I have a friend who is into this! She was really hard to talk to for a few weeks there but fortunately she seems to have calmed down somewhat. There is a certain way people into conspiracy stuff talk- its kind of desperate and they want to convince you- its a sell job- I have probably done it myself at times. I like receiving the information, often, but I don't need the hype. I think the changes that are happening have been going on for a while (decades- and the 60s were clearly a part of it) and are just getting more intense (believe it or not, that is what many predictions say will happen). You can point to various isolated incidents in the last decades....but right now there is sooo much happening in so many ways- it is global. The economy is changing globally. The weather patterns are changing globally. I personalyl am excited by it- the old ways were not working and its an exciting time to be alive- but hard for so many, too. The old paradigms, structures, are breaking down.

I outsourced. I love art but hated teaching it. Ds hated doing it. Dd absolutely loved it and is a brilliant nature watercolourist- she went to classes for years- but she didn't especially like me telling her what to paint or draw, from a curriculum, so there was always resistance. Science- I was rotten at the hands on stuff too. We did some. Eventually I outsourced that too- with a highschool science teacher run co-op, for 2 years. He was great at all the experiments and hands on stuff. They were definitely weak areas for me- but neither kid seems to have suffered long term for it.

Unfortunately I think the extreme nutcases tend to muddy the waters for seeing what might be really happening. It doesn't take much to see that we live in changing times and our cosy sense of security of the last 50 years might be coming to an end. Many predictions are actually coming true, such as the unrest in the middle east and food shortages, and catastrophic weather. So don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. I think it pays to keep your eyes open. But acting on fear is never a good idea and a lot of conspiracy stuff is so fear based and feeds fear and drama. But amongst it all is a deep wave of change happening on the planet and I personally am watching it closely.

My son's have broken a fair bit in the year he has had tehm so far- I was warned that they often do in the beginning but it gets less over time. I was told that as SOOn as they broke to make an appt to come in because its important to fix them asap, otherwise the teeth start moving back to their previous position and weeks can be lost. We had that experience once where I left it a few days and we could actually see the teeth move back to their old position. But moving tongue over them? That has never been mentioned and seems almost cruel to tell them not to. I would go in there with your big mummy boots on and suggest THEY do something about it.

:grouphug: I think it is normal not to be happy all the time, and to be sad or unhappy for periods of time. But how about some St John's Wort, a good multivitamin, and some fish oils, to help with your moods? And maybe check your Vitamin D levels too?

I know that my kids did not really start clicking into logical thinking till long after the logic stage was supposed to officially begin. My ds15 could not do puzzles for anything for years and still doesn't do them well. Dd16 could- those Mind Benders books were a sinch for her and even seemed a waste of time- yet for ds- they were so difficult! But I didnt find either of them really started switching on to real logical, analytical thinking till they were 13, 14 years old. Ds15 is now far less emotional and far more reasonable. He was argumentative- but then he always was, but so irrationally it was hard to engage with at all but nowadays, he can hold a good argument. I guess I didnt really see it as a problem- its just how they are. Ds found lots of things hard- yet now at school he seems to be able to hold his own. I really wouldnt worry. It is possible that some kids need more hand holding and smaller progressive steps to develop their logical capacity- I had to go back and get puzzle books for younger kids than my son's age when he started doing them- but he did progress. I think the whole WTM structure will get them there- it makes them think and develops those muscles in time. There really is no point trying to develop them before they are developmentally ready- you will just frustrate yourself and her. Work on the skills she is ready for now. But I am no expert and I wouldnt say either of my kids are brilliant logical thinkers even now- but nor do they stand out as being illogical or irrational. .

Only start one habit at a time. I have blown it so many times trying to start too many new habits at once. One at a time. If you start once each month, that is 12 new habits in a year that are actually succeeding, rather than many more started and all failed. There are charts like habitcal.com but I find that the habit to tick off something on a chart is too much for me when I am trying to start a new habit :) I just start the habit. No matter how many times you stuff up, fall off the wagon etc, you don't beat yourself up even a smidgeon- you just get right back up and start again. Here is an article on it :http://zenhabits.net/deadly-sin/ And here are some others from the same site: http://zenhabits.net/13-things-to-avoid-when-changing-habits/ http://zenhabits.net/7-little-habits-that-can-change-your-life-and-how-to-form-them/

I would never admit it if I did! Seriously, I don't though. :) I used to watch some when I was home sick from school- I am amazed that some of those same shows are still going. No, I value my time far more. And there's plenty of drama in my real life and coming here so I don't need TV for more. :)

Funny. And I do find many tshirts offensive nowadays. But that one- funny. I love it. I love them when you are kind of expecting them to be offensive and they are just funny like that.

You have a great opportunity right now to start fresh in your new home. Also it might cost you a lot less to move if you have less stuff. On the other hand- I couldn't do it when I was moving last (because it took too long and seemed emotionally stressful at the time of packing to move) but I did it at the other end when I was unpacking- if I couldn't find a place for it in the new place, it went. Nowadays I would do it at both ends, ruthlessly. However we still managed to have a pile about 4 metres by 2 metres, and 2 metres high, on the verge for the council to pick up- and that was just junk for the tip.

Raw honey is often thick and crystallised especially in the cold months (because heating it to pour it makes it not raw anymore) but it shouldn't taste bad at all. I am not aware that it should ferment, either, but you can make mead out of honey so obviously it can ferment. The rules in Australia are very strict around adding additives to honey but I understand they are not so strict in other places, so its possible it has something added to it. Or it fermented. Or, the bees were feasting on some yucky tasting flowers. It however has nothing to do with whether its organic or raw, though. We eat raw organic honey exclusively and it tastes wonderful.

It really depends on the secret. I would generally tell my spouse but not necessarily- I might feel he just doesn't need to know and want to keep the friend's confidence. I have no problem keeping a secret from dh in theory, but often cant help myself but tell him anyway :)

I have done, but more because I felt so unappreciated than because I dont like cooking. I dont do much cooking that requires a lot of work. Every makes their own breakfast and lunch is usually minimal work. Dinner is the main meal and its still usually only half an hour to make. We eat healthy. I cook more when I feel inspired, and fall back on basics, but still healthy (lots of salad and vegetables), when I don't feel like cooking. And if I need a night off, the kids make themselves pasta or cereal. Fruit is the main snack around here. I woudl say you are making it harder than it needs to be.

We are very lucky but dh has work that he absolutely loves, some of which is at home and some just down the road. He is away from home only about 3-4 hours a day at the most and some days he works downstairs another 3-4 hours. We have been struggling lately because we have had no tenant in one of our 2 investment properties for 3 months now. That has really put us under stress but we haven't had to do anything drastic. Dh is very entrepreneurial, and used to be very wealthy (before I came along!). He left it all for doing work that was meaningful for him. The money seems to just come in, enough to live well, pay the bills etc, but we are not wealthy by any means. We rent because its too expensive to buy in the city, for us. I guess it did have a lot to do with me homeschooling- I was working part time before I started homeschooling and dh encouraged me to quit to homeschool full time. We are just not in a survival situation as many others seem to be, at this point, so its hard to know what we would have done if we were, and still homeschooling. I really feel for families where money is so tight and fathers are working so many hours just to keep the boat afloat. I think we would downsize a lot before that happened here. Quitting homeschooling would have been a last resort.

Not sure specifically...and I don't want to discourage you from trying to work on the tonsils directly- but swollen tonsils are a symptom of an immune system working hard on something- so it may be necessary to help your immune system out a bit as well so it can knock whatever it is fighting on the head. The tonsils may not respond until the threat is gone.

Oh my goodness that is absolutely horrific! For all of you and everyone concerned! :grouphug: Dont underestimate how that sort of thing can impact on you- keep talking and sharing. :grouphug: Sending you healing energy for strength and courage to move through this.

I think being hard on oneself, being unkind to oneself, is as bad as doing it to another. We are meant to love not only others but ourselves too - all our ourselves. But I don't find the concept of sin constructive or useful.

How much do you listen to your body's need for rest? In more traditional cultures women rest before or during their period. Ever heard that menstruating women aren't mean to cook or touch food? It is a good thing! In our culture we tend to keep powering through. We are expected to not behave any differently around our period that at any other time of the month- and because of that, I believe many women are crippled with excruciating pain forcing them to get the rest their bodies are crying out for. I have learned to rest when I have cramps- in fact I will make extra sure I have afternoon naps in the week before my period. I will change my schedule, buy take away or have them eat cereal, have hot baths, - even when I have no symptoms- and I rarely do get cramps. When I do get them, I rest and take magnesium. Its ok to rest- that is what your body is telling you to do- but it doesn't have to be so loud about it if you can do it before you need to! I also agree with magnesium (epsom salts baths are a good way to get that and a relaxing bath at the same time) and fish oils. You might find progesterone cream or chaste tree helps balance your hormones too.

Im 43 and I am not getting pain but I get worse PMS at ovulation time than I get before my period- I am much more likely to have a fit of anger then than later. Weird. IN fact I can practically tell when I ovulate by when I lose my temper with someone in the month. I would go and get checked out form someone who specialises in hormonal issues (not necessarily a gyno unless they are into alternative treatments). yes, progesterone cream may help but you wouldn't know unless you tried it. Fortunately it seems like a vey low risk thing to try so it might be worth giving it a go. I use chaste tree to increase progesterone and it works better than nothing. It also might be a cyst (although that's normally one sides), endometriosis or who knows what. An ultrasound can check for that. As I have said before- once we hit our 40s, we cant really get away with not looking after ourselves any more- it has to be a priority. Too much coffee can cause problems. Bad diet, not enough exercise, too much sugar etc. You know it if you aren't taking care of yourself. I think its also time to get in touch with nature, with the seasons, with the ground, with your environment, with your body, your breathing, your own cycles. We are part of nature yet as westerners we tend to be rather disconnected and it affects our body tremendously. You might try krill oil or other good quality fish oils for their anti inflammatory properties. It does sound like some sort of hormonally triggered inflammatory condition. EPO works for some people- never did anything for me. Good luck with it- it can be tricky finding answers to hormonal stuff- often its not one single thing and you need a multi faceted approach and you jsut have to keep experimenting till you find what works for you.

Sounds very strange but also sounds very much like something is really out of balance with her and a doctor needs to take it seriously and do a lot of tests to find it out. It could be a nutritional deficiency, a chemical imbalance, a glandular issue, or some rare condition that hardly anyone knows about- but I wouldn't stop until i found out what it is- or at least, what works to fix it. If the doctors cant find it, at least go to an alternative practitioner- or several- until they come up with treatment plans that works. A diagnosis can help, but if you don't end up with one, you can still work on treatments. The jumpiness sounds related though to sleep deprivation, insomnia etc rather than something separate. Her nervous system isn't getting the necessary regenerational rest which is going to upset her endocrine system, he adrenals etc. I imagine you have tried carious natural sleeping remedies- herbs, hot baths etc? Good luck- I can imagine how anxious you must feel for her.

Well he has another camp this coming weekend- but just down the road at the Scout hall- they are sailing all weekend including all night (whichever team gets the most rounds of the circuit wins so they send teams out for 36 hours). I warned him- he has to go to school on Monday- so he has decided to not go to the camp until Saturday, and sleep in on Saturday morning. Then he only gets one (very late) night. So he is possibly actually considering the issue now that he knows he cant take school time to recover. This whole thing has brought up a few things for me with him. I was really trying to give him a lot more space to make his own decisions- I had stopped giving him a bedtime, hadn't harrassed him about homework etc I wanted him to stand on his own feet and be self motivated. I was trying to support him without controlling him. But I decided last night that he wasn't handling that much freedom very well- and I reinstigated a bedtime, and some boundaries around doing homework before getting onto the computer after school...I feel he wasn't ready for that much freedom and he actually feels relieved at the boundaries (and his mum being more like the old mum he was used to!). He actually seems quite happy about it. I am constantly re-evaluating my parenting techniques and sometimes my ideals just don't meet reality very well.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

I think the life expectancy depends on the breed of chook. The Isa Browns that are common but are bred for battery farms I understand often live only about 3-5 years- but that may be in a battery situation. They may live longer in a domestic situation. I understand some of the older breeds can live and lay longer- maybe 6-8 years? I have 3 Isa Browns who stopped laying as soon as I brought some Australorps into their cage. If they dont start laying again I will advertise on Gumtree and probably some old Italian couple will take them and I don't want to know what they will do with them :) I don't know about the feather stubble though.

Many cultures have a very strong taboo against suicide except under certain circumstances. I think its a universal concept that the taking of one's own life is such a terrible waste of such a gift. Life is precious and sacred.

I think you are very cool for doing a strict anti candida cleanse- it not for the faint hearted! Yes, tea tree is strong stuff and there should probably be a warning on the label if its included in a supplement. I am pretty sure it woudln't be allowed here in Australia where the restrictions are tighter.