[I have reached the end of my meal-planning rope: food allergies and intolerances]

I feel your pain! When my daughters are home, it feels like that...except they are also vegetarian. One daughter has Crohn's, the other has IBS and is on a low FODMAP diet, both sons have Celiac Disease, dh is allergic to dairy, and they're all vegetarian. At this point I try to accommodate as many people as I can (always GF, veg, dairy-free) and make sure there is at least one thing low FODMAP. They cook for themselves in their apartments, they can cook for themselves here if they need to.

 

BTW, if you find you're really missing the garlic flavor, try using garlic-infused olive oil. It is safe for IBS.

[Where do I buy a scooter for teen?]

If you're looking at an electric scooter, my 13yo has this one. He got it christmas 2013 and has used it daily since then. 

[Celiacs disease questions]

When you get a negative on the blood panel, it isn't necessarily a negative. When you get a positive, it is a positive. When my son was diagnosed w/ CD, he was 4 years old (he's 13 now) and even then the doctor said that he was going to diagnose based on the blood tests and the results of a gluten-free diet. We saw improvements within three days, but I'm sure that depends on what your child is dealing with. Which son are you worried about? I don't know if I would have a 5yo go through the colonoscopy but I probably would for the older ones. My daughters had to go through that last year; one was diagnosed w/ Crohn's and the other w/ IBS. I wouldn't put a young child through it unless I felt it were really necessary. Best of luck to you!!

[diet for diabetic besides low carb?]

I have talked to my doctor and she said that it's normal and said not to take it in the morning for now. I'm going to ask about the XR when I see her.

 

Low-carb for me is carbs only from non-starchy vegetables. Basically, anything that grows above the ground.

[diet for diabetic besides low carb?]

Metformin takes a bit to get regulated in your system. (as in a couple of weeks).  

 

Katy, I would guess that your sugar went up really quickly after eating the candy and then because there was no protein, it started to plummet.  

 

I hope it's okay that I'm jumping in here. I was diagnosed w/ T2 about a month ago when I had to go into the hospital for undiagnosed diabetes. I have been on Metformin since then but my sugars have *never* been normal; I'm assuming they are less than what they used to be, but I don't know. If my fasting bg is <200 I'm happy. I'm taking 1000mg at night, was originally prescribed that in the morning as well, but when I take it in the morning I vomit for hours. I'm scared and I won't see my doctor again for another month. I'm eating low-carb, checking bg 7-9x a day (even though doctor says only to do it 3x?? makes no sense to me). I had GD with all pregnancies, my mom and MIL have diabetes, I am extremely well-read and -researched about current guidelines and diets. So when will the Metformin actually help? Is it REALLY a couple of weeks? That's what the pharmacist said, but my doctor and diabetes.com forums say that it can take more time.

 

ETA: I wear a FitBit 24/7 and get at least 10,000 steps a day, take 3-4 concentrated walks a day. I think I'm okay on exercise. I'm losing weight, a little each day.

[Ketones? Any med individuals who could answer a question?]

Those symptoms really do sound concerning for Type I Diabetes. I hope you're able to get her checked out ASAP. If she becomes lethargic unexpectedly, I would take her to the ER. 

[Anyone want to talk coloring books for adults?]

Okay, I want to revise my statement previously about the Pentel markers. I'm using them right now and they're okay. They don't bleed through on thick paper and they're good for smallish areas. Not great for large areas, the color becomes streaky, and the nib is too large for tiny areas. But if you want something vibrant on a thickish paper, they could be a good choice.

 

MMASC, I have books like that one with tight spaces to color and I always use PrismaColor pencils. I've been buying them open-stock for many years, so I now have pretty much every color the company offers. I keep a list of the color numbers that I use up; at some point, even with a hand-sharpener, there's nothing else to do with a pencil stub but throw it away.

[Anyone want to talk coloring books for adults?]

I like the Posh coloring books.

 

I like colored pencils because they don't bleed and you can shade.

 

I'm definitely ordering that Enchanted Forest book.

 

Unfortunately, it's on backorder now, and has been for a while. My friend got hers shipped about a month ago but she had been on the waiting list since before Christmas. I'm on it now, but who knows how long it will be....

[Anyone want to talk coloring books for adults?]

I have the Pentel markers linked above but don't find them great for coloring. Something about the way the tip drags on the page feels too rough to me. YMMV, though.

[Anyone want to talk coloring books for adults?]

3D coloring books are fun, too, like this one.

[Anyone want to talk coloring books for adults?]

I have sooo many coloring books! My current favorites are Enchanting English Garden and Posh Vintage Designs. A friend just got Enchanted Forest and I want it so badly!

 

I prefer PrismaColor pencils or these Staedtler pens, which I got at Target.

[A whole new wardrobe? Would you?]

 Resist the temptation to over-buy!!!  Summer is short, and you'll want to go through this again in the fall, with perhaps a different color scheme.  You'll eventually need a wardrobe for summer, fall, winter, spring, with some transitional pieces that work between seasons (like cool-spring, and warmer-fall).  

