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When I was 16 my baby sister was four years old, and was just being bratty while we were out to eat as a family at an Italian restaurant. Even though this was a place we frequented, and we ALWAYS got the stromboli (man I miss that stromboli, LOL), she was in a funk for some reason and insisted she didn't like stromboli anymore. She was totally faking; I think she had wanted to order something else, and the stromboli is a huge family size thing, like a large pizza, and we all wanted to get that. Anyway, I don't know how I knew to do this, because my parents never faked her out like this, but for some reason I said "Ok, we won't order the stromboli. We'll get "fold-boli". Its just like pizza, only they fold it in half before they cook it." She was totally pacified, I distracted her while mom ordered the stromboli so she wouldn't hear, and she gobbled it up when it came. So fold-boli became a family legend, and my parents were pretty impressed with my fast thinking.
It's funny because now that I have my own kids, I'd never lie to them like that. But it *did* work. :D
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please just humor my postpartum brain. IF you count grade levels, what grade levels would you put these children in?
11yo- turns 12 in January - starting sixth grade in the fall
8yo- turns 9 in December - starting third grade in the fall
6yo- turns 7 in December - starting first grade in the fall
4yo- turns 5 in 3 weeks - starting K in the fall
3yo- turns 4 in November - starting pre-K in the fall
I think. Don't quote me; it's late here, LOL.
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What would you serve with chicken pot pie to make it a complete meal? They cannot have salad or any raw veggies, or any fruit that has seeds or skin. Just bringing the pot pie on it's own will feel too sparse to them. Maybe steamed broccoli, cottage cheese, and homemade applesauce?
Along the same lines, what sides would you serve with these other main dishes? I have things I'd usually pair together, but I'm interested in hearing what other people would do:
Pulled pork sandwiches coleslaw and chips/french fries plus fresh fruit
Chicken cordon bleu No clue, LOL
Grilled chicken Roasted asparagus and some sort of rice
Marinated London Broil No ideas for this, either
Pot roast I always roast potatoes and carrots with mine. That's usually all we have if it's just us; for company, I'd put out a garden salad and fresh fruit platter too
Potato cheese chowder with bacon Oh yum! Salad and good crusty bread. And fruit. (Yeah, I'm real creative. Looks like my idea of "rounding out a meal" is salad and fruit, LOL)
Salisbury steak Mashed potatoes with either peas or carrots.
I don't know about anyone else, but my answers to "What would you serve with this" usually vary depending on if I were serving just my dh and boys, or if we had company. For company, I usually put out more different dishes, because, well, I dunno. I guess because that's part of my idea of hospitality; offering guests plenty of food choices. Plus I don't know other people's food preferences as well as my family's, so I'd want to make it more likely there'd be things they like by offering more variety.
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You mentioned wanting pressure on your head...
Sometimes, when mine get REAL bad, I'll take my Imitrex (my prescription med), then lay down on the floor on my side and put a baseball between the floor and my temple; essentially using the baseball as a "pillow", resting my temple on it. That gives the counter pressure I need to relieve the throbbing. Sometimes I'll roll over and lay with the baseball under my neck, since mine go from my eye, around the top of my head, and down my neck (sometimes all the way down the side of my body). I *do* usually have a bruise from doing this the next day, but it really does help.
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You are such an amazing woman!
:grouphug:
What's the verse, "She is clothed with strength and dignity." You're rocking that!
You are such an amazing woman!
:grouphug:
What's the verse, "She is clothed with strength and dignity." You're rocking that!
Proverbs 31:25 : Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
Hang in there, Faith.
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Lara, I bet I know what kids you were keeping! :D
You're a great friend. It's not every girlfriend that would keep someones five kids all at once for a couple days.
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Dawww, now see, that's how I want my boys to still be at 13. You've got yourself a good young man there, OP.
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Hey, where in Michigan? We're happy to have you and your alpacas here, btw. :D
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Is he a father?
