Your vet can help! Ask if you can bring the cats in and have them teach you how to administer the medicine! Cats are tricky, but there are lots of options. The vet technician/nurse/assistant will administer the meds, while teaching you how to do it. Our vet hospital will do this for free (assuming you're administering medication we've prescribed and your pet is up-to-date on exams, which presumably they are since otherwise most vets won't sell you the medicine in the first place). Many cats won't take medicine that is in food. There are "pill plungers" that are sort of like a syringe with a soft, safe rubbery tip, that allow you to stick the pill back in their mouth/throat.

FWIW, our accountant loves the online version of QB.

There are so many profound things that would be completely unsafe and unwise to share in that setting! What about the kid who has been victimized by an abusive parent? And still LIVE WITH that parent? And the ones who have been raped? Or whose parent or sibling is in jail? Those sorts of things are not wise to share widely. I would talk to the teacher and a guidance counselor at the school, to start with. If that didn't solve the problem, I'd escalate to the principal. Even though YOUR child has "normal" grief issues, plenty of kids have deep, private grief that is dangerous and/or damaging to share in that setting.

FWIW, the principle of rejecting sickness as a valid reason to miss things is now built in to the school system. At our local high schools, if the student misses school for nearly ANY reason, more than 4 times per year, they are required to take final exams for their courses -- whereas all students with acceptable low absenteeism get to skip them. (Don't get me started on the bad idea of not teaching excellent high school students how to study for annual exams!) Anyway, I was shocked to learn that sickness, even with a doctor's note, is not a valid excuse (for this purpose). They will excuse absences only for immediate family death, student hospitalization (in patient), or an approved school activity. What are they teaching these kids!?

(((hugs))) 11 years is long enough. Can you strategize on how and when to move home? Do consider your children, though. If they feel at home where you are, then leaving isn't as easy an option. When your kids are off to college, that might be a good time to move . . .

I've got lots of tile in my bathrooms, and it's fine. You know why? Because I chose dark grout. :) I think white subway tiles could be OK as long as you went with a dark grey grout. But, besides the grout, white subways will show water spots, dirt, etc, really well. So, personally, I wouldn't do them in a regularly used shower. :) Personally, I like bigger tiles and ones with "something going on" to hide daily grunge. There are lots of good options. I hate plastic/acrylic/etc showers. Personally.

I don't think it's offensive, but I don't personally like it. :) I think that if they used Save the Date cards, they could/should have included a comment about "adults only" on that card. Otherwise, I do agree that it'd have been thoughtful to have had the various parents/etc mention it to relatives with kids as far in advance as possible. Planning a trip for adults only is entirely different than bringing the kids . . . so I'd think that info should go on the Save the Date card one way or another if at all possible. All that said, I think it's fine if people want an adults only event. Some affairs are not suitable for kids. I also personally think that any babe-in-arms should be permitted to any event unless it is dangerous (sky diving, lol) *if* you want to make welcome nursing mothers. When I host adult events, we *always* explicitly allowed babes in arms to adult events. The purpose (for me) of having adult events is to allow parents to speak freely/dance/relax, not worry about kids getting into dangerous bonfires, etc. So, for my purposes, it has always worked fine to permit babes in arms. If I were hosting an adults-only wedding, I'd permit babes in arms (unless we were skydiving or similar, lol), and I'd also include the adults-only aspect as soon as possible via Save the Date or an intentional rumor mill.

Ditto. The mean spiritedness of your initial post was startling. Of course, sometimes homeschooling is a bad idea. Then again, many parents who screw up homeschooling would screw up equally well with kids in traditional schooling. However, nearly all other times, there are *plenty* of bystanders who don't approve, think the mom will fail, etc. I am pretty sure that nearly all of my inlaws thought my homeschooling was a terrible idea. Even my own family members who loved me had lots of disapproval and concerns for the first many years. I'm pretty sure that nearly all (maybe all) of the haters have since come to realize that I knew what I was doing and didn't ruin my family by homeschooling. The strong family relationships, the delightful, kind, strong, brilliant, independent young people . . . the academic and personal successes. The National Merit thing . . . I think I've proved them all wrong. I hope your cousin proves you wrong. And I expect you've proved plenty of people wrong yourself. Meanwhile, I'd just encourage you to be kind. If you hate this woman, you probably shouldn't have her in your life. If you don't hate her, then be kind.

My suggestions . . . + Stash as many meals as you can in the freezer! Having things that are easy and tasty are key. + Let go of official schooling for a few months + Enforce a quiet/nap time daily for 2 hours or so. During this time, be sure you get some rest. + Let go of housekeeping standards. Sanitary and livable are all you need for a few months. You won't get this time back, but the housekeeping will always be there! + Let go of official out-of-the-house commitments for a few months to the greatest degree possible. + Take any/all friends up on offers of playdates at their house/etc so your preschooler gets some fun times while you are resting at home. + Accept any/all offers of help, meals, rides for your preschooler, etc. Just say YES PLEASE THANK YOU and let people help out. + Stock up on some new fun play-it-by-myself toys/games/crafts/videos/etc for your preschooler. + Celebrate milestones! We enjoyed the "Birthday Cake" celebration after the baby's birth (a day or two late is fine). . . Your preschooler will enjoy this, and it's fun! Since you'll be in the hospital for a few days, maybe do a "Welcome Home" party cake (with hats and balloons -- prepare ahead -- you can get an icecream cake and have it waiting in your freezer. . .)

Since you've already started preschool and she loves it and you like it, I'd stick with it for the year. Add the gymnastics only if you have time and money for it. Otherwise, tell her she CAN do both . . . because she'll do preschool for 8 more months, and then you'll sign her up for gymnastics once preschool is over Having BTDT and seeing lots of friends with young kids now so overloaded with kid activities, I can say that as I grew more experienced, I got more selective about outside activities . . . even if the $$ isn't an issue, the time suck is a PITA and makes it so you have less family time, less free play time, less stare at the stars time . . . Those things are precious, too.

Agreed! Our house is at the end of a long road, with literally no traffic, so a sign would be wasted in our yard, and we avoid posting political anything on our commercial property, so we don't have places to put up signs . . . so we never do signs personally . . . But I've definitely noticed that there are very few signs up in our area this election cycle.

I love this! Adorable!

If you like the idea of having the baby in the room and/or co-sleeping, have you looked at the side-of-the-bed side-car type co-sleeper things?

Notes: I suggest replacing the miniblinds with a roller-type pull down blind. Much safer and less dust/mess, too. Much less likely to get grabbed/wrecked by a toddler. Super cheap, too. :) You can put cute curtain(s) on the side(s) of the bottom bunk, making it into a cool hideout for your little boy. Adds privacy, too. And is cute. For my kids, one of the best things I did with the bunks was to install wall mounted lamps for each bunk. I got some from IKEA (cheap!) that had a grate across it, to prevent any hot bulb from getting in contact with anything flammable or skin. Also, I used CFL bulbs because they don't get hot! Now, you can get LED bulbs that are even better and also do not get hot. Those little lamps were like $10 or so at IKEA. SO worth it -- made the bunks independent little living spaces and allowed one kid to read without the huge hassle of climbing up/down the ladder and also much less disturbing to the other kid(s). You can also put in little book rack (sort of slanted shelf thing) by each bunk for the kid to stash their reading materials. If it's possible to get bunk beds that have some sort of shelving built in to the head board of foot board, that would be AWESOME because that was one real lack of the bunk beds -- somewhere to stash a cup of water, an iPod, a stack of books . . . You might be able to find some creative way to do that, and if you can, I'd do that for sure. If you added some sort of privacy curtain to each bunk, then the big kids could read in there (or color or whatever) and it would be much less disturbing to the baby.

In our home, the big kids' bedroom was NOT a safe place for the baby/toddler anyway, as that was the place the big kids could keep their dangerous legos, not-baby-safe toys and books, etc. If your baby/toddler will share the room, then I agree that the safety of the top bunk/ladder will be an issue. For us, since the first time the baby climbed the slanted ladder she obviously was a master of climbing, we never really worried about it. It scared me, but the baby wasn't supposed to be in the big kids' room unsupervised anyway . . .

Sam's Club has often had nice, sturdy, well priced bunks. My kids used one from Sam's for years. I think the main thing is to get a relatively new set that meets current safety standards, which are much more stringent than the old-days. My husband (or maybe it was one of his brothers) fell out of his top bunk as a kid, landing on his brother below, and breaking an arm in the fall. He fell between the wall and the bed, as I guess there wasn't a safety rail on the wall-side! The modern manufacture ones we had did have a full safety rail on one side and a nearly-full one on the other side (only on the top bunk). I agree with a low profile mattress. This isn't the time to get a super thick fluffy mattress. FWIW, I don't think it is common to fall over those top guard rails sleeping. It mostly happens in rough housing . . . So, I'd enforce a no-active-play-on-the-top-bunk rule. That'll help them last longer, too. (Our bunks had wooden slats for supporting the mattresses . . . Over the many years, several slats were broken, clearly from a kid jumping on the bed, as they wouldn't break otherwise . . .) We had two kids in bunks for at least 8-10 years total. Maybe longer. I don't think we ever had a sleeping child fall out of the top bunk. I don't think we ever had any significant injuries from the bunks. FYI, the scariest moment we had with our bunks was when our baby was 10 months old . . . Dh was helping the 5 & 7 year olds (who shared the bunks) brush their teeth, and the 10 month old (newly walking, but already walking well, VERY physical kid) was toddling around the hall area between the bathroom and the kids' bedrooms. Dh glanced up and saw her, about 15 feet away from him, already half-way up the bunk bed ladder!! Of course, as a 10 month old, she'd never even been placed on or near a ladder previously! His expression of surprise and shock amused baby girl, and she scampered all the way up the rest of the ladder in the seconds it took him to get there from the sink! Stinker!! She was a-ok and no harm came, but it was a scare!! So, anyway, that's the most dangerous moment we had with the bunks. So, watch your baby as much as you watch your bigger kids! That ladder was oh-so-tempting!

