I had my gallbladder removed when I was 24, after an acute episode and an ultrasound showing the gallbladder was full of stones. It was an easy surgery to recover from, and I don't regret having it done. Mine was done laparoscopically (tiny incisions) and I'd ask if your procedure could be done that way. I'm not someone to opt for surgery as a first resort, but my episode was painful enough that I really didn't want a repeat. Good luck! Edited to add: I haven't noticed any afteraffects, so not sure what you mean about what life was like after surgery. After the initial recovery, everything was as usual.

http://youtu.be/HGVNzgUxE-g It's not bugging me yet, but I'm sure it will do if it sticks around too long. :)

I would do whatever you need to do to get it. I am 42, and have never driven. I've had a permit a couple of times, but have never gotten so far as a road test. My not being able to drive limits many opportunities for my family. It's not just an inconvenience for us, but a serious liability. You may not be able to use the license much now, but it would be better to have the ability if you need to imho. Good luck!

I started it this year with my 6th grade ds, without having used WWE beforehand. My ds was coming out of public school, where the emphasis seemed to be on writing quantity rather than on quality. He's doing very well with WWS, and I've noticed significant improvement in the organization of his writing. I'm genuinely impressed with this program and intend to continue on with SWB's writing series as it released.

So glad to hear your update! :hurray:

I want a washing machine that actually spins the clothes - tired of aching hands from wringing out the laundry, and of the high bills from having to run the dryer so much. Realistically though, my dh doesn't really do surprise gifts though he doesn't complain when I buy what I need or even what I want (within reason, of course). I bought myself some nail polish and a makeup kit from M.A.C., and will wrap those as presents from the dogs and the kids. I also splurged on some Life of Fred books. Things aren't going so well in my marriage right now, so gifts aren't really on my priority list. I picked some things out both because the kids expect to see Mom open some gifts on Christmas morning, and because I was trying to cheer myself up.

Thank you! You have just made two of my three very happy. :)

I used to be hugely enthusiastic for Christmas, but now the season just makes me melancholy. I try to keep up a good front for the kids, but it gets harder each year. All the moving around we've done over the years seems to have squashed the natural forming of yearly traditions, and it seems contrived to try and invent some. I guess I want to enjoy Christmas (and do enjoy spending time with my dh and children) but end up in a funk instead. I want to recapture my enjoyment of the season, and I'm not sure how. I really miss my grandparents - they were a huge part of the magic of Christmas for me, and though they've been dead for over a decade now it seems like I miss them just as much as the first year they were gone. Time to go put on some traditional Christmas music, hug my kids, and cheer myself up!

I am embarassed to say that this issue has fallen through the cracks for a long time, for a bunch of reasons. My oldest son has been in ps since early elementary, and it's recently become painfully apparent that his writing and grammar skills are sorely lacking. His spelling is also very inconsistent; he spells many complex words correctly, but often stumbles on common words. He is a reluctant student, and is already struggling with the volume of homework in eighth grade. What would be the best approach to bringing his grammar/writing/spelling skills up to par (then hopefully to a higher level)? DS reads very well (though he doesn't usually challenge himself without much prodding) and does well with reading comprehension. However, when it comes time to express himself in writing he has problems forming an idea, then produces writing that is both disorganized and filled with errors. His vocabular is good, and he is articulate when speaking so long as a subject interests him. One of my sixth graders is homeschooled, so we have some curriculum on hand already: WWS, FLL, MCT Town and Voyage levels, etc. The rest of the family are natural spellers, so we've just used Spelling Workout so far. I think I have Megawords around here somewhere, but didn't end up using it because it looked overwhelming. The biggest obstacle I see is time. DS already spends about 2 hours daily on homework, and is having difficulty in math as well. I know he will also balk at using the same materials his younger brother is using, but I can find a way around that. I am really at a loss for how to help oldest ds. The work he's doing at school basically amounts to treading water and doesn't seem to be addressing any of the problems he is having. His latest project in English class was making a clothespin doll that was required to have limbs and a full set of clothing with hat. :glare: I've thought about bringing him home, but both he and dh are convinced it would be disastrous (and to be fair, I have serious misgivings about the idea as well).

