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SW in IL

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  1. Well, it's definitely been a while since I last posted and things sure have changed since then. Hopefully there are still some of us old timers around in addition to lots of new faces. Just wanted to drop in and see what's new. Sue
  2. A friend of mine is considering moving to Arizona. In the past few years her son has developed allergies to things including dust, pollen and mold. But whenever the son goes to visit relatives in Arizona, the allergies all but disappear. If possible, I'd arrange to spend at least a few weeks to a month or so in Arizona. See if that helps any before packing up and moving.
  3. Without going into a long story or too much detail... My son is 18. He pretty much dropped out of highschool (refused to do the work, was homeschooled) several years ago. Now he says he wants to go for his GED and wants me to homeschool him for it. His income is dependent on him being a full-time student. He went for GED testing at the local community college and placed very low in math, a little low in language arts, and high in reading (the only subjects they test). We bought some of the books they recommended and I wrote out some lessons plans. The first week went fine. He took the pretests in the book and did some other assignments, but since then he keeps putting off doing school work... Just like when we were homeschooling him a few years ago. And I can't figure out a way to motivate him. He sits and plays on the computer all night and sleeps all day. Taking away the computer isn't an option. We've tried reward systems, punishment, all kinds of stuff, but nothing works for more than a couple of days. And, since we live with my mom, she won't let me do much as far as punishment goes. Any ideas for how I can get him to take this seriously and take responsibility for his own education? In other words, how do you motivate a young adult (since he is 18) to get him to do his schoolwork?
  4. Anything dead... We cannot buy mousetraps (any kind that kills or is supposed to kill the mouse) because I freak out. I freak out even when I hear the snap of a trap but nothing was caught in it. We had a hamster that was so still and unresponsive to my voice one morning I thought it had died. I wouldn't go upstairs (where the cage was located) until someone went up and poked at the hamster to determine he was alive and well... Just sleeping soundly. I haven't gone into the backyard in over a week because something killed a bird on the patio and I was the one who discovered the feathery remains (it's been cleaned up, but not by me!). It's weird because I'm not really squeamish. I accompanied my mom to the doctor today and sat in the room as the doctor was examining a horrid looking bruise on her arm and pulling gunk out of her ear. I cut open a... not even sure what to call it. My fiance was bit by a spider and I cut open the bite area to drain it of this silvery black pussy stuff. Smelled horrible. Go figure... but keep anything even possibly dead far, far away. Sue
  5. Omg... that's hilarious. I feel the same way, though. I'd choose money over my family. But I would choose my future husband's family over money (assuming it was enough money to meet basic and necessary expenses). It sounds to me like you're trying to talk yourself into the move. If that's the case, I'd say do it. With the caveat that the pay cut isn't going to affect your basic and necessary expenses. I'd much rather live with my future in-laws and have less money than live with my mom and be able to eat out at least once a week. Just my thoughts, Sue
  6. I ended up rinsing them (they were all in a couple of glops on their paper towels) and now have them all spread out on new paper towels. Thanks so much for the advise... I love the idea of using index cards and might try that next time. Seems like it would be an easy way to keep track on which seeds are on which card. Sue
  7. I'd definitely get legal advice. Better to consult a malpractice lawyer now than to wait years and then wonder if it would have made a difference if you had done it back then. Not saying that you should sue him or anything, but you need someone on your daughter's side who knows more about these types of situations. And never, ever go back to that dentist. Personally, I wouldn't even go to the endo they sent you to. Then again, I drive an hour to go see a dentist that my son and I are comfortable with. Just my 2 cents worth, Sue
  8. I went to a demonstration/talk yesterday where the lady was talking about seed saving and used a tomato as an example. She talked of 2 ways to do it - 1 way was putting the tomato seeds in a jar with water, letting it get moldy on top, scraping off the mold, adding more water, etc. The other way was to lay the seeds out on a paper towel to dry. So, I decided to try it. I had a couple of heirloom tomatoes that I was using at dinner, so I pulled out the seeds and spread them on paper towels (3 types of tomatoes - 3 paper towels - description of each written on the paper towel). I do remember that she said if we don't do the jar with water, mold, etc. that only 60-70% of the seeds will sprout, but that the paper towel method was much simpler (and simple is good). But now, looking at them, I think I missed something. My seeds have all kinds of tomato gunk stuck to them. Some of them seem to have like a pouch around them. I don't remember if I was supposed to clean off the gunk (and, if so, how) or pick them out of their pouches (and, if so, how) or what I was supposed to do. Can someone please help? I'm really hoping to give these to my future father-in-law to plant in their garden next year and I don't want to screw it up (and look like even more of a city girl than I am). Thanks, Sue
