So much great advice in this thread! I do a lot of the things mentioned, but only started a few weeks ago doing the meal-planning thing. Holy cow, that has saved us a lot of money! I thought I was doing well managing our food budget until I started planning and truly...I've been surprised at the difference it's made. I've also been surprised at how hard it is to shop like that, passing by good deals because it's not on the plan for the next two weeks. It's not in my nature to skip a good deal! LOL But really, when I looked at it truthfully, my husband has been right: I've been "good dealing" us into the poorhouse! :lol: It definitely takes time to figure out the menus and how to include items you already have on hand, but yesterday I left our commissary having only spent $150 instead of the usual $250. It felt weird leaving with just one cart... :confused:

We used to live near one of those and I got a few good deals. But I'll never buy anything fresh/frozen from one of those places again. I got sick as a dog after eating a Healthy Choice entree from the salvage store, and heard other people had gotten sick after eating frozen food from there. Actually, I haven't been back since...even though the other stuff was fine. LOL

Yeah, you have to know your prices at other stores to know whether you're getting a good deal at Dollar Tree. You can't beat their greeting cards at 2 for a dollar! They also have a line of really pretty scrapbook-looking cards that are a buck. I always go there first for cards. What I look for: teacher resources, workbooks for the kids, books, stickers, gift bags, deals on name-brand foods. Stocking/pinata stuffer type candy. Cheap holiday decor to use outside. It's one of the few places I can find nice big cellophane bags to cover the gift baskets I make at Christmas.

How scary!!! Glad to hear he is OK, though.

JIN-uh? It's interesting to hear you say that, because my great-grandmother, mom and oldest sister are all named "Ninnah", a name I'd never seen anywhere else before (and of course is also mispronounced, most often as "Nee-nuh".) They pronounce it NIN-uh. We were told that it's an Indian name that means "princess". What were you told about the meaning of Jinnah? One well-known name spelling that's always bugged me is Jinger Duggar. I always want to give it a hard "g" in the middle, like "jingle": JIN-gur.... I know they were doing the whole "J" thing, but it still bugs me... LOL

According to the link below, and the CDC's own website, some stomach viruses are contagious up to two weeks AFTER symptoms stop. I've shared this link before, but it's worth sharing again for more information: http://www.stopthestomachflu.com I still don't understand why doctors don't tell us this stuff. While colds are contagious several days before symptoms show up, most stomach viruses are only contagious once somebody starts getting sick, and then for days or weeks after they feel better. If you don't have time to check out the links, the summary is that you continue to shed virus particles in your feces for that length of time. There is also speculation that it can be shared through saliva. They're so contagious because it only takes ingesting a few virus particles to get sick. So one child, or even an adult, not totally meticulous about handwashing, touches another surface or a person, and they get sick. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not kill stomach viruses, either. They have to be made of some other substance--benzyl-something-or-other. We had a wicked stomach virus several years ago, a week before my son's 6th birthday party. I went ahead with the party because we'd all been vomit/diarrhea free for a few days. Just about everyone who came to that party got sick, and back then I thought there was no way it could've come from us because we felt better. Of course, now I know that we really were the culprits! LOL So...stay home as long as you can! And practice really, really good handwashing when you go to your marathon.

Everything you ever needed to know about the stomach flu: http://www.stopthestomachflu.com

I hear you...though my family would probably rather I stay half-blind and lose the PMS moodiness! I've never had bad vision and I cannot get used to wearing reading glasses. I hate them!!! I hardly ever read for pleasure anymore because the glasses are just uncomfortable to me. I've tried many different styles and designs, too. I guess it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks... I suppose I'll get used to them eventually. Not really a choice, huh? LOL

