it was easy and VERY healthy. If I ate the way the recommended all the time, I'd feel SO much better. If I remember right, they have you limit carbs. The other diet...... I can't remember it's name, is NO carbs and tons of meat and fat. SBD is lowfat and healthy. I found it easy to implement. I think we really don't need many carbs, and I feel better when I limit them. SBD is a very realistic diet, as is Weight Watchers.

I'm sorry, but that just bothers me. Being baptized has NOTHING at ALL to do with a church or denomination. I wouldn't leave the church over something like that (there's always something!) but they're not acting on biblical wisdom where this is concerned. Denise

Happy Birthday!!!!!!:party: Can I have a Starbucks with mine? :D

just remember that no matter what you choose, it doesn't have to be forever. That single fact is what helped me to accept that I had NO choice but to put my kids in school at a very awful time in my life where I was so burnt out I thought I could be hospitalized for exhaustion. My oldest, now a junior, is dually enrolled this year (his first year of school was in the 9th grade) and I'm SO glad he got all the exposure he has in school. Academically he's done very well and has college credits, and his SAT scores are impressive. I have no regrets. My next is in school full time and he wants to stay. I'm ok with that. My younger girls will never again go back to school (our little school in town is AWESOME! I was SO impressed with all they do with the kids!) because I do not want them in the middle/high school which we share with a few other towns. It toughened my boys but I will shelter my girls from it. There are positives and negatives of PS, private school, charter school AND homeschool. Do what's right for your family. No two families are the same! But again, remember that your decision will never have to be set in stone! :001_smile:

you know, I honestly think I hear my husbands glands salivate! And all that sloshing around just GROSSES ME OUT! And it grosses out my oldest son! It got to the point where my sons were eating at the island so that oldest couldn't hear hubby, and the girls, dh and I were eating at the table. I didn't like the separation, so at CHristmas when extended family gathered to celebrate, I removed the bar stools from the island. I still haven't put them back. We're all at the table now for there are no stools at the island, and hell would freeze over before the boys brought them up from the basement without anyone asking. So I enjoy the togetherness once again. :p But to answer your question.......... one of my most favorite and rewarding jobs was when I was a CNA in a nursing home as a teenager. I *LOVED* caring for the elderly. While working in a nursing home SHOULD dull the senses, my senses actually became SUPER sensitive. All these years later (I'm 45) I still have extreme issues with my sensitive nose. But when Mom comes to stay with us (she has colitis and is dependent on me to toilet/clean/change her ........ and she's incontinent) I can truly have...... *issues* I do breathe through my nose and refuse to think about what I'm doing, but on Christmas morning I almost threw up while helping her, and almost completely lost control of my bladder in the process. I said ALMOST. So I was just......... damp. It's kind of a mind over matter thing. But I still hate those noises at the dinner table..................

ok, ladies, PLEASE keep them coming! If you just can't share your worst, then share something that you're at least embarrassed of! Like the time I was grocery shopping with hubby. You know those open freezers that you just reach in to grab what you want? Well, we were shopping along and I was looking at the freezer section to my left, produce to the right, for the length of the store. This was the last aisle, we were almost done with our shop! When we got about half way through I noticed....... a pair of LEGS sticking straight out of the freezer a little further down! The legs had jeans on and dress shoes. I laughed SO embarrassingly LOUD (like a HUGE horse, or perhaps an ELEPHANT!) that I just was absolutely consumed with horror at my lack of concern. What I *SHOULD* have done was help the poor person out of the freezer but, NO, I laugh my butt off at him! Dh laughs out of control at ME. The man climbs out of the freezer and gives us the MEANEST look ever. :cursing: Being the mature woman that I am, we left our FULL cart of groceries right there because I was just too mortified to go check out and have to see this man again. I couldn't believe that dh or I were incapable of helping him due to our state of hysterics. :smilielol5: :leaving:

oh, COME ON, all of you who won't share! It'll be fun! We're ALL stupid at SOME time in our lives! My "outrunning the cop"incident happened about 4 years ago. How AWFUL is that? I don't blame myself, really, it's SO out of my character. I plead TEMPORARY INSANITY. :w00t: Which do you think is worse - outrunning a cop, or the fact that I had my best friend's sister sit through ALL my drivers ed. classes in high school so I could be with my boyfriend?! Heck, I think I could have learned a thing or two had I attended those classes! :auto:

