Following!!

No, I do not believe four online classes is too much. My youngest, who will be 9th grade in the fall, will be in four online classes with Landry. He has been taking science online for a couple of years. My 12th grader has everything online and has done fine. My kids are pretty average academically and I have no doubt they will do well. Good luck!

Geez! Wow...just no words. Seriously, a basketball game?

I live in the Charlotte metro area. There are lots of great areas all around Charlotte. I live in Cabarrus Co. I would probably avoid Gastonia, but there may be those who like that area. It has a reputation for high crime. I would also avoid Uptown Charlotte, unless they had a lot more money to spend. For $130,000 you could buy a small home that probably needed some updating. I believe the median house price for our area is around $240k but there are many nice homes below that. Good luck to your family!

The No S diet doesn't ban any types of food, as long as they aren't desserts on week days. Adding sweeteners is also discouraged but I add a little to my hot tea each morning. So fruit is great but ice cream is a no-no.

I have followed the No S Diet for approximately 3 years. I have lost 22 pounds and am a size 4. The diet is super simple and requires no special foods. The principles are No Sweets, No Snacks, and No Seconds except on days that start with "S", Saturdays, Sundays, and Special occasions. My weight loss has been slow but steady. I eat three times a day and nothing else. It was hard at the beginning but now it's normal. There is a book you can purchase but it's not necessary. The website is very helpful with a forum. Plus it's FREE! Sorry if this sounds like an infomercial! http://nosdiet.com

I have not read all the comments so I may be repeating what others have said. Eating disorders have the HIGHEST mortality rate of any psychological disorder. I have personal experience with this. The heart can be severely and permanently damaged. Bones aren't receiving the proper minerals so osteoporosis may be setting in. It is EXTREMELY important that this child receive professional help. Finding the right therapist is crucial and can take some time and trial and error. This will NOT get better on its own. You may need to explain that their daughter's life is at stake! The longer she goes without professional help the worse her outcome may be. I cannot stress enough how important professional help is!!! If her child had a heart condition, would they take her to the doctor? If she had diabetes, cancer, muscular dystrophy??? This is just as serious. Hoping your friend gets her daughter the help she so desperately needs.

Yes! I would like to enjoy my holidays again! I read this quote and it resonated with me: "Stay away from people who make you feel you're hard to love."

Thank you for sharing. It's helpful to know we aren't alone.

Hello Hive, Seriously, I need WWYD advice and not JAWM. Background: My husband and I have been married for 20 years. I've always thought my in-laws were a bit strange and the feeling is probably mutual. They are very different culturally from my family. They are from the deep South. My grandparents were from the Midwest and transplanted to Texas. I grew up in a lot of different places but didn't identify with one geographical location. My FIL was a professional athlete and life revolved around him and his career. I was raised Catholic and they are all Born Again Evangelical Christians. Once my husband and I were married we moved near them and I became a Protestant. I tried very hard to be more like them. I wanted them to like me. They are super nice people but are rather self centered. They frequently promised things to my children and never delivered. Usually it was promises to spend time with them but if another more interesting opportunity arose they would ditch my kids. I began to seriously resent them. I finally had an epiphany after a close death in my family and decided I had to be myself. I could no longer try to be someone else. That's when the problems really began. I returned to Catholicism (after 15 years as a Protestant) and my husband and two of our four children converted. At the time they believed that I was pushing my husband in that direction but he was as passionate about Catholicism as I was. My husband sat them down and explained why he was converting. Since then they have had little to do with our children who converted. We live 10 minutes away and they see them a handful of times a year. They have spent much more time with our oldest two, who did not convert. The oldest two are girls and the younger two are boys and I do believe that has something to do with it. They like more girl centered activities. They take trips with their other children and grandchildren but not us. Their son-in-law is a southern Protestant as well and they seem to like him a lot. So fast forward to last night. They invited us for dinner and to watch the Super Bowl. It was just awkward. It feels like we walked into a room just after everyone was talking about us. It's strained. There is no yelling, no fighting, just weird. There's tension in the air. This extends to my sisters and brothers-in-law as well. I believe there are several factors. Cultural differences as well as religious. If I have ever done anything to offend them I would want to apologize but for the life of me I can't imagine what that would be. They are not the kind that like to "talk" it out. My family is very open and frank. My in-laws like to pretend everything is fine and exchange pleasantries. I just don't know if I can take it anymore. I DREAD seeing them. I am NOT good at faking smiles and small talk when I'm upset. There is a big part of me that would like to just hash it out and see where the cookie crumbles but the other part worries about the long term ramifications of doing that. WWYD? Thanks for taking the time to read all of my ramblings!

I believe that anything that reduces major amounts of stress definitely improves one's quality of life. When quality of life improves and stress decreases, happiness can, but doesn't necessarily, increase. So yes, money can buy happiness.

