Yes, we're in a tight spot this year too. I've been an emotional wreck since before Thanksgiving. In fact, if we hadn't had a family invite us to a potluck, there's no way we would have been able to afford a Thanksgiving dinner. In all honesty, I'm not really sure how we'll be able to afford any food. I have a writing gig that pays, so while it's not much, at least it's something. And even though I started late on the SwagBucks thing, I do have enough for $10 to Amazon. I would gladly make lots of homemade gifts and fudge and jam and such, but even that costs a lot of money. I've been trying to count my blessings because I know we have lots, I've just been very mentally weary. Sorry for the downer post, I'll be ok, just needed to vent.

Don't feel guilty for needing a break. He'll be with his father and two great sisters. Just enjoy it. I like the idea of leaving dollar store gifts. They'd all love that. Even my dad, who was a pretty hands off parent took care of us for a week while my mom was gone. I was shocked, absolutely SHOCKED that he knew how to make macaroni and cheese. :lol: Your DH might not do everything the same way you do, but it's ok. I firmly believe it's important that my DH gets lots of practice taking care of his children. He was always so scared; now I'm pretty confident in his abilities.

Ummm...heck yes I would. What are the ages of your other children? Is one of them babysitting age so you can count on them to help out? That would make it even easier for me. Does your 2 year old have a stuffy or a blanky that he's attached to? If not, I would get working on that ASAP. It has been my experience that even when kids are super attached to mom, they can be easily distracted with other things as well. If you leave him home with Daddy for a few hours, how does he handle that? I'd probably be practicing that as well. HAVE FUN!!!!

"Dear SIL, Wow, what a generous gift for you to give them. Just to let you know, they already have Kindles, so it's up to you if you'd still like to get them the upgrade to the Fire or if you'd rather give them something else like an Amazon gift card so they can purchase books. Either way, they'll be so excited and appreciative." Would something like that work? I know your son technically doesn't have a Kindle, but with the laptop he could download books onto Kindle for PC. My main point was to try and be nice by letting SIL know a Kindle isn't really needed and to let her know that it's up to her whether she gets them an upgrade or something else.

:hurray: Glad they stood for what was right.

ok, this might be a really dumb question, but where did you get it?

First, I had to take a look at why I was a perfectionist in the first place. In my case, it was because both my parents are. I grew up hearing about every little mistake I made, a big ol' huff anytime I didn't do something the "right" way, and feeling like a failure because I didn't do something right the first time. I did not want to pass that on to my own children. My parents got it from their parents. I decided to end the cycle. Interestingly enough, the Rich Dad, Poor Dad book helped a little. In it, he talks about making mistakes. Life is about making mistakes, for that's how we learn. So now, I view life with kids as letting them learn how to do things on their own and not always saving them from their mistakes. Stop viewing plans gone awry as a bad thing, view it as them learning. Second, I had to realize that even though my oldest seemed older than five, when I looked back and remembered how I thought at age five, it seemed to help. Most of the time when my kids are acting up, it's a cry for attention. My oldest especially just wants someone to be silly with. So even though I think it's ridiculous as a grown up, I just try and be silly with him. Third, I've noticed that they are more likely to be hellions when my attention is diverted elsewhere. When they have to fight the computer to get my attention, they get really mad. That's not to say I give them my undivided attention all day (I am on this forum right now, afterall), but I keep it to a minimum.

I have no idea, but I'm glad he's ok. :grouphug:

Oh I'm so glad I'm not alone. I got spoiled with Pigby, he was a pretty cautious baby. Digby is a little maniac. He was always jumping head first off things because he somehow knew we'd be there to catch him. :glare: He never learned how to scale the fridge, thank goodness, but I did find him on the kitchen table more often than not. He was always falling, falling, falling. Once time he fell and hit his head on a shelf in the kitchen. It wasn't a big fall, I probably wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't started crying, but it left a perfect line bruise going down the left side of his face. It looked like someone had taken a Sharpie and a ruler and started at his forehead, skipped over his eye and finished down his cheek. Yesterday I made a pot of spaghetti for lunch. While I went upstairs to put Chuck down for a nap, he had moved a chair over to the stove and dumped the entire contents of my salt shaker in the pot. All that food wasted :cursing: I agree with the person who said it's like a suicide watch. I have often said that if Digby makes it to adulthood it will be some kind of miracle. He seems to be getting better about not falling all the time, but he still worries me. He has no concept of self-preservation.

