Our dd was sent to the dentist from the orthodontist to get teeth pulled before braces. I guess in your ds's case it would depend on whether braves will fix the crowding or if a tooth needs to be pulled. The answer to that question will tell you who to call. If you aren't sure and were going to make an ortho appointment anyway, I would just go to the orthodontist and let him tell you if you need a dentist.

Welcome! :seeya:

:iagree: With this. :iagree: And with this. I believe in equal opportunity and pay for women, but do not identify myself as a feminist.

I make myself go to bed at 10:00 so I can get up at 5:30, but I don't think I will ever like it. I don't have to interact with anyone until 7:00, and I usually can be cheerful by then. My dh, who also gets up early, knows not to talk to me.

Not officially ours (dil is a Marine, has a new baby, and my ds is overseas), but my grand-dog's name is Twinkle. She is an English Lab and her registered name is When You Wish Upon a Star. She is staying with me until my ds comes home. She officially belongs to dil.

He is beautiful! I just got my baby fix last weekend with my 4 month old grandson. I love, love baby boys.

:grouphug: it is hard. My grandmother died right in front of my oldest two boys when they were 3 and 5. My oldest fell apart and my youngest was just fine. He kept trying to console his brother with "Granny is in heaven. She's not old anymore" type things. My sil came to stay with us to help me while we were busy with family and the funeral. Two weeks later, she drowned. I was still trying to help my ds with my grandmother's passing, and just knew this was going to put him over the edge (I was almost over the edge myself). Surprisingly, he was fine. He decided in his mind that his aunt (who was always busy taking care of someone) was now in heaven taking care of Granny. It was his way of coping. I would talk about your afterlife beliefs with your son and make sure he knows that getting sick does not equal death.

We live about 15 miles outside the city, and our county has the largest percentage of homeschoolers in the state. We have a large group of just about anything you can imagine - classical, textbook, unschoolers, etc. The people outside the city itself tend to use something structured, while those inside are more "hippie" unschoolers. The co-op at our church alone has over 350 kids, and there is another one in town just as large. There is also a large Catholic homeschool group.

I let mine get their permit and license as soon as their old enough here in NC, but they know that doesn't mean: 1) that they get a car, or 2) that they can drive any time they want. We try to make sure that they get plenty of practice with one of us in the car at 15 and 16, and then if we think they are ready, drive more alone at 17.

I am a Christian and would love to go to the Greenville conference. I went last year, but this year it conflicts with dd's state gymnastics meet. :glare: The other conference would not be my cup of tea.

What a beauty!!

Me too.

I have graduated two, and will graduate another in the Spring. The other three will also homeschool all the way through high school. Our local high school is not an option, and I don't think I would send them even if the academics were great. I have seen pay-offs in my grown kids that have nothing to do with academics.

I know what you mean. 14yo left with dh at 7:00 this morning for a driver's ed class at the Christian School. It is amazing how "off" it feels around here with her missing - I can't imagine 4 gone at once.

I didn't vote, because I take everything out of the freezer at the beginning of the week. I make a menu for the week on Monday, then go pull my meat out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator. I also never have to think about "what's for dinner," because it's already on my menu. It takes a few minutes on Monday, but really helps me the rest of the week.

My mil cannot be around us very long without saying something totally offensive. It is usually something racist - and I have two adopted AA daughters who are well aware that their grandmother is racist. We used to spend equal time between my family and dh's when we visited, usually 3 days at each. We had a family meeting this summer and decided to limit the time at his mother's house to 1 day. That is all any of us can stand. It is a shame, as she is their last living grandparent.

My 12 yo dd is like that. She is a very literal child and does not pick up on nuances at all. We do a lot of talking about whatever she is reading. I try to help her pick up on things. If I waited until the end of a book to talk about it, she would be lost.

If they have been dating for a while, I would include the gf. I would buy her a small gift from the family. That is how we've done it in the past. Do the gf's family want to include your son, but you do not feel the need to include the gf? I know these things are hard to navigate sometimes, but I think it made my sons happy to know I thought about their gf and that they were welcome any time. Remember at this stage you may be dealing with a future dil! :001_smile:

Dawn, unless they have changed things since my kids were little, you can be excused in NC if you are the primary caregiver of young children.

I could use the excuse of being the primary caregiver for young children in the past, but last year I got called and realized I couldn't do that anymore. Mine are all old enough to leave at home. So I sat on a jury last year for the first time since before kids. It was interesting and I actually enjoyed it. If your kids are little, they will probably excuse you.

Can I add slippers and my little space heater?

How awful. I'll be praying for Joshua and his family.

:grouphug::grouphug: I'm praying.

Today I don't have to leave the house - extremely rare.

I used to have this problem, but found a solution that works for me. Since we started buying our meat in bulk, I just make menus for the week and then immediately get the meat we'll need for those meals out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator.