Back in the olden days...... my oldest is in her 30's, but when she was born, my mom took a wide cloth and fastened it tightly around my mid-section. Oh, it felt great to have that support. My second pregnancy was twins, and I'm not sure if I could have even stood up without that cloth holding me together! PP have talked about a product that you can purchase, but the idea has been around for a long, long time (my grandma did it for my mom, and my mom is now 96) and if you don't feel like spending the money, a piece of fabric and some large safety pins work as well. ?

We don't have it. We have a brick house with plaster walls and lots of huge trees which keeps us in shade. We are strategic about opening windows and blinds. Everything gets opened up at night and we have a fan running on the 3rd floor to pump in cool air. All windows get shut during the day, and the blinds get pulled down where the sun comes in. We have 32 windows in our house, so it's actually very time consuming, but I don't think it would be worthwhile to pay the higher electric bill for AC. We also have an in-ground pool, so when it's super hot, we jump in right before bed to cool off before sleeping. Also, the kid's bedrooms are in the well insulated basement, so they stay pretty cool down there anyway. It works, but it takes effort.

I haven't done the math on it in recent years, but I think my garden saves me money. For a family of our size, to purchase vegetables for a meal would be at least $3 -- either fresh or frozen. I grow most of my own, so that's a significant savings. I grow and can most of our tomato products as well and use those for spaghetti, lasagna, chili, tacos and other miscellaneous meals. I grow and freeze blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. $$$ We've started an orchard and I expect that will save us money when it's full grown. Yes, I do spend money on it; but I also enjoy it and appreciate the health benefits of working outdoors. Bottom line -- yes, I think it's worth it.

That's terrible. So sorry for all those involved.

My state requires 21 credits to graduate, which seems on the thin side to me. I guess that's a minimum. So far, my high school kids average 7 credits a year. Some of those are core requirements, and some are electives.

Anyone here an expert on soil testing who can tell me what's wrong with my dirt? ? We bought the soil test as a biology experiment, but I have a large garden and thought it would be fun to see what's actually going on out there. My results make no logical sense to me. I tested some soil where we have had sweet corn for the last two years, and we haven't added anything to the soil. All the levels -- nitrogen, phosphorus, potash and Ph -- were great. I tested two other areas where we added well composted horse manure several weeks ago and have rototilled it in twice -- the levels of everything were non-existent. Seriously? That makes no sense. I tested three times just to be sure. Everything is growing well in the area where we added the horse manure, except the sweet corn; but I don't know if that's because the kids planted it too deep or the seed was faulty or if there's something wrong with the soil there.

What?! There's such a thing as a toddler who isn't?! I'm 10/10 over here, although some were worse than others. I remember watching my oldest dd's T-ball game one time, keeping my eye on my 2 yo, and suddenly realized they had stopped the game. I'm clueless for a few minutes, until I realize they had stopped the game because my 4 yo was at the top of the backstop about 20 feet in the air. Parenting fail #679.

So sorry. Hugs and prayers for you and your family.

I'm so sorry.

I bought those shorts last year and I wear them over my swim suit. They are actually longer than I'd like since I have short legs, but I think the 5" would be shorter than I'd like and I don't know if there's a 7" option. I started wearing shorts several years ago for all the reasons you mention -- I'm more comfortable when I don't have to worry about what's showing and less maintenance in those areas is nice. Being on a boat and water-skiing with several young women who were wearing the typical swimsuit clinched the decision for me. As they moved around, getting into life jackets, climbing the ladder, pulling on the skis -- we could all just see more of them than I'd like to show. It's not entirely a modesty question for me though. There is definitely vanity involved. Those parts of me are better covered. ? I wouldn't wear the shorts with nothing underneath since they are very clingy when wet and I find it more comfortable to not have to adjust my backside.

Interesting thread. I'm learning. A bit of a rabbit trail though -- have you seen those advertisements for the vaccine? The ones where they show a kid in various stages of growing up, imply that the kid gets HPV at some point, and the caption says, "Mom, Dad, did you know?" As if, it's the parent's fault. As if getting the vaccine for your kid is the only right and responsible and caring thing to do. Like there's not enough for parents to feel guilty about. Let's dump this one on them too.

I guess there are exceptions to every rule, but I was kinda waiting for the 100 lb. rule for one of my dd. She started when she was 12-13 and weighed 75 lbs. soaking wet. Theoretically, she should have still been using a car seat. I'm not sure this kid will ever make it to 100 pounds. But, I agree, that typically you will see other development before menarche and ten is pretty young.

