Everyone is so different. I'd go with however you talked him into the other kids. :) ;)

Yes! UTI can do exactly this. It was always the first thing I had checked for when Mom had a bad episode. . .

Strangely enough, the same thing happened with my mom. She'd had the full workups, imaging, etc early on in her disease. It wasn't until this past March that her first stroke was actually diagnosed. That one didn't even have obvious signs (I thought she was having a "bad week" or possibly had a UTI), but once the imaging was done, she'd had a huge stroke. She recovered fine from that one, the 24 hr in the hospital was harder on her than the stroke . . . but the second one, in June, killed her. It was massive. Honestly, there wouldn't have been anything we could have done differently, as she didn't have stroke risk factors (no high bp, etc). The kind of strokes she had were "amyloid angiopathy" which is common with ALZ, but I had no idea about it (despite my massive ALZ research, books, etc.) until she had one. There wasn't much to be done about it (actually nothing), but that's what ultimately killed her. If she had full workups (MRI in addition to CT scan), and they haven't found evidence of strokes, well, I don't know what to say other than essentially the same thing happened with my mom, and they never saw evidence of strokes until the massive one last March. At THAT time, they saw evidence of many other prior smaller strokes, but never in the earlier imaging. I don't know why. She had great care, great drs, etc . . . I don't know. I don't know that it mattered. She should be diagnosable with dementia of some sort by now. Certainly with not recognizing you. Be sure to check for UTI. UTI is common in elderly women, and they OFTEN cause serious mental decline, which can be largely reversed with antibiotics. I think I had Mom checked about ten times in the 18 months she lived with us, and we caught at least three UTIs, none of which had typical UTI symptoms. ALZ is generally a diagnosis of elimination . . . they check for any other causes of dementia, and rule them out, then give a "dementia, probably ALZ" diagnosis. Firm diagnosis isn't possible until after death, with a brain biopsy, which is rarely performed even after death, because once she is dead, who cares? If she has long term care insurance, or similar type planning/insurance policies, investigate them ASAP. My mom had a couple LTC policies, which were very helpful. One had no life time cap, so we were able to start using benefits early in her disease, which was a huge help, since we didn't have to worry about using up benefits. (We never claimed on the second, as it had a 4 year cap, and we were holding that in reserve if she ever needed residential care, which we never did, as we kept her home with us.) Drs often seem reluctant to DX dementia/ALZ. I understand why, having lived with it . . . But, it is important to know what she has so you can make good plans for the next stages. I'm so sorry. The only good thing about now being an orphan is that I no longer have to fear this damn disease. But, I also want to reiterate that although ALZ is a death sentence, there is a lot of life to be lived before the end. So many people are so afraid of this disease that they run away. It is a horrible disease, but life can still be good. My mom had 4 years between initial diagnosis and death. She had a good life for those years. Knowing what we faced allowed us to make good plans (not fast enough, but good enough), and also to prioritize spending good time with Mom while she could still enjoy it and while we could still enjoy her. I kept wanting to scream, "SHE'S NOT DEAD YET!" to those who abandoned her. They lost out. We won. We loved her, we honored her, we took care of her. Like she'd taken care of us. It was SO WORTH IT.