  9. We had tried to open an account there. My (then) husband and myself. We, too, had to call customer service and got a rep who didn't know what to do (and didn't seem to speak English too well). After talking to him for about half an hour, we gave up. It made us wonder what would have happened it we had opened an account there and had an issue with it and needed to talk to customer service. That said, I have a few friends who have special savings accounts (for Christmas, for vacations, etc.) at ING and none of them ever had a problem and, as far as I know, they all love ING. Sue
  10. I have a puzzle tha I'd like to glue together with the intention of eventually hanging it on the wall. Normally I use foam core board but this puzzle is too big for the sheets I already have on hand. Any thoughts as to what else I can use to glue the puzzle onto? Or should I just buy a larger sheet of foam core board? Thanks, Sue
  11. My first thought was mosquitos, but it could possibly be chiggers, especially if it's confined to the lower portions. I get chigger bites all the time when I visit my fiance's family in Arkansas. I agree with the Benadryl suggestion. Sue
  12. But as others have posted, it depends on your little one and whether you (or whomever is driving) can stay awake to drive. All 3 of my kids slept well in the car. I have done many trips where at least the majority of the driving was done at night. In fact, in the past 5 years (ds is almost 18, dd is 19), we've done 2 trips where we drove at night - and they still slept through most of the drive! Sue
  13. I bought a Ravensburger 1000 pc. puzzle from a friend. But she's somewhat unreliable. She claimed that it was never put together. However, it is not shrinkwrapped. The puzzle inside is in a clear plastic ziplock-type bag. Heavier gauge plastic than a ziplock bag. The bag measures about 12" by about 8" and has small vent holes in it. Can someone tell me if Ravensburger puzzles (at least the 1000 pc. ones) come in bags like this? I'm going through some of the puzzles we have laying around trying to figure out what I can use for Christmas/Hanukkah presents. I don't want to give someone a puzzle with missing pieces but with the condition of the bag, box and inserts I'm tempted to think my friend was telling the truth about it never having been used. My other option is to put it together and see if it's all there, but it'll take me a long, long time to do that (may not even have it done by Christmas!). Thanks, Sue
  14. I read a super book on this earlier this year. I think the title is Don't Kill the Birthday Girl or something similar. I have a friend who has 2 kids that are allergic to just about everything you can think of and she had recommended the book to me. One of the things I found quite interesting is that a food (candy, if I remember right) given to young children in Israel is made of peanuts and they have almost no incidence peanut allergies in their country. But yet we're told not to give peanuts (or peanut containing products) to our young children. My future sister-in-law was horrified when I gave a peanut butter & jelly sandwich to her (then) 4 and 6 year old sons. I had asked about allergies and was told they had none. Seemed like a great lunch to me. Then I find out that her doctor said no peanuts until they're at least 5. Since when? My kids were chowing down on PB&Js when they were 2! Also, a lot of people don't differentiate between a true allergy and a sensitivity. I'm sensitive to a couple of foods. I can't eat a milk chocolate bar unless I'm willing to spend half an hour in the bathroom throwing up. My son can't eat egg drop soup without getting a headache (neckache? he says it's a burning sensation along the back of his neck and base of his skull). These are not allergic reactions (at least according to our doctors); these are sensitivities. True allergic reactions are normally life-threatening. I would be interested in learning more about the evolution of allergies. When I was a kid I don't think any of my classmates had food allergies. Now a days the schools don't even let you bring certain foods into the building. I know that anything containing peanuts is forbidden in our elementary schools and the junior high and high schools make kids who bring their own lunches sit separate from their classmates. Sue
  15. Trying to find a website like bricklink but for K'nex instead of Legos. I was given an almost complete rollercoaster set and would like to complete it to give to my (soon-to-be) nephews for Christmas. I tried looking on the K'nex web site (and they do have pieces/parts on there) but there are a few parts in the instructions that I don't see on the web site. Sue
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