I would encourage a visit to the pediatrician, also. And a phone call to the camp, to make sure they are aware of why she's home - and so they can investigate. Hoping that she's back to normal quickly!

Fairytalemama, I hope your DH is feeling better quickly. He might feel worse before he feels better, unfortunately. You probably know that. Usually he'll have a big herx on the 3rd day on antibiotics - and he might feel pretty rotten. Have you gotten through that point yet? Hoping that he feels better soon!

Blue cheese Cilantro (and thus most everything served at Chipotle) Mayo Fatty meats

Yes, it's very old. To clear up some confusion: http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/celiacdiseasefaqs/f/Genetically-Modified-Wheat.htm There is not a genetically modified wheat yet on the US market, though there is research into it. The hybridization of wheat may be a factor in the rise of celiac cases, but that is not the same as a GMO. Just needed to back up Moira's statement.

I miss Moira. :(

That's an interesting point. :) Thanks for posting this. We hired someone to hang the mural wallpaper for DD - and she said something similar, that it would be easier to remove because of the type of adhesive and the way she was hanging it. Crossing fingers that this is true.

That sounds awful. :( I don't get it. Removing wallpaper is a nightmare! We really debated about the mural in DD's room for that reason, but since we're the ones who will be doing the removing someday, and because we know how it was applied, we opted for it.

:grouphug: I know you want to be able to get off the meds, but I have to agree with the others saying that listening to your doctor about this is best. What does your doc say? Do you have a regular therapist whose input you value? That might be a good place to talk about this. If you get off your meds, and start spiraling down ... It will be hard to listen to your DH, or your family. They will see things that you don't. And that's a big burden to put on them - the burden of managing your mental health is huge. If they then feel that you are not listening or that you are defensive - it will make it hard for them. Not asking that of them could be a gift that you give to them, in some ways. Maybe thinking of your meds that way would help. I am on medication - lots of it - and will be for the rest of my life. It's not for bipolar or psych issues, but I view it the same way. It's necessary for me to function normally. Of course, I'd prefer not to have to take meds to stay alive and well, but it's just life. I'm grateful that there are meds available. Just one day off, and I feel the effects. It's frightening, but it's necessary to my body to keep living well. There is no stigma to taking meds that our bodies need to function. Thank goodness medicine has advanced to the point that meds are available! My oldest DS is bipolar 2, by the way. He doesn't have manic phases at all. He stays level or slightly below the normal level, or he dips down into massive depression. The meds keep him from diving into a deep depression that is beyond frightening. I know that he struggles with feeling that he doesn't need the meds, when they are working - but he tries to remember that it's *because* the meds are working so well that he feels well enough to think he doesn't need them. It's a vicious cycle. Wishing you well, whatever you decide.

Were the walls damaged in some way, maybe? We actually have a wallpaper mural in DD's room, but I didn't think wallpaper was in - it was just the best way to get a full wall mural for us. Plus, the wall that it's on had been painted a deep, deep blue by our oldest DS when he was a teen, and it would have needed a lot of priming to cover it!

Yes, it does. How ridiculous.

What wonderful news! So happy for you.

:lol: Are you sure she doesn't have a long lost twin? My son???

Wow. This sounds so familiar. I have a DS who wakes up talking, and has big plans for every. single. day. Your list made me laugh because I recognize some of it! I don't function till I've had about a gallon of coffee, either, so I feel your pain. :) Here are some random thoughts - nothing has helped us completely, but everything helps a bit. Do these when you have energy and have had plenty of coffee. - Assemble a bin of acceptable before-mom's-awake activities. Free play items are great (fort building, etc). Craft kits might work, depending on your kids. - Make a summer bucket list of things that the kids would like to do. Turn it into an art project (glitter glue, etc). Rate the items on the list so that they know if they can ask to do some of the things on any day, and some things (maybe mark them with a star) are for special occasions only, to be planned in advance. The pink and green mama blog has some cute summer bucket list ideas, if they need inspiration. - Make them morning cards. :) I still do this for the older kiddo, who gets up at 5:30, before everyone else. I make him a card with a knock knock joke and a short note about what we'll be doing that day. I leave it with his breakfast fixings, on the table. Something like that might help reinforce the plans you've already discussed for the day, and reinforce some reading skills, too. The clock idea is great, but never worked here either. I have chronic health issues, too. It's tough with little morning monsters, but you can get through it. If all else fails, on very crazy days, I did resort to the approved tv show list on netflix. It didn't always work, because my kids aren't tv kids, but sometimes it would buy some time. :grouphug:

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

I would not have enjoyed that, but I am very private. Hopefully her soon to be DH knows her well enough to know this is what she'd like! (I'm more on the introvert side, to answer that part of your question.)

We did FIAR for K, and for 1st we did SOTW and the AG, plus RSO Life (among other things, of course). Both are fond memories, but I wouldn't miss SOTW and the AG with a 1st grader. We had a great time, and the activities were the best part of school!

I was surprised to see Merkel there. Withdrawal has already started here. It's going to a long four years. Channeling our energy into MLS now. :) DC United!!!!

That's what I thought when I read your post.§ Hope it's an easy fix!

