ROTFLMHO....I love it! My dd did something similar once. She had a toy pony (one of those gosh awful Barbie things) whose name was "Nibbles". Only she couldn't say "Nibbles". She called it "Nipples". Smuggled it to church one week and announced loudly that she had her horse "Nipples" to play with during our Church nursery time. We were so proud. :glare: Diane W.

I absolutely LOVE my VitaMix! I no longer use my food processor unless I'm shredding veggies like zucchini. I use it all the time to "smush" fruit to make jam. We make smoothies, ice cream, peanut butter, salad dressing. It is awesome and I don't regret spending the big bucks to get it!! Neither will you. Diane W.

I had four miscarriages between my second and third pregnancies and for three of those I had a D&C. Two in office procedures with no anesthesia at all and one in the hospital (because I was pregnant with twins) with a local (my request, I don't like general and it takes less than 5 minutes to do a normal D&C...don't know about a molar removal though...there is more involved with that). Anyway, D&C recovery is minimal. There may be a little bleeding like a period, but mine was much lighter. I felt completely fine afterwards. Even drove myself home from the second one, because my husband was on a business trip. No problems whatsoever. Hope it all goes well for you. Diane W.

One of my favorite cookbooks for kids' lunches is "Lunch Boxes and Snacks" by Annabel Karmel. We make (and love) lots of things from it. Especially her pasta salads (which include lots of veggies)....which we eat quite a bit for lunch around here. Here's a link to it on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Lunch-Boxes-Snacks-delicious-sandwiches/dp/1416548920/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271958030&sr=8-1 Diane W.

You wouldn't be able to walk if you did. My daughter's ballet teacher tore his once and he said it felt like a window shade rolling up the inside of his calf....then excruciating pain. I hope yours feels better soon. My dancing daughter had achilles tendonitis for awhile and it's not fun! Diane

Take her in for a check-up and be sure to describe everything thoroughly to the pediatrician. You might want to get her blood sugar checked, too....just as a precaution. Diane

My dd (17) is in an intensive pre-professional ballet program and has seen a PT more times than we can count. They are an invaluable help for dancers and our PT was a former ballerina herself. My daughter also has to get a monthly massage (from a massage therapist) as an injury prevention therapy. All the dancers in the program do this and the PT is one who works with the professional ballet company in our city. I highly recommend it! Diane

One of my favorite websites for easy dinner recipes (plus it will generate your shopping list) www.simplifysupper.com The recipes are yummy, easy and best of all...it's free!! Diane W. married 22 years, homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

If he's had a fever for more than 72 hours without it trending downward, then YES, take him to the doctor. It could be viral, but it could also be bacterial. I wouldn't wait. And, if you had called our pediatrician when I worked as a nurse, I would have told you to bring him in. Hope he feels better soon. Diane W.

He may have a sinus infection. Sometimes the symptoms can be very subtle (ie. no huge fever, etc.). I would have his doc take a look at him to rule it out. If untreated, sinus infections can develop nasty complications. Diane W.

If your husband has a recessive light eye color gene and light colored eyes and this child's bio mother also had light eyes (ie. NOT brown)...there is no way the child could have brown eyes as brown is dominant. If the child's biological father had brown eyes, then yes...the child could very definitely have brown, but NOT with bio parents who BOTH have light colored eyes. As far as grandparents go...they could both have had brown eyes, but each carried a recessive blue eyed (green, hazel, whatever) gene and gave birth to a child with light eyes, but not the other way around. That light eyed offspring could not have had a child with brown eyes, as he did not inherit ANY brown eyed genes.....or he would have had brown eyes himself. Hope that wasn't as confusing as I think I just made it. :001_huh: Diane former peds nurse and now homeschooling mom

Hmmm, dextro can have some odd side effects, but usually only if it's combined with pseudoephedrine. But if the dextro did give a weird reaction, your son would probably be freaking out and hallucinating more generally (ie...I saw kids in our peds office saying they saw bugs crawlings everywhere, stuff like that). Also, once the drug is out of his system...the odd behavior should stop. If it is continuing past 24 - 48 hours....I'd look to something else as the reason. If you're still concerned, I'd make an appointment with your doctor. Diane (former peds nurse) married for 22 years homeschooling three great kiddos for 16 years

That should not be a side effect of Mucinex. It's a pretty mild medication. Is your child taking anything else besides that? Diane

Yes, as a former nurse in a peds office, we saw appendicitis fairly frequently. The pain often comes and goes. In young children, it doesn't always present in the lower right quadrant either. You can have a fever....or not. Your child can vomit...or not. One of the biggest signs the doctor used was if the child wants to eat or not. Kids with appendicitis DON'T want to eat (as a general rule). Kids with the stomach flu often say they're hungry, but won't eat because they're afraid they'll throw up. Another sign to look for is rebound pain. If you press gently on the sore area, does it hurt MORE when you release the pressure? That happens with appendicitis. If your child has abdominal pain for more than six hours with NO other symptoms and it is severe (crying, doubling over in pain is VERY common with appendicitis...your child won't stand up straight and has trouble walking), then go to your doctor and have him check. Don't be surprised if he's not certain either. It can be tricky to diagnose....even with diagnostic tests. Often surgery is performed and the docs find a perfectly normal appendix (which they usually go ahead and remove). But, when in doubt...call the doc. Hope your little one is feeling better very soon!! Diane Married for 22 years Homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years.

