My MIL is having knee replacement surgery today. She's always vague about medical stuff so I haven't much information. She's been in surgery for about two hours now. When she first mentioned it to us (a couple of weeks ago), she asked if we could help out if she needed it and we (of course) agreed. I think I have drastically underestimated knee replacement surgeries after having a conversation with someone who did have one. My MIL's husband's sister is coming to stay with them for the rest of this week. The neighbors across the street have also volunteered to help out. MIL has asked DH to come help starting this upcoming week-end for as long as she needs it. We both assumed that meant one week, possibly a few days longer. (DH is an only child, MIL has no siblings and has alienated most other relatives that are nearby. MIL's husband has two adult children living locally, but neither have expressed interest in helping out). MIL lives 1 1/2 hours away. She does have a guest house next door to her house so it's convenient to go and stay to help her. (My oldest is in public school, so only DH can go). MIL is also the sole caretaker of her husband who has dementia. He wanders. He was in assisted living for about a year but she decided to pull him out so they could be together at home. He can walk unassisted, but only just barely. He has some difficulty going to the bathroom independently. Mentally, he barely seems to know who we are. Should we anticipate a long recovery? She hasn't asked her doctor many questions but understood that there would be several days hospital stay and 'extended' physical therapy. MIL is not obese, but has Hepatitis and Cirrhosis (alcohol abuse although she has quit now). I'm thinking about offering to have them stay here (we have a small guest house they could use on our property) if she's not able to drive or move independently in a couple of weeks.

My daughter bakes zucchini bread all the time and we love it. I have tons of frozen shredded zucchini in our freezer just for zucchini bread. We use the Pamela's baking mix in place of flour. Also, make sure you're squeezing out your zucchini to remove as much moisture as possible.

Wendy, I live in an area where shotguns are pulled out (day or night) the moment you see a stranger starting up the driveway (dirt roads=long driveways). Saying it with a smile or as a joke would probably have come across just fine. But when you write it, it comes across differently.

My understanding is that the incident happened last year and her comment was made this year. He may not remember what happened last year. Her reminder of the incident includes a comment about people being shot for less. I can see where he may wonder if she's threatening to shoot him if he doesn't knock first.

Agreeing with the others. I understand what you meant about people being shot for less, however, it comes across as if you will be the one doing shooting. When I send emails, I try to re-read them as if a complete stranger read the letter. I want the letter to explain the situation and my concerns so that anyone would understand them. If I'm annoyed with someone, I typically try to inject some humor into the situation. Also, servicemen (of all sorts) are notoriously early and late where I live. Fifteen minutes early is almost perfectly on time. If I know to expect someone on a certain day, I look for their arrival pretty much all day. I think his reaction to your letter is normal, especially since he is male and you are female. You seem to indicate that he frightens you a bit (although I doubt he truly does scare you) and that's an uncomfortable situation for any man to be around.

Thanks for asking. She is much, much better. I called the doctor's office back and they said not to worry with bringing her in. She's still sore and some pain, but she hasn't needed even ibuprofen and is moving fine. They said if she starts coughing a lot, fever, odd bruising on her back or if the pain increases to call them again. She's been out riding her bike and swimming today. I'm very, very thankful she's doing okay. I was worried last night.

I want to hire someone to do some therapy with my daughter. I want her to be available for the entire school year, start to finish with no missing dates (short of emergency). She said that she will be adopting internationally but they don't expect to leave until mid-June. I have never known an international adoption to run by the predicted dates. I have several friends who have adopted internationally and numerous acquaintances. Not a single one happened on time (or within a few weeks of being on time). Would you all mind sharing experiences and thoughts on the timeliness? She will need to be off for a few months after the adoption and I really must have someone who will work the full school year. (Not trying to be picky, but it must be the full school year).

The nurse called back and said to wait until tomorrow. My daughter is already asleep. The nurse said if my daughter was in significant pain she wouldn't be able to sleep. She told me a few things to check on tonight - fever, excessive coughing or shortness of breath. If she's feeling sore but okay, we'll take her in tomorrow afternoon after my other daughter's psych appointment (which again, is too important to miss). If she's really hurting, DH will take her in the morning.

Thanks. I'll give our pediatrician a call and speak with the night-time nurse. I appreciate the replies.

Are the concerns about the pain or other injury besides the rib? Our local ER's response is to bandage things up until the next week-day, regardless of whether they occur on a week-end, regardless of whether it's broken. It's about 1 1/2 hours into the nearest city and a several hour delay once we get there. As long as she's not in current pain (although, granted, she can't be as active as she'd like), I'm content to wait until tomorrow and see our pediatrician (still an hour's drive, but the wait won't be as long) unless there's something else I should be looking for.

