Thanks for the info. Anybody else? I've got one shot at it today, I'll be heading out to Kroger within the next few hours. What should I buy?!

Quick version of the story: Ds3 has the flu. Went to the ped. yesterday, got zithromax. Now he's got diarrhea :ack2: on top of everything else. Called the doc, talked to the (very nice and reassuring) nurse, who said give him culturelle. I looked it up online, and WOW it's pricey. He's not got much of an appetite, but he will eat yogurt. But not yogurt with bits of fruit in it. He'll either eat fruit OR yogurt, but doesn't like them together. :glare: Is there a yogurt that has good probiotics in it that is 'smooth', or does all yogurt have probiotics? I'm new to all of this, but I really think it would help him feel better faster. Any other recommendations on probiotic brands that I can mix into things? The nurse said that Culturelle is tasteless and that I could put it in anything. I've got a few hours to run to the store to get something before I have to leave ds with my husband so I can go visit my sister who just had a kidney transplant yesterday, so there's a lot going on here in my brain! Any good, quick advice is welcome. ETA: He's taking zithromax because he has an ear infection. I'm not a 'fan' of antibiotics, but he was clearly not going to be able to kick this one on his own.

Momschool5, I don't feel comfortable offering any advice, because I don't know if you're a Christian or not. If you are, I do have some things I'd like to share. If not, you'd maybe not appreciate my advice. Maybe, but maybe not. Ha, I guess either way, you may or may not appreciate it. :D And maybe you're not comfortable saying if you are or are not a Christian. Of course, that's fine as well. That being said, if nothing else, you sound as if you could use a :grouphug:.

Um, it looks awful. I live in Michigan. You know, the birthplace of the automobile? Yeah, woo hoo. My husband, like pretty much everyone I know, has as job that is closely linked with the industry. No idea for how long.

Ok, seriously, I had no idea that we're only supposed to be using one space now. That's just absurd to me. How will I ever remember that! I've always used two spaces. Oh, that's just not right, now I'm unsettled. :D

Thanks for the advice so far ladies. I should have been more clear about the 'party'. The children each get a bag, then they each take turns going around and dropping whatever they brought (cards, candy, trinkets, etc) into each other's bag. So whatever I bring should be something that is both small and can be taken home without a mess. Also, I never make homemade things to pass out to other people's children that I don't know really well. I know there was a thread on that a while back, and I don't want to start that again. ;) I just don't like my children to eat homemade things from people that I don't really know, so I wouldn't do that to someone else.

My ds5 goes to storytime at the library. They are going to have their Valentine's Day party at the next storytime. There is a little girl who has a wheat allergy. That's all the info I have; the librarian that teaches the story time announced, twice, that so-and-so has a 'wheat allergy' and 'can't eat anything with wheat in it'. I forgot to track down this little girl's mom last week to see what treats she can have. I only know, just by chance hearing and seeing, that the little girl can have tootsie rolls (her mom gave her one from mom's purse in place of fruit snacks a child brought last week for his birthday). I put a call in to the librarian, but she's out today, so I left a voice mail. And honestly, I don't know how much info she has to share with me. I'd really like to bring a valentine's snack that this little girl can have. I just think it would be nice for her. I imagine it's tiresome to be 'different' all the time. Not that it's a huge deal, just I thought, well, why not try to include her? Can anyone help me, or do I really have to speak to the girl's mother to see what exactly she can have? I just realized, maybe we will just bring a non-edible 'treat'. That might be best anyway. I know my boys don't need extra sweets around, and I assume other parents probably agree. Or not. I dunno. Any suggestions? I realize it's not a big deal, I just wanted to be thoughtful on behalf of the girl. My family has no food allergies, so I have zero experience in this area.

I would get something for the sister as well. Perhaps something that is for both of them? I have boys the same ages (3 and 5), and here's some things they both like: Tickets to the zoo that can be used when the weather is nice An age appropriate board game (my boys the same ages can both play Hi Ho Cherry-O, for example) An educational DVD like Leapfrog (if they watch videos) Books, of course. My guys currently love their I Spy and Look Alikes Jr. I always like when I buy a gift for the boys that they both enjoy. I think it also promotes a sense of 'family', you know? Congrats to your friend!

You're right. :)

I know what you mean. My dh has been sending me link after link, and I almost wanna throw out anything with peanuts/peanutbutter in it just so I don't have to hear about it anymore! But we like peanutbutter!

So, my in-laws don't like that I homeschool, and think that we (me, my dh, ds3, and ds5) are weird. They worry about the kids not getting socilization. Of course. That's a whole different subject, but it's got me thinking; what and how much should we (me and the boys) be doing? I mean, for crying out loud, they're three and five! I have no IRL friends that homeschool. It just isn't something that either my family or dh's family has experience with. So I've come here for some advice and encouragement. I'm very introverted. If we never left the house, I'd be ok. But I realize that's not 'healthy', and that both me and my children need interaction with others. So I'm trying to figure out what a 'normal' amout of things to do is. For example, right now I take both the boys to story time at our local library once a week. I have them in separate classes because I think it's good for them to have time apart. First ds5 has his class, then ds3 has his class, then we stay and play/pick out books and other things to check out. We ususally spend between 2 and 2 1/2 hours at the library once a week, and most of that time the boys are playing/interacting with other children. But that's pretty much it. We don't attend a 'church', we have a small home fellowhship with just one other child (a 7yo girl), so that's not really an option as far as oportunities to make friends. I mean, of course they play together with the little girl, but it's not like a big group or anything. :) Also, my ds5 is accelerated accademically, but I still want to keep him involved in 'fun' stuff for his age. He does second grade academics, but still likes to play with play doh, paint, dig in the dirt. So I'm trying to balance challenging him academically with keeping him physically with kids his age. And on top of it all, I've got in-laws who think I'm 'pushing' him, and think I only care about making him smart. Ugh. So, what to do? Any suggestions? How much is the right amount of 'stuff' for little boys to do? Should I find a co-op, or a sport, or both? Both just seems like a lot for a five year old. And the three year old? Good grief, I don't know! Help!

