I'm sorry, I hate to be such a downer, but it's not looking good.:crying: "He was doing better last night after the first surgery, but since, his blood pressure dropped last night, causing his kidneys to shut down. They are going to attempt some sort of Dialysis to try and get them functioning again. It is also unclear if he has any brain damage due to lack of oxygen. " ETA: my mom talked to my aunt. the doctors told my cousin she's going to have to make a decision. He needs a kidney transplant, they aren't sure if he has brain damage. The whole thing is just so sad. They took her blood and her husband's blood to do genetic testing. I am so, so sad for them.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: I am so sorry.

Clairelise (and Simka, if this is the case for you too) I am so sorry that has ever happened to you. It is absolutely disgusting to me that someone would treat you that way. It is so completely illogical too. I can think of about 10 reasons why that makes no sense. I am glad you got out of that situation. I just know this (and am assuming you are Christians) Christ didn't come to help those that were already perfect. He came to help those that were imperfect. While I have always viewed those with large families and clean homes to be perfect (don't know why; it's not in my religious beliefs anywhere), the truth is EVERYONE has some flaw somewhere. Sure they may be able to keep their house perfectly clean, but there is something else they won't be able to do perfectly. And judging from the way they treated you, it's very obvious to me what it was. (And I'm sorry if I'm overstepping bounds by saying all that, I only mean the best.):grouphug:

Oh my heck:svengo:I would have never even thought to look back there. Thankfully, my husband pulled the fridge out a few weeks ago (I can't even remember why:confused:) and swept and vacuumed the back. Now I can rest assured that there is no mold back there.

She posted an update on FB. I am praying so hard he can keep fighting. And am so happy to hear so many success stories. And I am so grateful we live in a day where they can fix it. Thank you everyone. "We are at XX Children's Hospital in XX, XX and baby is still in NICU and he is still fighting. I believe with every fiber in me that my Kaleb will come home with me and that WE WILL BE A HAPPY FAMILY WITH A HEALTHY BABY. So keep the prayers coming because he is definitely fighting."

:grouphug:I'm so sorry. But you are right, she is wrong. A child's safety (wanting to commit suicide) definitely trumps making friends at PS. Being able to work with his disabilities and go at his level trumps making friends at PS. Don't doubt yourself, you know best.

Update: My mom got to talk to her for about 30 seconds. Baby had 2 surgeries and is critical critical condition (that's what my mom said, I'm not sure if that's an official condition or not or if she just meant that it's very serious. In either case it's very serious.) I am just hurting for her and her family. A few weeks ago her dogs escaped and she's been out looking for them every day but couldn't find them and as a big animal lover, she's just been so heartbroken over it. I just can't imagine having to go through this right after going through that. She is close to Chicago, so they might transfer him and hopefully if that's the case, I'm praying a doctor there will know exactly what to do and how to handle it. More prayers would be appreciated.

Same here.

Praying for your whole family. :grouphug: I am so sorry for all you've had to go through the past few days.

no. I'm hoping it works out so they will never have to, but we're taking it on a year by year basis.

Oh thank you. I was so scared to Google in case it was something very difficult to treat. I'm already kinda a basket case over it, I just couldn't make it worse. Thank you everyone else. Hug your kids.

If I could do it over, I would work my tail off to avoid student loans or at least lessen the amount borrowed. You can never be rid of them, even if you declare bankruptcy. They are through the government, which has a nasty way of knowing when you owe them. In my opinion, it is a sign of immaturity to want something now (not have to work) when the consequences are far off (student loan repayment). There is enough time for her to go to school full time and at least work part time, but it would involve a lot of work and less social time. But that's just the lessons this 27 year old fart has learned in the past 4 years, I'm sure at 18 she has everything figured out.;) Whatever she decides, you need to let her own it and accept complete responsibility for it and never ever ever ever cosign it with her unless you are looking for a potential way to ruin your relationship. Don't ask me how I know.

72 hour kit first. Includes clothing, water, food, shelter materials. Then water. then whole grains and a hand crank wheat grinder. Then oil. Then dried legumes. Then honey or sugar. Then all the extras.

update: the baby is with God now:crying: My cousin had her baby last night. This is a copy of the FB post (so I don't mess up what the condition is and what it means) "He was born last night with transpostion of the great vessels which means the right side of the heart pumps oxygenated blood to the lungs and the left side of the heart pumps regular blood to the rest of the body. Baby Kalebs blood vessels are backwards." My heart hurts so bad for her. Her and her husband tried for so long to get pregnant and even though she had horrible morning sickness the whole way through, she kept a positive attitude and always loved that baby. The latest update has him going into surgery.

