That's where we draw the line, as well. I think it's easy to target one food group or another, but I think the real problem is that our "food" (or as Michael Pollan calls calls it "food-like substance") is not actually food anymore, but industrial products fabricated to look like something we can recognize as edible. "And that's not good eats." :D

Tortillas are easy. (And I am completely aghast that there would be HFCS in them - there's no sugar in homemade tortillas!!!) Flour - I roll them out with a rolling pin for tortillas, or use my tortilla press to make thicker flatbread, like the kind used at Quiznos for "sammies". Corn - Caveat: you really need a tortilla press for these - they're not so easy to roll out. Either way, they are WAY easy, and my kids eat them like they've never been fed before - they each had three blackbean and cheese "soft tacos" on masa tortillas last night, along with their salads, decimated a double batch (24) of thick-made ones a few nights ago, with beans and pork barbecue... commercial tortillas are iffy, at best, when it comes to them eating.

So you and your husband have discussed this, weighed the pros/cons, prayed, looked at the "worst case scenario" (high-order multiples) and have (I assume) weighed and planned for that. You, and your means of support ( financial, practical and emotional) have evaluated the situation. And you will come to a joint decision on what to do next. That is a very, very different situation.

Ok, first, please remember that I am the "fluffy socialist" of the group. I have no problem with public (or private) assistance and I believe that government's responsibility is to provide every citizen the tools they need to pursue their lives. However There are very, very bad decisions here. And lies. And irresponsibility. According to Suleman, she does not (and would not) accept "government assistance". That's what she specified, "government assistance". That lie uncovered, she claims she doesn't see the food stamps or disability assistance (again, I have no philosophical opposition to either) for her three older, qualified, children as such. Uh, hello? According to Suleman, she tried to get pregnant for seven years before looking into IVF. She's 33. Her oldest is seven. Let's do some math, shall we? Assuming that she didn't walk into a fertility specialist's office and come out pregnant, she's been trying since she was... 17? Earlier? Her parents have a choice. They can sacrifice themselves or they can sacrifice her children. It is an untenable position that she has created for them. I cannot even begin to imagine their conflict over this, but I can say without hesitation that I would be angry at her most recent decision, in the same way that I would be angry if my child, with six children of her own, moved in with me and then decided she wanted to backpack through Europe for a few years and took off. How would this conversation play out, I wonder, if she was married and her husband was against having more, but she went ahead, with the same result? Obviously, a single mother has the sole decision making capability, but in this case, she is NOT the head of household. She has no means of financial support, no home, six children, and has evidently decided to spend her nest egg (disability settlement) on having eight more, rather than providing for the existing six, some of whom have disabilities. It is likely, because of the circumstance of their birth, that the new eight will have significant disabilities, too. That likelihood would exist if only the six implanted embryos took, without splitting. It was a selfish, selfish decision, all about her, and all about what she wanted, right then. Her doctors could have said no. They are within their discretion to do that. The "norm" is two embryos. Four is pushing it, but within the acceptable discretion of the attending physician (according to the reporductive health professional society), depending on the type infertility at hand, quality of the embryos, etc. In a patient who has had successful pregnancies already, I wouldn't think there would be any reason to hedge bets to that degree. (For the record, the Gosselins didn't have IVF, they did IUI which is a whole different ballgame and less predicable, from what I understand.) This is not an "unfortunate" situation that has befallen a family. If I pour gasoline all over my house, strike a match and burn it to the ground, how many people are going to be sad for me because I am homeless? (Ok, I would have a home - in prison.) Nobody. Of course. The bad result would be the direct effect of my actions. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why anyone could look at this and not see a train wreck at the hands of a reckless engineer, except that there are reproductive rights involved and, somehow, that negates the requirement for personal reponsibility and appropriate decisions. /end rant

That's pretty typical. As Sandra said, it probably has something to do with her already being ill and just not digesting the food because of it. It has happened with all of my children at one time or another, and me, too.

Normally shorts, jeans or drawstring pants and a t-shirt. I have outlawed sweatpants, though I have noticed there is a new pair that has appeared - no doubt a gift from a family member who thinks I'm mean because I won't let him go around in clothes 8 sizes too big, with logos all over them.:glare:

They do freeze well, actually, Angel. The other thing is Amy's Organic toaster pops in the freezer section (apple, strawberry and pizza flavors). They're yummy. We've been largely HCFS free, just as a side effect of not buying processed food and being almost entirely organic. There just isn't any in "ingredients" (dried beans, flour, fresh fruits and veggies, etc.), so it's odd for us when we find something waaaaaaaay back in the cupboard, like barbecue sauce, and we see it on the label. Lucidity - search this forum for "HCFS". There have been several discussions about the insidious stuff recently.

