I grew up on frozen pot pies, campbells soups, kraft spag in the box. I taught myself how to cook good southern food which is really not healthy LOL. I started cooking healthy most of the time but sometimes I just want chicken n dumpling, fried flounder, gumbo and well you get the picture. We also love our junk. I do get healthy junk LOL I love veggie chips but then I will also get ruffles and dip. I believe in moderation and my dh would never eat completely clean. He is one of those guys high metabolism that can eat anything so he does eat more junk. Last night was Chinese take out full fat, sodium MMM good very naughty meal LOL

This happen to me for up to year after my 2nd child. I've never had it happen since and he is almost 16. I'm a nurse and was pretty sure when it happen that it was do to pinch nerve. I was also small 28 year old. I don't know but for me my hips really were stressed during pregancy. I had most of my pain with growin uterous and low back hip labor. I think post pregancy is took awhile for my body to readjust. Glad you are following up with your dr. hope everything is normal

I would try to be in their lives as much as the moms allow. My sister married a reformed "irresponsible, inmature, aggrogant sperm slinger " LOL He had 4 kids with 4 different moms within 2 year time. I knew when she married him it was gonna be a mess. I want go into all that but the thing I wanted to point out. THe boys have always had the grandparents for security and love even when the parents were acting like selfish, inmature jersk . THe moms were not much better than the dad. There was only one of the moms of the 4 that actually parent. My sister and the "sperm slinger" ended up with full custody of the other 3 boys. They were stable but both are till this day early 40's still yelingl and throwing stuff. These boys have never had a peaceful time it was even their mom house with the rotating boyfriends for my sister's house with them yelling at each otehr. The only peaceful time the boys have had have been time spent with grandparents or my house. The moms to these boys have never meet me but the boys have spent time at my house when all the adult in their life were screw-ups. I've cried many times when these kids ask could they come live with me. They have lived life with so much stress. They are all now teen boys 15-17 and still shuffled between all the adults in their life bio dad, bio mom, step grandparents, real grandparents, step aunts. well you get the picture I just think you should talk to your dh and hopefull he will see you guys might be the little bit of calm and security those kids need

I would get out just for this. I don't always get guys but some just don't love or bond with other men's kids. I know not all men are that way but some are. He may of been in love with you enough to accept your kids but once he had his own he felt different. He seems to recent the kids from a previous relationship. I've seen this way to many times where the stepfather starts abusing the previous marriage kids sexually and/or physically. I don't know if he has only been verbally abusive towards them but I would get the kids away and talk with them. I think their maybe more than verbal abuse going on.

I didn't vote because I have boys. My parents woundn't let me wear bikini as a teen. I've worn one all of my adult life except when pregnant. My guys are young adult and teen now and I don't wear my swimsuit around them. They don't want to see their mom half naked LOL My dh loves me in a bikini and buys me one every spring LOL. I'm 43 wondering when he will think i'm to old for one LOL. We have a great relationship and early on my boys when they hit their teen would tell me how difficult it was not to have lustful toughts about the girls. I know many teen girls just don't get whats going on in guys minds. I don't have a daughter so its just hypothetical but I would talk to her and let her know how guys think. I would bet she would make the right decision to wear something more modest. THe girls want the guys attention thats the reason for the small suits LOL. I just know as a teen I just wanted to be sexy and pretty but was the only one in the modest suit. I didn't get it and thought my parents were mean. WHen these issues come up it just makes me so glad God gave me boys to raise. You never hear conversations or debate about boys clothe choices

come on do tell

I just found out I was pregnant with my first child ahhh he will be 20 this october. They had to send the national guard out to get me LOL The hospital forgot to call a code white so non of the nurses were called in before the storm. The nurses we were relieving had been on shift for 48 hours. Birmingham Alabama is not use to snow. I was 23 and only seen maybe 1/2 a inch my whole life. I remember lots of us going up on the top of the parking deck and playing in the snow in between taking care of our patients. I physically don't feel old but i've been thinking the past couple of weeks WOW i'm gonna have a 20 year old son LOL

"bless your heart" LOL sorry couldn't pass up as a true southern and use the phrase a lot and didn't know that nonsoutherns think we are all fake in our sincere heart felt for your circumstances LOL As for the duggards I don't want kids to rebel from their parents into drugs or stuff but I would love to see Jill, Jana or whoever they are just one of them throw the skirt up in the air and have a pair of short on LOL or just leave their parents particular version of christianity. I'm a christian and convervative but I've been around way to many of these type chrisitan since I started homeschooling and the girls are still in their 20's at home taking care of younger children. I do know one girl that was kept on a leash and was always taking care of younger siblings. She ended up sneaking out her window to meet up with a boy from co-op and ended up pregnant. Yes these girls in their 20's are still attending co-ops usually acting as childcare or teaching some class. They are waiting for their future man or (Lord) to tell them ho to live. I haven't attended a co-op in years because I saw all the legalism and having grown up with the stuff. I have seen how it affects you in your adult life. I had a lot of years of "recovery" from women are the slave version of honoring Jesus. The Duggard seem sincere in their believe just like my parents are but all I can say is my mom is 63 never held a job, can't make a decision without permission from my dad (who is now mentally disabled for the past 10 years and she was still letting him make decision cause he is the man-of-the-house) and she doesn't want to humilate him while they are n with no retirement or anything. They are in deep crap. I'm the daughter that bucked the "lord and master" my father and got a life and in the end I'm the one they come too for help cause I'm the one that became independent of their thinking sorry for the rant on the duggard name just pushes my triggers LOL

We didn't look up the same thing LOL I googled reviews for Praise Moves and your blog came up. I read the review (which thanks for that) I need something a little more advance but I saw your picture than it was like "wow" she is on WTM so anyway small google world LOL

I would still cook traditional southern. My veg would all be cook to death with sometype of bacon or ham. I would cover my homemade biscuits with a touch of bacon grease to give them the crisp top. We would have desert every evening. I would fry everything like I did in my early 20's before I started thinking about getting older. I wouldn't feel guilty for drinking my sweet tea (i haven't given up yet) or my starbuck lattee. I may have to give those up just for vanity cause I confess I like being over 40 and still able to wear a size 6 :leaving: and sadly they are just really not good for me :svengo:

interesting question from personal history - my mom is one that cries over anyone hurt or distressed - yes she cries when listening to the news, movies. She doesn't seperate from people she knows to strangers. She is very sensitive. Then she had me a person that compartmenlizes. I don't cry at funerals or much of anything unless allow myself. I couldn't do my job if I was senstive about everything. I remember several ladies in nursing school that quit because they just couldn't handle or seperate their emotions from others pain My mom says I'm just cold harded but the other nurses I work with say I'm the most caring nurse they work with. I do care so much about my patients i get mad because so many of them are from bad choices. When I was a younger nurse I would just "shut down" after work. I'm still like that after a bad shift. I don't want to talk or see anyone. I think for me is "caring for my patients" more than they care for themselves. I know some folks think i'm uncaring or mean but they just haven't seen all the self destruction I've seen. I have a sister that takes everything personal and upsets easily. She takes everything as somone is against her. Paranoid pain in the a$$ I grew up with my mom and sister as total IMO emotional drama queens. I've always been the "strong one" Now my moms childhood was terrible abuse so I always figure her personailty results from no one caring about her so she projects caring to all My sister was the middle child and never thought she got enough attention. ( I was the oldest and raised her and my brother do the moms/dad mental issues) So I don't know what part is genetic or enviromental. I remember wanting to cry a lot as a child but tough up and realized that my parents weren't going to be any better so I "grew" up.

