Praying for your son's healing and strength and for all of your family's needs to be met.

I don't know how to quote on my iPad, but I wanted to second (third?) genetic testing for MTHFR. It's a genetic SNP (pronounced snip) that can cause all kinds of problems. I recently found out I have the homozygous type- the worst type. I'm of Meditteranean descent, (a little over half) and it's my understanding that it's a little more prevalent in that population, but it's not uncommon in the general population. Anyone can have this problem, and lots of people do. I now take special types of vitamins and avoid certain foods. I also have some insight into the addiction patterns in my extended family. Finally, I feel better than I have in years. I'm not saying it would solve all your weight problems, but your story is compelling enough that I think it's a good idea to check it out, even if it's just to give you some info going into surgery. It cost about $100 to do the genetic testing through 23andme.com It's a saliva sample test that you mail in. It takes a couple of weeks to get results.

Well the camera is great on both. Your second point hits one of my big problems with the 6 plus. I really like to be able to put my phone in my pocket when I don't want to carry a bag or whatever. There is no way that thing is going in a pocket! Even the 6 is pretty big, although the added screen size up from the 5s does make it easier to read on. Still, portability is important!

I have 2 DDs with this type of hair and I have it myself. It's challenging. My oldest has hair below her waist, and hers is much thicker and less fine. DD8 has hair half-way down her back, and hers is super-fine and wavy. It's a tangled mess if she steps outside without a braid of some sort. We have 3 of the brushes linked above, including one that we keep in her shower. The others we use on dry hair. My favorite detangler is Biosilk. I buy it at Target, but it's available online, too. It's a little pricey, but a bottle lasts forever. It just takes a tiny amount worked through the hair. Sometimes it takes a little more... Here's our routine: At night, DD brushes with her brush in the shower with the conditioner in her hair. After she's out, we put one of those twisty hair towels on her head for about 5 minutes. Then I put in a loose braid, sort of off to the side, as she tends to sleep on her back and is super-sensitive. She doesn't like it too tight at night. In the morning, I take out the braid, put a little Biosilk in the rough spots, because even though we've done all this, there will STILL be some tangles!, brush carefully, starting at the ends, one section at a time, and usually, French braid. You can learn to do this. It's not hard! But sometimes we do ponytails with those gentle elastics that look like pieces of fabric tied in knots on the ends. If we do those, I brush through the ponytails BEFORE I take them out at the end of day! If for some reason we miss the nightly routine, I depend on the Biosilk and the good brush to do the work in the morning. It just takes more product and more time. I feel for you. DD8's hair has been a major point of contention around here. DH kept wanting to take her to get it cut off into a bob, but she just doesn't have the type of hair that would fall into a cute bob without WORK. And she wants long hair like her sister. She's super-sensitive, though, and the combination of unruly hair and her SID has not been easy.

I don't really hate to cook, and DH and I like most things. But I have picky kids, and DH is doing low-carb, and as soon as lunch is done, someone is asking, "What's for dinner?" Sigh... It's become the most dreaded question of my day. I've had Plan to Eat for awhile, and it seems the only thing I've done is add a few recipes. I need to put it to work, I guess. I'll try to friend those here that use it and see if I can get going. We eat out way too much. Grocery shopping is something that I don't mind doing, if I can go alone or with just my older DD, which rarely happens. Any other configuration makes it less restful, lol. And then there's putting everything away when I get home. I think that's the worst part of shopping for me. Everyone will help if I ask, but they tend to just put things away willy-nilly, and I end up searching for things I know I bought but are now missing.

She will love learning to work with clay! Here's a link to my DD's youtube channel. She's just getting started, but she does tutorials on Sculpey. She also has her Bravewriter project on guinea pigs for the class she just finished on there :) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4vroIclCVyV8uw90iVIyWg It's a fun (but messy!) hobby!

We travel quite a bit. I wasn't always a light packer, but I've taught myself to become one! I have this suitcase. If you go to the website, there are tutorials on packing and pics of people traveling with their "one bag" all over the world. http://www.redoxx.com/Shop-by-Gear-Item/Air-Boss/91018/100/Product This is my large wheeled suitcase. I can pack for myself and one of the younger kids in this for a week. http://shop.eaglecreek.com/load-warrior-wheeled-duffel-25/d/1235_cl_-1 I use the packing cubes from Eagle Creek to keep everything organized. Travel Smith has some great light-weight fabrics that really don't wrinkle, and I have several dresses and blouses from them if I need to take something dressier on a trip. My DH actually has a blazer and dress pants from them. They fold right up and come out looking fine. I decant my skin care and hair care into small spill- proof travel-size containers from Eagle Creek. I don't like hotel-issue hair products. I take a minimum amount of make-up. I put everyone's meds/supplements into tiny ziploc bags from the pharmacy with a name and day/date written on it and then pack them into one larger ziploc bag. They all usually fit in a quart size. I do the same with other meds we may need, so we don't have a bunch of bottles. This is probably a personal preference, but I would much rather do laundry or hand-wash a couple of things than drag a bunch of extra stuff with me. There may be some circumstances where it's just too inconvenient, but I haven't found them yet.

