I am getting my period and have an otc fertility testing set that I can use at home. It has shown there are fertile days, or, well, open windows. Was more wondering about the probability of not only getting pregnant on our own, but carrying to term as well. So are you thinking of getting pregnant or why test? You would be considered fertile theoretically speaking for up to a year after you had your last period.

I actually bought these four months back but was not sure if it was worth the gaggle to take them. Maybe I should do that for a few months, at least to get distracted and feel I am doing something. I should add that the pregnancy I lost was healthy so it was not a genetic issue, but a carrying issue. All things considered, it is a longing, but life goes on. I never expected to have this strong urge at this age. My last two pregnancies at 36 and 39 were very easy but took a bit longer to conceive.

Yeah, thinking of getting my hormones checked. Seems there is something that can be done in that regard.

Has anyone successfully gotten pregnant and carried a healthy baby to full term end of their 40s? After trying for 16 months, I conceived what was a healthy pregnancy, but it stopped growing around 8 weeks and I had a d and c at 11 weeks. This was around 5 months ago and as the due date gets closer I am feeling even more sad. Anyways, should I assume that window has closed or might there still be a glimmer of hope? Am I setting myself up for potential heartache with a low chance of getting pregnant and an even lower chance of delivering at term? I am healthy and have had multiple pregnancies. My youngest child is 8.

Hahahaha!!! I just came back from visiting there this week and a couple of times greeted people with Good Morning! instead of a basic flat Hi. Oh, boy, both times I felt like I put the person on the spot and they were totally caught off guard from the more intimate impression of Good morning! Of course here in NE, we use good morning until noon etc. I think it is very interesting to learn the cultural language or places (or re-learn after meeting other cultures as in my case when I go back to DK). It took me a while to decode exactly what to say and how here in NE to get the reaction I needed so the OP will probably figure it out without taking things personally.

I totally get what you are saying. I feel the same way and while I like my friends or circles then being alone with one person is not only boring, but puts a lot of pressure on keeping a possibly boring conversation going with a person you have only so much in common with despite sharing some history together.

I have lived in NE for the past 18 years or so and am originally from Denmark where people are really dry. I find New Englanders to generally be just about chatty and friendly enough without intruding on my privacy! Last year my husband and I visited Kansas City and were "creeped out" by how friendly people were and the in depth conversations that happened within 30 seconds of greeting someone walking their dog or the cleaner at the hotel! It was definitely a culture shock. First off, then you might live in a depressed Maine town, that I don't know, but in general, don't take it personally and just find the right jargon and be direct, not open-ended in your requests and conversations.

Race was only part of her abhorrent tweet. She normalized the concept of Muslims as being extremists. Seems we got all caught up in the racist part of her outburst that we forgot that a whole religion was attacked as well including the millions of Americans who identify as Muslims. Rosanne did blame it on her mental health medications the day after which caused the pharmaceutical company to come out with a statement denying links between them and bigotry and racism.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/top-french-court-to-rule-on-legality-of-burkini-bans/2016/08/26/18499b64-6b64-11e6-91cb-ecb5418830e9_story.html?wpisrc=al_alert-COMBO-world%252Bnation France has formally ruled that it is illegal to ban burkinis.

Oh, I love this comparison. I am going to refrain from saying what I think in regards to ignorance and lack of knowledge on the poster's side because that would be tremendously rude on a board where we are trying to come together and understand each other and educate ourselves and our children to be global citizens with a basic cultural idea of setting and place, but do you know what has been happening inside Syria in areas where ISIS has been forcefully removed? Women were out celebrating in the streets and burning their burkas/niqaabs. Whatever my personal opinion about niqaabs is, then it is a fact that there is a segment of Muslim women who choose to wear it (including here in the US, many of whom are converts), but it is also a fact that many women and girls abhor the niqaab and its restrcitions including the fact that it is being forced (literally) onto them by the men in their lives or as in Syria by extremist militants, which is pretty much the case in Iran and Saudi where there is a Religion Police. For a country like Syria, in the 1980s you had the government forceful remove hijaabs off women's faces (they would come down in helicopters and remove those pesky hijabs so women could be secular) and over the years anyone wearing religious-looking outfit (such as a more serious-looking hijaab or beard for men) would be followed and put on the regime's radar (or detained, tortured, gone from public sphere). Muslim women no matter where they live have the right from an Islamic viewpoint to put on the hijab or not. The niqaab is something "extra" that is not mentioned in the same way (it is not mentioned in the Quran) and I have met enough women to know how oppressive it is but I have also met enough women who choose it to keep my opinion to myself. However, I have met women who have been putting on the hijab under danger to their lives from their government and this oppression is part of the outcry and Revolution in Syria where people (most sunni muslims) are now publicly opposing the government so they can have freedom to do what they want. I met a Saudi girl the other night who was wearing a very open blouse to her breast area and obviously no hijab and she told me that, yes, in Saudi she has to cover up and women can't drive. Now in the same sentence she also mentioned the opulent lifestyle of those reigning men and the fact that if she went public with her opinion - even here in the US and under a pseudonym - then she would risk her own life and that of her family's. This is not Islam. Just like undressing a woman on the beach is secularism. This is oppression. For the woman who was ordered to undress, it was disgusting. Ask her to leave, arrest her, don't have her undress herself. Despicable. What is even worse to me is how many people are just sitting there like lame ducks, not a single person spoke up. I cannot imagine how lonely she must have felt. Just sad.

