Thank you for all the suggestions! I'm going shopping tomorrow!

I would assume they were trying to figure out if it was serious or not and didn't want to worry you if it wasn't. My male relatives are terrible about telling me anything about their health or their wives' health. I've learned 6 months later about major surgeries, lengthy hospitalizations, etc., and sometimes only because one of them mentioned it in passing to my dh, not me! I gently try to let them know that I'd like to be told when someone is in the hospital or having serious tests run so I can pray for them, and that has helped increase (slightly) the frequency with which they contact me. Their wives have certainly taken it to heart and encourage them to contact me more often with health issues. Still, I don't expect to be told every time someone is in the hospital. It isn't because they don't love me, it's just that they are busy at the hospital, and letting everyone know isn't high on the priority list.

Is it affecting his ability to write neatly? If not, it may not be worth worrying about. However, you can purchase cheap pencil grips that show where to put the fingers for good grip. They have a star where the thumb should go. They aren't very comfortable, but they may help. Once your child gets the hang of it with this one, switching to another type of grip may help him hold on better. Another, even more uncomfortable option (but which will straighten things out in a hurry) is the Zaner-Bloser pencil frame. I know they still sell it, so if you can't find it on the site, call and ask about it. It is impossible to hold a pencil the wrong way with this thing, but it does feel uncomfortable. With one of mine, I just had to threaten getting out the frame again for the thumb to hop back where it should go and stay there for a week or more.

Jean, I tried to rep you, but it won't let me. I agree with all of this. It's hard sometimes to let them mess up and work their way out of it, but it's essential for them to learn how to do it. I just hope to survive watching it happen!

It's a natural worry taken to the extreme. You've had some really hard experiences, and it's natural to worry about your only child, especially when you are the sole caregiver. However, if it happens often it sounds like it's more than just typical mom worry. Do you struggle with anxiety in general, or is it just about death? It is possible to have nutritional deficiencies that express themselves as anxiety. You may want to consider seeing a naturopath for supplements to treat any underlying nutritional deficiencies which can cause anxiety, or see an M.D. for medication. Of course, seeing a psychologist or other therapist to deal with the emotional baggage might be beneficial, too.

Back to the original post... I hate simplistic surveys! I usually don't take part in phone surveys, but when I am willing to take the time, I want questions that don't require explanations for me to clearly understand them. Where are the health classes being taught? By whom? Are the students adults, teens, or children? Is the question really wanting to know my perspective on teaching abstinence or my perspective on teaching condom use? How much information are the instructors going to give regarding those topics - will they explain all of the benefits and the possible risks of both, or will one be presented as beneficial and the other as risky? I always feel sorry for the survey people who call me. They can't answer my questions. They have no idea. They just get paid to call and ask.

Did you have him practice beforehand using an answer sheet with the bubbles? It throws a lot of kids for a loop to have to do that for the first time in a testing situation. Before you have him tested again, you might consider getting a practice test book from the library or bookstore to help familiarize him with putting answers on another sheet with bubbles.

I need to expand the high-protein snack list for my hypoglycemic dc who can't have most dairy products or gluten. Now, it's limited to cheddar cheese on a tortilla (cheddar is the only dairy product that's okay), nuts and raisins, meat, and peanut butter on a rice cake or on apple slices. What am I missing? Thanks for any suggestions!

Good heavens, Jennifer. You worry too much! Of course you should have decent furniture! The set you picked is very nice and you'll enjoy it for years. I have a suggestion, since you want to sell your house - that floor pattern is very bold and loud in the dining area, which might be part of the problem. Some people just aren't into bold patterns on the floor, KWIM? However, it could be muted with a solid-colored area rug. It would set off the new table nicely and dress up the dining area a bit. You could accent with a matching-colored flower or two in a vase on the table. I could see using a very dark red or dark green, but I'm sure other colors would work, too. You could probably get something decent-looking very inexpensively at a warehouse home repair store - Lowe's, Home Depot, Menard's, or whatever else you might have in your neck of the woods. It wouldn't have to be high quality, just in a nice color and new, KWIM?

Look toward the end of the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. If you read about Jesus ascending to heaven, or about Jesus appearing to his disciples, you've gone too far and need to back up several chapters within that particular book of the Bible. The first three books are very similar throughout, but John tends to be a bit different. Sorry I can't give you exact verses right now - I'm typing in the dark without my glasses on, so I can barely make out the computer screen, much less a page in the Bible!

I'm considering scrapping the "math and grammar in the a.m." approach. My dc don't particularly enjoy either subject, so they get slow and grouchy, which makes me grouchy, and then we tend to get off schedule and less is done. If they do math and grammar in the p.m., which they end up doing in homework time, they tend to work faster to get it done so they can go play. What I'm considering is to have all mom-intensive subjects in the morning - science, nature walk, history, Spanish, dictation, oral spelling words, and memory work. After lunch, with read-aloud, the dc would be on their own to read silently, do their math (one on TT, so I could help the other), and grammar (GWG and they do it independently). Does this sound like it would work? What pitfalls would there be? Have I missed something critical?

I limited myself to my three favorite choices, but I really like it all the ways you mentioned! One way you didn't mention that is great is to pop it in coconut oil mixed with real maple syrup in a whirly pop. It ends up like kettle corn, only more acceptable to those who have to avoid cane sugar. Top with salt, if desired. Yum! You do have to keep the popcorn moving a bit more than usual, to keep the popcorn coated and to keep the syrup from burning to the pan, but it cleans up pretty quickly if it does. Just use a brillo pad or scrape it with a cooking spatula.

