I know people that didn't breastfeed, because they thought it was gross, but are still supportive of other people breastfeeding. Ime with them it's a matter of not good for me, but good for you anyway. I don't know anyone that believes it's something that shouldn't ever be done, iow I don't know anyone that abhorrs it. Just people that don't want to be a part of it (men and women).

Where can I get that program? We're in VA too and dd just turned 15, I have no idea where to start. Help, please :D

:grouphug: I hope it all goes well. Does the vet have any idea why the dog eats so much plastic? It almost seems like she's targeting it. Could some raw hide help?

:iagree: If we were in one of those states (where they get min wage) the way we tip would change drastically. The we would only tip according to service. It seems silly to customarily give a gift to someone whose income already relies upon you going there (we rarely tip owners for instance). IOW, pay the bill and you've paid part of their check. I read an article about a man that would put his tip on the table when he sat down. It would start off as a stack of ones amounting to 20% of what he planned on spending. He would tell his server that this was their tip. For the rest of the meal, if his drink went empty, if they forgot his ashtray (this was an old article), or if service was subpar, he would take a dollar from the stack each time. I could not imagine doing it myself, but the idea appeals to me. Everything's on the table. I will tip well, but only if you deserve it, not because I eat here often and am hoping for good service next time I come in. At the same time, if that stack dwindled too low I guess you wouldn't get any service at all.

I try to keep them home, but sometimes we have to go out. We don't have twenty four hour grocery stores here, so if dh has to work late and we need something (like propane), then out we go. In a perfect world we'd just stay home.

:grouphug: Another option could be camping (in warmer weather). If you were to get an RV, even better. Home on wheels. :iagree:

:lol:

Oh my goodness gracious YES! We went on the hs cruise right after Thanksgiving. I had no idea that a vacation was supposed to feel like that. We were going to try and pull off a cruise once every few years... after this first one we're ready to find work on a ship :lol: We're working on going again this year. As far as value goes, you can't beat a cruise. We've only been on Carnival, so I can't say anything about the other lines, I just know that we went and kept waiting for the fine print... something, anything... but there were no hidden charges, no surprises, nothing. It was amazing. We both still have the warm fuzzies over money well spent.

I thought the same thing. That's why we started using it for 5th. We still do outside writing (letters and dictation), but I didn't see that as supplementing so much as... writing letters and practicing dication. :lol:

I had my last child at age 26, dh was 31. (I mention dh's age, because - as another poster mentioned - dh's age by the time our youngest reaches adulthood has been a consideration). Granted, neither of us are 'fixed' so we could be surprised at any moment :p any regrets (about the timing)? If I would've known I was going to have another child (all three have been our 'last' child up until their sibling happened along), then I would have had him sooner. There are five years between each one of our three children. IOW, I have a teen, tween, and youngun.' In five years I will have a young adult (20), a teen, and a tween. Really, my future for the next twenty years just looks desperately stressful. thoughts on its effects on you? See above. Our ages, dh and I, aren't so much of a factor as their age spread. 26 is when a lot of people start having children, I do look forward to 'retiring' young though :p your marriage? :lol: We started our married lives with dd. Luke just meant another five years before we could sell everything and run away :lol: We'll still be young empty nesters (44 and 49), we just won't be as young as we'd originally hoped. your children? They will have experience with young married life :lol: Really, I do wish we would have waited longer, but what's done is done. That doesn't mean I want to give up my foggy dreams of living off the back of a bike at 44 :lol: My youngest is growing up with parents that are standard parenting age, if anything he's the luckiest of all. the goods? Living off a bike at 44. Dh and I get to be wreckless and wild while we're still young enough to be wreckless and wild :lol: the bads? Babies are snuggly and soft and if I had one now I would (probably) be a much better parent. We are more capable now of starting off "right." What ifs are pretty sucky too. :iagree:

I'm glad the dogs are okay. :grouphug: :confused: What kind of consequences? They definitely need help with their medications. Carrying it around in a plastic baggie can degrade the medications and losing them... well that's not so good either. I do think they should get the daily pill boxes (go for a two week one, less pills left in bottles that way). However, those things can seem really complicated (I don't know why, but I've seen people look at them like they're some unsolvable puzzle). It could be that you or dh need to fill the boxes for them. Either way, pill boxes and dogs in crates would save you a lot of money, time, and stress. :iagree:

Puppies do tend to pee for everything. My parents' puppies pee all over themselves when I go over there. Sometimes they even soak my shoes/pants leg. They pee for love and joy. It's sweet, yet gross.

Carnival Cruise. All you have to do is... nothing. And the kids get to go to camp every day for hours and hours for ... free. I didn't know a vacation could be relaxing. Or maybe it was that I didn't remember what feeling relaxed was like? All I know is, we only went for five days and it was wonderful.

Is she there all day? Could the puppy possibly "run away" while she's out? If you found a loose dog and tied it up in your own yard, then the dog warden could come pick it up. ETA... Up and down duplex :( :grouphug: It doesn't leave you many options then.

OP, is your ds learning phonics? I have found that phonics help clear up a lot of the baby talk (some of it is the result of not really knowing the words... just like when an adult gets the wrong words to a song). As for the rest, if he's trying to communicate with another person he must speak clearly, or else they're sure not to understand him ;) However, if he's playing :shrug: it could be worse. My older ds likes to use various accents in play... I just hope there's something useful in his ability to mimic.

I think it helped that when I was learning I didn't have an alternate (drive a manual or don't drive at all). I plan on doing the same with our dc. Of course, we'll have to get a car with a manual trans, :lol:

I slept through three years of Algebra (I/II/Geometry), hated science until I reached Biology, was bored to tears in most of my classes and was at the bottom of the social pecking order. Not a big fan of school :p Our hs is not schoolish. Jo does much of the same work (ah Algebra, ye old nemesis), but her reading list is way more compelling, she LOVES history (I slept through it) and she's at the top of the social food chain (:lol:). She also gets a vote on what classes to take, she plans most of her own schedule, and is free to bury herself in a book for most of the day if she wants to, so that the time she spends on other subjects is actually used for those subjects (rather than wondering what's going to happen next in the book).

I take it all to be literally God's word, however there are different styles of writing employed and have to be understand as such. I don't believe Solomon's wife really had the eyes of a deer, for instance. I don't believe that God literally takes us beside literal still waters or that there is a specific place that is the valley of the shadow of death. These things are symbolic, still waters are safety and peace, the valley of the shadow of death is an emotional/spiritual place.

Lol, my first driving lesson from Dad was how to carry my keys so I was armed like Wolverine :lol: That last one is SO important. I'm always amazed at how happy and willing people will take drinks from strangers. ETA, I didn't mean to imply that kicking someone in the groin should be a go-to. I know from experience that there can be a measure of concern (I don't want to hurt them! or That wouldn't be fair!) even while a person is being victimized. At that moment, when I remembered what my dad said and threw consideration out the window (and my fingers up his nose :p), that's when I saved myself. Kicking someone in the groin, for some, is the epitome of line-crossing. Well, when you're attacked, there is no line anymore. Ram your fingers up their nose, kick them in the face, and haul hiney out of there.

I don't think it's either/or. Dd was not taught grammar in school (we started hsing in 8th grade). She only started formal grammar lessons this year (9th). She is a grammar fanatic at this point. Ds the elder started grammar in 2nd grade. He hasn't learned it all yet (5th), but every year it becomes more and more involved. By high school he will have a firm grasp of grammar, inside out and backwards, just like he will have a firm grasp of reading and the vocabulary that goes with it.

I've read a few books (my favorite was borrowed and I can't remember the title :() and my dad taught me a number things. I voted other. Does a hs informal self defense class count? :lol: I probably should have voted yes. ETA, I think information, rather than "moves," is a better idea. If you want moves take martial arts (like so many pps already posted). One of Dad's bits of wisdom was that you don't stop until your attacker is unable to chase you. Another, that I feel is important, is "there is no 'fair' when you're defending yourself." IOW, jab them in the eyes, claw them, kick em in the pelvic bone, use a chair/bottle/plastic bag/whatever presents itself. Those two pieces of advice, I feel, are a good grounding for self-defense.

Dh and I learned how to put diapers on backwards with our youngest. It was the only way to keep his diapers on. :lol: My uncle does the same thing. He is so focused on the 'big' stuff that little stuff (like clothing) takes a back seat. A lot of parents don't know these things. Dh has run 'clinics' with the Cub Scouts (oil changes, tire rotation, &tc). What is incredible is how many questions he gets from the parents (the Scouts tend to be happy playing with the tools) that he thought all adults already knew. There is also a serious dislike for manuals that seems, imo, to be pervasive in society. That's not limited to cars. I admit to putting together many things without bothering with the instructions.... only to go back to the manual when I realize it's not working properly. For some reason we assume these things (we being me and anyone who wants to come with me :lol:) will come to us naturally. Of course I can change a belt in my vacuum, how hard can it ???? Okay, Mom stories :D She put diesel in her car (fyi, if you get to a shop quick enough they can drain your tank and save your car) because ... well, she heard it burns better. She had no idea you couldn't just switch. She also bleached her teeth once ... take a guess ... with Clorox. Yeah. In some ways she's knock your socks off incredible. She comes up with the greatest ideas (and they WORK) for super cheap super cool projects. Then she bleaches her teeth with bleach. You have to love my mom. Dh and I have both used the wrong soap in a dishwasher. Neither of us had them growing up and soap's soap, right? :lol: The first time I drove a clutch I forgot to hold it when I stopped. I had managed to slam on the brakes when this monsterous deer stepped out (and stopped) infront of me. Panic set in when the car started lurching towards the deer while I was holding the brake to the floor. I thought the car was intent upon killing the deer :lol: The car owner was yelling, but to me it seemed like he was just yelling because his car had been taken over by some hellish demon bound and determined to take on the buck. Eventually the word, "CLUTCH CLUTCH CLUTCH" came through my mental fog :lol: That was a lesson I'll never forget.:auto:

It could be something as simple as retaining water. Definitely go to the doctor's office, but try not to worry too much :grouphug: The answer could be something simple and easy to remedy, remember that :D

Towel folding: Longways in half, in half again. Then turn and fold into thirds, right? Otherwise, you're doing it wrong ;)

That is the best idea ever. Yoink! Thank you :D