Side question: I need some good resources to counteract Cesar Milan's craziness. Someone I know watched that show and buys into the dominance theory with his dog. I think it's the wrong approach. Are there any easily accessible shows or resources I could pass along to give another perspective, or outright counteract the Cesar influence?

Same here. But I do love those Bodum cups - they look very cool.

Do you schedule quiet time? My DS was (is) the same, and he would not nap past 1 year, but we do quiet time. At about 4, he'd spend his time listening to audiobooks. Magic Treehouse were his first favorites, then the Jim Weiss Egyptian myths ... He'd pull out all of the Egyptian playmobil and make setups while listening. I don't have magic solutions. Music is good. I can usually handle music, and it quieted the incessant talking to a degree. Lots of breaks, interspersed with lots of interaction. Projects. I spent a lot of time preparing projects and challenges for him. It gets better, as they get older.

((Hugs)) we are new in our area, too, and didnt have a ped. DS's meningitis was caught by an urgent care - they really messed up, too. It was such a problem. Ugh. It's a terrible way to meet a new ped, but at least you'll have one soon.

I'm sorry. That sounds so hard. I hope you get answers. If you do pursue Lyme, know that the testing is not always reliable. The best lab is Igenex, a doc who knows that will know how to send blood work to them - early in the week. You don't want to ship them a sample on Thurs or Fri and have it sit over the weekend. We have been dealing with serious illness for three weeks. DS has been in the hospital three times, culminating in a trip to a large Children's Hospital on Monday. He had viral meningitis. Now reactive airway disease. It's been a nightmare. I really feel for you!!!

That is insane. I'm sorry.

Definitely! I'm sure there are lots of them. How to Talk so Kids Will Listen, and Listen so Kids will Talk comes to mind ... :) I bet there are tons of them. S/O thread?

I struggle with this, too. Same sort of non-communicative FOO. It's a daily practice, to communicate, and it does get easier - still, I am mindful of it, because I want to create a different relationship with my kids, than the one I had in my FOO. You can do this!

We tell our kids our expectations, and try to set them up for success. Not making the rules clear, but having a consequence in place for when they mess up (because they don't understand out expectations) feels like setting them up for us to pounce on them. It's not how we work, in our family. I want to build trust and respect, and teach them about communication, so I try to model it. They still make mistakes, but when they do - they know it, and aren't surprised by it, if that makes sense. So - I'd be clear about your thoughts, expectations, plans, consequences, whatever. I still tuck my kids in though, so YMMV. In fact, even when 24 yr old sleeps over, I make a last round and check in on him.

I bought two things that were planned purchases, so bonus that they were on sale: Instant Pot and Amazon Tap. Also picked up the Miss Peregrine's boxed set of books, a Rick Riordan book, and a guide to electronics for inventors. Those are for DS. DH was really hoping for some home automation stuff to go on sale - I don't know what he wanted exactly - maybe he's thinking of a Nest? And I know he wants a Ring (I think it's called a Ring? The doorbell security camera thing that connects to an iPhone?) The only thing that came up in home automation was a Raspberry Pi - as in "build your own." I'm glad more didn't come up for us really, because that was enough to spend. :)

DawnM, at 6 am, a button is necessary!

We're drinking the espresso blend now. It's still better than Starbucks. :) We use the basic fiestaware cups. And once the bag is open, we store the remainder in a container that has a button on the lid that supposedly pulls the air out. OXO, maybe? Clear, white top, grey silicone ring. The spaghetti holder size fits what remains of a bag, after filling the empty hopper, just barely. I'll be interested to see what others do!

I'd say follow your mom instincts. Hopefully she's sleeping peacefully now. I hope she has a great night, and it works out to be a good experience for her!

It looks good. What are you filtering for? It's dust, right? Dust mites? The micron size is .3. That should be good. If you want to filter for VOCs, you need a charcoal filter as well, but I think, IIRC, you're mostly going for dust? You might want to compare Costco though. We bought ours there, and the bonus to that is they sell our replacement cartridges (online, not in store). The savings on those, even with paying for a membership, is substantial. Ours is a Blue Air, but - we were going for VOCs as well as dust. Definitely check out the cost of replacement cartridges, and how often you'll need them...

Ok, I went back for Miss Peregrine's, a Rick Riordan book, and a Practicsl Guide for Inventors... All done, now. :)

2 shelter dogs here. It took some searching because a lot of our local shelters have mostly pit mixes, and those aren't the right dogs for us. (I have nothing against them, really, but they're not for our family, sort of like PS.) I think the fee was $125 - that included neuter/spay, first shots, microchips, worming, etc. We did a local dog training class, for one of them, and applied what we learned to the other. They eat basic dog food - nothing super expensive. They don't have special beds or gear or ... Anything. They have a big yard, lots of play time and walks, they live inside, with us. They have regular vet care, and we will deal with emergencies as they arise. We cannot spend a small fortune on chemo or long-term expensive care. We would have to discuss and go from there. One dog has chronic ear infections and we are considering a deep clean and a pricier treatment but - that's after years of at home care, and we still haven't decided. I don't think it has to be break the bank expensive to have pets. Though I suppose if one drops $1K on a pet, maybe one is more likely to want to buy everything at petsmart?

Oooooooh, love Camano! My favorite is the Papua New Guinea blend. We recently tried the espresso blend - it was not our preference, but not bad - I just didn't fall in love with it. It was on the oily side for a super automatic, and in our machine we definitely prefer a lighter roast, and no need for espresso blends, but we gave it a shot. We like some of their other blends, too. Nothing beats fresh roasted, the way they ship it. Yum. Let me know which blend you like?

I ordered the Instant Pot, and tried to do it through the Alexa but that didn't work - I didn't get the right price. We also ordered an Amazon Tap for DS, because usually he steals Alexa at night to listen to audiobooks. It wasn't a huge discount, but something we intended to purchase anyway. I'm eyeing the Miss Peregrine's book set...

Plug it into your tv, and stream Amazon, Netflix etc videos. It comes with a remote. We take ours on vacation, and use the hotel's wifi to stream our shows, too.

Yay! I hope it is fantastic!!!

Woo hoo!

I would, if it worked! :) Of course, then we'd still be using it. Aaagh! DH is calling Jura to see if they want it for parts.

I'm not going to throw cyber tomatoes if you go for euthanasia, either. (Loved that, Pawz!). I would probably try some of the ideas mentioned above, first. One thought: how new is the cat door? You said the butt dragging is new, too. Could he have picked up something from the mice? That wouldn't explain years of this behavior though. My mom adopted a stray cat, and it became an absolutely crazy situation. No spraying or pooping in the house, but he brought so many creatures in through the cat door - it was unsanitary. He was really ok, until the cat door went in. Then he started randomly attacking her, and I'd see her with scars. He finally went after her face and throat while she was sleeping. :( I helped her take him to be euthanized, and she just cried because she loved him, but he couldn't be rehomed either. I know that sounds extreme, but I wanted you to know you're not alone.

I love that plan! I have bad sleepers, too. When DH travels I go all boot camp bedtime on them, and if I work it right - they'll go to sleep. It's not a sure thing. And if we didn't have the pediatrician who suggested melatonin... It wouldn't happen. By midnight, we're usually having a slumber party in the big bed, when DH travels. But I shoot force few hours of peace.

I so wish I could pack up our Jura and send it to you. It is in our garage, on the workbench, as we try to figure out what to do with it. We opted not to send it for repairs again. I feel your pain.