who is it that we're all so afraid will find us on the internet?

Another victim of the Lego vs Playmobile Wars, I presume.

We have 4. I counted a copy of the New Testament as one, even though it is technically only half of the Christian Bible. We also have many other books of various religions or religious myths, all equally respected, as well as books about how to interpret the various religious texts and how ordinary people express their particular religions. For a non-religious family, I realized we have a lot of religious books and books on religions!

sounds like he's recovering and you're handling it well.. If he told you he doesn't want people talking about it anymore, maybe there's something you could do for him in that aspect. If it were my ds, he'd be very embarrassed and feel self conscious to be the center of attention via repeated re-tellings of the story. I would probably just let people know that I'm a wimpy mom when it comes to hearing about scary stuff concerning my kids and ask them to please not talk about it anymore. I wouldn't mention that ds didn't want to talk about it, but pretend it was getting to me in order to stop all the talk if it were making my ds uncomfortable. does that make sense? Good luck letting him out of your sight for a while (I know I'd want to keep him close, but sometimes I'm an over-reactor. I can't even watch the kids go on carnival rides :tongue_smilie:)

I agree! My ds loves the website instructables for this. He claims he can learn to do anything on the internet! Watch out though, because some of the projects really require adult supervision (like welding).

My 10 year old solicits broken XBox360s from his friends and all of our acquaintances (our 20 year old babysitter brings him some from her friends). He fixes them. He has yet to find one he cannot fix, but even if he can't fix it, well, it was broken when he got it so no big deal. These come from people who would throw the XBoxes away, so instead they give them to ds. One of his aunts is going to give him an old computer. Ds plans to replace the motherboard and see if he can get the old computer upgraded. As you can tell, he is very tech-oriented. If a kid is very interested in computer games, learning about how the computer works could be interesting and (trust me) it takes a lot of time. Ds uses the internet to find fixes and I take him in to talk to the very nice guys at our locally-owned, independent computer shop.

I'm guessing that if you were at the top, you'd be aware of your rank. Those in the middle, probably not so much.

Do you have to prep for your clinicals? Meaning, does the instructor make you go in the night before (morning before in the case of an afternoon clinical) to pick your patient, look at the chart, write a care plan, etc. If so, that might play into your decision, because for the early morning clinical, you'd have to prep the night before, but for the afternoon clinical, you'd have the morning of to get it done. Same goes for when your post-clinical paperwork is due (morning clinials - you have the afternoon to work on it, but you'll be tired. Evening clinicals - you might have to turn it in the next morning, so you might be up late working on it). Also depends on when shift change is at the hospital. Most hospitals I've worked at have 12 or 8 hour shifts. 12 hour shifts will change at 7a & 7p or 6a & 6p (rarely). 8 hour shifts will have changes at (7a, 3p, 11p). On a 12 hour unit, the early morning would probably be better, because you'd be there for shift change and get to listen to report at the beginning of your shift, as opposed nurses changing shifts at 7p when your clinical ends at 10p. Dayshift is busier. More docs coming in. More procedures scheduled. Depending on the unit, the patients will have more "road trips." For example, they'll be going to physical therapy, X-Ray, etc. You'll probably get to see/learn more on dayshift. Some nurses don't mind having students around, regardless of how busy they are. Some nurses will be snarky about having a student shadowing them regardless of how busy they are, so that is just luck of the draw. I wish I could say that all nurses will be nice to you, treat you with respect, and look for opportunities to show you new and interesting things while providing a running commentary on their day so you'll have a great learning experience. That is not always the case. Try not to take it personally. RE: Shoes. I was required to wear white shoes in nursing school (no speck of color allowed). I got Reeboks. You could spend a small fortune on nursing specific shoes, but I would not advise doing that in nursing school. Also, the first day of clinicals I was a bit crabby when I showed up in my pure white shoes (stressing over the tiny bit of color on the Reebok's flag-tag) and my classmates showed up in all kinds of shoes, some with lots of color! Good luck to you!

Oh goodie, another reason to spend money!

