My ILs celebrate 50 years in a couple of weeks. :hurray: I have no idea what my dh and I should do for them. What I really want to do, a family portrait (of children and grandchildren), can't happen. :( Neither of dh's siblings can chip in $ (and right now we're not in a position to be able to either) plus, it's hard to do when SIL is hardly speaking to her parents (and hasn't offered to do a single thing to help with this anniversary party....I vent and digress). So what should we do? The only idea I've had is to get a pretty vase and do some glass etching. Maybe their monogram with "Est. 1959" on it or something like that. A glass teapot to do that on would be absolutely perfect as MIL collects teapots. Other than that I have absolutely no idea.

:grouphug: I've been thinking about you and wondering how things were going. What position is the baby in? Did she check to see how well lined up the head is? Has she mentioned a hand being up by the head (sometimes you can feel them via palpation)? It "sounds" like you are doing well and taking it all in stride. It's good to know the OB you would be transferred to is like-minded. That's always so reassuring! Got a birth ball or something you can do some squatting next to? ;) What med is that? I have never heard of a thyroid med being used as a labor inducer. I would be wary of doing that in case it messed with thyroid levels. :lol:

My oldest two are 8 and 10. They inherited their father's unibrow. :lol: I have some wax strips that I use with them.

You can take probiotics to help. Yogurt is good but you need to get plain, unsweetened with live cultures to get the full benefits. Ditto the keifer suggestion too. Good stuff. Or you can go to the health food store and buy acidiphilous. The usual dose is 1 T/day.

We do not go. If they are sick or something suspicious comes up, I'll take them in. They are established with a doctor but that's about it.

I started a few months ago. And then it got HOT!! So I stopped. :lol: I will start back up again in the Fall when it's cooler out. I am definitely a cold weather runner!!!

Another who completely understands!!! My dh and I always disagreed (even when dating..lol) on the number of children we would have. He said three and I said four (after compromising from five or six). And in my heart I've just always felt like there were four children for our family. He had his V about six months after our ds was born. I agreed out of respect and submission to him. But that didn't change the feelings of regret that I had. He knew I didn't want him to do it but I told him it was his decision. Mostly I go through stages where I have "baby fever" and long for another. And honestly, like I said, I really do feel deep inside that our family is complete with four children. The biggest thing that keeps me in check is the fact that we have absolutely no room for another person in this house. LOL! Agreed!

:grouphug: I highly suggest (if you haven't already) spending some time clearing you mind and emotions. Because of your history I can imagine that you keep thinking back on the other births and how they went. This is a different baby and a different birth. I know it may sound a bit freaky but the mind-body connection during pregnancy, labor, and birth is VERY strong and VERY real! I'd gather some affirmations, scripture, favorite quotes, etc. and focus on those. Talk to your baby as well. It's obvious that your body knows what to do without being induced (as evidenced with your second baby). And your body is busy gearing up. Part of the prodromal labor you are experiencing could be the baby's position. If the head is ascynclitic or if there is a hand up by the head it can be one reason for causing that. Again, talking to your baby and not stressing about the situation can aid in the baby maneuvering into a better position. And even if the baby stays like that, it doesn't mean labor won't start on its own and progress just fine. I know it's hard but hang in there! Your body knows what to do!!! I have read that too. However, the history of cooking babies longer and slow-to-start labor goes prior to the Pitocin induction. And I would be the richest midwife in the world. :tongue_smilie:

:grouphug: I know exactly how you feel!! Soon....it will happen very soon!

I'm happy to email you mine if you'd like to see. I have one that has subjects we do together that I hang up in our school area. In my "brain" (my 3-ring binder/planner) I have pages where I have those subjects planned out to make it easier to see what's coming in the following weeks. Just looked at the Blue House Academy link...the second one there (not the one with the house on it) is very very similar to what I came up with and use. Then each child (with the exception of the 3yo) has her own individual assignment page. This is what I use weekly to write out their lessons and for them to mark of work they have completed. It is similar to BHA's but since it is individual, the boxes are bigger.

