First question: How do you like to toast your marshmallows? I like mine slightly burnt with a hot, creamy, meltedy center! (meltedy is not a real word... but... you know....) How was your weekend? Tiring! DH took the 4 boys out for a boating/camping trip and I've been alone... except the first night I babysat my grandson overnight, which was fun... then last night I babysat my two other grandchildren and it was fun... but, lots of baby-crying-in-the-night moments... tonight I am going to SLEEP!!! :) I also spent today driving about 220 miles... spent time with oldest son, then visited my 17yog at her residential rehab facility for visiting hours and it was a good visit, then went to dinner with my 20yog and her fiancee, now am home... tired out! Is anything special happening in the month of July? I hope to get permanent custody of my two youngest sons this first week of July... don't post much about the personal "things", but it's a big thing... hoping to really bond as a family here at home... hoping to get some emotional rest. :)

My firstborn son got attached to a bedtime bear name Pookie Bear from the time he was 8 weeks on... Pookie Bear was carried all over and re-stuffed and stitched up several times and now resides in one of my keepsake boxes... such sweet memories!!!!!

My infamous to-do list... vacuum bedroom clean out closet clean out under bed and multiple piles beside bed clean out drawers ***Organize all belongings in above list*** ***While doing the above list, stack and store extra items in garage*** THEN... take extra "stuff" to donate... start organizing garage... yet again... get LOCKING LOCK for garage and keep the keys on me at nearly all times so boys do not dig through and mess up garage!!!!!!! (wish me luck on that...)

This happened to me AND my 17yog... I had to have up to date immunizations and the doctor ran blood titer tests to check my immunity... it was discovered that being fully immunized, I had no immunity to mumps or hepatitis... my 17yog has had immunizations, on a delayed schedule, and has no immunity to hepatitis, either!

Lots of good ideas... here are a couple of mine... Take a few minutes to wash and moisturize your face... it feels good! Make a play list of your favorite "kick butt" songs! I love my play list (they have these for free online!) Jump rope for a minute or two, shake it out... move on. Enjoy a comfort drink... a coffee or tea? Take time, perhaps early in the morning or later at night, to have a drink and tiny piece of a little something... for me, I loved lemon flavored almond bark with tea... and just a little piece to nibble, with my tea and a lit candle... helped. Establish some simple, basic routines to stick to... most of us do this without thinking about it... And as someone mentioned, give yourself time once a week to carve out an hour or so for something that you love... whether it be taking some pictures, reading, window shopping, crafting, watching a mindless entertaining show!

No, just us as a couple... !!!!

I'll be in Chicago a couple of nights and a day this summer... I'd really like to make the most of my time and not have dh and I look at each other, asking, "So, what do you want to do?" when neither of us are familiar with Chicago!!! Any ideas or tips or great spots to enjoy an evening together?

:grouphug: My aspie son is 12. His aspie uncle is 22 and a remarkable college senior! He's kind, respectful very smart and mil did one great job raising him. Hope you get some great days ahead... maybe just around the corner...:grouphug:

My sil was in this situation... I cried a lot when her twins were aborted to save her life. She died several months later from diabetes problems. I often wondered what would have happened if they had kept her going as long as possible to give the babies a chance, then my brother would have had his children... as it was he lost them all. I tried to deny a blood transfer in the hospital when my youngest was being born... it ended up saving my life. I was glad that the staff kept pressuring me to take blood. I didn't like it, but it was worth it to be the kids mom and be alive. It's so sad, indeed.

I used three of them to bake a homemade lemon mereign pie... but, that was very time consuming and I will only do that with store bought crusts from now on... But, I'd love some lemon recipes that are tried and true yummy.... Thanks!

When I sew (every few years), I get the machine out and set up and go to town and do a lot of things, one after the other... sometimes baby clothes, or curtains, quilts... but, then I get done and put the machine away for a loooong time (as in a few more years!). I have been learning crochet the last couple of years and have had fun making small things... like a turtle with a vest for a son who collects turtles... and dishcloths, scarfs, etc. I tried slipper socks, but lost interest right away in that... I've done some plastic canvas projects, years ago... make a darling play house and furniture for one of my little girls... made barbie furniture, too... would like to do a couple of tissue box holders in the colors of my living room and bathroom because dh always buys tissue boxes that clash... and we have to have tissue here with our allergies! I made lots of crochet sock monkey hats last year for Christmas presents, this year I am going to try to make several sock monkey cup sleeves to give out. I made a few cross stitch Christmas stockings... I love them, but that goes slow and I get tired of it... I've made a couple of afgans and would like to make more, but am making myself finish other things first!