I would! I've always wanted one, but have so far held off because other members of my family are somewhat more sociable than I am. I really don't like random people coming to the door. I figure that anyone I actually wanted to have over would know me well enough to get my sense of humour. When I am an old lady, I am so getting a "Go Away!" doormat - much more my style than a red hat. :D

One of my 11 year olds is a crazy early riser - he gets up at 5am, by choice, to have some free time before catching his bus. He is relentlessly cheerful and perky before dawn. :glare: His twin brother (who stays home) sets his alarm for 7am, again by choice, but is currently fast asleep after finishing his writing lesson for the day. I'm pretty sure he's starting a growth spurt, as his appetite has also increased. Whenever possible, I let my kids wake up naturally. Their moods and attitudes are much improved, and they seem to focus better as well. I wish my 14 year old could sleep in, but his bus comes at 6:30 - seems like utter madness to me, having teens start school so early when biology gives them a predisposition that is entirely the opposite.

Domino's does, though only in a medium size pizza. We haven't tried it, so no clue if it's any good or not. Good luck satisfying your craving!

Yes to the first, though I didn't play it myself. DH did though, and I played other text-based adventures. I'm quite familiar with grue as it's been part of our family lexicon since dh and I got married. Our kids don't know where it originated but have always known that they don't want to be gotten by a grue. :willy_nilly:

Double post.

A good rule of thumb is that a puppy can hold it for one hour for each month of age (though it's usually a bit longer at night when they're asleep). So realistically, he needs to potty about every 2.5 hours max. Our puppy can sleep through the night now, at about 14 weeks, but at 10 weeks we were having to get up once in the middle of the night to take her out. What seemed to work best was keeping everything very quiet - no talking, no excitement, just a brief outing and straight back to bed. It did take her a few days to catch on and not start playtime at 2am but now we have peaceful nights. Our challenge now is getting her outside quickly enough in the morning that she doesn't have an accident - she's too big for me to carry downstairs anymore. Enjoy your puppy. He's adorable!

My whole family plays - dh and I, and all three kids. It's fun being able to run 5-man dungeons in a family group. :) I think video game are so mainstream now that you shouldn't worry about being a nerd because you're playing WoW. Of course, I happily embrace my own nerdiness so I may not be the best person to offer advice on the subject.

Homeschool Science Tools has 10% off on some items, and free shipping and free shipping on $75+ http://www.hometrainingtools.com/cyber-monday-web/c/2106/action/showall/ Compass Classroom (Visual Latin) has 25% off until Monday with code BLACK25 (excludes live classes). http://store.compasscinema.com/

I don't know much about picking a nursing home, but I do know from personal experience (I trained and was licensed as a nurse's aide, though I didn't end up working as one) that one of the best things you can do for a family member in a nursing home is to remain an active part of their lives. Visit often at varied times, get to know your resident's caregivers, and don't be shy about asking questions. Staying involved helps ensure your family member will get the best care possible, and will also allow you to identify any problems quickly. I believe that most nursing home staff truly care about their residents and do their best for them. However, once you see the workloads at most facilities you realize that staff often just don't have the time to provide the superior level of care we all want our loved ones to receive. I'm sorry you're having to go through this with your dad. I can only imagine how scary and stressful it is for you. :grouphug:

I'm only a bit familiar with Evernote, but I'm sure you could create a notebook in it to do that. I use Microsoft's OneNote, part of MS Office, to make a household notebook. My homeschooled ds also has a OneNote notebook for schoolwork that synchs with my computer so I can see his work. OneNote has the option to share notebooks over the web, but I haven't used that function myself. And on a completely unrelated note, my ds was just reading over my shoulder and pointed out that I used an appositive phrase in the above paragraph. Yay for Grammar Voyage! :hurray:

Thank you for sharing this!

:iagree:I was going to check it out until I noticed it was a referral link that the OP didn't mention. Just puts me off.

Lumpia! I love those. We used to get them at a tiny booth in the parking lot of the commissary in San Diego, mmm. Now I'm craving them! We don't have any good snack food in the house right now but I'll share my pizza (sausage and extra mushroom). My tastes in music are pretty eclectic. A typical day ranges from Green Day and The Offspring to classical, with a sidetrip for some 80s/goth. I prefer listening to music at home now, though I used to love going to concerts. Now I find them too crowded and just too overwhelming to my senses. I prefer to be barefoot, but my feet get cold easily and the skin on my feet cracks and bleeds when I go too long without socks. :crying: I mostly wear loose, fuzzy socks because I cannot abide the feeling the end of a sock pushing against the tops of my toes. Shudder. When I have to wear thinner, snug socks in order to fit into shoes I have to swap socks within moments of taking the shoes off.

Thanks for sharing this!

One ds is being a creeper from Minecraft, and the other is dressing up as the Doctor from Dr. Who (the 11th Doctor, for fans of the show). They're both 11, and show no signs of outgrowing Hallowe'en. :001_smile:

I'd say imaginative ones, with a sense of humour that would fit right in around our household. :D