My favorite thing is the Sesame covered almonds. I could live on those. I kind of do.

If you live near Chicago I can point you towards several consignment shops that sell designer clothes at good deals. I have had so much fun discovering brands and style I never tried before. My 8 year old dd got me started when we were at the mall one day and she convinced me to try on jeans at Buckle. My style has completely changed and has been affordable because of consignment shops.

My name is Cathy. I am a single mom to 4 wonderful children - 11, 8, 6, and 2. I built my family through adoption. I work part-time as a case coach for Safe Families for Children. I have been homeschooling my children for 7 years. I use an eclectic appraoch that is heavily influenced by TWTM.

I pay $12 an hour for my 4, and that is low for Chicago. I know it varies regionally, but $10 sounds fair.

If it makes her feel better she could call the doctor for advice. In a typically healthy child fevers are not usually a cause for alarm. If he is lethargic, unable to drink, or acting very atypical those could be causes for concern. Some children spike higher fevers more typically than other children. Hopefully the Motrin will help him feel better soon!

Here's the easiest one I know of - get a box of cake mix (I forget which of the main brands doesn't have milk, but there is one.) add a can of Sprite. That's it! Stir it up and bake it. Just watch it carefully because it bakes a little faster than when you follow the recipe on the box. They can be stickier and don't rise quite as well, but they taste good and work well. I have received lots of compliments about them.

My nutritionist insists that eating disorders (compulsive overeating is classified as an eating disorder) are hard to recover from than other addictions. Food is something you have to deal with on a daily basis. It isn't like other addictions that can be completely avoided - at least not for long. I saw OA mentioned. ANAD is another good support group. It is free and not just for anorexia but for all eating issues. You can find a meeting by looking online at the ANAD site.

I am a licensed foster parent and a Safe Family in Chicago. I am familiar with some agencies. I have been licensed with 4 different ones. If you answer a few questions, I might be able to give you some advice. What ages and types of children do you hope to take? How long a placement are you looking for? Are you hoping to adopt? Are you open to adopt? What kinds of special needs (if any) are you open to? I am a medical spec foster mom. That means I take children that have more intese medical needs. My son has sickle cell and two neuro conditions. My foster daughter is deaf and hears with cochlear implants. I started out as a traditional foster parent and have fostered for ten and a half years.

We saw Letters to God the day it opened in the theater because they filmed part of it at Give Kids the World - the place we stayed for my son's Make-A-Wish trip. It's appropriate for children, but not sugar-coated. I was crying five minutes into it because I could identify too much with the mother in the movie.

I have some strong opinions on this topic. I have battled anorexia. I spent almost three months in the hospital on an eating disorder ward when I was 18. It got me eating again, and my weight increased. It didn't do much more, and I continued to struggle for a long time. I wish now that I would have made more of the time I had in-patient, but I wasn't really there by choice. I agree with this comment completely, When you are struggling with an eating disorder, one of the best things a loved one can do is simply let you know you are loved. The negative ED voice can get so loud and convinces the person with the ED that they are never good enough, completely unloveable. It's that ED voice that makes whatever you say or do to help her seem like the wrong thing. You can say something and mean it lovingly, but the ED voice can twist it and use it to make your daughter feel even worse about herself. There is no room for blame here - that's just what the ED voice wants. Since eating disorders are not about food, I would recommend a group that is led by a trained professional and specializes in anorexia/bulimia. ANAD groups are wonderful! They have rules that keep participants from discussing behaviors in a way that is triggering. My concern with being taught that a sugar addiction or any other particular food is driving an ED is that people with EDs already label foods as good or bad. It's important to get away from that thinking to recover. I would hate to see your daughter move from bulimia into anorexia. It is typical for EDs to morph like that. Is there a group that family members can go to? There is an ANAD group in Chicago that is open to support people as well as people with EDs. I would guess she knows a lot about her ED. People with EDs are generally all too aware of the potential complications. They are very well read and researched on EDs. I think that is a part of the ED. I would encourage you to be careful what she reads. There are many books about EDs that are very triggering and will only drive her into more behaviors. There are lots of websites that are pro-ana and pro-mia (Ana and Mia are the pet names for anorexia and bulimia.) that give girls a sense of community. They are not recovery focused. There are dangerous tips, products, and contests on these websites. I have heard great things about Remuda. The program I was in was similar. Please be careful about using guilt as a motivator. The ED mind is so full of guilt. It can be a driving force behind the ED. I know the financial strain is real, but maybe you could look at it this way - if she needed cancer treatment, you would pay whatever you needed. She is sick. Eating disorders are not a choice, but a sickness. Yes, there are choices she will have to make to get better, just like the patient with cancer must choose to take their meds to get better. But it isn't as simple as deciding to stop the behaviors. Even if she could be behavior free for awhile, she needs treatment to learn to deal with life and see herself in a different way or she will be very likely to relapse. I will be praying for you and for her. I'll also send you a PM with my number if you want to talk. You can tell this is near and dear to my heart.