Jabe, What a kind thing to say. Words do matter and you made my day with your post. I am up for air and will pop in once in a while here on the board. Have a lovely day!

Rosie! Awesome to see you too! :laugh: Plus great to have been missed!

AHASRADA said it perfectly fine. Oppressed women are not out on a beach having fun with their children, friends, or family - no matter what they are wearing. It is very disheartening to meet otherwise friendly people who are not really prejudice, but actually afraid of who you are - because of a scarf on your head. No matter that you live in their neighborhood and might even have been born here. But, I am digressing. I recently went to a water park with some homeschooling moms and dads and their children. My 6 year old was wearing a gym outfit in lieu of a swim suit to cover her up a bit while being economically smart about the option. A fellow Christian father came over to me and raved about her outfit and that his own wife wore a fully modest outfit and would never wear shorts or anything like that. His own girls were wearing shorts and long-sleeves in the water park. However, what was interesting to me (I am in my 40s and have been raising children for over 25 years, I no longer have visions of breaking down stereotypes or really making friends across religious lines btw, I have given up basically) is the fact that this man found we had so much in common and freely was chatting with me all whilst his wife (very lovely women) was hanging out with the two other mothers (sort of although not directly excluding me by their choice of seating etc.), one of whom was a pretty liberal Christian and other being in a mixed-Jewish marriage with no dress code (I know many Jewish with modest dress codes). Women - and I am generalizing from years of experience - tend to take a stance away from me while husbands and grand mothers have no problem whatsoever chatting me up and seeing past the head scarf and see common values, an interesting person, and what not. You explain that to me... Why are mothers so inclined to feel threatened? Is it due to lack of education and subsequently self-esteem? I don't know. I do know that we have so much more in common than not and I can almost guarantee you that most Muslims out and about would be thrilled and very open to speak with you, become friends, and build a mutual relationship. We just don't get the chance. And it is frustrating and very discouraging. Burkini or not. Because a burkini is not a niqaab, but a modest outfit so we can go to the beach and feel good about ourselves!!!!!

Well, why chat with your girl friend if the husband is also going to get intro to your world? I discovered a gf was telling her husband basically everything and I just stopped sharing anything I wouldn't want him to know. Why discuss my children's private issues and marital blah's when it is all going to be shared with him and he is a friend of my husband (and I might not tell my husband every little nag and whine and concern that I would generally share with a gf). Does not make sense to me. I used to have a friend who was 100% confidential and we never, ever gossiped, so it's not like she had stuff to hide. She had the mindset that what is shared between people stays between them, no need to prequalify that this or that is a secret. Guess she set the bar high for future girl friends of mine, but, yeah, not chatting freely if the conversation is meant to be public.

Thanks, Cat!

https://medium.com/@nadiaalawa/hony-helped-the-world-care-about-syria-84876bef9724 Might be an interesting twist to your high schoolers current event studies....

I think it is an awesome stance and I say that after having sent off three kids to college. The ACT/SAT- dance is a profiteering business and way over-rated. Even math-inclined students need to be able to write well and I say this having a kid who is an awful writer but who still wants to go to college. We ended up doing the ACT after we began the SAT and SAT-subject testing for the oldest and it was quite an investment not to mention getting all test scores sent off to each college she applied for.

MBM, Of course you can share anything you want. Would really appreciate it. Thanks so much for wanting to reach more people. Nothing is too little to make a huge difference.

There are always ways to help, for sure! We have a knitting group that makes squares ands ends them in and then we make those into blankets that are made with love and hope. Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/groups/knitsquaresforsyria/. We do containers and receive donations from even far away places. Some people mail us a box of stuffed animals fx. and we include the box in our next container. Address would be NuDay Syria, 14 Ellyson Ave, East Hampstead NH 03826. Our website info is http://www.nudaysyria.net/containers.html. Alternately then we have a wonderful wish list on Amazon where people order and get the items directly mailed to us with free shipping. Pretty painless! Check it out at http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/27U39581F9IPQ/ref=topnav_lists_1. And of course we have financial fundraisers and need funds all the time. Some kids decide to donate their birthday towards fx. baby milk for starving babies or our school for Syrian refugee children that have been out of school for years. There are different things everyone can do and we try to make people feel connected as much as possible. For general updates and to stay cool and in the loop, come like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NudaySyria!

Thanks, peeps! I just posted an update. I am having a quiet day and need to actually plan some homeschooling so it was lovely to be alerted by Jennifer on Facebook that you guys were reading the article. I kept telling the reporter how important my virtual homeschooling community always has been and how many followed the conflict and subsequently also support my efforts. It's been great. I have always loved our WTM community and still am active/reading on the FB group, so I didn't drop off the earth completely (even if my husband thinks so!).

Friends, It's been a while! Jennifer alerted me that our WTM friends were sharing the Boston Globe article so I thought I should stop by and say hi. I have been very low key the last three years due to the Revolution in Syria that very quickly turned into the worst humanitarian crisis of our lifetime, but incidentally right now am in a re-energizing phase to avoid burn-out and to keep the ship at home from sinking. Not that you would know from the outside that we are anything but busy, but I have taken an emotional step back so that I can continue doing this for a long, long time. Well, being a mother of eight and pretending to homeschool (I call it facilitate), you quickly learn how to recognize signs of burn out and rely on yourself anyways! My kids are growing up and not only are they doing ok, but they are turning into great human beings albeit not perfect ones (unlike their astounding Mother Dearest). I have always shared everything with my kids and I would say that has been some of what I most appreciated about homeschooling them.My kids have been very close to me during this process of helping Syria although we never strongly have identified as Syrians. However, we are Syrians and most importantly humans and because of personal ties and relationships we happen to feel the suffering and the longing for democracy and free speech which was what drew me into this uprising. Actually, what really drew me in was the fact that kids initiated the non-violent reaction to total dictatorship when they wrote some graffiti asking for a regime change and instead were violently met with secret service agents and thrown in dungeon jails and tortured, but it was Hamza Al-Khateeb's death that was the last straw for me to emotionally get drawn in to this people's quest for freedom. Hamza was 13 and smuggling in baby milk to the town with the graffiti (Daraa) and was imprisoned and tortured. On the night he was going to get released fellow prisoners describe how he was asked to bow down onto the president's picture and pray to it (huge sin in Islam to have idols) and instead he actually peed on the photo, brave boy that he was, which resulted in his castration and extreme torture and subsequent death. And that was that for me. I had a 13 year old son at home, Yaman, and I was a mother myself. Initially I set up events and rallies for Syria and always made sure to have a fundraising component, never wanting to miss an opportunity to help. I called myself a freelancer because I would ask different organizations to take on this or that project with funds raised and ensure no overhead was used. It quickly became a task and I was getting very little feedback from them while at the same time establishing networks and funding my own projects for medical support or baby milk. Finally right after doing five containers and having my husband push me forward I founded NuDay Syria and in five days had it up and running. Yes, I am busy and yes, I am learning on the go and having to use my extroverted side way more than I might like, but I am getting stuff done and see the results and savor each child whose hearts we fill with hope and each mother who feels encouraged and loved because others care. It means a lot to me that the people and recipients inside Syria and at the border in Turkey realize that the donors of our containers or funds for aid are fellow mothers and families from all sorts of backgrounds such as Muslim, non-Muslim, Syrian, American, and many other nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Even though I am focused very narrowly on Syrian mothers and children, then I feel very strongly that the cause is global and humanitarian and concerns all of us. Syria's coming generation of children (for years to come) will grow up with our kids and their horrific traumas and suffering as well as their daily grumbles for food will affect us all - and should concern us all. Both out of love and compassion and also out of rationality. My youngest did her first few containers on my lap (don't recommend doing containers and coordinating several dozen people or more while lugging a screaming toddler around for ten hours) and since then tends to pick out a new stuffed tiger for her collection when we do containers and of course a few weeks later donate a bag of her own toys (exchange of friends sharing toys and love basically). She did tell me one time when I happened to be cleaning out toys and items that "Syria's children have got enough toys now, mama" to which her older sisters scolded her and said, "No, Jumanah, there are a lot of kids that need toys!". So, yeah, my kids have been amazing and I could not have done this without them, really.

Link to this, please?

Update: After I sent them a message on their Fb page a day ago they replied to me and said they would call me Monday and my items would be on the way. I really hope so because I need to cancel if I haven't received them by Thursday. With $20 for shipping and a $700+ order then I refuse to wait more than two weeks. I understand it is a home business, although it really isn't with everything being outsourced and with several employees, and I need to use the material now and not six months from now! I have to say that I am excited to receive the order which is why I bought from them in the first place. We used WP a few years back and I really look forward to us using them again (order being fulfilled that is!).

I placed a rather big order 11/14 and until now am still waiting. I was told a day after the order was placed that it was being processed. I emailed back 2-3 days ago to ask about its status and was told that the woman replying was off-site and actually did not really know. This sort of got me worried. I ordered other items from other publishers over last weekend and already received those items.