Wow, sounds rough! I'd imagine that more air purifiers (or a more powerful one) could help. And damp mopping/dusting instead of vacuuming/brooming that could stir up the dust. They have various varieties of A/C filters, too, so maybe look to see for a better one?

I'd do the waffles, and I'd add whip cream and a bunch of mini chocolate chips -- to make chocolate chip waffles for the kids (and grown ups like me). Slather those waffles with some whipped cream and sprinkle on some mini chocolate chips (better have this manned by a volunteer and not self-served!), and you've got divine food, lol. If your budget allows for fruit, then I'd add a big fruit salad, too. That really rounds things out and would be super tasty. If you really want to do eggs, I'd figure out some sort of egg casserole things that could be done in slow cookers. I'm sure such a thing exists. I do oven egg casseroles that are really good. If you could get someone to donate eggs, then for sure do this. If not, then it's a cost/benefit thing and would depend on your budget. Definitely ask Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Panera, etc for coffee and/or pastry donations. Those sorts of places can be very generous, and having anything donated will improve your bottom line. Likewise, ask your local markets for paper goods, etc.

I wouldn't sweat it. You can only have a battle of wills if you both battle. :) So, stop fighting. Let him eat, keep fixing stuff for him, etc. If you fight this, it'll probably get worse. I've fought a battle of the wills with my teen son, and I didn't win, lol. Everyone loses. He's got more energy than you do, and more drive to self-determine than you do to control (trust me on that, unless you are a monster, which I am sure you are not). So, he'll win, and you'll all lose. Let it go. IMHO. When/if he does do any cooking, be SURE not to criticize. Let it be. Thank him for his help, and move on. If you feel like he is being lazy, then simply assign him a housekeeping task to do in lieu of helping out in the kitchen. I.e., "Hey, I'm making dinner. You need to help me out with some chores. Do you want to chop the veggies for me or do you want to clean the bathroom instead?" Offer an alternate task that is helpful but not something he detests. If he hates cleaning the bathroom, too, then ask him to fold a couple baskets of laundry or remake the guest bed or run the vacuum or whatever. It should be helpful to you/the family, but it doesn't need to be (and should not be) punitive. Obviously, if he refuses to HELP in the household, then that is a behavior/discipline issue. You've got enough kids that I am guessing you can figure out how to handle that on your own, lol.

IME, I had a dog that got face sores a few times. The key for her was to wash it thoroughly with the special (chlorhexadine) wash the vet provided. (Honestly, soap and water might work as well). You had to wash it 2x/day. They RX'ed an antibiotic ointment of some sort, that helped a little, but THE KEY was the washing. It was some sort of bacterial skin infection, to my best understanding. As we all understand, washing the area frequently and properly would help (and did solve) a bacterial skin infection. Antibiotics can only do so much if you are constantly exposing open sores on wet skin (muzzle) to bacteria . . . You gotta' wash it! (After this happening two or three times, I figured out the washing is key thing, and never again needed vet treatment . . . as I'd just start washing it when the first sores came up, and then it'd be all good. FWIW, I prefer the "sudsing" type of wound wash with chlorhexidine for these sorts of things. You want to actually wash/suds/rinse the area, not just squirt on some typical human "wound wash" that is just a squirt and done thing. The washing part is the key to cleaning, IME. That was decades ago, before dh was a vet . . . Now that he's a vet, I know that plastic bowls can be a problem. I'd get rid of any plastic water or food bowls and replace them with stainless steel. And, wash them well every other day or so as long as she's got the blisters/sores. Once she's all fine, then still wash weekly or so for general maintenance. Those things are easy to do, cheap, safe, and won't hurt the dog. So, I'd start that right now. Wash and dry the area 2x/day with a chlorhex wound wash that your vet will gladly sell you (and until you can get it, use a good soap and water . . . baby wash or any liquid body wash should be fine -- just do rinse well with whatever you use.) If you've got the antibiotic ointment from the vet, then apply it after the washing. But, IME, the washing was the key. You might not even need the antibiotic. Also, IME, my dog was reacting to "Dog Chow" by Purina. Once I made a permanent switch to a higher quality food (Eukanuba back in the day when it was a great food, now Science Diet), we never had the problem again. Could have been coincidence, but I don't think so. (She'd have the problems when I was traveling with her and would pick up a random bag at the grocery . . . ) Anyway, if you are using a cheap food, I'd try to switch to a high quality food and see if that prevents future problems (as well as being better for the dog's overall health).

For any kid under 16, I'd STRONGLY recommend sticking with a desk top -- and keeping it in a public area of the house, never a bedroom. For security and privacy reasons. STRONGLY recommended. So, if I were you, I'd pass down your desktop to the kid and get a laptop for yourself. Unless you don't want a laptop (love mine! using it in bed right now!), in which case, just get another desk top.

You need to get Comfortis. It will end your problem.

I think it's unethical, period, and you should not have to pay. I would write them a short letter to that point, and I would call your insurance carrier and report the situation, to discourage the insurance from paying either. So, IMHO, if you have time and inclination, you should fight this. Alternatively, life is short, you need to protect your credit, so it's not unreasonable to go ahead and pay it just for that. You don't owe it to the universe to right this wrong, but you are totally right, and they are totally wrong.

LOL. This makes great sense. :) Others have given great advice specific to ASD, and I don't know much of anything about that, so I'll stick to the basics. ;) Unless there is some financial reason he needs to go to college right away, then I think not pushing is definitely better for any kid. My )eldest two so far) kiddos have each had very strong financial incentives to go to college immediately after graduating high school because they are eligible for some very specific (HUGE) scholarships that require enrollment immediately after graduation from high school. I have mixed feelings about that incentive, because I do believe that for many kids, a gap year -- just working or doing other constructive things to "find themselves" and more over find some motivation . . . can be very beneficial. So, unless there are similar huge financial or other reasons why he must go to college right after graduation, your son's situation seems perfect for an unstructured gap year. Just make it clear to him, starting at least 2 years ahead of time, that upon high school graduation, he's an adult, and he's responsible for his bills, etc. Between now and then, ease him towards seeing the real costs of his activities/gas/driving/etc. For instance, this summer, we transitioned our two drivers from the "mom and dad keep the tank full no matter how much you drive" to "mom and dad give you $x/wk +/- $y/per task we assign. . . and you, teen driver, are responsible for keeping your tank full." This helped my teens begin to understand the costs of deciding to drive an extra 30 miles a day because they just feel like a Walmart run to get chocolate chips, etc. Of course, they don't understand the full costs yet since we provide insurance/vehicle/maintenance, but it's a start, and it definitely helped reduce their urge to driver everywhere all day long, lol. Similarly, my mom gave my brother and I large allowances beginning in early teen years. These covered our social lives, our clothes, hair/makeup/shoes, etc. I had an expensive hobby -- had a horse -- and Mom gave me a separate monthly allowance to cover that, too. I even wrote the monthly board checks, etc. Those sorts of habits can really help them learn to manage their money and begin to see it as "their expenses" and not just stuff that magically appears. Our college girl had a very loose budget first year, as she was adjusting to college and living in dorms with a meal plan . . . This year, I moved her to a more formal and much larger budget that covers pretty much everything. So, if she is frugal on gas or on shopping, then she has more flexibility to spend more on a road trip, etc. In your shoes, I'd move towards that a year or so ahead of graduation. Give him $x/mo to cover his hobbies, clothes, shoes, etc . . . And he will understand that upon graduation, he has to come up with that $x to keep doing all that stuff. I'd envision him graduating and getting some crappy day job to support himself while teaching karate. That might go in the direction he hopes, or it might motivate him to get some other education or training to be able to better afford the life he's been used to. I'd definitely insist he work some summers between now and then. In my family growing up, we were pretty spoiled during the school year with those cushy allowances, but all $ stopped during summers. I worked FT every summer starting when I was 14; so did my brother. Not every community has easy jobs available for young teens, but most places you can scrounge up something if you are determined, certainly by age 16. Those working experiences might help him realize, on his own, that $8/hr doesn't go very far, and that he'd really rather get some training or education to earn more. Alternatives, such as vocational training (electrician/plumber/mechanic/etc) could be a faster track to a decent living wage to support himself. You might want to start exploring those options. In 1-2 years doing something like that, he could likely get a decent job.

Instead of locking her in, you can get bed alarms and door alarms that will simply wake FIL and/or alert him if he's not in the same room. Bed alarms include bed-side floor mats that will activate the alarms. Door alarms can be set with a numeric code, so easy to use for FIL, but presumably MIL won't know the code and/or won't be able to figure out how to work it. Alarms make it easier to keep track of the person with dementia, without the risks (or legalities) of locking her in. Google for bed alarms, door alarms, dementia home products, etc, and you will find many options.