I reread sections every year.

Self-care comes first. This is God's ministry, and He will sustain it or work in another way when you need to step back. I know it's hard to make these choices (That's an understatement!). I just stepped down as director of a ministry at my church because I need to take time for my health. I'm not sure everyone understood why I did, but ultimately, it doesn't matter if they understand or not. I hope you will have peace in the decision you make.

I love homemade pizza and the kids enjoy kneading the dough and choosing from healthy toppings. Glad you enjoyed your bonding time with dh as you made the pizza! I think I have a somewhat different viewpoint towards food than many on the boards. While nearly everything I prepare for the family is cooked from scratch and almost none of it is pre-packaged, I let them have snacks and treats now and then. We even keep some in the house almost all the time. They don't ask for it often. Candy from the parade last July 4th is still in the cupboard. I don't want them to see any foods and villianous, but want them to enjoy food and make healthy choices. I'm super strict about what I eat, and I worry about making them afraid of foods. My parents were super strict about foods for periods in my childhood, and I wonder if it contributed to me developing anorexia as an adult. I'd rather my kids be relaxed about food, even if they eat some that isn't the best, instead of battling with it like I do. Just to share a somewhat different way to look at things.

I put a baby gate at my 2 year old's bedroom door and baby-proofed her room very well. If she gets out of bed in the middle of the night I don't have to worry. Going in and putting her back in bed seemed to reinforce her behavior with attention. With this plan, she is doing much better.

My children loved Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. We could have spent more time at Hollywood Studios than I planned. Star Wars, Power Rangers, and the Sci-Fi Dine in Theater were hits. I don't know if visitors can stop by or not, but a magical place in Kissimmee is Give Kids the World. It is the resort where Make-A-Wish families stay. I know they use lots of volunteers, so that might be the only way to see it if you aren't on a Wish trip. That's my favorite place in Florida!

I have never weighed our rabbit, but I bet he's about that big. We have a 4 by 2 and a half foot cage. He does fine, but would probably like a larger one. We let him out only when we supervise him because they will chew cords and anything else they find!

The food in the childrens' hospitals here is tasty and healthy. Especially at LaRabida. Almost nothing is fried. Lots of variety. I can't complain. Now, ironically, when I was in the hospital for anorexia, the food was awful. And it really wasn't just that I didn't want to eat anyway. The food lacked flavor and nutrition!

I took the kids to see Letters to God on Friday when it opened nationwide. Part of it was filmed at Give Kids the World just after we stayed there for my son's Make-A-Wish trip. It was so wonderful to see Give Kids the World. It made me long to return to FL to experience it all again. The movie itself made me cry just minutes into it. My son cried too. I think some of it was just way to familiar to us - especially the hospital scenes. They didn't sugar coat the emotions people feel when a child they love is sick. They asked many of the same questions my family has asked of God. Most people I talk to have never heard of this movie, but it is a good one - especially if you know someone battling a life-threateniing illness.

As an adoptive mother, I would be very hesitant to adopt a child with the RAD diagnosis. I have cared for children with attachment issues and it was beyond what my family could handle. That doesn't mean your family couldn't, but I know I cannot. Where and when did she get the diagnosis? What has been done to address it? How many placements has she had? What kind of placements were they? What did former caregivers say? Those are the questions I would ask. The caseworker may not recognize RAD because she is not raising this child. Children with RAD are excellent charmers and do well with people they are not with all the time or people they are not expected to bond with. I believe God is able to do amazing things and heal a child with RAD, but I also know my family's needs are already to great to add in a child with that level of need.

I agree that it is usually instinct. Mom's just kinda know when it's time. In our case my son has sickle cell disease, so any fever over 101 means three days of ER visits at a minimum. A cough that concerns me in the least leads us there. Any number of things bring him to the ER. We must be there at least a dozen times a year and are usually admitted 3-4 times each year. My other children rarely go to the ER.

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. - Anais Nin

I don't have any advice, just well wishes. I have a friend whose son has this in addition to Chiari Malformation. I understand the pain can be intense. I hope the neuro gets back to you with an idea that will work - soon!

We set out a leprechaun trap. "Tippy" got away, but he left money in their shoes, Rolos on the floor, and leprechaun "jelly" beans in the trap. He also dyed the bread, caramel rolls, and milk green.

I read these posts and I think the next time we get to Disney it might almost be a disappointment. You see, our first and only trip was my son's Make-A-Wish trip. We didn't stand in any lines, met every character they hoped to meet, and experienced every attraction they had any interest in - lots of them multiple times. I hope the details all come together and you have a wonderful, magical time!

If your mom need the "buggie thing" maybe you can get a GAC. Go to guest services and let them know your mom has limited mobility. They may issue you a special card that would allow your group to wait in the wheelchair accessible lines at the attractions, they are faster than the general lines.