Have you considered the possibility of it being chlorine???? It hot water, your pores open up more and let more in. Chlorine is more of a problem in hot water as it gases more.... idk, just a wild guess. I have gotten more itchy myself... I keep trying to figure out if it is my hair products as it can be my neck, but also my hands.... or just dryness. Laura

Rolled around under seats, got kicked out the door, put in another bag... sounds like the story of my life!! Laura

That is over the top... the whole family moved in!!! My son dog sits and does not get into any stuff at all, and when I have had dog sitters I usually have a young adult just stay here who enjoyed the dog and had the house to themself! College students often enjoy that! No siblings need to be there, playing with anything, and definitely No other family hanging out. I mean, if they just sat on the porch waiting... but going through the whole house???? laura

I am so sorry.... I put down a 16 y/o sheltie 2 years ago and it was very hard.... She had been declining but never let us know that she was "done" until she fell one day and then was crying. I gave her a piece of a pain med which drugged her up to go to the vet. that way she had no anxiety or stress. She kept looking at us, but when put down, they give them a sedative first and I knew when she was "out" and eyes did not see me. Then they give the second shot and she knew nothing at all was happening. It was hard, but very peaceful. Your decision is a conundrum as she does not act "done." but it is true that surgery is harder the older that they are. have you ever tried collodial silver on the sores? It kills many, many things and it is not so expensive. You would need to spray the sore several times a day, and could even put some in her drinking water... it really can't hurt her. Blessings, it is hard when they are older! Laura

Try putting your ear to his back and listen to him breathe. If there was water in his lungs, it would probably go to pneumonia and you can hear crackles or noises in their lungs. If it is asthma, there is more wheezing. Have him take a full breath in and exhale all he can... see how deeply he can inhale/exhale, and if you can hear the wheezing. In asthma, the tubes are tightening and closing up a bit so the air has difficulty going in and out... You will probably need to have him checked by MD. My daughter had exercise-induced asthma for a while until she went off of dairy which she is allergic to. When she got a cold, the wheezing was bad and she needed an inhaler at times... laura

I would go with those who say do not give extra attention... and try to GIVE attention for behaviors more sociably tolerable!!! laura

Realistically, those of us who get too low of blood sugar need to eat something every 3 hours. So before dinner time is a classic time for melt downs if you do not plan a snack mid-afternoon. I still get shaky and melt down if I go outside to work on not enough food! The weird thing is that I can have no appetite at the same time! I recommend some juice to quickly get sugar up in blood... PB will take longer to digest and gets blood sugar up slowly! You want a quick response! I read to use the HALT signal. Are you: Hungry Angry Lonely or Tired It helps kids slow down and figuer out what is going on. But once your child is gone, there is no reasoning or discipline that is going to teach him... it is too late. You have to react by getting sugar in him. Then talk about it later. Laura

Since we moved to California 15 years ago, I rarely (read for funerals or in snow country) wear stockings. I just do not need them!!! I would wear sandals and NO stockings for a summer wedding. For winter, I would wear pumps and stockings if it is cold. Laura

Great ideas... congratulations in entering a new phase of life! Laura

as a parent, I would want to know so that I would have the opportunity to talk to them and get more help if it was needed. It could just be a way to find out if friends are real on social media, or it could be a cry of loneliness and help. Laura

that some kids will be stubborn and sass no matter what you try to stop them.... they don't seem able to keep the lips close!

I would not make a big deal out of it...unless it is a disruptive person who would be very difficult to deal with. Hopefully she is good at entertaining herself and you won't notice her too much. But I also would ask your mom privately to not invite others to family events without checking with you first. It would be more respectful to you. Laura

I am so sorry. Fires are so scary and hard to live through the stress of wondering where it will go. Prayers for you all! Laura

Plan on a good 5-6 months of training. The more you do now, and prevent bad behavior, the more you will enjoy the dog all of their life!!! And know the breed, each has strengths and weaknesses. I also used a crate for training, but rarely need to use it now that the dog is an adult as we are home most of the time. But if you prevent accidents, the training goes much better. You can do a schedule of time to eat, potty, time to play, into kennel for quiet time, potty time. Always take them out right after they wake up from napping... that is a prime potty time. Alternatively, I would tether the puppy to the coffee table so I could see him at all times and he could not wander the house to find a potty spot! This all takes a few months of being conscious about it, then things should be easier. laura

