I'm adopted (closed adoption that's how it was back then) and I got testing through 23andme. I am so so glad I did because very little health information was passed on. Totally worth the $99. :)

Every time I see this thread title, what pops to my mind is… "I envy you." I hate our HOA. I would definitely mention the trees as a priority…but I'd also try and get some neighbors "on my side". Can the trees be taken care of more cheaply…perhaps with some neighborhood volunteer labor? Can elderly couples or people who can't contribute money maybe make lemonade for the workers or something? As for the sign, it's perfectly reasonable to ask who is going to pay the electric, etc.

We use our Showtime Rotisserie grill… and then slowly slice it off as it cooks. It's not the same, but it's good. We buy a piece of meat (I think it's top roast?) at Target…. freeze it for 20 minutes….slice thin….then marinade in onions, flat leaf parsley, a little vinegar, lemon juice, and schwarma spices (pre made mix I buy at the Arabic store). For the sauce….Greek yogurt, 3-4 cloves garlic minced, 1/2 English cucumber chopped fine, a little salt, and maybe 1 T of olive oil.

So I totally fooled DS2 as planned. I woke him up, told him I had overslept…we were really late…just brush your teeth, get dressed, and get in the car. He was kind of grumpy, as this kid's favorite meal of the day is breakfast…. so I told him I put in some extra apples in his lunch, but I was really sorry. Then we pulled into the donut store, and his face lit up. :D Now, I have no idea how to get the kids at home other than a fake lunch. I wish I could figure out something involving the beach. Hmmmm…. :)

Good for him. I recently read Tiger Mom's new book....wanted to see if it was as controversial as talked about...and one thing mentioned was that a great majority of African Americans at the Ivys and in investment banking were first generation immigrants...often from Kenya, I think...although he is from Ghana.

Said exactly like somebody who is in the religious majority and most likely whose family does not rely on an hourly retail job to survive. Hobby Lobby employs 13,000 people. They pay better than other retail jobs, so replacing those jobs is not as easy for the employees. Did you know that hemophilia is one of the most expensive chronic diseases? From the National Hemophilia Foundation…"Current factor concentrates are among the most costly therapies in the world, with a total annual cost per person ranging from $60,000 to $150,000. Complications such as major surgery, undergoing immune tolerance for an inhibitor, HIV/AIDS and/or hepatitis treatments, can increase these costs exponentially."

Because that's not how insurance works. It works become everybody covers everything, yet only a few percentage of people actually need one thing. I don't get to decide not to cover prostate cancer drugs, Viagra, gout medications, etc. If I did, people would guess on what they would need, rates would vary widely… your rates would go up astronomically if you were dx with cancer or some other chronic disease….and the whole point of insurance would be lost. Birth control has been proven to be very important in women's overall health picture. IUDs are the most efficient birth control out there, bar none. If people are truly anti-abortion, then they should be lobbying for more use of IUDs rather than less.

I don't know if this is something you would want to consider or if it's even possible, but we did the 23andme testing for three of my kids after I found a genetic issue related to clotting. It took about 4 weeks or so, and then we were able to give our ped more info to go on. I'm not sure if they can provide the health reports any more, but there are tools out there that you can feed the info into.

The medical research out there, as well as the health regulation agencies of many countries, support that neither Plan B nor IUDs are abortifacients--but rather "normal" contraceptives (for lack of a better term.) If the FDA changes their literature, does that change the requirement of HL to provide said BC methods? Which holds more weight, peer reviewed medical journals, medical boards/groups like the ACOG, or the FDA? Does this turn FDA appointments into an even more political process than they already are? (Via big pharma and other lobbyists.)? What about the case of a contradiction…or fast changing medical research. What if beliefs are used for discrimination? Say HL believes that homosexuality is sinful, and thus refuses to cover AIDS medications. Or say that Mega Happy Corp believes that obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes are caused by sloth and gluttony, thus in covering treatment for said diseases, are encouraging such sinful practices. Or if UmSamiCorp or Marriott or whomever say that since their moral beliefs prohibit drinking alcohol, we will not cover any medical claims resulting from drinking…or accidents where alcohol was involved. I worry that so called experts such as scientists, physicians, and the like have really lost all "expert" status, and somebody with zero training in medical research, medical devices, and medicine in general is able to make claims about certain medications and those beliefs upheld. Yet another slippery slippery slope.

Lots of prayers. That must be so scary for you all. I will be praying for you. Please make sure he checks with a retina specialist as well (not just an OD or general ophthalmologist). In general, when diabetics start having kidney, heart, and other complications, they're usually having eye issues as well.

Nor is using contraception…including Plan B and IUDs.

