I think the original editorial has been misrepresented. Here's a response by the doctor who wrote it: Doc feels heat over foster care idea for obese kids Opinion piece in medical journal has triggered a backlash By Lauren Keiper updated 7/15/2011 7:07:43 PM ET BOSTON— Boston pediatrician David Ludwig, the center of a media firestorm this week, wants to set the record straight on his view that a state should intervene in the most extreme cases of child obesity. Ludwig and co-author Lindsey Murtagh at the Harvard School of Public Health triggered a backlash with an opinion piece in a leading U. S. medical journal about what could be done about highly overweight youngsters. They argued that when all other efforts failed, a state should consider putting high-risk obese kids in foster care, and said doing so may be the more ethical choice that could avert drastic measures like weight-loss surgery. Ludwig, of Boston's Children's Hospital, has since responded to dozens of e-mails this week from angry and terrified parents. Other medical experts have questioned the rationale of removing a child from an otherwise functional and supportive family if they are obese. In his first interview since the backlash began, Ludwig said the article was meant to promote a dialogue on childhood obesity, which has become a life-threatening problem for many youngsters. "It's absolutely understandable that if someone with an obese child heard the government could swoop in and take that child away, (they would) be frightened and outraged," Ludwig told Reuters. "I want to emphasize that foster care should only be the last resort when all other options have failed." Story: Obesity alone is no reason to remove kids from their homes In his replies to parents, Ludwig has provided copies of his opinion piece, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, that says there is a role for the state when it comes to helping obese children, but removing them from a home is very rarely the solution. "It's just been heartbreaking to see how the story has been wildly exaggerated by some of the media, causing a great deal of pain and suffering for people," Ludwig said. With at least 20 million overweight and obese children in the United States and some 2 m illion of those kids at the very highest risk, childhood obesity may be the "most important threat that exists to this generation of children," he said. But placing a youngster in foster care "should absolutely not be an option" for most of the highest risk cases. And that is what Ludwig and Murtagh wrote in the piece, he said. To prove his point and calm the fury that has erupted, JAMA is making the full text of the piece available free to the public for a week at http://jama.ama-assn. org/content/306/2/206.full. Ludwig explained that state intervention could include financial support to families, social services, access to safe recreation areas and even parenting courses to help manage a child's uncontrolled eating habits. In 99 percent of the most serious cases, removing a child from a home is not an option. Ludwig said that in over 15 years of treating some 10,000 patients battling obesity he only knows of one case where the child was taken from parents. "The ultimate answer to the obesity epidemic is not to blame parents, it's to create a more healthful and supportive society," Ludwig said. "But until we get there, what do we do about that 14-year-old, 400-pound (182 kg) child who's not facing increased risk of illness 20 years from now, but who's facing life- threatening complications today?" he said. Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

I've never used frozen bread before. I want to make paninis. Do I need to thaw it first, or just grill it straight from the freezer?

She wants to do some reading instruction with her son, who will start ps K this fall. She has been using some sight word books (like Scooby Doo) and I suggested she start with phonics. She thought that's what she was doing, and doesn't really understand what phonics is. I'm going to lend her my BRI (I See Sam) books, which I think are great for phonics instruction, but I want to give her a few very basic resources about what phonics is and how to teach it. I have a bunch of books, but I know she isn't really interested in spending a lot of time educating herself. So does anyone have any brief, straightforward, very practical websites they like for this? TIA.

Kids are born with all kinds of character traits, obvious at very early ages. One of mine was intense, one laid-back. One was quiet, one very... vocal. :) I don't know why laziness would be any different. I don't think it's a great idea to call a kid lazy, but of course some kids are born with a tendency toward laziness, just as some are over-achievers from their first breath. I don't doubt that parenting and modeling can have an influence, but there must be a genetic component, just as with other personality traits.

My kids loved Perler beads. They would do those for hours on end.

;)

Great idea! I did some searching and found a bunch of websites. After looking at the pictures I think I might do it myself after all. So much for decluttering the basement. :D

Okay, change that to.... She'd be beat by four of a kind. :)

23 cookies are missing. She'd be beat by four of the same.

Urpedonmommy did it! Give me a minute and I'll post a clue...

:grouphug:

Well darn it, I was so excited to see hornblower posting, and then I saw this was a resurrected post. :sad: But the book looks interesting!

I have a big box of my kids' baby clothes that I've been holding on to, thinking that I might someday make a quilt out of them. I've finally realized that the quilt isn't going to happen. The clothes are in good shape, and are mostly from Gap, Old Navy, Gymboree, with a few things from Target. Do baby fashions change and go out of style? Would it be obvious that these are 17 years old?

Also, try a Magic Eraser.

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

:grouphug:

Did someone say that? :confused:

:lol: I don't do Flylady either. But for some reason, just keeping the sink clean and shiny really motivates me to keep the rest of the kitchen clean. And it snowballs from there. :)

:iagree: When I feel like my house is getting out of control, I start with the sink (Flylady tip). It always works for me.

Guilty. I find it useful. :)

Yes, thanks. I was only commenting on this: not the OP's situation. Oh, I agree it shouldn't be that way. But knowing how people gossip, I wouldn't fault anyone for wanting to keep that information, or anything else related to their health, private.

Me too.