I don't think just because you don't drive at 16 that makes you a baby - my mom was married with a kids and didn't get a license till I was starting school. THe issue for some would be lack of money. The issue for some is lack of a car. The issue for some is lack of someone to teach. NOW in my home my sons had a choices of getting a permit at 15 and driving at 16 which is my states earliest. We didn't push our sons. We explained that they would need to learn because it fostered independents. We live in a state with minimal public transportation. Both of my sons decided to wait almost a year - I personally was happy they waited but would of let them get license sooner if they chose. MY REASON is the past 20 years working in hospital critical care- E/R- I really after your rather insulting statement should give you a run down of how many young drivers I've seen killed, paralysed, killed other because of youth, need for speed, unable to multi task whatever the reason THEY WERE NOT MATURE ENOUGH When I was young someone died going after a chewing tobacco can and now they die from cell phones. A CAR IS A DEADLY WEAPON in the hands of YOUTH. Yeah we all drove early put it doesn't mean we all should. The brain really isn't mature at 15 or 16. We all think we will live for ever. We all want to be cool. We really don't think about how our driving affects other. The teen driver is all about themselves. YEAH really inmature for a kid to realize they aren't ready for the responsilbilty. I'm glad my sons waited till they felt they were ready for the RESPONSIBLITY - yeah it meant me driving them a extra year - does it bother me heck no - I really hope all state change driving age. I believe you could poll every E/R and the staff would be 100% in agreement

Oh I could of wrote this post a few times. My dh is not a reader. I use to drive over a hour to a larger county library. I had to pay a fee to check out the books. We also went without cell phones and stuff the first few years of homeschooling. My dh never really put homeschooling down but I knew he wasn't really 100% supportive. I made my own cheap school using the WTM book and the sonlight catalog. I'm guessing from your post that driving to another county or town library isn't a option. Does your state/county have a interlibrary loan system? They may be able to get books in for you. What are the ages of your kids? I may have other ideas depending on their age. You can give them a good education it may not be exactly how your invisioned it . My homeschooling ended up totally different than my dream. I have one thats graduated and the other will being within the years. I'm at the end of my homeschool life. Please PM me if you need to just talk stuff out. I'll be praying for you. I spend so many night feeling along, scared I"m messing up my kids and stuff. My dh was not a christian when we started homeschooling. He respected my believes when I told him I felt conviction to homeschool. It really is hard being in a marriage when one is a christian and the other is not - adding homeschooling to the mix was a real time of spiritual growth for myself. My dh is now a christian. He said the thing that got through to him the most is my peace when things were finacially tought. He said he could tell my faith said God wanted us to do this and he would take care of us. Its funny the trials and stuff we go through. We never know the reason. I see you have a desire for homeschooling. I also thing your husband wants to fix stuff (its the mans way) He sees you sinking or feeling overwhelm. He can only see the answer is PS. I'm pray for both of your. I know its a hard journey.

do you and dh come from the same town - your MIL calls your mother - they've know each other for years or is does your MIL really not know boundries. It seems to me that your DH needs to really come clean about his feeling toward his mother's treatment of him and how she treats others. I say this as someone who put up with her parents for 20 years. This last year I moved them in with me again (cause they are both a dang mess). My mom had cancer and dad already is disabled. I put up with stuff for a couple of months. THe thing is I would of continued putting up with stuff because you are conditioned to obey, love, honor your parents. THe thing is when you get an adult its also OK to demand respect. My dh was so fed up, frustrated behind close doors (he wouldn't do it for me cause they are my parents). He really open my eyes to how my relationship has been with them. I want go into more but just to give you an idea of disfunctional (YOUR MIL is dysfunctional) I wonder if your dh should start talking with his father about it first. Does your fil not see how his wife acts? I finally told my parents how tired I was of their taking advantage of me and other stuff. Yeah it hurt their feelings but after a few months they both could see the truth. I guess I don't want your dh and you to go through as many years of putting up with someone who doesn't respect you. I think your dh needs to speak up

:grouphug: I'm so sorry for your loss. She seemed happy and full of life. It is awful she was taken from you so young. The tribute was very moving/tearful.