Usually for one of the meals, I'll try and do food that looks like something else. So…. yogurt on a plate with half of a peach that looks like an egg for example. DD is sick, as am I, so I'm not feeling very motivated…but I will try and think up something. Maybe I'll tell the kids who attend school that we're so late that they missed breakfast….hurry them to the car….and then stop for donuts on the way to school. :)

I love carrot soup. You can mix it with potatoes and other things for a root veggie mash. Add some to spaghetti sauce and it will sweeten it a bit. You can make carrot cake and muffins. :) You can also just chop and freeze. Oh…I had a good recipe for a persian chicken/carrot dish…let me see if I can find it. I don't know if this is the recipe I used, but it was super yummy. http://andreasgardencooking.com/2013/02/27/haveej-polo-persian-chicken-carrot-and-rice-pilaf/

I usually have to pay $40 plus. I hate it. I wish I was like my Mom and could get away with little camisoles or something, but unfortunately, I cannot. Even if I go to Target and buy Playtex, I'm still around $25-30. It's worth the extra $10 to be pretty IMHO. :) I try to wait for sales, though. :)

I would be extremely happy if the outcome of all this was universal coverage… paid for by a VAT or some sort of payroll tax…so one's insurance is not dependent on employment…but I don't see the for-profit insurance companies, hospitals, and drug companies ever wanting to give the government that kind of negotiating power. They already experience it in other countries, as well as with Medicare. Now…if we had campaign finance reforms and lobbying law changes, it could happen. But I won't hold my breath.

New case… UmSamiCorp v. Koskinen UmSamiCorp, maker of fine UmSami™ brand products, announced that they are suing the I.R.S. for any and all tax moneys paid to support war in Muslim lands, as well as any local tax money used to support police departments which may have unfairly targeted Muslims. As SCOTUS ruled in NFIB v. Sebelius, the ACA is a tax. As SCOTUS ruled in Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius, a corporation's deeply held religious views can be used to opt-out of certain aspects of the ACA. Thus, UmSamiCorp feels as a for-profit corporation with a majority of stock held by its Muslim owners (we bought it back from the Walton family), that is should not have to violate its religious beliefs in supporting wars against Muslims. It is commonly known that a Muslim should not kill another Muslim, yet UmSamiCorp's millions of tax dollars have been used to do such a thing. It is estimated that over 100,000 innocent Muslim men, women, and children were killed by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Therefore, they are suing for a return of 20% of all tax dollars that were used to support said wars. It's a very very slippery slope. The amount of lawsuits such a ruling could generate could paralyze the courts.

"But an examination by The New York Times has found that the federally approved labels and medical Web sites do not reflect what the science shows. Studies have not established that emergency contraceptive pills prevent fertilized eggs from implanting in the womb, leading scientists say. Rather, the pills delay ovulation, the release of eggs from ovaries that occurs before eggs are fertilized, and some pills also thicken cervical mucus so sperm have trouble swimming. It turns out that the politically charged debate over morning-after pills and abortion, a divisive issue in this election year, is probably rooted in outdated or incorrect scientific guesses about how the pills work. Because they block creation of fertilized eggs, they would not meet abortion opponents’ definition of abortion-inducing drugs. In contrast, RU-486, a medication prescribed for terminating pregnancies, destroys implanted embryos. The notion that morning-after pills prevent eggs from implanting stems from the Food and Drug Administration’s decision during the drug-approval process to mention that possibility on the label — despite lack of scientific proof, scientists say, and objections by the manufacturer of Plan B, the pill on the market the longest. Leading scientists say studies since then provide strong evidence that Plan B does not prevent implantation, and no proof that a newer type of pill, Ella, does. Some abortion opponents said they remain unconvinced." http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/health/research/morning-after-pills-dont-block-implantation-science-suggests.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 I still wonder if the scientific evidence says that HL's basis for rejecting all four types of birth control is wrong…why is this even a case? Does it matter that they're wrong in belief (scientific belief not religious)? Shouldn't that matter? If UmSamiCorp believes that statins were tested on pigs, and thus we're somehow contributing to harm to pigs…yet they weren't… would that matter? Or does it just matter that we believe that to be true?

