Low: My mother is making the holidays full of drama by being manipulative and mean. It's nothing new, so I don't know why I let it bother me every year. I'm sad I can't make her happy no matter what I do and sad and frustrated she can't acknowledge how her behavior hurts others. High: I have a wonderful sister who I can talk to and understands. :)

A local school gave iPads to all the students... even down to kindergarten!! MY goodness, what's wrong with pen and paper. That would really bother me and the parents are suppose to keep up with everything using those. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. I know not everyone agrees with me but what a waste of tax money and let's turn the kids into electronic zombies even earlier. I have a friend whose 3rd grader gets homework every single night and is so burnt out by it. He's gone from 7-4 because of long bus rides. Let the kid play for what little time he has at the end of the day.

Oh, this is me too... except not the 'barf' part! Listening to people chew, drink and eat has bothered me for a long time. It got worse when I had kids. The slurping and lipsmacking and swallowing!!! What's funny is I annoy myself as well - some foods can't be eaten quietly and it drives me nuts! We'll, at least we aren't alone. I don't think anything can be done about it. I just try to ignore and be thankful that my kids are actually eating something instead of complaining about it.

She needs someone close to her (like your mom) that can talk to her in a loving way and tell her that she cares about her and that's why she's bringing it up. Maybe she's struggling with depression, bad relationship with her dh or feeling very alone in her parenting and she's reacting out because of it. Day after day after years with young children makes mothers go crazy if they don't have a support system and feel alone. I would try to address it this way before contacting social services, as then the children's worse fear could come true - they are taken away from their mother.

We call them tails and tags, too. lol. It's hard to teach if you aren't able to do it well (like me and grammar!) but she did just start. DS started last year when he was 6 (he asked!) and he's just starting to connect words this year. So it takes a while, just have her do a little every day with no pressure. I plan to do cursive copywork for a couple more years, just by copying words and sentences I have written out. HTH!

I'm not familiar with the curriculum you are using but we are using Cursive First. It teaches that you start all letters on the base line and for the 'clock letters', such as 'a' (and c g o d q) for example, you start at the base line and curve up and over like you are tracing a clock until you get to '2 o'clock', then turn around and trace backwards to make your letter a. Learning them that way makes it make sense more of how they connect. I'm sorry if that makes no sense at all!!! It's hard to explain. See if you can find an example to see online like through RR. I'll see if I can find something too.... It doesn't mean you need to buy it but if you seen how they explain it maybe you could explain it to her easier.

I skipped some of those clock problems because just talking it through seemed to work better for ds. What I had him do for the 'how many hours' between 8 am and 4 pm is use a play clock or a regular clock without batteries and we moved the hour hand and counted out loud " 1 hour, 2 hours... etc..." while moving the hour hand. I'm not confident that he understands it completely to be able to do it on his own but it's exposing him to the concept. You can always revisit it. When doing the minutes I remind him to count by fives at each 'number' as we go around the clock, then stop where the minute hand is. I wouldn't worry too much, just come back if she gets frustrated and resists.

I stopped giving my dd fluid milk and it went away but hers was mild on her cheeks and back of knees. I've also heard that it can be a deficiency in essential fatty acids (omega-3 and 6's.) Try eating nuts or fish daily or if she can't tolerate those maybe take a pill supplement. I would do allergy testing or you can do trials of certain foods first if you want. I'd start with dairy.

Thanks for all your replies :) I'm not upset as I was a few days ago when I wrote this. I feel like this test is so inconsistent, so how can it be accurate? I did eat lower carb this time for breakfast, but it was a few hours since, but maybe that's why it was a little lower than last time. They wouldn't let me drink anything else - orange burping heartburn!! ack!!! I just can't bear to go through the 3 hour so I'll just have to talk to the midwife. I see a group of midwives and this next time I'm seeing one I like so maybe it'll turn out ok. I got to thinking... I do have an endocrinologist for my hypothyroidism, so maybe I'll talk to him. I talked to him about it a few years ago and he said that they don't realize that the test is inaccurate 20% if the time. Over a year ago I decided to do lower-carb (cut-out refined foods) to help correct my hypoglycemia which I would get almost daily since I was a kid, so I am eating better than even a last time I was pregnant! I guess I'll have to see what happens at my next appointment. Thanks again for listening to my cranky pity party. :laugh:

