I tried one counselor, went for two visits, and was so creeped out by her obvious angling about repressed memories of molestation (which I don't have!) that I just couldn't go back. Found a counselor that dh and I both found very helpful. We saw him together for about 3 months, and then came to the conclusion that we probably didn't need more counseling as a couple, at least right now. I left a message for that counselor, asking if he had a recommendation of someone that I could see on my own, since it was pretty obvious that I was still very devastated about a difficult personal situation. There was never any reply to my question. So... I called a local counseling center, and left a message on their machine asking for help. I called on a Thursday, and I think it was on Wednesday of the *next* week that my call was returned. The counselor asked me briefly about my problem, and said that she would pass my number on to one of the counselors in the group, who would call back the next day. It's been about a week now. No call. :confused: I'm doing better. I'm no longer feeling the pull towards self-destructive things that seemed almost irresistible before. I usually only cry once a day or so, and there are even short times now when I forget the tough stuff for just a moment. I think I'll maybe eventually be ok. My dh is helping me in every way that he's capable of, and in some ways that he and I both never imagined he'd be able to. Still, I'm facing some really hard stuff. I'm working a new full-time job in addition to my part-time job, homeschooling two high schoolers, and trying to keep up with all of the things at home. Am I just not meant to get counseling? Is the message to me supposed to be that I'll get better on my own, and just to hold steady until I do? I never knew it would be this difficult to get help. I have the money. I can make the time. What I cannot seem to do is get reasonably prompt call-backs, or even any response at all. :confused: Anyway...I'm just rambling on. Am I the only one who's had this type of trouble? :001_huh:

I sort of disagree. What sort of society have we become when girls that young are encouraged to perform moves that are specifically designed to arouse the pervy types, and the parents are expected to accept it without comment? It really shouldn't mesh with *anyone's* values to have a 4 yo doing thrusting bumps & grinds. :confused:

Let me issue my apology to those who might be offended by my opinion, BUT... Cheerleading always seems sleazy to me, not only from what I've seen in person, but in the leering sort of attention that even the word "cheerleader" often seems to bring up. I wouldn't even start cheerleading. I would, however, find an alternate activity. Maybe gymnastics?

He meets the man and sells the car with an apology for his previous text and (hopefully) an in-person handshake.

Ah. Sorry, perhaps I missed the details. I thought the OP had mentioned that they'd tried forward-facing, so I thought it *was* an option for them. Either way, it takes a rather long time for a conditioned response to abate, and if you're used to feeling poorly in the car, you don't immediately feel better within a few minutes. Assuming it didn't work is a little short-sighted, unless you've given it enough time to truly make a difference.

Timidly putting this out there... If I couldn't afford an extra couple of dollars to buy one extra tube of toothpaste, I probably wouldn't be flying, nor going to Disney at all. :001_huh: You might be over-complicating this a little bit. If you have multiple children (and it sounds like you do), you can have several bags of liquids. You can fit quite a lot into each 1 qt. bag. Alternatively, you're welcome to check your luggage, and if your situation requires more than several 1 qt. bags of fluids, you should probably do that. I've found checking my bag to be *much* easier than anticipated. Try not to worry about the details. You're going to have a *great* time! :001_smile:

I'm not sure you can definitively know this unless: A. Baby was left forward-facing for long enough that carsickness could abate (and it sometimes takes a while) and B. Baby was left forward-facing enough times that he's no longer conditioned to *expect* car sickness.

...but I'd be puking into my shoes if I had to ride in the back seat, facing the rear of the vehicle. :001_huh: Just how safe is safe enough? (Not trying to open a can of worms here) Our kids would probably be safer if we made them wear a helmet when playing in the neighborhood, but we don't make them do it. I'd turn him around, get a dvd player, and have someone sit in the back to distract with snacks/drinks/conversation (whichever works). I'd also bring some Benadryl along for "emergency" use. My usually conservative pediatrician heartily endorsed it's use when there was an unusually long trip, and little guy was visibly agitated for long periods of time. I only used it twice that I can remember, and both times were on 10 hour car rides. :auto:

Thank you all so much for the encouragement! I'm not worried about being able to do the job well--I'm pretty much overqualified. I'm worried about working 60 hours per week, homeschooling my two high schoolers, taking care of general family stuff, and being there for my youngest dd, who is definitely suffering from having parents who are a mess, a financial situation that's new for us, and now waking up each morning without mom. I'll also be missing lots of Sunday worship times. It feels like the final end of the life I had, and I really loved what I thought I had. :crying:

Terrified to the point of feeling nauseous.

Monday I start a new full-time job. 9 hrs. per day, four days on, two days off. I still need to keep up with my part-time job (since I earn quite a bit more per hour there), and squeeze in a little bit of time to care for my family. :svengo: I'll either come out of this stronger, or dead. ;) Life just gets more and more entertaining, huh? :001_huh: ETA: (Did I forget to mention that I'm absolutely terrified?)

...but if I *were* going to try it, I'd dump a can of root beer into a saucepan and cook it until it reduced to a small amount of syrupy consistency, then I'd drizzle that into my cream as I began whipping it. Sounds like an adventure. :D Let me know if you try it. :bigear:

It automatically created the field for the key, and will not let me move on unless I enter something there for every single record. :glare: You'd think I'd be able to select the right field type for the price too, but no matter which choice I select, it seems to round the price to the nearest dollar. I must be missing something there, but I can't figure out what. :confused:

I convert most (but not all) of my recipe measures to grams or oz. anyway, since it's a more exact way to measure many ingredients. I use my scale for most ingredients, and then I don't have to dirty a measuring cup for most things. :D

To give myself just a teeny bit of credit, I did remember that they're called "fields". :) I remember bits and pieces of database creation from my time (waaaay back when) as a student, just not enough. :glare: My problem is assigning the right *type* of field, I think. I'm not getting that right. There's also something about designating a "key" for each entry into the database, and it won't let me move on without doing that. :confused: I will spend some time with the tutorials. Thanks for posting the link!

I don't have Excel. :sad:

You are right that in ordinary circumstances, it would not be worth it. For professional reasons though, I have to cost out recipes almost daily. I'm not looking for the database to automatically calculate the cost, I'm just looking for an easier way to keep price listings than the extremely old-fashioned & messy spiral notebook that I'm using now. It takes me a long time to even find an ingredient listing in my notebook, because they're listed rather randomly, and not even alphabetized. I'm also constantly adding different ingredients and their prices as I order supplies. Yes, the cost of ingredients changes rapidly, hence the listing for the last date the price was confirmed. I don't need to be exact, but I do need to be able to easily estimate how much each new recipe will cost me to make, so I can accurately charge customers for finished products. I'm just getting frustrated because I don't know how to set up the database. Ask me anything about pastry, but don't expect me to know how to keep the doggone database from rounding dollar amounts to the next higher dollar, lol! I'm sure this would be easy for someone, but that someone is not me. :glare:

Just a lil bump. I know someone here will be able to help!

I'm trying to create a database with a form to fill in, and I'm completely incompetent. :glare: Here's what I'm trying to keep track of: Ingredient (ex: "flour") Cost (would be the price I paid, like "$3.59") Quantity (would be size of pkg, like "10 lbs." or "16 oz.") Source (name of supplier, like "Sysco rest. supply") Ref. Date (this would just be the date I confirmed the price) Conversion to U (would usually be a whole number, like 160) Unit (would usually be something like "oz.", or "g.", or "ea.") Cost per Unit (would be something like $0.22) Commonly Used Meas. (would be where I'd put in something like "1/2 c=4 oz", just a reference I'd often use for that ingredient in a recipe) Notes (anything misc. I'd like to make a note of, like "don't buy generic for this item") Is this ridiculously complicated? :001_huh: Help!!

Progress. ;)

Erm...well... Deliberately denigrating grandpa and teaching kids who are reliant upon his financial support to condescend doesn't sound like it would be good for anyone. Either respect the man's home and his place in it, or leave, but don't stay, take the benefits, and be disrespectful about his choices within his own home. :001_huh:

http://www.amazon.com/Tate-Lyles-Golden-Syrup-454g/dp/B0001590BY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347765709&sr=8-1&keywords=Lyle%27s+golden+syrup

:D

I would not impose my religious values upon a *guest* in my home, though I'd expect that they'd be respectful about mine. On the other hand, someone *living in my home* would be subject to hearing my viewpoint fairly often in the course of home life, and would not be allowed to view programs I disapproved of on *my tv*. I'm sorry for whatever struggles have put you in this situation, but if you're dependent upon your folks and are living in their home, they get to determine what happens there. :grouphug:

I've done that several times. Not a problem. For me personally? I'd cook it today and then reheat on Sunday, since lasagna is one of the things I think becomes more flavorful the next day (or two). Now I want lasagna. Thanks.