I have no idea what we're eating on Christmas Eve. MIL is staying with us for a few days so I'm hoping she'll take care of that night. DH is making a sausage and egg breakfast casserole for Christmas morning. During the afternoon, we usually set out a few snackish type things, like chips and dip, etc. My mom is in charge of that. I am in charge of dinner. I'm not totally sure of all the sides yet, but so far we're having: Smoked/honey glazed ham Homemade mac and cheese Squash casserole Green Beans Yams Ambrosia fruit salad Rolls And for dessert: Pumpkin pie Jesus' birthday cake (this year it's yellow cake with strawberry filling and whipped cream frosting) An assortment of goodies I've made, including butterscotch haystacks, peppermint bark, peanut butter fudge and cracker candy

There's a category I check called "other" when I send money (I can't remember at the moment what tab it's under). No one pays a fee either way when you use that category. HTH.

My oldest had this happen when he was around five or six and I freaked out, too. The ped said the glands were just swollen from fighting the infection, and they would go down on their own. And they did. Still, for your peace of mind you might want to get it checked out. But it's probably nothing to worry about.

You guys always have such great cooking advice, I thought it was worth asking... I followed a crock pot baked bean recipe on the back of a bag of dry navy beans. Soaked 'em overnight and everything. They smelled so good cooking today, but when I went to test them after 8 hours, they were still hard as rocks! So...I Googled it. Should've done that first! I found out that adding salt or acidic ingredients before the beans are soft makes them stay hard. The recipe called for ketchup, molasses, mustard and salt and said to put it all in together at once. I added another cup of water, and thought I'd try letting them cook a while longer, maybe overnight. Do you think they'll eventually get soft or should I just count it as a loss? Thanks!

If I remember correctly, I don't think it shows up on a chest xray. When mine was diagnosed, each time, it was because the doctor could hear the lung "sticking" sounds when I breathed. Has anyone listened to your chest over the side that's hurting?

Ugh, pleurisy. That's some wicked stuff. I've had it a couple of times; once following pneumonia, the other times just out of the blue as part of the autoimmune problem I deal with. When I had it, every breath hurt terribly, and I had a hard time breathing while lying down. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. My rheumatologist said it hurts so bad because the inflammation causes the fluid between the lungs and the chest cavity lining to dry out. So every time you inhale, your lungs stick to the cavity; when you exhale, they peel off of it. Definitely gave me a powerful visual for where the pain was coming from! I don't remember what meds they gave me, but I know that ibuprofen was part of the pain relief. Hope you feel better soon! I dread the day I have it again. Ugh.

We preordered ours and picked it up Thursday. My kids think they're not getting one until next spring sometime, when they get cheaper. LOL It's their big Christmas present this year.

I just wanted to thank you all for your answers to my questions. Sorry it took a few days to get back here. I really do appreciate the responses that help me understand my sister. That's interesting that habits like skin-picking, etc. were mentioned. My sister has picked at the calluses on her feet so badly that she will actually tear off pieces of skin and make them bleed. She has done this as long as I can remember, back to when we shared a bedroom as kids. She was also a high achiever in school. I know she hates what she is doing and how she reacts; she has told me so, many times. I am supporting her as much as I can. Unfortunately my DH doesn't have as much grace to extend (and I can't really expect him to love her like I do) so it gets sticky at times. Thanks again for the replies! Sending peaceful thoughts to all...

Oh, and keep him home an extra day or two after he feels better. Here is a site that explains why: http://www.stopthestomachflu.com/Home/how-long-is-a-person-contagious-after-having-the-stomach-flu

Hugs--it's so awful to see your child so sick. I've been through it a few times with my oldest--he's one that if he starts puking, he has a hard time stopping. One time he had a particularly nasty virus and threw up every 20 minutes all night long. I called my nurse friend around 3:00 a.m. and she gave me two tests for dehydration. If he passed both, she said there was no reason to bring him to the ER. One was if the inside of his cheeks still felt moist. The other was to pinch the skin on the back of his hand. If it smoothed out again right away, he wasn't dehydrated enough to need treatment. Even though diarrhea started in the next morning, and he continued to puke off and on throughout the next day, he still passed her tests. Like a PP said, just give a teaspoon of water every 15 minutes. If he feels like it, add Gatorade or flat soda, but nothing else until he's gone several hours without throwing up and is able to keep down an ounce or so of liquid. Oh, and I think oral meds need to be retained for 20 minutes to work. Hope he's better soon.Stomach bugs are the worst!

How terrible. I'm so sorry for your loss. Sending prayers to your family.

I read every post in this thread because I'm almost certain my sister is bi-polar and one of our uncles is, too. (Actually, she's also convinced she has it,but doesn't have a job or medical insurance at the moment to see a psych for confirmation.) She has been on Zoloft for several years now, and it helps. Or rather, it helped. In the past couple of years, she has really become unstable, having rages and then periods of total depression--the whole 'not getting off the couch' thing someone else mentioned. She is single and my parents help support her (long story) so she doesn't have kids or anyone else depending on her. It was interesting to read the one post that mentioned a mom who had BP and wanted her daughter to take care of her. That has been one of my biggest frustrations with my sister, that she always wants everyone to do everything for her. Though I'm only three years older than her, she's always treated me like another mother figure. I always chalked it up to her being the baby of the family, but I never realized it could be part of BP. It really floored me to hear you all say that BP people are very good at putting on fronts. She is SO good at this! And when I read that it's family and friends that take the brunt of it all, that is so true. She has said some of the most horrible things to me and my husband over the past year, and while I can forgive, it's just so hard to forget. There was a bad incident with my children a while back, and I hate to play devil's advocate, but DH and I agreed that our kids cannot be alone with her ever again until she is medicated for it, and stable. And I hate that, because this is my SISTER. We have always been close. It breaks my heart to have to put that distance between her and her nephews, and I haven't said anything to her about it, because I don't want to hurt her feelings. But I can't chance a repeat of what happened before. My kids don't deserve that kind of treatment. Whether it was intentional or not, they have no understanding of what is behind it. And even if she seems OK at the moment, I have witnessed how she can switch into a rage the next moment. I have no way of knowing what's coming next, and it's so hard. So very hard to love her, and not hold on to residual anger because she hurt my children. (Not physically, but verbally.) But I do love her. I just want her to get better. I didn't mean to make this about her. I just wanted to say thank you for your transparency--it has helped me understand my sister better. I'm sorry that your feelings were hurt by your friend, but I have to say that I understand her desire to protect her daughter. :( Which brings me to a question, if you or other BP people don't mind answering it. How much control do you feel you have over blowing up? Nakia, you said something about how you felt like you could handle having your friend's daughter around. But what happens if you "lose it" while she's around? Can you just go let off steam and come back before you blow up in her presence? To what degree does BP remove your choice in those moments? I'm only asking because my sister gives the impression that it is all totally beyond her control, and maybe it is. It definitely feels out-of-control to witness these outbursts.

No. DH was a safety officer in the Navy and would kill me even if I didn't burn the house down! LOL

We used the Shettles method while TTC our second and third babies, aiming for a girl. We got boys, both times. I am now convinced that my husband doesn't make female sperm. :lol: And there might be some truth to that. I can't reference the story, but you could probably google it. I read a while back that some men are genetically predisposed to making more male or female sperm. There are a LOT of boys in DH's family, so I really do believe there's something to that. (Edited to add that if he were up for it, I'd give trying for a girl ONE more try! Cause even though I'd love to have a daughter, if I ended up with another son, that would be cool, too.)

That made me giggle, only because my dog eats poop. Which makes her a not-reliable source for testing food safety. LOL

We've had a busy day, helping my sister move. Everyone is tired, so we're all nuking a pack of Ramen noodles and calling it done. Food police, please don't arrest me. :) At least the baby had Gerber meat sticks, wheat bread with butter, corn and peaches.

This is the headshot from my blog, taken last February. I'm pretty much still the same! :)