I'm another mom who is here to tell you that if you need to let it go, that you've done a fantastic job up to this point! My body did not produce milk well despite many efforts to make it do so, and every time I pumped, I was lucky if I got 2 ounces. I was raw with trying to breastfeed and pump. I ended up having to supplement because my boys were not thriving as they should and I was falling apart. I remained the main source of milk overall, and there were no adverse affects with supplementing. Today, both boys are fine, have no allergies (both have been tested), and they've grown well since. Ironicallly, my sister is a die-hard breast-feeder, and her kids were always more sick than mine. I think it's a very PERSONAL choice, and you need to do what feels right to you.

This reminds me of my life growing up in NH! As yucky as it was, your comment brings me fond memories! :lol: Now, we're down south, sweating away in the humidity still, but thankfully, there really aren't the bugs buzzing around your head down here. However, there are tons of house flies... it seems like there's always at least one in the house buzzing around! As for keeping cool, the AC has been on since April (something like that), our blinds are always shut, we go outside early in the morning and later in the evening, and when boredom strikes, we head to the pool. It's been 4 years, but I'm still trying to get used to staying in during the summer months vs. the winter ones.

I just had this discussion with dh yesterday. I recently completed a fitness bootcamp that helped me increase strength and muscle tone, and now I've been doing the C25K plan because my cardio has always been weak. I feel like I'm gaining back some of what I lost during the bootcamp. So I'm trying to figure out what my body needs (how often and what intensity) to be fit, continue to lose weight, and maintain. I'm thinking I'll probably need to be one of those people who needs 5-6 days/week at an hour+. Now to find the time for that...

We went from PP, which I supplemented with ETC, to using AAS. It was a great transition and AAS's rules complement the phonics rules learned in PP.

Very glad everyone is ok! I'm sorry about the car... I must say I did laugh about your neighbor's lawn though! I hope your insurance company can track down the driver's and get this taken care of for you and DH.

I hate, hate, hate cleaning. I do it because it has to be done, but I will also procrastinate as much as I can before doing it. My mom started having me do major chores when I was young (ie. cleaning all 3 bathrooms, including washing the floors at 7), and if I didn't do it to her standards, I had to do the ENTIRE bathroom over again... not just the spot I missed, but everything. It moved to more chores by the time I was 10. My sister and I discuss our chores today, and we ask ourselves, "what did she do?" since we did it all! So, I am going to blame this on my mom! :D I like a clean house, so I do my cleaning, but I truly do loathe it.

I stumbled upon the Muzzy Spanish DVD set at my local used homeschool book store. I'm looking for a spanish program for ds (2nd grade). I had never heard of it. Is there anyone here who has used it? If so, what can you tell me about it? Good, bad, and ugly... If you have a program you'd recommend, I'd love to hear about that as well.

:iagree: In this economy, there are many scam artists going door to door trying to drum up "business" when it's all false. We've had news reports around here warning us to check with the BBB, contact the "said company" for further info, and to check as many references as possible. Be careful.

6 PM here, and it's 83 degrees with beautiful, sunny, Carolina blue skies! After 18 straight days of 90+ in June, I'm in heaven right now!

That's a GREAT house! How exciting!!!! Thanks for sharing with us!

I cried. My boys are still young, but the thought of them going to college and seeing an empty room is something I know will become our reality.

It was cheap, recommended over and over by veteran homeschool moms, and the lessons were simple to execute, short, and extremely effective.

I LOVE researching! To me, it is fun - yes, I am a complete dork. I have learned to curb my desire to buy what I find though (thankfully!).

Both of my boys had it. One when he was 15 months, the other when he was 10 months. It was awful and heartbreaking to watch them suffer. I believe I tried to ease the pain with tylenol and/or ibruprofen. Also, they both spiked very high fevers (104-105) that lasted 4-5 days. We made it through though! Hang in there... :grouphug:

Oh, I love the tiny sounds of a new baby!!! My youngest is 3, and we are done... there are times when I miss the newborn years greatly!

We had turkey burgers with sliced tomatoes and guacamole on top with sliced cucumbers and chips (dh & the boys). Nothing exciting tonight.

Congratulations!!!

That is wonderful news! Congratulations to all of you!!!

Dh is upset because this completely ruined his fantasy World Cup soccer brackets! He had Brazil winning it all. Ooops... :tongue_smilie:

I think in this economy, and if we needed the money, I'd take the job. All the while, I would be looking for something else more fitting and lucrative.

The fact that you already have 3 special needs kids whom you've adopted is extremely admirable! As for adding another, only you and Dh can determine that. As you mentioned, meeting him and determining if he's a good fit would be a great start. You will be led from there if you feel that is the step you should make. Wishing you all the best! You and your dh are both incredibly special people.

Bad: I wanted to have a small wedding somewhere like the beach, then have a huge BBQ to celebrate later. Since I was the first grandchild on both sides of the family, and there were "expectations of me", we had wedding with a reception, a cheesy DJ, and everything felt rushed and "formal".... so not us. My mom and grandparents were upset with us because we chose a buffet instead of a formal sit-down meal which is all we could afford since we paid for it all ourselves. Half of the people we had to invite, I did not know or it had been since childhood that I saw them. Dh's dad refused to come because after being estranged for a couple of years, we were told that we did not ask "in time"... we asked 4 months in advance. They had no plans, of course (we learned this later). Dh's groomsmen kept him out really late the night before and Dh doesn't do well with little sleep. So, he wasn't feeling that great. Good: I loved my dress even though my mom thought is was too simple. It was an absolutely gorgeous September day with nothing but sun, blue skies, and mid-70s, so we were able to have the outside wedding we wanted. Friends of ours flew in from all over the country to celebrate with us. I'm still grateful for them taking the time and money to do this for us. Dh and I are still happily married almost 13 years later, and I would marry him again in a heartbeat.

Last summer, we took the entire summer off, but it was just after K. This year, we ended the first week of June, and we've been off since to recouperate (mostly me!). I plan on starting a light load after this weekend. It will be 3 days/week encompassing some math, spelling, and more concentrated read alouds. We've been taking nature walks/hikes most of the past month, so science is usually always occurring for us. I'm doing a light load for retention purposes, but I still want it to remain casual and fun to not burn either of us out. We'll resume in full the last week of August when the ps schools return.

When I taught ps, we always took a week with our 8th graders and went to DC. The zoo was on our itinerary, and the kids always enjoyed it. We only stayed for 3 hours due to a crazy schedule, and I often felt we were running through it. We went in May; some years were hot, others were not. I imagine it may be hot now. As for crowds, I've never been during the summer, so I can't answer that. I'm sure someone will chime in though! If I were to take my own children, I'd plan on a 5-6+ hour day, but my kids love to stare at the animals for a long time, so we don't tend to hop from exhibit to exhibit like I've seen some families do. Enjoy your visit!

Praying for your and your little one... :grouphug: