Yep, planning to see it here! Only the older kids, though. I'll wait on the 5 yr olds until I've seen it myself...based on the first one, they might get scared.

I took them as a teen and they did wonders for me...I'd say literally saved my life. No weird side effects, such as suicidal thoughts, etc. Just an increase in my ability to cope, and I felt better enough to participate in therapy. Got better faster with them than I would have without them, IMO. I'd say let him go for the evaluation with the doctor, and have a frank discussion (in front of child!) with him/her regarding any potential side effects such as the stuff that's been in the news regarding suicidal thoughts. If your concerns can be addressed, go for it. If not, try another route.

They'd kick hiney, no doubt! :D I'd love to see that, too.

I check WedMD whenever I have a question about something health related. They have a symptom checker, but I don't know if it is exactly what you are looking for. Give it a try. Oh, and BTW...I had symptoms like yours when I had a kidney stone...hope you don't have one, and that you feel better soon.

ROFL...what a great response! I'll be using it with my Star Wars-obsessed DS6 as well!

I don't pretend to be an expert on this, but my understanding is that the vaccine has three flaws: 1. it only vaccinates against two types of HPV (granted, the two most common, but still...), 2. it only protects the girl for a certain amount of time...and if you give it at 9-11, not long enough to protect the girl until the age she is statistically most likely to contract HPV (I think in the mid to late 20s?), and 3. it hasn't been around long enough for the risks/effectiveness to be known. So, I won't be allowing my DD to receive it at her next checkup, when she turns 9. I have no problem with her receiving it at a later date when more is known about the vaccine and some of my questions are answered. We, too, strongly teach abstinence, but also see the realities of life (mistakes, rape, a more "experienced" spouse) and prepare for them. So, I'm withholding judgement until later...and probably will wait until my DD is old enough to participate in the decision, no matter what.

Originally, I thought that the system would add my signature, as it does on the posts. So, I sent out a lot of anon. positive rep! :o Now, I try to always add my name. I like knowing who has given me positive rep, so I try to do the same.

Hey, my DD fed TWINS when she was only 4 1/2! Reasonable amt of mess, no hassles, very little help needed from me...I'd say your older kiddo should be able to manage it just fine, thank you! ;)

I'm so sorry. Prayers have gone up from here!

I've seen a couple of posts lately that seemed to be left by one! Hard to tell, though, since I'm fairly new and don't know everyone. What I usually do is search their other posts and see if there are a number of troublesome ones before I make a personal "judgement!" ;)

I don't clean homes for a living, but have hired lots of people who do! ;) Estimate how long it will take you to do the house, then bid the job at that amt. of time x $20 per hour. Tell your potential clients that you'd charge that price for the first time you clean, but that you'll have to actually clean through the house fully once before deciding on a firm price. Then, you can raise or lower the final charge based on how long it actually took you and how many times a month you'll be cleaning (Every other week will take you longer each time than weekly cleanings, etc.)...and your client can "preview" your work before she commits to a price. This is how it's always been done for me, and I've always appreciated it! Oh, and in case you are wondering, I pay 100$ biweekly for a team of two gals to clean my 3800 sq ft. house with four kiddos in it! They typically take 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Honestly? I think my own interest, at least in the threads on this board, has been because I am genuinely surprised at how many folks seem to believe this to be a religious freedom/govt. control/possibly home schooling rights issue rather than a rather complex child abuse case. It seems so obviously a child abuse case to me! And, call me crazy, but I guess I'm glad to see the TXDPRS folks step up to the plate and take some definitive action to protect the kids, even if they are found to have stepped on a few parental rights in the process. It's a messy situation, and I can't imagine working through it without some mistakes being made (as long as they are ultimately corrected.) Personally, I'd rather see them try and fail in a few areas than to let children remain in abusive situations because TXDPRS is afraid to take action (which has been my own experience in working with them when I was a TX social worker!! ;))

