Apparently, this is actually a sign of depression in dogs. We were sharing (traumatizing) dog stories with one of our good friends, who told us her vet (a very dependable person who really knows animals - he is also our vet) that dogs foam at the mouth when under stress. Who knew?! My "puppy" (one year old) shows this same sign when I drive her somewhere... I would assume your dog will get over her stress after a few weeks (perhaps months). Although our 10 y.o. didn't foam at the mouth when we first introduced the puppy to her, she was (highly) distraught. However, she did show many signs of depression, more recently, when she was living with some friends of ours for a couple of weeks (who ever said a dog will forget their owner when someone else gives 'em a hamburger is cracked really needs to give my family some advice on how to make that work with our 10 y.o.!!!) :)

Sending a :grouphug: and gentle thoughts your way and in :iagree:with Chris (Lisa, here. I didn't realize this wasn't my own log-in).

I was home schooled throughout my entire in-school career (up until now-graduation :001_smile:) My mom is a highly talented teacher, and loves to read, learn and experience life, so we had a lot of hands-on activities, growing up. We also did a ton of read-aloud books (okay, two and a half tons!! ;)). In fact, for several years, mom used the Beautiful Feet curriculum as our main-school-source guide... we read so much (out loud) then, focusing mainly on the reading comprehension and study... not a ton else :blush: (mom was preganant and dad worked/lived out of town 4 days a week...) But it was a blast! I enjoyed coloring all the cool pictures for our gigantic (unfinished) time line that "hung" onto the wall (more like clung, for dear life, as we had one toddler after another in the home, in that time of life:o) I, personally, thoroughly enjoyed being home-schooled. In high school, mom made sure there was a more formal setting, and that she was not the only adult I held myself accountable to. We were a part of many different co-ops, where other mom's (my friends' mom's) were the teachers, and I turned in papers, received grades, and took test from them. It was good. Mom doesn't enjoy teaching math or science (once she gets into high school stuff) so dad tutored my brother and I in math, the last two years of high school, and I took Apologia science mainly on my own. Chemistry I took with a home school co-op, which was probably good as there were lots of labs and I have an "official" lab book. Again, I loved being home schooled and wouldn't trade it for anything! (although it would have been nice to be in groups with more high school students...) Umm.... I don't have children yet... I'll get back with you on that one when that season of my life hits :D Umm.... again, I'm not an expert, but I really loved how both my parents really encouraged me to research and pursue the things that I was naturally inclined to spend more time doing (such as sketching, cooking, writing, nature and my camera). That's definitely something that I'll try my best to do when I have kids, and something that a lot of parents don't spend enough time doing. DEFINITELY don't drop high school math or science! I know several girls who found it too hard to get through algebra - even to the point of crying, it was "too hard" for student and mom. Ask dad to help, or grandpa, or Aunt Mabel three-times removed! I didn't finish Algebra two. Something I plan on taking in college. I finished Algebra one, only after my dad spent time with me every day to "tutor" me. It was definitely worth it! I actually was able to comprehend, and (somewhat) understand the problems the book was presenting (better yet, I could [eventually] figure the problem out and figure the correct answer!!). And also don't drop Science. This is another one that I have (miserably) failed (personally). I completed General, Physical and Chemistry, using Apologia, but only got half way through Biology - stinker! This was partially due to the fact that we flip-flopped Chem. and Biology, doing Chemistry before Biology - I don't recommend this, at all, ever. Sorry. There are just too many things one needs to understand about Bio. before moving on to Chem :blush: But like I said, I'm not an expert, and you know your children better than any body else. If they understand Chem. more than Biology, and that's a link for them, then by all means have 'em read Chemistry. What worked for me doesn't work for everybody... or most people... or half people... or... yeah...

Google "pageant tips," online. Also, Catching the Crown by Lu Parker is very helpful. Watching fashion models. Head held high, excellent posture, one foot directly in front of the other. This "pageant walk," is over killed in the Miss America/ Miss Universe You Tube movies, as the ladies appear to be stomping more than "gliding." The point is to create a gliding walk, much like the ladies of the French court during the time of Marie Antoinette. A good idea of a pageant walk will be portrayed through a simple and cheap (free) "game." Place a book on your child’s head (or your own) and have her walk around, while maintaining a gliding look. The key is to keep perfect posture, holding your head hi, and your shoulders parallel to your hips. It's easy, and fun (my little sister and I used to make a race out of it "who can keep the book on their head longer"). This also helps your practice the walk in the shoes you are planning on wearing. A friend of ours' daughter participated in a county fair pageant. She came back with the tips: posture, double-sided tape, assertiveness, stage presence. I agree with Plansrme: you tube/ Google it. I have found lots of helpful info on the web site. Sometimes, like Go Coed, Miss Teen America and Miss teen USA have forums for the participants where you can find good information!

Have you tried Ibuprofen? Had a head injury a few years back. Was recommended by the docs as I "will probably" have head aches for the rest of my life... but will probably get used to them "eventually" (still don't know what that word means...) :tongue_smilie:

The coffee creamer should be fine. You can tell it's bad when big clumps pour out along with the, ehem, "cream..." Which at this point is no longer cream but seemingly related more to sour-cottage-cheese :eek: GAG GAG GAG!!! Not a clue about the honey mustard...:confused:

Although I have not yet had the opportunity to have my own children to raise, I have watched my mom (Laughing Lioness) and some other moms teach their children. When my mom get's stuck with the question, "I don't understand what you are saying/ I don't understand the question," (or even when one of my siblings express this to me, or I to my parents) there is a rephrasing of the question. Instead of "why doesn't it belong," the question, I have seen, is rephrased to, "why do you think this object is different from the other objects? Is it's color/ shape/ size different?" I actually just did a list of brain-teasers with my sister, 7, who used that exact phrase to me this afternoon! When asked, "does a plane, cloud, or white not belong?" She answered, "plane..." When I asked her why, she stated that she didn't know. After some thinking, she said she didn't understand, and promptly got frustrated. It took a few minutes, but after asking her if that was her final answer, she said no, and told me it was "white" that was different. When I asked her why, again, she said, "I don't know! I don't understand! This is stupid..." Okay... rephrasing the question into "in what ways are a plane and cloud similar/ what do they have in common," she got that "light went on" look in her eyes.... Maybe rephrasing the question?! :confused:

We used to have a cast-iron Turkish espresso maker. It was fantastic! I absolutely loved it (as did every one else, especially older sister and I collaborated and made delectable beverages for guests ;)) Ours was just a basic heavy-metal, with a "plastic" lid and handle. It came apart into three different pieces (the espresso basket, the section for water, which the basket fits on top of, and the top of the Turkish coffee maker with screwed onto the bottom part. It worked very much like a vacuum, sucking up all the boiling water from the lower portion of the maker into the top. The result was a rich, thick, nutty tasting coffee. Our family found great delight in this little maker, however we also hold firm to the beliefe that "when the horse shoe stands up in the pot it's ready to go :lol: Good luck!

DD, 19 of Laughing Lioness Guinea Pigs were a family favorite when it was my older sister, younger brother and I (missing my, now, 7 and 10 y.o siblings). This happened to us, a few different times. We were told they were "all girls" the first time. The second time we knew two were males and one was female. If you don't want to spend the chunk 'a change on neutering, you just need to keep them away from each other 100% of the time. Never, never, never let them be together! Because we didn't know the female guinea pig was soon to become "Mommy guinea pig," we never took her to the vet. Rather, my mother was (not exactily happily) greated with quite, nurturing sqeaks from a new mother and her four piglets... It was a fun experience, but I believe it was unanymous that it would have been better for such experiences not be surprises. Just basic care. They're babies, and cute, and a lot o' fun. But high maintance (keeping the cage especialy clean, making sute mama is getting her vitamins, greens, minerals, protein, etc.) and also keeping an eye on any runts. Ours died, or more appropriatles, "dissapeared, one day. It was in the cage, relatively healthy, one day, and totally gone the next. Warning: when one of the mother guinea pigs babies dies, she will bury it in the bedding. It's a fun experience, and I would do it all over again (my mother does not agree ;) This could be a fun time to make a beautiful-feet type note-book/ binder with the kids. Do a study on guinea pigs in utero, maybe? :001_cool:Opportunities are nedless! Congratulations! :thumbup:

DD, 19 of Laughing Lioness Am totally praying for Taryn!! Sounds tough, and this souunds like a very trying time. She will be in my prayers! God's many rich blessings over her and the family.