I'm so upset! I went to make this and the kids have finished off both the brown sugar and the milk!!! Boo.

I almost forgot, my third son complained of chest pain. He went in to the doctor and was diagnosed with something and we cannot remember the name! It was ______________twinge. He didn't need much in the way of testing. It went away.

Nope. You are being totally reasonable. I've had two kids who have had referrals to pediatric cardiologists. They had EKGs, ultrasounds, and stress tests. Luckily, in our case, nothing was wrong. But, the peace of mind that it brought was worth the stress of the appointments. They did find a hole in one of my kids' hearts. Nothing that needed to be corrected, but still. Good to know!

I'd do it! Maybe as a graduation gift or something. We always wanted to take our kids to Europe. But, given our kids' ages, it jsut didn't work. How do you satisfy the older kids' interests in history and keep the younger set interested? A European trip with kids of differing ages just sounded daunting. We have traveled extensively as a family in the US. We did a SW USA trip a few years ago. DD was totally bored by the Grand Canyon ("Yeah! It's a HOLE! In the GROUND!"). The next day, imagine her reaction to the Hoover Dam. ("Yeah! Another HOLE!!!) As much as the rest of us wanted to do these things, she made it difficult. And, she was only 4, so we couldn't expect too much! A few years ago we tried cruising. It works wonderfully for families with different aged kids! It satisfied dh's and my urge to travel and explore, but it also kept the younger kids happy. So, if you do decide to keep your vacations to only full family trips, consider cruising. You can be together on the ship and split up for age-appropriate excusrions on your stops. My kids have done amazing things on our cruises. Explored underground caves. Snorkeled. Kayaked. Swum with dolphins. Fed stingrays. Been stung by jellyfish (okay, not so fun - but bragging rights!). Hiked in rainforests. Ziplined over rainforests. Stood where Christopher Columbus landed. ETc, etc, etc. That said. We are still considering a mom/son, dad/son trip as a graduation trip. Oldest (17) wants to go to Europe next summer. Dh will probably take him alone. It's cheaper. He can do what HE wants to do without having to consider a 7 yo sister. And, it's cheaper to travel with 2. I say go for it!!!

Oatmeal? My sports-addicted kids eat that the morning of a big race. Mine usually fill it with nuts and berries, which I know yours can't. But, you could stick berries in there.

My daughter gets this! I've been shrugging it off - blaming it on anxiety. But, after reading that, it really sounds like it's the laryngospasm. My dd always has to have water with her - and to read that that helps, makes me feel so guilty for ignoring it. And, I realize I get it too! I just assumed I had eaten too fast or inhaled spit or something, but it really is something different. Huh.

Yup. Chances are things are absolutely fine and there's a reason for why they are so late and didn't contact you. But, I'd still be calling the non-emergency number. They are there to offer advice too. Call and tell them the situation and see what they say. If they are worried too - let them deal with it. They have the resources. And, if they have a flat and are on the side of the road, or their car wouldn't start, or whatever, the police can help.

I think I'd have my husband stay home and wait and you go in the car and look. Do you have a cell phone so you can stay in contact with your husband, if they come home? And, I agree about calling the non-emergency number and asking their advice as to your next move.

Is there another contact person? Was it just the mom and her child with your daughter? Is there a husband in the picture? Can you call their home number? At this point, I'd be driving out to where you thought they might be - just to see if they aren't stranded on the side of the road with a flat or something. Do you know which route they were going to take?

I'd be angry and then worried. But, maybe her cell phone ran out of battery after they lost track of time.

We agree with you! The weather in FL in Jan/Feb can be iffy. So, we cruise. All your food is included, lodging, entertainment, etc.

Our five phones cost $210/month. That's unlimited text and internet. And, dh's work pays for his part of it. And, my kids do pay for the internet access for their phones.

I agree with this. All my boys have them (17, 15, and 13). It's the way kids communicate in my area. And, yes. I could just make my kids call on the regular phone or FB message friends, but they'd miss out on team texts and keeping regular contact with them. They are isolated enough being home all day. And, I love that my kids are in such close contact with all their cousins who don't live anywhere nearby. So, to answer the OP - yes. Most kids in middle school do have smart phones. And, we're actually considering a phone of some sort for the youngest. She's at gymnastics 12 hours a week. And, I'm getting tired of sharing mine! She regularly texts her friends and cousins from my phone!

Roasted!!! This time of year especially - all those root veggies. Yum!

Dd - grade 2 - eats breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, snack, dinner. Her meals are a little smaller than someone her age though.

When the boys were little? Almost daily. Now? The older boys take my dd almost daily. It helps that we have three parks within walking/biking distance from our house!

This made me smile! My dd LOVES her AG dolls, but secretly? I think I love them more! Maybe I should buy my own?

Oh Betty. This breaks my heart. Disney was the place we started vacationing with because they could deal with my child's life-threatening food allergies. And, there were a lot of them. We were all so happy that we could eat out like a "normal" family again. I can only imagine how much more this is magnified for you and your family. I sure hope that Disney can find a way to make it work for those with legitimate issues. ((hugs))

That really is too bad. We were jsut there and we noticed a HUGE increase in the number of people with the disability passes. I wonder how many of them are fraudelent? That makes me really angry for people with true issues for whom this pass meant the difference between a good trip and a horrible one. How did they change it? Will they have more restrictions?

My son, 15, has one. It wasn't discovered until a couple years ago when he went in for a cardiology workup. The doc said it's so small, there's nothing to worry about. Makes me wonder why it wasn't noticed by all his doctors before he was 13!!!

We just sold a 2000 Chevy Venture. It was an amazing car! Lasted for a very long time. It was just starting to have some issues and we needed something reliable. We replaced it with a 2010 Chrysler Town and Country. (Fully loaded, 19,000 miles, $20,000) I love it, but little things on the inside are breaking that never broke in our Chevy. :(

I don't want to add it all up. But, we can afford it, so we do it. Gymnastics - VERY expensive. It's $300/month right now. That doesn't include her competition leo ($225) or warm ups or practice leos. It doesn't include travel expenses. But dd is good and loves it. So, she does it. Rowing. I don't even know. I just write checks and turn them in when asked. In addition to those checks, there is travel expenses. Those are what are so high. I'm pretty sure we spent about $7000 last year, maybe more. My boys love it, and two of them placed at Nationals this year. One of them won a race at an International regatta. So, they're good. We're hoping for college scholarships!!! That is really all my kids have time for. Dd wants to try a dance class. Ds13 will go back to some karate as soon as rowing winds down a little this fall.

I have a brother who was footling breech with a prolapsed cord!!!! Born vaginally. He was born oxygen deprived, but he survived. 39 years ago!

I hemmoraged with ALL of my births. Yup. All of them. My oldest would have been an orphan without methergan (sp?) and the youngest three wouldn't have existed. But, ds3 would have died due to his allergies anyway! Ds2 had to have his appendix removed. When, in history, did people survive appendectomies? Dh would have died 3 months after we married due to diverticulitis. So, the above children wouldn't have existed!!!

Oh please see about getting expedited passports!!!!! That is an amazing opportunity!