Watching! And... Everyone see that N Korea is apparently playing their own WC? DH showed me last night... Apparently they beat the US 4-0 and are in the final against Portugal today. ;)

Totally agree. Allergies are serious. And *any* allergy can progress to an anaphylactic reaction - there is no way to predict, and past reactions do not predict the future. :) That's why I'm always here saying, go to a board certified allergist, please! Make sure you have an epipen on hand, just in case those allergies progress to a scary situation. It's better to know if your allergy is an IgE mediated allergy, and be prepared, than to just guess that it is an allergy, and avoid the food. We avoided peanuts and tree nuts for a year before we got to an allergist. I shudder to remember the close calls we had because we didn't know all the ins and outs of complete avoidance. But we didn't understand that because it hadn't yet progressed to anaphylaxis, that it could (and did). We were lucky that it didn't progress to anaphylaxis while we didn't have an epipen! You have an epipen for your kiddo, right? I hope? That's a serious reaction!

SO Delicious makes a dairy free coconut milk yogurt. And google coconut milk ice cream - it's easy to make. Or you can buy it, since you're not worried about the other allergies we are (we can't find a safe one, so have to make our own, and it's really very easy). Coconut milk is also easy to use to make a whipped cream. Again, google it - it's a simple process, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. One tip on the substitutes: give yourself a few weeks or months to just be dairy free. Some substitutes (like Earth Balance butter, etc) are excellent, but others are not as close to the real thing. We tried Daiya cheese early in our dairy free lives, and could not tolerate it. But now that we haven't had the real thing in so long... It's passable. Whether you call it an allergy or an intolerance is your call. My child is allergic, based on tests and evidence, and diagnosed by a board certified allergist. No decisions to make there. :) I do tell everyone it's an allergy, but I specifically state that it's not an anaphylactic allergy to wheat/dairy. (His other allergies are anaphylactic.) I would caution you though, that some people with true, life threatening allergies sometimes find it annoying when people who don't have true allergies call their situations "allergies." I suppose it is like someone who avoids gluten for other reasons saying that they have Celiac. Or someone who avoids sugar saying they are diabetic. Or someone suspects they might have any condition but won't go to the doctor to get diagnosed and properly treated. There is a big difference between life and death allergies, when one's child could literally stop breathing if exposed to milk. Maybe you won't run into anyone whose child is anaphylactic to milk. But if you do, be prepared. Some kids are so allergic to milk that a spilled drop on their skin is enough to send them to the hospital. It's possible that a person whose child has that type of milk allergy will take exception to your appropriating the diagnosis "allergy." One more thought: again, I'd encourage you to get your child tested. For us, DS is not currently anaphylactic to dairy. But he could be. Allergic reactions can't be predicted, and tend to increase with time. So if your child's reactions are caused by an IgE allergy, you need to know - and carry an epipen. Good luck!

I must be a bear poker. :) I usually do a fan shaped fold over the parts we are not required to send, and then copy the page. I'm not sure if that makes sense? You could also white it out with a blank piece of paper, then copy that. I end up with a sheet to send in that only contains the required info, and none of the extra. We *could* send them everything, of course. I just feel that they don't need it, and don't want to send them info that is not required by law, so that they don't start expecting/asking for more than is legal.

That is the million dollar question that parents of kids with LFTAs face every day. For every outing. :) (LTFAs = life threatening food allergies) What will our kids eat, can they eat what everyone else eats? DS has *never* eaten cake at a party, etc, unless we brought it from home. Your case would not be so extreme, obviously, but I would just discuss ahead of time with hosts. Normally, we bring a suitable substitution to the party so DS doesn't feel left out. When he was little, we would coordinate and try to match (even making a tiny safe R2D2 cake once to match his cousin's). Now that he's older and not so interested in scarfing down cake and sweets, we either bring something safe for DS, or he eats ahead of time and just says no at the party (everyone knows his allergies, so there is no surprise or discomfort). Bringing food is easier than standing in the host's kitchen scouring ingredient labels for "may contains" and wondering if their kitchen is cross-contaminated. You could just tell the hosts that you avoid dairy, that DS is intolerant, and that you'll bring food for him. Or you can try to coordinate with them about serving something he can eat (most people will ask to try to come up with something they can serve). I don't think you'll need to worry about trace amounts. We only concern ourselves with trace amounts when a child is anaphylactic. So I don't think you'll be scouring labels as closely as I did. Whew. :) You can do this!

I can't answer for your son, or for anyone else, but I can tell you what it is for our family. DS has multiple food allergies, and he has asthma (and had eczema). Because most of his food allergies are life threatening, we did not explore allergies beyond avoiding the anaphylaxis triggers. It didn't make sense to avoid more foods. But his asthma was poorly managed, so a new allergist/asthma doc decided to test for more foods (via RAST). Lo and behold - his bloodwork came back with IgE allergies (yes, the kind that can escalate to anaphylaxis) to dairy, wheat, corn and rice. Uh oh. So we did an elimination diet to see which ones might be affecting his asthma. Dairy and wheat. So we've been off of those for several years now, and his asthma is much better controlled. But you asked about behavior, so you're probably wondering why I'm responding at all. :) For DS, asthma is intertwined with behavior. DS's asthma is atypical - he doesn't wheeze. He might cough. Our one and only consistent sign is behavior. What we know now is that when certain undesirable behaviors surface - we need to check his peak flow rather than assuming it's behavioral. For DS, asthma triggers anxiety and an understandable fear reaction (wait, I can't get enough air!) but he hasn't always been able to articulate it. Think fight or flight type response. So... In our case, getting dairy and wheat out of DS's system improved his asthma management, which improved his behavior. I can't answer for people without true allergies, though I know some people do this without an allergist on board. For us, it was helpful to have an allergist guiding us, and it gives me peace of mind knowing that I'm not eliminating the wrong food. Good luck finding the answers you need!

Ben Folds "Do It Anyway" is on at the moment. Before this it was Lily Allen. :001_tt1: I adore her.