I would've like this post twice, if possible. As long as the teens aren't vandalizing and getting into trouble, what's the harm? I read some article last Halloween. Here it is: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marion-franck/what-you-need-to-know-about-6-foot-trick-or-treaters_b_6030982.html

My daughter has had good luck with Dolfin Uglies. They have some fun patterns and they hold up well. They sell them at Dick's Sporting Goods in my city. You can usually find them online, too.

That's Norman. He follows me everywhere and is pretty obedient. He's sitting on the stair, because I told him "sit". LOL

I would sincerely appreciate opinions. My house has a ton of wood currently- doors, cabinets, floors, trim, stairs, etc. The doors I have now are hollow doors that came with this 1980s house. The rest of the wood in the house looks good and is in good shape. I'm thinking about changing the doors out to 2 paneled white doors. Would this look good or is it a bad idea?

Prices in our area are climbing. The realtors are begging people to list with them, since inventory in our area is low. A 4 bed/2 bath/2 car garage house around 2000 sq feet that is "decent" (outdated kitchen, laminate counters in bathrooms, and 1980 style fixtures) is selling for around $250,000 in my area.

My 12 and 13 year old boys play on their kindles, play video games, eat, watch tv, etc. I have gotten good at not allowing too much sedentary activity this summer, though. When I see them sit for too long I give them yard work to do or I get them to the gym to shoot hoops. Also, I got a badminton set this week and they've been spending time playing with that. I try to have some social stuff for them to do, too, and have them set up time with their friends.

cleaning out the fridge. My mother-in-law once food poisoned my husband with bad leftover spaghetti. My kids and hubby have learned to check dates on everything in the fridge. No one ever heats up leftovers unless I instruct them to do so.

...be a quad level. Our last home was a ranch with a basement. I think we'll go back to a ranch next time.

The toe wound is most alarming to me- especially is she is a diabetic. That's how diabetics lose toes. Wounds need moisture to heal. Aggressive or too frequent cleansing is not a good idea, since you are trying to build granulation tissue which will fill in the wound areas. She needs to change position more. She should be moved to a different position every 2 hours. In your shoes, I'd call the doctor and tell him it's not improving. He needs to help you get care started at a wound care center.

My boy/girl twins both played 7th grade basketball for our neighborhood's public school this past year. 7th grade is the first year to have the school teams play. 75 boys showed up for the boys' team tryouts. 12 made the team. A couple of boys we know who play year round competitive ball did not make their school teams. That's pretty common with the boys' sports. Competition is high for the spots and most of the kids who make the teams have played basketball since a young age. For the girls' basketball team about 30 showed up. 9 made the team. Skills weren't as high for the girls' team. For the kids who don't make the team, they are given the option to practice with the team for intramural practices (about an hour a day for the season). The school does try to invest in the kids who want to improve. My daughter had a great experience with her team. The girls and the coach were really sweet to her. My son's team had a couple of boys with big egos and the coach had no idea how to coach due to it being his first year. My son did look to get positive things out of the experience, though, and his dribbling skills really improved due to playing a new position.

I learned about B12 deficiency through the book "Could It Be B12?" by Sally Pacholok. I started researching my symptoms on my own, since all doctors ever wanted to do with me (when I complained) was test my hormones and thyroid levels. The book explains the connections between B12 deficiency and many illnesses. I was surprised to read that many of the medications that people take cause deficiency. I take 2 meds that should automatically require b12 supplementation (nexium and metformin).

I had ringing in my ears when I was B12 deficient.

I used a bio-identical gel progesterone cream (compounded for me). It helped with sleep and I didn't seem to have night sweats as much when taking it. I did try an over the counter cream at one point. That seemed to induce sudden hot flashes and anxiety. I would never try the over the counter stuff again. I have PCOS and didn't know it when I started bio-identicals a few years back. The testosterone gel really messed me up. My advice concerning the bio-identicals is to really start slow. Yes, it's all natural stuff, but it's going to have potential side effects and needs to be treated just like any medication. I played with my dosing and wasn't rigid with it. Just a small amount around the time of my period is really all I needed.

My boys are 12 and 13. They have friends through their year round basketball team. Also, we have some neighbors that they hang out with.

With that many people in a family something was bound to pop up eventually. No, I don't feel foolish. These are human beings and they are imperfect. I don't know all the details.

Guesthollow has literature lists for the different time periods.

Y ball should have equal playing time and the coach should be keeping track of it. It would be expected for him to make an error here and there with the substitutions, but based on what you describe it doesn't sound like an error. I've never heard of the rock-paper-scissors method for substitutions. That's pretty weird. The coach sounds like he's living vicariously through his kid and this team- I know many coaches who do that and it's pretty messed up. I'm surprised they keep score at your Y. They didn't start to keep score until the 4th grade when my kids did Y ball. The only thing I would have done differently (than how you handled things)- I would've gone to the coach before going to the director.

My sticker is a zombie family and it says "we ate your stick family". :001_smile: I don't have the correct number of kids and pets that are in our family, since I think doing so gives away too much information.

I have 3 kids. I pay $200/month for all 3 to take weekly half-hour piano lessons. Their basketball trainer is $300-375/month for all 3. Their basketball practices and tournaments are usually $270/month for all 3. So, at least $770/month. That amount doesn't include all the piano books and new basketball shoes every 3-4 months. We love giving them these "extras", but it's a big financial sacrifice for our family.

I have had numerous problems. This winter, we did not get our state income tax card. Apparently, numerous people in our neighborhood filed reports with the post office about tax documents never showing up in their mailboxes, either. They are locked boxes, so no chance of mail theft from outside parties. I don't like waiting in line at the post office. I've waited for up to an hour to get something mailed (media mail). Then, I find the people who work there to be rude and think customers should know all the ins and outs about how everything works. It's likely that the negative experiences stand out the most. That's the way it is with most things, though. It's great you've had good experiences.

My boys' room is bad. I am holding out hope that my grandkids will get back at my kids for me. I'm willing to wait. :laugh:

I pulled my daughter out about 6 weeks before the end of her 2nd grade school year. I felt so upset. I think it was just a mixture of feelings. Doubt and fear were certainly present. Once you get on track, you will likely find that you and your dd enjoy your new lifestyle.

My niece had her first baby in November at the age of 27. She made my sister a grandma at 48.

Since I used the word clueless in my post...yes, I think there is the possibility that he is clueless. I didn't read all the other posts prior to posting and went with what was most immediately alarming to me- his obvious disregard for parental requests and parental rules. Maybe he is grooming the teens for the future? I don't know. The fact that he is behaving in a manner that disregards the parental authority would make him someone that would no longer have access to my 13 year old daughter/son.

I think he isn't acting like an adult and wants these teens to see him as cool and carefree. Anytime you are dealing with kids of this age, you have to make sure the parents are "on board". His lack of communication is disrespectful to the parents. I have a 13 year old daughter, too. There is no way in the world I'd be okay with having her out at 1 am at a diner. That's something I did in college- not in middle school. I'd most be concerned that the youth minister is teaching the kids that his rules and policies are more appropriate for the kids than the rules and policies the parents make. That's the troubling thing. I'd be looking for another youth group. This youth minister doesn't have a clue.