One time I was rushing around when I saw a cop. I noticed that I was going 52 mph in a 40 mph. The second he spotted me the blue lights came on. So I sped up, made the next turn, and then the next. I lost him. Now I WAS going home, but I sped up to lose him, and I did. When I got home I parked the car in the garage and was in a state of panic for the entire day. I was shaking like a leaf and had heart palpitations! I was glued to the bay window, fearing the sight of a police cruiser coming down our RURAL dirt road. I was a wreck and was shocked at myself and ashamed. I even called dh to confess, and he laughed at me. My biggest fear was that I could easily be spotted again - I was the ONLY Suburban in town whose windows had those cute stick family stickers. Six, cute family members, and then the dogs and cats. I could NOT be anonymous. I never did hear from the police department...... Whew. The guilt of it all came flooding at me again yesterday when I got pulled over. For an instant I almost considered doing the same again, but I just couldn't put myself through that stress again. I'm going to be using my cruise control from now on. I get lost in my thoughts (usually going through my mental to-do list) and just....... don't pay attention. :blush: :leaving:

:smilielol5: now that tickles my funny bone to no end, too! I don't know why! I'm the one who keeps my cars impeccable. DH never has. The day my very first horse was delivered (a lifelong dream come true right before my 40th birthday!) I realized that I had been so excited and running around preparing for his arrival that I COMPLETELY forgot to eat that day, and I didn't even think about dinner! So I ran to the local grocery store to pick up something quick. It was about 6:00 p.m. so I was really runninng on empty. (me, not the car.) ;) I had the back of the Suburban packed with shavings, grain, etc. and could see nothing out of my back window. I applied the gas rather quickly (I was in a huge rush - to get back to my horse!) and all of a sudden - BAM!!!!!!!!! WHY the heck do they put TELEPHONE POLES behind a parking space? I crunched up the bumper pretty bad. It was a very warm day and there was TONS of traffic so I was absolutely mortified. I didn't look behind, I simply put my car in drive and took off as if nothing had happened, hoping nobody I knew had seen what I just did. :001_smile: DH didn't get mad at me at all. But when I called a girlfriend to tell her what had happened and about the damage to the car, she asked, "Denise, did you see if any PEOPLE were there?!" I was so embarrassed that I didn't even think of that! Well, embarrassed and running on empty. I didn't leave my house or sleep for 24 hours and left the local news on. I felt that surely a hit and run which ended in injuries or death would be on the local news. I was a wreck. Of course there was never a news story about it, but two days later when dh and I drove past the store, I gasped when I saw the pole. I said, "OMG! Look at what I did to that pole?" Now THAT tickled dh's funny bone to no end. He said a car couldn't have possibly bent the pole like it was, that it had always been like that. So I called numerous friends, all of whom confirmed the crooked pole had nothing to do with me - it was always like that. :lol:

:smilielol5: that just tickled my funny bone to no end!!!

hhmmmmmmmm, maybe that's the problem. My hands do not even resemble anything feminine without nails. I've tried just about every product out there and NOTHING works. Because my nails are PAPER THIN, product won't stay on them anyway. I'm lucky to get a day without the product peeling off. :angry:

I used to take curcumin capsules so that I got a good dose of it. It's better than tumeric I read..... though I don't remember my source.... :confused: but popping a capsule is EASY!

My real nailbeds are short and UGLY, not to mention that my nails are PAPER THIN. My hands are NOT feminine looking at all and it bothers me at times. I was a preemie baby born with no nails, eyelashes or eyebrows. The others grew in fine but I was NOT blessed with nice nails. I love to wear sandals in the summer to show off my nicely polished toenails. :D It's always the little things...... I love to garden and have a farm full of rescued furry friends. :001_smile: So nails weren't all too important. Sometimes I'd hide my nails if someone was admiring my wedding ring (dh and I designed it and had it made with the money Visa awarded him on a fraudulent purchase. We wouldn't have had the money to do this otherwise.) But since my dad died and we decided to close the security deposit box, my sister and I divided up Mom's jewelry because she has dementia, severe, and she threw away her very large diamond earrings. Dad never let her wear the real stuff again.. Soooooooo, I have some very, very nice jewelry and I just could NOT put some of the rings on my HIDEOUS hands! So I got my nails done. I did this once before but stopped when they kept popping off. It seems once the glued on tips grow out, the nails break off easily. It could also be because I do SO much with my hands. Does anyone else have this problem? Do any of you do your nails yourself? I hate to waste the money and go around looking like I do now. I have 3 nails off, the shop was closed yesterday and today, and the woman who does my nails is out tomorrow. There's NO hiding how ridiculous my hands look, and I've got a FULL week! I'm holding one nail on with a bandaid. It looks stupid. Ideas or suggestions? Thanks! Denise

Oh, oh, oh I AGREE! If your school work is too dry, perhaps that's the problem? I knew that wasn't my issue with my daughter. I guess I should read ALL the responses before I respond myself. I think this is fairly common with homeschoolers. I know I've seen this come up SO many times before. My boys did their work, but all the dawdling was MADDENING. Once they realized that they could be done with their work by NOON and have the res of the day to themselves (in the younger years), they were ALL about getting their work done in a timely manner so they could play for the rest of the day. I am sure your son will come around and the path of your journey will once again become a delight!

whole heartedly agree. I'd also withold lunch until he's accomplished at least something, and if you're serving a treat for lunch, give him something else instead...... a healthy food he'll eat if he has to but doesn't exactly enjoy it. IF he fusses, tell him you won't reward bad behavior. I had to do this with my adopted daughter. It never once was an issue with my bio kids. It took a year for her to realize that doing schoolwork = FUN day and good food, even a treat. I also had her sit out when we were with the homeschool group (I looked like a bad mom) and cancelled playdates until she realized that she was only ruining her life. She got to see her sister having a blast and she couldn't join in. When her brothers got home from school and everyone ate a special snack, she got none. She held out for a LONG time. I let her know that I was sad that she was making bad choices to ruin her day and NEVER let it show that it bothered me in any way at all. Denise

i had a special box of toys that could only be played with during school hours. But the biggest hit was all the water play I allowed. I don't know the setup of your house, but I have my slider in the kitchen which POURS in sunlight all day. I bought a huge rubbermaide container and stripped down my daughter and placed her inside it to play with toys I bought especially for that. When she got too big, I had toys for her to play with from the outside. This killed two birds with one stone, so to say. When we were all done I'd put all her stuff away, clean the floor with a dry mop, and was blessed with a clean floor and happy child. :001_smile:

I never thought I'd get to a point where I'd say, "No more!" I would have loved to have 10+ kids! But it did happen. We gave birth to two sons and then a daughter. Two weeks after having her dh had the plumbing rerouted so I would never have to be pregnant again. All three of my pregnancies were difficult and by the end of my 3rd he told the doctor, tears in his eyes and all, "I can't do this again!" :D I still laugh at this and my daughter is 9 now! I have a slight scoliosis and my sciatic nerve just caused my legs to give way in a grocery store the week before. I was in excruciating pain for the last two months of pregnancy AND was gestational diabetic with baby #2 and baby #3. Baby #1 was also very difficult, I was borderline toxemic and the first two babies were OVER TEN POUNDS!!! And my husband said *HE* couldn't do it again?! Now *that's* funny. :rofl: So #4 I travelled to China for. Poor dh had NO idea that I was praying for dd #5. I wanted our adopted daughter to not be the only adopted kid in our family, and also not be the only Chinese kid. BUT, she came with a TON of issues, most we've worked through, and I know that I am NOT equipped to adopt again. This was the main reason I had to put my kids in school a few years back but now that I have two home full time and one home part time, I will not allow that to happen again. Unfortunately, I know too much now. (not that it's all bad, but I've done all the research to find out what was wrong with my daughter, and also all the work to help her heal! THOUSANDS of hours of research and implementing what I learned. I'm TIRED.) So, I just got to a point to where I said "No more, I can't do this again." And I never once feel bad when I see a baby. That's a HUGE one, when you're longing for more when you see a baby. When that stops, or you feel relief that you don't have to deal with it through the night, that's a good sign. Of course your dh would have a say....... ;)

about Stevia, I've had brands I *hate* but I have brands that are REALLY good. I remember bringing Stevita packages on vacation once. Really, if you get a good brand (sorry I can't give you one!) and make lemonade or tea with it and DON'T tell your family, they won't know. I'm currently using NOW foods brand and it's good but I did like Stevita better. And other brands I can't remember the name of. :glare: I second juice in soda water. We buy flavored seltzers , usually raspberry lime, and add a dash of UNSWEETENED cranberry juice. Neither have sugar and this tastes GOOD.

about the drinks, sweeten them with Stevia, an herbal sweetener used for thousands of years by the Indians. I don't like i with anything with milk but LOVE it in tea and other clear beverages. Your kids will NOT know the difference! Some stevia is better than others. Pizza is very healthy if you make it yourself, healthier if you can make your own crust! We used to eat ONLY wheat pasta but I now like the pasta by...... I think it's Barilla but I could be wrong, but it is made with ground legumes and semolina. It's YUMMY! Tastes like white pasta but heart healthy! If you took chicken tenderloins and breaded them yourself, you could make them healthy. Or, if you have a Trader Joes near you, they have healthier selections on those types of items. The HUGE off limits for us are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils and MSG. If you look into health food buying clubs you can save money, too. I don't know what's in your area but do your research. Sometimes they can be just as pricey. My local HFS allows to buy by the case for a savings, but it's still cheaper to buy on sale. That's when I stock up. Homemade baked goods in the mornings from my own ground WW and cereals (oatmeal and granola) rolled from my own oats used to be all we eat and is something I strive to do again. Oh, and don't forget to eat at LEAST 5 servings of veggies and fruit. ;) Less milk and meat is healthy, too. I'm going to start up stirfrys again. They're healthy, easy and mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmm good. Denise

what a HUGE blessing! God is AWESOME!!! I think you found your church! :D

what about the icy rocks, tree branches...... toys not put away that got plowed in........... could be DANGEROUS I tell you, DANGEROUS. If nothing else, WEAR A HELMET!!!!!!!!!! :lol:

dunno, but it's SOOOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!

