Stupid things kids do. Twin DD #2 comes downstairs to show me a HUGE welt on the back of her leg. Then proceeds to tell me that Twin DD #1 smacked her with a belt! :glare::glare: Twin #1 says that she "didn't mean too". Um...right. Maybe you didn't mean to leave a giant welt....but ya meant to swing it at your sister. Kids!

Scars are just a road map to the past. My dh and I both have our share of fairly minor ones....our kids have heard the stories behind most of them.

He had a great day today. His sense of humor is back, he had a shower (so he smells loads better :) ), and the doc said he could have the beginnings of a soft food diet. He is also weaning off the pain pump and may be able to start oral meds soon. When he gets off the IV, he gets to go home :auto: We have felt the power of prayer through this, and the comfort of God's hand.

Yes. As far as I know Christ said to follow Him. He did not say become a Catholic or Protestant or any other religious branch. ( I get miffed over denominations and such :glare:)

We are definitely DIY folks here too. Mine is partly naivety. It just never occurs to me that I can't/shouldn't do stuff. I get an idea to do something and I just do it! It took me awhile to realize that not everyone thinks that way. (I mean doesn't everyone teach themselves how to can food, grow a garden, sew clothes, paint walls, and tile a kitchen? :lol:) That's also why I'm flabbergasted when folks say they could never homeschool! Or don't I worry about high school....it has just never occured to me that I CAN'T do it.

Another update He had a horrible day yesterday and last night. (I think everything just hit him...he was a wreck). But after getting up and doing a lot of walking today, and having clear liquids, he is doing much, much better. I'm sitting here watching him sleep :) His NG tube is out, and he feels human again. Thanks so much for all the prayers.

:grouphug:Prayers!

I got married at 16...so talking from experience here.. Talk to your kids. Let them SEE how you deal with things in everyday life, and how you deal with being a grown up. I think one of the biggest disservices parents do to their kids these days is shelter them from every bad thing they can. Tell them how your finances work, why you are stressed about something called insurance, what in the world a debt is, show them how to find out information when you have a problem. Make sure they have GOOD male role models in their lives. They need to see what a decent, responsible man is like (whether they are a boy or a girl) Men have a bad rap these days, and they need to know that it's not OK to BE a deadbeat or to marry one. By the time they are entering puberty, they should be well on their way to being able to run a household. My girls all know how to clean and cook. They don't always choose to DO it, but the knowledge is there. And BE THERE for them. My parents failed miserably at this my whole life, but one of the things that has held my marriage together is my dh's parents. They have been there for us unconditionally. Show them how couples should love each other. Be kind to your spouse and let them see it. But also let them see that it is WORK to stay married. Although in today's world I DON'T recommend marriage at 16, I think that between 18-25 are great years to start a family.

Update: Dh is doing pretty well. His fever is gone and his white blood cell count looks like it should under the circumstances. He is fighting a lot of nausea (he is in phenegren land at the moment :001_smile:) He had a rough day yesterday, and was kind of depressed last night. He seems to be doing better this morning. The doctor said it will be at least a week in the hospital. They slowly have to get his digestive system working again, and make sure the infection is under control. Thank you for all the prayers.

Thanks. I love that photo. Honestly I was completely freaked out at the level of pain he had. They maxed out the dosage on the strongest stuff they had in the ER and it wasn't touching it. I held it together pretty good until I had to call his parents and tell them. Them I had to go where he couldn't hear me because I turned into a blubbering mess. I'm still worried sick. It's not over by a long shot.

No. It really isn't a direct result of his back/neck surgery at all, but I think his lowered immune system made it worse. He apparently has Diverticulitis throughout his colon (we knew he had a few issues, but hadn't had them thouroughly checked out yet) It became inflamed to the point of rupture. He also has peritonitis to the point of large amounts of pus in his abdomen. We didn't know any of this was going on at all until yesterday evening. He hasn't felt well for a while..but he's been on many medications and just had surgery for his neck problems. The docs have said that he was lucky he was brought in when he was. As it is, he has a long road ahead to fight off the infection. ETA: please excuse typos. I'm running on about an hours sleep since Monday night.

My dh had to have emergency surgery this morning to remove a section of perforated colon. He has a (temporary for 2 months) colostomy now, and a great deal of infection (periontitis) to heal up. DD and I were coming home from a seminar yesterday afternoon when he called and told me he was having abdominal pain. By 11PM we were in the ER. His parents are coming in tonight or tomorrow. Please, keep him and our family in your prayers. This was his second surgery in a week, and they were unrelated. This one was a shock to us both.