I don't profess to understand all the ins and outs of the FLDS financial situation, but there has been a lot in the news about the prices paid for the compound land (in the millions...bought under the pretense of establishing a hunting lodge for executives) as well as the trust that Jeffs supposedly pulled cash out of to finance the Eldorado compound. There has also been a lot in the news about military contracts awarded to FLDS owned companies, etc. Have you seen photos of the ranch? There are some amazing buildings there, put up really fast...seems to me that there would have to be some cash behind the group to accomplish this. I did a quick search on articles about this... I haven't read them all as my inlaws are here, but will put them here for you to draw your own conclusions from. Personally, I think it is true that the rank and file folks don't have a lot of cash in their pocket, but the larger organization is flush and the leaders are adept at both hiding finances and deflecting media scrutiny. HTH! http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/17/polygamy.pentagon/index.html http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/33510.html http://www.rickross.com/reference/polygamy/polygamy862.html http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:nXQ7A98BCW0J:www.myeldorado.net/YFZ%2520Pages/YFZ040104.html+eldorado+FLDS+ownership&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us

This is an excellent point. In my experience as a TX social worker, I've seen that many mothers whose children are actively being abused are unable to ensure a safe environment for the kids. Not all the moms, but an extremely large majority. Once confronted with their choices, these moms would work out an arrangement with CPS or the prosecutors supposedly ensuring that the abuser remain away so that the child could return home. However, they would either have an inability to make it happen (domestic violence, battered women's syndrome) or an unwillingness to make it happen (but I LOVE him!). Invariably, the situation worsens because the abuser saw that he "got away with it," since all but the really egregious cases he'd get probation and the mom would have let him return home. I'd see the kids again in 6 months to a year at my shelter, or they'd be out on the streets trying to make it on their own because they'd lost faith in the system. So sad. The reality is that most of these kids will be going back to their mothers eventually, whether the homes are abusive or not. Sadly, that's just the reality of life in child welfare. In order to have an involuntary termination of parental rights, there has to be overwhelming evidence...evidence that is often hard to find or maintain until trial. The fact that there was even enough evidence to remove such a large number during the investigatory phase tells me that they definitely have evidence of abuse, but it is probably not enough to keep the whole group placed. I'm personally impressed that they've managed act so aggressively against such a secretive group...it is a huge undertaking on their part. The kids they can gather enough evidence on will have parental rights terminated...the rest will go home until "next time." Please be well aware that FLDS has a lot of money and a lot of experience playing the media game to their advantage. Their website and recent new stories only prove my point...they have become very media savvy in order to protect their lifestyle. Don't be fooled. This is a group of people under the influence of a very charismatic, powerful and intelligent leader whose main aim is to protect his right to abuse children. I personally consider Texans lucky to have a CPS system savvy and gutsy enough to find a way to step in...the system is highly flawed and it is easier just to walk away than to intervene in such a quagmire as FLDS. This isn't about an alternative lifestyle...it is about the children and their right to be free from sexual exploitation by their elders.

If you don't have time to make anything...go buy cannolis! They are always a hit.

Try, try again...Ha! Got it this time!

just experimenting...thanks again!

Ahhh...just figure it out for myself! I've never tried to quote from the quick reply screen, just the regular reply screen. I see the feather now on the individual post and will do it there instead! Thanks!

I had electrolysis done above my lip and on my chin. I had a good experience with it, and the hair has not grown back. Of course, I had a great technician...my sister in law! If your hair grows back, it hasn't been done correctly. Of course, there are risks. If it is done in an area with very sensitive skin, there can be a little bit of pitting. Once, my SIL slipped and somehow the "needle" gave me a black eye. It's never happened to her before or since (and, it didn't hurt a bit!), but I sure did get some mileage out of it! :D

Thanks, Tammy! I can't seem to find the option with the feather, however. Can you be more specific on how to get there? The only thing I see on my screen is the little quote box that looks like something from a comic book.

