I think the dress the OP chose is beautiful! I would however, have a concern about the return policy.

I would ask again for a physical therapy evaluation, and be specific about WHY - how many falls, when, and while doing what. Include close calls. Generally the insurances look at how far can he walk unassisted, and once that benchmark is met, one would no longer qualify. HOWEVER if you can document the NEED due to a risk of/history of falls, then you should be able to get coverage through the insurance - but you can't be the one to get authorization, as it needs to get approved by the provider. As for speech therapy - similar boat as above. Are there specific things which can be worked on? Specific sounds he has a hard time with? Identify what the exact problem is/are. I will share that my dh had a stroke, impacting his left side (primarily his gait, some strength), and some speech difficulties. I knew that we could push for therapy, but dh wouldn't. Dh walked with a cane for a couple weeks, and just continued to walk and walk and walk and walk and walk. He found that walking at the mall, when he had to navigate around other people who were also walking, was the hardest. As for speech, he also found he had to concentrate on his speech to make it sound "normal." He also realized that when he read aloud or recited nursery rhymes (or other things that were forever ingrained in his brain) his voice was normal. So he read aloud to the kids more. He read aloud to himself. Now his voice usually only goes out when he is particularly stressed or emotional. Dh's stroke was in the beginning of November. By Christmas I was the only one who really noticed a difference in his voice.

Disclaimer - no longer a computer savvy person - I gave up trying to keep up. :tongue_smilie: You need a webcam to hook up to the computer you already use. I think mine was about $30, but I could be way off - it was a gift from my parents. Webcams can come with built-in microphones, like mine. Also, you will need to have speakers for your computer if you don't already have them. (I didn't have them.) Download the software (Skype), connect the hardware (webcam), and try it out. You will need to create an account on Skype, and you will need to have a contact on there to try it out. I will tell you that your internet connection speed does have an impact on quality of transmission. My parents don't usually transmit with picture very well, but we can have a very nice conversation, and they can see us pretty well. I'm assuming the capabilities of your computer also have an impact, but my computer is probably at least 5 years old, and I have no difficulties.

Looks like I will have three to four afternoons a week out of the house for the coming months. I am hoping for some 30-min or less to table dinners, without using the crock pot daily. I'll complicate it even more by saying ours have to be dairy and soy free, and casseroles aren't a favorite here because the kids all like their food separate. (Many casseroles are also not dairy-free friendly.) Oh, and we don't own a microwave. Those I currently use: Spaghetti and sauce (meat sauce, using pre-cooked and frozen ground beef), with a side green veggie. Ground beef, heated with a bag of frozen Tex-Mex veggies (beans, corn, peppers) and a jar of salsa, served over rice or eaten as tacos or burritos. Shrimp Scampi over rice. Salmon or Tilapia fish, thawed in the fridge, with pasta and a green veggie. Ham steak, with a veggie and pasta.

How long has it been? The one cat and the mouse danced, pretty much, around the dining table and part of the living room. Then the cat went in for the kill. He had much more fun tossing the floppy mouse in the air than he did with the dance, though. :001_rolleyes: Mouse is done and gone. Flopped into the trash bag, and tossed into the garbage can outside.

Oooooooh don't even think it!

waiting for the cats to fully kill a mouse. It's putting up such a fight - what a brave little guy. But he's hopping around, not very quickly, so he's no longer much of a challenge to catch, yet he's way too alive for me to dispose of him. So the cats are trying to stare him to death I think. And I will just sit here and not get off my stool. I'm fine disposing of them when they are dead... but I didn't realize how not ok I am with them when they are not dead until I screamed like a girl and jumped 12 feet in the air.:willy_nilly:

Wow - I leave for a few weeks and I come back to a newly decorated Bistro! :lol: Lunch: My kids ate the lunch I packed them as I worked until noon. Me? Hmmmm.... I think I forgot. Craw: I want to move, and can't. Thankful: Since I'm not moving yet, I can procrastinate about halving my kitchen.

Thank you for your kind words. And thank you also for the bolded.

