We've been watching them closely, and they don't seem to do that. Kittens can play in anything so we were watching to see if they were playing or using the litter. We have been using some litter that we kept around for home uses. DH asked me which one to get at the store. I had to say I had no idea. DH keeps trying to stick with Loaf and Toast which were "Temporary Names" that he gave them. DD and I aren't having it. I also pointed out that you can't say something was a temporary name and then insist it sticks. DH and DD watch One Piece and they've expanded the name of Sunny to something like, "1000 Sunnies" after the boat in the show.

Do you guys have a recommendation for clumping cat litter? Shortly before my last cat died, my favorite litter was bought out by one of the inferior brands and then removed. Kittens are gaining weight. We didn't write down their weights when we first got them. But the biggest starting weight was 7.4 oz last Monday and Dumpling was 15+oz last night. Dumpling has always been the biggest. ETA: The mama's mothering is much improved. She regularly lays on her side and she goes into attack mode when she thinks she needs to defend a kitten. We are naming the other darker orange kitten Lexxie as a nickname for Alexander since he wants to explore and conquer.

When I took Chemistry, first day of class this boy sat down next to me and said "I hope this book isn't jinxed, I borrowed it from my ex-girlfriend and she failed." He was flirting and also saying he was available. The book cracked! You know that noise textbooks sometimes make the *first* time you opened them. She thought that by just going to class she should pass.

DH is currently expanding our house. One of things we like to show off is our 'storage room'. This is our forever home and we foresee stairs being a problem. I live in Texas where we don't have basements, but we store stuff in the attic. We have a room about 18'x18' that is three bays with a door on each. Each bay has shelves on either side like a library except there is another shelf on the end. We'd needed an engineering stamp on our plans and an architect saw the plans and was impressed. One advantage to having DH do the building is that since we are paying for the materials, we can have wide open interior spaces for not much money. Builders usually charge by the sq. foot. Another thing we are doing to future-proof our house is to have really wide doors and mucho safety bars in the bathrooms. And a ramp from the garage into the house.

Another data point. DH went to a high school that was very diverse in all ways: Race, Income, etc. There was extremely extremely poor people, there was extremely rich people, including the children of a legit presidential contender. There was all colors. They were in a neutral zone for gang territory. Several teachers gathered together the smart kids in their classes and told them to just let others cheat off of them. Apparently the teachers had seen kids seriously hurt as revenge for not letting someone cheat. One time when he'd figured out how to defend himself, he'd grabbed an extra copy of the test, filled one out completely wrong and then passed it to someone nearby. Most of the class copied his answers completely, blatantly passing the paper around. Then 5 minutes before the class was done, he did the other test correctly. ETA: When I was in high school (different one), early in the year the child of one of the school board members stole the test answer book in an AP class and photocopied it. Returned the book before it was noticed it was missing. Then shared copies of the test. When it was discovered, he got one zero on a test. It wasn't even a final, just one of many tests. I didn't cheat but when I see things like this, I don't blame kids for getting discouraged and then doing it themselves.

On cup holders, when DD was ready to move up to her last car seat I'd found a good one on Craigslist very near my parents. So, I asked my dad to get it for me. His comment afterward was "*Two* cup holders". Europeans do look askance at people walking around drinking, particularly non-alcohol. A water bottle is a sign that says, "Tourist." They also don't understand why we want big drinks. We'll get a big one and carry it around with us. They'll get a small one and consume it before moving on.

