Yikes. We've had a lot of dogs but they were all promptly spayed or neutered at the appropriate age. The bleeding didn't last too long . . . maybe a week, ten days. But the heat cycle is longer and the fertility time, I think, follows the bleeding. In any case, we kept a very close eye on her for a long time. No way did I want anything to happen. (My kids on the other hand thought puppies sounded cool. So I didn't allow them to be in charge of her! lol!) We had her spayed a couple weeks ago. I am relieved not to have to worry about this.

Week One: First Light, Thoene Week Two: The Man Who was Thursday, Chesterton Week Three: Second Touch, Thoene Week Four: My Sister's Keeper, Picoult Week Five: Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges Week Six: The Complete Beck diet for life, Beck Week Seven: The Portrait of a Lady, Henry James Week Eight: Peace Like a River Week Nine: Snow Falling on Cedars, David Guterson

What a relief! (Were they discussing how stupid math was and when would they ever need to use it anyway?)

No I wouldn't recommend it. And in fact I would discourage my 12 yr dd from reading any Judy Blume. I read a lot of the stuff when I was young that I probably shouldn't have (including Blume). My parents were much more trusting of public/school libraries than I am. I guess they figured if it was in the school library it was okay. There's way too much other stuff I'd rather have my kids spend their time reading.

:grouphug:

I posted this in a response to the question what is the difference between a cold and the flu. I'm not kidding when I tell you the very next day I woke up with a sore throat, followed by over a week of a bad cold. Then finally this week, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I felt really good only to wake up yesterday with a completely new cold. I feel like I've been run over with a truck! I told my kids this week was Spring break . . . that's how much school we accomplished. I am never going to brag about my health again! lol!:001_smile:

I am plugging away at this challenge and am enjoying a lot more "free reading". Unfortunately I have also been unwell for two weeks now which has impeded my concentration. But I plug away.

:iagree:

I keep posting the weather because in my neck of the woods February traditionally means large dumps of snow. This February has been fabulous . . . at least the second half of it. We've had a lot of sun which means dry, no ice sidewalks. Anyway I've had three afternoons of fabulous running and I've even managed to push up my speed a bit.

But if you like the way you feel after, you know the stress relief, then keep it up. I run for weight loss, stress relief and because I like the personal challenge it gives me. And, if you are feeling under the weather, give yourself a break and do something different. Not running one day won't ruin you (although I am not a personal trainer and certainly do not have any experience preparing for a marathon so maybe it can ruin you lol!).:001_smile: The whole marathon thing is interesting to me. My running partner and I just had a conversation last night where we both agreed that we had no desire to run a marathon. I just wonder what does make a person feel the need to run that much and I do admire those who are able to. I'll be happy to regularly run 10 km. That's my goal for now. Plus I want to be able to run when I'm old so I'm trying to keep my body strong and healthy in order to that. Anyway I just wanted to encourage you. I often read your running posts as encouragement. Take a break if you need and then keep going.

The first year I experienced severe hayfever I was quite congested but more than that my eyes wouldn't stop tearing. Try and allergy medication and see if that helps? Just a thought.

Please post the recipe or link because I want my children to beg me too! (Instead of cheerios . . .)

And no, filling out adoption paper or even actually completing three adoptions, did not improve our fertility. Sometimes I just wish people would keep their comments to themselves. Just reading your post brought up repressed feelings from more than dozen years ago. (Really I am over it! lol! :001_smile:)

I haven't finished last weeks selection but hope to finish both this week. I had too much other reading to accomplish.

I finally was able to run today after being down with a cold for the last ten days. It's beautiful weather here . . . dry, sunny a bit cold but no ice. We ran about 5 -6 km.

I'm glad to hear my boys aren't the only ones . . . sometimes I worry lol! My daughter just always leans over and tells me "boys are weird". Oh the joys.

My boys constantly ask me to "pause the tape" so they can make fun of her facial expressions . . . yeah they're very mature! lol!

Do you do it? If yes, then please answer the rest of the questions. Yourself or saloon? Salon How costly? $90 including tip How often to fully color? I go about every 8 weeks for the full shabang . . . no touch ups inbetween. If you had to do it all over again, would you have started coloring? I love colouring my hair. Do you perm too? How does this affect things? No. Do you use a special shampoo and/or conditioner? Yes I use products designed for coloured hair. Does your hair feel silky or like cotton? (my mom's always felt cottony) My hair is in good condition probably because each time I colour I also get a good cut. What length is your hair? Below the ear, pointed bob cut I think they call it. Right now it touches my shoulders. .

I have had no problems at all with it. My friend bought a whispermill at the same time I bought my mill and she does not like hers.

I know this might sound crazy but when I went to Walmart last year to buy them I didn't want to spend the money on the fancy ones . . . since I would be using them everyday with me kids. So I bought a couple of packages of dishcloths . . .you know the ones you'd use to wash your dishes with and they have held up fantastically. They haven't stained, in over one year of use and many tomato based dishes. In fact they still look almost new. So for everyday use, that's what I would do.

My dogs are indoor dogs so when we let them out and they immediately come back, no I don't necessarily wipe them although I might put a towel on the floor for them to walk over. We live on the west coast and it is frequently, and I do mean frequently, wet or snowy so frequently we do have to actually hand wipe them down. Also my dog enter through our back door which is a mudroom. So they have to walk through that room, which gets the most dirt, before they enter the living area. And yes it is a pain because I have three dogs.

We do wipe our dogs feet.

:iagree:

Leaving your shoes on is an interesting phenomena that certainly doesn't happen here. There are some homes where the host will say "oh, don't bother taking your shoes off" but that is usually in conjunction with construction working being done or something like that. Half the year we're wearing boots and dragging in snow and slush (or mud and rain). I can't imagine dragging in my dirty shoes into someones home. BTW, I do take slippers with me usually.

In fact today I was thinking to myself that I've hardly accomplished anything. I'm a bit under the weather BUT I've baked three loaves of bread, prepared supper, did some stuff with my kids this morning, have taken care of three dogs and their needs and am on my way to work for the afternoon (oh yeah and talked with my bf on the phone for 30 minutes and did some reading). And yet I feel like I haven't really done enough today.