I really like Call the Midwife, although have not had time to catch up on the last few seasons. It used to be on Netflix, I'm assuming it still is? Did you watch the series premiere of This is Us last week? Really good; it seemed a little dry throughout but the ending was worth staying with it.

Uncle Ben's Chicken and Wild Rice soup. My kids scramble for the last of it. I use rotisserie chicken from the store, so much more flavorful and cuts down on prep. I also use half and half to make it lighter. Tastes better the next day (if there are left overs, rarely happens here). http://allrecipes.com/recipe/23852/creamy-chicken-and-wild-rice-soup/

Yes!! Wow!! Can't wait for tomorrow!

I love personalized gifts using their last name. I would not focus on it being a second marriage, especially if it's the bride's first one (my situation). If it's her first, I would treat it just the same as if it's a first for both.

Last year Costco carried a fleece lined yoga pant. I didn't see them though when I was there a few days ago but perhaps they will get them in again soon. Although they aren't lined, or particularly warm, I love, love, love the Victoria's Secret exercise leggings. I could wear them everyday and they are fairly flattering (I wear around a 16/18, and the XL fit me just fine).

Highly recommend TJ Maxx if you have one. They have quite a few; DD got a really cute Betsey Johnson.

Our PT has tons of equipment that you likely don't have at home that may benefit you. I would call there and ask the exact same questions as you posed here. PT was wonderful for DD's sprained ankle; very pleased with the results. Only took 3 to 4 sessions to get it into shape. They were way more helpful than her pediatrician as far as treatment.

Same as you, except in the 80's and I'm certain I didn't even twirl them. My sister took me and my mom worked so much, I don't think we did anything to take care of them. DD got hers done at age 4; no issues at all.

Happy to answer! 1) I suppose it's possible, but the next natural thing after the BSN degree is to stay in nursing (NP as an example); doing PA after a BSN would be possible, but not the same background theory, so it would be a bit like starting over. You would be somewhat ditching the nursing model and now learning via the medical model. Not that one is better than the other ultimately when comparing PA vs NP, just totally different. NP education is nursing based. 2) I'm a brand new grad in the interview process now, so no experience other than my few years of clinicals yet, but DH is a CRNA (type of NP) and my sister is NP as well. DH loves, loves, loves his job in anesthesia. It wouldn't be for me. His hours are not the best at times, with some call required. He makes a very good salary, more than most NP specialties. Primary care NP's have better hours depending on setting, not as much call. There's also acute care programs working as a hospitalist (literally dozens of openings for this in my area, much more opportunity than clinic settings). Acute care is hospital based, so much different than my primary care training. Personally, I loved family practice, getting to know patients, and I love educating. Patient education is what NP's are known for when comparing provider types. The PA's I worked with seemed to be more straightforward, didn't spend as much time educating and thinking holistically as an NP, but very good at procedures and the physical exam (orthopedic complaints for example). 3) I got my education in steps, first an associates in nursing nearly 20 years ago, then BSN when my kids were preschool age, then Master's while they were all in late elementary. I'll be honest, it was brutal to try to raise 3 kids and be in a full time master's program. I was definitely the oldest in my class; most were in their 20's with a few years of nursing experience. This gave them an advantage of having coursework from their BSN still fresh in their heads. I've worked in many nursing settings over the years, so that's the cool thing about going the NP route, so many options and you can truly follow your passion/favorite setting. ER and ICU experience does look best when applying to schools, and it is a requirement for anesthesia programs. I would also highly encourage volunteer work; it's hard to get into school, so volunteering and higher level complexity jobs (ICU for example) make one stand out from the rest. 4) The only thing I would have done differently is not stayed home with my kids for so long, leaving big gaps in my career. I loved being home with them and wouldn't trade it for anything, but I almost felt like i was starting over when getting my Master's degree. I held a 4.0 throughout, wasn't easy, but I did have to work hard to refresh my science based knowledge to make it through advanced patho and pharm. I love being a nurse, so I think going into this field you should generally want to help others and be okay with taking care of physical needs that you need to learn first (giving patients bathes, changing dressings, etc.). It is very, very rewarding. I also would have chosen NP over PA if I were able to choose due to the independence level, I think that widens opportunities. I don't think you can go wrong either way. The baby boomers are aging, and the need is only going to increase! If mental health is an interest, I know a few psych NP's that are writing their own ticket with private practice. It wouldn't be my favorite setting, but if one is interested in that, the money that can be made is incredible because there are so few of them available (doesn't necessarily require a specialized certification, but that does help and there are programs out there).

