Dh being gone for a year is not minor. The restaurant being out of your favorite food is minor, and the shoe store not having your size is minor, but having your spouse gone for a year is not at all minor. I have had a child that could have died from his illness, and he will likely have a shorter life span, but those of us in that situation do not have the market on major concerns. Be upset, cry, talk about how unfair it is, and then come up with a plan to get throught it. Do not let anyone tell you it is a trivial thing either.

My ds's oncologist said it depends on whether it is viral or bacterial. My ds was on so much medicine that we tried not to treat everything unless necessary. Her recommendation was give it 24 hours with a warm rag on the eye, and if it was not dramatically better the next day, then we needed drops. Like PP mentioned many docs will just call in drops. I would call the pedi to be sure, because some eye infections can lead to blindness.

Wooden toys and some clothes yes, but plastic becomes toxic as it breaks down over time or in extreme heat, so that all gets donated. I usually do not have books without teeth marks when the kids get done lol. I do have some chapter books, but as they start to fall apart I toss them. I do not let my kids play with a lot of the old toys my parents and ILs saved, so I figure my kids will not let their kids play with the stuff I save lol.

My state has a law that no one under 14 can be left in the car without someone 15 or older with them. There is something about a 5 minute rule for certain ages, but it is not worth a visit from CPS. :) I leave my kids at home instead, because there are no age limits on that. It is safer that them walking in most parking lots.

My van has them, but the littles cannot reach the door handles when in 5pt harness seats, so I have never used them. I have a huge fear of the kids getting trapped in the car.

Can the first dentist give Demerol and Benadryl to help him relax before numbing? My ds had that done on Tuesday. Ds did not even know they numbed him with a needle, he was rather out if it. :) He came back quickly though, and after lunch he was ready to play. My foster kids have to see a different dentist due to insurance, and I constantly have to argue with them over their treatment plan, because they always seem to find something, and after 14 years of seeing a different dentist with my biological kids I am aware of necessary and unnecessary. :) Scrapping the teeth of a 1 year old with beautiful teeth, unnecessary. ;) Just a few more weeks until adoption and better insurance!

We live in a small town with the headquarters of a large company in our backyard. It pays very well for both truck drivers and computer programmers, but it is hard to get people who want to move to our town and then actually work. They expect the flexibility of a min wage job with the benefits of the CEO. Then of course there is the lack of drive and motivation to learn the on the job skills needed to complete the work without the need of someone holding their hand. :) We are not worried about the influx of skilled programmers, many people dh works with are from India, and they are still looking for programmers right now. Microsoft people want to stay in big cities, so they are not coming here even with the LCOL and close proximity to big cities for entertainment.

I would. Your 10 yr old could help with the 2 yr old, and everyone will be fine. Do not worry about dying, people are more likely to die at home than on vacation, so their is a cheery thought lol.

Haha, tiny houses while homeschooling might be the end of me. :) It is a neat idea, and it is basically a camper that looks more like a house, so great for traveling people, but not for me. ;)

My guideline is no low areas that tend to flood, I need my camper, and no thunderstorms, because I will be in a big metal box lol.

In the interest of making my dh feel appreciated I would not even mention that the cuts look awful, especially if he was proud of himself and the kids were happy. If he asked how i liked the cuts with that weird tone of uncertainty, then I would be honest. I would get annoyed if he told me the pantry was not organized the way he likes it or his socks are not folded properly, so I try hard not to pick on things he does differently than I do. If you want their hair cut a certain way, then I would just take them myself before dh has a chance to do it. Just my .02. FWIW, my boys have very shaggy looking hair that looks like we are neglecting it, but they love it and it is just uncut, natural growing hair.

I broke my Coccyx back in April, and it was not at all fun for a couple of months. Driving was the single worst thing I had to do. I bought a soft ice pack and sat on that in the van which did help some. I rested as much as I could prior to driving too. It will take a while to heal, but know you are not alone. :) I still have pain, but it is better, much better.

Is she open to counseling either by a member of the church (most pastors offer help in these circumstances) or through a regular Christian therapist? Is he willing to go? Have they gone away for a couple of days together to reconnect? Dh and i do that annually, because life is stessful on a marriage (we have never been near divorce however times have been hard some years). Suggesting those things is really all you can do other than praying and listening to her which you are already doing. They both have to be on board to fix this or it will not work, so just keep being a friend. It is hard to stand by and watch. I have watched a few marriage end over the years, and it is always sad.

