If the concern is identity theft, and you are still interested in getting to know this newest sister, then take all the normal precautions. You're not going to give this person sensitive information that could be used to steal your identity, are you? No passing out SSNs, right? :)

What are the concerns? If there is no money, and your father is deceased - I'm not sure I understand the concerns? Are your DH and mother worried that your feelings will be hurt? Or that this person will harass you for money? Can you keep your boundaries strong, if you want to get to know her? It may be that she'd like health history only - I'm not sure I see the harm in sharing that. Getting health history from my DH's birthfamily has made a huge difference in DH's life - it can be a big deal. Or it may be that she'd like to see someone who looks like her, just get to know you. My perspective here may be different. DH is adopted, adoption has been closed until recent minor contact with birthparents. DH has learned that he has *many* siblings - not half siblings - and that they don't know he exists. DH would like to meet them, he'd like to see a bio relative for the first time in his life. He'd like to know if they are similar. He wants *nothing* from them other than some time to see if they laugh at the same jokes. And he wanted health history - which he does now have. Whether he will ever get time with his siblings is up to his birthparents. They are reluctant to tell his siblings that they had an older child and placed him for adoption. DH knows names and contact info on all siblings but would never dream of contacting them without being introduced by birthparents, he will respect their wishes no matter what. But I can assure you - his desire to make contact is not founded on any ill intent, he doesn't want anything from them (or his birthparents), and we need nothing. So it's possible that this person is like my DH. To the PP who asked "what would be the point?" Well, maybe there is no direct benefit. But it sure would be nice, and hopefully add to the joy and love in our lives.

We did the same. The appts were serious and there was a lot to discuss. But we only did it when we'd agreed with the babysitter well in advance, and with lots of checking in.

We did the same. The appts were serious and there was a lot to discuss. But we only did it when we'd agreed with the babysitter well in advance, and with lots of checking in.

Has this adult been to a cardiologist, aside from the checking they might have done at the ER? A cardiologist might like to order a stress test or other tests. My mom was recently (a week ago) released from the hospital - she has angina and some low level blockages. She's now seen a cardiologist for follow up. The cardiologist is not concerned at all, but she does have nitroglycerin in case of emergencies. How are the adult's (that sounds so strange) counts re: cholesterol, etc?

DH works with many people with those degrees. He was in production, now has moved on but still has those connections and works in the field. I think it was probably helpful during the hiring process, but then it would depend on what types of jobs you are hoping to land, later. Many of his colleagues have other degrees as well, but those specialized degrees are nice if you know what you'd like to do.

I don't know about the less pricey options, but I can tell you what we use, after a ton of research. We use Blue Air, one of the larger units. We have one for each floor of our house. We use the more expensive filters - I think they are called "Smoke Stop" - not because we smoke, but because it has a carbon filter which also filters VOCs. It has made a huge difference in our son's environmental allergies - dogs (which we have) and every grass or tree around. :)

We use Amazon - I think there used to be a subscribe and save option, not sure about this year. Vitacost might have a good price, too.

I agree that it might be a good idea for him to talk to his boss. What I wanted to say, though, is that my DH's take on this is that he expects his employees to manage their time well. That means that they do their job well, that they don't leave things undone or uncovered when someone needs to be available, but also that they manage their lives well. If a guy works a lot of after hours, then by all means - leave early next week, go to the dentist, do kid stuff, whatever needs to be done. Be a good manager of your own time. So, my DH would reassure yours that it's ok. And it sounds like the office culture in your DH's workplace would be the same.

I prefer the word "enlightened" to the word "failed." When DS was 6 or so, and we had been studying ancient Egypt, he had quite a playground conversation with another 6 year old. DS likened the bible to ancient Egyptian myths, and was told that he was going straight to Hell. Getting out the minion shirts for today. :)

Another bad mom here. No sugary cereal, but I do allow screen time in the morning. Sometimes DS takes me up on it, sometimes he does projects. Either way, as long as he lets me have coffee while my meds kick in ... we're good. :) ETA: I would allow cereals if we didn't deal with allergies. So instead it's allergy friendly waffles and other easy to fix foods - the equivalent of sugary cereal.

Same here. We have to order safe candy for DS (peanut, tree nut, dairy and gluten free - that's a mouthful!). Way too pricey to hand out, and no one would know what it was anyway. We're in one of those neighborhoods where people drop their kids off to ToT, though, so we go through gobs and gobs of candy. But I haven't even bought any yet this year. :blushing: I'll be the last one at the store tomorrow night, and probably get stuck with bags of Neccos.

Please do set an alarm so you can wake up and have some broth or something as late (early) as possible. :grouphug:

I like Katie's system. We'll try that here next time around, I like the incentive for donating/trashing unwanted toys. Currently, we have a few bins in our garage that are the "toy library." When the current toys stop being used consistently, the kiddos can return them to the toy library and check out new toys. We have an ultra small space, and this is the only way to preserve my sanity.

Paperwhite here, too. So glad I upgraded!

DS carries the melt aways. I can't remember exactly what they're called, but Target often has the melt away chewable tablets - they are technically a children's dose, but just double it to get the adult dose. Target usually has grape flavor. They act quicker than the tablets, so our allergist recommends them. DS reacts to something in the prefilled spoons, so we never had that option. This reminds me that we used our last chewable dose a few nights ago and need to pick up more.

Totally agree that the food is nothing special and over-priced. On the up side, the GWL near us has "chefs" who are very versed in food allergies, and made us confident enough to allow them to cook food for DS, with his multiple food allergies. DS was delighted, as it's not often the case that restaurants are in our comfort zone. Take the cooler, get snacks and picnic food, and plan a few meals out. :)

There is no place as wonderful as NM for Christmas. Go to see your family, take the kids who want to go with you, and enjoy it. Invite DH, of course. ;). If it's been 16 years, you're overdue. I'm sorry this is stressful. It sounds rough. And I don't mean to say ditch DH for the holidays, really, but if your peaceful home is being invaded when you most need some peace (you said it's a hard school year) then I think giving yourself a break, some self care, and removing yourself from the roles of chef, planner, shopper, cleaner ... Well, relieving that stress is a gift to your whole family. Can I hop in your suitcase to go home to NM for the holidays, too? I'm not that heavy!

Thanks, Jean and Tammyla. They are sending her home with nitroglycerin and sending her to a cardiologist. She has plaques in her blood vessels, and an angina diagnosis. Glad it wasn't worse this time, and hopefully this will lead to more answers, and some lifestyle changes that will help.

In the other heart attack thread, I said I'd come back and update today. I don't want to keep hijacking Dashka's thread! My mom is still in the hospital today, they took her in for a CT scan of her heart this morning. She's in good spirits, and mostly seemed happy that they'd finally let her eat something after that test. No results yet. So far, they've done X-rays (thanks to the poster who explained that yesterday), lots of blood work, EKGs, and have been monitoring her constantly. I'm not sure what else they've done, other than the CT scan today. I think there's more on the schedule for this afternoon. One great thing is that her blood sugar is excellent - she had wondered how that was doing (she was diabetic and had gotten it under control with diet, she was afraid she'd let it slip again). Oh, and I think she said there were not cardiac enzymes in her bloodwork, so that's good, right? It's frustrating to be far away from her right now. But, then again, maybe it's good since I'm being treated for a GI bug that I would hate to give her. So it may be a good thing that this happened as she was on her way to come visit us, rather than once she'd gotten here. I would hate to pass it along to her while she's not doing well. Her cell phone battery has died, so she is feeling a bit cut off. No email, no text, no calling people at her whim (she can make local calls from her room, but hasn't figured out how to call most of her long-distance family/friends, but we can call her). No kindle books! Oooooh, the agony. So she is resting a lot - which is good, really. Hopefully someone can take her a charger today. :) So, there's the update. I'll post again when there's more news.

We've used Family Tree DNA, and the results have made sense with what we know of our family history. It's been fascinating. :)

I called and spoke to her - thanks. They want to do more testing so she's in a diagnostic center. She sounds good, though. Can't believe she drove herself to the doc's office. Dashka, maybe she's related to you - didn't you have to walk? I'll try to post an update tomorrow in another thread, I'm embarrassed to have hijacked Dashka's. [blushing] ETA: that's a good idea on the charger - maybe one of the nurses uses the same type. I'll mention that when I call her next. Thank you!

So sorry to have hijacked Daskka's thread. Just a small update here: they're keeping my mom overnight. That's all I know for now, as her phone's battery is low. :(

Dashka, I hope you follow up, too. Heartburn can be a sign of reflux, which might need treatment, so you'd want to know if it's that. Also, maybe knowing what caused this will help you avoid it again. My mom was sent to the ER, and has had blood drawn, 2 EKGs, and 2 "x-rays" (her words, I don't know if she means regular X-rays or some other kind of scan. She is waiting on results, and has been forever, it seems. Her regular doc was worried about a blockage somewhere. So we're still waiting. I wish she lived closer!

They're doing an EKG, then might send her to the ER. I'm glad she'll get more tests. Thanks, unsinkable.