That particular one looks like a whole list of pre-req's required according to the application, perhaps all of those credits equate a bachelor degree? I guess to answer that question, look at your own states PA licensure requirements. For NP's we must have Master's degree at minimum for entry level practice (though this will be changing to to doctorate in the future).

We get tons of snow, but no mountains, unless you count the faux ski hill that is quite popular here. Haven't ever been real snow skiing, but I don't think I would care for it. I loathe playing in the snow, too cold. My kids, on the other hand, get out to play in it every chance they can. No real addictions to sports, but I do enjoy working out with weights at the gym. I feel awesome when I'm done and it carries over for the next few days. Thank goodness for my friend that makes me go.

I'm an NP, and I disagree with the bolded. PA's are trained very well. I had a few for preceptors in my program and they were very knowledgeable. I would also argue that they have an increased exposure to specialties during their clinical training. I had to set up all of my own clinicals, most of which was in primary care. and specialty practice was only allowed in the last semester. In contrast, I believe most PA programs rotate through specialties from the start, giving them really good hands on skills. In my own experience, I think NP's are better at listening, empathizing and educating patients. That said, I think both NP's and PA's are trained thoroughly and are competent. One advantage to being an NP is that they are generally more independent. In my state, I am completely independent, not requiring a physician's oversight in any way. In my neighboring state, which I am most likely to work, I will need physician oversight for my first few thousand hours since I'm a new grad, then I'm completely independent. A PA will always need physician oversight in some manner. Another advantage to being an NP is that the field of nursing is huge. There are so many settings in which one can work with varying degrees. Our instructors highly recommended not quitting our RN jobs until we had an NP job in place, as the process to get going can take awhile. You can always fall back on your RN license to work if unable to find an NP job. A PA would not be able to do that. On the other hand, a disadvantage to being an NP is having to choose a specialty right away (family, acute care, pediatrics, etc.), which can be slightly limiting in itself. I chose family because it's the broadest. A PA does not specialize. All of the positions I have applied for advertised for either PA or NP, so in my area, both are highly sought. If he is interested in anesthesia, he needs to go the NP route, because PA's are unable to do that, as far as I know. I would highly suggest looking into programs, cost, length of education (my program recently transitioned to Doctorate and I was the last class of Master's prepared, but not all programs have done this yet). Would highly recommend job shadowing! Good luck! Feel free to ask any other questions.

No suggestions, other than opening windows and using fans to help get those odors out rather than sealing them in. Usually when you purchase memory foam type material, they suggest airing out for several days (48 hours?) prior to using. I've never been that patient, but if you are waking up with symptoms, you probably should not use it until fully aired out.

I think it would be fair to ban gluten products in the classroom itself and perhaps create a special place in the cafeteria (gluten free table?). That's how our district handles peanut allergies with a peanut free table. For the child in our district with life threatening peanut allergy (was on life support for several days due to exposure at school, lawsuit entailed, etc.), they have peanut free signs posted on all classroom doors in this child's grade. I would think it would be extremely difficult to ban gluten throughout the entire school. If the pork and fish allergy is not life threatening (I couldn't tell by your description), I think their precautions are reasonable. As far as environmental allergies, that's out of the schools control beyond keeping doors closed, etc. It's also possible there is someone allergic to peanuts and due to privacy and HIPAA, they aren't announcing that. (School nurse here)

I agree. A few of these things could be red flags, but I wouldn't worry too much. Niece just started K this year. She is almost an entirely different person and has done a few of these things you mention. I think she's still getting used to the new routine, increased rigor and is simply tired.

No. Just no. I usually pick my battles with the school, and this is a battle I'd fight. This crosses a boundary and I'd go straight to the principal, then higher if I didn't get anywhere. Discussing stress? Sure. Grief? No, not appropriate in that setting. ETA: It wouldn't be a big deal to my DD; but it would be a huge and traumatic assignment to 2 kids I can think of who lost their dads in horrible, traumatic events. One who witnessed it. Both in very heavy duty therapy. Again, I stand by my opinion it is so not appropriate.

