The workload sounds comparable to what my daughter had last year in the third grade. I have noticed a real uptick already for the 4th grade, but that is due mostly to the additional focus on writing and some large projects going on simultaneously for different classes.

My first name is Wendy and I am from South Carolina (SC).

Sometimes, there are just issues that one is born with or develops that cannot be changed, and there is no viable option for rehoming (in the case of a non-human companion animal) or living among the general population (in the case of a human animal). I have seen similar struggles for parents in regards to their own children. (Euthanasia was not the final option but placing in a facility was.) It is heartbreaking, but it is a reality. I have seen people struggle with deciding to have assistance in ending their own lives due to terminal illness and suffering. I am an ethical vegan, so I do not EVER take euthanasia lightly for any animal (human or non-human), but sometimes it is the only viable option. You have done so much and my heart aches for you. May you find peace and remember his good qualities with love.

I think it is being used for people's own agendas at this point, BUT it has raised awareness and an enormous amount of money. I opted out for my own ethical reasons, but I can certainly see the monetary benefits as well as community education that has occurred. It is such a terrible illness, and one that I wish I were not so familiar with personally.

12. At 12, they were allowed to be a latch key kid until I got home from work.

I can attest to the benefits of eating iron rich foods with foods rich in Vitamin C. I am a life long anemic (hct in the mid-20s routinely). I never cared for supplimenting and just made do. I stopped eating all animal products (flesh and fluids) over a year ago, and I started paying attention to the quality of food I was eating (whole foods, mostly plants etc). I routinely have a green smoothy with 1-2 servings of fresh greens along with some fruit that contains a good amount of vitamin C for breakfast. And guess what...my hct is consistently in the mid to upper 30s (for the first time on 40 years!) with no supplements, and I am a coffee drinker as well. I hope you get it sorted out soon!

I am not paleo, but I did want to chime in and say that when I stopped eating dairy, my physical health and emotional (moods etc) health improved DRASTICALLY. I noticed a difference in under two weeks, but I think I started reaping optimal benefits in about the two to four week range. It has been more than a year and the improvements have stood the test of that time period. Good luck finding something that works for you!

Many people consume animal's milk and honey where I live.

Anything using animal flesh or fluids.

In under two weeks, I literally felt twenty years younger. I didn't have major health issues, but I never realized that I had some small aches and pains until I didn't have them anymore. One of the best decisions I ever made healthwise.

I am the only fully plant-based individual in my family. Everyone is free to make their own choices to some extent outside our home (so the kids may opt for a bit of meat or honey when with grandma etc), but I have serious health concerns where milk (particularly the protein in milk) is concerned, so I absolutely draw a line where that is concerned with my children for health reasons. For that reason, I would cut dairy. FYI: I am not trying to open a debate about health concerns over dairy. Everyone can do their own reasearch and consult their own nutritionists and/or physicians.

We spend about $500 (on just food) for 2 adults, a 9 year old, a 3 1/2 year old and a 16 month old. We eat a whole foods, plant-based diet. We save by not eating processed foods, dairy, and meat. (That's not the main reason WHY I don't buy/prepare meat/dairy, but it DOES save us in the long run.) Both adults are ususally training for an upcoming race as well. We are able to get enough nutritional support from fresh fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. We don't buy any protein powders and such. We save by using frozen fruit in our smoothies and mostly cooking from scratch. Also, since our diet has been so clean for so long, we don't have the taste for a lot of additives and expensive seasonings. We eat out maybe once a month on average. That said, while I might buy different foods for health/ethical reasons, I really think that your food budget is pretty much on target for the number of people and ages that you have. I remember how much my brothers ate as teens and it was staggering!

Meat Dairy Raw onions Cilantro (unless used VERY sparingly in a ercipe to the point of nondetection)

Did you miss the part where I said that there have always been exceptions? The AVERAGE (US) home size has more than doubled since the 1950's, and there are added costs with that kind of increase. I do not disagree that wages have been largely flat for decades versus the cost of living, but that is NOT related to the huge increase in home sizes in the past decades. Both impact one's lifestyle to be sure, and while wage levels are not so easily impacted by the individual, upsizing can be. I do not live in a 2 BR house with one bath, but that is a choice that I make based on means. I still maintain that the average family in 1950 expected less in terms of home size and amenities. See my response above about there always being exceptions whether regional or not, I was speaking averages. The same goes for two income families. I am not ultra frugal, nor did I say that those who are not ultra frugal are irresponsible or less moral. As far as extracurriculars, obviously I have no issue with a family providing those as we do as well (and only limit because of time). And I am on track for a comfortable retirement and have savings myself, so how you determined I have a problem with that, i don't know. I never said there was anything wrong with wanting more room, more cars or more of anything, but most people that complain about not being able to live the way our grandparents' generation did today, especially on one income. It is apples and oranges to compare the average in 1950 or 1960 (much smaller homes, fewer cars) to today's average. That was the whole point (largely missed, I see). My whole post was about MY family and I talked at length about what WE as a family experience and value. Referencing past AVERAGES is not a personal attack on anyone else's history or current situation. How such a benign topic/post can be misinterpreted is beyond me. I replied in earnest to the OP.

We have 5 kids, but the oldest is on her own now. I would say we are comfortable. We live in the same house I bought 8 years ago as a single mom. We have the mortgage, but we paid off our cars. We eat a whole foods, plant-based diet and shop new and thrift (DH LOVES thrifting). I try to catch sales when I can. There are few coupons for whole foods, so I do not really coupon for food items. I dropped to PT after our youngest was born and wouldn't you know we had a job loss for DH later that year! We were pretty worried about the health insurance situation as my husband is a cancer survivor, but thanks to the Affordable Care Act, we were able to get our own insurance and they could not hold DH's cancer as a reason to deny, delay or increase the premium. What a blessing the ACA was for our family! When the kids are a bit older, I will increase my hours at work and we will switch back to my insurance (which is pretty darn good!), so that will save money as well. The kids are able to participate in activities (we limit to one each for time reasons), and we give our college son $100 every two weeks for spending money. We pay for his books, but otherwise, he is on a full academic scholarship including room and board. We vacation yearly, but it is often to see family as DH's family lives quite a distance away. DS1 has been able to travel to Europe on school trips I am fortunate that if I needed to go back to work FT, I could just let them know and go right back and I could earn enough to support the family (but not as comfortably as with DH working, too!). Also, even as a PT worker, I continue to earn my years of service for my pension, so I am not getting behind in my retirement savings by being PT. We are toying with the idea of one more child, but we will make that call next year. We try to be somewhat frugal as a matter of principal and stewardship. Many years ago, I STRUGGLED to the point of just CHANGE in the bank after paying bills and HUGE credit card debt, so I am so grateful for where we are today! We could trade up for a bigger house and newer cars, but why? It wouldn't make me happier, and I think if we were willing to live on the scale that our parents/grandparents (in general, obviously, some have always been wealthy) did, more of us could afford it. We are brainwashed to believe most people lived to the same scale as the middle class family nowadays on one income back in the 50' and 60's, but in reality, most considered middle class lived in modest (most often 2 BR homes), had one car, and made most meals from scratch. And I think by living responsibly, we are in a position to help others who are trying their best, but are still struggling. There will always be very hardworking people who are having a tough times making ends meet for a variety of reasons, and I have lived through enough to know it could easily be me.

There is a documentary called Mythic Journeys. I watched it on Amazon prime or Netflix a month or two back. It explains exactly why myths are important in the larger context of our human experience and has a panel of people weigh in from a variety of backgrounds. It also covers how the definition of myth has changed through time. As a scientific and spiritual (not religious) person, I found it very informative! FYI: No, the whole documentary is not told with puppets. Once you watch, you will no why I add that! I hope you enjoy it.

I personally feel it sets a dangerous legal precedent, and there are others who feel the opposite. As far as Hobby Lobby as a company, I boycotted them years ago.

Just a thought. If at any point your teen seems open to at the least trying it out, consider a UU church. The children's RE in particular is FANTASTIC. They learn about many, many religions and even visit other temples/mosques/churches as part of the process. DH and I wish WE could attend the children's RE:)

This exactly. I was not objectively aware of the long-term increased risks associated with moderate/heavy drinking until I became employed in my line of work (where I am privy to a whole range of people's medical records and self-reports). My husband would have been what most consider a moderate drinker and ended up with a cancer very rare in men his age that is associated with heavy/mod drinking. He was only 29 and fortunately has had no recurrence since surgery. That was enough for us. He gave up alcohol and improved his diet drastically. A drink with dinner a couple nights a week or a weekend with 2+ drinks every few months if you have no social/legal problems as a result do not appear to increase the risks of many illnesses, and there is some evidence that very moderate drinking (like one serving size of alcohol daily or a few days a week) may be associated with overall longer longevity. ETA: I think if one's drinking is not affecting his or her social/legal life adversely, it is up to their own judgment how much to consume from a purely health risk standpoint. But I think it IS good for the CDC to try to make people aware of the potential risks to help them make an informed decision.

I try to avoid GMOs and eat mostly organic as well. The biggest health boost I ever felt was after I stopped eating dairy in any form. In less that 2 weeks, I felt twenty years younger. Tips for me would be just avoiding processed foods in general whenever possible. and also, ask yourself if you WANTED to could you eat the food on your plate uncooked as well. Not would they taste good but would they make you sick. I wish you continued health improvements!

As a couple of PPs stated, I have no problems with the questions asked, but I would have a problem with an incomplete exam. Also, I think our medical professionals as a whole do a very poor job assessing or even mentioning the crucial role of proper nutrition and exercise plays in our health, but that is a whole other issue.

My mom watches my youngest kids (9 (after school), 3, and 1) while I work 3 days a week. She volunteered to do so and has the kids sleep over (9 & 3) every chance she gets, too. And on the days I don't work, I see her almost every day. We live in the same town and she just loves spending time with my kids. My dad does too but he works out of town most of the time. OTOH, my MIL lived ACROSS THE STREET for years before moving last year and we would go for DAYS without hearing from her. Providing someone's health is in order, I just think some people enjoy being with children more than others. And those who don't are probably not likely to admit that so they may avoid kids or make excuses.

Easy peasy and yummy vegan bread recipe. Slice as you wish. http://www.food.com/recipe/the-easiest-simplest-vegan-bread-ever-155430 Many commercial corn tortillas are vegan, but they are so simple to make yourself, too! Just google vegan corn tortillas. If you want even more varierty in your breads, you may want to make arepas. They only take like 4 ingredients and are delicious. My husband has even experimented with adding different seasonings to change up the flavor. We eat a lot of fresh fruit for breakfast. We sometimes have yogurt with our fruit (non-dairy!). We also have fruit smoothies (variety of fruits/berries, almond milk) with a handful of leafy greens thrown in for breakfast some mornings. As a weekend (and not healthy) treat, we will occasionally have pancakes. So many Indian recipes DON'T have curry (or coconut)!!! I have a cookbook of Indian recipes and many do not have curry in them. And don't forget stir-fries! You can create an endless variety of vegetable combinations and they can be very hearty to boot! I honestly go to more "trouble" for dinner than breakfast and lunch and for that, on a good week, I try to plan out my meals for dinner. Not being a natural or intuitive cook, I generally get the recipes from a book. Tex-mex style food is one of the easiest to veganize. My favorite veggie burger recipe to date http://engine2diet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/NY-Times-Veggie-Burgers.pdf has a little kick and is SO satisfying. Some of my favorite recipes come from http://www.amazon.com/Appetite-Reduction-Filling-Low-Fat-Recipes/dp/1600940498 and http://www.amazon.com/The-Engine-Diet-Firefighters-Save-Your-Life/dp/0446506699. Finally, for a host of recipes that are delicious and primarily whole foods based (and vegand of course!), go to http://ohsheglows.com/ Good luck and don't get discouraged. As with any type of recipes, it can be trial and error to find the family favorites.

My house is tight with our growing family, and I would prefer to live on a bit of land.

I love that my late brother loaned me the down payment for my home. I love that it was the first house I ever bought AND I was a single mom of three at the time. I love that my youngest three only remember this house.