Another update on the kittens. Everyone is doing well. The kittens using less formula when we offer a bottle. So, either the mama is nursing more or they are eating the kitten food. Either way, non-hungry kittens are good. Mama seems hungry and we've already gone through a bag of the kitten food. Non-hungry mama is also good. They do know how to use the litter box. I'd thought they could or maybe they were just playing in there. They would always pause in the litter box on the way to the door to us. We have to leave the litter box just inside the door so that we can clean it without being mauled. They do clean themselves a bit. I haven't seen anyone do a complete clean but they do lick their paws, or our chin. Two of them needed another bath yesterday. One accidentally pooped on the paw of another one while they were playfighting and then they continued to playfight. Boys! We suspect that they are all boys. At yesterday's weight check they were between 8-12 oz. So, much improvement. DH and I were talking about the cats and how they were at our friends. Our theory is that her being a bad mom did help them to not be feral when we got them. She left them in the cabinet where she gave birth rather than taking them to where she was hiding. This allowed the kids on the farm to play with them starting when they were first found. So, they been handled starting when their eyes were still closed.

I am due to make another batch of mama pads. One thing I don't like about my current ones is that all the layers are sewed together. I always wonder if all the blood really gets out of the inner layers. I'll hand rinse first in the sink and I think I'm done then I give one more rinse/squeeze and more blood comes out. Of course I wasn't a huge fan of the all-in-one diapers for the same reason, but then I have a laundry compulsion. For my next batch I think I'm going to take some cheap underwear and sew a tube around the between the legs area. I'll either use an old T-shirt of my husband's or an old wash cloth. Then I'll sew some microfiber towels into accordion shapes of various thickness. Like maybe I'll have one that is just one layer thick, and another that is four. I'll sew a straight line on each fold. Then I'll shove the folded microfiber into the tube on the underwear. I'll make the microfiber longer than needed so that the end is clean and I'll have a clean bit to yank on to separate. I say an old wash cloth because I saw an idea online when I first did that of using old wash cloths and laying the absorbent part at an angle from corner-to-corner, then adding snaps on the other corners.

I used to have horrible periods. I didn't have POTS, as far as I know, and I didn't faint. Well, actually I did faint a few times but I never connected it up with the period. I did pray for death a few times. I did bleed myself anemic and a male OBGYN didn't believe me when I described my periods. The Estrogen thing is a problem. BC pills helped me a bit. Do NOT get the Depo shot. I was on it for a year and then had a break-through period where I had a horrible period that lasted an entire month. My OBGYN said she'd seen a lot of that. I'd been an early adopter of it. If she has bad periods now, imagine one that lasted a month. Some things which helped me. I switched from Motrin to Aleve. I'd been on prescription Motrin as a teen which was 800 mg. Then when it went to over-the-counter, I used those and I'd take around 30 pills per period. Now I do 1-3 Aleve pills each period, which the average probably 1.2. I stopped using disposable pads and tampons. I switched to mama pads and a cup. Helping my period wasn't why I did either of these things, but I noticed an improvement when I did. I've since heard an explanation, something about the tail-end of the period being more about the bodies reactions to the Motrin or the chemical in the disposables. Now my periods start with a trickle, then I gush for about a day, then I go back to a trickle for about 12 hours then I'm done. Before, it would be take 7-10 days. Those are tiny things and won't cure it, but any improvement is good. Have you checked her iron levels? The prescription iron is nasty tasty stuff, but if low iron is the reason for fainting ... Also, the fainting got better once I learned to recognize the signs of it coming. Then it was "Head to Knees." Something as complicated as "Put your head below your heart" was waaayyy too complicated for my brain in the pre-faint stage. I'd faint while figuring out how to do that. But "Head to Knees" was easy enough. I'd look at my knees and move my head in that direction. Then some blood would go to the brain and I could think out a more permanent position.

When I just now looked in on the kittens, the mama was actually on her side! With all 5 kittens on her tummy! They are actually fairly away from us. We come by to check on them and to snag some kittens, but otherwise mama doesn't even see people. The mudroom is in the addition which is under construction. That is included within the house at the moment, so it has HVAC and electricity. I live in the Texas, and the heat might have been a stressor for them. Between the mudroom and the part of the house we live in is another 15' deep of addition that will eventually be an extension on the living room. It is filled with construction supplies. So, we don't really use it except to navigate around the obstacle course to get to the kittens. DH is working on the other side of the house getting the house cat-ready. The plan is to put the litter-thingy in the master bathroom with a cat pass-through opening from DD's room. Daughter just snagged Sunshine and one of the other orange ones. The gray tabbies were in the back and the mama was eating near the front with the other orange one near her, so I left them alone. I want to love on all the kittens equally, but the orange ones are more brave. I have noticed that her aggression really comes forwards in regards to food. Even returning the food bowl filled causes an attack. I also hope that being well-fed, with fresh water, a clean litterbox and mostly left alone maybe her milk supply will improve. DH and I discussed what to do with the mama. Someone had been worried we'd release her as is, that isn't an option. Last thing I want is for her to add more unwanted kittens to the world. I also don't want to release her neutered around our house because we have chickens and she's mean. True, there are cats around outside already, but she might be different. Unlike the other cats around who I suspect are being fed, she has always had to hunt. We suspect our friends wouldn't mind her around if she was neutered. They have dogs that protect their chickens, sheep, etc. So, at the moment that is the leading plan. We are really really enjoying the kittens. Of the two dark orange cats one likes to sleep in the crook of my elbow. Batman seems to prefer sleeping at the back of DH's neck. Sunshine just has us all charmed. Last night, DH was home alone and he had Sunshine out and set him on the floor while he ran around the room doing things. Sunshine kept following him around. DH is one who has never liked cats. So, when he suggested we keep them all, that is saying something. So, we may end up being a foster failure after all. Covering the cage with a blanket sounds like a good idea. I really want her to feel secure, yet I also want to deny her the chance to withhold milk from the kittens. Blanket on top might help her feel secure.

Litter swapping is a good idea. At the moment we are just using lids to printer paper boxes since the litter thingy won't fit in the broody jail. I did get the water fountain in there today, so there is that. The family is buying kitten toys and also some canned food for the momma. The momma was likely born to a dumped cat. There isn't anything tame about her. The trouble is, I don't even want to be in the same room with her. So, working with her isn't an option. Our friends have tried to do the trap, neuter, release for the dumped cats. The cat population will get big, and then something, probably a coyote, will come through and then the cat population goes to almost zero. (Repeat) So, I'm not sure releasing is that much more humane. I just realized that they are very small for their age. They weigh 40% less than the charts say the min. expected for their age. The momma cat looks a normal size. I obviously not going to weigh the momma.

When it comes to Holly-weird, I expect the people to have some major problems and I'm shocked when a few are normal people. So, I yawn when both of them are shown to have problems. The point is, did he do what she said he did? My thought boils down to that if he had, she wouldn't have had to fabricate anything.

She really couldn't care less about the kittens. Grabbing the kittens isn't a problem. She also wants to hide *from* the kittens. We have their first vet appointment scheduled. The vet said that we are doing everything right and to *not* bring the mom. ETA: She also isn't cleaning them. We already had to give them a bath, which we weren't planning on doing.

In case anyone is curious, this is our setup at the moment. That is pretty much how the momma is at all times. Although DH said that last night he did see her on her side. His theory is that she was full of milk and was uncomfortable on her belly. It is funny that the broody jail just happened to fit in the soon-to-be mudroom shower. Everyone has been good about using the litter box. The mom is pretty mean. We have to leave a shield outside the door. Then when we need to do something like change the litter, we hold it up between us otherwise she charges and attacks with her claws. The second she'd not nursing, she's going to the shelter. That wasn't our plan, but I don't want the kittens picking up any training beyond using the litterbox from the momma. ETA: that is a little orange kitten head you see over the food. They don't seem to be eating it but a couple are interested in it.

This is an important point, and you are right. The planners aren't spending their own money and don't want complaints about something not being nice enough. I could likely plan something for the family that wasn't much over the 50% fee.

I think couples can ask for a backyard wedding thinking it will be simple. But the problem is, it is YOUR space and you need to make it look nice. In a venue, if some aspect is ugly you don't worry about people judging you. But, your space, for a wedding, you want everything to be perfect.