Almost all the names I loved, that we didn't use, were because dh hated them..lol. Except one: Makenna Taylor. That was for my first dd, but my mom passed away and we ended up naming dd after her. I also loved Zoe for a girl and Perrin for a boy. Dh REALLY disliked both. :glare: Then there are the family names I learned of AFTER all the girls were born, or belonged to the wrong sex. Like Nora Caldonia. One of my girls would have been named that, had I heard it in time. And Matsfield...but that's a boy name.

Well...pick a child. DD14: Because her friend's mom was mean to her (the friend). Much sympathy crying over the phone. (btw, the mom was "mean" because she yelled at her for failing grades at school) DD11 (not technically a teen, but has the body and hormones of one) because of the Boston Tea Party. Really. DD11 #2 nothing recently :001_huh: I'm in for it soon I'm sure.

I am missing one of those two teeth. Most people never notice. My teeth are fine, plus I got the bonus of not inheriting the overlapping front teeth that runs in my family. My dh actually had his eye teeth pulled to make room in his mouth. You can't tell. He will likely be fine, and have plenty of room for all his teeth. :D

There is a quote that I've used regarding my nephew (the only boy out of 6 grandkids) "Boy: a noise with dirt on it" And I agree, they don't outgrow it. My dh's latest trick is walking around the house randomly making a noise from the Charlie the Unicorn videos.

Almond milk is a great substitute for drinking/cereal, but soy or rice milk are better for using in savory recipes. Coconut milk is great in baking. You'll have to try the various cheese substitutes to see if there is one you like. I have yet to find one that I like better than just doing without. Are there certain things you'd like to make that need a substitute?

So sorry Peela. It's so hard when you get slammed with so much at once, no matter how expected it was. :grouphug:

:grouphug: Praying that your surgery goes well, and for your continued peace of mind.

I don't remember much about it, with the exception of my 10th grade English teacher. She was bent on beating proper grammar into the heads of the backwards teens of the small TN town I grew up in. Pretty much everyone hated her, but I learned more from her than in any other English class.

You've gotten good advice so far. Some things to note: Cooked potatoes get mushy/mealy after a trip through the freezer. So does pasta if it's in a liquid. If you are making soups (such as vegetable and chicken noodle) make the main part of the soup, but don't add potatoes or pasta. Add those to the pot as you reheat the soup and they'll cook quickly enough. BBQ pork will be fine in the freezer. Freeze it with the juices and fat that is produced when cooking and it will be pretty moist. You can freeze in your casserole dishes, lined with foil. Then when frozen, pop the foil and food out, wrap well and put it back in the freezer. Freezing portion sized foods in lined muffin cups works well too, then you can toss them all in a ziplock.

My DD11 has to do a research paper on the Boston Tea Party (her topic choice out of any historical event) As often happens, we've hit a snag when it comes to an idea that isn't black and white. (This is my dd with Aspie tendancies) So, what reduced her to tears today was the idea of a goal VS what actually happened. She has several books she's using as resources. There are a few lines that are really throwing her. One: That the Colonists paid little attention (in the beginning) to the tax on tea (due to smuggling) Two: The goal of British Parliment was to 1. reduce the price of tea enough that the smuggled tea wasn't cheaper 2. stop the smuggling of tea and 3. to prove that the Colonists cared more about saving money than having representation. Opinions of the actual event aside, how can I help her grasp abstract thoughts such as these? She is upset that the book implies (rightly so) that the goals didn't happen. And, since they didn't care about the tea, why all the fuss? "Then why does it say that if it didn't happen?" She thinks it contradicts itself. I have tried explaining to her that just because something is a goal that it doesn't always happen. This is my child that struggles with social cues, hates change, and wants everything to be black and white. Every writing project that requires abstract thought is a struggle. It would be so easy to give her a more black and white topic, but real life doesn't work that way, and I would like to give her some skills to think "outside the box" so to speak. I know this is probably rambling...sorry!

My cooking when I lived at home consisted of warming up canned food or making hamburger helper. The first year of marriage was much of the same. Then two things happened: First, we started making enough money that I could spend more than $10 a week on food. Second, my MIL started showing me how to make a few things. I found out I love to cook and have been learning ever since. I'm not half bad ;) At age 11, my twins are awesome cooks. My 14 year old, she just isn't as interested. She CAN cook a few things, but doesn't have the desire.

:iagree: My 14 year old does this with ALGEBRA! I can't ADD numbers in my head, let alone solve quadratic equations...lol

I tried that for a while. However, I have twins doing the same grade level. I got tired of trying to decipher subtle differences in handwriting :lol: Now it is pretty much...if there isn't a name on it, I'm going to assume you haven't done the work until a name magically appears.