We loved RSO Chem, too.

Rocks will not deter the dogs, and it will create more work for you ultimately. Rock is a lot of upkeep. We have rocks, but not in our front yard - we have rock paths in our back yard, around a patio and some raised beds. The rocks are a lot of work to keep free of weeds, debris and clean. And, yes, the dogs will still use them for pottying, if their preferred areas are not scooped quickly. We scoop yucky areas, and have even resorted to using the shop vac to remove soiled rocks. We hire a guy to come once every couple years to come in and freshen it all up - he puts down new weed barrier, levels the paths and puts in more rock if necessary (it sinks, with time). I would never, never recommend rocks again though! But at this point, removing our *tons* of rocks is not feasible, so we just keep it looking nice. And it does look nice. It's just a lot of work. Love hostas - definitely choose the leaves you like best, and remember they'll need to be separated.

Yikes. :( That *would* be awkward. They crossed a line by asking that question, and created that awkwardness. Ugh. OP, I would choose the veg option, since you know you're not going to eat the turf part, and it sounds like the surf is not a sure thing anyway.

That just reminded me - my mom had a Psycho Cat. It attacked her often while she was sleeping, and she still has huge scars on her arms. I had forgotten. She tried and tried, but finally re-homed Psycho Cat to a family that needed a barn cat. Psycho Cat is still happily taking out psychotic tendencies on mice and small creatures. It was the best solution my mom could find, but she agonized over that cat. I wonder if my mom's cat had a brain tumor? She had it checked out at the vet, and tried a lot of options, but I don't recall if they checked for that.

Oh, bummer. I'm sorry. :(

My little one was a bit older - but not much. :) She was about 2 1/2 when we used MGT. I loved it, it was so, so easy to implement. We didn't use every activity every day, there were some that were over her skill level, but for the most part - we used enough to make it well worthwhile. When I ordered it, I ordered an extra set of the craft supplies (I don't remember how much they charge, but it wasn't much)... I thought perhaps my older kid would want to do some of the crafts, but he wasn't interested. It was still helpful though, as I could do one to demonstrate, and little one followed along. And some we just saved the extras and will do them later. I think you could do it at 2, just adjust. They have some toddler options, too, I think? It's been a while since I've looked at their site. For a newly turned 2 yo - don't forget the do-a-dot markers. :) Oh wow, those were the huge thing for us at that age. We did tot trays and that type of stuff for the first half of the 2 yr, then switched to MGT because I didn't have time to do the printing and prep work anymore. ETA: since you're a subscription junkie, I also tried Carol's Affordable Curriculum. Similar concept, but less stuff, less bells and whistles. We preferred MGT.

We love tot school here. My littlest is just about to turn 4, so she's growing out of a lot, but we did a lot of fun stuff. Lots of great memories. It helped fill up the mommy cup so I could work with the 11 year old later. Your plan looks great. :) We did a combination of tot trays - the focused activity on a tray was a hit here. Lots of ideas online, just google tot trays. I used a lot from the 1+1+1 (whatever it is) site, too. Plenty of Montessori-inspired activities (including dishes and kitchenware within reach; clothes accessible; life skills type stuff); Kumon books; puzzles; manipulatives; outdoor play (lots of outdoor time here); water table time; sensory boxes; pretend play. So many great things to do are easy to make for this age, too! We had a brief period when I was too busy to pull stuff together and so I ordered 6 months of Mother Goose Time boxes. Those were a HUGE hit. The excitement when that school bus box came out was palpable. It's expensive, but it was worthwhile for us, as I had very limited energy resources - so all of the energy I had went straight to the kids. We still listen to the music and do some of the activities. :)

I'm so sorry you have pain med allergies. I'm the same - can only take Tramadol for pain, or a shot of Toradol. It wasn't fun a few months ago with kidney stones. :( Dilaudid almost killed me, when a doc decided to just try it. It's a morphine derivative (I am allergic to morphine as well).

"Heels down" ... that brought back memories. :)

Great pic!

I hope you feel better soon. That sounds miserable. :(

When you say you'll die if you take it - do you have an allergy? I have developed severe allergies to codeine - even synthetic - so wondering if this is related? I have Hashimoto's, too, and just suffer through the nasal stuff. Hoping something will be suggested here!

:grouphug: You have a plan, and great advice above from LMV, I just wanted to send :grouphug: . I opened the thread because I've had extensive nerve pain issues. But I have no experience with a non-verbal child, and I think you are doing an amazing job tracking down the problem. For me, who *could* articulate it, I'd sometimes just look at my hands, turning them over and over, in wonder that they could be so painful and look normal. It was mind boggling. I can't imagine not being able to verbalize it. The things you are describing, though, make sense as ways for dealing with the pain. You're onto something. Hoping that it's not nerve pain, as that can be so hard to treat, and that it's something readily fixable.