Well, yes, I can see that detail slipping past my dh or I could see him thinking he knew and then second guessing himself and checking with me.

Sorry, Garga, but I disagree with the speech. I've walked my kids through several break-ups and they wouldn't do well with a speech. The thoughtful gifts, spending time together, and being available are the best things you can do for her. She knows you're available if she wants to talk. You don't have to repeat that. My guess is that she's feeling somewhat exposed and embarrassed after pouring her heart out to you and she'll open up to you again when she's ready. At least, that's how I would feel.

I'd make hummus from the garbanzo beans and donate the rest to a food pantry. Except maybe the grits -- I've done grits with cheese, sausage and eggs from time to time and we all like it pretty well. Ummmm, is there such a thing as grilling too much steak? My dh and teen boys would say no; but, since you asked..... I'd add it to some sauteed onions and peppers for fajitas, add it to a bag of stir fry vegies and serve over rice OR (my favorite) warm it slightly and add it to a huge salad and top with french fries.

Wow. I'm sorry. I'm sure it is daunting to face this, especially with a new baby on the way. The 17 yo ds of a friend of mine just went through something like this. I don't think it is the same thing since I'm thinking his had more to do with muscles than bones, but the recommended surgery and recovery sounds the same. He did one foot at a time and it was a long process. For your peace of mind, I suggest you get 2nd and even 3rd opinions. My kids have had numerous surgeries, and sometimes one surgeon will recommend something completely different than another. I'm sure you want to feel confident that you are pursuing the best course and that surgeons agree on a treatment plan.If you don't feel as if you can get other opinions, make sure your doctor has plenty of experience in this area. I'd also want to ask about long term complications. When is the best time to do the surgery? How will her growth be affected? How will growing affect the surgery site? Ask if you can be put into contact with someone else who has gone through this, or find someone on-line. That would have been really helpful to me and I'd love to be able to help other people navigate the same surgeries we've had to go through.

How do you do your cooking when you're camping? For me, the best thing we've added lately is a propane cookstove on a stand. It allows us to move the cooking area away from the picnic tables and also gives me two large burners that give me more cooking options. But, if you don't cook when you camp or if you cook in your camper, that's probably not going to help you.

My opinion: the only way I would let that little girl interact with my kid is if I was directly involved; as in, being in the same room with them to closely monitor what's going on. Sure, all kids can be bratty from time to time, but this behavior is flat out rude and disrespectful. The food thing: Maybe this is how things go at her house, but she's old enough to understand that she has to follow different rules at your house. The manipulating and lying? Younger kids tend to do that to get what they want, but most have learned that it doesn't fly by the time they're 9. This kid needs an adult to be an adult. If you want to take her on as a project, not to fix her or supplant her parents, but to model better behavior and the benefits thereof; go for it. But as a friend for your ds? Nope.

Could you add me also?

I don't know these either. What are they?

My latest orders: a new ice maker for our frig, a huge box of peppermints (Wilheminas) and men's white gloves to wear to a Regency ball. I totally love that basket that someone upthread bought for shoes. I am a sucker for baskets and crates, but I've run out of ways to use them.

This thread has sent me on several rabbit trails searching for shrubs. I blame all of you for making me waste my time. ? We're looking for something for a privacy hedge since the power company chopped down the arborvitae between us and our neighbor. My requirements are that it needs to grow fairly quickly, but not get so tall that the power company will come and chop it down. I'd also like it if it didn't require pruning. Flowers are a bonus as well. I'm looking at the Red Cardinal Weigela or a burning bush. Leaning more towards the weigela since it seems to grow a bit taller and a bit faster. I'm also in zone 6, so I'm throwing that out there as a suggestion for you. An evergreen would be nice, but we're not as concerned about privacy in the winter and it seems as if the evergreens either grow really slowly or require significant pruning.

We've decided not to get the 501c3. The benefits don't justify the extra paperwork and fees. If someone comes after me as the president of our co-op, I will step down. The facility we meet at carries liability insurance.

We're in a similar situation, except that we're the in-laws with teens still at home and I do have adult children who live 45-60 min. away. I voted for every other month. Monthly would actually be great, but we all have busy lives and it just isn't realistic to get together once a month. Sometimes it happens, but not always.

It sounds as if hearing about this young woman is making you miss your friend. I'd be a bit sad too.