If he happens to be a father I think it is ok to acknowledge the fact he is a father. If he has no children, he isn't a father though. I wouldn't call a woman my dad married my mother ever never never. Not because I'd be bitter at all. (My mother passed away 10 years ago.) I just think I'm too damn old to have a new mother. So unless she was a mother to someone, I wouldn't wish her a happy mother's day because she isn't a mother.
Aw, Wendy, this is kinda sad to me. I mean, the woman *is* your stepmother by way of being married to your father and not being your biological mother. So even though she's not your mom and doesn't play a mom-like role in your life, she's still your stepmom.
Speaking from my personal stepmom experience, both with having one and being one, there is no comparing mom and stepmom. And there shouldn't be. I totally enjoy being a stepmom, and it is quite different than being a mom. But that doesn't stop my stepkids from recognizing me on Mother's Day. I mean, it's not like there's a STEPmother's day, right?
OP, I think in your situation, having your kids make your stepdad a card would be a great idea. Perhaps in future years, you'll have had the opportunity to create your own relationship with him, and you'll feel more comfortable giving him a card from *you*. But for now, I think having the kids make him one is perfect.
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I totally posted this to my timeline earlier today. It is SO my dh and I. He got home and was decompressing; he checks my facebook and goes "what did you post about us"? I just told him he *had* to watch the clip. He laughed and laughed...it is SO us.
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Three kids, 10 pounds each, in 5 years. POP, I've got it. Luckily I work in this field so I was able to heal my uterine prolapse with physical therapy, and with my youngest at 8 months I only have a minor bowel prolapse left (unfortunately the most difficult kind to repair without surgery :/ ).
I would like to mention, BTW, that contrary to popular belief it is not vaginal birth that causes prolapse. Very often, even most often, it's the weight of pregnancy on your pelvic floor (which is probably weak from bad posture held throughout your life). POP is no less common in mothers that have C-sections.
Huh. Learn something new everyday; I had no idea. Both my births were c-sections, and I have no "issues" in this department. I thought it was mostly caused by the delivery.
Well, wait. Does this count? I have to pee more often now than before I got pregnant. Like my bladder doesn't hold as much. Huh. I just always figured that was "normal" after having babies. I don't have leakage issues, just my bladder is the size of a walnut now, I swear. It's like they squished it to oblivion or something. :D
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The price really is prohibitive. Unless they're going to work to get insurances to cover it.
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Moose is 7 and prefers to "camp out" on our floor more often than sleep in his own bed in the room he shares with Zee. He's not scared, started staying dry at night at age 5, and doesn't have tantrums, so I don't know if this helps at all. But I just wanted to post because for *my* seven year old, it's perfectly normal to find him sleeping on our floor. He just loves to be with Mommy and Daddy. (In fact, both Moose and Zee would greatly prefer if we had one big bedroom that we all four slept in every night. Uh, daddy says no to that, LOL.)
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Yea. The Detroit Zoo is just too big!!! And, the other thing we did was the Public Museum!
Bite your tongue, Jennifer! :p
We got an annual pass for the first time this year to the Detroit Zoo. We love it; but when we went last month, the train was broken. We had to walk the whole thing. Dh and the kids moaned the whole way back to the front gate. :D
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Oh Faith! First of all, I'm so glad your dad pulled through. And unfortunately, I am all to well acquainted with doctors and surgeons who have something of a God complex. :glare: We've had some fantastic ones, to be sure, but we've had our share of horrendous ones, too.
For the nurses, when dad finally left the ICU, I made up a big basket. I baked cookies, got a package of really good chocolates, and then lots and lots of fruits; apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, pears, plums, peaches, etc. All washed, of course. It was a big basket. :D Added a card. All the staff on shift at the time stopped by dad's room to say thanks, which gave mom and I a chance to tell them each thank you personally as well.
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I'm glad you were there with him, Bill. And I'm sorry for the pain you're in now. You know this is a topic dear to my heart right now; mercy, grace, and peace to you.
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ITA, unless someone says he doesn't want any sort of memorial or wake or whatever. The people left behind need it. Ask me how I know...
ok, I'll tell you. My mother died 11 days after being diagnosed with lung cancer. She wanted to be cremated and she didn't want any sort of memorial. Her friends and family were shell shocked at her death to begin with, and they needed the time to be together and hug each other's necks and share Joanne stories and cry and laugh together. I don't care what the reasoning is; it's wrong.
Ellie. :grouphug: I think a lot of the time, people say not to have a memorial service for them because they don't like the idea of people being sad that they're gone. It's a way for the dying person to cope with their own emotions. I honestly don't think there's anything wrong with having a memorial even if someone said they didn't want one. They're *gone*. The people left behind need one another.
:grouphug:
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My husband's mother died a few years ago. He still visits her grave occasionally; the children and I go with him when he asks us to. He always takes flowers. We went most recently on Mother's Day.
He had a habit of taking flowers to his mother when we went to visit her when she was living, and he still likes to do that. Honestly, I've never told him this, but it really surprises me that he does it. Knowing his beliefs regarding death, I find it odd that he is comforted by visiting his mother's grave and taking flowers. But at the same time, I find it to be a very sweet gesture; just one I'd never have guessed he'd do, if someone had asked me before his mother passed.
When my father dies, I absolutely want him buried somewhere, with a marker of some sort. I don't know why exactly, but I know myself, and it will be important for me to know where his bodily remains are and to have a place to go "visit" him and grieve.
(And now I feel weepy. I so pray it is many many years before that happens.)
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Yes! It's daily now.
The doctor confirmed it's TMJ by pushing down on the part of my jaw just below the ears and having me open and close my mouth. Oh the pain!!!
I'm constantly subconsciously chewing on my lip, chewing on my cheek, chewing on my fingers, clenching my jaw. I'm a mess I know. I swore I didn't grind my teeth at night, but I woke up doing that. I can't chew gum, eat overly crispy or thick chips, beef jerky is now out. I plan to get a night guard, but the doctor just gave me some exercises to do, which temporarily relieve the pain, and said ibuprofen should do the trick.
What's interesting is my cousin also has it. She's a 4th grade teacher at a private school. The doctor told her that it seems to be common in female teachers.....hmmm. Not sure how scientific that assumption is, but it does seem to be a common symptom for female stress.
Heh. I hadn't thought of that; I chew on my lips/cheek too. Ugh.
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My jaw is KILLING me up by my ear. Clicking, popping, even getting, like, 'off' so that I can't bite or close my mouth right sometimes. It's been slowly getting worse over the last, oh, three-ish weeks. It's finally where I can't ignore it anymore; it's aggravating my head, hurting my very inner ear, and causing me migraines on that side.
Dh says I've been grinding my teeth in my sleep, which is not surprising given the jaw pain. When I was a teenager, I used to wake myself up grinding my teeth for some period of time, but then I just kinda outgrew it, quit, or something, because I haven't had problems with it in years.
I'm sure it's all stress related; this is certainly the most stressful time I've ever had as an adult with everything going on with my dad. And I had a VERY stressful childhood/teen years.
I have an appointment with my dentist on Wednesday. Dr. Google tells me it's classic TMJ symptoms. I'm thinking my dentist will want to make me some sort of mouthguard/appliance to sleep with. Is it really worth getting a custom mouthpiece? Couldn't I, I dunno, get a sports mouthguard? Maybe I'm being silly.
Any advice or BTDT? It's really quite painful and is waking me up several times a night now. I had to take my migraine meds earlier because of it. I'm not a fan of prescription meds, but I'm kinda hoping the dentist will have something I can take short term to help ease the pain while I wait for it to either clear up, get an appliance made, whatever it is he recommends. Anyone taken anything for this that provides at least temporary relief? Anything I should consider adding as a daily supplement or something to help prevent this? I'm not supposed to take much in the way of NSAIDS/ibuprofen due to only having one kidney.
(And Rosie already suggested I see the chiro, LOL. I realize that could help, but I'm too cheap. There, I said it.)
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Like PP's have said, we discipline, not punish. I'm not into random-ish, punitive punishment.
