How hurtful. I'm so sorry. :( It makes one wonder why she shared that with you, what she wanted to come of it? I can't imagine anything other than selfish reasons, it seems like it was to make herself feel better? Was she asking you to forgive her? I had an old friend do something similar. Different, but similar. She told me that she'd always been jealous of me, that I could talk to anyone and make people laugh. And that she was always stoned, and envied me that I never smoked. It was a strange, strained conversation, and our friendship never went anywhere after that. I didn't know what to say. I'm very shy, so hearing her take on me was ... Odd. Hugs to you!

Sorry you are frustrated. Maybe think of it as the great investment in your kids'educatiin that it was, and let it go to another family? I give away all of our curriculum after we use it. We know homeschooling families that will use it, and it feels good to send it along to them. I give them the used stuff, and the stuff that's practically brand new because we tried it and it didn't fit our style. If I can't find anyone to take it, I offer it on freecycle.

We are equals and we generally talk through any disagreements, and find a workable solution. Fair warning, I don't feel the chicken obsession. So my take might not be applicable since, well, I don't feel driven to have chickens... But I would not bring living creatures into our family unless everyone was on board. One "no" would veto it. Chances are, care will fall to your DH one day due to scheduling or illness, anyway, so there's no way to say he won't have to care for them. On other things, not living, the situation is different. I can't remember any major disagreements, nithing we haven't been able to talk through...

We take our coffee maker on vacation. Ok, espresso maker. Pure yumminess. No K cups for us! I would stay. Absolutely, no question. Bread - we don't have much. We keep our GF bread in the freezer till we're ready to open up a new loaf - then it stays on the counter. Oh, and I don't bake it either. Udi's all the way.

Congrats! How exciting! I'm not a fashionista, and tend more toward the bohemian type stuff if I'm not in jeans and t-shirts, but I just ordered few things from april cornell, and I'm pretty happy with them. Important to note: I love april cornell on a piece by piece basis. I love the quality, but don't go for the flowery old fashioned look, so I'll usually find a piece or two of hers each year that I like, but overall I don't order a wardrobe from her. This year I like this top: http://www.aprilcornell.com/product/Frannie-Ladies-Blouse-BLA5176Y-White/blouses...Oops, I was going to link the other items, but they're already gone. Wow, that was fast - just got them last week.

What type of movies do you prefer? Are these for the whole family or you and a partner?

I hadn't either, and I'm an allergy mom. :blushing: My kiddo has multiple life threatening allergies, and I grew up with my own mother having anaphylaxis periodically due to her allergies. You'd think I'd know. But, for whatever reason, I had those types of reactions after shellfish for 20 years - sometimes but not all the times. I'm now severely allergic. It's a bummer. So, you might just keep an eye out on what she's eaten if it happens again. But I think it's unlikely. Still, thought I'd throw it out for you. Editing. I'm "now severely allergic"... typos...

Ooooh, DS11 loves the Lego Ideas Book. We found it at - of all places - Home Goods. On clearance! If you're doing that, what about filling some eggs for DS10 with lego pieces, if you do plastic fillable eggs? Does he have one of those mini-figure storage cases? We found one at Staples - it's small enough to go in a basket, and is perfect storage for minifig pieces. Get two if you have lots of minifigs. :) Any theater fans? Shakespearean Insult candy is always big here with the big guy (23 now, and living far away, so no basket for him, but he loved this stuff in high school and college). Gas cards. For DS15 - stomp rockets (too young? maybe that's better for DS10), real rocket supplies. Oh, DH just brought back a cool engine that you can attach to paper airplanes, something like that would be fun for everyone.

I like Jean's idea here, it sounds a bit POTSy. Postural Orhostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, if I remember that right. It also sounds like the reactions I used to have after eating shellfish. I didn't know an allergy was developing, but sure enough - now I have a severe one. So maybe think about the foods she ate, though it doesn't sound like any of my food allergic kid's reactions. More like mine, which were minor for 20 years (now the reactions are not minor). Maybe make a note on the calendar and if it happens again, call the doc? Good luck. Hopefully it was a virus starting (like a nice, simple cold) and will not happen again!

