DD10 will turn 11 in two days. For the first time in many, many years, we have the finances to throw her a party where she can invite friends. She's excited. The problem is that we live in a small town where there is no place to hold a party. I am not at all interested in parties where we (or the guests) drive an hour to get there and an hour to get back. Pizza Hut has a side room for rent, but dd is gluten free and is not at all interested in a pizza party where everyone else is eating something different than she is eating. I'm thinking about a slumber party, but her "must have" guest list is around 20. I realize that not everyone can attend, but I'm cautious enough to think that maybe we shouldn't anticipate that many no-shows. Additionally, one of her best friends (a must-invite) does not get along with some of the other girls (both crushing on the same boy, etc). I'm not sure that too much time together is a good thing although I would think that good manners would keep her from making a scene and snubbing one of the other girls. I can't think of anything else that we can do. I've thought about manicures, but I'm not sure that it would take up enough time. My mother lives on the acreage next door and has offered to take care of cooking out hamburgers/hot dogs (or provide breakfast the next day if we do a slumber party). If I could count on the weather, we could do a huge scavenger hunt outside. Should I try for lots of outside activities? (Horseshoes, croquet, not sure what else) and cooking out? Or try to do girly things (manicures and hairstyles). Any suggestions? Most of the girls will be 10 - 12 yrs old. We will have a few stragglers who are 5 - 9 and I plan to let them play dress up in the house with my youngest. I would love some ideas. I am only creative once the ball starts rolling.

I don't believe I signed a contract, but I will go ahead and call and ask. I'd rather be up front and tell them that I'm seeing someone else since we will probably need records.

I don't know of any reason why I couldn't change, but that's why I'm asking. ;) If it's considered bad form to change, I would offer to pay him for the office visits we had where he made suggestions. (Of course, I don't like parting myself from money so I don't want to unless necessary).

I've often told my friends that I can do anything as long as I get a solid 6 - 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Sleep-deprived, I'm just a mess. We had to train our oldest to stay in her room if she woke up during the night. We literally used baby gates in her doorway (we stacked one on top of the other as she became taller). If she tried to get out, they would fall and we would wake up and take her back to her room. Eventually, she "got it" and now she doesn't leave her room when she wakes up except to go to the bathroom. We made sure to have a tv/vcr and plenty of videos. She's able to watch tv until she's sleepy again. I was always a wreck when the girls were babies from lack of sleep. Any reinforcements you can call? Someone to come over while you nap and cook dinner for you?

DD10 has been seeing an orthodontist for two years. She should be ready for braces soon (my guess is within a few months). The orthodontist office is friendly, fairly prompt and I have no problem with them. Most of the work so far has been recommendations he's made on pulling teeth. We did pay $250 for an initial examination but have not paid anything else. My guess was that he would end up making money once she started the actual process of braces. DD12 also needs orthodontic work but only one orthodontist would work with her due to her significant autism. We plan on putting on 4 brackets in a few weeks and seeing how she will tolerate them. If she does well, we will add on brackets. If the braces won't work, she will probably need surgical correction on several teeth. I love this orthodontist as she is patient and worked hard to get x-rays for my daughter. She spent a lot of time consulting with both our dentist and oral surgeon to make sure that the right decision was made, both medically and emotionally. I would like to move dd10 to dd12's orthodontist. Is that possible? I feel bad that the first ortho invested time into dd10 but it seems silly to drive to two different offices when I could take them both in at once.

Sorry the phone call went poorly. :( My guess is that she's upset because her daughter is upset. I think we've all been in the position of explaining to a heart-broken child why they weren't invited to a party. I think your offer of "different ages doing different things" was generous and would still allow her to attend the party. The fact of the matter is that it is probably not safe for her to be playing laser tag with the big kids, nor would she enjoy it. Stay firm and good luck with the friendship. I should add that a true friend would never put you in this position.

No, we saw odd behavior a few years ago that's gradually worsened. He will forget what he ordered at restaurants and sulk (seriously, with lip pouted) or forget what things are called, etc. He loses things frequently. It was significant enough to cause issues, but not significant enough that he needed assistance. The UTI made things much, much worse and he didn't recognize people. He still doesn't. His current behaviors resemble a stroke, but the hospital says he didn't have one. They think the fever might be related to the meningitis but they are baffled as to why he isn't getting over it as he should.

He's not a veteran and I doubt he has any type of long-term care insurance. At the moment, he doesn't even have a will or any type of directive about his wishes on being kept alive should he get worse. My MIL had hers done at our urging, but he didn't want to do it. Now his daughters are furious with her because of it. She does have an attorney and a financial advisor (she has some assets she inherited - the attorney and financial advisor were also "inherited"). I told DH that he should go ahead and call them and tell them to call her.

My husband's step-father (as some of you may remember) has been in the hospital following a UTI and then meningitis about three weeks ago. Prior to the hospitalization, he had beginning dementia which caused him some confusion. Currently, he cannot stand without assistance (significant), he is sometimes fed through a tube (inserted straight into his stomach), he doesn't seem to recognize anyone and some days he can talk and some days he can't. Yesterday was considered one of his best days because he laughed twice and was able to lift his arms above his head independently. He was not a candidate for rehab yet, so was sent to a nursing home a few days ago. His fever spiked to over 104 again and he is back in the hospital. My MIL (who is helpless, truly, she is not a practical type person) and my step FIL's two daughters are trying to figure out his care. (They are also in disagreement). After his return to the hospital, they decided they didn't like the nursing home and took him out officially. MIL desperately wants him to go to rehab and get better. Rehab is firm that they won't accept him. Somehow, they will need to get him into a different nursing home. MIL says that the rehab says if he improves in the nursing home then they will take him. Between the three of them, they have no idea what the nursing home costs. DH and I are wondering about the cost and we don't want to ask since we're worried it will sound a bit tacky. There is a chance we may have to help out with the cost. Can someone give me some ideas of what nursing home costs and how they are typically covered? Step FIL is 72 yrs old and there are some assets that are in his name. Can they take MIL's assets? What about her home? They have a second home that is tied into a trust, that is supposedly untouchable. I find this whole thing very confusing.

I'm not sure if this is the same set up that you have, but our front door has a decorative half circle type shape at the top of it. It looks lovely but the sunlight apparently comes streaming through. The previous owners took some type of paper (it's light and off-white to match the door - it almost feels a bit waxy - not sure what type of paper it is) and cut out the same shape and taped it in there. They pointed it out when I looked at the house and said it was because of the way the sun angled into the house. From both inside and out, it looks almost like the glass is frosted.

Thanks for all the replies. :) Just to reiterate, we're not discussing it with the relative, I was simply curious. I was brought up to not ask for anything extra and DH was brought up that it was okay to ask for condiments. After some thought I came around to DH's way of thinking since I wouldn't think twice if someone asked me for something to go with their meal. I'm not sure how the relative meant the "You're spoiled" comment. I told my daughter that I was sure she was teasing her since I didn't want it to become a big deal.

Are you an established patient with a dentist already? If so, go see him and explain that you won't have dental insurance for another two months. I have known dentists who have prescribed antibiotics and one course of pain meds to get a patient through until they have insurance. If you don't, I would still make the appointment and at least get antibiotics.

awesome, thanks :)

My girls love nuts and seeds. I was wondering if it was okay to freeze them so I can buy large bags? Things like almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, etc.

My personal theory is that it saves 50 cents per load. We do 2 loads a day. Sometimes I line dry and sometimes I do not. I usually line dry sheets. I always line dry "trendy" type clothing that will get destroyed in the dryer. I have drying racks set up on our porch for items I don't want the sun to fade and a huge umbrella rack in the back yard. My husband doesn't like "crunchy" clothes, so if I line dry his, I pop them in the dryer for a few minutes to soften them. I always machine dry towels although I have line dried kitchen washcloths.

She asked politely and there was no attitude. I'm fairly certain of that since my other daughter was there also. Trust me, if either mis-behaves I am CERTAIN to hear of it from the other child! :tongue_smilie: Their manners are pretty good, tattling however....lol

The girls were visiting a relative that we get along with quite well. There were a total of 5 kids there and for a snack, they each received a small bowl of grapes and carrots. One of my daughters eats raw veggies alone, but another will only eat them dipped in ranch dressing. Frankly, I'm happy she eats raw veggies so I'm only too happy to give her something to dip them in. She asked if she could have ranch dressing to dip her carrots in and was told that she couldn't. The relative then told her that she was spoiled. My guess is that the relative made the spoiled comment teasingly although my daughter took it seriously. (This is my "anxious" daughter). She ate the grapes and left the carrots. I have raised the girls to eat what is placed in front of them when at someone else's house. However, I have always allowed them to ask for things I consider condiments. (And I consider ranch for carrots to be a condiment). Should I adjust what I teach the girls? I don't plan on bringing this up at all with my relative and it's rare that they are over there so it might not even happen again. I was just curious. I don't want them to appear rude elsewhere.

I'd love to order one of these for the special ed classroom at my daughter's school. Does anyone know if it's possible to order one for myself and place another order for a second set?

My husband always teases me for how sweet I make my tea and now I'm embarrassed by the poll! :tongue_smilie: I brew by the half gallon and put 1.5 - 2 cups with my Mr. Tea Maker (or whatever it's called). I love putting in peach or mint flavored tea bags and have occasionally used cinnamon. We make tea daily but do not drink a lot of soda.

If you have books for reading (not necessarily textbooks), you may want to consider donating them to either the library or to the public schools. If you donate to public school, you could get receive a donation credit for your tax return.

Oh my heavens, what a scary but uplifting post! I'm so glad he's okay. I will keep them in my prayers. I know that I would have been nearly hysterical with fear. I hope all continues to go well.

I think it depends partly on what type of "neat freak" you are :) and partly on how much you need to clean. I used to vacuum 2 x a day when the kids were smaller (particularly oldest dd) and the floor under the table (carpet *sigh*) was horrible after every meal. (Then we had a roomba which literally zoomed over the carpet non-stop. We named him Max and he deserved a medal.) Now I vacuum once a week (well, our housekeeper does and honestly, she deserves a medal, too.) Daily basis - dishes, tidy bathrooms, tons of laundry, kitchen at the end of the day. The girls sweep and swiffer. We tidy the living room/den at the end of the day. Bedrooms as needed. I cook a lot, so the kitchen is the focus of our home and our cleaning. :)

We are supposed to start our school year today. It is 9:00 and we still haven't eaten yet. Typically, I'm a bit more on the ball than I am today, but I'm not sure tomorrow will be much better. Briefly, legal action was initiated against us and it's unfair. The bright side is that it's so unfair, I have actually had an attorney contact me and offer to represent us at no charge. I'm waiting to hear back from two other attorneys I contacted and a few other places (who may have significant input into what is going on). I haven't been able to break away from computer or phone all week-end. I know I'm not the only person to have legal problems or life events throw a curveball into my life. How do you function? And on a practical side, can a family doctor prescribe temporary medication for anxiety?

:grouphug::grouphug: Spaghetti sounds fine. :) Otherwise, lunchmeat and "make your own sandwich" night. Grab some romaine lettuce for DH to roll his up with ranch or italian dressing. :)

Thanks for the replies. I've told her to stay away from them and will keep them out of the house until we get her tested for them. Such a strange allergy!