I probably didn't completely get over baby fever until after menopause (mid 50's). It wasn't that I thought it was practical to have another baby; my body was pretty over it, finances were tight, etc. But I have loved being a mom more than anything else. If I weren't worried about leaving a baby parentless, I'd still want to raise more children. At the same time, I am kind of tired, and enjoying the stage where we are, which is with adult children, grandbabies, and a couple of teens. Due to transitions, it has taken me some time to find a new niche (well, I'm not quite there yet). If it were not for the transitional time, I might have been able to move on to that new niche more quickly.

:grouphug: :grouphug: I'm so sorry. This is a beautiful tribute to her uniqueness. Please don't blame yourself; you just didn't know. It sounds like you were a very good momma to her, and you loved her so much. :grouphug:

Moving the date up works! Hmm... Nora Lori And now I'm forgetting which letters you've used already.

Didn't do it with our oldest ones. Then we had twins. They went to bed great while they were still in their cribs. But when they could climb out and we put them in beds? Oh my. Bedtime became a big party. We tried everything we knew to try, then finally realized that the most efficient way to get them to calm down for sleep was to lie down between them until they fell asleep. I think it lasted a couple of years.

I'm sorry. :grouphug: Three of my grandparents died when I was a child, one of them suddenly because of an accident. The thing I remember being most helpful was that we were with extended family. So there was crying, and there was laughing, and there were stories, and it was all mixed up together. I actually have some sweet memories of sitting around together in a funeral home salon listening to stories told by my aunts and uncles, with lots of laughter. It was very healing. I think it was with the first one (the accident) when I was 8yo, that I had some nightmares and fears about death. It wasn't anything abnormally crippling or anything, but I think for me, it was part of understanding what death really meant. It was the first time I had been around death of someone I knew and loved. As an adult, I came to appreciate that those experiences as a child, and not being shielded from them, helped me to understand that death is part of life, that there are ups and downs with grief, that you do eventually begin to laugh again without feeling guilty, and so on.

This has been a thought-provoking thread. These last posts have set me thinking about one ds. My other kids have not really been interested in competitive sports beyond a season here or there. But this one ds is very coordinated. He has the natural build of a gymnast. He loves soccer. But we have not had the funds to develop either of them. Gymnastics is too expensive, and we limited soccer to rec league due to the time commitments as well as the money. I'm beginning to think that is not a bad thing. He can enjoy the sport, get good exercise, and develop skills and relationships, without the kind of unhealthy pressure both physically and emotionally.

Wait--so they do mortgages too? I looked for that, but didn't see it on the site as one of their offerings. Only car loans.

I voted Human Biology because as a non-science lover, Anatomy and Physiology was the only science course I really enjoyed. That was in high school. The only science course my major required in college (iirc) was biology and its corresponding lab.

We moved from a place where there is a large local bank, to a place where that bank does not exist. We are wanting something that is more convenient to use here, and are trying to decide whether to use a local one, or open an account with Capital One. Mainly we want to know if there are any reasons it would be better to go with a local one.

Go

If you are pregnant with twins, I just want to reassure you a little bit. Being an experienced mom helps a lot. A lot. Except for your little one, the ages of your other kids are in your favor; even having a 7yo and a 4yo when my twins were born was a big help. They loved holding the babies, could run get things for me, and were great at entertaining the babies so I could get a shower or whatever. They were really proud of our babies, and that went a long way. I also took the mindset for the first years that "babies is what I do right now," and that helped reduce my stress over extra outside activities that I couldn't pull off at the time.

Tilex Mold and Mildew cleaner? (Not the daily shower kind)

Both of our boys have had one for several years. It is linked to our account, so when we go online to check ours, we can see theirs as well. It makes it easy to transfer, as well.

