I don't think this would be a job where you would bring your family. But what is wrong with unemployed husband/father/teen/young adult heading down there for the summer? My husband is in the military and we're separated a lot. It's what we do to pay the bills. Being separated isn't ideal for anyone, but it was pretty common throughout much of history.

You may still be able to refinance. Do you still have any savings at all (above your emergency savings)? If you are not too far underwater it could work. Could you rent it out for enough to cover the mortgage and a few expenses? If you could get renters to cover the mortgage/upkeep then you could rent something that fits your current budget better. Otherwise, the only thing to do is throw every extra dime at that second mortgage. By the way, those 80/20 mortgages were very common in 2000-2005. It doesn't hold a candle to some of the exotic mortgages I have seen...

I agree with the pp--the best thing we ever did was have dh take over the finances!! He is not a long-term planner so the first few months were rough. He never missed a bill or anything like that, but he didn't save anything for several months. But now he sees exactly what is coming in and going out and our finances have never been better! Honestly, he is better than I am at keeping on top of the immediate stuff. I hate making phone calls to fix bills that are wrong, sending paperwork like proof of insurance, car registrations, etc... He is great at that. He is not great at planning for the future. So he handles the finances and we get together to discuss budgeting for discretionary spending and long-term planning. We're happy with the arrangement. But I would never approach it as "Here--you deal with it!". At first I was siding with your dh. If I lived that close to my parents I would visit much more often! But the real issue for your budget is not the visits ($60-$70/mo), but rather your dh's lifestyle choices. I would have a talk with dh. First you need to figure out a better way to budget so you have an actual monthly figure to work with. Dave Ramsey has great advice for people who are paid on commission. Then I would tell dh "Hey, I'd like to make this work and we have room int he budget for the visit but not the dinners. Why don't you take control of the finances for a few months. I think another set of eyes might bring clarity to the situation". :D

I'm not the OP but thank you for the book recommendation! I haven't been diagnosed with CF or Fibro but the docs don't know what is wrong with me besides my hashimoto's. I think they think I am making all of these symptoms up and I am beginning to feel crazy. I know I need to take charge of my health but I had no idea where to start. Thank you!

The system is designed to keep you between a rock and a hard place. Can you move somewhere with better job opportunities?

Ha! My boys are easy. The girls drive me nuts :tongue_smilie:. I always tell dh that I'm a much better mother to boys than girls.:D

Hmm. I sort of see the church as for believers--it is NOT primarily for preaching salvation to the unsaved. The church is to worship God, encouragment, exhortation, teaching, preaching, and to fulfill a Biblical command (not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together). We are to go to the highways and hedges to preach the gospel. That isn't to say there is no place for unbelievers o salvation messages, just that it shouldn't be the primary focus.

Purpose Driven church model? Google WSJ article "A Popular Strategy for Church Growth Splits Congregants".

I've had 4 sections and no complications. You'll do great! :grouphug: I haven't read the entire thread so sorry if this has been mentioned... Hot peppermint tea for gas pains (REALLY helps!) Walk early and often Don't remain in the same angled position in the hospital bed--lie down flat occasionally(helps with both gas and incision site), keep that bed moving! Gentle stretching! Take it easy--you can carry your baby/carseat/diaper bag but don't go walking on the beach at 2 weeks postpartum :glare: Make sure they remember to use the inflatable leg compression after surgery If you feel nauseous during surgery, tell your anesthesiologist so he can give you something asap. I could add a million other things but I'm afraid this already sounds bossy :). Congrats on your newest addition!

Not much :D. I'll check out the book rec...travel based would be fine. I was also hoping to find something like Salsa but for adults. Great idea, but we don't own dvds! I can check and see if our Netflix streaming offers this option. Thank you ladies!

I'm so excited I can barely form a coherent sentence :D. I never even have a babysitter for dinner but I get to meet dh in a lovely tropical resort WITHOUT KIDS!! :tongue_smilie: I have two months, little time, and even less money to tackle this. I took 8 years of Spanish between high school and college, but I was never conversant. What would be the most effective use of my time?

I really hate posting without reading the entire thread, I just don't have time :) Please forgive me if I am unhelpful or am trying to answer a question you have already answered for youself. Math- There's not much you can do to make this easier on you. It's all mom intensive at this age, isn't it? I'm having my 2nd grader do BJU math online next year. Is that an option? I know it is terribly wasteful of me and I hate to spend the money on elementary math (especially since I can't use it for the rest)....but I can't do it all. English: R&S (I know we tend to avoid this for littles, but while they are doing a bit of the written work it might give you a break to work with another child) Drop WWE for narrations/copywork/dictation across curriculum (more below) Spelling: R&S or another workbook program History: Something like A Living History of Our World with notebooks. You can combine all of your kids and the narration prompts will help make sure those skills are being exercised. Living books with narrations as you are able. Science: Apologia with notebooks AND experiment kit (good for narrations) Bible??? Read through the Bible, work your way through a cd of hymns, catechism if applicable Just throwing a few ideas out there for your consideration. I'm in the same boat :glare:.

She said the 9k was for the down payment, though. :) (Yikes, that sounds argumentative. I need some more smilies :D:):tongue_smilie:) Congrats :)

For an FHA loan, they have to come up with their own down payment. The seller can not contribute (unless things have changed, but I don't think so).

OPGTR or ETC or Abeka phonics ...depending on what mom will enjoy teaching!

Sorry! I even went back and checked your siggy because I thought you were a MFW user but somehow I completely confused myself :tongue_smilie:. Now that I see you're following the entire MFW sequence I can see where MFW k wouldn't work yet!

I would really stop and evaluate instead of staying on this freight train...just get off for a day or two and reevaluate. It is easy to bite off more than you can chew when you're already emotionally invested in the process.

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I am loving Sam's Club click n pull because I can't fit the littlest kids AND my groceries in the cart. I usually go every 2 weeks and get enough milk and fruit to last. I am just so uninspired when it comes to meal planning, plus I need the ingredients all in one nice list but I just.don't.want.to.do.it.

No, we did the drive-thru :glare: But YES YES PLEASE to the shopping list and meal plans!!!

I know it is a long shot, but does anyone have a menu plan with shopping list for Sam's Club? I desperately need to do this, but I don't want to reinvent the wheel if I don't have to. DH is deployed. I have a bunch of little kids who want to eat ALL THE TIME. I cooked ahead a bit and that helped, but the power went out to our garage freezers and we lost everything. I have already loaded them all up for fast food 3 times in the last week. HELP!!!

Have you considered MFW K? Kid #3 (4 in Oct) will be doing this with Kid #2 (k, he is reading so will skip phonics and math). They will both move on to LHFHG together the following year.

I have Hashimoto's. I get my levels tested every 3 months. I hate the idea of being on medication for the rest of my life, but there is no effective natural alternative. My mom takes Armour and feels great on it. I take synthroid. I have had several doctors and pharmacists tell me to stick with brand name synthroid and not the generic. Apparently there are dosage inconsistencies with the generic. PM me if you need the name of a good endocrinologist :).

Congrats! :D