I've got a silly little question regarding quotes that I can't seem to answer myself. Hope you all can help! How are you all getting the name of the person you are quoting at the top of your quote? All I seem to be able to do is quote the text, but can't credit the person unless I type it in manually. It seems that there is something I'm missing, because all the "credited quotes" seem to have the same setup. Thanks for helping a newbie! Oh, and I just figured out that I'm supposed to sign my reps...so if you've gotten an anonymous "happy rep," it may have been from me! :o (I've not passed out any neg rep, though, so don't flame me for those! ;))

I tried to rep you but it won't let me do it again so soon! Where in the world are you finding all these great sites? Thanks!

Yep. They will need to speak to your children privately and will ask...but will ask very gently and appropriately, if they are any good at all. I don't advise trying to hide any of these things from your social worker, as you look bad if you are found out. Don't necessarily elaborate if you are getting a bad vibe from her, but do answer the questions asked honestly.

I'm an adoptive mom and former adoption social worker. As the director of an agency, I conducted or supervised lots of home studies, both domestic and international. Feel free to pm me if I can answer questions for you. First thing I will tell you is DON'T STRESS!!! ;) I know you will anyway, but please try not to. The social workers generally are very nice folks who want to approve you for adoption, but have to jump through a lot of state or foriegn country required hoops in order to get you there. Think of them as your allies. If your personal social worker doesn't give you this vibe, ask for another one! You are a consumer of services in the adoption process, not a petitioner hoping to make a good impression! Second...the home schooling issue is just fine for most social workers. Most will see it as an extraordinary commitment to the child, as well as a bonus in the form of a stay at home mom. You may have a problem with a foriegn country on this, however. It depends on whom you choose and when you choose them, so let your social worker figure out how to write the home study in a way that the country will understand. For some, that will be an outright explanation, for others it may be a little more veiled in order to overcome the cultural clash. Again, don't stress. A good social worker can handle it! Discipline...it gets complicated on the spanking issue. Everyone (and every state) handles it differently. Sometimes, it is out of the social worker's hands in terms of meeting state or international requirements, ie: you may not spank an adopted child during the supervision period after the adoption, period. In other cases, they will just want to ensure that spanking does not cross the line into abuse and won't care after that. Truly, however, they are more concerned about whether your parenting is effective, loving and consistent. For me, I was required to have parents sign a form agreeing not to spank the child during supervision, but I always reminded them that decisions to this effect were theirs to make after finalization. I wouldn't have approved a potentially abusive parent, so I always felt confident allowing them to make their own decisions in this regard as soon as was legally possible. One caveat to that, however. Kids adopted internationally and/or at an older age may come with a background of abuse/neglect or cultural differences that may make spanking very counterproductive. Discuss this at length during your education classes or individual sessions with your social worker, and decide what is appropriate in your situation. Best of luck on this fabulous journey! Adoption is a wonderful experience...a rollercoaster, but just terrific in the end.

I keep my definition simple, unless someone really wants the details. I say that classical education is about teaching my children to really think and to understand & defend their faith, using developmentally appropriate techniques in a liberal arts framework. Works for me to remind myself of this definition as well, when I get overwhelmed! ;) There's a lot involved in classical education, but this is the crux of it, IMO. You can go off into definitions of the trivium if you want to or need to, but ultimately it boils down to a few things. You are laying a strong foundation in verbal, mathematical and observational skills in the early years, building on that foundation to help them challenge assumptions and answer "why" questions in the middle years, and teaching them to debate and defend their positions in the latter years. To do that, you use classic literature, great books, Latin (to understand languages!), exposure to other great works of science, math, etc in the Western tradition. You also use history as a basis for ensuring that the student sees the "connections" between events/discoveries/scientific advances and how they are related to each other. Classical education does NOT mean education with the exclusion of knowledge of other cultures, but rather education that first understands the culture of the learner well enough to compare/contrast that culture with the culture of others. HTH.