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TianXiaXueXiao

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Everything posted by TianXiaXueXiao

  1. I usually wake up with liturgical music/chant in my head. I quite like it. :)
  2. Wow. I would take my kid out of that activity and avoid the mean girl like the plague. I would enroll dd in a self defense class and have her take up a new activity that she would naturally excel at.
  3. I don't know what to say. I used to be firmly in the camp that believes that having small families and fewer children is the "responsible" lifestyle choice. After becoming a Christian, my outlook on this has changed dramatically. I no longer view marriage as a contract and see it now as a sacrament that leads to salvation. I no longer see children as "chosen" or "wanted," but as gifts from God. I have been completely converted to natural family planning methods over the last 3 years and firmly believe that birth control and barriers have no place (barring serious health reasons) within the sacred bonds of marriage, a life giving covenant. Outside of this understanding of marriage, I have no reliable way to argue for more children.
  4. Going to church has really helped my dd. We were spiritual but not religious until she was 9 when we started attending an Eastern Orthodox church. She has benefited greatly from our conversion to Christianity. She has a wonderful relationship with our priest who has had a special role in helping her overcome her anxiety.
  5. When my dd was 8 she started to grasp the finality and irreversibility of death which is quite common as children move into abstract thinking and the logic stage. Her therapist told me not to be alarmed by her fears unless they were debilitating and prevented her from doing her normal activities (going to bed mostly) for 6 months continuously. We started having worry time every evening after dinner, giving her 10-15 minutes to speak freely about the thoughts that worry her. We would talk about how each worry could be handled practically speaking. I did not develop ocd after this anxious phase when I was a child but my dd did develop some ocd characteristics, but has successfully moved past it now at age 12.
  6. Now I have Footloose stuck in my head. Aww, Kevin Bacon, how I swooned over you! 😠I grew up in a conservative home that was Christian in name but pagan and gnostic in practice. My family and church had no stance against dancing. Dancing was encouraged. I had a few friends who belonged to the Nazarene (sp?) Church and Pentecostal church who could not do things like dance, listen to music, or wear black clothing where i grew up in SoCal in the 70s abs 80s.
  7. I remember going through that phase around 8 or 9 years old. I was really plagued with fear of my parents dying. I remember staying up all night, waiting for them to get home whenever they went out for a date or in a trip. It took time to process what death is and what it means. The fear of oblivion is pretty normal. The issue has a lot to do with eschatology according to your faith. A therapist isn't likely to want to speak out of turn regarding your religious beliefs. I would consider watching or reading stories from your faith that deal with the afterlife. Perhaps the book or movie Heaven is for Real? I think the therapist sees this as within the normal range. Her brain is still developing and now that she's coming into the logic stage she is becoming more aware of the bigger picture. Her anxiety attacks do not sound like true panic attacks where the sufferer believes herself to be dying. I'm not a therapist but I have panic disorder and so does my dd. Your daughter is at the age where you can now discuss worst case scenarios and brainstorm practical methods of dealing with hypothetical tragedy and loss. Take heart. (((Hugs)))
  8. My friend had a similar experience with a new priest taking over the youth group she had successfully managed for years. It was really painful for her because he decided the youth group building needed to be completely remodeled and had all of her materials (books, workbooks, projects, props, personal religious items, etc.) thrown out with no warning. One of the items had belonged to her deceased mother and it was very traumatizing. She ended up going to a different parish in a neighboring town. I hope you can find peace.
  9. Many scientists are Christians. Probably the ones who've made some of the biggest discoveries and theories are in fact Christians. Here's a good article for you to peruse. http://www.conciliarpost.com/theology-spirituality/the-big-bang-and-christianity/
  10. Well the teen only area in my little library has huge overstuffed bean bag like pillows and the teens are always there cuddling and necking. Eew! My 12 year old feels scandalized when we go by that part of the library.
  11. I use half and half at home but I buy expensive dark roast because i like the flavor of the coffee. If I'm at a diner or church with cheaper quality coffee I use whatever creamer has flavor that is available.
  12. I was a vegetarian from age 16 to 26. I started adding meat back into my diet to recover from being really sick and losing a lot of weight while living in China. I started with chicken and fish. I added a little bit of pork and beef into my diet when I was about 34. I did end up having to get my gall bladder removed at 36 and I think there may be a connection to consuming meat. I still cannot eat a burger or a steak but beef in sauces or soups is OK but still a little repulsive. I feel my best eating mostly vegetarian with a little fish and chicken in my diet.