Yes, I also assumed the discussion was one of opportunity cost. I gave up a competitive technical career and my professional reputation that I worked hard for years to create. We gave up more than 50% of our income when I became a SAHM, and it is unlikely I will ever be able to return because of the rapid evolution of technology. I have delayed my own degree, though my being home full time allowed us to make the leap to grad school for my husband, so higher education has worked out well. And, frankly, higher ed programs for non-traditional students are cropping up all over, so my own delay may yet be a benefit.

I beg your pardon. There is a "comma issue" now? :001_huh:

We use cloth. I have some "hotel" ones, that are about 12" square, and some that are smaller. They are all cotton; polyester isn't at all absorbent. I prefer the ones I made from really strongly colored quilting fabric. I hemmed them, but it was sort of a pain. The next batch will just be stitched around, close to the edge, and the minimal fraying will just be part of their charm. Bonus: you can get about a dozen 10" napkins out of a yard of fabric, and if you use bright, swirly colors, who can tell if there are stains?

I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine what she's going through. If I recall correctly, Betty Rollin wrote of this very dilemma in First, You Cry, in the 1970s or early 80s. She ended up finding a prosthesis maker who basically took a mold of her remaining "book" and made a match. That obviously won't work exactly the same way in your mother's case. I would think the technology has improved immensely in the 25-30 years since she did it. I'm pretty sure there are now silicone "slip-in" enhancers that warm and mold to your body, have adequate heft (that was a problem Rollin encountered with other approaches - her one side would stay up if she raised her arms) and a natural shape. Like these. Or these. But, really, I would think her insurance would cover professional prostheses, which I'm sure would feel better.

:iagree: There is probably water that is completing the circuit that pushing the volume-up button would normally complete. Just unplug it and let it dry out (so the whole thing doesn't fry) and when it does, it should return to its normal operation.

Awwww... Gee, thanks, Bill! (I knew my snobbery would pay off one day.)

I would like (in fact do like) chocolate cake with a fruit sauce. I do not like the combination of fresh fruit and chocolate, however, particularly chocolate-dipped fruit. The acid in the fruit, IMO, detracts from the creaminess of the chocolate in that situation. When the acid is tempered with sugar or cream or something like that - in a coulis or mousse, for instance - I'm all in. (My husband, however, is a purist and does not want either tainted with the other.)

I think dumping "jobler" may be premature. I predict that one will be making a comeback directly.

Reading for pleasure is definitely one that I am pleased my children have learned. Even the 4 year olds "read" in bed at night. We got my 8 y.o. a book light last year, and she often continues reading, all snuggled into her covers, after lights-out. We're just fine with that. It's not like she has to get up to go to school at a certain time. ;)

We have relatively few designated play activities. We have piano lessons, book club and co-op with friends and, when the weather is conducive, the boys play at the park with friends after co-op, while their sister is at art class. Even without an infant, I can't imagine having 2 - 3 play activities scheduled in a week.

I wouldn't either, normally. For a school paper, though, I would advise following APA (and thus using one space) unless your professor has specified another style. I do, too. Imagine my shock when OpenOffice suggested "catalog" as the correct spelling. It's like text-ese!

I stodgily stick to the two-space rule, even though I am aware that current style dictates one.

Wait. How did they get a new mortgage, when they clearly couldn't afford it?? I mean, I'm trying to figure out (particularly in this crisis) who on earth would write and approve a mortgage for people who were already over-extended... or is this "intentional foreclosure" something the mortgage industry is now recognizing as a way to do business and using it as a contingency, the same way selling your existing house or paying off other debt used to be? :001_huh: I agree that this financial crisis is part of a moral failure. We, as a culture, seem to no longer take responsibility for our own actions. There is always someone else to blame, we are always victims. (And, of course, those who choose to educate themselves and make good decisions are "elitist", which helps the rest maintain their downtrodden status in their own minds.)

Ok, I adopted "panchymagogue" ( a medicine that purges unhealthy fluids from the body) which should mingle nicely with all my new herbalist words. And I also adopted "auturgy" because I am of the mind we all need a little more self action to offset the widespread lethargy that has come upon us.

See? You just have to fall in with the right crowd. :D

I have a similar circumstance, though my husband had expensive, time consuming hobbies when I worked. Since I've been home full time, without a job, (I used to work mostly from home full time, with time at client sites) he has given those up, but has taken on more work-related things - grad school, union president, teaching - and I totally understand where you're coming from. Our home life does seem unbalanced at times, and I just plain miss him when he's not home. I can't say I have any earth-moving advice, but I do have lots of sympathy. :grouphug:

My parents got some waterless stainless cookware when they got married in 1969. My dad is still using it daily, 40 years later. :001_smile:

Fedco or Seeds of Change. (Johnny's also comes highly recommended by my herbalist mentor.)