I would post that smiley face with the popcorn bucket, but that isn't on my diet. I lose weight best when I diet and exercise...or at least keep really busy so that I am not nibbling all the time. My body is really good at storing calories for the famine that never comes. A small plate loaded with veggies and a piece of fish or chicken is my best friend. Rinsing it immediately and not going back for seconds is helpful. I read something funny the other day about the S Diet...No Seconds, No Sugar, No Snacking. I am hoping that the warmer spring weather will get me moving. Good luck to you :)

Years ago, B.C., dh "laid down" his motorcycle to avoid being hit by a driver :glare: We had a deal and dh sold his motorcycle right after our firstborn was born. I'm glad that he has only minor injuries. Moving is such a stressful thing and an ill child is emotionally and physically exhausting for moms. Hang in there :)

It almost makes me wish that we had more than 3 sheep....

We have "ArtWorks for Kids" and "How to Teach Art to Children" by Evan-Moor. They have a nice variety of projects. The local library has an entire section of arts and crafts books in the children's section that has given inspiration, too. The dc love Sculpey clays.

We visited the Oregon Trail Museum in Baker City once. We have traveled the backroads around Fossil visiting the old family ranch (following a detailed letter of instructions written by my dh's late aunt.) Champoeg State Park has a little display and a pioneer school that we have attended. When we are on the road we stop at forts, lighthouses, and covered bridges. I enjoyed visiting all the California missions when we were growing up. They made for lasting memories.

Ouch! I've fallen holding a baby and it seems that there is a quick conscious effort to spare the little one injury. Should you contact the eye doctor about the infections? It sounds like they may be spreading something in their office. I hope that you are feeling better soon.

Poor guy! Our ds had poison oak head to ankle last summer and benedryl was a help. The pediatrician gave us a prescription ointment, too, but you couldn't use it close to the eyes. It was Fluocinolone and he went through a couple of tubes. It worked better than hydrocortisone. Medrol dosepaks can be used, but they are pretty powerful drugs and we held out using the ointment and benedryl. Baking soda and water paste can ease the itch, too. I hope that he clears up quickly.

:iagree:

I'm thinking that this may be one of those regional things that I picked up from my parents? We enjoy studying words and expressions. On the West Coast we pronounce the "l" in "palm" and the good people at BJU list it as a silent letter. On the subject of teaching what we don't enjoy....I rush through diacritical marks.

Do you mean irregardless??

:iagree:This sums up what we think, too. Poor child. There are many reasons for not eating and none for her abuse of him.

What if you start a "Blessing Box?" Label a large cardboard box and enlist the family to add items to it that they have outgrown that could bless someone else. When the box is full take it to Goodwill and start another box. Likewise, they could start a "Recycle Box" with old magazines, books, paper, etc. that could be put out for paper recycling. I go through our house with an eye for what "blesses" and what "burdens" us and cull accordingly. We always have a bag or a box in the back of the van to donate and encourage the kids to part with items before birthdays and holidays to keep a "balance" in the house. Even then, their drawers and shelves overflow with plenty. I do hide dh's old work t's and wait a few weeks before they show up in the rag closet. He doesn't usually mind once the habit of wearing them has been broken. I have been burning our really old first readers as our youngest finishes reading them...they are too grubby to be a blessing to anyone and we've loved them too much to throw them in the trash. I'm the one having a little trouble letting those go. I hope that you find a peaceful solution.

Parsley

We have a similar problem here with allergies and sensitivities to yeast, sugars, etc. Cream of rice cereal with a spoonful of ground flax appeals to our ds, 5. Is he allowed a little Stevia? Chicken stir fry is a favorite with carrots, garlic and cabbage served with rice. Sardines and rice crackers actually delighted him for awhile. :tongue_smilie: I offered them with great enthusiasm. Millet can be spiced up like rice. If he is allowed apple, they are a treat baked with a little cinnamon. Elijah enjoys a cup of hot tea now and then. Good luck with the "cleansing." I know that our dc benefit from following their own restrictions, but it is very challenging.

How awful. I would think that meals would be most appreciated. Maybe someone could organize a schedule and keep hot meals coming for a few weeks?

:iagree:The baby may still need time for the lungs to mature. Early babies have more jaundice, too. Patience is the best course.

I fought letting HP into the house for a long time. I finally read them myself and gave the go ahead to the older children. I had seen the book parties with children dressed up as witches and wizards and was very put off. The kids have enjoyed the books as fun, well developed stories and nothing sinister. We love the Anne of Green Gables series :)

Thank you for sharing! He is a cutie :)

This thread is bringing back so many memories....stitches, KNEX up a little nose, food poisoning (the most expensive hot dog ever), broken bone, split chin, etc. Last week we were sent to the ER for a chest x-ray, then detoured to out-patient, it all turned out fine, but today dd is running a fever and I can't think of anywhere else she could have picked up a germ. We haven't been anywhere since.

I'm glad that your little one is feeling better. ER trips for me have been one of those "gut feeling" sort of things. One time, the trip to the ER in the cold night air broke the fever for one of our dc. I was signing him in at the counter and he vomited. His fever broke within minutes. They ran tests and said it was viral not bacterial and we returned home. He was fine after that, but he had been very feverish and we couldn't bring it down in the usual ways at home. I don't regret the ER trip....one way or the other it worked. I took our first dd to the ER with a suspected broken leg in 1985. No one thought it was broken but me. She had stopped crying the moment I picked her up at the playground, but her initial cry had been something different and worse than anything I had ever heard from her. I took her in and the ER staff had us wait. She was astride my hip. She asked to use the bathroom and they directed us there. I helped her and then we waited for our turn. Immediately after taking the x-ray the technician came to my side and said, "We are not moving her. The leg is broken. No one thought the leg was broken." Sometimes Mom just knows and has to act on her feelings. Dh and I have an agreement that if I think they need an ER visit and it turns out to be a false alarm, there is no penalty, lol

This sums up our response pretty well. Our kids haven't dated until 18 or later. They don't need to practice "breaking up" and "moving on."

:iagree:

I'm not sure if it is a quiver yet, but we have nine dc. It has been exhausting/frustrating juggling morning sickness, colicky newborns, noisy toddlers, oral phonics instruction, Spanish, music, history, counting bears, geometry, wedding dress shopping trips, babysitting the grandbaby for two years (before I cried Uncle), health crisis, and LIFE. I'm inclined to think that every mother questions whether she is good enough or doing a good job from time to time. I think that my dc have received a strong course in Reality 101 :) The older kids haven't expressed any regrets in our home educating them.....dd, 26, ds, 25, ds, 22, ds, 20. I am still juggling dd, 14, ds, 13, dd, 10, dd, 8, and ds, 5. One thing that we do is put the books away between 2 and 3 each afternoon and set them free to play, cook, create freely, and there is no homework in the evenings unless they pick up a book to read. We only take short school breaks and work a lighter schedule in the summer.

Well, since I am their mom, I am their very first teacher whether they go on to private or public schooling or continue at home. I would teach them speech, colors, numbers, names, manners, Bible stories, my values, and share whatever wisdom the moment called for. We did have the oldest dd in school for a couple of trials and I really disliked the curriculum, homework demands, and world views being taught. Teaching the children at home and balancing motherhood is interesting. When a dc says they "hate" a book or they are struggling with a method we can simply toss it aside and choose something better for them. The "mom" in me can do what a ps teacher could not. I can give them a hug, a pat, a kiss, and a day off! If the teacher side is dominating the relationship, maybe an adjustment is needed? I hope this comes across right...we do work hard, but we try to be relaxed about it.

Just what I was thinking. I'd start packing.