  13. Aloe Vera juice. Papaya enzyme. Dgl licorice. Probiotics. Elevate the head of your bed. Do not eat for at least 3 hours before bed. Drink lots of water. Carafe is a safer rx if you need one. I went off ppis for a year and ended up with really bad gastritis, so I've been back on for the past year and I'm trying to wean off again. Best of luck to you!
  14. Just choose. Do you want to watch the uber scary movie or do you want to visit with your grandkids that you won't see again for a year? You can't do both. Sorry.
  15. It was my home for over 20 years. Hopefully all the roads will be in good shape by the time you go. This winter has brought a lot of rain and after the drought of the last few years there have literally been road closures due to land slides and rock slides about once a week. Check the road conditions before you go!
  16. I agree. Do not take the I5 to Hwy 36 (unless you are traveling by motorcycle and love windy roads) as your route to the redwoods. You can take a short trip down hwy 36 from 101 to visit redwoods and swim in the plentiful swimming holes. I usually take I5 north to Hwy 20 and cut across there to avoid Bay Area traffic if I'm in a rush. The other option of course is to take I5 and cross over to the Bay Area and stop in or near the city for a night before completing the trip up 101 to the Northern California redwoods. It's a long drive as a straight shot...about 12 hours with brief stops from Valencia (my so cal point of origin).
  17. I have experienced exactly what you describe and massage was what worked for me. When my ear starts the initial telltale tickling I know that deep muscles in my neck are spasming. Sometimes my ear will just feel clogged or plugged and as soon as I start massaging my neck along the sternocleidomastoid it relaxes and I can hear better. It may take a few sessions before it improves but I'm willing to wager it will improve with massage.
  18. Massage. You need a really good neck and shoulder massage.
  19. Ok. On second thought, for an unforgettable and unregrettable experience, try to book a cabin in Trinidad or camp at Patrick's Point. https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/california/north-coast/trinidad There's plenty of sightseeing nearby and you can make day trips north to Jedidiah Smith & Fern Canyon, South to Avenue of the Giants and hit lots of redwoods, rivers and beaches in between. Plus you will love the Farmers Market in Arcata! Amazing! There's a fun restaurant near Eureka that used to be the mess hall for loggers back in the old days. It's called the Samoa Cook House. There you will be fed like a lumberjack and can view their small logging museum. In Redwoods State Park you can take the sky tram at the Trees of Mystery and visit what is a very decent Native American Exhibit at the small museum on site. Don't forget the obligatory photo with the big blue ox! While in Trinidad, you should check out Patrick's Point State Park (dh and I were married there) and enjoy agate hunting on the beach (never turn your back on the oceans! Sneaker waves) and hang out at Wedding Rock. Moonstone beach is a must and so is College Cove (people might be nekkid there but not always). Now I'm really homesick! This is definitely what you should do. Trust me. :)
  20. You will not regret staying in the redwoods along the Smith River at Jedidiah Smith State Park at the tip of the Northern California coast. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=413 There are also several campgrounds farther south along the Avenue of the Giants but I recommend Hidden Springs http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=425 If you go out Hwy 36 along the Van Duzen river, you can stay in Grizzly Creek which is near location for some of the Return of the Jedi scenes. The campground is small and right off the road so not ideal for real camping. Nearby are some of the best swimming holes to be found. Beautiful country. Look up the Humboldt Visitors and Conventions Bureau. They have the word on all things redwoods. You can find out how to get to the tallest redwood and you can find out how to get to some rare albino redwoods. Ladybird Johnson Grove is a delightful day hike up near Orick and you cannot pass up Fern Canyon. Oh my goodness am I ever homesick now. Enjoy!
  21. This thread makes me realize that dh has perfectly good hearing when it comes to meal times, thank goodness. Now if only he could hear me correctly when it comes to the honey-do list! Lol. If I say, "Honey we need to finish prepping and painting the laundry room so we won't have to go to the laundromat anymore," he will here, "Honey, why don't you spend all day pruning trees that don't need it and transplanting flowers that won't make it?"
  22. I miss my dad. I miss the freedom of living in a freakishly safe area where children spent all day outside exploring the mountains ranging miles in any direction. I miss the starry skies on warm summer nights. I miss my horse. I miss the snow of my childhood...getting 3 feet of snow from a single storm. I miss the road trips, falling asleep in one state and waking in another, listening to dramatic radio plays in the wee hours of the night. We visited nearly every state during our family vacations. I miss our family ski trips and backpacking excursions. My dad was an outdoorsman who tought all 11 of us rock climbing, mountain biking, and snowshoeing. I miss the hours of trying to keep up with him and the feeling of elation when I persevered and made it to the top/destination.
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