I took violin for YEARS when I was young. I did it because my older sister also played. She was, and still is, wonderful at it. Me, not so much. If your dd gave it a real try, and it's just not her gifting, I say let it go.

:bigear: Here too! I'd love to know where you found that! I've got a trombone and a flute player that would LOVE to know...

Oh no, Katie, that's not at all what I wanted to hear! :D (btw, I'm in SE Michigan. Howdy!) I'll have to check in to the oil soap. I thought there were cleaners that they made specifically for cleaning grease; something with the word 'lighting' in it? I'll have to google it.

What do you use to clean the outside of your kitchen cupboards? I've tried my regular all-purpose, antibacterial cleaner, and it's not cuttin' it. They still feel sticky/greasy. :ack2: What can I use, and where do you find it? For some reason, I've decided that the entire kitchen needs cleaning and reorganizing. But I'm stuck on how to clean those gross cabinet doors!

This is pretty much what I'm doing right now. The Lord just told me it's time to get some self-control, and lose the weight. I lost 12.5 pounds in January. No junk food, no eating after dinner, and only one glass of soda a day. And yes, I realize even one glass of soda a day is a lot. I don't drink coffee, and if I stop the soda cold turkey, I'll get extreme caffiene headaches. But I have a long term goal that includes exercise, cutting out pop completely, eating much smaller portions, and severly limiting sweets. The part of the quote that I bolded is exactly how I feel. I don't want food to be my comforter. That's the Holy Spirit's job. :) I went online and found a calculator where I put in my weight, and it told me how many calories I was eating a day just to maintain that weight. I was horrified. Seriously, it was astonishing. So I haven't had to do anything dangerous or extreme, just stop eating so many calories!

I'm so sorry. I had my wallet stolen once. At a church building. :001_huh: Not fun. Then, over the summer, when we had lost power for three days because of a storm, I left my wallet in a shopping cart at the local grocery store. Right after I finished freaking out, going back to the store to look, telling my husband, and canceling our cards, guess who pulled up into our driveway? The nice lady that found my wallet at the store. I was very encouraged, relieved, and thankful. But, to be completely honest, I wished she had turned it in at the store! Would've saved me a lot of hassle! :D

:iagree: With my dss, the only way his asthma presents is as a cough. A persistent, chronic, nasty cough, that is the worst during the night or early in the morning. It can linger for weeks. He takes nebulizer treatments when it flares up, as well as a resuce inhaler as needed. We're so grateful that he seems to be growing out of it. I encourage you to ask your doctor about it.

:iagree: Um, Yeah. What she said.

Stacy, hopefully he's home by now, but I'll be praying for him. :grouphug:

Hey, I'm in southeast MI, in a fairly northern suburb of Detroit.

If you never do find it, I'd assume that you could buy just the game, with no board, on ebay. Good luck. I'm with you on the vent. My 3yo loves to stick any tiny little thing he can find down the vent. His brother's pokemon cards, lint, tiny pieces of crayon; you know, whatever he can find and will fit. Ugh. ETA: I happened to have ebay open already, so I checked. They do have some, but oh my, they're selling for a lot more than I would've guessed.

This is also how we have explained it to our 5yo ds when he was memorizing the ten commandments last year. Or my husband has also explained it to him (since he did not know what a boyfriend or girlfriend was at 4 years old) that it is when a mommy or daddy 'smooches' another grown-up man or woman. (In our families, there is no 'social' kissing, like on the cheeks, as I am sure there are in other families from different backgrounds/cultures, so this was a good explanation for OUR situation.)

I was raised Nazarene, much of my extended family are members of the Nazarene denomination, and my grandfather was a Nazarene pastor. I was raised that dancing is not to be done, period. I was not even allowed to take ballet as a child. My parents did not dance at their wedding. The way it was described to me as a child was that since some forms of dancing are inappropriate, all forms must be prohibited. Ugh. I was also given the same explanation for the Nazarene denomination's ban on going to movie theaters. Renting movies was ok, but not going to the theater. :glare: (I believe the denomination has since changed it's stance on that issue.) Like a previous poster said, I believe your heart's motivation dictates your actions. Dancing before the Lord, a young child dancing with delight at a toy, these things seem right and good to me. Even dancing for fun I would think could certainly be ok, as in square dancing, ballet, tap, etc, as long as the outfits and moves were not at all 'suggestive', and I felt that what I was doing was pleasing to the Lord. I don't believe in adding rules on top of what is in the Bible. I believe in training our children, as well as ourselves, to always examine our motives for what we do, say, watch, or otherwise participate in. The number one goal should be to glorify the Lord in everything we do. Just my opinion.

I just received my copy two days ago in the mail. While I'm enjoying it, and learning a lot, I can see how that book may cause quite a bit of controversy around here. I just finished reading The Excellent Wife, which I enjoyed, too. Both VERY challenging books. I haven't seen any threads about Help Meet in particular, but I have read quite a few comments in various threads about the Pearls. Both in support of and, um, not in support of. :D