I had four miscarriages, the last one being twins. I took progesterone with each subsequent pregnancy after the first miscarriage and still miscarried. On my last pregnancy, which resulted in a full-term happy and healthy baby boy, I did nothing at all. So, if progesterone isn't the cause of you miscarriages, it won't stop you from losing a pregnancy. Most miscarriages are caused by a chromosonal problem with the fetus that makes it incompatible with life. The remainder of miscarriages may be caused by hormonal, structural or health issues with the mother, but that is probably less than 5% of all miscarriages. Unfortunately, your doctor can't really tell what caused any one particular miscarriage unless you want to spend big bucks getting the fetal material tested. Even then....they can't always tell if the chromosomes were normal or not...or if the miscarriage was caused by malformed organs, etc. So, taking progesterone won't hurt you.....but be aware that is also may not help you either. Best of luck! Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

I'm right there with you!! :D Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

2005, I think. Memomune has been available since the '70s, but it didn't last very long, and revax was required. Menactra is supposed to be much longer lasting....at least through the period of the most vulnerability in a person's life...up to age 24. Of course, you can always get a booster after that if you want it. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

As a peds nurse I would tell you that this is one of the vaccines that is an absolute MUST for my own kids, no questions asked. Meningitis can kill you within 24 hours and by the time you're feeling very ill, it can be too late. I have personally seen children in the office with bacterial meningitis and only presenting with a temp of 99.5 and a mild headache at the time. It is a scary, scary illness and I jumped for joy when the Menactra vaccine was recommended for all kids. As far as side effects, I haven't ever seen any serious ones and hardly any mild ones either. My own kids said their tetanus shot hurt much worse. I would take them back and get the Menactra as soon as you can. This is truly a vaccine that saves lives. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

As long as I stay stuck to the planet....I don't care what they call it. Diane W. (who much to the dismay of her father with his PhD in organic chemistry, is a complete science loser. :lol:)

My dd likes the Aeri ones from American Eagle as well. She also likes Victoria's Secret. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

:iagree: It would have been absolutely no biggie to me. We've had pools, sand boxes and sand and water tables. The two eventually both merge into very wet sandboxes. I think this is a great science lesson for the kids and helps them to be creative. Wet sand is awesome! Dry sand is kind of.....boring. In fact, we used to put the hose in the sandbox to make rivers and allow them to sculpt it. And, sand is really, really cheap. You can get 100 pounds of the stuff for around $7.00. Just dump it in your garden (it helps the soil) and fill it up again. Which honestly, we did every month or so anyway, because it can get yucky. Grass, sticks, cats, whatever. I always wanted clean sand. As for the Webkinz....toss them in the washing machine. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Was the bat actually in contact with your child? Have you examined your child to see if you can find any kind of mark that looks like a bite? Is the bat still in your house and can it be quarantined and tested? In the peds practice I worked in we did do a rabies vax if there was a known exposure to bats (really, that's the only thing we did a rabies vax for). If your child was not in the same room at anytime with the bat, I wouldn't worry about it. There have been recorded incidents of children being bitten in their sleep and then later dying from rabies. Rare, but they've happened. The problem with rabies is the incubation period can extend up to a year after exposure. Most cases show up within three months, but you're not completely out of the woods until the one year mark. It is fatal in almost every case. The vaccinations are given in a series of three or four shots. The first shot is given, then the second one is given a 3 days after that. The third one is usually one week after the second shot and if a fourth dose is needed, they usually do it a week after the third shot. They will also probably give your child a dose of rabies immu-globulin. I've never heard of a serious reaction to a rabies vax. There are the common ones...redness, swelling, and soreness at the vax site and maybe headache or nausea. However, if you have a confirmed exposure to rabies...the shot is absolutely necessary. The alternative is death if the illness is contracted. Oh, and contrary to what most of us were told as kids....it is not given in your stomach. The first shot (the immuno-globulin) is given at the site of the bite and the other shots are given in the deltoid muscle. Kids can also get the shot in their thighs. Hope that helps. If your doctor blew you off and your mommy radar thinks you need the vax....push for it. It's not a big deal and it is 100% effective against contracting the disease. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Yes, because I love to bake. There is dessert every night, but if I make a cake on Monday, it's still usually around by Thursday, so not a new dessert every night. I will try and make a special dessert for Sunday dinner though. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Great to hear that he is doing better. And, I agree.....the motorcycle must go!! Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

We love Harvest Time, Secret Door and Snowstorm. There are a few others, too, made by Animal Town. Not sure if they're still in business anymore, but you could check. We love cooperative games here! Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Prayers for a complete and speedy recovery for your dh. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Six year olds cry all. the. time. It's a stage, he'll grow out of it. When my 3rd child was about to turn six, I braced myself for it....and he didn't disappoint. :glare: It is my least favorite age....after 3 1/2. Just hang in there...it's not you. :D Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Yep, cat wounds can be nasty. It is unlikely that the cat has rabies however. And in fact, you would know within five days, but as a precaution, the standard for quarantining an animal is 10 days. The only rabies vax we've ever done on kids in the peds practice I worked in was for exposure to bats. For cat wounds, we did tetanus shots, cleaned the wounds and gave antibiotics if the the injuries were on the face, hands or feet. She should be doing much better soon. As a side note, a possible infection from cat bites that probably wouldn't show up for awhile is cat-scratch fever (fever, swollen lymph nodes, loss of apetite, listlessness and headache....usually very mild in kids often with swollen lymph nodes being the only sign), which usually is spread by younger cats, kittens in particular. She may not show symptoms for 3 weeks or so, but if you notice swollen lymph nodes, check with your doc and remind him of the cat attack. It resolves on its own, although the lymph nodes will probably stay swollen for months and your ped may want to do a blood test to confirm that's what it is. NOT saying that your dd will get this by any means.....just giving you a heads up in case you notice symptoms like this a month from now.....they're more than likely from the cat scratches. Hope she feels better soon. Puncture wounds hurt! Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

A really good way to explain the whole thing to young children is to put a glove on your hand and show them how the glove can move and "play" and "jump" with your hand in it. Then take the glove off and leave it lying on the floor....clearly not moving. Then show the children how your hand (their spirit body) is still moving and playing and jumping....and happy....just like Ben will be in his spirit body. Then point out how the glove is lifeless without the spirit or soul (or whatever word you're comfortable with) inside of it. The only thing that made the body (the glove) alive was its spirit (your hand) and that the spirit is still alive and happy even without the body. This helped my kids to understand exactly what death meant and that the body feels no pain and can't be sad or lonely when the spirit is gone. I think that might be what your kids are concerned about....that Ben will be taken away from his family and he will be sad, scared or lonely. That's such a hard concept for children to grasp....that the body is not really the person inside of it. Prayers for Ben's family and all who love him. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Ped nurse, here. Whenever someone questioned whether or not their child might need stitches, we always had them come in and we would check....no charge. It's really hard to tell with a description of the wound over the phone and really....it's better to be safe than sorry. Dermabond works great on the right kind of wound...if not, they'll probably just give him a stitch or two to stop the bleeding and let it heal a little better. Just remember to keep it DRY!! Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Yes, all the time!! We also make sure to acknowledge things someone else has done for us with a "thank you". My husband always says, "Thanks for ironing my shirts" or "Thank you for making dinner, honey." I make sure to thank him for working so hard for us so I can stay home or even, like this morning, "Thanks for emptying the dishwasher." It's really important not to take those you love for granted in anyway. Besides, it's just common courtesy to say "I'm sorry" and "thank you". Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

:iagree: Not trying to sound cold either, but you need to allow your dh to spend one on one time with his son as well. It's amazing how resourceful dads are and how well they can take care of their children. Does my dh parent like I do? No, but my children only benefit from that. It's a good thing and I think it would be a wonderful opportunity for your ds to spend time away from you and in a bonding experience with dad. It's especially important for boys to have that time alone with their fathers. Kids need to feel independent and capable and if mom is ALWAYS there, that's not going to happen. Let them both enjoy the trip together! Stay home and :chillpill:. And, I truly do mean that in the nicest way possible. It's hard to let go sometimes, but as a mom with a ds who's now 19 (and living away from home for the next two years serving a church mission), I'm telling you from experience it is in the best interest of your son. Trust your dh! It'll be fine! Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

The last paragraph had me laughing out loud! :lol: And, it's so true!! That's for sharing this. I hadn't ever read this blog before but I will now. Good stuff! Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

As a Latter-day Saint, the only Bible we use is the King James version. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

:iagree: Me, too. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Don't lie down with my kiddos and never have. Brush teeth, say prayers, read a story, lights out. Looking at the age of your kids in your signature, I'd say they are plenty old enough to fall asleep on their own. Be firm, set boundaries and stick to them. Don't give in to the protests and make them stay in their rooms. The crying and whining won't last more than a couple of nights. The rule for my kids is "once you've been put in bed, you're not allowed to get out of it unless you're bleeding, vomiting or on fire." You will all sleep better and you NEED the alone time with your hubby. It's crucial to your marriage. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

That's wonderful! Prayers that it all goes smoothly for you. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

This is one of my favorite Waldorf sites. http://www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com/ I love her Waldorf stuff. I'm not so much into the other things on her site. Diane W. married 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

:iagree: Just ignore her. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years