Things that make you go, hmmmm.

My husband and my daughter have one uncanny thing in common. Both of them are willing to run errands for me, so I can do something else or so I can sleep. And that is nice of them. I work nights now and have to sleep during the day. BUT no matter how simple the task, neither one can ever successfully complete it without calling me at least once to ask questions.

So much for sleeping, and if I'm doing some other chore that's equally important, I'm going to be interrupted. Do I really have that much difficulty making myself understood? Am I not communicating clearly before they leave the house? In the end, I'm not really saving much time or energy by asking them to help. I might as well do it myself next time. Is that their goal, I wonder? Maybe they don't want to do it, and they're making it as inconvenient and annoying as they can so I'll stop asking them? But then.... often they *volunteer* to run that errand. And I still don't come through it without at least one phone call. And if they're both out on errands, you can bet they're both going to be calling me.

The really strange thing is, they are not related by blood. My husband is my daughter's stepfather.

Do you have family members who are not biologically related, but might as well be?

1.) The question I really was hoping to discuss was if there are other examples of family members so alike they might as well be related by blood, even though they're not. One of you marked my OP funny. You have the right idea. That's how I meant it. But I'm not averse to some serious problem-solving here. Therefore:

2.) I did think of that, them calling me with questions because if they don't, then I'm too critical. So I'll pay more attention.

3.) I only just discovered the do not disturb function. I'm kind of tech-challenged, although not a full technophobe. Previously I had my phone on silent, but it would still vibrate against the nightstand. Now it doesn't do that. What kind of bites is that I use a Bible meditation app to help me sleep during the day. If a call or text comes in, even on do not disturb, it will stop the app. Which makes me wake up. Which is why I'm up now at 3:30 in the afternoon. I also use a blackout sleep mask, but lately it's been too hot for that. Not going to sleep well if I'm uncomfortable because my face is drenched. This part of the country didn't used to need air conditioning, but since it does now, we got a portable unit for the living room. I suppose if I had to, I could sleep in there. Or I could get a sleep mask that isn't quite blackout, but isn't so thick and heavy that it's too hot to wear it.

4.) I may have to extend those do not disturb hours for when I'm getting ready for work, because I've got my takeoff routine all planned and mapped out, and an unexpected phone call can throw it off. Errands or not, that's when hubby is most likely to call; right as I'm getting ready to leave for work. He couldn't call while I was relaxing and gearing up. He has to wait until it's almost time to leave, and I'm covering the last-minute details. Then, even though I have him on speaker while I go on about my business, I usually end up having to rush to avoid being late, which is what I was trying to avoid by planning the routine. Obviously I need to do some revamping to allow for that unexpected phone call.

5.) Why not just make his phone call part of the routine? Because while my job and work hours are predictable, his are very not. He's a Greyhound driver now, and most of the time he's out of town because they're short on drivers. Technically he works out of Seattle, but they've got him based in a Portland hotel because Portland needs him more. He doesn't know from one day to the next whether he's going to be driving here, there, or elsewhere, or at what time of day. They give him his assignment the day before. So he calls me when he can, which is why I refuse to just not answer. But then putting the phone on do not disturb is accomplishing the same thing, isn't it?

Heck, I don't know. I can barely think. I'm so sleep deprived that this morning, in the last hour or so before my shift was over, I was struggling to stay awake at my desk.

PS: On some level I was thinking of this tweet. Anybody wanna comment?

Bringing this up to brag about something that happened. Hubby had some time off and was able to come home for a short while. He was tired, I was feeling ill (still am, seeing doctor in the morning) so neither one of us was up to meal prep. Besides, he had already eaten. He was going to the store to pick up a few things anyway, so I asked him to just grab me something from the Subway right next to the store.

He did not call me to ask any questions, even though my only specification was whether I wanted a salad or a sandwich. The rest of it was guess work on his part.

His guess work was right on target.

I was sure to tell him so. I was very grateful, and I let him know it.

You can be sure if he had brought home something I didn't like, I would have done the same thing. Smiled and thanked him and told him he did good. But it so happens I didn't have to act pleased just to be polite. He really did do very well, and if he hadn't, that would have only been because I didn't give him enough information.

And I figure, if I'm going to complain about things that bother me, I should also talk about things that please me.

andreha said:

We have a black board close to the back door, and that is our shopping list. So, before going shopping, I take a photo of it. So, anytime any of us see something that has run out, we go write it on the board. It works very well. I just need to make sure I don't use old pics.

Click to expand...

That's exactly what we do. Write the shopping list on a marker board as the need arises, then take a picture of it before going to the store.