I reread my post from yesterday, and it makes me sound very depressed. :glare: So I wanted to assure you all that although I am sad about the potential end of homeschooling for us, I am so very excited about the potential opportunities that are before us. Life is an adventure, ya know? I am so glad for this thread, as I needed to see that there are other women out there who are making homeschooling work in a one-parent household!

I belong in this group now, too. My dh moved out 5 weeks ago. We have homeschooled from the beginning, and my oldest is in 5th grade. We don't yet have any formal support from my dh, however should have something by the end of the month. We are finishing this school year, and are unsure what the future shall hold. I just accepted a PT job, which I was blessed to find. I have my MSW, and was able to secure a homecare position, which will be home-based for me. This morning I had my children doing a video tour of a local Christian school. My oldest is now no longer totally against going to school, and I am thankful for that little bit of light. Realistically, because my dh doesn't have a traditional work schedule, I can't plan to work while he has the kids. We don't have family nearby, either. Those of you who have parents who are willing and able to help - be thankful! So, I am sad to say that I believe our homeschooling days are coming to an end. :crying:

I'm booked at the Marriott, too. Not sure that I will still be able to make it though, but I'm not cancelling my room yet.

Dh's parents have bought me one pattern of antique original depression glass since we got married. I told her the other week that I will have to sell it, for financial reasons. She understood that I have to do what I have to do. (I was up front and told her because I didn't want her to find out another way.) Well todaaaaaaaay I got a text from her, asking if I had sold it yet. When I responded, "No," she then asked if she could choose a piece to keep before I sell it. :blink::svengo: Ummmmmm no.

Love the story, Barb! When we interviewed to rent this house, the owner was very happy to hear that we homeschooled, as to her that meant we were "a good Christian family." I told dh not to tell her, when he met her, that you didn't have to be Christian to homeschool. Yet, it sure gave him the role he was to play for the in-person interview. :lol: WendyK, In the same way that I don't believe all Christians believe/practice their faith the same way, I don't lump all atheists and agnostics together. There was a recent thread asking your favorite color. We are all humans, and many have a preference of a favorite color. To me, this is a simple gathering of information, not meant to declare that "homeschoolers prefer the color yellow." (Disclaimer: I didn't read that thread.)

I think moving the shelving to that large wall was a great idea!!! Looks great!!!

THANK YOU, AUDREY!!!!! I am always very nervous about posting on here, as I know there are a WIDE variety of folks, which can be great, but can also cause threads to go astray... Thank you all for your input.

My wording could have been clearer, but then I may not have needed to ask the question. Those who don't believe in a diety wouldn't offer thanks to a diety, but the question was to look beyond that difference. ;) I would think most people would be thankful to receive an unexpected gift. Do you do anything as a result of being thankful, may be a better way to phrase it. Many have answered, and I appreciate all of the answers. I am not trying to divide those who do and don't believe in a diety, and certainly not implying that only those who believe in a diety can be thankful. Wow, what a horrible way to think of humankind.

Respectfully, this was not what the question was. I in no way tried to insinuate that you had to believe in a diety to be thankful. I thought I had made that clear.

Thank you all for the great answers! I will share them with my children over breakfast this morning.

We received an anonymous gift. One of my children was frustrated with not being able to thank the giver. We talked about why the gift was given anonymously, and then we thanked God for both the gift and the generosity of the giver. THEN I was asked the following question: Do atheists and agnostics offer thanks when they receive an anonymous gift? Please no debate here. Please keep things polite and kind in order to allow for understanding of differing belief systems.

I wrote an email to my grandmother and my aunt. Made and delivered dinner to a friend and her family. Read our Lent reading during dinner to learn about helping our neighbors. (Suuuuure, I planned that...);)

I'm registered, have a hotel room booked, and now... I don't know that I will be able to go. :toetap05: :angry: :crying:

I have an antique couch, a beautiful Duncan Phyfe style table, and 2 patterns of depression glass to sell (22 pieces of one, and 18 of another). The only problem is.... how to go about selling it??? I've only ever purchased, not sold... :bigear:

I would tell you about my horrible week, but I'm ignoring it. ;) I'm counting my many blessings instead, and waiting for the sunshine.

:grouphug: