Growing up I kept telling myself that I just did not want to be like my mom. I wanted to be anything but like my mom. (How awful is that?) I feel as though I struggle with being empathetic as well. (Although I wasn't that way as I child, I always rooted for the underdog! Sadly, having children sucked that away, largely because I need alone time to recharge to give back. I have to give myself time away so I can come back to be a better mother.) Acknowledging that is key, though. You can't change what you can't acknowledge. I suppose we will struggle to some degree because of our upbringing vs. someone who had a loving, caring mother. My husband and my dad have reassured me that I am not like her, as well. Being like her is a great fear I have. From my earliest memories I remember being scared of her. I don't want my children to be scared of me! I'm saying this because I have these same struggles. BUT, you know what she does that is wrong and you truly care for your children and their feelings and needs. You have the power to control you. Reach out and get support, resources, or therapy that you need to heal and recover.

I noticed that, too, with DoNM website. There is a page that lists the characteristics and it was crazy how someone could finally describe my mother - something that I could never figure out or articulate on my own. It just gave me reassurance that I'm not the crazy one (IYKWIM!!)

Narcissistic mothers inflict emotional and psychological abuse. And they do it in a way that you keep second guessing yourself and you can't figure out what it is you are doing wrong. I discovered what was 'wrong' with my mother through the discriptions on this website: www.daughtersofnarcissisticmothers.com Lots of good reading to help you understand the condition and some resources about how to recover and heal. Boundaries book is great. I grieve that I can't have a normal relationship with my mother. That is the hardest part for me. I can't share anything with her. If it's good, she's jealous and nasty. If it's bad, I have to hear of all the things I've done wrong to cause it. I've tried to have empathy for her in my own heart and mind because her mother, I believe, was much worse to her and her siblings. Sorry you are going through this.

Putin.. attractive?? He does look like he should be in a 007 movie though...

She needs her hemoglobin/hematocrit checked. Sounds like they are going to do that for her. Poor gal :(

Not be so introverted. I would like to hang out with people more often; people who I truly like... but I can never plan it and invite them over. I just like being alone more. I live in fear of people who want to 'just stop by for a little bit.' Be a morning person. Get on a plane... and go to all the places I have always dreamed about seeing. I may be able to do this some day when my kids are grown and with medication!

Just a thought - I worked in an ER and we had a teenager that came in with what appeared to be hives all over. However, the doctor stated that it wasn't hives it was contact dermatitis. They finally figured out his was from cleaners on wrestling mats. Maybe you can see if a doctor can look at her hands and see if they can tell the difference. I don't even know if it can be treated... I don't know if Benadryl would make a difference. If you can find someone to differentiate between the two then maybe they would have alternate treatments for it. It could even be a chemical on the fabric of the gloves and not the fabric itself. Hope you get some answers!

"Home" by Joe Diffy Look it up and listen to it! Of course, I'm from the country so this kinda describes my childhood

Plastic applicator during heavy flow so it isn't dry. Angle towards the back instead of straight up.

I feel like people don't understand my introversion more than that they have a problem with it. I don't think they understand. Just because I am not doing anything 3 days this week doesn't mean I want to on those days. Being at home is what I am doing.... and nobody is invited! LOL. I wish I did have more time and energy to hang out with people I really do like but I'm maxed out with a few and my family. But I'm okay with it, too. I've know and accepted what I can handle and do and let go of the rest.

I have been on levothyroxine for about 7 years. I never correlated acne. It does, however, take a while to regulate hormones. Even when the dose was correct it felt like it took a couple months longer to feel normal. All the hormones affect each other so it could be affecting something else like estrogen. I don't really know, just my wild guess. But if that's the case it'll probably resolve on it's own eventually as everything gets settled down and regulated. I think it's normal for your hair to fall out for a while and that will also get better in time. Actually, I felt worse for a while on the levo before I felt better because of my body adjusting. It stinks that it's a slow process :( Continue to take it if your labs indicate you need it.

2nd grader: Rod and Staff 4th grader: Barton (use to be RLtL, SWR)

As much as I would love to have a pool, I wouldn't. If you decide to, make sure you get the best fencing and an alarm.

I was afraid of my mom a lot. If I got sick, she'd yell that it was my fault for always being the sickly one. If I wanted a bra as a tween she would yell at me saying I don't need things like that. My period was inconvenient for her because then she had to stop to buy pads. She'd pull on my hair so hard because I wasn't holding still enough when she was brushing it. There were times when she said she hated me and wanted to kill me. I was a straight A student, held a job to pay for my own car and gas, never partied, yet not good enough. Never cared if I was hurting from a broken relationship of a friend or boy. Never cared to go to my games or complained my concerts interrupted the football game. Now she complains of how I raise my kids and how it's not fair her children are doing better than she ever did. I am still kinda am scared of her.... but I know how to walk around the boundaries so it works. However, I'm sad that I can't have a deep, meaningful relationship with her. I can't even imagine what that may be like. All my life everything I have done is never good enough and she always tells me how I could do things better. Funny thing is though, that she isn't a perfectionist AT ALL. She has a lot of NPD traits. I believe her mother is a full blown narcissist so I feel bad for her in that way. I think it damaged her. I try so hard not to be like her. How sad, to grow up saying you want to not be like your mom at all. Some days I want to write her a letter or tell her everything that has ever been hurtful but she wont understand. I don't want to hurt her; I don't want to be like her. I think she has her own little depressed world... I have never been afraid of my dad. He's great and has always been there for me. He left my mom once us kids grew up cuz she was just as nasty to him. She still doesn't see how it could be anything she ever did.