Yep, you will enjoy whatever you choose to do. We are a very family friendly city. I am an intrepreter at "This is the Place" and it is open for walking through, but not staffed until Memorial Day weekend. I do recommend the Hogle Zoo right across the street. Gateway will be a blast for your family. You will love the children's museum and be sure to get some frozen yogurt at "Juicy Berry". Kids LOVE to play in the big fountains there, so if it's warm....bring a change of clothes, because they'll get wet. The Clark Planetarium is also located there and all the exhibits are FREE (the only charge is for an IMAX movie or a presentation inside the dome theatre...but they are worth it). Definitely go to Temple Square and all the sites around it (don't mind the construction, it is still completely accessible). You will learn much about the history of the city and of the LDS faith. And, the Visitor's Centers are fun and interactive. The state capitol is a short jog up the hill and is open to the public as well. Thanksgiving Point in Lehi is worth the drive. There is an IMAX theatre there and the largest dinosaur museum west of the Mississippi river. The gardens will also be in bloom and you might be there in time for the Tulip Festival. There is also a farm and a petting zoo. Lots of fun for kiddos. Plus, fabulous shopping for you. We also have an aquarium in Sandy, which is a lot of fun and a Natural History Museum at the University of Utah. If you want to drive into the mountains, Park City is a fun day trip. If you're down south in the Provo area....Robert Redford's Sundance Resort is a short trip up the canyon and the Tree Room is a yummy restaurant. And, often you can see Robert Redford hanging out. We have almost every time we've been there. If you need more specific suggestions or information, ask away!!! We are so proud of our wonderful city here and we LOVE tourists!! Diane W.

Andy Griffith (I'm secretly in love with Sheriff Taylor :D) Leave it to Beaver I Love Lucy Donna Reed Father Knows Best Bewitched Diane married 22 years homeschooling for 16 years

Wow!! Maybe your husband should ask her where she got her hotel reservations, since you were very clear about telling her that you cannot have her at your home. Be firm and just keep repeating that. If you were planning to be out of town at that time...go. If you weren't......:D. Diane married 22 years homeschooling for 16 years to 3 great kiddos

BCPs will make you photo-sensitive. I actually get an itchy rash from mine every spring if I over-do the sun exposure. It will stop as your skin acclimates to the sun. Just be sure and wear sunscreen the first few times you are spending lots of time outdoors in direct sunlight. Cortaid should take care of the rash. Diane (former ped nurse and homeschooling mom for 16 years)

Former peds nurse, here. It sounds like it could be Fifth's disease to me. Very common childhood virus. Nothing to worry about...the rash will fade with time. If you have not had it, however, you can get arthritic type pain that travels from joint to joint and can last for awhile. I thought I'd sprained my ankles when I got it. LOL Here's a link to Fifth's. Without seeing the rash, it's hard to know exactly, but your symptoms sound fairly typical and they can vary from child to child. One of my children did not have the red cheeks, and one of them didn't really have a lacy like rash pattern, but in the end....it was all Fifth's. The rash will return in the sun or even if your child takes a hot shower for several months. Again, absolutely nothing to worry about. http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/fifth.html Diane

I second Hanna Andersson! Love their stuff and it wears like iron. Also, try American Eagle, Aeropostale and Hollister in the malls. She'll be fashionable, but their yoga pants/sweat pants are soft and comfy. Diane

I think Sam's Club/Walmart has changed their dishwasher soap formula. I had to quit using the Walmart brand because of this same problem. As soon as we switched to Cascade.....problem over. Diane

I would start with your state legislature if you're serious. Find a legislator who is willing to sponsor a bill and draft it. We live in Utah and our state law says that homeschoolers are allowed to play sports and participate in any other extra-curricular activities public school kids do. There is no requirement that we enroll in the school or that we "prove" that our kids have passing grades. My daughter was just accepted on our local high school's drill team. Thirteen other public school girls were turned down. No problem whatsoever. And, our homeschooling laws are fabulous in Utah. Just send in a letter of intent every year. That's it. It sounds like you might need to work on changing your state laws. Diane

I love, love, LOVE the "Brazil Butt Lift" program from Beach Body. FUN workout, lots of energy, and it REALLY does hit those trouble spots. Diane :)

Former ped nurse, here. What you are describing sounds like a "night terror". Very, very common in young children and not at all related to any previous febrile convulsions. They tend to happen within a few hours after your child has gone to bed. They are not awake and they may in fact tell you they are seeing things (my youngest used to see bugs crawling on the walls) and appear to look right through you. Simply reassure your child that everything is fine and gently try to get them to lay down and go back to sleep. They will eventually (within 5-30 minutes)fall into a deep sleep and should be fine for the rest of the night. Kids will outgrow this by adolescence...usually much sooner. Diane

Nurse, here. I'd go to the doc and have him check it out. He'll check the your blood oxygen levels and listen to your heart. He'll also check your breathing. One thing it might be is your thyroid. Have you had that checked lately? The symptoms can be subtle, but feeling cold when everyone else is warm is one of them. He probably do a basic blood panel. Diane