I love reading all of these! My oldest DS had a super first semester. His advisor has taken a real interest in him, he's found a meaningful extracurricular club with great people and done some fun things, and worked extremely hard--especially necessary since he's dyslexic. And he earned a 4.0!!! Yay!!! Now on to the spring...

I like the way your friend said it. When I saw it, I also thought, "Oh, Tilly".

No way. I could build 2 of those "tiny houses" in my closet. :laugh: They are intriguing, though. :001_smile:

Oh wow! How exciting! I hope you win!

Praying for all involved. That's so hard.

Hey there! I thought about you the other day when I drove by a certain diner downtown ;) My oldest is now a freshman at our fabulous university, and the others are keeping me busy, busy, busy!

I ordered Knit Crate (totally different, lol) as a gift this year, and I just ordered Ipsy. Susan, I used your link! I hope they're both well-received!

I buy my containers and bins in a variety of places. We're not near an Ikea or a Container Store, so I'm more limited than some. I have a lot of things from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, where I always wait for a coupon, and then Target has some of the same things for less. I have big flat wicker baskets, clear plastic bins of various sizes, turntables for sauces and vitamins, risers for canned goods, etc. etc. I think it's really important to figure out what works for you by focusing on one area at a time. When I hurry through things like this, I'm never happy for very long with how things turn out. I just re-did our pantry last month. It's a huge, walk-in pantry, and I spent a lot of time thinking about it and labeling areas with post-its of where I thought things should go. Then I measured my shelves and counter and thought about what would work. I start at Target because they're less expensive and then move on from there if I need to. If I were moving soon, I wouldn't let it stop me from getting organized, but i might be inclined to get by with mostly less expensive things from Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store instead of specialty bins that might not work in the new kitchen. If it were going to be over a year, I'd just do what I wanted in the current house and start over in the new if they didn't fit. ;)

Yes, that's exactly what I do ;)

It might be worth it to try a different med. Some people definitely do better on one vs. another. When taking it at night, it's best to take it before dinner rather than before bed (if he's not already doing this.) Some foods otherwise healthy foods are very acidic and can aggravate it. Orange juice or even oranges can be a culprit for some people, for example. ETA that Prevacid is the favorite of some people I know. It's taken twice a day, morning and before dinner.

I use Obagi with Retin-A substituted for the last step at night. It's great, but the Retin-A works better if it's given a break every 4 months or so. I like to change out with La Prairie or something else totally different. As for the peel, :001_smile: I don't have time to be blue... Negin, IIRC, the founder of Obagi doesn't think facial exercises are a good idea.

Okay, this I can actually see doing. I've had Instagram on my phone for several years (!) and just haven't known what to do with it!

I'm a lefty and so are 2 of my kids. I hold my pen so that my hand doesn't drag across my writing. The nib/tip is always a little bit above where my pinkie hits the paper, if that makes sense. My lefty children do the same thing. If your kids have a "hook" when they write, that's a whole different thing. :001_smile: I can imagine that'd be difficult. FWIW, we've all been loving the Pilot Frixion pens around here. They dry quickly, and they're erasable! :hurray: So great for the perfectionists among us. And they come in highlighters, too!

This is the Catholic belief as well. Baptism doesn't guarantee salvation, and not being baptized doesn't necessarily preclude it.

I love Greenville! If we ever have to move, this is where we're going, lol. My DH and I spent a long weekend there last fall. We stayed downtown and fell in love with the whole little city! There was a great farmers' market downtown and tons of great restaurants. We walked to Mass on Saturday evening, and it was so relaxing. People kept telling us how hot the weather was that weekend, but they obviously hadn't experienced Kansas in September :)

The Grand Floridian DVC is beautiful, but the 2 bedroom doesn't have the 3rd bathroom. I don't know how big your group is or if you're even considering this one, but just an FYI. Bay Lake and GF are our home resorts. :001_smile: Happy planning!

IDK, it looks to me as though they're being duped into thinking this is what's normal and they need to keep up.

We lived close to Antioch also, and ate at the Forum at least twice a week--every Sunday after church and at least once for dinner during the week. I loved to get one of those oblong balloons on a stick as we left. :001_smile: Garanimals at Sears in the early years, lol. I saw Star Wars for the first time at the Antioch Theatre, across the street and up a little from the shopping center. I think it was called the Antioch Theatre. It had gold lights that encircled the oblong marquee. So many trips to Children's Palace. And oh, my, Shaun... Mine too!!! My friend's mom took us. Right before he started to sing, we yelled in unison, "We love you, Shaun!" And guess what he said?! "I love you, too." And then the whole arena SCREAMED. Little girl screams. :lol: Still one of my favorite memories. Mine was turquoise, too. I always wore the V in the front over another shirt with nearly neon colors on it. :coolgleamA: It looked great with the huge hair and tons of make-up. :laugh: About teens today--- the constant picture taking does bother me a bit, especially when they alter nearly every photo of themselves before allowing it to go "public," which is another thing we just couldn't imagine. If I want to know about the latest photo editing app, I ask a teen. They know how to whiten their teeth, smooth their skin, "pop" their eyes, etc. etc. And they do it FAST, lol. If we'd had the technology, I'm sure we would've done the same thing, though.