance appts just never happened...it is so hard to make things happen for mom, that I just had no energy left to make things happen for me. Now she is gone, I imagined I would just snap back into action and get myself together, but it is not "happening". It could be grief, or depression, or darkness of Winter. Maybe a little of each. I wish I were one of my sisters who are impeccably groomed and dressed (and had been working their abs for past 30 yrs). I sincerely hope it is not too late for me!
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mallory my mom also passed this year. I also have an impeccably groomed sister.
She has been inviting me to go to Lunch and I just don't want to cause I am not that impeccably groomed and my abs have not been worked out much either. I feel your pain. But I don't think its too late for us. Hang in there!
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Same here regarding the abs... years ago I was a gym rat, use to go every other day. Advance forward 7 years and where in the heck did the roll of fat around my waist come from? Make that two rolls of fat !! I use to like hopping on the scale at the doctor's office, now I am scared of it :0
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JessieBelle, Thank you for the nice compliment. I got that dress last year to wear to my cousin's 5th wedding, a lavish formal affair. That dress has lasted longer than the marriage! My moods slip too. Big time. I try to keep my sense of humor and need my early morning exercise class to raise my endorphins and escape. Your idea for a depression fighting thread is brilliant! You and others on this site have lifted my spirits many times.
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The lack of a hygeine habit is one of the most icky things about my 89yo mother. She sleeps in the same clothing including same pullups for 2-3 days at a time till the most bossy companion gets there to make her change clothing and bathe. Everyone else at the ALF just quits when she says no, despite being paid to bathe her. She has tons of excuses "oh I don't want to" or "I already changed" or "these clothes are fine" but she knows full well that she just doesn't want to do it today and thinks it does not really matter. So, now I force myself to be sure I do a daily shower and full change of clothes every single day while reminding myself "oh my God I need to have this habit or I might become like her".
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re flossing - get a water pic or water flosser, They are way easier and much more effective. I am looking for a portable one to take with me when I travel. I wish the hygienist had mentioned it to me before. I have been using one for a couple of years and my check ups are great. Another tip for dental care is rinse with peroxide (3% drug store variety) - diluted about 1 peroxide to 3 of water. I can't brush the back of my tongue as I gag. The peroxide rinse takes care of that. You can gargle with it for a sore throat too. I have suffered some heath issues due to not paying enough attention to them being so occupied with mother. I am making an effort to take care of myself better now. The years are flying by, mother is still alive, I will be 80 in 2 years and I have things I want to do.

Kathy -and everyone else - I hear you. I was in bed a lot due to illness for a couple of years and ended up buying myself some nice nighty and matching robe sets so at least I had some variety.
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golden23, great advice! My good friend just had gum surgery and was told flossing may have contributed to the gum recession. She's doing the water pic now. It just seems like one more thing to have on the counter top, but I guess it's worth it. Also, treating yourself to pretty nightie sets is a lovely suggestion. I enjoy watching classic movies and love the beautiful nightgowns ladies wore. I picture Elizabeth Taylor in a satin bed jacket.
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Yeah, it is one more thing on the counter. The portable ones are smaller - no large reservoir but apparently they hold enough. The pretty nighties help me to feel better about myself when I am not well. Can't hurt!
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My sig other and I had those water pics, and even with cleaning both units it still developed mold/bacteria, so we threw ours out.

I think I will try one of those spin toothbrushes... just got to remember to place in mouth before turning on :)
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I love to waterpik. I don't have a countertop or electric outlet in my little bath here, though, so I floss instead. I do get kind of tired of the nightly ritual of flossing. I'm getting lazier and lazier. Sometimes I put a movie on the computer and floss while watching. A lot more fun than standing at the sink. No one's around, so who's to know? Except maybe the rabbit and she's not talking.
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JessieBelle thats so funny. I wander around my place when I floss. Watch t.v., whatever. Sometimes I stand in front of dining room mirror and floss. I noticed speckles on the mirror. I think its from me splating out spittle when I pull the floss out. LOL. I'm not even a care giver anymore. I have no excuse. Blah!
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Just flossed and then did something I really hate to do. Put lotion on my legs and arms. I just hate doing lotion, but my skin is of the age where it needs it. I have to tell myself I'm keeping the gator at bay, so just do it. Most days I don't, though. I wish I could drink a lot of water and never have to use lotion.
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I hate giving myself pedicures. The older I get the harder it is. I welcome winter so I can wear socks.

Yeah, Jessie I hate doing the whole lotion thing too. But the alternative is ashy looking skin. :(
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Gershun no no its not the only option honest. I use an exfoliant and I used to use a really expensive one until I found this incredible recipe for a home made one that costs virtually zip AND does two jobs in one. When you have a shower correction before you have a shower mix together ordinary sugar and vegetable oil to a loose paste. The before you turn the shower on scrub your body with it and rinse well - ashy top layer all gone and body oiled all in a one. My Jamaican friend now uses nothing else and is amazed how cheap it is (I should mention he also mixes it with one of the most expensive cologne/aftershaves because he 'likes the smell' for goodness sake and they say women are vain!
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If I just want to brighten up my skin I use a spray bottle and baby oil and straight after my shower before I have even gotten the towel near me I spray my wet body with the oil, do a sort of 'I love me salsa' in the shower to get it to most places I can't usually reach then dry myself with the towel which gets to the places I sure as hell can't reach
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GiveaHug - I LOVE that you mentioned Febreeze. I have several bottles in the apartment. I really do think it works. I spray it on myself, the furniture, all over. Timbuktu, I'm glad you brought up the teeth brushing. I have neglected my teeth so much that I can't even deal with thinking about it. JessieBelle, I used to run all the time until I injured my hip. I seriously miss the endorphins as I truly believed they helped battle depression. Now that I can't, I really feel the effects, especially this time of year. I'm trying to figure out ways to keep my body moving.
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Went to use the spray bottle to freshen my hair, and wouldn't you know it! The tube was cut short and used for something my husband needed, so the sprayer no longer worked. Uffda!
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Yogalove, I don't want to be a wet blanket or frighten you, but I'm concerned about spraying Febreze on oneself. From what I've read on environmental forums, it does contain a variety of toxins, including BHT and several others.

The Environmental Working Group has addressed this and other toxins in sprays, etc., commonly thought to be safe and used in home environments.

If you Google "Febreze toxins", the first hit should be "The Dangers of Febreze." You might want to read it before spraying this stuff on your body again.
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Eddie, I just wanted to say that I've really struggled with drinking and it got much worse when my father became ill. I've finally managed to give it up like you and, while difficult, I know it was the correct decision. I used to drink a bottle of wine every night. I think of those days now and I totally cringe. Cheers to you for moving away from the booze!
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GardenArist,
Thank you for the heads up about Febreeze. I had no idea. I'll look into that and find a natural alternative.
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Hand raised !! I hate to use lotion, too. It was just last year that I finally bought some at Body & Bath Works that had a half way decent smell... smelled like pine trees which I liked :) But I still dislike the feel of it going on my skin.

Now that I think back, my Mom never taught me anything about using lotion or even night cream. How I wished someone would have clued me about night cream for the face, my skin had aged terribly since I grew up being out doors a lot and never used sun tan lotion.
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Speaking of room sprays or the plug-in scents, I read somewhere many moons ago that pets have a very heighten sense of smell and it was recommended not to use such things around them. What might smell really good to us would be x100 for them which would be sickly overwhelming for them.

I remember back in the 1970's I used a shaker of carpet freshener, something new on the market, and an hour later one of my cats was in respiratory distress so I rushed her to the vet. Even though I had thought I had vacuumed up most of the powder there was enough left in the rugs to make her sick. Went home, opened all the windows, and vacuumed the day lights out the rugs. The cat came home the next day and she was fine.
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Now we know why FF loves to vacuum. It all goes back to the trauma of that day with the carpet powder.
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I've realized that I especially struggle this time of year. I imagine it's because there's less sunlight and so much more darkness. Classic seasonal depression, I suppose. I keep reading that we should start with the little things that make us feel better. I had no idea how accurate this was until recently when I remembered how much prettier I felt when I put on mascara. Blackhole has it right: we should be kind to ourselves.
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I love all of these self-care tips! Anyone appreciate the wonders of dry shampoo? i just discovered this recently and I can't believe I've lived so long without it!
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Yogalove, I learned about the wonders of No Rinse shampoos when my father was in a rehab facility, or maybe it was one of the hospital stays. Used it myself last year when I had an unexpected hospital sojourn.

The woman who creates the pure herbal lotions that I love has brought back her chocolate line for the holidays - tis a pleasure for anyone in love with chocolate. Think of a hot chocolate body polish and body butter....I think I'll get the body butter for Christmas. Maybe I can save the cost of buying chocolates if I have a little sniff when I put on the body butter.
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Forgot to mention the so very fragrant and delicious cocoa mint and sweet orange lip balms, made with beeswax (no petrolatum, paraffin or alcohol). They're the creamiest lip balms I've ever used - nothing like those commercial chemical concoctions that fee; like wax when you apply them.

And since there's no petrolatum, they can be used by someone on oxygen.
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