Does it count that I usally get in bed around 5:00 am :lol: So yeah I'm up before 5:00 - sorry couldn't help it. I do rotation of evening/night shift. I'm usually getting home at 12:am or 4 :am. I actually interviewed for a job and it was offered to me but they wanted me at the hospital at 4:30 am. I would of needed up by 3:00 am to get ready and stuff. I would rather stay up all night then - get up -

I get were you are coming from but for me its the other way around. I get really mad when I'm trying to sleep during the day and everyone else is running lawn mowers and stuff LOL I work E/R shifts 11am to 11pm and 3pm to 3am. My dh is one that has to leave for work at 5:00am every morning and right now he is working 7 days a week. But we live in a snow free zone - I do get it was a pain being woke up to a snow blow LOL

Just wanted to say hey and I've been reading and remembering all the prayer request - It has got me thinking about the reason for prayer. Why do we pray? Do we only pray for help? Do we pray to worship and thank the Lord? I've read that many think that prayer to a deity we can't see makes us weak or delusional. I'm a pretty strong willed person and really don't like to depend on anyone. I guess you see from my earlier post about my conversion if was letting go of my need to control everything that lead me to a spirit-filled life. I know you ladies feel different. I know that no matter how upset I am prayer gives me peace I wonder if any of you have had a "prompting from the holy spirit to pray" I'm not sure if that the best way to explain it. I've had this happen several times "out of the blue" THe most recent was early this morning. I had this women who I knew as a young girl we churched and went to school to together. I haven't seen, talk or though about he in 25 years. I just had this overwhelming need to pray for her peace and comfort. I don't know anything about her present life. I may never no why but because of previous experiences I wonder if she is sick or dying. THis happen before about 10 years ago. I had a girl I went to school with she and I didn't get along. The girl pretty much bullied me one summer. I saw her at the store or something a few times after graduation but then not since so some 10 year later - I was woken up with this over whelming need to pray for her. I mean honestly I didn't like this girl in school we werent' friends but I just felt like I should pray for her peace, comfort, pain. I did for several hours that night before I felt release (lifting of the burden) I don't know if I'm explaining it right. Then the need was just gone. I went back to my hometown for christmas that year and found out she died that night (that I was praying) of breast cancer. welcome to my wondering, rambling mind today I hope today his full of peace and joy for you. I'm off to work in the yard on this beautiful sunny spring like day. God Bless you!

I haven't read any of the reports but when I heard about the bunker and his age my very first thought was this guy had PTSD and was a vietnam vet. I don't know if that actually true it was just my first thought. I live in rural alabama and know many of these vets that hate the goverment because of Vietnam, they have paranoid ideas and stuff because of the PTSD. They tend to fear others and want to keep people off their property and away from them. I can take you to several vietnam men with this type of issues. When I was a child one of them pointed a shot gun at my cousin and I he was very serious about his privacy I don't think he wants to hurt the child. He may even believe he is protecting the child. The thing is he is mentally unstable. He may of had a flash back from Nam if he was vet or if he is just paranoid schizophrenic which maybe his issues. He is playing out a halluncination or whatever. The best thing they can do is keep all information off the TV. THese type can find or think its sometype of "special message for them" or whatever that would cause him to do more to that child I so feel for this family and continue to pray.

I deleted my previous post because it was related to the boyscout thread. There was a lot of "hate" toward christians and I wanted to discuss some of the issues. I still want to discuss stuff but I'll bring it up in the future. I don't want the group to start with the "big" items and that I'm sure their will be lots of opinions. I've been at work the pass few days so I'm catching up and see the group building. I grew up in a holiness church as a prison minister daughter. My dad had PTSD along with his devout and very legalistic ideas. I pretty much didn't miss a church meeting from age of 3 till I left home at 18. I never really didn't believe it God but I always felt like I couldn't do right enough for him. (this goes along with a church culture of no grace just a lot of rules - with also a father that thought a belt could whip sin/devil out of me. ) I stayed away from church for a decade. I still prayed and never felt a diffrence but I never stopped believing. I went through a really bad time around age of 29. I prayed like crazy to God just give me peace take all this pain away. I was at a beach side park watching my kids play and finally got it. This overwhelming peace. I knew that I had meet fell in love with God. I realize the difference before with all my prayers is wanting God to do something for me. The final prayer to my conversion was giving it all the decision and problems to god and admitting I couldn't do it on my own. My new christian walk was pretty different for some. I knew the bible but I had a lot of "anger against church" I pretty much visited every denomination over the past 13 years as a born-again-christian. The real irony is I attend a church that has the same doctrine as my childhood church but I've made my journey. My pastor understand that I love the worship and stuff but I do not agree with some of their stuff. That was the biggest journey for me. I had such a legalistic view of church. I mean to my parents it was like joining the military. They really still have the attitude about their church. I don't have any loyality to a church denomination. I just go to whatever church I can feel the holy spirits present I'm amazed at the many "spiritually dead" churches of all denominations. well it looks like I've written my life story LOL (sorry for all mis spells)

I'm sorry someone would be hateful to you. I can only imagine!. I know that my views have upset my dh's family. They think that I'm "less" christian or sheep in wolf clothings. I really would like to discuss the stuff with other christians. I deleted my post but maybe once the social group gets more established we can bring up for discussion. Thanks

reread the original post regarding "helpful stuff like books, websites. so my post wouldn't of been what the group was about but I am a born again christian and fundamental but really wanting to discuss the cultural issues more than sources for edification.

I'm the gallbladder nurse LOL seriosly sometimes the doctors depend on the test HIDA scan and stuff for diagnosis. I've had to talk doctors several times into calling a gallbladder attack just that. I've seen patients come in with ruptures because they had several attackes but the doctors didn't get the criteria diagnostily to do anything about it. To many e/r visit without surgery then major rupture, septis etc. Please schedule your surgery. I'm sorry that sometimes the medical field doesn't make since. Its all about reimbursement (money) now those doctors have to have certain things that insurance, medicare etc dictate before anything will get done. I hope that you will be able to get the elective surgery. I

my dh and I get so dang mad that the media look for the least educated most rural southern accents to interview or they can't get a more educated one that wants to go own TV (for there little bit of fame) This happen also in movies its rare they will depict the educated southern accent. The south has the same "class" or "culture" accents as people refer to England also having. I grew up with the trailer trash accent deep drawn but worked very hard to learn an educated voice I would get your difficulty if you lived in one of the small towns. I didn't really understand how difficulty and backward I spoke until I went to work in Birmingham. I was constantly made fun of. I really had the TV interview voice. Its funny now that I work with a international group of MD's I'm told all the time what a beautiful husky sweet draw I have. LOL I just point out how much an education and leaving your culture of orgin or region can do for you. There are few yankee accents that everyone come a cross as a$$holes to the southern ear. LOL sorry but it does the same way a lot think our accent makes us sound dumb as dirt. Now for the international voice. I work with men and women from several different countries. I have to say that there was one Australian I worked with about 15 years ago. I mean we all the nurses just melted listening to him LOL My current favorite accent is Irish. The guy honestly is pretty dorky looking but his voice/accent gets him lots of action

well i know longer drink out of them but to give you some southern history - poor poor poor folks like my family - you couldn't affort drinking classes - my husbands mom and my mom washed out the mayonaisse jars and the small jelly jars (thats what food was packaged and bought in back them) and they became our drinking glasses. I remember when the church gifted my parents with dishes and glasses late 70's they were some type of colored orangish/brown. My mom still uses them LOL Oh and when i was kids they were our special christmas dinner glasses. We htought we were so fancy for living in a trailer with holes in the floor not so much but those dishes and glasses were so nice to use back then so for me yeah they are sign of my poverty but to be honest the glass is much thicker and better made then drinking glasses made now so I can see why people still use them. I seriosly doubt the bought glasses of today will still be around like those my mom and mother in law still own for the 70's. We mass produce some cheap crap now.