One downfall of homeschooling is not hitting deadlines that are not flexible and will not move for you. I have a son who cannot get things done unless he has the high stimulation from a deadline- ADD. He needs to have very firm deadlines, but does not feel like Mom's deadlines mean anything.... It has gone better for High School boys to have a class with my husband who is very inflexible and also a university professor. they work very hard for him, and he is firm but fair and good with them. Laura

I have heard over and over to take fish oil supplements. I also use the Restorative drops as I had an eye injury and if the eye gets too dry then it sticks to the scab and rips it off... it is painful! If your pain is blinding, I think you should have an eye doctor look at it. You might have injured your eyes along the way which is causing the pain. Laura

I am wanting to pantry dive this month... there is stuff in there that just needs used up and I need to clean and organize my space. It is a large walk in closet so I can really make a big mess in there. In the garage, I store some larger amounts of canned beans and staples that would work if we ever have an earthquake here. We eat from them, and I re-buy by the case from a coop. I also try to keep extra peanut butter, rice, and things with good nutrition but shelf stable. I need to buy milk and I must have a lot of fresh produce in the house. It is a staple for me and the farms here can grow year-round so we have good stuff all the time at the farmer's market. Laura

The only way that I get anything done in cleaning up is to have people over.... otherwise I just get used to the clutter and I don't see it anymore until I am tired and it depresses me. So having a b-b-q is the best idea!!! laura

Prayers for all in fire areas!!! We went through this a few years ago, 3 in our area in one year, and it is stressful and hard. Blessings, laura

Hi, I have had questions and doubts before... the more I study what people have done in history the more I am brought down. the more I study what the Bible says about God, and the more I spend time with Him in prayer and contemplation, trying to see Him in all around me, the more I realize that He offers what no one else can offer- grace!!!! People always fail along the way, none of us are perfect!!! But the closer I desire to come to God, the more He is my rock in all difficult times and I do not know how I would survive without the faith that He loves me and is in charge! no, not everything goes perfectly in life, but I know where to go for comfort and peace! laura

With my teens, I am sure to say that they can have the reins of their lives when they are 18 AND pay their own bills. It is just a fact of life, you have no real control over your life as long as you are dependent on someone for money. So as long as our money supports them, we at least have a say in what is going on or what is reasonable. If it felt like the son was going to repeatedly run away and return, just leaving for a span of freedom, I think I would consider making a consequence for that choice... not sure what, but would take priviledges away. Otherwise, will he continue to "run away" and return when tired of hanging with friends??? A show was on TV in the last year of kids trying to finish High School while truly homeless... it was eye opening! And in our church parking lot program, there is a mom with 2 teens living in their van.... If only our kids could understand what it would really be like without the dangers.... Laura

The best way to kill any pathogens in the stomach is garlic pills! I had the stomach flu and found this way to help recover quickly from "Prescriptions for Natural Healing." Day one: DO at first sign of illness Alternate 5-6 Charcoal capsules 3 hours later, 2-3 garlic tablets. 3 hours later, repeat charcoal capsules,and so on Day two: Take 2-3 garlic pills 3x a day Take a good quality fiber supplement 2x a day The charcoal absorbs toxins, the garlic kills pathogens, and the fiber helps clean it from the body. Do not eat until body shows hunger. Just drink liquids. Laura

I always just gave the "they are the age of 9th grade" or something vague like "he would be in 8th grade at school." I don't follow the "grades" so much because my kids have such different ablities in school. For the struggling one, I keep her in the "grade" of her age & peers for our homeschool activities, but she will not probably graduate at the same time in reality.... but I did not see any point of making an issue of it and changing her "grade" for the homeschool group as it is mostly social. L

:iagree:

I read recently that women are covered because it is women who are not holy or clean... they are "dirty" and can temp men to not be righteous... so the view of women is degrading from the beginning. They do not have value or worth on their own. Also, it is interesting that the men from countries where women are covered are often the men who travel to other countries and basically have freedom to do whatever they want and use women of the other country. It is a sad view of women and how to be a good person... L