And to encourage you, I totally get where you're coming from with wanting to set the tone in your home. I made a conscious decision several years ago to stop yelling. I grew up with constant yelling by my parents (by which I mean loud, angry voices; voices raised to ridiculous decibels just to communicate frustration and anger), and I did NOT want that sort of home. I prayed (and still do!) a lot for patience, mercy, and grace. I'm glad (?) to say that that my children consider me 'yelling' at them when I speak to them sternly. :glare: On the rare occasion I raise the loudness of my voice in anger to yelling, I apologize. However, when I have to yell to get their attention because of an impending danger, you better believe it gets their attention; they haven't tuned out yelling, IYKWIM.
So you absolutely can change your parenting style/reactions/tone of your home. It takes a LOT of dedication and hard work, as well as humility to admit when you were wrong and ask for forgiveness. But for my family at least, it's been a true blessing.
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First of all, many congrats and prayers!
Don't let the idea of having youngers and olders at the same time worry you. As you can see from my siggy, I have two stepkids, 18 and 16, then my two boys who are now 10 and 7. So my stepdaughter was 11 1/2 when my youngest was born. Frankly I thought it was fantastic. She is such a blessing to her little brothers; they just adore her. And the 16 year old is looked up to as the "cool big brother" by my boys. Now granted I was all of 28 when I had my last, so I can't speak to being 40. :D But I'm sure you'll do great.
I also wanted to send hugs about the baby "gelling" your family. Obviously my situation is different than yours. But having my two boys as a sort of 'bridge' that connects me with my stepchildren has been an added blessing I hadn't anticipated.
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I *so* wish I couldn't identify with what you're going through.
My stepson; oh. my. goodness. The kid is going to be the end of me.
He's got like two weeks of school left. (He's been ps all the way, now finishing up his sophomore year). It looks very likely that he is going to fail the semester in both Algebra and Chemistry. First semester he pulled a C in both classes. So not stellar, but not failing either. He's literally going to get an E in both classes this semester. As in, no credit. And it's been going this way since the very beginning of the semester. Which means we've been on him about it for MONTHS.
He refuses to tell us if anything's wrong. All he'll say is that "everyone" is failing the Chemistry class because the teacher is so bad. ^_^ , I find that hard to believe. Plus which, WAY TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, GUY. And it doesn't answer why he's failing Algebra. That's a different teacher.
Dad and I have offered to help him, get him tutors, whatever. The plain truth of it is, the boy is being lazy. He's not doing his homework, therefore he's bombing quizzes and tests. He doesn't like the classes, so he's just. not. doing. it.
Driving me crazy, I'm telling you. In fact, dad ratted him out to the extended family at Easter, and all the aunts, uncles, and grandparents gave him what for. Even that didn't help. Even the fact that the manager at the Dairy Queen he just got a job at (right by the highschool) TOLD HIM when he hired him that they fire any kid who fails a class.
I dunno. I'm hoping this all will come crashing down and the boy will learn a lesson, instead of it being the beginning of the end, you know?
All that to say, I have no answers, :D, but I can certainly commiserate.
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Thank you for the reminder. As a living organ donor (donated a kidney to my sister in 2000), this is close to my heart. The most important thing, IMO, is to make sure your spouse/family is explicitly aware of your feelings on the matter. Regardless of a sticker on your license or your name on a registry, your next of kin still makes the decision for you regarding donation in case of your death. At least that was the case last I was aware, someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Best advice for newly weds/those about to be married
in The Chat Board
Posted
My best advice is that the Bible means what it says about marriage. It's not vague, it's not hard to understand. It's pretty straightforward. What's *hard* is for our flesh to always cheerfully embrace and apply the Bible's teachings on marriage.
In that vein, I'd encourage the newlyweds to study the scriptures regarding marriage (Eph. 5, 1 Peter 3, 1 Cor. 7, Col. 3). I'd also encourage study of what the Scripture says about divorce. I realize this may seem strange advice for newlyweds, but studying what scripture says about divorce has a way of cementing just how seriously the Lord views marriage.
And then lastly, I'd encourage the wife to study Proverbs 31.