Off topic, as a side note: I'm stuck on this... Where in NoVA are there house rentals for $1900 a month? I had the impression that your current house has multiple bedrooms. I'm asking for a friend who is moving to the area and needs a house for seven. We can't find anything under $2200 with more than two bedrooms near us.

I am an archaeologist. Obviously homeschooling now but I spent many years in the field before having children later in life. I would be interested in reading your links about this, if you'll share them.

What age range? I can't remember and can't see your sig if it says. DS is getting a game and a drawing tablet thing for his game system, a book, some other stuff. From the past: small Lego kits are good, bobble heads are fun, flip flops, swim goggles, beach towel to line basket, sunglasses, audiobooks, movies, thinking putty, I could go on... :) Little one is getting foam bath letters, a play doh letter making kit, play doh eggs, a book, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, the usual little kid stuff. I don't use grass. We'll line DD'sbasket with a new play silk. Haven't decided on DS's yet.

Working off of this, since they are going to be gone... Book a spa weekend. Or a trip to see a friend. Get out of your space and do self care. Don't stay home to feel sad. Unless you can have a heart to heart and go with them? Nap as needed, relax by the pool while they do their thing and do dinners at night. There is a reason people who were chronically ill were sent to rest and relax years ago. It helps. So I vote you find a way to either go with them or go somewhere yourself. I do think that a therapist is a great idea, and that's coming from someone who's been where you are. My testing culminated in some pretty crummy diagnoses, and then lo and behold - those were changed, too. But even then, we had five years of agonizing treatment. It's hard on a marriage. And my DH was very supportive - and frankly, he dragged me on a ton of trips, telling me to nap as needed. I'm thankful. Goodness, very thankful. But I had a great therapist to talk to, and DH talked to get as well. It helped. Illness like you're facing is tough stuff. Greg Piburn wrote a helpful book - Beyond Chaos: Living with a Chronically Ill Spouse or something like that. That was also a help. Sending you gentle hugs.

Please do! Can I come gaze at the amazing painting occasionally? :)

I love our small house. :) 1300 perfect square feet. We can afford more, but ... We don't want it. We homeschool and DH works from a home office, so we are here quite a bit. There are four of us living, working and doing school here. We bought it when our family was smaller (2 adults and our now adult child), but it still works. I don't want to sell, move, buy something else. It may be the layout of our house, but we don't have issues with being in each others' space, overhearing conversations, etc. We have 3 bedrooms on an upper level, 4 (yes, 4!) bathrooms, living room, eat in kitchen, office/studio, garage, laundry room, and a fabulous though postage stamp sized yard that has a large deck, patio that we designed and had installed, raised garden beds, and a beautiful fountain that DH designed and built. We are walking distance to the library, stores, playgrounds and parks, and an old town area of our little town that hosts summer concerts, etc. Love it here. I am the artist here, and we have a lot of hand painting on walls - the kids know not to tape things to those walls, but other than that, no special care.

Oh! You moved. Are you perhaps sensitive to VOCs? Is there new paint, construction of any kind? A charcoal filter will help with that.

Take a nap. Today. :)

Ouch. Glad you are going to a new allergist. When you had your original skin test were you completely off *all* antihistamines for two weeks prior to the test? Antihistamines will skew the results. Make absolutely sure you are off antihistmines, and ask ask the allergist's office about any other allergy meds. Terrible allergies here (not me, DS). Obviously we follow the doc's recommendations and he takes his Rx meds. But we do a lot of other stuff that might give you some relief while you wait - an indoor air purifier with a charcoal filter. We use a Blue Air, and it's pretty pricey, there might be other options. It is automated so it kicks up to a higher level when necessary. We have large units on each floor of our house, but definitely in DS's bedroom. We wash all lines, bedding, curtains, etc on hot once weekly. DS doesn't do the dusting or vacuuming, but we are diligent about making sure that it happens twice weekly (dusting and vacuuming stir up the allergens in the house and make him have a flare of symptoms). A shower every night, and after/or after coming inside from being outdoors (rinse off those allergens!). Dogs are wiped down with a wet paper towel when they come inside, every time. We don't wear shoes in the house. Good luck. Allergies are miserable.