:lol: me too

OOooooo I forgot. When I clean or do something productive, I feel better about myself. Even if it's just a load of dishes and making dinner, I feel so much less depressed and so proud that I did SOMETHING. Like I said, recovering slob. It's all about the baby steps with me.

I found that once I got rid of the "I need to do it to be perfect" mentality there were still other reasons. 1) Makes life easier. Easier to find things, easier when you live "ahead" (ie, easier to have the dishes washed before you need to use them, instead of having to wash them right when you need them), easier to maintain a clean house. 2) Less places for bugs and creepy crawlies to hide. I expect a few spiders, that's just kinda normal. But the trail of ants that came in, they did so for a reason (our vacuum broke and we procrastinated fixing it). Watch an episode or twelve of Hoarders and you can see the kind of "pets" that come in and live with them. Warning: the longer and messier your house, the bigger the pests seem to get. 3) Another common thing on Hoarders is the people putting their "stuff" as a higher priority than their relationships. I know this can often happen at the other end of the spectrum, so either way, I want my kids and husband to know that I value them more than my stuff. 4) I want to teach my kids how to be good stewards of their stuff and their space. 5)Another thing on Hoarders is that people are so embarrassed/ashamed by the state of their house they don't let people over. I don't want my stuff to get in the way of other relationships either. That being said, I am a recovering slob and the downstairs is the only part of my house that is clean. And even then it's not museum or magazine cover clean. It's clean enough so I won't get embarrassed if someone stops by, which they did. And for the first time ever, I wasn't embarrassed. ETA: I hate cleaning, but enjoy the end result. I had to struggle for years to really get the fact that I needed to focus on how much I enjoyed the end result and not focus on how much I hated cleaning.

You can do it! Don't listen to your inlaws; they raised their children how they saw fit, you get to raise yours how you see fit. With that many kids, I would recommend Managers of their Homes and Managers of their chores. The first helps me (and I only have 3 kids, only one whom I've sorta kinda practiced homeschooling so far) and I really really really really :lol: want to et the second one, bc I need help having the kids help clean. Put those kids to work! And that's all the practical advice because, like I said, I've only got three. But you can do it!

I have the Easy Lunchboxes. They are deeper than I expected, so I can add more stuff. They are also stronger and sturdier than I expected; I was expecting them to be kind flimsy and cheap. Also, since I have to handwash, there are only two pieces, not 12. I got 2-4 packs of the containers and 3 lunch boxes and the free shipping. Love it. We use them every day even at home; they make really good meal trays for the kids.

My friend has MS and has a website here. She talks about how she's never been on any medication for it and just recently watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead where two men cure their autoimmune disorders. I know once she found out she had MS (3 years ago when she was pregnant with her youngest) she did gluten free for awhile. She did cut out all MSG, HFCS, colorings, preservatives, etc from her diet. I'm sure you could email to talk to her more.

I know my sister was on one that suppressed her appetite and she lost weight. I don't remember which one it was as it was 5 years ago and she's switched around a bit. So yes, it's possible. But there are also ones that do make you want to eat more so *sigh* it just seems to be one of those things you find out after you're on them. And can I just give you a :grouphug:. I struggle with depression issues and I just want to give you a :grouphug:

We unplugged the TV and stuck it in the corner (that was six months ago). After the kids were in bed, I had the option to pull it out and plug it in to watch some not-to-be-missed shows, Castle, Deadliest Catch, The Soup and Fashion Police, Project Runway. When the season of Castle was over, I usually only pulled it out on Tuesdays to watch Deadliest Catch. And I left it out. And a little Pigby would wake up early and watch. This past Sunday, since DC is over) we put the TV on the curb with a free sign and away it went. I will still be able to watch Castle, Project Runway, Next Food Network Star, Raising Hope on Hulu or IMDB, but now I can do it on my own time and don't have to worry as much about getting sucked in or letting the kids get sucked in. The boys generally watch one movie a day while I wash dishes or get some other cleaning done. Computer time for Pigby is being cut off. When he tells me he's bored or asks me what to do, he's getting a chore. play time on my phone will only be a reward for getting his chores done and doing his school work. He loses time every time he whines/is disobedient/rude/mean/etc. I need homeschooling to work out. I need to pour my heart and soul into educating this little man and eventually the youngers. I absolutely cannot do that while glued to the computer screen myself, so I need to beat this addiction.

