Thanks. :001_smile:

I think it's important to go especially since the doctor might help with something not girly-bit related. I went last year after not having gone for 3 yrs and only then because I had a large lump that I was finally scared enough to have checked out. Thankfully the lump was benign, but the ob/gyn was concerned that my thryoid felt larger than before (hypothyroidism and goiter). Ultrasound showed a nodule and biopsy said 90% liklihood of cancer. Post-op biopsy confirmed it was cancer. The nodule was in a spot that couldn't be felt by palpation and who knows how long it may have been before it was found. I can't wait to go to my yearly exam this year just to be able to say to my doctor "thank you for saving my life".

:grouphug:My prayers are with you.

My dh works a similar schedule (4 10hr shifts from 9pm to 7am). Better than it was, he was working 2 12hr shifts and a 16. Hated it. Dh is also a type II diabetic. He had major trouble getting his blood sugar stable, he's now stable and his last A1C was below 7% for the first time since he was diagnosed. Super proud of him. :) First time his doctor didn't chew him out for not getting his act together. ;) The main thing that helped dh was kick-starting better eating habits when we started the South Beach diet. He started noticing his blood sugar FINALLY getting below the max acceptable levels. His doctor was happy, said it was a good diet but to make sure he adds more carbs in or he can get too low. Dh added in carrots and apples and it's all good now. Dh HAS to eat more than 3 meals or his blood sugar spins out of control. He also has to make sure to get no less than 8 hrs of sleep. His job also doesn't permit him to eat as often as he needs too. He's lucky that he can cook some of his meals at work. He eats a lot of chicken salads (will mix it up by making buffalo chicken and bbq chicken and such), fish and veggies, sandwhiches, etc. He learned to get creative doing SB, he also likes to cook. He makes sure to take things that are easy to eat as he goes like cheese sticks, carrots (especially baby carrots), sliced apples, nuts, crackers, etc. He started taking a vitamin pack he found at Walmart that is for diabetics. He's noticed a difference since then. Dh tried keeping the work sleep schedule during his days off but it didn't work for him. Our neighbors are incredibly noisy and we live on a very very VERY busy street. He ended up having to get a prescription for a sleep aid, he doesn't take it often though, he's scared of getting addicted. He makes a point of getting up at least twice to eat something, he found it helps him sleep better and keeps his blood sugars more stable. I don't remember who recommended it to us, but I HIGHLY recommend your dh having his testosterone levels checked. After we were told to do this, dh had his checked and it is too low. He's on testosterone shots and his energy is much better, he sleeps better, feels better, all the way around is better.

nm

Our oldest son has down syndrome, we hope one day to adopt a little girl with down syndrome. Congrats and welcome to the family!!!:001_smile:

Good point from the PP. I had forgotten, we have taught our kids to draw back with the arrow pointing towards the ground, specifically dirt. That way if they accidentally let go the arrow will hit the dirt and not go flying off into the air.

All 3 of our kids have their own bows. My parents have a large enough yard for up to 30 yds of shooting, although the most any of the kids are shooting is only about 15 yds (as a PP stated, most of the lower end kids bows aren't very powerful at all). We keep their equipment at my parents house. Safety rules for us is same as others, nobody even touches a bow unless an adult is with them. No shooting until the shooting lane is clear of people and animals, everybody stands behind the shooter. Do not point your arrow at any people or animals, even pretend. Do not dry fire, this is the best way to destroy your bow and archery equipment is expensive enough as it is. I recommend taking your kiddo to a quality sporting goods store (Cabela's, Bass Pro Shop, Gander Mountain, local archery supply store, local sporting goods store) to have him try out different types of bows until he finds the one he's comfortable with. A good shop will measure him and set the bow up for him so it's the proper draw length and draw weight for him, plus they will cut arrows to the proper length. These are the bows our kids currently have: http://www.beararcheryproducts.com/bows/youth/brave3 http://www.beararcheryproducts.com/bows/youth/scout I wouldn't get anything more than something like these until you know your son is going to stick with it. Once you know if your son is going to stick with it and he's stronger, you can move him up to a more challenging bow. My 11yo uses the Bear Brave 3 and loves archery, once he's strong enough he'll be moving up to my Diamond Razor Edge and I'll be getting a new one in the spring. Don't load yourself up on accesories and stuff for now. The basic bow, arrows and a target setup is all he needs for now. All the suggestions others have given for target setups are great. My dad has a backstop with targets in front of it with the garage behind it all to stop stray arrows. Field tips are the only type the kids are allowed to shoot at this time (aka practice tips, safety tips, etc; they come in different styles from rounded to slightly pointed,). Broadheads (the ones with the razor blades in them) are for hunting purposes only and until the kids are legally able to hunt they are not allowed to use them.

Thanks for all the ideas! I wish we could go see the King Tut exibit but it's too pricey. :(

Thanks ladies!!! Ivar's is a given, dh loves their food, lol! Dh and I have been but the kids have yet to get to go. And yes, Pike Place is a total given. ;) Milovany~Thanks for the tip about Columbia Tower!!!

Dh & I are thinking of going to Seattle for a couple of days next month for a mini-vacation with the kids. We'd really like to go to the aquarium and a couple museums or something like that. We'd be going Sunday-Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. What places would you recommend and on what days to help stretch a small budget. We're a family of 5 (kids are 12yo, 11yo, 4yo). Looking at around $300-400 max. We won't have any hotel expenses. Thanks. :001_smile:

I'm so happy for you that you got some good news today! Prayers that you get more good news next week.

I just went through this last year. :grouphug: I had a 4 inch fibroadenoma, sucker was huge. Dr told me same thing a pp wrote, that rarely do they turn into cancer. We decided to have it removed, tests showed it was benign. I have a lovely little scar now, but everytime I see it I'm reminded that it very well may have saved my life. Prayers that it turns out to be nothing.

Any kids in my car are going to properly secured regardless of who's kids are in the vehicle. If there's an accident or anything, I'm the one responsible and the officer isn't going to care if the kids are mine or not.

We did. Our oldest has down syndrome, our middle has autism and our younger has speech and cognitive delays and we suspect possibly more. Were we stupid to have more kids after our oldest was born? A lot of people probably think so, but for us I can't imagine our lives without them. Yeah, the mulitiple appts with multiple specialists gets annoying and time consuming and homeschooling the 2 oldest gets pretty crazy and frustrating, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I won't lie and say I've never worried that we made a mistake having more kids after our oldest, but I'm glad that we did. :)

Dh is 9 mos younger than me. He loves to tell people he married an older woman, lol!

We got my parents old tent trailer when they upgraded to a larger one last year. They're lucky, their's is the high-sided one with a slide out dining area and a hard-sided bathroom so no folding down counters and such. It's so roomy! Anyway, my dad built countertops for cabinets that sat lower than the sink/stove counter so that all the counters are the same height and it doubles the storage space. We also have the plastic long 3 drawer containers to keep clothes in, so much easier especially with the kids and not as messy as a bunch of backpacks and duffel bags. My mom got a fabric hanging shelf unit (like you put in the closet at home) and attached it to the shower curtain rod in the bathroom area to hold towels and toilet paper and stuff. We don't use the shower unit and the hanging shelf is so nice to have. My dad also installed some hooks above the sink to hang coffee cups and a metal hanging basket thing where I keep the dish towels and things. This year I bought a colored basket for each of the kids to keep their own toys and stuff in. That sure helped a lot, too. I agree with the others that said to keep duplicates of stuff in the trailer. We have utensils, silverware, dishes, pots/pans, towels, washclothes, first aid stuff, dishsoap, handsoap, baggies, garbage bags, dish drainer, strainer, flashlights, even flip flops and water shoes stowed in our trailer. The only things we pack when we go is food, clothes and pillows. Everything else gets washed after a trip and packed back into the trailer. One other thing I REALLY recommend is to find some nice comfy blankets/comforters to keep in the trailer. My mil gave us a big fluffy comforter that isn't a print I like but we keep in the trailer, that thing is nice to have. We put it on the mattress under the sleeping bags during the summer when it's too warm to use, makes the bed nice and soft. If you find the mattress not firm enough, which is a problem for me and dh, go get either a memory foam mattress topper (my parents have one in their trailer) or get some foldable foam mattress pads (what we have). Either one will help tremendously and help prevent sore backs.

If you are looking at a mountain bike style, I've been very happy with my Specialized Hardrock http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/hardrock/hardrock Not a super expensive bike, will hold up very well and it works great both in the woods and in the city.