DH is asleep in an office chair with a roll of tape behind his head. He was cuddling two of the kittens and one climbed by behind his head and fell asleep. He doesn't want to crush it or wake it, so he put the tape there to protect it. He never sleeps during the day. Before he fell asleep, he told me about it. I said, "The training has begun. Bahahahaha"

The mudroom doesn't have an interior door yet. So, the momma will have to be with her babies. Although, she can get breaks when we cuddle the kittens.

Simple, get the cuts that you know how to use. Everything else can be ground together. There will be some quality meat and some not so much, but it will equal out.

Well, it turns out the momma cat escaped in the night. The problem is finding a place that is big enough for a litter box and for them to move around, AND also that locks the momma in with her babies. Fortunately, we have a broody jail for our hens. It is around 3'x'4'x3'. Walls and ceiling are hardware cloth. The main trouble will be that the door is hen-sized and we normally just pick it up to deal with the food and water inside. So, we'll bring that inside, and put it in the mudroom that is under construction now. I really do want the kittens to have momma's milk. So, once DH moves the broody jail into the house, I'll set it up and he'll find the momma and put her in there. At the moment, I have the gray kittens and DD has the orange ones. We don't intend to segregate them, but the orange ones come to the front of the box, so they are gotten together.

I completely second this. A favorite of mine from our wedding. Since I'm not artistic I was able to just order lots of nice flowers and minimal filler. We had Tiger Lilies and White Roses. They were shipped and arrived the Mon or Tues before the Tues wedding. You cut the stems and put them in 5 gallon buckets of water. I haunted Goodwills, etc before the wedding and bought flower vases cheap. I got a bunch of really nice crystal vases just by buying the heavy ones and then running them through the dishwasher. I had several people tell me that I had taken them home that they'd never had flowers that lasted that long. The place I got them from was in CA and they were taxed out of business. So, I can't recommend a particular place. -------------- Another idea that I considered. A surprise wedding. A parent throws an engagement party, those that really love the couple attend, and then 'surprise' a wedding happens. A couple of close family might be in on the secret. ------------------- Another thing that is a lot more common now. Internet minister. DH and I had one argument about the wedding, and it was whose side a friend of ours would stand on. I wanted my best friend and this friend. DH wanted his brother and this friend. We decided to put him in the middle and he married us. It was special to all of us. After the fact I realized how wonderful it was that we had no strangers at our wedding.

Last evening we all cuddled with the kittens while watching TV. DD made a batch of kitten formula. We are offering it to all of them and three were uninterested, one was a little interested and one was very hungry. When I went to bed last night, the mom was still in hiding. DH and DD were still up. I heard DD say the word 'poop'. I am pretty sure she was worried the mama cat would poop in her hiding place. So, DH got her out and locked her in the box. So, the mama cat spent all night with her kittens. Yeah! We'll watch to make sure they all have momma feeding time. The new thing in the household is having others bring you stuff because you 'can't get up', and you can't get up because you have a kitten sleeping on you.

Yes, Yes, Yes. Absolutely. I'd missed out on a work trip to Israel. The company I used to work for had a sale in Israel. With these sales, one of two engineers went along for installation. I did the US and another did everywhere else. They turned down the sale because the other didn't want to go to there because he 'felt unsafe.' I suspect anti-semitism. They were shocked when I was upset and I said I would have gone. So the travel borders became I did the US and everywhere the other person didn't want to go. They let us tack on vacation time to these trips.

That is lovely. I've never had a tabby before. I had an orange one but I don't remember the pattern. Fluffy, very very fluffy with a white belly. I guess my worry is about her being a bad mom. One of the kittens did die and the others were very hungry when we got them. Then with her running off as far as she could, I worried. We'll watch them closely. Ideal would be for them to get their mother's milk. Shoot, I didn't even give my baby any formula. But kittens dying of malnourishment is worse. At the moment, they seem good though. ETA: We do have a small kitchen scale. The Harbor Freight one preferred by drug dealers everywhere.

Anyone know what to call the color pattern on the orange one?