You are not alone. A good night sleep, some apologies, and a day of fun tomorrow will make everyone feel better. We all have days like this. :)

I know the mantra well lol. Once the boxes go flat they are out. :) With 3 boys that does not take long. ;)

It would be a fun experiment if you have time. :) Go to a dealership as regular 'not knowing a guy' people and then to the guy, and see what kind of deals you can get. It may depend on your area, but knowing a guy can get a better deal around here.

We do not have flea problem, just lots of dust when we open our windows, and we have goats and stray cats behind us. Maybe get your yard treated for fleas? That would be very annoying, both the fleas and not being ale to open your windows,

I have only been in one wreck, and I was rear ended by a lady too busy on her phone going 50MPH. My dd was 22 months, and she was FF. We were told it was a good thing she was FF or she could have been hurt (she was fine, and was running around the parking lot we pulled into). It depends on the kind of wreck you plan to be in I think. Similar to the positioning issue, some say baby should always be in the middle, but if the car catches on fire then the sides are better. I worry about ending up in water and getting my big kids out of those booster seats in the very back of my van, but in a regular wreck those seats help them stay in the van unless it catches on fire and they cannot get out. See how stressful all of this can be, ugh. Yes, fire really scares me, because we lost a family friend when her seatbelt jammed and she could not get out of a burning car. We just do the best we can and pray a lot.

I am starting over with a new little one, and we plan on one more, so I will be retirement age by the time they launch lol. My original plan was to go to work, because we started early, and I would have been in my mid 40s when my last one left, but now I will be closer to late 50s, so maybe we will just have dh retire early and travel. :)

Immune compromised people are good at carrying strep, and they often spend time at doctors offices and hospitals where it is easy to recolonize. My ds was a carrier while on cancer treatment, and he would get impetigo around his mouth, which is caused by the strep virus, and bam the other two kids got strep throat within a few days. Once his immune system was stronger he was able to fight it off with the help of a round of antibiotics, but his body was strong enough to help tackle it for good. Too much cleaning can wipe out the good bacteria on your body, and of course you absorb those cleaners through your skin and in your lungs, which further hurts your immune system, so be sure to replenish your good bacteria with probiotics, and eat plenty of fresh veggies and fruits (not that that helps the immune compromised since they cannot eat those things). Remember to wash all cloth things in the house including pillows, couch cushions, and toys, and get new toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwash. Strep is a wicked bug.

Has she tried coconut oil? It has antibacterial properties that clean the face well. I get acne when my face gets too dry. Birth control pills did make me moody and I gained weight and looked bloated. Also, be sure to check her for cardiopipid issues, because most of us who are prone to blood clots have no clue until we take pills and get a clot. IMO that should be standard testi g before handing out BC pills.

My ds is allergic to most things outside as well as some foods, but we can keep him off meds if we keep him inside away from those foods, and we have an air purifier. Even allergy meds that are deemed safe like Benadryl can ause liver damage over time, and my ds is only 10, and he needs his liver to last a long time. Cats is one of his allergies, and we would never bring one into the house knowing he would need to take meds just to live in his own house. Kids over pets. His mold allergy leads to asthma attacks if we do not protect him from mold exposure, but he has not taken asthma meds in over a year, because we do work to protect him. Just my .02.

I used Hersey syrup to mix meds in when my kids were little. I chose something that I did not mind them hating if they associated it with meds. :) Dairy could inhibit absorbtion, and you do not want to go through another round of antibiotics if you do not need too. My 9 yr old had to take a lot of meds when he was 2-5, and early on he chose to chew non-chewable pills over taking liquid. Maybe that is an option if it does not come in a chewable form? Those liquids smell nasty, soi cannot imagine they taste very good. Good luck, strep is a nasty beast. We dealt with it on and off for a year once before finally kicking it for good.

The worst that will happen is that will need to pump it which costs like $200 here, so if the shower is that bad, then I would totally pay the money needed to pump of necessary.

It would depend on how the kids are usually treated. I do not let my family take just dd to do anything anymore, because they made promises to my boys to do things, and then never follow through. Dd is favored, and I will not have it, period. My sister was the favorite child growing up, and I will not have my other kids feel the way I did as a child. If they do not favor one child over the other, then I would let my son go. Boys are gross when they are out together, and it will likely not be as fun for dd as she thinks it will, :)