No we are not tumbleweeds and wind, lol! Depends on the exact area, here in the northern half of Eastern WA (Spokane area north to Canada) we have mountains, lakes, rivers and trees trees trees! ;) Eastern WA is much more conservative but the winters here can be pretty rough. Definately get snow and cold temps. If it wasn't for the winters, Spokane would fit the bill.

I'll be 53 when my youngest is 20. :P

Thanks everyone. If we ever get an iPad it would be used for more than just school stuff, it would also be used for therapy and such (all 3 kids have been using the iPad at their speech therapists office) plus a lot of other things. I appreciate all the ideas. I guess I wasn't very clear and that is my fault. I really wasn't looking for ideas and I do appreciate the time everyone took to give them. Regardless of the way it's done, I still just feel guilty/wrong/etc. doing ANY kind of fundraiser at all for something that is rather frivolous in a lot of ways. Yes it would be a valuable tool but it's not like we have to have one or anything. If this was about raising money for one of the kids to have surgery or something, then I wouldn't hesitate. It's more about the nature of what the money would be used for, even though it would be for educational/theraputic uses and not just an expensive toy, but still just the same. Thanks again. :)

chiguirre ~ We've been watching for used ones on Craigslist and at the pawn shops and oh my goodness the prices people want!!! It's rediculous. Even for the 1st gen ones people think they should get what they paid for them or close to it. It's no biggie, we'll get around to getting one when we can. Oh, and we do have wifi. :)

RamonaQ ~ great ideas but I'm not crafty enough, lol! As for Ebay, we've looked at that option before but the things we have that we could get rid of there are just too many of the same. Dh has tried selling things on Craigslist and there's no interest. Slipper ~ I have several friends that have done that and again this area gets overloaded with those kinds of items for sale (you would be surprised the number of craft/bazaar sales in this area throughout the year) and ended up bringing home boxes of stuff. I have a friend who does some really gorgeous gourmet Christmas candies and she can never make a profit, she stopped trying and just gives it as gifts to friends and family (she loves to bake). I'm not saying that I wouldn't try something if I could, I just know to be realistic and it's not realistic to spend money to buy supplies for crafts and food items that won't sell and be out that money and then be even further away from the goal. Plus I have to come up with the money to buy supplies in the first place. We'll figure something out I'm sure. We'll probably just end up setting a little something away every month if we can. It's so tempting to get the chipin.com thing set up and sign up with this organization but I just can't stop feeling like it's wrong somehow.

Thanks for your input. There is an organization that helps with fundraising efforts for kids with special needs specifically to get an iPad and they are doing a phenomenal job but they have the requirement that you have to already have an existing fundraiser in progress (most of the families are using chipin.com or similar fundraiser sites). That's the sticking point for me, I just don't feel it's right. I'm being silly I'm sure, but I'm one of those people that always has the feeling that if I accept help it's taking it away from someone else who deserves it more. Kwim? As for doing something like making stuff and selling it or doing a yard sale or odd jobs, our area is overrun with people doing the same thing. The special needs baseball league the boys are in just did their big fundraiser last month and it bombed, they barely made enough to cover the costs of the event. The area is saturated with this cause and that cause, this fundraiser and that fundraiser. I don't know. I'm probably being silly but still. OhElizabeth ~ The small iPad is a neat idea. Our older son has vision issues and I'm not sure something that small would work for him. We have an older iPod Touch and the couple of apps that dh has put on there for ds has made it clear that smaller doesn't work well for him. His large, pudgy fingers don't help either. ;) We've looked at the refurb models but it's still out of our reach.

I have debated doing a fundraiser to get our kids an iPad. We feel it would be the most beneficial for our older son with down syndrome, both academically and developmentally. All 3 of our kids have a disability and it would benefit them a lot to have one, but the expense is WAAAAY out of our reach. I've applied for a couple of grants but it's been a couple months and no word, frankly I don't see it happening. I thought about pursuing getting one through health insurance, but I think that's a dead end. Back to doing a fundraiser. I would do it, but I feel bad about it. It just seems wrong for some reason. I know I'm probably being rediculous about it, but I just feel it's not right to ask family, friends and strangers to help pay for something that isn't necessary, kwim? In the economic times we live it, is it right to ask people to give us several hundred dollars for an electronic device? I don't know. I just feel torn.