My daughter jumped on my older daughter while she was laying down. Older daughter pulled in her legs and kicked middle daughter on the right side of her chest, hard. Middle dd fell off the bed and rolled a few times. All she could do was whimper for a few minutes. She could breathe, but she said it hurt so bad she could hardly talk. I looked at her chest and there was a large (foot size) mark on the right side of her chest. We immediately put ice on the area and gave her ibuprofen. The redness faded after a bit but is now starting to redden back up. DD is on the couch. She seems fine, on the computer and doing some craft projects. However, she says it hurts if she takes a deep breath, coughs, sneezes or hiccups. It also hurts if she twists her torso or bends over. I know it's harder to break a rib in a child than an adult, however, due to her having Celiac Disease, her bones are a bit more fragile. She takes calcium daily to help. The doctor said her bones were about two years behind her age and while not excessively fragile, more fragile than they should be. Any thoughts? If she's still hurting tomorrow around lunchtime I'll probably take her in, but I wondered if anyone with experience in broken ribs could chime in? (My older daughter has a 'hard to get' psychiatric appointment that we must keep in the morning to adjust medication).

I have only experience fluid on my feet when pregnant, right after giving birth. About a month ago, however, after being on my feet for excessive amounts of time (canning) for several days, both feet became swollen (I could 'feel' the fluid moving on the top of my foot when I walked). My right foot was worse than my left. The left foot was fine after staying off of it for a day, but the right foot took longer. A week ago, I took the girls swimming. I was moving around a lot in the shallow end (trying to teach two of them to swim). The next day, my right foot only was swollen and my leg was sore. A few days later it was fine. Yesterday, I had massive amounts of shopping to do (two hour drive, several hours walking). Today, my foot will only fit in my regular shoes (no church shoes today) and both legs are sore (soreness is expected). I am overweight but not obese. I have horrible soda habits. Am I unhealthy or is there something going on with my right leg that I should have checked out? I do have varicose veins on that leg (severely - it's a birthmark that goes from ankle to thigh). Any thoughts?

We've used them before (she didn't toilet train until she was nearly 9) and they become objects of obsession unfortunately. She will wet and change constantly or dip it in the toilet so she can throw it against the wall. She likes the stuff inside of the diaper that expands. I can't tell you all how grateful I am for the suggestions. We only found two dresses and no leggings today. I didn't look in the women's section. I'll try Wal-Mart tomorrow and hope for better luck. I used to sew when I was younger, but it's mostly straight lines (nightgowns, pillows, quilts). My daughter has sewn simple dresses for herself and her sister out of old leftover material. We're going to start with elastic band pants/skirts as well as t-shirt dresses and go from there. I feel a lot more hopeful.

Belk's, Penneys, sometimes Kohls and then Target/WalMart. I used to go to Justice for her but she outgrew that quickly. We live 15 minutes away from a wal mart and about an hour from anything else. Because of her medication issues at the moment, I have to buy the item and then bring it home and see if it fits. My middle daughter is going with me because she has an eye for what fits everyone (and also what looks nice).

Thanks or all of the replies. I really appreciate it! I realize that I can't make everything before Monday. I have a few things but nowhere near the amount I need. For whatever reason, I can't find leggings where I shop. I must be missing them. My daughter likes to sit with her knees up, so something under skirts and dresses is a must. Right now, she's going through a medication change and has had frequent urine 'accidents'. It's not as bad as it has been, but it's still about eight times a day that we need fresh clothes. The school is ready and prepared, but the thought of getting together so many outfits to send with her (that must be school appropriate) is making me cringe. Not to mention the fact that constant washing (even if I air dry) is killing her clothes. I can also make waist band pants for her. She's just a hard size to fit. I don't expect this to be cheaper. I want her to look nice and be comfortable. Thank you, thank you for all you've posted so far. :)

I am almost in full panic mode. My oldest daughter starts back to school on Monday and has little, if anything, to wear. My middle daughter is going shopping with me tomorrow to see if we can find anything (I've already been out shopping twice). My daughter has just made the jump from the largest kid sizes to small junior sizes. That, in and of itself, is enough for culture shock. Leather outfits, shirts without a back, shirts with the front cut out and layers everywhere. My daughter has autism and dislikes layers. She also can't manage zippers or buttons very well yet. We've always bought elastic waist pants. Apparently, teens aren't into elastic waist. What I've been doing is having her wear dresses or long shirts with legging type pants underneath. When the weather becomes hot, we cut the leggings to end at her knees. I'm thinking about sewing her clothes. My middle daughter can sew a little bit (but has more experience than I do). For those that sew, would it take long to learn how to sew leggings and simple tunic type pull over shirts?

I agree. I wouldn't really worry about GE. I always look at what percentile they fall into and go from there. I would think that she would fall into roughly the same percentile rankings throughout the years unless there is a drastic change.

Yes, the notes specified a culvert. He took so long to get back with us, that he would forget what he was quoting for. When we reminded him about the culvert, he said it wasn't needed. And yes, we paid in full when he finished the project.