:iagree:It's not possible to move around while you have an epidural. Epidurals often slow labor down, which means pitocin. Pitocin can cause distress to the baby, so once she gets the epidural, she'll have to be monitored and laying down. For support pre-epidural: You can help her as she walks around. When she gets a contraction, she can lean on you or her husband and gently sway side to side. The most important thing while having a contraction is to keep your belly relaxed. Note: this is very hard to do without a lot of practice before hand, so if she has a hard time with it, just keep reminding her. My midwife's assistants would push on my knees or hips or back to provide counter pressure as I was having one. I would also keep an eye out for when she is having a contraction and try to keep everything quiet then. Don't let anyone talk to her or ask her questions, just let her focus. For support after the epidural: Ice chips, holding a puke bucket, wiping hair, words of encouragement, etc. ETA: oh and so far as getting labor going, I would just say walk, walk, and walk some more. Baby's head pushing down will be most effective and serve for an easier labor.

Today I'm thankful little girl actually ate last night. I was getting really worried. I'm thankful all the kids seem to be getting over their colds. I'm thankful didn't freak out when he lost his tooth (he was worried about the blood, but when the time came, he didn't even notice)

Oregon. I've never been, but I hear it rains a lot. I need to get away from the desert heat and the super cold winters to someplace that's not California.

Oh my. This seems like it's a lot more complicated than crocheting. I should maybe not be watching the one on working in the round. Four needles?!:svengo: Yeah, crocheting is a lot easier. I will keep watching though. Wish me luck!

That's BEAUTIFUL!!!! Good job!

Thank you both!:001_smile:

Which YouTube video would you recommend? I've started a few, but I'm having trouble finding a good series. Any recommendations?:bigear:

Yes, that is the only way we could get anything done. Digby likes to take pencils and books and paper. He also likes to scream and throw things and run. If I need to get something done (nap, shower, cleaning, dinner whatever) I know I can always bring the laptop up to the boys room and put a movie in for them.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas Polar Express Not a Creature Was Stirring (a cute little take on Night before Christmas. One page is the original writing, the other page is a new story) Those are the ones I can think of right now.:bigear:

I am convinced It's a Wonderful Life is the greatest movie ever made. The Princess Bride is a close second. There's just nothing wrong with those movies, nothing you would change. They're just perfect.

Well, more like I'll be missing them as littles. DH is sleeping downstairs on the couch with Digby next to him on the floor. He's the one taking care of Digby after I go to sleep. If Digby doesn't make it all into the bucket, I will come help so we can both get to bed faster. It's a joint effort right now, but after three months I'm looking ahead to the rest of winter as one long period of sick kids and no sleep. I kinda went crazy after Digby was born because there was a year of extreme sleep deprivation. I'm just worried that I won't be able to keep crazy away forever. Ok, I just gotta make it two more days. They'll be better in two more days. Oh and thank you both for the hugs. :-)

Well, I dislike it because my voice gets tired after awhile. Try having some fun with the voices. If I have more fun, it's not so hard. It's hard to try and keep different voices consistent for the characters. People who read audiobooks for a living sure do a great job.

This is one of those "I need some perspective" moments. Three months ago it started with baby girl who had been sleeping 8-10 hours a night, only going 1-3 hours a night. Then last week, when I got her sleeping 6-8, she got her terrible diaper rash and essentially screamed all night long. Then she started getting better. Then Digby got the stomach flu and has been vomiting and crying (because it scares him and hurts) all night long. Now baby girl is coming down with another cold and right now it seems as though I'll never sleep again. I'm just so tired. I've been trying to tell myself that it will get better and that in 10 years I'll look back and miss it. Right?

Ooooo, that's a good idea.

Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. They. Are. Hilarious. So funny, I can't stop laughing when I read them. There's four books out now, I think he's planning to do a fifth, but that could be part of the big joke, I'm not sure.

would you like me to mail it to you? message me your address please.:001_smile: