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Care & Feeding of a Single Mother

divabat — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:58:28 -0800

Books and resources for a single mother who doesn't really fit the stereotype of "mother", and is more about taking care about herself? Any other way I can help her? I've been looking for books to give as gifts to my friend who's a single mum (the same one in this question). I'm having trouble finding books that aren't so typically "motherhood-is-the-great-joy-of-being-a-woman-YAY" or "here are a million tips for baby" though.

She was a mother by accident (unplanned) and is not with the father. She is doing OK so far but it has been very tough and right now she's trying to navigate career changes, lifestyle changes, stress, health issues, and so on. There's a lot of advice for the baby, but not so much for her sanity.

I'm looking for something that is more about the MOTHER - how she can take care of herself and navigate the difficulties of single-motherhood. The books on single motherhood I've seen assume that the baby is born from sperm donation, which isn't the case. While she and the father were never married, there is a tough custody case (long story). She tends to help everyone else first and take care of herself lsat (only when she REALLY needs to - and not even then).

What are some good books that will help her take care of her own needs? What other things can I do to help her? We live far away so things like babysitting aren't an option, but I'd like to help her out.

Thanks!

Unexplainable damp areas in carpet

donmayo — Mon, 21 May 2007 22:51:20 -0800

Two chronic, unexplainable (to me) damp areas in the household carpet. Help me find the culprit, please. Description:

One is ~ 3' by 1 1/2' located where living room carpet meets kitchen tile.

One is ~3' by 1' located by rear bedroom door (nowhere near a water source).
Neither is ever saturated with water. Just enough to make the carpet a little darker (its a light color carpet)
No indications of dampness on walls or ceilings

Possible causes I Have investigated:
Leaks from roof
pet stains
faulty/leaking kitchen equipment
faulty/leaking ac unit
faulty attic insulation causing moisture to drip

'm afraid this could indicate a problem with the foundation. Just don't want to go tearing out my floor to find out that it could be something simple I overlooked.

Mefites, please help!

Can I get out of my crappy apartment?

billybunny — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 20:35:23 -0800

What can I do to get out of my awful apartment? Background: Former student still temporarily living in a college town--Bloomington, IN. I moved into my current apartment in January and have a lease through June. I live alone, though I am occasionally given pick-me-up support through my boyfriend, who lives approximately 120 miles away. At the end of June, I intend to move down with him.

It turns out that my shithole of an apartment is... well, a shithole. I live on the ground floor, which is actually below ground level due to the apartment complex being set into a hill. The top of my bedroom window is below ground-level, though I have a stone enclosure that allows me a sort-of view. The floor is concrete, and as I discovered earlier this week, unsealed. When it rained, water leaked in through the floor and onto the carpet.

Last night, during heavy rain, the stone enclosure became filled with approximately 6 inches of water, which then spewed in through the closed window. The carpet in my bedroom was (and still is) soaked, and not exactly smelling pine fresh.

My lease has no out clause; if I break it, I am still liable for the remainder of the lease.

Is there any way for me to get out? I'll be meeting with the rental agency tomorrow to discuss repairs and such, but if there is *any* way I can use this to get out, I'd be more than happy to take it. All of the damage is documented through photographs and has been reported to the rental agency.

Naturally, should it be required, I'd hire a lawyer. I just want to know what people have done in similar situations, and whether there's anything that *can* be done.

Privetik, Metarussofiles.

lorrer — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 06:54:58 -0800

What do you use for keeping your Russian at an advanced level? I'm mostly interested in whether there are good audio CDs out there for advanced speakers to mantain their current level or improve. I was fluent when in Russia, but that was two years ago, and I'd like to stay at a competent level for work reasons.

Also for work reasons, I don't have a lot of time, so I'd love something I could rip onto my mp3 player and listen to on the subway.

Any other tools you have used (Good Russian papers online or in NYC, any groups in NYC for speaking Russian, chilling in the Brighton Beach area) would be helpful too.