I'm sorry you are going through this. Here is what I do, which may or not be useful to anybody else, but FWIW: 1. be out in nature and stay physically active. 2. rationalizing how I feel, "This is bad and stressful, but I felt extra bad about it because I had PMS, or I missed breakfast, or there was bad traffic on the way, or I was worried about X other thing at the same time." 3. reminding myself that if it turns out to be nothing, I will feel like I wasted a lot of time worrying, so I might as well not. 4. Sometimes one has to delve into the bad feeling and think it over, but sometimes one has to just intentionally think about something else. Because the thought of this stressor comes up multiple times each day, and if I understand it right, each time you think of it, it wears a kind of neurological "track" in your mind that makes it easier for you to fall into thinking about it again whenever you have a spare moment, so I try to turn the thought away so I don't do that. 5. I ask myself, "Can I bear this just for today?" and the fact is that nothing bad is actually happening right now, it is just one's usual day, with a low-lying anxiety about the future. Taking it day by day, and focusing on the day you are living at this moment, not the future. 6. do some fun things and make activities and appointments for yourself to look forward to. 7. If there is something you need more information about, get it from reliable sources, but don't freak yourself out by looking up the worst possible outcomes on the Internet. Hugs, I hope you get the best possible news in Oct!

No! No! Pinterest does not make me feel like I am lacking in some way! I use it to look up ideas that creative people have come up with. If I want to install a grape trellis, I see what kind of grape trellises are possible. Ditto windowbox flowers or anything. It's like window shopping too. I got a lot of ideas for a birthday party I'm giving. I was glad because I can not think up cute, clever ideas all that easily. Some people can, but I guess I have different talents. :) I take those ideas, go about it in my own ramshackle way, and then when people praise the result I blush and say shyly, "I got it off Pinterest." (half kidding)

I'm glad that you feel a little bit of relief, but how soon are you seeing the Dr? When is your appt? I'm glad your DH is right there with you. What helped you get out of the depths? Hugs.

Thank you, Unsinkable. I hope there is no update because Anonymous has gone to get care. Hugs & prayers.

Do not talk to the mom. You never know what may happen in that difficult conversation. You may ruin any chance of getting this dealt with. However, clearly something has to be done. This is one of the benefits of having kids in school, that you have a safety net of responsible, trained professionals around. (I mean in the ideal school.) I would talk to the teacher and tell her that this kind of conversation is going on in the class. It's clearly not what any teacher would want. Then I would talk to the guidance counselor privately and express your concerns about the particular student. After that I would keep quiet. I would not address the other parent at all. And, I would not necessarily mention to your own child that you have had these conversations.

My dear, I dont think I would focus on what husb & kids would eat right now. I would go to the local hospital, or urgent care, or call the local crisis hotline and tell them what you told us. I know you want to make plans to take care of the kids, that is what mothers do. But they can eat junk for a little while. What they really need most of all is a healthy mama. Getting well is your first job. Also, a therapist once told me, "I dont think anyone ever gets over the suicide of a parent." Hugs & tears.

Why did PCP say the labs were OK? The Vit D is low. People get on supplements if it is 30, and yours is 25. Unless there is some reason it would interact with your other medications, vit D should be recommended. I bet you will feel somewhat better. I can't speak to the rest of your symptoms, but hope you will find the cause!

You might want to look over at the Orthodox Homeschooling social group, or Crossing the Tiber.

I think many people probably like the Recent Posts feature. I personally don't use it but that's just me. A solution: have all the social group posting not show up on the Recent Posts. Or, have the moderators of each group able to choose to be included there or not. Thanks for bringing this to our attention!

I just reread, and understood from your OP that it was their OWN birthday they ruined, when you were treating them to a dinner out-- how rude of them to turn it into an occasion to berate and undermine you, no matter what the subject... this person sounds very unpleasant --and ungrateful. I wonder if there is some way, if you wish, to spend time with them in a way that shows care (if this is a relative that you are bound to be in contact with) yet minimizes actual conversation! Like... taking them to a movie instead of dinner. Then you don't have as much time to talk! Though on second thought perhaps this person disapproves of movies-- too worldly, I suppose.

Just realized I don't know what they are except that I know they are very small and round. But whether they are tiny peas, tiny nuts, peppercorns, or tiny raisins, I don't know. Off to find out. ... Ok, it's the bud of a Mediterranean shrub also called a Flinders Rose- that's a beautiful name. But to quote (yes, Wikipedia, I know): "The taxonomic status of the species is controversial and unsettled." No wonder I was unclear what it was!

Quill, I don't know if you can singlehandedly overturn the culture of secrecy in your family... I dunno... it might be that all you can do is make sure that your own family doesn't work that way.

Depends on the person. It could mean, 'for some reason you've been on my mind lately, and I said a prayer for you. How are you?' or it could mean, 'I noticed you were not at X event, and you should have been, so tell me what excuse you have, and I'm trying to phrase this as if caring for you, but I'm actually trying to show you up.' I like the first, I don't like the second. So it would depend on who the person is and how they said it.

Parrot, the assignment just said 'a positive experience' right? It doesn't have to be deeply profound. Maybe the prof just didn't want a bunch of whiny complainy essays. That would be no fun to grade. If you write about experiences on the WTM, I nominate "How I got the name Vulturebutt" as your title. :)

I don't think I'm confusing you with another poster, but haven't you mentioned that there are unusual things that have happened to you which have made you a Christian, or strengthened your faith? I bet you could write about your Catholicism, unless you're not allowed to write about religion.

Editing? a job with a publisher? journalism?

If all sides are bad, then all the more reason for us not to get involved. I have to say, Bill, I just do not agree with you-- but hopefully not because I have fallen under some propaganda (I don't belong to Met. Philips' jurisdiction BTW).

Sorry you have to deal with this, Quill.

Just wanted to add to my above post-- the suffering the person went through in their marriage was a secret to many people. There may be people who think he was just being a jerk. So I think we don't always know what goes on in a marriage from the outside, and who was or wasn't at fault in a divorce or cheating.

I would treat it differently depending on whether the person feels sorry about it. I have a relative who cheated, but after a long time of suffering in a very bad situation (spouse had mental illness, untreatable by the meds available at that time, and was not the same person he had married-- there's a lot worse but you get the idea), and said person felt terrible about it, and although there was a divorce, and a second marriage ensued, said person made sure the former spouse was financially and medically taken care of, for life. In that case after a period of shock and horror, all the family chose to relate to the person in a friendly and supportive way again. Who knows how any of us would have reacted in the same situation he was in? Would we have done any better? Second spouse always was second fiddle for us, though. That would be a lot different if it was a person who was just looking for greener pastures and being selfish and now refuses to admit he did something wrong. I would want to keep that person at a distance for a while.

Yes, I am so glad he got poofed. Whatever he was up to, he was up to no good. Or should I say OTNG?

Well, while the church leadership figures it out, why not continue to get together with the women who you are close to, the ones who helped you when your babies were born? You could just continue to meet, but not as a church organization, just as friends. Then if you like you could someday bring it back under the church's ministries umbrella.

What you are calling sand fleas I would call sand crabs or donax. They are cute and we would always catch them and make little ponds for them and let them burrow in our hands. What I would call sand fleas are just fleas or small flies that live at the beach and might bite. Two different creatures!

Even if they got no money from you, they would gain all your personal information.

Detached dryer vent from dryer and cleaned it out in its entirety to where it vents outdoors, then successfully reassembled everything!