Praying here. :grouphug:

When my oldest two girls were about 3 and 5 years they began creating stories... playing with the dolls/barbies/etc. And the younger of the two almost ALWAYS started the play out with "Hey... our mom and dad are dead and..."!!!! Seriously, when she sat down to play, the barbies and dolls or whatever were orphans! What was great is that when they were about 10 and 12 they began a nightly whispering ritual... They started what we would call a soap opera type story and continued it every single night, whispering what was happening as they drifted off to sleep and they continued for YEARS!!!! The oldest is an aspiring author now and the younger of the two is a Junior in college, majoring in journalism...

Hi, I'm Bee, and I'm a wife of 5 years and mother of 7 that are mine, 4 that are his, grandma to 3 adorables... I homeschooled my 7 for 15 years and we lived most of those years in Alaska. I enjoy photography as a hobby... used to scrapbook, but became totally burnt out on it and the thought of doing it again makes me cringe and twitch... lol... I enjoy crochet and would like to learn to knit sometimes... but, life it busy... I have 4 teen boys at home currently and that keeps life busy... I work part time in retail and part time in elder care, which is very rewarding. Now it's time to update my signature!!

I do not like having short hair, but I cannot stand hair on my face... so I will be an elderly lady wearing a pony tail one day!! I also have to have a sheet on to sleep, even if it's hot... I love top 40 music and dancing around... copying dance moves that I see... and seeing my kids mouths drop open because "mom knows that song???" !!! I nearly ALWAYS HAVE to count stairs... going up or down... even if I've gone up or down countless times, my brain simply counts stairs...

No... I was told that I did not qualify to donate blood or organs because of previous cancer.

:grouphug: So sorry. :grouphug:

I head to Santa Cruz a few times a month nowadays.... If you go to the Boardwalk... and you are facing the beach... look to the right... LOL! Honestly, if you drive to the boardwalk and turn to the right and drive up the hill it winds a couple of miles of fabulous cliffs and little beaches... my favorite is Natural Bridges... you can actually look that up, it's a state park, I believe. It is so beautiful!!! There's a restaurant that is very expensive, but you can go there and sit outside and order a pizza... lol... it's gorgeous! It is in Capitola.... called Shadowbrook. It is nestled down the side of a cliff with amazing plants and waterfalls and you can eat inside and look out over the water or even outside and look out over the water! It's not a place to go and eat a full course, though, unless you budget for $50 a person. Their prices rise in the summer, but, I've been in July and had pizza outside and it was tolerable in price... for two...

ME!!!!!!! Is that enthusiastic enough? I dread it. I like the looks of it, but I do not enjoy it one bit. I will put up a lovely tree for Christmas... and I might put out kitchen towels for a holiday... maybe....

Praying here, too. :grouphug: May God's peace pour out over Julie and all who know and love them. :grouphug:

I measured very small with my 4th. So small that they had me in EVERY week to do an US and check on her. They supposed that there MUST have been something wrong, but could never find anything wrong. In the end, I think I measured about 4 or 5 weeks behind what I should have measured and I had an absolutely healthy and CHUBBY 5 pound baby. I did have oligiohydramnios, which is a condition of not much amniotic fluid. Anyway, I never knew 5 pounds could look chubby, but it can. Must have been all the avacados I ate trying to make my baby grow.... Try not to worry, but do the best you can with your own health.

One of my sons LOVES food. He doesn't always CHEW it, though. For about two years I had to do the heimlich maneuver about 3 times a year, each time afterwards giving him a talk about slowing down, enjoying each bite and chewing! The good thing was, since that happened, he was at school and noticed a boy with a cube of cheese stuck in his throat, choking and no one noticing and/or knowing what to do. He did the heimlich maneuver and all was fixes and they announced what he did on the school sound system and awarded him gifts as a hero.... Anyway... I always go for the heimlich... even though I don't know how to spell it. And, I will be taking CPR soon...

We are in CA, too.... and it sucks. I'm so sorry for what you are going through. Every time it looks like we can manage and get bills paid off, multiple things happen that set us off another year or so... and on it goes. While that seems like no big deal because we have jobs. But, we are having to make do with less and less while paying more and more on gas and expenses that we've been slapped with. So, in a way, I kind of understand. :grouphug:

Say yes as often as you can, save the "no"s for the "big deals". And... as already mentioned.... "This, too, shall pass."

My mother-in-law, who is a fan of healthy food choices and natural foods, always pinned a paper to dh's back that said, "Don't feed the kid!" when they went camping!!! Too many people offered him treats and goodies and all back then....