I think whether it's normal or not, I'd prefer the same one, so they knew what was normal/new for the patient and what wasn't.

:bigear:

I like what Esme said just now. I don't know that I'm in favor of privatization to solve it, but those are many of the problems I see. I think my first solution would be what someone said upthread is hire professionals in the subject. Cut out the $$$$ going to bureaucrats and invest in teacher salaries and whatever materials the teachers think are best. I do think this should be free or low cost. Or on a sliding scale. But simply changing how things are funded won't fix education in our nation. We have to completely overhaul our educational philosophy and possibly how we view children (maybe people in general) in order to actually get anywhere. I think we've sort of slipped into a view of people as computers that can be desirably programmed with the right inputs, and ultimately only meant to perform functional tasks. And all our effort and money is spent figuring out what the "right" inputs are to acquire the desired function. Consider the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" What are we asking? We're equating existence with a job. Well what I want my kids to be when they grow up has very little to do with how they'll make a living! ;) So however we fund it, and I think it quality should be equally available to all...I think some philosophical shifts are needed before or with the funding shifts

Don't own one, had to look up what it was. ;) And I knew it when I saw it; I just never knew the name for it. I don't expect I would bother with recipes that I couldn't stick in a regular pan.

Oh no! I'm so sorry! :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Wow, I'm sorry! :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Hey, congratulations to both happy couples, though!! ETA: I know that doesn't fix the logistical disappointment; not trying to negate. :)

Cold!! But I still pretty much only wear close toed shoes on errands when it's 40 or below. ;)

That one had me :lol: . I can't do this because I'm doing something else. And after that, I'll be doing something else; and after that... ;) To be fair, I often wonder if "something else" is really necessary. This week I told DD, "I can't be <insert Whatever She Wanted> Mom this week, I'm busy being Builder Mom."

I'm not sure what to tell you. Anxiety? You could try saying something to him gently, but I think for you to even be able to deal with a doctor, you need to prove incompetency on both their parts. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, though. And if you can't deal with doctors, then unless either your mom is willing to say something, or he is willing to go, there's not much you can do on that end. :( Can you intercept at all? Anticipate what he wants and translate before it gets loud and repetitive? I know that may be an unpopular suggestion, but that's what I'd be inclined to do, especially in this situation and relationship. Otherwise, I'm not sure. I'm sorry. I hope it works out well and soon. :grouphug:

I'm sorry. :grouphug: Vent away. I guess you've explored a possible tipping point? I mean has it always been like this from day one, or did something change at some point? Is there perhaps something the adult said or did that bugged your DD? I know I had to apologize to a teen several years ago at church for something her mom didn't even notice or think was a big deal when it was explained, but I could tell the teen did and appreciated the apology. It was unintentional belittling, basically. What does DD think about herself? If it's generally negative, this adult's negativity and lack of self-control could be feeding an already poor self image? Just thoughts; I don't mean to be bothersome or add stress. I hope you find relief and/or a solution sooner rather than later. Almost daily strife is a lot to bear. :grouphug:

Nope, not nuts!! But then I'm the one who will sleep on the ground just fine and DH is the one who wants an air mattress. ;) My best friend camped with her babies. Just make the accommodations you need to--whatever fits your situation.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Despite the burden, I do hope it's nothing serious!

I wasn't, I'm not, but we are. But it's a completely 100% different situation to yours; I'll likely be an empty-nester at 45. Hope you come to a consensus with DH. :grouphug:

:grouphug: , everyone.

I don't have a firm response, but fwiw, we just went to a family reunion and I basically just sat around for 8 hours and soaked up the peacefulness (140 acre farm), and I didn't feel guilty. But that side of the family is pretty laid back; if you look like you're just dandy in your little corner, they'll leave you alone. By "just" I mean like 6 weeks ago, lol.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

We still have "nap" time. It's tempting to abuse it, I won't lie, but something, half an hour to an hour is the only time I am not on-call and on-demand for someone all day. How I use it varies from yard work to message boards to tasks I need complete concentration and/or quiet for (finances, phone calls, etc.). Other times I'll Netflix or nap (usually Netflix if I'm behind on folding). Just the quiet and personal space is very helpful. And I let them have their 2DSes during that time; they're older and don't typically nap anymore.

One thing that does help me is to remember the practical assists that the go-getters typically have. Or even that Charlotte Mason had. She could spend hours outside with children every day because someone else was mother, yet another person was cooking/cleaning, etc. SWB's kids are (probably?) grown at this point. When they were younger, her husband helped teach, and iirc, so did her mother. Someone else held down the fort while she was teaching classes. She has a staff at Peace Hill Press, too. If it's all you all the time, there are less obviously productive things you can get done. Here prioritizing helps tremendously to at least mitigate some of the mama guilt. And looking at time with opportunity cost in mind. And I say "obviously productive" because often something like meal planning, grocery shopping, then cooking, clean up, dishes, plus overseeing mealtime isn't really "counted" in most people's minds as work or productivity. Same thing for keeping the house in order (often in the face of resistance), knowing where everything is in the house at any given time, who needs what and when, and so on. All of that is brain power. Being accessible to demanding little people 24/7 takes energy (especially if you're trying to stay pleasant 24/7!). And then if you are handling finances, household business, side work, side projects, yard work, pets, new skills, volunteer work, faith stuff, etc., that's just that much more, however much more it is (the bigger the house, the more pets, the bigger the yard, etc. all increase the load compared to fewer or smaller). None of this is to negate the importance of taking care of yourself or powering through certain things, though; just an additional dimension that I think is often overlooked. :)

When they were little bitty, it was mostly oatmeal, bananas, and sometimes Cheerios. These day's it's Honey Bunches of Oats, granola bars, and bananas (or whatever other fruit we have on hand). When our hens are laying, I'll scramble eggs. 1 cup of apple juice, some kefir. Apple juice and kefir (in separate cups, lol), and coffee for me. Any more cooking than that and it's going to be a "breakfast for dinner" meal.

My dad found this: https://murphybeddepot.com/products/panel-bed-frame-free-shipping-to-cont-48-u-s-states?variant=31108645073 I've googled for hardware kits for king size beds multiple times; I conclude I'm not good at internet searches.

Thanks! If I were building for a full, or maybe even a queen, I'd absolutely use the boat swivel; that's genius! I will probably use the basic design from the videos though; it's really nice looking. You can tell in the first video, though, he builds a lot. But the king mattress I want is around 150 lbs. plus I don't know how much weight in wood for the frame. I can lift 50 lbs. of feed or grit or whatever, but 200 lbs (which I know it wouldn't be the whole 200 lbs because of physics I can't figure out, but heavy enough that it concerns me). I need what I guess are called gas hinges. I have learned that yes, one company does make hardware for a king and the kit is $850. At this point I'm thinking the floor looks just fine. ;) But hey, if someone with more physics sense than I have can help me figure out how much weight would actually need to be lifted with a free-falling hinge or swivel, I'm all ears! Would it basically be cut in half? So 100ish lbs? I know the weight transfers as it moves, but that's alllll I know. But I don't want to build something I can't operate. I have also learned that a "Murphy bed" and a "wall bed" are two distinct things, so what I actually want to build is a "wall bed." I think I'll just start saying, "I want to build a flippin' bed." ;) :D

O no!!! :grouphug:

:hurray: