We finally dropped our vision insurance because we found the providers in the insurance networks were always trying to slip things in. They would always say but you have insurance and I would reply that I am a stay at home mom and have no money to pay for the extras. Even with insurance I could get the kids glasses at Sam's Club for half the price with the bells and whistles. We also found if we went to an ophthalmologist versus and optometrist out health insurance would pay for the exam.

We used to take our kids to Acadia National Park where you can hike, swim, bike the carriage roads, eat ice cream in Bar Harbor while you check out the cruise ships in for the day. We camped in the National Park Campground, Blackwoods, where they had great ranger programs in the evening and you could go sit on the rocks by the water and watch the sun rise from the Atlantic ocean in the morning. Best part is it didn't cost us much which was good because we didn't have much money at the time.

As my husband is approaching retirement, we went a bit of a different route. You can now get a combined LTC/Life Insurance policy. It's a little more expensive than a just a LTC policy but the difference is if you don't need it for your care your survivor's will get it as an inheritance. It makes so much more sense than losing all the money if you die suddenly and don't use your insurance.

I have read that if you will have between $500,000 and 1.5 million at retirement you should get it. Below $500,000 you can't afford it and over $1.5 million you don't need it. We recently purchased a combination of Life Insurance and Long Term Care Insurance. It's a newer hybrid that they are offering. It is more expensive than regular long term care insurance but we felt it was worth it. The way it works is you are guaranteed a certain amount that you can use to pay for your nursing home care, etc. and whatever is left when you pass goes to your heirs. If you never require care, than your heirs get the whole amount. Think of it as investing in your kids futures. With just long term care insurance if you die without needing care, the money you paid for the insurance is never seen again.

You don't by any chance read in bed lying down do you? I love to read before I fall asleep at night on my ipad mini or with a book. I find I always hold it in my left hand which then in turn goes numb and hurts like heck when it decides to wake up. I often wake up with a numb hand and arm in the morning. It will sometimes bother me during the day if I am holding my arm just so. A break from reading laying down for a couple of nights usually clears it up. Hope it is something this simple. Anxiety sucks and can take hold of something simple and turn it into a nightmare. Been there and still doing that.

I used the God's World News Magazines for a junior high class one year. They have a teen edition covering current events. We had some great discussions in the class. One of my favorite classes that I taught at our homeschool coop. http://gwnews.com/worldteen/

I have used supporthose.com to get mine. They have instructions on how to measure your legs to get the right fit. I also have large calves and have had good luck with Sigvaris compression socks. I especially like the merino wool ones. My feet don't sweat as bad in them as they do in the nylon ones. supporthose.com also carries a lot of other brands. I would ask the cardiologist what level of compression you should be wearing. Can you get by with the ones from WalMart or do you need greater compression. I wear 20-30 for the blood clots I tend to get in my superficial veins. Unfortunately, they are not cheap!

It is so hard to be far away from our parents when they age and I was only and hour and a half away from mine. I can't even imagine what it would be like if they were across the country. Even plane travel is not a guarantee. My husband had to spend the night in the Baltimore Airport a couple of weeks because he missed his connection. He's in his early 60's and it took its toll.

I think the RV would wear them out. It would be several long days of travel. I think you would also need to find a really nice one to rent. We have rented from Cruise America and it was fine for us and our kids but I was tired of rattling around in the tin can it was after a week of travel. We also only got about 10 miles to the gallon. I think your parents would fair better with a direct flight. The airlines are pretty good about having wheel chairs available if you let them know. If your dad needs a rest room so often, he should take it up with his doctor. There might be some medication he could take which might slow things down when he is in transit.

I really like the THM Stevia the best. My version of moonshine is a half a cup of strawberries give or take, a Tablespoon of Braggs Apple Cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons of Lime Juice, 3 donks (the little spoon that comes with THM Stevia) and a tsp. of ginger. To this I add about a cup of water and a cup of ice and off to the Ninja it goes. When it's done I add more water and ice to fill the largest cup that came with my Ninja which I think is a quart. I love this in the summer. I have given up my diet coke habit and find when I have some again I can't seem to control my cravings. That has been a surprise to me. I have tried some of the other sweetener blends from THM and the grocery store but I find they all have an after taste. If you have a dog, remember anything with xyletol is highly poisonous to them. If you want a good breakfast smoothie recipe, I use a half a banana, 1/2 cup light cottage cheese, 1/2 cup soy milk, 1 cup almond milk, 2 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 scoop of THM Pristine Whey powder, 4 donks of Stevia, a large handful of fresh spinach and ice. It is so smooth and creamy and best of all chocolaty and you don't taste the spinach. Just thought I would throw that out this out their if you are looking for something for a breakfast on the go. It's my vitamin in a cup.

Thank you everyone for weighing in on what to do. I decided to try the orthotics and see how it goes. The flare up has died down a lot thanks to the cortisone shots but I don't want it to come back and I am starting to feel some twinges again a few weeks out. If the orthotics don't work then maybe I will try the barefoot route. A homeschooling student who loved to go barefoot said that's the way God made you so it must be good. She may have had a point! I just hate going barefoot.

I so feel for you. I had to take my sweet golden a few years ago. As hard as it was, I was so glad I was with her to the very end. The vet was great and gave me the last appointment of the day and came out to the car. We have a mini van so I climbed in the back with her and wrapped her in my arms. Her passing was very peaceful. She had cancer and I knew she was suffering. I hope your vet will come out to your car so you don't have to go in. I also paid in advance so I didn't have to deal with the bill afterwards.

My dog never learned her lesson when it came to skunks and the current one has already had one run in. I now keep a half gallon of peroxide on hand at all times!

My husband and I discussed it once upon a time. We are both greenhouse growers and have a lot of experience in the industry so having a garden center would have been an easy step for us. In the end after some soul searching we decided we just wanted to lock the door at the end of the day and go home with no worries or work and be able to go on vacations, etc.

After limping through life for six months, I finally went to see a podiatrist for help with my Plantar Fasciitis. I have maxed out the cortizone shots which have given me total relief for a few weeks but then I can feel the pain starting to return. The doctor said I have two choices for the next step. The first is a custom orthodic and the second is PT. Anyone have any experience with either? Did it work? Either way it is going to cost me but I am ready to pay the price to get off my backside and get up and going again.