:grouphug: You can do it! I'm also hoping they surprise you in a good way.

(I don't buy this all at once, it kind of rotates on a weekly basis what I need) What I get from Costco: 4-pack ground turkey (about 6.5 pounds), 93% lean, $2.29/lb 4 pack pork roast (can't remember exactly what kind) $1.99/lb 2 pack whole chickens, 99 cents/lb 10# onions 1 pack (6) red peppers 24 oz mushrooms 10# carrots 5 doz eggs 1 pack fresh broccoli florets 1 pack sugar snap peas bag of shredded parmesan and colby/jack cheese sour cream vidalia onion salad dressing 2.5 # bag of spinach Bag of frozen fruit (right now the one we have is pineapple, strawberry, mango, papaya) milk What I get from Walmart: broccoli slaw (about $1.68/bag) can of water chestnuts and bamboo shoots "French" bread loaves Provolone cheese slices Worcestershire sauce egg noodles and other pasta, preferably the 51% whole wheat by Barilla tomatoes celery cucumbers mayonaise tortillas 2-5# packs of chicken breasts From Sunflower Market: steel cut oats and granola Plus I have stuff stocked up that I pull off my can rack. What I do: cook each pack of ground turkey with one chopped onion and some garlic. Divide into six freezer bags and freeze. Crockpot 5# of chicken with Montreal Steak Seasoning, use in place of lunchmeat or canned chicken. Meals I make Breakfast: Steel cut oats, eggs, or granola, green smoothies (spinach and apple juice, frozen fruit) or sometimes toast. Lunch: Leftovers or sandwiches with chopped chicken, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, provolone cheese Dinners: 1)Pulled pork sandwiches- put pork roast and sliced onions in crockpot and cover with BBQ sauce. Cook on low 6-8 hours, then shred with a fork. Add more BBQ sauce if needed. Serve on bread 2) Spaghetti sauce-One pack of frozen ground turkey, add three 15 oz cans tomatoes with juice, 3 cans tomato sauce, 1 1/2 cans tomato paste, dried oregano, basil, parsley, Italian Seasoning, garlic powder, salt and some brown sugar (sorry, I don't really measure, just go until it tastes right), and three cans of mushrooms to make spaghetti sauce. 3)Turkey Broccoli Slaw- One pack of frozen ground turkey, mix with broccoli slaw, chopped water chestnuts and bamboo shoots, 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce. Serve over brown rice or chopped spinach 4) Strogonoff sandwich-One pack ground turkey, mix with sliced mushrooms, about 1 cup sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Slice French loaf in half lengthwise, butter and sprinkle garlic powder on each half. Put slices of Provolone on top half, put meat mixture on other half, put under broiler for a minute or two until cheese is melted. 5)Nacho meat-One pack turkey, 2 cans pinto beans drained, about 1 tsp ground cumin, about 1/3 cup ketchup, about 3 TBS brown sugar, about 1/2 tsp chili powder to make nacho meat. Serve over chips with my lazy guacamole (mashed avocado with salsa and sour cream and lime juice). Or I sometimes make it into a taco salad with the chopped spinach instead of chips (I still use a few chips though, for crunch) 6) Poor Man's strogonoff-One pack turkey with a little EVOO and flour (2 TBL) added. Cook so flour tastes doesn't remain (3-4 min), add can of beef broth. Add sliced mushrooms, cook. Add about 1 c. sour cream, salt, pepper, parsley, serve over egg noodles. 7) Chicken fajitas-3 chicken breasts, thinly sliced, 1 very large onion, thinly slice, 3 red peppers, thinly sliced. Cook in oil with a little seasoned salt. Serve in tortillas with cheese, lazy guacamole, and refried beans 8) Roast chicken with carrots, onions, potatoes. Mix EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary and rub half over chicken and mix half with veggies. pick off extra meat and boil the carcass with water and save broth to be used in soup. 9) What we've been doing a lot on the days it's too hot to cook is use French bread to make a sandwich with the crockpotted chicken, salad dressing, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, and cheese. If veggies aren't a main part of the meal (like with meal #9) we'll eat them as a side, broccoli and sugar snap peas with dressing dip or a spinach salad.

Reagan. 1984