Where were you three hours ago? ;) I think you may be on to something with the teething. This is what I have suspected. She has been working on those molars for a while. I really should be more understanding- it hurts me just to look in her mouth. Still....she has been soooooo needy. I've been out and about the past couple of days, but today we were home all day and she was a real challenge. I hadn't thought of the backpack, I bet that would work. She has been out of sorts for a few days, so if she goes through this again tomorrow I'll be prepared. :001_smile: Thanks again. Jo

Can you imagine the future of this program coupled with nationalized health care? What happens when the health care money runs low-because IT ALWAYS DOES. Terrifying. I have some calls to make and letters to write tomorrow. I can't believe this is the first I'm hearing about this monstrous policy. :cursing: :angry: :mad: :banghead:

that you honestly didn't know what to do with them? My 16mo is so ornery, needy, unpleasable I honestly have considered plopping her in her playpen and letting her cry. I have pretty much held her or sat with her all day. Now she is pulling on my legs while I'm trying to get dinner on. It's only 5:30 here and she *did* take a pretty sizable nap this afternoon. She isn't hungry, thirsty, poopy, or any of the regular issues. Normally I would plop a child like this in the bath and sit down with a book while she prunes her fingers and toes. Unfortunately I don't have a bath in this house (only a shower). I think she might be teething. She doesn't have a fever or any other signs of illness. I'm done. She's normally my easy one. I can't lose her to the dark side....:tongue_smilie: Help me with some ideas. I'm just too mentally exhausted to think of anything.

We love you too. [Pat, pat, pat] The Jackie D seems to be working juuuuuust fine. ;)

I was getting ready to do some of this research. Thanks for asking. I am looking at making my hurricane preparedness kit. Being on an island requires a bit longer of a self-sustaining period. My beginning list includes many of yours Plaid (may I call you Plaid?;)). I also have canned fruits (mandarin oranges and applesauce) on there. Question: what oil is best to store for longer periods of time? I see it on a lot of lists, but I worry about rancidity. Jo

wow. Even Hawaii wasn't near $4 yesterday. I haven't been out today. Could it have spiked 20 cents overnight? jo

Thanks everyone! It turned out perfectly. That is the way to go. :001_smile::001_smile: Jo

Google has failed to give me a clear consensus. Take bacon..... foil? preheat versus cold oven? I can manage this on my own, but I figure you all can save me some time. Thanks. Jo

Do you know if they are doing uterine fluid flushing? I'm assuming they are trying to delay labor as long as possible, right? This is very different then what would happen if their water broke nearer to term. In that scenario they would induce labor at some point if it doesn't begin naturally. With premature ruptures they will most likely administer as many steroid shots as they can to mature the lungs of the baby before infection has a chance to set in or labor begins.

My assumption is that they are monitoring her temps closely and have administered antibiotics as a precaution. There are a lot of variables to this scenario. This *can* go on for weeks. Jo

About the hotel room thing. Here is how we chose lodging: 1. Look for a military base with a lodge 2. Look for a suite (Embassy, Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn and Suite, etc.) 3. Boldly violate the rule because it's arbitrary and unsafe- justifying that the whole reason the max. capacity exists is for fire safety and our family is a whole lot safer in the same room. If option 3 must be exercised then we sneak in through side doors. It's sad, but true. Jo

:cursing: :banghead: :banghead: :cursing: That is how I feel after reading your post. How is it possible that there isn't enough money for copy paper? How? Really? And football stadiums.... :banghead: Wouldn't it be nice to somehow link funding for sports facilities to the cumulative GPA of all the atheletes? Please don't ever quit. Mad is good in this situation. If you weren't mad at what you are seeing then you would only add to the problem. Jo

One of the wives of a sailor on my dh's boat is stationed in Afghanistan. I have never met her, but I will in 5 or 6 months. I thought it would be nice for the other wives to put together a care package. I have looked at a few lists but I'm not sending toiletries. It's just a little weird. What are some fun and useful things you can think of? Thanks for your input. I'm making a list to present to the other wives. Jo

I can't believe you knew it was Dances With Wolves! Our tour is only 2 yrs, but we'll try to extend- we've already completed a quarter of the tour and we're not even in housing yet!!!:glare: My dh did in fact get home, my youngest is fussy, and I need to go eat my well balanced meal. Closing down shop. Sweet dreams. Jo

Hoorah! I'll have to show this one to dh....if he ever gets home. It's not really that late, it just feels late. He's acting CO today, so perhaps he's had a few things to do :001_huh:. But still!! "Why don't he write [or call]?" - name that movie. How long is your tour here?

Stimulus Check: good topic Today, while watching a friend's child, I watched part of the BBC Planet Earth movie on Blue Ray, large screen, surround sound. :thumbup1::thumbup1: We are really tech-lite in our house. Not for lack of wanting on my dh's part- we just can't justify the $$$$$. He likes to *feel* what he is watching. I only think it is going to wake the children.:glare: Now I'm having serious pangs of covetousness. But since the stimulus check is coming......

Okay, you said that much nicer. Our policies are the same. Jo

Aloha neighbor!

It's only 7pm here in Hawaii. I'm avoiding the child bedtime routine hoping dh will be home soon and joyfully take this chore (I mean routine) out of my hands. I only picked off my children's plates of bowtie pasta for dinner and I had a beer- pretend I'm in Europe so you won't be shocked. :D I promise I'll eat a well rounded prenatally balanced meal when dh gets home. Jo

The question becomes would you tell her? Are you willing to set that boundary and say, "no thank you, I just can't share undergarments" or are you going to receive them and covertly trash them? That is my question. Jo

My upcoming seventh grader will have absolutely no say in his curriculum. He is always free to suggest something that he is interested in, but he understands that the final decision falls to dh and myself. Jo

Thanks. Three options is almost TOO much! ;) I really do appreciate your advice. Jo

separately to the family that is stuck with this barely-a-meal meal? I'm making the simplest pasta salad on the planet for a friend who comes home from the hospital tomorrow. You know the bow-tie, tomato, shred parm, italian dressing type? Yeah. That's as much as I can muster. I usually grill chicken when I put it on a salad, but I don't have a gas grill and I hate charcoal grilling (I leave that mess to my dh). How exactly should I prepare the chicken? Don't laugh at me, I'm not a great cook. Secondly, do I add the chicken tonight? I'm taking the salad to them in the morning but it will be for tomorrow's dinner. I stink at this sort of thing, really- and I'm tired, and cranky (because my kids are tired and cranky), and I'm prenatally hormone surging... Help me.:001_smile: Thanks. Jo

Congrats Sue! He was right on time! Jo

Yay Jami! Congrats. I probably missed your announcement while I was taking one of my many naps. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ I hope your nausea is fleeting. Jo