Two great books to have on hand for the kids (and also parents) are As Real As It Gets and My Very Own Aliens. These are fun kids books that touch on some weight adoption issues but in a way kids can understand. They were written by my friend Amanda Barton and her 3 adopted kids. www.westolivepress.com is the cheapest way to find them but Amazon also has them if you have a discount from there. A local support group is invaluable as well in finding local resources. Are they doing older international? Transracial? Foster care? Private? Special Needs? We adopted our 3.

I just got a treadmill this week. I am an older 40s overweight/plus size mom. Outside I can walk at 3mph for up to 5-6 miles without stopping and can speed up some as well. Generally though O was doing about 2 miles at 3mph on the level. I have a history of torn meniscus and Achilles tendonitis. I have been pain free for quite a while u til today when O tried to speed up and increase the incline a bit. I was doing 3mph for 1 mile at 0.5 incline Today I did just over a mile at 3.2mph at 1.5% incline. My ankle tells me that was too much. I have newer shoes (same model I have worn for years) with custom orthotic. So. If you were 60 pounds overweight and wanted to increase the workout on the treadmill...slowly would you increase the distance you go, the speed you walk, or the Incline? Any good guidelines for this? I seriously will only have 30 minutes or so a day for this.

Can you look at good used vehicles? Another option is looking at a 2017 as the 2018 are rolling out.

While not the same, what about doing an on sale kindle fire? They were $29 and $49 on sale when I bought mine.

Is there any way you can go and spend the night and come back home in daylight? It would also depend in the roads I had to travel, my vehicle and tires, the other drivers on the road, the efficiency of the road crews, etc.

I think planning ahead teaches responsibility. I also agree with the poster that said to let your kids (and friends) know that they can call you any time, any where, etc and you will come pick them up no questions asked. I even told my kids they could blame me and make it look like I was forcing them to leave.

I have a new toe treadmill and have found that I am more.motivated to walk while watching something on Netflix. Right now I am watching the movie, The Great Gilly Hopkins...in segments each time I walk. I would like fairly clean, family friendly type movies/shows to watch. Any good ideas for me? Comedies, lighter shows, etc would be good but open to others. I just have no idea what is even out there to watch.

My sister in Atlanta area showed that they have as much snow as we do in West Michigan .

Some books I have really enjoyed include: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah The Nightingale Small Great Things The Girl on the Train

Another idea, depending on the number of people is to ask each family member to name 1 thing they would like. Then see if it at all resembles an easy menu. We did that for Thanksgiving and DH chose deep fried turkey, one kid chose a special triple chocolate cake, one chose brussel sprouts, one hot potato salad, etc. In the end it made a meal and everyone was happy.

One our meals is just appetizers. My kids love it. MIL loves it and we can just grab what we like and go with it. I often ask for input as to which ones to make so everyone gets a choice. Go with what you enjoy and makes it simple for you.

Make your house appealing to teens and their friends if you can. Have good snacks, video games, outdoor games, bonfire, etc and become the teen hang out place.

I agree with the podiatrist and possibly orthotics. We also found that getting a good tennis shoe designed for pronators really helped my daughter. They were $$$ at the running store but worth them she wears her shoes evenly on the bottoms instead of the insides always being worn down more.

Send some 1:1 time with them. Running errands and a special treat out can go a long ways. One friend of mine would have her teens do the driving once they were old enough as then they couldn't be on their phones or electronics and often they would really open up and start talking. Collect electronics at night and have them charge in your bedroom. Promotes healthy sleep habits and avoids a lot of temptations of inappropriate things.

I am working on it. We only have 5 of us now plus various extras in and out. We are in West Michigan so we have footwear and coats for all seasons. Add in a hobby farm and that makes for even more boots. Then various winter gear for everyone and it is so much...but it all gets worn and used regularly. You just can't wear your barn coat and barn boots out in public very well.

I am getting an ifit compatible treadmill tonight. I am NOT a runner or jogger. Maybe some day but right now I am a walker....mostly at a 3-4mph pace for 1-3 miles. The ifit coach thing looks interesting, esp. where you can program routes and see the scenery from around the wold as you go. I didn't know if that works at all if you only walk or if there is something else cheaper or free that has great scenery paths like you are walking that I could use on my Kindle Fire while I walk. I do plan on doing some TV/netflix and audio books but the scenery thing is appealing. I love walking outside but West Michigan winters and early darkness are no conducive to that right now. Any other tips for helping me USE this treadmill on a regular basis?

Here is my bacon hack.....a huge bag of precooked bacon pieces. I buy mine much cheaper in Shipshewana IN, but the idea is the same. I take my 5 pound bag and divide it into quart size freezer bags and freeze it all. Then whenever we need bacon for pizza, soups, salads, casseroles, even blts (although bacon strips have an advantage here) I just take out however much I need and microwave it for 30-90 seconds depending on how much and how crispy I want it and I have bacon with no mess and no waste. https://www.foodservicedirect.com/product.cfm/p/21295864/Fully-Cooked-Bacon-Piece.htm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk9-yrrPu1wIVW57ACh0A4Q5YEAQYAiABEgK8OvD_BwE

First of all, honesty with the psychiatrist is key. If person will allow, it can be very helpful for a support person who knows the truth to go along with them and help explain exact symptoms to the doctor. While multiple meds are often needed, I am leery of doctors that just add med after med instead of seeing if one of the other meds needs to be adjusted or if additional symptoms of side effects of a current med. I would question a bipolar 2 or possibly something else considering the paranoia. Does psychiatrist know about this? I would also ask the psychiatrist or primary care doctor to check blood work.... Basics, iron levels, thyroid, bit B and D levels, liver and kidney function, etc. As sometimes there are computing physical things that need yo be addressed.

I See Sam works for many kids for learning letters/sounds/reading and is very gentle and very short sessions. www.iseesam.com. www.3rsplus.com You can even find free PDF files of the first 52 books since they are in the public domain.

This is exactly why I do NOT want a bigger phone.

Men's? Seriously they do not make women's pants with larger pockets. Pockets in junior size clothes seem to be almost non existent.

Do you have an Albuterol inhaler? My DD has to use that 3-4 times a day when she gets sick to help keep everything open. If you feel wheezy and tight, do 2 puffs and wait 15-20 minutes and check your numbers again.

My grandfather would never talk about it but had a 100 or so pictures from when his group liberated a concentration camp.

The allergist said to avoid major sources of MSG but felt it was like a bucket for her that eating at a chinese place at the food court in the mall tipped her over......boyfriend had crab ragoons (and likely hand holding, kissing, etc), cross contamination of the shellfish to her chicken, and the large amounts of MSG lead to this reaction. The shellfish is the big one to avoid. Now to get her to understand that this Chinese place at the food court in the mall is NOT good for her to eat at and boyfriend should avoid it as well when with her (or at very least not share food/dishes/pop and wash hands and face and brush teeth before kissing/hand holding). That might be overkill but she is special needs so we tend to make the "rules" a bit stricter as her judgement isn't the best at times. She has an epi pen and Benadryl with her at all times.

Crab, shrimp, lobster are the ones that showed up. Fish with backbones were ok.