Calcium and Vit D gummies for me. People here are very prone to Vit D deficiency and I'm not a milk drinker. The kids are hit and miss with vitamins. Depends on if I remember to pick them up.

My DH loves Epcot, but he also lived in Germany while stationed, and it's his way of "visiting" it again, including eating at the restaurant. It was probably the kids least favorite park. They didn't enjoy it as much as we did. The ride Soarin is supposed to be amazing, but we were unable to ride it (lines too long every time we tried and was out of order the morning DH and the kids went there at park opening to try to catch it). The night fireworks were cool, we enjoyed them. If I were you, I'd split Epcot with another park, such as Hollywood Studios for the day. We had a lot of fun there and my kids enjoyed those rides more than MK.

The political posts are annoying, but what really irritates me is when one of my friends needs to add commentary that is a rude slam directed at those who plan to vote for such candidate. Then immediately posts some peaceful, loving, sunshine quote and adds they are such a positive, loving, accepting and peaceful person. Ugh. She's blocked til this is over.

Not sure if you mean taking the picture in the first place, or posting to social media. If it's the latter, I disagree with you. I think children have a right to privacy and especially when they are old enough to comprehend and communicate to you if it bothers them. I never would have thought about this, but 1 out of my 3 children is very private and gets so embarrassed when I post his pic to FB. I don't quite understand why, as he's adorable, but I respect that and almost always ask his permission first before posting. He's elementary age, BTW. I would be very embarrassed if my parents posted some of my pics on social media, especially during the tween/teen, awkward years. Those pics were awful.

Do you have a gym nearby that you can join? I'm also trying to lose weight and went with a friend yesterday. We did weights and the eliptical. I was a little sore but felt awesome all day yesterday. A lot more energy than normal.

The book is called Parenting is Heart Work. Our class last night focused on getting at what is in the child's heart that would make them respond the way they do. Working on developing character traits (honor, respect, integrity, etc.) and life skills instead of focusing only the negative response. The first step is self awareness of what is behind the negative behavior. Also instead of becoming angry yourself at the behavior, state that you are sad/upset, etc. and you will discuss after a break (for both of you to calm down). This was key for me because my kids hear me yelling so much, it's completely ineffective. Example: as soon as we all got in the car leaving church, DD stated to DS, "you are so stupid" when he couldn't figure something out on my phone. I said "what is in your heart that would make you say that?". I could almost see the lightbulb come on...she quickly and genuinely apologized immediately. This is something DD never does....she has a very negative personality and it's been exhausting trying to change her behavior. Not sure how much of these lessons and exercises come from the book, I just ordered it this morning. There is also a card set being used in class (not sure what this is called, I missed the first class) to begin dialogue with the kids.

I am not a fan at all of our plastic, "easy" to clean (it gets gunky very easily). I feel like I'm showering in our camper trailer. I also loathe our shower doors. Impossible to clean in the grooves where the doors overlap. Ick!! I would choose a shower curtain in a heartbeat over those doors. My vote would be colored tiles.

My nephew has one and he has nipped and/or bitten children several times (nothing serious). He also growls and acts defensive towards my mom when she was dogsitting. Have no idea if this is an issue with the breed or just this particular dog.

Some random medical thoughts: My first thought is a septic joint with the painful knees. Have they checked for that? It would require a joint aspiration. Does he have gout? Could be having an attack due to the dehydration and causing the knee pain. (Needs uric acid level checked). Has he had a spinal tap to check for bacteria causing meningitis? Tested for west nile virus? (flu like and neuro symptoms/encephalitis) Have they actually tested for the flu? If he's stable, an MRI of the brain may be a reasonable next step if the CT wasn't clearly evident. I hope they will repeat the chest xray in case the pneumonia wasn't showing up on the first one yet. Sometimes it can take a bit to be evident. On the POA issue, since you are right there you will be able to make medical decisions since you are next of kin, should be become unable to answer for himself during this hospitalization. You should talk with the social worker there, they can guide you through the steps to get the ball rolling on the rest, or be able to help you find out if this has already been done. Perhaps he will open up to her about this issue, if he doesn't want to discuss it with his daughters.