I am pro-life and would have a hard time with the emotions of this situation. The logic, though, is pretty clear. In this case, the child has absolutely no chance of being carried to term. That life is, regrettably, already lost. The mother's life will be in danger if the tube ruptures and she bleeds to death. Her life is in danger, but not lost. The way I see it, either one person will die or two people will die. In that case, I would make absolutely certain that the baby was 100% no-chance-to-live, in the tube, but in the end I would have to have the surgery because my earthly children need their mother.

My older brother had a dickens of a time sleeping on his own. He had two reasons. First, his tonsils were enlarged for years and affected his breathing and screwed up his sleep. Once they figured that out, he no longer wet the bed, either (he'd sleep through it because he was so exhausted from not sleeping well). Also, he simply didn't like to be alone in the dark either. My mom gradually moved him from her bed to the floor (on a mattress of some sort, not just the floor!). Then one day she got tired of stepping on him in the mornings, so she told him he couldn't sleep in her room anymore... so he slept right outside her door so she stepped on him anyway.... I tell you all of this to let you know that he now sleeps 2,000 miles away from her and she does get to sleep all night. There IS hope. :hug:

Despite clear warnings, they went ahead and gave the mouse the cookie anyway.

I'm just getting into the non-Crayola art stuff myself, but I see Prismacolors are available at Rainbow, if that matters.

I don't know anything about epilepsy, so if this is stupid, ignore. :-) When I was in high school, I had terrible PMS. My mom always told me to exercise, exercise, exercise, because that's what helped her. It made my cramps worse! It wasn't until I was an adult that I was mature enough to realize that what worked for her might not work for me. So either more or less exercise might help. The other thing that really helped me was vitamin B6, just plain ol' OTC stuff. It's water soluable, so you won't overdose, and it really helped the moodiness. I've seen some docs recommend a full B-complex, too. Try each and see what works. They're both cheap and readily accessible.

It would depend on several factors. 1. How much interest are you paying on the debt? How long will it take you to pay that off? 2. How soon will you need a downpayment? If you need it right away (in the next year or so), I'd keep that back. If not, and if you're paying anything at all on the debt, I'd pay off more debt. As a general rule, I like Dave Ramsey's idea of have a thousand in the bank, then pay off debt, then have a longer emergency fund before hitting the house. However, if you're needing a downpayment faster, I'd move that priority up without question.

She could tutor anything she's good at for younger hsers. (My dd is a karate instructor, even at age 12. Although she doesn't get paid yet, she will!) I second the babysitting. My kids all do yard work for our relatives. Pick up sticks, mow, gardening, helping grandma tear down her shed, cutting up firewood.... Take care of animals. Dog walking, feed and water for out of towners, general grooming. With your permission, she could even pet sit.

You're not a bad mom. You're human, and you made a mistake. Fess up, apologize, and move on. The older I get, the more I'm convinced that genetics plays a large part in our size no matter what we do. Yes, skinny people can put on weight and heavy people can lose it, but when you eat a healthy diet, your body will naturally tend toward its genetic shape. I have had times in my life when I walked several miles every day, and times when I've been basically bedridden due to health issues. I've been a size 4 shorts when I was nursing, but when I stopped nursing I went back to my normal size 14. Period. That's why I wear frumpy dresses with no waist -- because my weight does fluxuate and they always fit no matter what time of month it is. So... try to go easy and not turn her into an eating disorder case. As for the clothes themselves, she's old enough to earn her own money for whatever clothes she likes. If she doesn't like the clothes you buy (or can afford), offer to give her the money you can afford and she can earn the rest for whatever she wants.

I would be extremely wary with an 8yo. If something bad should happen, if something should slip out (physically or verbally), or if anything else discomforting should happen, you won't be able to deal with it. Plus, at that age, just because they think they want to be there doesn't necessarily mean they'll want to stay there once the activity actually begins. If you choose to allow this, I would have an adult there specifically for the 8yo and no other responsibilities but to answer questions, hold her hand, and take her out of the room at the first sign of problem.

:lol: I didn't know they made such things! I'm learning a lot from this...

It's apparently my bedtime. I read your question as, "How to explain reasons to spay/neuter children." Hmm. In answer to your real question, I would say that there are so many animals in shelters that already need homes and families. If our cat had a litter, some of those homeless animals wouldn't get a loving home. I would also explain that animals aren't attached to their kids like people are and that an animal can lead a full, happy life without babies.

The last time the kids and I were at the library, I overheard two moms say things that made me almost sob. Mom #1: "Now remember, honey, you can only check out two or three books. No more!" Mom #2: "No, sweetie, we don't want that. It's not a video, that's a BOOK."

Me neither! What an oddity. Maybe it means "watch out for fog"? ;)

I have read all your responses, even though I didn't answer every one. You guys are amazing! I'm going to make a handful of changes all at once, I think, just to give him some relief from the itch. Then once he's comfortable, we can play around and see if anything makes him better or worse... or if nothing at all makes a difference. Maybe I can figure it out that way. Thank you all SO SO MUCH!!!

Stupid question alert: taking a dry washcloth and doing what with it? Wiping it down, patting carefully, just removing sweat...? Sorry I'm so dense. :)

This would definitely be easy, since I don't give a regular multivitamin as a regular routine. Definitely couldn't hurt to try. Thanks!

His doesn't usually bother him, but every once in awhile it does (like a couple nights back) when it itches. Maybe it's a combination of things, like the laundry detergent and/or allergic reaction in combo? As my mother would say, just because you have a broken leg doesn't mean you can't catch a cold, too.

Hmmm.... never heard of this. Where do you get it?

Yeah, I've asked the ped during regular visits but my mama gut isn't completely satisfied with that. When he was so miserable a couple nights ago, I felt awful for him! No matter what it is, I have to find something that will make him feel better.

This would make sense. He has nasty seasonal allergies and now that you mention it, his skin has been worse during allergy season. Hmmmm...... And we do have epsom salts in the house. Couldn't hurt to try, right? Thanks!

*jumping up and down* This just might be it! Man, that second picture looks like what he has. Thanks!!

Oooooh, this kid eats anything not nailed down. Ugh. Good to know. Thanks!

I use the homemade stuff with washing soda, Borax, and Fels Naptha. Would that be okay, do you think?

We actually use it in combination with Life of Fred. Dd hates math with a passion, so I switched her to LoF and now everyone loves Fred! However, I think Mr Demme does a great job of explaining things most of the time. So... we truck along in Fred until we hit a snag. Then I find the corresponding MUS lesson and we watch it together. Then we do whatever workbook pages/practice we need to get the idea down. Then it's back to Fred.

Hi all, Ds9 has had a rash on his arms and legs pretty much all his life. Usually worse on the legs. It's almost like acne, but instead of goo in the middle it's like he's got little hard prickers in there. Writing it out, it sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie! Anyway, sometimes his legs get dry and itchy, so we put some cream on them and it's usually okay. Tonight, though, his little bumps on his legs are red (almost look like measles!) and really itchy, although his arms aren't red or itchy. The doc just calls it dry skin, but I don't think so somehow. I have dry skin, and it's nothing like this. Gosh, I wish I knew what this was and what to do about it. Ideas?