Yes. :) And have you noticed that perhaps we (the general you and I, the ones who hold ourselves accountable) do not have a convenient out, in the form of forgiveness? There is something to be said for living with the consequences of our actions without a sense of being "forgiven" for our transgressions. It makes me more determined to live a good, ethical life - for myself, for my family and friends, for the community I live in, and for the planet itself. ETA to clarify that when I said "more determined" I am speaking for myself. More determined than I was when I was a christian.

:) I'm with crabby on this. I triple puffy heart our cleaning service.

Whether it's enforceable depends on state law. It is not enforceable in most states, but some are changing - slowly. In most states, again, once the adoption is final birth parents have no legal recourse. It will depend on the state where the adoption is finalized. I am an adoptive parent in two separate and radically different open adoptions. Our adoptions are night and day, and I can honestly say we've got two extremes. Our first - the entire birth family is like extended family. We've been in weddings, vacationed together, and the birth grandparents are grandparents to all my kids. It took an excruciating amount of work to make it happen, despite the fact that we were all committed from Day One to open adoption. We have been written up in articles, and used as a positive example enough to make me feel uncomfortable. Because it is hard beyond belief. And I don't think anyone can begin to predict how they will feel or react or how they will grieve. Our first adoption is with the most determined, strong woman I know. And she still struggles. It would not be the way it is if she were fragile, though she certainly has her fragile moments, I'm sure. (I love and respect her more than I can say, I'm not doing that part justice.). Our second adoption is not even close to the same level of openness. I grieve for that daily. But I understand that though she wanted it ... She cannot do it. We keep the door open, we call, we write, we send pics, but ... It's hard. I hope she will come around, and I accept that she may not. She is emotionally fragile. I worry for her. I hesitated to post this much. But I do feel that it's important not to minimize the grief that a birth mother will experience. Open adoption is wonderful when it works, but I don't believe - as I once did - that it helps birth moms to grieve less intensely. Just differently. Ok. This is off topic, really. OP, if you want to hear how our open adoptions have played out, you are welcome to pm me. We are not looking to adopt again, nor do I know anyone who is, so no fear of pressure! I can, however, share some insight into how very open adoptions can work - or not work. You are doing a wonderful, supportive job. Whatever your DD decides to do, it will be the right choice for her. And she'll have another unknown stranger's support from this end.

Ooooh! I'm going to dig around for sunflower seed recipes - what a great idea. Thank you!

Your pizzas look yummy! Fatigue, GI, and mood issues aren't fun either I finally got the link to work (don't know why it wouldn't on a different device) and it's out for us - cashews - but, man, it looks good! Hope the crust was good too. :)

Genealogies? Trying to understand. Scripture - I get. Genealogies - I may be too tired and thus missing something.

Hope it turns out! We make GF, DF, EF pizza all the time. Of course, it's also free of lots of other stuff due to our allergies. :) A bit envious that you can "cheat" - wow. We don't have the cheating option here unless we want to break out the epipen and spend a day in the hospital. I either make a crust from scratch or have used Bisquick GF mix (Bob's is not safe for us - X contamination issues), or we buy frozen Kinnikinnick crusts for when we're in a hurry. We top with homemade sauce and add on toppings. We've had no luck with DF cheese, so we just skip it. Weird, huh? If your cheese turns out, will you post how to do it? Would love to try! Daiya has not been a favorite here, but that's all we've tried so far... DS would be excited if there's another option. Good luck! Have fun.