I would be more inclined to restrict Twilight from honors-level 9th grade girl than Angela's Ashes.

my personal guideline is that anything that can be done well while drinking beer is not a sport. Thus, bass fishing, bowling, & golf: Not sports Cheerleading: Sport

Have you thought about teaching her sign language? If your primary concern is that she not appear rude, that might do the trick. My dear friend had a child with selective mutism. I just accepted him for the lovely child he was and worked within his comfort zone. When he didn't talk to people, my friend woudl just give a simple explanation "he doesn't talk" or "he has selective mutism" and moved on. She was wonderful at not bringing extra attention to the little guy who so obviously did not want extra attention. I guess some people may have thought he was rude, but those people didn't know him. Just like sometimes children with ADHD are labled "brats" or kids with autism get labled....I think you see where I'm going on this. This child became a dear frind of my daughter. She would say, "X doesn't talk, but he listens to me and when he's nervous I hold his hand." So nice how accepting of others children can be.

:lol: I HEART Bill Murray. And this was a classic scene!

on the off chance that my husband will read this thread, I refuse to answer!

the only way to really be sure is to have a sample (of what you cough up or what gets swabbed from your nasal passages) cultured. Most docs won't do this, but will just go by symptom description & length of illness because culturing every time is cost-prohibitive.

I don't know what symptoms you had to prompt the MRI, but could it be possible that the symptoms may have been caused by a sinus infection? Depending on the location of the sinuses that are infected, symptoms may vary from the standard stuffy nose, full head, pain when bending down symptoms we all associate with sinus problems.

Wait 7 to 10 days for symptoms to abate. That's how long it usually takes your body to fight off a virus. If your symptoms are caused by a virus, there really is nothing any healthcare provider can do, other than tell you about/prescribe medication for symptom abatement. If symptoms persist after the 7-10 day limit (if I or someone in my family is miserable, I only wait 8 days, really), it may be bacterial. A bacterial infection may respond to antibiotics, which a physician/NP can prescribe. ETA: I'd try OTC medications for symptom abatement first. Musinex, Sudaphed, neti pot, etc.

This happened while we were swimming at our local indoor pool. They closed the pool for an hour. We were done for the day. I am grossed out, but I tell myself: We swim in the lake and it is not chlorinated at all. It is one of those things I just push out of my mind and will myself not to think about at the time. My kids are all old enough to know not to swallow the water, but I remember when I was a kid and I always managed to swallow what felt like half the pool. So far, we've never gotten gastroenteritis from swimming water.

way to take one for the team. we all have to do our part. :D

it all boils down to different strokes for different folks. Some are more comfortable seeing technical or anatomical terms in print than others, for whatever (or various) reason/s.

Oh, you iPad users are so snooty :D <said with more than a tinge of jealousy because I covet an iPad. More so now that I've actually held one in my hand.>:tongue_smilie:

B&N has a promotion going right now. Many original classics (Peter Pan, Call of the Wild, Little Women & more) are available for free in e-book format. If you don't own a Nook you can download the free e-reader to read the books on another device. Here's the link.

If you like architecture, stop by to look at Chicago's Union Station. I know folks born & raised in Chicago who have never seen this magnificent building with a huge main room in the Beaux Arts style with marble floors. It is a quick stop, but very interesting (I also think part of the movie The Untouchables was filmed there - where the baby pram clunks down the staircase). Every time I see it it kind of takes me back in time. Chinatown is another oft-missed area of the city. Some very good restaurants and lots of cool shops. We bought some loose leaf jasmine tea there that was mmmm.....The kids wanted me to buy a particular teapot to add to my collection, and although it was beautiful, I couldn't spend $200 on one teapot! Yikes. There are also some Chinese bakeries there that have yummy and interesting pastries (that I used to love, before going gluten free). A summer evening walking around Chinatown is very nice, indeed. The Chinese-American Museum is also interesting. those are my two suggestions for something different to do! Enjoy!

Peela - what is a "donna" that your mum purchased for you to make it easier to make your bed?