Maple Nut!!!!!!!!! But I voted for butter pecan because that is also very good. In fact, I think I'd like to taste test each one of those now... they all sound so good!

185 is high. This needs investigation. Being on steroids (prednisone) can cause high blood sugars, has she been on anything like that?

Thanks for all the replies! I've wrote all of them down. I will look into getting him evaluated. It seems as though every time I decide to do that, he improves. But then it seems he goes backwards again! I know he is working so hard and I don't want to push him. I'm not sure much to make him do everyday. He's fine with doing what he's doing, I just wanted to add in a second session of 10-15 minutes later in the day for review but I'm not sure if that's a good idea because I don't want to wear him out. I have thought about audio and I know he would enjoy more of those things. I don't want to 'give' up and give in to them but I know that's ridiculous! I feel stuck about he tutor. I would like to do it but we live 30 miles from the nearest city which has one, but I'll contact them and see what schedules they recommend. What is RAN/RAS? Also, is All About Reading a good choice? I'm concerned about enough review to build fluency. Especially with syllables :) Part of me says he isn't 'bad enough' for Barton, although I know he would do very well with it.

Thank you both for his responses. I understand reading isn't going to ever be easy for him. We are both glad how far he has come. I don't think he knows how far he has to go. I just want him to be able to do it at a reasonable level. I feel like he's hardly going to be 4th grade reading level in high school at this rate. I like the Reading Lessons through Literature because we phonetically take apart all the words before he encounters them in the text. He does read these words over and over in the text. It has helped so much. The first two books had the words hyphenated between syllables and that has helped him now read when the word isn't hyphenated.... But then I wonder, where does he go after that? I don't feel like he's just going to jump into reading history after all the levels anymore. And why, after reading these words hundreds of times, does he still struggle when he comes across them? And I'm talking about words like "how" "land" "its", etc. He can spell them and write them down but when it's an ingoing message he just struggles. I have looked at Barton several times in the last couple years. Looking at it I always feel like he knows all these things. I do like the fact that she teaches syllables better, or at all for that matter. It isn't covered well in any program I've found. I need something that brings fluency and I can't find a program that promises that. That's why I figure that we'll just keep reading everyday and it'll come. But it never comes. If you can promise that Barton will bring fluency, I'll do it! Barton also bothers me because I don't do well with scripted lessons. I sit and stare at the book trying to figure out what to say cuz I'm reading and rereading it and that is frustrating for my student :) I have watched several of her videos and I don't do well with videos, in this case she talks so slow and it gets on my nerves.... Yes, these are the things that have prevented me from buying it!!! I just haven't wanted to spend the money on something won't work. Again. So I plug away... then I look back and look ahead and realize we have so far to go and not enough time. I gave him the Barton screening this past spring and he passed it all with flying colors.... so I was like "He isn't that bad." Then Frog and Toad makes him cry. I don't know if he can even try harder. He's trying so hard. If Barton can make him progress without burning him out, I'll do it.

