Yeah, I would mention it to the mom. The issue for me is not the chemicals...it is that the cigarette butts have been in God only knows whose mouth. Gross!!! My kids see a cigarette butt and immediately tell others around them, "ewww gross, people have had that in their MOUTH!" But yes, I would want to know. What I don't understand is how the mother doesn't know already? Is she not paying attention to this child and what he is doing at the ball field at all? Surely she knows!

That is heartbreaking. They make it so easy..."here, take this pill, you will bleed a bit and that is all." :( :( What happened to wire coat hangers and crazy doctors? I am sure if a teen had THAT to face, I bet it wouldn't be so EASY. Okay, that was harsh...but really? Can it get much easier???? ETA: The poster below made a good point. I would not want it to be "hard" for someone who had a baby that they wanted that would suffer and not make it to their birthday. :( That is so sad! And what a hard choice it must be for a parent in that place. :( I guess maybe I just wish it were harder for teens who "messed up" to make life ending choices.

As long as there has never been dog food in it and you clean it out really good, it shoud be fine. I can't imagine why it wouldn't be.

My prayers for him and also will add him to our church prayer list. Please update when you can.

Is your cat an indoor cat or an indoor/outdoor cat? If it is indoor only, then this might be okay. If she goes outdoors EVER, then don't do it. We got two cats from the humane society 10 years ago and they had belonged to an elderly woman perviously. Apparently, they found a vet who declawed those cats FRONT AND BACK! so they could not scratch the elderly woman. My cats are exclusively inside and have not EVER been outside except the 5 or so times they have escaped for a minute or two. It is really a PITA to be honest, but I don't have choice. The cats are totally defenseless with no claws what.so.ever. I can't imagine what vet did that!

This society is just crazy like that. When I was 17, I was 5'6" and weighed 105 pounds (on a heavy day). I ate whatever I wanted and never gained a pound. I remember walking in the mall once and overhearing some snotty girls behind me saying things like, "omg..she is soooo skinny...it is gross!" Of course, they were kinda heavy, but at the time, it jus hurt my feelings. Then I started wearing baggy clothes to cover how thin I was!!! I was 19 when I had my oldest son, and I gained a lot during pregnancy, and went to about 130 after giving birth. That was a GOOD weight for my height, but I was determined that I was now "fat." My ex husband encouraged my thoughts by telling me I had "junk in the trunk" and other "way to make yourself my EX husband" type comments. When I had my younger son, I hit 185! So I went from 105 to 185 (of course at 185, I had a 9 mos gestation baby in my belly, but still). Now, I hoover around 145. It sucks, I hate it. However, I knew I was actually "fat" when I went up to a friend and she began talking about how much it sucked to be a little heavy. Then, she said something like, "people are so rude sometimes...do you ever get that?" Oh man! Right then, I knew I had to be fat...I had another person who was heavier comparing her situation to mine. Not to mention, my best friend growing up was always overweight and she point blank told me she was happy I was bigger because now I knew how she felt! (Okay, just for the record...she was 350 pounds when we were 16. I am pretty sure I will NEVER know how she felt!) I guess, what I am saying is that whether you are heavy or thin, you will always have some idiot comment about it. ;(

I got that in highschool (I don't fall into the "too skinny" category now) when I was 5'6" tall and weighed 105 pounds soaking wet. It was from two little chunky girls. I only assumed they were jealous.... ;) I am so sorry that happened to you! But good for you eating those Klondike bars in front of their flappy rears!

See, I admire anyone who can schedule for an entire YEARs worth of work. LOL I am lucky to schedule a WEEK in advance and that is mostly because life happens and things change and I can't stand to go back and shift a year's worth of work around to accomodate that one little thing. Please share your schedule with us! I'd love to see how you do it.

Molly, It is so good to hear from you! I am so glad to hear how good you are feeling! I am terribly sorry that you are having the sad feelings as well. I am sure they creep in, but overally, I praise God for the positive outlook you have. I know it has been important to your healing. You continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. I hope you and your children have a wonderful school year. And what a blessing that God has given you with having your 2K bill paid in full. Praise the Lord! God is GOOD!

