I don't have any advice, just wanted to tell you I'm sorry that you're going through this. I can only imagine how much it hurts to have this happening with your son. I know it would be so hard to follow through with your husband's plan, but I honestly think it's probably what you'll have to do. I agree with everyone saying to spell out exactly what is required of him, if he expects to continue living at home. Good luck, and lots of hugs. Keep us posted on how things turn out. I'll be thinking of you. :grouphug:

It looks neat! Thanks for sharing!

This is probably the most bizarre thing I've heard in quite some time...what the heck are some people thinking??? Did you say anything to her when she returned to pick up her kids?

We took part in a valentine swap last year, but I hadn't thought to look yet this year. My dd8 just asked me if she'd get to do it again this year, so I came to look. Unfortunately, I see you've closed out the list. If you have room for another, or if anyone else is interested in starting a new list, she'd love to participate!

This is what I was thinking, too. If your parents could be there, so the girls would have familiar and trusted people, yet have someone else come in to do most of the work. Maybe someone could come over in the mornings to handle breakfast and lunch, as well as helping to keep them entertained. Then, maybe someone else could come in to handle the afternoons, making dinner, giving baths, etc. Would the grandparents need someone to sleep over? Or would they be okay on their own through the evening, until the morning person came back over? You could make some dinners ahead and freeze them, to make that job easier. I'd pick up some new movies, so the grandparents could rely on some quiet time each day. If the girls have never seen them, maybe it will be enough of a treat that they'll stay entertained for a set amount of time, giving the grandparents time to rest and recharge. Do you have any other family or friends nearby? Any homeschool or church friends? Could the girls go to two different places, if that made it easier for finding people to help? I know that we've done something like that before. My older two were one place, the younger two were another. Sometimes that makes it easier if you know someone that would be willing to help, but couldn't manage handling all three children. Just trying to help you brainstorm, because I can't imagine having to turn down such a wonderful chance to travel! Keep thinking of options!

I'm checking out EEBA now. Thanks for sharing!

I would serve it with some mashed potatoes, and then a green veggie of some sort...it would just depend on my mood. Today it would be brussel sprouts because that sounds yummy at the moment.

Congratulations!

Yes, but the whole house is pretty much my domain, LOL. I rearrange cabinets, furniture, whole rooms, etc. It would never dawn on me to consult dh, and he's never acted as if he thought I should. It's usually fun to see when he will notice that things are different, LOL. I do try to give him an update when I change where certain towels or dishes go, so he'll be able to find them. I also give him a "heads up" when I'm going to be flipping whole rooms, but mainly because his assistance may be required. I can't imagine dh ever deciding to rearrange anything, but if he was, yes, I would expect to be consulted. I realize this sounds like I'm a total control freak, but in our marriage, this is just one of the areas that falls into my domain.

I haven't read all the posts, but I just wanted to say that I can't imagine why it would be a big deal. I was raised in a family where the amount my parents earned was not a secret. I certainly didn't know all the ins and outs of every aspect (such as savings, retirements, investments), but only because I never asked or cared. I remember my dad always cashing his payroll check, because he preferred to deal in cash. One of my earliest money memories is thinking, and saying out loud, how much money that was when it was sitting next to his wallet on the table. I think I said something about us being rich! I remember my dad sitting down and taking the time to portion out the money, showing me how much would go to mortgage, how much to insurance, etc. It was a lesson that really showed me how much it took to run our household. It was a lesson to show me that we were comfortable, but not rich. I remember seeing my mom's pay stub many years later, as a teenager, and realizing how much came out for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, for her 401K, for taxes, and for a charity through her employer that she donated to. She made good money as the head nurse of our ER, but I remember realizing how much money was lost to all of these other things. Once again, a good lesson in Gross vs. Net. While in college, I worked for my father and helped run the payroll for his company. He was always willing to show me his own check, and talk about all of those deducted amounts - what they were for, etc. Both of my parents made sure we understood the ins and outs of finances, and didn't feel that their incomes were secrets. We were raised that all of this information was private of course, and that we didn't go blabbing our family's business to friends at school. But we weren't made to feel that it was somehow something that was so mysterious that we couldn't be privy to it. Our children are being raised in much the same way. Dh has an income partially decided by commission, so that has given a whole different set of things to learn about budgeting, etc. It's just not a big deal for us.

I came home checking for the original thread to get an update, and found this one. I'm so glad you decided to give an update. Your daughter and your family have been in my thoughts all day. :grouphug:

I did see it, with dh. He loves Led Zeppelin, and we love music in general, so this was fantastic. I noticed Plant tearing up, too. Thought it was wonderfully done!

Ooh, those sound good! I'll definitely have to try out that recipe! Thanks for sharing!

Dd8 had eczema as a baby and toddler. It actually lingered into her preschool years, but we haven't had to deal with it in a long time. The doctor told me to pat her off after her bath or shower, but not to rub her dry all the way. He said to leave her slightly damp and to moisturize. We used vaseline sometimes, along with specialty lotions and creams with varying results. Oh, and it was important to not do a hot bath or shower. This one was hard for me, because our family typically loves a really hot shower. But for eczema, lukewarm is best. When she had a bad flare up, nothing worked better than a mild hydrocortisone cream. That would typically clear it up quickly.

Dh and I will be home with the kids, so there are 6 of us. We end up with a lot, because dd17 is a vegetarian, so I feel the need to add on a variety so she doesn't feel left out from the rest of us carnivores! :laugh: We'll have sausage/cheese balls, proscuitto and mozzarella roll, some boneless buffalo chicken thingies, dry salami, cheese tray made from all the leftover cheeses from Christmas, potato skins (ds19 insists on these), jalapeno poppers, and mozzarella sticks. I do have some wine, and we have a sparkling cider for the kids. Tomorrow I'll make a breakfast casserole and biscuits and gravy. Then we'll have the traditional collard greens and black-eyed peas (for those of us that will eat it). I've even found a decent recipe for the greens that doesn't use any meat. I hope dd17 appreciates how much I love her, LOL. I've also picked up sandwich fixings for those that aren't wanting the traditional meal. I have a couple of frozen pies (cherry and apple), so I'll probably bake those this evening for our dessert tonight and tomorrow. Yummm...I love holiday times and all the special food! Which reminds me...diet to begin after New Year's Day! :laugh:

What kind of things/activities do you do to celebrate Advent? I know that wasn't part of the original question, but I'd love ideas for that, too. I like the treasure hunt idea. I think my kids would enjoy it.

My family is new to celebrating Christmas past the 25th of December. Even before we converted to the Episcopal church, we would leave the tree up until the new year, because we hated to see Christmas "go." I'm curious about how others celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, and the Epiphany or Theophany. We're still new to this, and trying to build our own customs and traditions. So far this basically means that we don't turn Christmas "off" in our home. We still play the music, watch the movies we didn't finish, etc. But I'm really interested in how others celebrate. I liked the idea presented in the Christmas tree thread about exchanging family gifts on the 6th. Anyone care to share? I'm curious about things you do during the 12 Days, and any special things you do on the 6th, etc. Thanks!

:crying: well, that is kinda creepy...I mean, I can't imagine someone moving over 70 times, although I guess it's possible. But, what in the world does Josh 1 mean? I mean, did someone know they were being replaced by Josh number 2??? :confused1: weird!

My brother is a plumber, and he tells me that even in modern construction, it just isn't wise to flush tampons. I even asked him about new construction, and he said they eventually you will see issues from it if it is done. They are meant to be absorbent, and so instead of breaking down, they swell in size. They may appear small, and not much larger than other things that are flushed (bm, toilet paper), but the problem is, what you see before you flush is a tampon that could not swell too much, due to the limitations of your body. I mean, it can only get so big whilst inside of a person (sorry, not quite sure how to explain that delicately...). The tampon swells larger once allowed to soak in the wonderfulness of your septic tank or sewer system.

Christmas Eve morning we will have gingerbread for breakfast. The kids also open one gift early, which is always the crappy cereal I refuse to buy throughout the year. They each get their own box, so tomorrow morning (or technically, this morning) they will have cocoa pebbles, cocoa puffs, reese's puffs, and fruit loops. They usually manage to still have some for Christmas morning, too. Christmas Eve is when we have both sides of the family over to our home. The food will be set up buffet style for grazing. We'll have a spiral ham plus an assortment of finger foods. For now, this includes: meat tray (with salami, prosciutto roll, summer sausage, etc) veggie tray cheese tray (smoked gouda, cheddars, brie, etc) relish tray (kosher dill pickles, black olives, green olives, garlic stuffed olives, pickled okra, etc) shrimp ring sausage/cheddar balls brown sugar coated little smokies wrapped in bacon meatballs chicken wings chips and dip 7 Layer Mexican dip (dh's aunt brings this) and then whatever anyone else chooses to bring to add to the table. I'll also have pie, cupcakes, candies, cookies, etc. on a side dessert buffet. My parents usually end up bringing even more sweets, usually cakes and pies. For Christmas morning, we have a breakfast casserole made with hashbrowns, sausage, and eggs. There will be biscuits and gravy, and blueberry muffins for those with a sweet tooth. We'll make a sit-down meal for just dh, the kids, and myself. Since we'll have such a big breakfast, and there will be leftover appetizers from the night before, we'll probably eat on the later side of the day. For now our plans are to have: roasted turkey (currently defrosting in my fridge) mashed potatoes and gravy stuffing (made with veggie broth since dd17 is a vegetarian) green bean casserole sweet potatoes broccoli mac and cheese deviled eggs cranberry sauce (mainly because we forgot to have any on Thanksgiving, LOL) crescent rolls Dessert will be any of the leftovers from the huge amount of sweets the night before! If dd17 sees any other veggie she'd like thrown in, then we'll cook that, too, LOL! We'll definitely be eating on leftovers for several days!

Gifts that are from us to the kids, or from the kids to each other, go under the tree as they are wrapped. Santa comes by on Christmas Eve and brings the majority of what they receive, and stuffs their stockings (along with mom and dad's stockings, and a stocking each for the dog, the cat, the guinea pig, and the goats...). :laugh: Their stockings are placed somewhere in the room with their Santa gifts arranged all around. Santa doesn't wrap, and he even takes some things out and assembles them. Things are spread out, with one child having their gifts positioned near the fireplace, the other one on and around a chair, one in front of the TV table, and one by the desk. This definitely causes the room to look like it exploded with gifts, especially since there are 4 of them. It was the same way when I was growing up. Santa never actually quit coming, even once I was an adult living at home. So, I don't anticipate that he'll quit coming here either. I like it that way!

I just pulled up directions on Google, and it says we're traveling approximately 27 miles. It has the time at 38 minutes, which is about right. I typically make the trip in just 30 minutes, but I have a heavy foot, LOL. We're definitely in the country, but there are closer churches. In fact, there is one within walking distance. After much searching, this is the church that fits us, and so far it has been worth the extra time.

Could it be one of those things you fill with rice and heat up for your neck?

The blog link isn't working for me. Really want to see the recipe!

Congratulations! I agree, babies are a blessing. Your dd is blessed to have a mom she can talk to and depend on, even when things may not seem ideal. You've done a good job. I'm sure your new grandbaby will be equally blessed by having you for a grandma.