My girls love it! I like how I can mix vocabulary with spelling. They are actually learning about the words they are learning to spell. :)

It varies. This year our first day will be August 31. We do not follow the public school schedule. We usually go from August to the end of June (our start and end dates just vary). And like the others have already said, we take breaks when needed. Our scheduled breaks are a week for Fall Break, a week for Thanksgiving, three weeks for Christmas, Spring Break, and a Mother's Day break (;)).

We do their "texts" in a year. We don't cover every single topic in them though. No books in particular, just whatever our library has on the shelf that's on the TQ list. :)

Definitely not for us. This is me as well (except the "1 on the way" part....but I would be thrilled if it happened!!). Having to restock the boxes every night seems like WAY too much work when I have a much simpler system already working for us. Each child has a shelf on the bookcase (the two littles share one for now). They have their school supplies and books on their shelf. The girls have a 3-ring binder that has assignment pages in it for seat work. Each Sunday afternoon I sit down and write out their lessons for the week. They know each day to get their binder, look at the current day, do the work listed, and mark off what they have completed. For work we do together (Bible, History, Science, Art, etc) I have a separate assignment sheet. That one is planned out for the year so I can keep up with what library books and supplies are needed in the coming weeks. I display that in our school area so they know what will be happening that week and so I know what I need to teach. I'm all about keeping it simple.

Agreed! You are definitely not alone in your thoughts.

We use Nature's Plus Animal Parade. It is an organic, whole food-based vitamin without food colorings and other junk. They also come in a gummy vitamin. ALWAYS read the ingredients to your child's vitamins! NEVER give them anything that has artificial colorings, trans-fats (yes, some include this...Flintstones is one of them), HFCS, and other completely unnecessary/unhealthy ingredients. Just my little PSA about children's vitamins. ;) It never ceases to fail me that people give their children OTC vitamins and think they are actually providing a good supplement.

Ask your dr. if he/she will agree to having your check your blood sugars at home with a glucometer. Some women have luck with that compromise.

WalMart has some for about $15 too.

Not me. I'm against anything that has Ezzo's name or influence attached to it. That says absolutely nothing about Ezzo's teachings. We don't use Ezzo and get plenty of compliments. I've read that his own daughters do not have a close relationship with either parent. So is this really someone who we want to take parenting advice from???? What I find with people I come across who ask me about it is this. Especially for first time parents, this method gives a sense of control in a new world that seems out of control. There are so many changes and unknowns as first time parents so having something structured and teachings of how to control your children gives them a sense of being able to have some normal back in their lives.

:thumbdown: That. Horrible stuff.

Eclectic and we somewhat follow the Classical method.

http://www.theteacherscorner.net/daily-writing-prompts/index.htm This site has prompts for every day of the year. :)

My opinion on the HP books has absolutely nothing to do with the actors in the HP movies.

I am formally schooling three of my four. Each of them has a shelf on a tall bookcase. The youngest has a small space too for puzzles, crayons, construction paper, etc. The girls keep their school books and a box for pencils, pens, markers, etc. on their shelf. They are responsible for having things kept neat, know where things are, and have the necessary items for getting their work done (i.e. a pencil). Each of the girls has a 3-ring binder. It has dividers for assignment pages, completed book reports, and other available tabs because I haven't figured out what else they can put in there. LOL But the most important thing is the assignment pages. It's something I put together in Excel and has a space for each day (along the top) and each subject that they do independently (down the side). On Sunday afternoons I sit down and fill in the week's lessons. Then they know that when it's time for school after we eat lunch, they get their binder, find the week's assignment page, and get started. If they ask, "What am I supposed to do today?" all I have to say is, "Look in your binder." When they complete something they mark it off (checkmark, big X through the box, pretty pictures....lol...they each have their own way). For things we all do together (Bible, history, science, etc) I have a weekly assignment page that I hang up on the bulletin board. It's more for me to have up so I know what to prepare for the week or next day. But of course the kids can look up there and see what we'll be doing that morning/week. These pages I fill out when I do my yearly planning so I can prepare with putting library books on hold, gathering supplies, and know when we'll be finished with each book.

No problems here. And if you have a Books-A-Million where you live, get one from there too. They discount anything you buy unlike the other stores that only do educational materials.