 

 

The OP lives in OK...summer is not short! There is no spring/fall really. I'm in North Texas, probably not too far from her, and it really is just summer and sometimes winter. So, yes, do think about the color scheme, but don't hesitate to buy pieces for hot weather. It is much better to have a few more than you *think* you might need for those hundred or so days a year you need to completely change outfits because you have sweated through everything on your body.

 

I have been slowly revamping my wardrobe, too; it's exciting to find clothes in my closet that are fun to wear! Have a great time shopping!

[S/O ---Duggars-----at what age is it no longer exploration?]

I've been reading these threads intently; I grew up in a fundamentalist family so similar to the Duggars. To inject a bit of humor, this thread reminded me of a situation from years ago: My 10yo is a boy and his BFF is a girl. When they were around 4 years old her mom and I couldn't find them in the house. We yelled for them and her daughter yelled back, "We're upstairs playing doctor!" Her mom and I ran up the stairs, looking at each other with panicked faces. Sure enough, we found them in the girl's walk-in closet (the "ambulance"), playing doctor. There was a pretend blood pressure cuff around my supine son's arm, his friend was checking his heart with a pretend stethoscope, and a box's worth of band-aids were strategically-placed on his legs and face. They were a bit miffed at our appearance; apparently they were almost to the hospital and there was going to be some gurney action with the friend (EMS doctor) pulling my son (patient) across the room by his feet to the "operating room." 

 

[What would you consider average height for a man?]

I voted 5'10" because I know that is "normal" or close to. My dh is 6' and my 13yo son is maybe 1/4" shorter, so my immediate family response is at least 6'. But....we ARE in Texas.

[What does the word co-op mean to you?? (in the homeschool co-op sense)]

Our co-op is truly co-operative--every family must have a parent who teaches at least one hour and has a duty (playground, lunch clean-up, etc.) and a helping position the other hours. We are secular, though we meet in a church.

[Looking for a work horse dishwashing machine]

LOVE my Bosch! In fact, we love it so much that when we had to replace our oven we didn't look at anything other than Bosch. I really think, for large appliances you will use daily, you get what you pay for.

[If you offer an item on Craigslist, do you expect to handle all subsequent communication by phone?]

I've had mostly phone exchanges with CL selling--but it has always been text. I specifically say in my ads that I will not answer the phone to numbers I don't know.

[Bread Bakers -- Question about Adapting to Gluten Free]

Have you already asked if she is okay with you making it? I wouldn't allow my sons to eat something baked by someone who doesn't normally bake GF because I would be worried about cross-contamination. 

 

Most GF bread dough will look more like cake batter and can't be kneaded, so if you do make it, don't freak out if that happens. If the flour blend already has xanthan gum in it you could probably use it, but if it does not then you will need to add that separately. A good ratio is 1/2 t. xanthan gum per 1 c. of flour mix.

[Are any of you great-aunts or great-uncles?]

I'm 41 and I have a great-nephew who is almost two years old. 

[What chores do your teenagers do?]

I only have one teenager in my house right now, but here is what he does:

 

As needed:

--take groceries from van to house

--load/run dishwasher

--wash pots/pans/skillets that don't fit in dishwasher

--vacuum/swiffer/mop as needed

--dust

--his own laundry, weekly, including sheets & towels

--clean his bathroom, top to bottom

--amdro for ants

--help with any household maintenance stuff that dh does

--we have a lawn service, but if we didn't he would be mowing, edging, etc.

--supervising 10yo using stove/cooking when I'm not there

--does router maintenance when I can't figure out why the internet isn't working

--maintains a Minecraft server

 

 

[What chores do your teenagers do?]

My now 16yo feeds the big herd, checks the calving cows, feeds the sheep, lambs them out, feeds the chickens, shears, gather eggs, irrigates, runs the baler, swather and rake, fixes fence, welds, cleans one bathroom, mops the kitchen, sweeps the back porch, does laundry, changes the oil in her car, gathers trash, fills the bird feeders, rakes and mows the yard, and grills the steaks!

But what about the dusting?  :lol:

[Can Capri pants be fashion-forward?]

Here in Texas, capris are too much fabric in the summer. My MIL wears them but usually I see/wear shorts or skirts.

[Sabra hummus recall]

We have that brand but the pine nut variety. I thought that it was just classic with the addition of pine nut oil and pine nuts, but I guess not.

[Dropping pencils. Epidemic?]

I only had one pencil dropper, my oldest. She was of the hang upside down for 15 minutes while retrieving it variety.

 

But she had to retrieve it with her toes, right? I have one of those.

[Dropping pencils. Epidemic?]

True story:

 

During the height of ds' pencil-dropping epidemic, I drilled a tiny hole into the pencil, just below the eraser. I threaded string through it, tied a loop, and made him wear it around his neck. Kind of like the granny chain that bifocals hang on. It worked beautifully. The key is to make the string long enough so it doesn't cut off the child's airway while he's writing. Yeah...that took awhile to figure out.

 

That is BRILLIANT! I truly thought it was just my kids who constantly drop pencils and just me who feels stabby every time I hear it. I have thought about putting towels under their chairs so that at least the pencil hits something soft instead of the wood floor.