And then there are people like us. We went because I have teenagers, and nobody seemed outside of normal. Younger ds has had a little cough, but nothing constant or abnormal. When we met for worship after Sunday School, he scrooched down on the pew and said his eyes hurt. Then he said his legs hurt. He had a busy day outside yesterday, so I thought maybe he was just tired, but told him if he kept feeling worse, to tell me and we would leave. We left about time for the sermon. On the way home, I stopped to pick up some elderberry syrup, but the pharmacy said they couldn't get any in, and probably the other pharmacies were out as well. We got home, he took his temp (101.8), fixed himself something hot to drink because he was cold (it's not cold), and went to bed. :crying: :sad: I'm really hoping it's not flu, but am afraid it might be. I hope we didn't share it. :crying: There were no warning signs ahead of time other than the little cough, which wasn't normally the type you would worry about at all--other than to hand him a cough drop or a cup of water.

I've had lots of bronchitis, sinus infections, etc. But when I was in 8th grade, I had the flu. It was before they did the tests. It was different. I was so sick on Monday and Tuesday, and stayed home from school. On Wednesday, I went back for the day. Mistake. I was out the rest of the week. I felt so bad that even watching TV to pass the time was too much. ETA: I went back to school the next week, but it took me 2-3 weeks to really get my strength back.

Thinking of you and your family today. :grouphug:

Bump. Anyone???

I do decaf. I discovered that caffeinated drinks cause my blood pressure to go up. My coffee-loving ds makes fun of me, but I like being able to drink a half-pot of decaf rather than only a tiny bit of caffeinated. I know it probably isn't as tasty, but that's just tough. I only drink regular coffee if I am out somewhere that they don't have decaf, and it is pretty early in the morning. And then it is limited. I also drink decaf tea and sometimes caffeine-free Diet Coke. I have never noticed a big difference in how caffeine makes me feel in the mornings, but if I drink it in the afternoon/evening, it has a longterm affect on me. I have enough sleep issues without adding to the problems.

If a smallish gym wanted to set up a security check-in system for the users of the gym, do any of you have a recommended software/system for that? Definitely should have emergency info for regular users, but also something for guests who might drop in. It is a community center type, so does not have required membership, and sometimes has people off the street who come in. It should be easy to use, and fairly easy to set up, as well. Extra points for reasonable cost.

Sounds normal to me. I'm pretty sure that my kids had no idea what a plus sign was at that age, and they are bright. I was a little concerned over one who seemed a little slow about reading in first grade. He eventually took off with it. Kids develop at different rates and in different areas. I actually thought that her polite, "No, thank you," showed brightness in and of itself. They also have different interests. We had a Sunday School teacher who was sure my oldest was behind because he detested coloring. (Her two preschool daughters loved it.) It disturbed her that when the others were coloring, he would distract them by spinning elaborate stories. :001_rolleyes: Like a pp suggested, some of those skills have to do with what is emphasized. For example, a child who has been in a preschool where desk-type work is emphasized might do well at those tasks; but another child who spends hours outside might have better spatial skills or imagination. Some of those tasks don't (necessarily) have to do with their intelligence, but with their exposure.

https://www.amazon.com/Monistat-Soothing-Chafing-Relief-Powder-Gel/dp/B01LXA0KR3/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1515696864&sr=8-4&keywords=monistat+chafing+relief+powder+gel People were saying this works great as a makeup primer. I tried it, but like it more to avoid chafing. My local Walmart carries it generally, but has been out recently. ETA: It leaves a soft, silky feeling to the skin that lasts a long time.

If I remember correctly, this was at their initiative, too. :laugh:

Oh no. These threads are never good for my pocketbook. ;)

Many books and movie recs (to watch on Netflix) Speed Queen washer and dryer Immersion blender Ticonderoga pencils Snap Circuits Microplane zester Victorinox chef's knife Corelle baby doll Shark vacuum Chafing powder-gel Stainless steel cookie spatula Danish dough whisk Memory foam mattresses Suspend game Wool dryer balls Charlie's soap Handy caddy ETA: Oxo pepper mill and probably more. All have been wins except: the game hasn't been played with much (typical in our house), the dryer balls weren't real effective with static, and I didn't care a lot for Charlie's soap. I would never have found or heard of many of these things outside of WTM. You guys are my go-to reco people. Even my dh now asks me to ask you all about things.

I'm sorry you are feeling bad. :grouphug: I have realized that I seem to have the opposite of SAD. I enjoy a sunny day well enough, but if I don't have enough rainy, gloomy days, I feel the effects. The rain makes me relax and feel less stressed.