I loved it. Absolutley beautiful.

:smilielol5:

:iagree: With a family of 5 boys and 1 girl no one else gets it. So funny.

I understand where the OP is coming from. I am currently living in my inlaws 900 sq ft basement with 8 of us. But I wanted to say that one of my best friends lives in a McMansion. When we first met them the kids and I were very nervous about having anything to do with them because I felt inferior and self consious because we don't have toys (motorcycles, boats, swimming pools, stuff) and I remember very distinctly telling my kids as I dropped one of them off for an activity that they were either rich or in debt. So we avoided them. Circumstances happend and she happened to overhear that I was going to work at the Scholastic book fair she asked if she could go with me. Needless to say she and I have so much in common personality wise. She revealed that she didn't want to get to know me because she felt inferior because she thought we were a perfect family:lol:. (She now knows better :D) Now they are having financial trouble because a huge contract defaulted with his company and they are facing losing everything even though they did everything right. No debt at all. Paid for everything with cash. All that to say. I think judging is what hurts us. Both ways. Everyone is a person and you never know until you get to know a person what they are like. That is not to say that I don't wish that we could go boating with them every weekends or that my kids had more in common with the other kids but everything they do cost money. Lots of money. So :grouphug:. I get it. I am there also. I just try to remember that everyone has something they can share with someone. No one has everything.

:grouphug: and prayers

:grouphug: Will pray.

I have thought long and hard about this. My daughter is 13. My youngest son has had medical issues also so she has been exposed to many medical carrers. Right now I am encouraging her to look at occupational therapy, physical therapy, or speech therapy. They all are in high need and make what I consider to be very good money. OT and PT make around 65 per hour not working on call. You make more money doing that. My sons speech therapist makes 85 per half hour. A couple of reasons why we really like these fields, good pay, you can work part time. My sons pt through early intervention only works a couple of days a week when her husband is home. There is also a wide variety within the fields. Pediatric, injury, elderly, stroke victims, military. So if you get burned out of one field move to another. These are fields that she can work in part time to be able to provide all the extras for her kids. We sat down and said, music, dance ect. lessons cost x dollars if you make this much, you would have to work this much so you could provide xyz. They are also fields that if something happens to her husband she could work part time and provide for herself and her children. I am trying not to push her but I wish that I had thought about it and had a marketable skill to bring in money to help my family. It did really help that my sons speech therapist to her yesterday that she should go into one of these fields that she would be great at it.. She perked up at that. We are also looking at carreers for my son. He wants to be involved in his children's schooling and does not want to be stuck in an office 9-5. The older my kids get different things we have to think about.

:iagree: I think it is very strange and I would be livid. I do think that you should tell the child and the mother. If she is wanting this as a business she needs to know. Just because the mom is wierd doesn't mean the child can't learn.

That is fabulous. Way to perservere Miss. Good. :hurray:

Good job! When do you have to be moved by? You sound much more organized than all of my moves have been.

I am pregnant with my 7th and have with children ranging in age from 2-17. 5 boys, 1 girl. I have nursed with all of them until they were 2. I just asked my ds 15 what he thought about my nursing all of the other kids. He said "I never really thought about it but it makes me uncomfortable to talk about if it makes me uncomfortable. :lol: Honestly I never really thought about it. It is just what you do." With 6 kids I nurse when I need to nurse while doing schooling, shopping, cooking, laundry. It is just a part of life. So I say, carry on as others have said if you make it something ashamed of they will too.

Good for you. Have a great weekend with family. :D

Don't you love the peace that comes when you finally make a decision that is best for your family after agonizing over it. Congrats. Pray that it all goes as you plan.

:grouphug: praying all goes well.

:grouphug: sending prayers your way for a speedy recovery and peace for your family.

:iagree: I will continue to pray for your family. :grouphug:

LOL. I am pregnant with my 7th right now and it was a huge decision to have another. My 6th has had health issues and at 2 is still pretty much a baby. But I always KNEW that there was another child for our family. Now that I am pregnant I also KNOW that I am done. Most people I talk to tell me they knew when they were done. It is bittersweet to think of this being my last pregnancy, birth, nursing etc. But all of life stages are so amazing. As for teenagers... My oldest DS will be 18 in Jan, his brother will be 16 in Dec. and my daughter will be 13 in Sept. And then there are the littles. I love my teenagers. Do they smell? Yes. do they eat me out of house and home? Yes. Do they bring me so much joy. Yes. I love my talks with my olders. I love it when they come home from activiites and can't wait to tell me about it. (warning though: you have to catch your sons when they come home even if it is midnight to get details about their activiites. IF you wait till the next day or later you get a very much abbreviated version. My daughter will remember every detail much later. :D) I love this journey with them as they are discovering the adults they want to be. I love just hanging out with my teenagers. Their sense of humor, the discussions, deep theological, psychological discussions are amazing and help me to grow. Because as they get older they start to question and search it is great. They are so much help around the house and with the younger kids. The teenager stage is different in a really, really good way. I have always firmly had the belief that you need to find the joy in the stage you are at with each of your children because they grow so fast. It was just yesterday, I swear, that my 18 ds was 2 and cooking his first scrambled eggs. It goes by to fast. I just tell myself that I will have plenty of time when the kids are grown and gone to explore everything that I want to do.

That is adorable fabric. If you feel that you MUST :D make a baby quilt I am due the end of Oct. I wouldn't want you to feel deprived. ;)

:party:That is AWESOME news! Will keep praying for them.

I am so glad to hear this. It is so heartbreaking sad that he abused his position in that way. Those poor kids. It also does not surprise me that he abused his own children.

I just buy a full comforter and then tuck it in the back and the end so it is very tucked in under the bed. They then only have to pull it up to "make it". This makes making the bed very easy. My 4 year old doesn't have any problems.

:grouphug:and prayers

:grouphug: and prayers

:grouphug: I can't imagine. Prayers for you and her family.

:party: That is awesome! Thank you for updating. I have been thinking of ya'll.