I feel like this post belongs on the learning challenges board (first post here.) DS is likely dyslexic. He is 9 1/2 and going into 4th grade this fall. He learned all his letter sounds, phonograms and most phonics and spelling rules rather quickly... the OG ones.... like within months by middle of first grade. Blending and fluency has been sooooooo slooowwww. Years in the making. We've done parts of phonics pathways and he could read most of the book now, just not well and without struggles (truly reading torture for him), the first level of dancing bears under a couple months I believe. Phonic readers drive him nuts although he can do it. There wasn't much progress as far as reading without sounding robotic with those even after reading and re-reading the same ones. We also did SWR for 1st and 2nd grade, which he liked the most because he always asks to write the words (drove me crazy....) but never was able to transition into reading like it claims. I discovered Reading Lessons through Literature. He did the first book September to April during 3rd grade and has finally been picking up the pace. He did the second book in 2 1/2 months. Now we are starting the third. It's going ok, maybe I'm expecting the snowball effect but it just seems so slow again. It's not even the big words. It's using 'a' instead of 'the' and 'when' is 'then'. Almost all the time he still pronounces a d when it a b. (Bat=dat... he even asks "What is a dat?" He knows it doesn't make sense but can't connect: 'gee... it probably means bat because dat isn't a word.') He ALWAYS writes B and D right though! In fact, he writes better than he reads. Most of the time he seems to understand what he is reading as well.. he'll laugh or tell me a sentence doesn't make sense (which tells me the other ones probably do make sense to him.) His reading level is probably early 2nd grade maybe.... He was able to read One Fish Two Fish recently but Frog and Toad is still a struggle! I think he has made SO much progress, but then I look at where we are at and the fact it has taking 4 years to get here... it is extremely discouraging at the same time. I'm not really looking for help as far as what curriculum or therapy to use. He knows it all. I want to know, will it always be a struggle? Why, after practicing and practicing, simple sentences don't seem very fluent? Part of me thinks he is not wanting to work hard at it because it is hard for him, but then he is compounding the problem but not applying himself! I do believe he is trying but I think he wants to do as least as possible. I want to add in more time for reading which is when he pushes back! He has no other issues. He flies through math and loves cursive handwriting. With how I have described him, how much should I be requiring him to read every day? He's only doing about 20 minutes plus reviewing word lists from RLTL during the summer. (Trying to catch him in the summer has been difficult!) For the most part, I listen to all he is reading because sometimes he needs help, at least the first time he reads a story. Is it ok to just let him figure things out otherwise? I'm afraid he's going to mess up a lot of words or be sitting there for 20 minutes and not have read more than 2 sentences because he gave up... There is only so much time I can give before he just needs to tough it out and do it already. I have thought about having him read it to himself first and then read the same story later to me (he reads most stories twice anyway.) I NEED him to reading his own history, science, and readers by 5th grade! I have 4 youngers. At some point he just needs to read most of his work and read the directions and follow it, right?? Thanks for listening to my rambling. I am in the discouraged part of the cycle, obviously. I'm not sure what I am suppose to expect or require. I never struggled with school so I don't know what my expectations or requirements should be for him. He was shocked when I said he would be needing to read some of his history, too. He evidently isn't aware that kids are suppose to do that on their own... I need encouragement that he will read fluently some day (soon!?!)

I think it's highly unlikely. Large animal vets have ultrasounds and/or know how to palpate to figure what the issue is. There could be other reasons for the bloating. Hope you find out! (Let us know!)

Thanks for all the replies!! I'm not so worried now about her being on 'just' amoxicillin. She is on a high dose. The pharmacist's son had Lyme's a year ago so I felt like she was more help than the doctor! This afternoon she was giggling again and the red spot is smaller. It's just so hard when your baby is miserable to wait it out, especially when there was a dispute over how to treat it. Thanks again everyone!

My 18 month old has Lyme disease. She is getting amoxicillin 3 times a day which started Wednesday evening. She will be getting her 6th dose now. She is not better or worse. She has a fever that comes down with ibuprofen and tylenol but sleeps the majority of the day. If she doesn't have ibuprofen in her she's rubbing her head (the tick bite was in her scalp) and eyes and she seems very photosensitive. And of course she's crying a lot. She is drinking ok... I don't know if and when I would need to seek medical advice again. I spend 2 days driving and calling to get her help (we live 30 miles from decent healthcare.) There was a dispute between the doctor who wanted to order doxycycline and the pharmacist said "you can't!" I'm worried I'm undertreating her because I didn't want the doxy either so that's why she's on amoxicillin, which is the drug of choice for children. She was tested for other tickborne illnesses but I'm assuming it'll be next week until we know. I'm not sure how accurate those tests are (if they are like early Lyme tests, the aren't!) The doctor wanted her to have the doxy because the other illness are not covered by amoxicillin. I don't want to go in and have her put on doxy if not absolutely necessary. I don't want to deal with another doctor unless he knows what he's doing! UGH! She's sick, but I don't think she's 'anaplasmosis' sick.... I know there is a lot of advice out there of how to treat Lyme, but I am at the mercy of the local doctors (who probably don't want this angry mother-bear growling at them again!) My question is, when can I expect her to show some improvement?? Now I'm worried I should have let her have the doxy... any advice greatly appreciated! Thanks.

You had it rough the first time! It seems to me that even those who didn't have it as rough as you the first time still struggled!! First babies are hard, complications and other events going on in life make it so much harder!! Just having done this before prepares you for what could happen.... but odds are this one will be much easier. Every birth and child is so different, there's no need to worry that the scenario is going to be the same. After my second DH was amazed at how much faster I bounced back. You can do it! The little sweet baby is soooooo worth it and will be such a joy.

Heart of Dakota's Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory My Father's World Adventures

I used Math Mammoth for my oldest grades 1-3 and second child for 1st. I recently purchased CLE hoping for more math independence and retention. Now I wished I had it from the beginning! MM was ok, but to me it wasn't as self teaching as everyone claims. I felt like I had to sit there the entire time. My dd is working on the last half of the CLE 1st grade to be ready for the 2nd grade in the fall. After teaching the new concept she can work on her own. Much more independent if that is what you are looking for!