All contraception has failure rates. IUDs are no different. They can shift… women can forget to check the strings, etc. Does that change how they're designed to act and how science has shown they act if used correctly? No. Does that change the fact that other than sterilization they are the most effective at preventing pregnancy? No. Cervidil is a very effective abortifactant between weeks 12-20. Very effective. It is also given to women to induce labor. Why is HL not objecting to that? As another poster mentioned, why even do business in China when forced abortions are common? I'm sorry but this lawsuit smells a lot more like politics than sincerely religiously held beliefs. I also wonder what percentage of employees would have to use a certain method before not providing it would be viewed as somehow a burden. The Catholic church forbids all forms of birth control. Yet something like 90% of American Catholic women use birth control. So is their objection valid? What if I'm an evangelical Christian, who works for HL, but also have Prothrombin II and Factor V gene mutations which make me at an increased risk for DVTs. The copper IUD is the most effective non-hormonal birth control available to me. Should it be covered? On a side note, this is why I believe that universal health insurance makes the most sense paid for with a VAT. But I'm sure there would be plenty who would object to their tax dollars going for xyz treatment anyway.

I bought a padded seat from Target. Took a minute to change it. Makes all the difference. I think it cost $20. On a side note, both of my boys want me to buy them comfy seats too. They hate the tiny little seat that came with their bike.

It's only a legal burden when they want to impose their religious beliefs upon their employees which goes against separation of church and state.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/02/22/172595689/morning-after-pills-dont-cause-abortion-studies-say Yes, let's listen to the FDA…. "The constant references to Plan B and ella as abortion-causing pills frustrates Susan Wood, a professor of health policy at George Washington University and a former assistant commissioner for women's health at the FDA. "It is not only factually incorrect, it is downright misleading. These products are not abortifacients," she says. "And their only connection to abortion is that they can prevent the need for one." "But it turns out, at least when it comes to Plan B, there is now fairly definitive research that shows the only way it works is by preventing ovulation, and therefore, fertilization. "We've learned a lot about how these drugs work," says Diana Blithe, a biochemist and contraceptive researcher at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. "I think it's time to revise our speculations about how things might work in view of data that show how things do work.""

Can you provide info from the FDA site that shows this is true? Because I can't. As far as I can tell, the FDA does not classify an IUD as an abortifactant, rather as a contraceptive. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=884.5360 Same with Plan B. We're not talking RU-486. On a side note, one cannot argue that the Catholic churches has a wide-spread, long-held objection to abortion and even contraceptionl. Yet coverage of both occurs in Italy and France without political debate. Why? Both are 95%+ Catholic countries. On another note, piton, cyotec, and cervidil are also potential abortifactants. While they are used in labor induction, they can also be used in abortions. Why does HL cover those? Is some poor HL employee going to find herself with stalled labor, and have to choose a c-section over cervidil, because the HL people just found out that it's 80% effective in an abortion?

Dear UmSamiCorp Family: We have some exciting news! Last Friday, the purchase of a majority of UmSamiCorp stock by Walmart was finalized--and we are now all part of the Walmart family. We know that you will continue to provide that same USC work ethic to Walmart. Happily, Walmart has agreed to honor USC's famous three day weekend (as we want to give all of our "employees of the book" an opportunity to have their day of worship off). Sadly, as many of you may know the Walmart heirs conversion to Jainism a few years back, may make some changes to our health insurance plan, but we know you'll love it regardless. As Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby showed, sincerely held religious belief by a corporation is a valid reason for denying certain aspects of the ACA. Jainism, one of the world's oldest religions, believes in nonviolence towards any living being. As a result, we will be expanding the USC family to employ bug wranglers at each plant who will search out any insects and humanely deposit them out of the building. We will also no longer cover any medical treatment that may have involved testing on animals EVER. While I'm sure the thought of virtually no drugs, surgery, or anesthesia is troubling to some, Walmart/USC will cover ayurveda, osteopathic manipulation, chiropractic, some naturopathic remedies, and some forms of acupuncture. To encourage non consumption of animal products, you will also get a $200/fruit/vegetable allowance per month. They are also committed to encouraging more non-animal tested medical means to help their employees. While I realize there was some press a few years back that the Walton family did this solely to save an estimated $1 billion/year on health insurance, we're happy to report that since the court found it was indeed a sincerely held religious belief regarding life or death matters, we are sure you will understand. One can't argue with life or death matters, now can one? I'm also saddened to inform you that our Schwarma Fest on the first Tuesday of the month is unlikely to continue. Don't worry. Hopefully the new owners will offer something else as well. Thank you for being part of the USC family. UmSami

No, it was never a whole month…usually it was a few pills each day for 2-3 days. Been awhile, and thankfully never needed the info. OK…here's a nice chart from Princeton's Student Health site…. http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/dose.html

But like Hobby Lobby, your information is outdated and wrong. Studies have proven otherwise. Copper IUDs affect cervical mucus and sperm mobility and viability…. preventing sperm from traveling through the cervical mucus or destroying it as it passes through. Mirena also affects cervical mucus, making it thick and impenetrable to sperm. No viable sperm = no fertilized egg.