So I recently failed my 1 hr glucose test by 1 point - 135. They recently told me they lowered the standard from 140 to 135 because they felt like they were missing some people. When she called she said the cut-off was actually 134, not 135 like someone previously told me. So now I'm upset because I don't want to take the three hour. My previous pregnancy I failed by 1 point, at that time 141. I took the three hour then. I live 40 miles away from the clinic, so driving there caused me to get really lightheaded from not eating and I was scared I might pass out driving (I tend to be hypoglycemic.) I got a huge headache that day and ended up sitting on the toilet during the test and the rest of the day (it gives me the runs.) I did pass that time. I'm mad now because I would have passed with a 135 last time!!!! I just don't want to do it. Rewind 2 pregnancies ago, I failed the one and the 3 hour. So I was counselled by a nutritionist and told to check my blood sugars 4x's a day. My fastings were always in the 60s and 70s. When I ate toast and eggs and milk in the morning (she said don't eat cereal) I would get shaky by the time 2 hours went by and my sugar would be in the 50s or 60s. So after 3 days of that I started eating cereal again (with eggs) and my blood sugar would be in the 70s or 80s after 2 hours. I was able to eat anything, canned fruit, bread, pasta, and ice cream... I only had 2 blood sugars over 100 the rest of my pregnancy (they wanted them under 130 after 2 hours) Even the nutritionist was confused... I felt like even though my blood sugars weren't even remotely close to the cut-off, I was treated like a high risk pregnancy. Thankfully I went into labor a week before my due day and had a natural, unmedicated birth. I cancelled the 3 hr I'm suppose to take now. I don't have an appointment for 2 weeks. What should I do? I understand they have protocols to follow to save their @$$ if anything goes wrong, but I really feel like my body does not respond well to this test and it isn't an accurate representation of how my body responds to how I normally eat. I suppose if I drank pop all day every day my levels would be high, but I don't drink pop. But how do they know that unless they track me? I can see their point of view, but I'm also tired of being treated like protocol instead of an individual. I know there are some people that really have glucose issues, but I also feel like a lot of women get unnecessarily 'treated'. I asked earlier in the pregnancy if I fail the 1 hr if I could just check random blood sugars because I dread the 3 hr and how bad it makes me feel. They said yes I could but then I'd have to do it 4x a day for the rest of the pregnancy and I'd automatically be diagnosed with GD and I got a schpeel about having a dead baby from the midwife and a nurse if I don't. I feel trapped because I don't want to do that just by missing by 1 point. I don't want to look for another provider this late either, especially since the opinion may not be any different. I know I have the right to refuse, but I don't know if they'd refuse to see me anymore either (which is appealing....) I don't want to try to talk to anyone, because nobody listens. Maybe I should just to it and get it over with. I wish that if I failed I would have done it miserably instead of by 1 point.. 2 times... I don't know what I'm rambling about.... maybe just for someone to feel sorry for me :( or maybe anyone who has been in a similar situation, especially failing but having low/very normal blood sugars when checking them at home... I haven't come across anyone else like that. I also don't have any risk factors other than the test failings and now being pregnant for the 5th time. I've never been overweight, I'm on the light side actually, and 29 yrs old.

I'm using MFW Adventures this year and we didn't do the canoe.... but we did make the tipi's, it just sounded easier. We pick and choose; sometimes I forget to look up what we should have done or just don't feel like it's priority. My kids love crafts and art but you have to decide it the effort is worth it. Sometimes the sun is shining... so we go outside instead! My kids like the science activities more than anything so I've been trying to keep up on those. It depends what they like, too. Plus doing crafts once a week at co-op does fill in that gap. Do what works for you.

Eww... there are some baby bisuit "mum mum" I think was the brand. They are made in China, so I couldn't bring myself to buy them. They looked too much like Styrofoam, so I thought they just might be. I think the farmers who put the chemicals in the milk made infant formula were executed. Don't quote me on that though. We raise our own beef.

I also had a very sick child this past spring with pneumonia. I know she would have died without antibiotics. Yes, antibiotics are over-prescribed and over-used, but they saved her. It was the first time she was ever on antibiotics. I had someone comment on how I should have treated her naturally because of too many antibiotics in use and I just said "This is the first time she was ever on antibiotics. She would have died without it."

My father had an appendicitis several days after my parents were married... so I wouldn't be around because he wouldn't be! My mother was pregnant at the time with my sister, who happened to be born with a heart defect. She would have died as an infant without surgery. Death was common for things we now see as preventable and treatable.

They probably won't treat it as bacterial for only having a fever for a couple days - either you had what they had and the antibiotics really had nothing to do with your recovery or it's something totally different. Probably got it from the plane :P No fun. Hope everyone feels better soon!

I think you are a wonderful mother. It shows because they behaved well out in public! At home, where they are comfortable, they'll get wild and fight with each other just because they can. But they know what to do when they are treated for a day out!

Target, Walmart, Motherhood Maternity and the best online store I've found: www.breakoutbras.com Good luck! You could ask at Target if they are planning on getting any because ours was out of any nursing bras for a while and then they got a whole bunch of new styles.. maybe they are just not there yet. Just a thought.

I asked about this a few months ago as it bothered me. Here is the link (hopefully it works! otherwise, let me know.) The answers make sense to me. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/477495-why-dont-cuisenaire-rods-have-markings/?hl=%2Bcuisenaire+%2Brods+%2Bmarkings&do=findComment&comment=5032446

I'd follow a specific recipe, like the ones that come in the sure-jell box. You're not suppose to double them either or they probably won't set.

Magnesium citrate is the best absorbed though the GI - I take it with calcium (chewable tums) at bedtime. I've been told they work best together.

Oh your making me itch. I never though books would do that... do they stay in the carpet maybe?! Eww...

Usually black means fluid, like a fluid filled cyst (usually not serious.) Don't stress!! Waiting is hard. Hope all turns out ok. :grouphug:

Interesting article, thanks for sharing. Maybe that's why my walking helped - I did gain a tighter rear! lol.

I don't know if they told you any parameters yet but mine was suppose to be under 100 fasting (morning) and under 130 2 hours after eating. So yours look really good except the one.

I'm surprised they are having you do the 3 hour. Over 200 at anytime is a diagnosis I thought. The 3 hr. is icky - at least I get sick from it. You may want to just see the dietician about counting carbs and check your sugars, but on the other hand you may pass the 3 hr. Either way you may want to skip pop the rest of your pregnancy! Your numbers look like they spike but drop quickly and like you'll be easily controlled.