Dh and I had this discussion recently. He pointed out that I am much more cautious than most people regarding germs, that my concern about not getting or giving germs isolates me, and that I need to get over it. (That conversation was started because I was expressing amazement that our neighbor would knowingly want her sick dc to come over to our house to play so she could go exercise.) Dh says others value social times more than I do and that's why they don't care as much about a few germs. Part of me says he's right, but the fact that I'm up late with a head cold, unable to sleep because we have no cough syrup, after a day of being irritable with the dc who also have this, thanks to spending the day with said neighbor's sick child, makes me think caution is a good thing. So, my vote is, as long as there's no fever for 24 hours and no coughing or sneezing, you can go out in public, but take your hand sanitizer and use it often, especially before shaking hands! :) "Careful" moms, unite!

Another vote for Piano Adventures. It works well, lets you know which pages in each book to do together, and has decent music. My dc also like the Performance book and the Popular Works one (I think that's the name). The Star Wars theme was in one of those and provided a great deal of motivation to the dc. :)

I'd either take down the door or install a cat door so it could remain closed. Of course, if you went to sell you might end up needing to totally replace the door then, as some won't want a cat door in their basement door.

Nope. I'm optimistically hoping to make it into my 80s. I take after my dad in a lot of ways, and that's good. On my dad's side, people live into their 80s but have either heart problems or Alzheimer's. Dad has heart problems, no signs of Alzheimer's yet, at 73. On my mom's side people die around 70 from heart problems or from auto-immune disease, plus Alzheimer's. Mom had all three before she died at 71. I'm just hoping to take after my dad's side, and that my lack of obesity will help me avoid the heart problems so that I can get to my 80s. Maybe by then they'll have figured out how to prevent Alzheimer's and I'll be able to enjoy living so long!

Here's a wonderful book for social skills for young children! It's called the Social Skills Picture Book. My older children loved it when they were little, and I'm waiting for the library to have it available again for my 4yo. Whether a child has special needs or not, the visual perspective is excellent for helping young children to learn appropriate behavior. http://www.amazon.com/Picture-Teaching-emotion-communication-children/dp/1885477910/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219686785&sr=8-1

Our dc get allowances, not specifically tied to chores. Each contributing member of the family gets an allowance, including dh and me. The dc's allowance is $.50 per week per grade, so a kindergartener gets $2.00 per month. We expect them to allocate that in three ways: church giving, savings, and spending. This method works for our family. Our kids don't ask us to buy things for them when we are out, as they know it's their responsibility to bring their money. They save for what they want. They delay purchases in the hopes of finding the same item at garage sales. They do significant amounts of work around the house because they are members of the family. Once they are school age, and can understand money better, they get an allowance.

I think you just have to wait for the check, but I'm not sure. I didn't actually find any of my own money, and I haven't heard how the process worked for the people who I told about their unclaimed funds. Some states list the exact amount, others list a range, and others don't say anything about the amount. Maybe if you check your state page it will tell you something the national page doesn't. If not, I guess you'll just have to wait!

I pay $2.00 a lb. for organic beef, not strictly grass-fed, though. They also feed organic grains. That's based on hanging weight, not the weight I take home. I also pay $.40 a lb. for processing fees, again based on hanging weight.

I found money for ten people, but I don't know how much all of them were. Most just gave a range, and some didn't have any amount listed at all, depending on the state. The most I know for sure was $126, from an auto insurance company, but I suspect another was significant, since it was from a life insurance company. How much did you find?

Calcium and magnesium at bedtime, along with melatonin. My doctor recommended this combo. It works great when I don't fight it. One week a month I have a really hard time not fighting it, and if I do, I always pay for it in the daytime. I have to purposely take my pills and go to bed at the same time as dh to get a decent night's sleep, especially that week! FWIW, I hate Benedryl, but I can take about 1/2 a Pamprin and get a very cheerful, sleepy effect. More than 1/2 and I can't wake up the next day, though. It has some antihistamine, too.

Do you have to eat a full meal as a family that late, or could you and the kids eat a snack or light supper before leaving for sports and then have another snack when you get home? Dh could eat the snack with you, or he could have his share of the meal. Salads. Make it and have it ready in the fridge. If you want meat in the salad to fill it out a bit, cook that in the crock pot in the a.m. and refrigerate it to cool it. Before leaving for sports, cut it up and add it to the salad so it's ready to eat when you walk in. Hot dogs. I know you wanted less meat, but they are about as quick as they come. Lunch meat sandwiches. Same. Cooked fresh veggies. My crew loves a dinner of fresh corn on the cob and green beans. You could cook ahead and then heat up when you get home. Pasta or rice. It isn't quite as wonderful reheated, but it's still good! Again, cook ahead and reheat. Whatever you prepare, get the kitchen completely cleaned up before you leave, and have the table set for supper, minus drinks. You could even have them poured and in the fridge, if that would help. Enlist the kids!

A girl I went to high school with had this. She always looked perfect, as her makeup didn't smear or fade from sweat, but she was miserable whenever it got hot. She had to be very careful not to overheat. I would definitely talk with your doctor about it. You need to educate yourself so this doesn't happen again!

I think it is, as long as you put the food on the inside of the bag. The paint on the outside might not be okay if it rubbed off on your food while inside out. Wasn't there something about lead in the paint on bagel bags a few years ago?