:grouphug: I have no words.

Sorry! I was talking about my understanding of your dilemma, that you believed that your friend should switch formula and not that you thought she should breastfeed. I might be wrong. And I thought, maybe instead of telling her your thoughts, you could find an article talking about formula options that didn't contain cow's milk and then just send a e-mail saying, "Hey, have you seen this article? Thought you might find it kind of interesting." You're a good friend to care as much as you do.

Yes, I know its possible. I encouraged a friend to establish a milk supply to feed her adopted newborn. It worked but the birth mother changed her mind. I did not interpret the post to mean that she was hoping the mom would nurse, even given that knowledge. Maybe I was wrong.

Right, the baby is adopted. I think the problem is the *type* of formula and not the formula itself. Can you email her an article?

Our troop does not sell cookies. We are a small rag-tag, renegade home school troop. Our troop does not sell cookies. One reason is because the cookies contain hidden trans fats. It says 0 grams but the ingredients list shows partially hydrogenated oils. I also am opposed to setting up tables outside of grocery stores as I personally hate dealing with that all of the time. Door-to-door sales are also out of the question. That leaves dinging our family or having dh take it to work which loses the point of the lesson. I would rather donate money to the camps outright. Edited because: this sounds judgey. I just wanted to explain why we don't because you asked and I thought it might help you. I actually don't think its a crime against humanity to sell the cookies and if most of our troop decided they wanted to then I would comply. Its not a hill I'd want to die on.

I've only been at it a year but I've had more days like this than I care to admit or remember. I'm like you, I can't walk away from it. Its much better now. Hang in there.

Glad to see this wasn't a menu planning question. We have had 2 GPs for a year now and they are as cute and popular as the day we brought them home. I have NO complaints. And I'm not a big animal person.

:iagree:

Are you sure he didn't mean, "Being popular is the art..."? Actually, I would be SO FINE with Miss Zelda. But, no. Not where I live. Just "Hey, Zelda". I'm also fine with my kids saying, "Miss Amy". Its the first name only thing that chafes. I often wish there was a book. A really heavy one that was easy to throw and made that satifsying THUD when it made contact but didn't actually cause (much) injury.

I guess I just don't agree on the point of manners. I also think that the adult/unrelated child relationships has its own set of rules. Between adults, we should defer to one another's preferred address. But in the adult/unrelated child relationship where different preferences of address exist then the two should defer to the more formal preference. I mean its right here in my book, "Codified Parental Laws and By-Laws 2008 Edition"! :D I get "Hey 'Zelda'!" all the time. Like you, I just have to stifle my, "Oh no you didn't!"

Okay, even if we agreed that it is disrespectful to call someone something they don't want to be called, this isn't a concession you could make in order to support what another parent wanted for their children? Especially given that it is in no way harmful to anyone involved and would require no effort on your part? Now that I'm thinking about it more I'm wondering if making a concession to a person demanding to be referred to by their first name isn't teaching my children to compromise their values for another person's "wants". I'll have to think on that.

Yes, I've heard of it. I started getting cold sores as a kid and was told it could happen. I'm fortunate that it hasn't. I'm sorry to hear she has them but its usually very manageable. The first outbreak is the worst, typically. I can even go years w/o one (even though it makes me nervous to say that). My friend has a son who gets them one after another (VERY UNUSUAL...don't worry). They started him on a pro-biotic which seems to have helped a lot.

Oh, this can get sticky. Way back when my first was a wee baby I had this discussion with another new mom. I said I really did not like kids addressing me by my first name. I got an email from her a few weeks later saying that she had tried to refer to as Mrs. "Fitzgerald" but just couldn't bring herself to do it because it made her so very uncomfortable. It didn't end well and that was that friendship. And think about it, our kids couldn't even speak yet!! :lol: Anyway, that's the other reason I never state my preference anymore. I'm done with that.

Well, I really hate being called by my first name by children but I do not interfere with how my friends choose to raise their children. I do not even mention it. When they ask me which I prefer, I say that they should do what makes them comfortable. In part because I think asking is disingenuous. They know what I have my children do so they know how I feel about it. This is a situation where I think parents should defer to other parents regardless of personal preference. It is a small concession to help out a fellow parent. Between adults its a totally different thing. I haven't been faced with this situation yet and I'm not sure what I would do. If it got down to it, I might just avoid the person insisting on being called by their first name altogether if I could. I feel like having my kids say, "Mrs. First Name", is my move toward compromise (b/c I don't really care for that even) and they should make a move toward compromise as well. If someone refuses to compromise on such a small thing I don't hold out much hope for long term happiness with that relationship anyway.

My kids address all adults by Mr., Mrs., Ms. If the adult wants to be addressed by their first name then they are Mr. Bob and Mrs. Ann. They are the ONLY children in our area that do this.

I have heard of that possible side effect. Others too. As far as I can tell I'm fine (over 2 years). I thought it might be making my PMS moodiness worse but the only way to know if that's the case is to go off of it. Things haven't gotten that bad yet.

I got a little hot under the collar just reading that. I pretty much echo other sentiments here. Your house, your rules and talk to you, not your daughter. :grouphug:

One benefit of Mirena over bcp is that the hormones are released locally and only a small amount gets into the blood stream. Hormones don't take a first pass through your digestive/liver/kidneys. But, as mentioned, it is possible for an egg to be fertilized but it will not be able to implant b/c the uterine lining is too thin.

I bought a ton of Singapore math stuff because I was so enthusiastic about it when we first started. I bought for my 5yo and my 8yo and all the years in between. Then I couldn't teach it. I thought I'd catch on but I never did. I still have it and need to head over to the s/s board.

We only use the workbooks. No problems at all.

These issues between moms and daughters can be so loaded. We'll try to say one thing...they'll hear another. My mom and I did battle on fashion issues for years. It wasn't usually a matter of modesty. Those weren't up for debate. If it looked inapproriate that was that. The arguments were a matter of different tastes and sometimes even different ideas of what was flattering. The silhouettes that appealed to her felt dated to me. She was obsessed with looking taller, I embraced my shrimpiness. I made some mistakes but a fashion mistake is something you can definitely laugh about later. I love the idea of watching, "What Not To Wear", with her sans any commentary of your own. She will start considering the idea of flattering v. unflattering as a universal concept and not some crazy thing cooked up by you. Plus, its a fun show! Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

My hair? I actually loved my mom's food but I hated the way she fixed my hair. And I don't eat it...but...I don't think they're related. *Schedules extra appointment with therapist*

I loved Handwriting Without Tears.

After my kids go to bed I can give you that information. Maybe if you sing lullabies from your side we can speed this up. :D Edited to add: The 2004 edition appears to include the exact same lists.

No, no....that's not what I meant! :blush: I don't want to SEE them. Just jokingly wondered if they were out there.