I lost my dad in August, he was only 66. We just had our first holidays without him and I didn't miss a thing about the HUGE amount of money he'd give us each Christmas. It's always the little things that get to me. The first time I cried out in public about him was in the grocery store. Out of NOWHERE the flood gates opened when I saw Newman's Own juices, the lemonade and limeade. He LOVED them. It's also hard for me NOT to think of him and his fruit popsicles. Thankfully I haven't had to buy popsicles. Who wants them in NH in the fall or winter? We'd rather have hot beverages and chili. ;) His daily phone calls, sometimes up to 15 per day - NOT KIDDING, were sometimes a real nuisance, especially when I asked so many times not to call during school hours, but oh how I miss them! He had the knack of always calling at the WORST time! One day, about a month after his death, I had schooled the kids and worked my BUTT off on the house. I plopped in complete exhaustion, and then thought to myself, "Oh, now's the time Dad will probably call....." and then I realized...... Just this morning I couldn't get out of bed until 11:00 because I had a POUNDING migraine. I dozed off and on and had a dream. In my dream I was lying on one of my kid's beds in their room just looking around and I saw a huge purple star balloon. It was the most BEAUTIFUL balloon I had ever seen. My parents used to get balloon arrangements for the kids along with usually too many expensive gifts. It was the BALLOON I longed for from Dad in my dream! I cried uncontrollably in my dream and awoke to a THROBBING head and a soaking wet face and neck. It's the first time that I can remember crying real tears, and LOTS of them, in a dream. I miss Mom standing outside in the freezing cold with her door wide open just so she could talk to us as we got in the car and wave goodbye. This one was one of the hardest. I used to think it was so silly to watch her standing there and would tell all the kids, "Wave goodbye to Nana now!" Sometimes I'd say, "Get inside, Mom! It's FREEZING out here!" The first time she didn't do this I cried all the way home, 45 minutes away, as dh held my hand....... and shed quite a few tears himself.... But it's not all SAD here! Dh has bought me some elaborate gifts in our almost 20 years of marriage, but one gift that REALLY showed me how much he loved me was a NEW BIRDFEEDER for my birthday! How I miss using that feeder. I was tired of cleaning up all the bird parts my cats would leave behind. :glare: In my 12+ years of living on acreage surrounded by conservation land one of my biggest blessings was watching a chipmunk take a large leave, fold it in half, turn it and fold it again, and repeat this over and over until it was very small. It then put it in its cheek and climbed into our rock wall. That was over a decade ago and I still think of it! :001_smile: I love going to Barnes and Noble on a date with dh, getting a coffee, skimming through a huge stack of books, etc. just as much, if not more, than a date in Boston going out to a nice restaurant for dinner and a play. The latter costs a LOT more and I enjoy B&N dates just as much. If not more. :tongue_smilie: I may just be simple to please, but it really IS the little things that matter most to me. :001_smile: Denise

well since you asked, MISERABLE!!!!!!!!!!:sad: I went to bed last night all prepared for the day, happy to settle into our little routine, etc. I had a slight headache, took half a Unisom and 1 tylenol PM for the pain, (I know, but it was a sleep deprived headache!) and awoke in the middle of the night in with a THROBBING migraine! DH slept downstairs to allow me to sleep really good so I didn't call out to him for help, didn't want to awake the kids. In the morning I took 3 Advil, didn't work. I was desperate, dh was gone to work, took another 3 advil an hour later. Finally crawled out of bed at 11:00, made STRONG coffee and ate, and then it finally went away! So we did math and English only, before I remembered I had to get my hair done. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and I've NEVER had a migraine two days in a row. It's going to be a GOOD day!!!!!!!! :D Denise

For me personally, I don't like to contribute to an addiction. I usually buy food, hot beverage, etc to help out but usually don't give money..... USUALLY don't give money but I have. The one time I remember clearly I gave money to a very obvious blind person I walked past every day while working in San Francisco. I felt for him AND his dog. I've bought many people food, hot beverages, bags of groceries etc...