I'm definitely going to make DH call. He hates calling, but I'm going to let him calm down (today or tomorrow) about it and talk to him about what he needs to say. The contractors around here would think less of DH if I made the phone call. The driveway was put in maybe six weeks ago, possibly 2 months. We had nothing in writing other than our notes about what we wanted done.

We live out in the country and wanted to have a back driveway put in. Our regular driveway is in the middle of a curve and it's truly dangerous to get out. The contractor was very difficult to work with. He was nice enough, but it took several weeks to come out, several weeks for a quote, several weeks to finish the job. The job was to scrape/gravel a driveway and break through some trees to attach to a gravel road behind our house. (The gravel road is private property but we have permission to use). My husband says that he specifically told the contractor that he didn't want the rain to wash the rocks into our yard and he was assured that it wouldn't happen. Originally, we had asked for a culvert to be installed and was told that it wouldn't be necessary. We had a huge rainstorm (we have several a year) and we now have rocks all in our yard. Short of picking them up individually, we can't really fix it. (And honestly, we'll probably rake or pick them up individually). We can't cut the grass in that area as it will sling gravel everywhere which will break windows. My husband is livid and says the contractor needs to come back and fix it, at no cost to us. He is really angry (unusually angry in my opinion, like something else is bothering him) and has asked me to call the contractor. Do I have the right to ask him to fix it at no cost? I plan to stall calling for a few days (I want to find a new contractor anyway) and would like some opinions.

When my husband starts a DIY project that looks doomed, I usually discreetly call around and figure out what it would cost to fix it or if there is someone I know who is knowledgeable in that area. Then, I cook a really good meal and laugh at all of his jokes. I usually rub his back at night and we talk. During the middle of the talk, I will casually say something like, "Oh by the way, I called so and so, he said he could fix the thing for about $200 if you're interested. If not, no biggie, I just wanted to give you the info." And then I change the subject and let him decide.

No, not available in our state. She's already checked. :(

My upcoming 6th grader asked today if she could learn a foreign language. She wants to learn either German or Chinese. Any suggestions? She hasn't had any foreign language and I'm not sure that there is anyone in our area that speaks either language, much less teaches it. Is Rosetta Stone a good program? Would you suggest another one?

We're in a small area so the library is not so good. No inter-library loan either - it went away with budget cuts. Personally, I plan to drive to the next largest city (about 30 minutes) and use their library. I'll probably ask her if she wants to ride with me. I think she truly doesn't know what to do, so she will probably decide on something that is completely laid out for her. I like her a lot, but I don't think any of the responses here are particularly harsh. She hasn't started planning for the school year and our public schools start a week from Monday. Her paperwork to the cover school hasn't even been started. Her daughter will be visiting relatives after next week and won't return until early September. Our end cut-off day is the last of May. It will be hard to fit in the required days. I do think, with a bit of help, she can quickly catch up and start school heavily when her daughter returns. She likes the Easy Peasy site so I think she will use it. I did suggest the "What Your 3rd Grader Should Know" as I use that myself to make sure I've covered everything at the end of the year. I think a lot of her focus should be on helping her daughter's self-esteem. She uses Khan Academy because it was free and her daughter enjoys computer based learning. I believe that will be the only math (other than Easy Peasy) that her daughter will use. She really enjoys it. There are no local charters. There are some nearby but she will have transportation issues and the cost will be a problem. Hunter, I would be interested in the links, personally. :) I don't know if she is able to filter through and sort it out. I think she's still trying to sort out actually homeschooling. She has said that she has problems organizing and being disciplined, so at this point, the simpler, the better. I think too much at once would be overwhelming. I think I answered everything. Thanks for all the information. I can't wait to pass this on to her. :)

I'm posting for a friend. I use curriculum because I'm not comfortable without it, but my friend cannot afford curriculum. She can buy school supplies such as paper, pens and such, but curriculum and extra-curricular activities are not possible. Her daughter is entering 3rd grade and is behind in reading and a bit ahead in math. She pulled her out of school last February when it became apparent that her child was going to fail 2nd grade and had issues with being bullied. We're in the same homeschool cover group and our daughters are friends. I've offered to help her pull a plan together, but I want to make sure it's possible. My friend freely admits that she's disorganized herself but wants to change. She uses Khan Academy for math and they have been using early readers for reading. I believe her plan for math and reading this year will be the same. I told her that she needed to include English but thought that could be done through worksheets. Science (at this age) could be done through videos and books on plants/animals/planets. I'm faltering about history but maybe books and videos again? (She also needs art/music, PE/health and Bible study but those seemed not so difficult). It just seemed like a lot of computer/tv time. Most of our cover group (which is very small) will be starting school next Monday (it's not mandatory for a start date, just coincidence). She really needs a plan soon and is starting to panic a bit. I think she just doesn't know how to start and organize it and would like to give her a boost. Our state is not very demanding. We have to keep attendance. Our cover school also requires that we keep a lesson plan log in case it's ever questioned. Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions. We start on Monday so I told her that we'd work on it Saturday.