Absolutely, not for a second. Not even if the risk was small. I have not been told that another pregnancy could take my life, but I can tell you that my instincts tell me that if I were to get pregnant again, it could really destroy my body and my mind. I suffered severe change in my personality after my second child was born. My OCD and Hypochondria went into overdrive to which the effects I am still suffering. My body - particularly my back, would likely not even hold up for another pregnancy. So...in respect for myself, my life,and my children, I am finished having kids!

Part of the reason I homeschool is so I have a say in the kids that my children play with/spend time with. Those three kids are NOT the kind of kids I want my child to be around. God forbid he pick up their behaviors and pass them on to someone else. No thanks. I agree with your dh. Your son is only 5 and he needs to feel like everyone loves him! There is no reason to expose him to kids who will treat him so badly. And...if mom asks what's up, I would point blank tell her, "your kids have him in tears everytime he tries to play with them, so we feel it is best they don't play together."

Goodnight Moon. I LOVED that book as a child...it was always so mysterious and neat to me then...and it still feels that way now when I read it to my kids. The love it too. :)

Do you take it before bed? Are you taking anything else (like Ativan/Lorazepam or Xanax at the same time? I have taken Lexapro on and off for YEARS. I have to take it at bedtime and if I take Ativan, it has to be at least 2 hours before or after Lexapro. How long have you been on the Prozac? Does it typically stop once you get a month or so into taking them? How about allergy meds? I take Zyrtec and I can't take it at the same time as the Lexapro either.

Can "sexy and "muffin top" really be used in the same sentence???

I carried a lot of hurt for most of my life towards my dad for his role, or lack thereof, in my life. However, part of moving on (TRULY moving on) meant forgiving him (TRULY forgiving him) and setting that baggage free. It has been amazing. I worked closely with a therapist for several years as well as on my own to become a person that was better than what he was. By rising from the ashes, I feel like I am a much better parent than my parents were. I did have my mother growing up, and we are close somewhat...but overall, I had to become who I wanted to be and to do that, I had to release the anger, pent up bad feelings, and hurt so I could move on with my life. Hugs to you. I know, all too well, the place where you are...

I am doing "Squanto - Friend of the Pilgrims" with ds6 and "George Rogers Clark" with ds10.

When you get your house all set up, you will have to post more pics of that gorgeous place!! Has all of your stuff arrived yet? I am sure that takes awhile. So glad you are getting settled. I found it hard to make a "one state away" move...moving from the US all the way to Malaysia had to be an adventure!

Oh, I am so sorry that there hasn't been much change. She is still in my prayers.

My yongest son would not have started Kindergarten until this fall in ps. He will be 6 in September. However, in homeschool curriculum, we are about mid-way through 1st grade. He just really "took off" and by Jan of last school year, was beyond Kindergarten work. :) Here is what he did/is doing for 1st grade: Phonics Pathways Explode the Code books 3 and 4 CLE Math 1 CLE Language Arts 1 (before this, he finished LLATL blue - which was more a Kindergarten type book IMO) Heart of Dakota - Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory (history, geography, science, spelling, copywork) CLE Bible 1 Map Skills Geography New American Cursive 1 Art classes in Co-op and CLE Artpacs Soccer/ Tae-kwon-do

I did not care for MUS at all. I think, if you started with a child who had never learned math, MUS might work. However, I was pulling my older out of ps and it was just too slow for him. Both of my kids craved more variety and MUS was just a bust here.

Awww..what a neat thing for him to do! I was -10 (that is NEGATIVE TEN) forty years ago, so I didn't see the first walk on the moon until about 20 years after it happened. My mom was 20 and my dad was 21 then. They remember it well. :) My dh was 4 DAYS old. :)

Not what is needed...but often I stretch the budget getting what I WANT.

Ahhh...don't I have so much to look forward to in about 6 years. :(

I don't think *I* could do it, personally. I don't much care for coming home at 11:30 pm...ever. Not to mention, I hate the idea of being called in. If you do not NEED the money, then I would pass...but that is just me. Your life situation, desire, etc. should be the deciding factor here (not mine, obviously). Best of luck with your decision. :)

*This* is why I hover. :)