Forgetting her daughter isn't beginning. That's advanced/severe. I'm sorry. This is serious. My guess is that she might be having small strokes that could have triggered the sudden major shift in mental status. This is fairly common in various dementias. BTDT, buried Mom in June. (Alzheimer's, plus strokes.) I'm so sorry for what is happening. It is a tragic illness. BTDT advice, to start with, denial isn't actually that bad a thing, so long as you have enough support/help in place to keep her safe. Mom was in denial. She wanted to keep it secret. I thought that if she shared her diagnosis with friends/church/etc, they would rally around and be understanding. Instead, they ran for the fucking hills. My advice, having BTDT, is to only share the DX with closest dozen friends and family. Everyone else, keep in the dark as long as possible. Once they know, those on the outer circles will disappear, without exception, despite what you think about people/church/etc. Truly. Trust me. It's universal. People are weak and selfish. Only the closest loved ones will walk this walk with your parents. A full DR work up makes sense to rule out other things that could be causing dementia. Some things are treatable. First thing (within the month!) review all her legal paperwork with her, your dad, and their estate attorney (if they don't have one, get one now). Make sure her POAs (durable POA as well as medical proxy/health care agent and living will) are all set as well as the typical will stuff. Talk to your dad about YOU (or another younger generation person) being her (and his) medical POA, etc. Once she gets too far along to legally sign things, then if he is her only POA, and he gets ill or dies first (happens ALL THE TIME), then she is shit out of luck and you will have many more difficulties and expenses managing her affairs. Next up, get control of their finances if your dad is not fully competent. If he is, make sure he takes all financial things away from your mom that could cause trouble. I.e, make sure she has maybe one or two credit cards with very low limits that only she uses and that you monitor daily. Likewise, checkbook, if she must keep one, make sure it doesn't link to their major accounts/assets. Assume that she will make major errors and be vulnerable to scams/"charities"/etc. Truly. Do this ahead of time. I'd bet you $100 that if you reviewed her accounts/mail/etc for the past 6 months, you'll find major problems (unless you or your dad are already in control.) Really, people can get in very bad trouble. Last advice, be ready to wear the big girl panties. It's your time to take care of them now . . . It is really, really hard and depressing. Post script advice: YOU MATTER. You can make a world of difference to your parents now. Your mom and dad can have some beautiful times. ALZ/dementia is scary, but it is NOT always as terrible as it is made out to be. My mom never was aggressive or dangerous or violent, never, not to the end. I am so thankful we took good care of her and respected her humanity through her last day. Don't look away. Don't turn aside. You can make a difference. This is a calling. (((hugs))) Feel free to PM me if you want any other specific advice/etc. Much ((hugs)) to you. I know you are grieving now, and the grief will last until months/years after she passes. There are good times left, but a lot of pain, too. I'm sorry.

ps. I always make sure my kids have plenty of cash during traveling alone. A CC or at least $100 cash is just a basic safety thing. Also, I always have an adult there to check them in, so IF they had to pay unexpected fees, the adult could swing it (and I could reimburse, etc.).

Depends on the airline. Some restrict unattended minors to layovers only in certain major hubs. Google up the policies ofr the airline you are considering! NOTE: Unattended minor rules have changed a lot in recent years. 4-5 years ago, paying the fee was optional after about age 12, and so you *could* book virtually any flight. Fees have gone way up as have restrictions. Don't assume things that were allowed a few years ago are still permitted.

Each airline has different age cut offs for Unattended Minors, and fees can range from 50-150 each way!

PG #1, I knew at 4 days after conception. Severe hunger. Tender breasts. I was right.

Skip practices. Visit more. Call friends or family who are local to her and twist their arms to visit. Make sure someone is there every day.

Eldest dd is at UA, and although we've never previously been a sporting events/teams household, we root for Alabama! Roll tide!! p.s. Did y'all know that the big $$$ Alabama's football brings in to the university is used to fund huge scholarships, improve the entire university, etc? It's really amazing what the university is doing for the entire community and their state by wisely investing that $$!

I love them. When we redid our kitchen, I put disposals in BOTH sinks. I hate cleaning the shmutz out of the sink drainer. We have septic, so we don't put loads of potato peels or whatever down there, but for scraping dishes, random shmutz, etc, it all goes WHOOSH. BTW, add an "air button" to control the disposal. Way spiffier than a wall switch (and also handy if your sink isn't near a wall, say, on an island).

We've had goats for about two decades. Critical facts: You MUST have fencing that is 100% dog proof. Goats are very vulnerable to dogs. If your fencing isn't 100%, eventually, a roaming dog will maim or kill your goats. Personally, we use 4x2 inch knotted wire. It MUST be secure and dog proof. Second critical fact, goats need company. Poultry doesn't count. Must have 2 goats unless you have a horse or sheep or dog that will be living with the goat. Other than those two critical facts, everything else is fairly obvious (food, shelter, water). If you live somewhere it freezes, then having electricity to the shelter to allow for a heated water bucket makes your life easier, but it isn't critical if you are willing to break ice and change water daily during extreme temperatures. Talk to local goat owners to find access to a goat vet. (Dh is a vet, so we don't have to worry about this one.) Have fun!!

ˆf your son is "being recruited" to any of these schools, the school may well organize a visit for you that is more involved than the simple tour. We got very little info from the tour, but learned lots more from the sessions organized by the various recruiters. I.e., U. Alabama honors college organized a full day and a half of tour, visits with profs in the majors of interest, honors college info session, lunch with a student representative, etc. IME, I'd allow a full day for any school you are seriously interested in. Do a morning tour, and do as many of the departmental visits/etc that they will organize for you. We didn't visit any elite schools, but if you are, then you likely need to allow time for an interview as well.

ps. My 3 kids have always been quite involved in numerous activities. I'm an introvert. Those outings and arranging and hassles slay me. Nonetheless, when I committed to having kids, and especially when I committed to homeschooling, I accepted that I have to push myself to keep my kids healthy and involved in the world. Over a year ago, when my son was just turned FIFTEEN, I had to nudge/cajole/encourage him to join Robotics. I'd researched it, and I'd decided it would be a good fit for him. At that age, I wouldn't have FORCED him, but I sure would (and did) nudge strongly. It took a few months for him to settle in, really nearly all the school year before he really felt at home, but now it's a central part of his social and extracurricular world, it's been 100% positive, and I am SO GLAD I got him into it. Now he's self-driven (and, woohoo, drives himself, lol), but I had to get it going. Honestly, I feel like it's my duty to help them find their niches as long as they need and benefit from my assistance. He'd always been involved in various sports, scouts, music, etc, but he was ready for a new peer group, and, thus, I found it and made it happen. That's part of the mom-job, especially if we keep them out of regular schools where their social world is much easier to figure out.

At 7, you just need to find things you think would be health and appropriate, and sign him up. Start small, ideally with something that has a fairly modest commitment of time and money. 7 year olds don't know what is out there. Just find something he can try. Many programs/activities welcome visitors for one or two meetings/classes/etc to gauge if it is a good fit. Get going and find him some stuff!!

p.s. Absolutely do not get frost-free for long term storage! The heat/cool cycle that keeps it frost free seriously compromises your food quality long term. And, yes, that means you have to manually defrost it once a year or so. It's not that big a deal. It gives you a chance to clean out the stuff. I do it right before we take our half-cow delivery, as that means we have spare room to move things from one freezer to another, but even if you only have one dedicated freezer, hard frozen stuff will keep just fine for 6-12 hours in coolers while you defrost. (Trick for fast defrosting . . . Stick a big bucket or two of hot water in there, close the door. Change out the water every hour. In a couple hours, that heat will have melted everything. Now you can use that last bucket to clean down the freezer interior before reloading it! I did this in a pinch this year, as I didn't have time before the beef delivery to wait 12 hours for natural defrosting . . . It worked so fast! No mess, either!)

I have one of each. The stand up is way better. For sure. So much easier to organize, etc. At this time, we use our chest freezer only for storing the half-cow we buy each year. The stand up is for everything else, prepared meals, cheese, ice cream, frozen veggies and fruits, misc extra whatever. It's awesome. For sure, the stand up!

Southern UT, Sedona, AZ, or Grand Canyon, AZ. All are great that time of year. Me, I'm going to the Bahamas in mid-March, lol, but that's not what you're looking for, is it? :)

A great way to prep for the PSAT is to take (and study for) the SAT. Seems weird and backwards, but it works pretty well. The class of 2017 was the one class that was awkward for since the Oct PSAT was the roll out of the new-format SAT/PSAT. But for any other class, it works pretty nicely.

The cut-offs, NO. They just subtracted 12 from last year's. I think that's really a cheap shot. It'll be a lot more complicated than that, IMHO.

It's their dog. Let them pay someone to board it. I dog sit for free for some dear friends, but that's because we have dogs, a fenced yard, and we know their super well behaved dog well. Plus, she is one of my very best friends, and the reason they ask us to dog sit is not the $$, but because they spoil and adore their dog. In fact, she cheerfully (and generously) pays my kids to walk her dog for her while the dog is here. (We don't walk our dogs much, they just run around the big yard, but her dog is used to many miles of daily walks!! As I said, she's a spoiled and lucky dog.) In your shoes, I'd just say no thanks, unless this is such a close friend, or in such dire straights (family emergency) that you feel the need to go way out of your way for her, but, if that were the case, you wouldn't be posting here, now would you?

Well, it is hard to know for sure. My guess, based on looking at the %ile information out so far, is that the cut offs should be at or below last year's cut offs, looking at the NMSC qualifying number, which is 2x the R/WR score + 1x the math (cutting off a zero). The total possible qualifying score is 12 points lower this year (out of 228 instead of 240, because the new PSAT max score for each section is now 760 instead of 800). The talk seems to be that the test is not easier this year. The actual numbers for each state will be weirder, since the really high score cut off state (like CA) might well be near perfect scores . . . as they were so high before. My kid's scores were 99% across the board, and we are in a low cut off state (WV), so he is a shoo-in. (Last year's cut off was 201 out of 240, and we've never had a cut off above 203/204, and he scored 212 composite.) So, IMHO, if your kid's score is at or above recent years' cutoffs for your state, then I'd GUESS they're pretty assured to make it. If their score is just a few points (6-12) below recent years' cutoffs, then you're in that painful wait-to-September to know. If the score is more than 12 points below recent cutoffs, then probably it's a no. In April, they *should* announce Commended Scholars (top 2% or so nationwide, so around the 98%cut off, which you can see if you made that based on the score report. If your state is a typical low cut off state, like mine, then nearly all (or all?) the Commended Scholars make NMSF. If you're in a high score state, only the top 1% of YOUR STATE make NMSF . . . So, it's easier for those of us in low score states to have some confidence now. If you don't already use College Confidential, that is the place to learn all the agonizing details. It's WELL WORTH your time to spend some time there if your kid is a potential NMSF. Lots of info on schools that give great scholarships, etc. My college girl is on a FABULOUS 5yr scholarship to U Alabama, which I learned about there. She's super happy. It's a great school. And, we're so happy to get the MASSIVE $$ help. For anyone looking for info on NM scholarships, the process, etc, here are my Go To links: http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships And, this year, for whatever reason, lots of the PSAT talk is on this page at CC: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/1816872-psat-discussion-thread-2015.html#latest Happy surfing!

We just saw ds16's PSAT scores and are happy, happy, happy! It's KILLED us waiting since Thanksgiving! I've been through this process with my eldest, so I was all set to get the scores right after Thanksgiving . . . and then found out about the delayed time table . . . and have been on pins and needles since then! FINALLY, today, we get to see the scores, and ds's are great! Definitely should be national merit in our state, which is AWESOME. Happy, happy, happy!! Two down, one to go, lol.

The health plan MUST be HSA-compliant to add more funds. Call the insurer directly, and they will be able to answer this. Not only must it have a high deductible, but also have a few other rules met (can't cover anything other than preventive care before the deductible, so no DR visits with just a co-pay, etc.) If you have an HSA compliant insurance plan, then your family can contribute up to 6650 this year. Then, as before, the HSA is yours to keep forever. It is a GREAT savings vehicle. It is better than any other (non matched) retirement savings, as it is "triple tax advantaged" meaning you contribute $ pre-tax, earnings are not taxed, and once you hit retirement age, you can withdraw it pre-tax, too! Woot!! So, if you have spare $ for retirement savings, max out your HSA before putting $$ elsewhere (unless you'd get a match, etc, elsewhere) BTW, lots of different banks/investment houses/etc can manage your HSA. You can move yours if you like if your employer isn't controlling/matching it. Health Care Administrators uses Vanguard funds. So, money you aren't using right now can be stashed in a good investment account at Vanguard, and you can move it to your cash/debit account whenever you need it. I've been really happy with them.

Note: I wonder if we should all try to rephrase our goals into ones that are Specific, Achievable, and Measurable. I.e, $ amounts (or % salary or similar), Dates, etc. This will be easier to measure and celebrate than "as quickly as possible" or "as much as possible" Also, shorter time frames are more achievable. I wonder if we should try week-goals as well as longer time frame goals?