No advice, I just wanted to say that you are an amazing kitty person. He's so lucky to have you. :)

I like the PP's idea about setting it up so it's easy for her to go to bed quietly. If she won't use a small, dim bedside lamp - then take the bulb out of the overhead light so she doesn't forget and turn it on anyway. Maybe give her a dimmer switch for her nightside table lamp, if she doesn't have one. Maybe figure out some more little things that might make it easier for her - turning the bed down, pajamas on earlier, the kindle all set up next to her bed, whatever she might need laid out... Actually, I think my favorite idea is letting her crash in the bonus room, if that's where she hangs out, if she really can't be quiet for the younger sibs. Maybe you can approach this with her as a problem for *her* to solve? Have a discussion about it, but let her brainstorm ideas and lead the way? She might have some ideas or solutions that we can't see, and that might really work. If she gets stuck, you could throw out the ideas of crashing in the bonus room or dimmer switches, or whatever might work. I have a night owl here, too, and can see him acting the same way some time in the future. He doesn't share a room though, and he takes melatonin to sleep, but still... He's been known to keep people up at night, even in another room.

I would take her to the doc. :( So sorry about her toe! That sounds painful.

Must she be in their shared room while they are asleep? Can she hang out in a different room till she's ready for sleep? Give her a space of her own to be a night owl? Probably not much help, but I feel for you!

Yes. I have a lot of serious chronic issues going on, but there is no doubt that stress of many types exacerbates them. Maintaining a regular schedule helps, good nutrition, appropriate supplements, taking meds on time), meditation and exercise all help during normal times, but when there is significant stress - everything flies out the window. Muscle pain, spasms, lead to migraines and episodes of trigeminal neuralgia (fondly dubbed the suicide disease, it's pretty stinking awful), among the more common fibro flares, CFS, etc. My doc checks my levels every 3 - 6 mos, and tweaks meds as needed (thyroid, adrenals, etc - I have a lot of missing/nonfunctional organs here). For managing the misery, once in a cascade of physical symptoms - I stress dose (I have Addison's Disease, so a stress dose of cortisol is necessary at times, as my adrenals don't function at all); increase supplements suggested by the doc for these times specifically; coat my muscles with a gel to help muscle pain; max out my monthly scrip of Axert; and sleep. Our family has an emergency plan which works well as long as DH is not traveling. If he's on the road, the kids and I go into survival mode. We have easy, nutritious foods on hand (I cook ahead and freeze for these times - we plan for them, as we know they happen). We have a plan for school on days like these. And I have activities for the little one that don't require help from me, reserved for these occasions. ETA: During bad times, I also try to make it to cranial sacral therapy (sometimes I can't swing getting there). Massage therapy is also helpful, and if I can't make it to the therapist, DH will pull out the massage table and do some work on my neck/shoulders/upper back - which is where a lot of my tension builds. Sometimes, if we catch it early, that will stave off a major flare. I should add also, that we go into "reduce inflammation" mode at these times, and pull out all of the inflammation reducing tricks and tips we've learned over the years.

Their return policy used to be excellent, but it sounds like it's pretty rotten now. We shop there only occasionally, and I'm skeptical of all the "savings." Thatt said, we were there last night as a last resort, and did ok. I don't feel like it was a screaming deal, but we weren't overcharged - after coupons, etc. We were also in the Land End store, and I was pleasantly surprised when the clerk gave us 25 percent off everything. :)

Haha! I was thinking you win, with all the throwing up! That's just the worst, with all the potential for extra laundry. Your poor kiddo! He got that right. Those germs and bacteria are certainly doing *something.* Our last round, we were reading Germs Make Me Sick, a favorite here, and the 3 yr old asked to put it away because it makes her too sad. :( I hope this round passes quickly for all of you. Sending you bucketloads of healthy wishes!

Commiserating. We've had round after round of illness since Nov. Strep. Flu A, strep and puking simultaneously - 2 of us were hospitalized for that one. Sinus infections. Ear infections. Strep again. Puking again. Sinus infections again. Coughing, neb treatments for two kids, round the clock. All shared generously between all members of the family despite bleach and sanitizing and... :willy_nilly: We have cancelled and postponed, and cancelled, and flaked out, and friends think we are the sickest family they've ever known. It's been insane. We are actually heading to the immunologist to get immune deficiency testing done on 2 kids. We already know I'm immune deficient. It's been crazy. Crazy! I'm sorry you're still in the trenches. Hang in there.

I'm sorry, it sounds frustrating. FWIW, I don't think anyone did it on purpose, to annoy you. I think they just didn't *think.* Guilty of not thinking here. :) Until this board, I never considered that 15 or 12 passenger vans might be family vehicles. We don't see many of them here, and if we do, they are usually clearly labelled as transportation for churches or daycares, and not usually in grocery or store parking lots. I just might not have thought of it. Thanks to you (and this board), I'm aware of not parking around them now.

Fun! :hurray: Is there any chance you'll find out which character she'll be ahead of time? I'll be there with our kids, and it would be fun to get a pic of them together! My 11 year old theater boy has loved hearing about your DD's career developments over the last year or so. :) (and do I need to say how excited we are about being there!? Woo hoo!!!)

Happy belated!!!!! Glad it was a good day!

I have no constructive advice, just want to cheer you on!!! :hurray: How very cool!!!! Have fun!!!