One of mine is now in college with another six months away. I am SO thankful that we stuck with it and never gave up. We are definitely not perfect but homeschooling has worked quite well for us. I think the major benefit is that my kids have been able to figure out who they are without an intense peer circle dictating those ideas. Although there are times I wish my kids weren't so independent in their ideas, it has worked well for them. They are strong individuals who have good relationships with one another and their parents. I wish I had known about the online options when our oldest was in high school but the second one has benefited from outsourcing. My last two have already begun some outsourcing and that will only increase as they progress through high school. Good luck!

I've heard of some pretty disturbing liturgical abuses but swear words related to the Eucharist takes the cake! I can't even imagine how horrified I would be if I heard those words. God help us!

Wonderful!!!! I was raised nominally Catholic and then married a nominal Protestant. We were married in the Catholic Church by the insistence of my grandparents. When I was pregnant with our second child I believed the grass was greener on the other side and became Protestant. My husband and I wanted our children to grow up with a strong faith and ignorantly I didn't think that could happen as a Catholic. I really didn't understand the doctrinal differences and for 15 years desperately struggled in my faith. I was so frustrated and confused much of the time. Basically I had a life changing spiritual experience where I found myself in a Catholic confessional very unexpectedly. I poured out my heart and by the grace of God a wonderful priest began to gently guide me. My husband was supportive in a sense but only because I said I occasionally wanted to attend Mass, not actually return to Catholicism. But I began studying. I didn't really understand Catholic teaching or Church history so I dove in. My husband started reading over my shoulder and became cautiously interested. At the time our four children, ages 17, 15, 13, and 11, were not supportive. They only knew evangelical Protestantism. But I was beginning to feel more and more pulled. In February of 2013 I decided to "try" being Catholic for Lent. I didn't go to the Protestant Church at all and had to resign from my volunteer positions. I decided to do whatever Catholics did for the whole liturgical season. By Easter I knew where I was supposed to be. And the amazing part is my husband decided to convert as well as my two youngest children. The three of them joined RCIA in the fall and were welcomed into the Church at Easter 2014. While this has been the most incredible journey for our family it hasn't been easy with family and friends. Some friendships are gone. While my family, all Catholic, were extremely supportive but most of my husband's have not. There is still A LOT of tension but we don't talk about it. I even work for our parish part time but it's the elephant in the room. My children lost a set of grandparents over it. But the peace I have transcends all of it. I know we are where we are supposed to be. Jesus said that following Him would cost us something. Bless you as you journey home. There will be obstacles and heart break but never take your focus off of Jesus. I will be praying for you!

I didn't like the first couple of episodes either. But after a recommendation from my SIL I stuck it out. I'm so glad I did. I'm on season 4. I love all of the Bravermans! I regularly cry as well.

I agree with everyone else. Medical costs can be so unpredictable and having a good health insurance plan would give me peace of mind. If I were in your shoes I would likely take the job. The added benefit of a good work environment would be extremely appealing. When Daddy is happy at work it trickles down into the home. Good luck!

We read this book for school this year as a read aloud. It was one of my favorites. She was indeed a long suffering mother. I cried at the end of the book, but that's not terribly unusual for me!

Why in the world would you feel like a jerk for wanting to protect your child???

My MIL got us one for Christmas. It is the personal sized one. It is also refurbished and we have had no problems. It's wonderful! I have limited counter space but my Vitamix has a permanent spot. Good luck!

I love the name! I'm Catholic as well and although it could be Italian it sounds more Catholic to me.

As a Catholic I have been interested in veiling (the proper term for Catholics) for some time. It was required for all women to veil while inside the Church prior to Vatican II, which occurred in the 1960s. There are still women who still veil and in some traditional parishes it is quite common. My personal concern with it is that if I were to veil in my parish it would be bringing attention to ME. That is the exact opposite of what I would want. I believe veiling is a beautiful practice but the motivation behind it is of the utmost concern for me. Anyway, I have no answer. It's a deeply private issue. I hope you find peace in your decision! God Bless!

Thank you SO much for sharing this resource! I've listened to the first podcast and cannot wait to hear more. I noticed,though, that her last podcast dates from 2014. Do you know if she's continuing to do them? Thank you!!

Interesting timing. I just came home from my parish's weekly Novena Mass where we venerate the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Is DW's view a commonly held one among Reformed Christians regarding icon veneration? Thanks!

Why not try it? It's only an additional $20. That seems worth the risk to me. I don't mind shopping but I only go to one store, the Gap. I know my size and I like the styles. Plus they send me coupons! Good luck!

Wait...your kids touched your dry erase markers?!?! Please tell me they didn't use them on paper! Nightmare fuel!