Melissa, My mom had this on her leg two years ago. She actually went in because of a different spot, but the doc told her he thought this particular one looked like basal cell. He was right. Like you, she had it removed, had stitches, and went back the next week to have them removed. She's been fine ever since. Hang in there! Ria

My oldest son sounds just like your dd. By age 2, he was at the 5th percentile on the growth charts; to make him look even tinier, of course, it just so happened that his twin sister was always in the 95th percentile. This stayed the same until the twins were 14, at which time my son fell completely off the chart. Was I worried? You bet. By that time, his twin was a full 8 inches taller than him. I felt bad for him - they looked years apart in age. He always had a healthy appetite and was extremely active. We upped his caloric intake when he was 15 (I'd make a milkshake daily, and we bought snacks like nuts and granola bars...even the occasional Snikers bar). By age 15 he began his growth spurt. Today the twins are almost 19 and Dan is 5' 10" (and his twinnie? She stopped at 5'5"...and yep, Dan is loving every minute of towering over her!). I wouldn't worry too much. Your doc sounds reasonable. Ria

Have you tried selling on these forums? I think it's easier (and it also doesn't cost you anything, unlike ebay). While I have sold on ebay before, I much prefer selling here. It's easier all around. Ria

Good article. I agree completely. I think the dangers are way overblown. Ria

How exciting!! Best wishes! We'll be waiting for an update! Ria

I find it very odd that she sent an email. I would think someone in her position would have sent a letter instead - it just looks more legitimate. I'd avoid her unless you have confirmation from your father-in-law. It really is too easy to get ahold of personal information these days, and scammers are everywhere. Ria

Oh, Amy, I'm sorry you don't feel well. I agree with the others - rest. Forget school until you feel better. You need time to heal. Glad the dog-smiting story made you laugh! I'll keep you in my prayers. Ria

Well, as I sit here, I hear the neighbor's yippy Pomeranians (I pray daily for their deaths...don't laugh...the first time I prayed about one of those dogs it was stricken with a brain tumor the very next day. God smote the dog!!). For the most part I ignore the neighbors and just mutter under my breath. We have called the police, and I've called them directly. Nothing really helps, unfortunately. I keep hoping that the mom will be thrown in prison. You never can tell...she's pretty awful. Ria

Of course I'd let her go. I can't fathom why not. Sounds like a blast. Ria

We've had some stuff. A dresser, a bunkbed, and the kitchen table and chairs. To be honest, I think it's junky furniture. We bought it because it was cheap and looked good, but it did not hold up at all. We've gotten rid of all but the kitchen table, and that's only here because the Amish guy isn't quite done with our custom table. :) In short, if money is an issue, Ikea can be a fine place, but if you want quality furniture that will last look elsewhere. Ria

I have not read the other responses, sorry. My experience has been that evangelical Christians believe that Roman Catholics are not Christians purely out of ignorance. Catholics do not bow down to idols, and those who think they do have a very skewed view of the faith. I can't tell you how many evangelical Christians I know who show absolutely zero comprehension of the tenants of Christianity; there are people of all faiths who do not have the love of God in their hearts. Don't judge a faith by them - Catholic or Protestant. Ria

This is so true. As you all know, we recently enrolled our four boys in the public schools. We are thrilled. The boys' teachers are fantastic, and these teachers are for grades 5, 6, 8, and 10. There is no agenda other than teaching the students, and these teachers are doing a fantastic job of doing exactly that. I know their job is difficult, and I have great admiration for them. Ria

Jeani, Some of our children were reading at age 3. We used the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with great success. Each lesson takes 5-10 minutes at the most each day. We omitted the writing part of the lesson (obviously, fine motor skills were not developed yet!) and also omitted the rhyming part of the lesson. When the kids seemed to reach an impass, we'd just back up 10 lessons or so and repeat them. That gave their confidence a boost and then we were able to proceed. The book is inexpensive, and it's designed to be used by even very young kids. Ria

Michele, I'll be praying for you, your dh, and your sweet little guy. Ria

Woohoo!!!! Congrats all around, Abbey!! Ria

I'd be all for it. Sounds like a good unit to me. Ria

I wouldn't do it, because all the friends the kids meet will live at least an hour away. Not good. If you've lived there for a year and a half and are finding that this is not working out (church, friends), I'd seriously consider selling the house and moving back to your former town. Ria

Poor thing! I hope you aren't coming down with something. (It was probably the mental image of little Bambi cavorting through the forest that skeeved you out! Sorry...couldn't resist!) LOL! Ria

I'm not sure I understand...what about it gave you the heebie jeebies? The taste? The texture? The thought of it? Ria

Oh, Daphyne, it will be okay. You could step out a little bit and see what happens. For example, you could tell your family that you prefer not to receive any forwarded mail (I'm assuming a lot of the stuff they are sending you is forwarded from another email they got). I've had to do this with my dad (he sends me very detailed articles about military affairs, lol, but I often don't have the time or inclination to read about things like China's nuclear capability in relation to the US ballistic missile defense system, KWIM? LOL!) Anyway, my dad wasn't upset at all. As for your friends and the way they talk about your homeschooling, first I would try to see it for what I think it is - a compliment. These woman are impressed by what you do, because they don't feel they could do it themselves. I'm sure they don't mean to put you down. You could talk to them, though, and gently let them know that sometimes you feel as though people see the homeschooler, not the woman. Hang in there. Ria

I do. Right now it's only once a week, but I'd do it twice a week. Ria

Unfortunately, Amy, what you are concerned about is really none of your business, and most of it seems to be hearsay as well. If you truly feel the child's welfare is threatened, you could call Child Protective Services, but it doesn't sound as though she's in any danger from what you've written. They sound like a different family...and that's okay. Mom has a degree in special ed...she probably has a good grip on the child's education. May might actually be years ahead, so taking a semester off might be just what she needed....you just don't know. If "Marsha" is concerned enough to talk about this to you, she's the one who should talk to the mom directly. For your part, if something happens in your class you can talk to the mom about that. Otherwise you'd best stay out of it. Ria

Shoot, not only are they culturally illiterate, they are completely clueless about the modern world. I asked one of my classes what they knew about John McCain - politics aside - just what they knew of his personal life. Would you believe that not one of the 12 of them had any clue that John McCain spent years as a POW in VietNam? And they couldn't name the Republicans or Democrats campaining for their parties' nominations. What's Big Brother when you can't figure out today? Sheesh. Ria

I watched something similar with the neighbor family. The parenting was horrendous...mom is a psychotic witch, IMO. The youngest had multiple behavioral issues. Mom couldn't accept that she might be to blame, so she took the kid from doctor to doctor and had him drugged beyond belief. Fast forward 13 years...he's now 18, mom is still psychotic and has just kicked him out of the house. He's been under the wing of social services for years, and they know the problem is not him, but her. Unfortunately, he bears the scars of the way he has been treated. I'll pray for your nephews. It sounds like the entire family needs help. I guess there's no way you could assume custody, eh? I feel for those boys. Watching what has gone on next door has been tough. Ria

It's a scam. Ignore it. Whatever you do, do not give them any information. The email you got probably looks like it came from paypal, but if you click on it, you'll see that the address it connects to is NOT paypal. It might have paypal in the name, but it's not www.paypal.com. Don't give them any info. Ria