Interesting. I just looked up dh's date and his was Tuesday. We had one dc on Saturday and one on Wednesday. 3 dc and I were born on Mondays (2 induced, however -- maybe they were waiting for Tuesday :lol:).

:iagree: I was a rule-follower, too. My children? Not so much. I had one of those easy babies (my third). He was so content, easily instructed and corrected with just a word. I thought we had really become great parents, having applied all the wisdom and experience we'd learned with the first two. Ha. Then we had number 4. 2 of our dss have Asperger Syndrome. A couple of our dc get every compliment. The others? :tongue_smilie: Well, we have to stay on top of things to even be able to sit through a church service. Be thankful. Keep doing what you're doing. And be thankful.

Can someone help me come up with an alternative? Because of my health and weight, I'm consciously avoiding sugar. And sugar substitutes. I'm doing pretty well from breakfast through lunch, but the afternoon munchies are tough. I'm not imposing my restrictions on my kiddos because, even though I think it would be best, dh isn't on board. He's a dear, but it isn't on his radar. He will go shopping for something and come back with a carton of ice cream. "Isn't this your favorite?" :tongue_smilie: It's the thought that counts, right? Sometimes he'll have a stressed day at work and call from the car, "Hey, let's take the family for ice cream!" or "Want me to pick up a dozen doughnuts?" These are occasional things and it's never been an issue before. I guess it's our family habit -- to jump in the car and pick up a treat to eat at the park and blow off steam. The thing is, I can't think of an alternative to take the place of this kind of activity in our family's life. Somehow, "Let's go pick up some carrot sticks and broccoli" isn't appealing . . . Not even to me. :tongue_smilie: If your family eats clean, what is an impromptu treat? P.S. I have had this discussion with him. He understands. He isn't attempting to undermine my efforts. It's just habit. I don't want to embarrass or disappoint him with my wet blanket -- just to have something else to suggest when that urge strikes.

Ds is 13. Pretty smart and mature. Doesn't seem overly anxious (but, of course, we haven't exposed him to scary things given my sensitivity.) The movies include Poltergeist, The Grudge, Drag Me to Hell . . . I haven't seen any of them. If we don't allow it, of course, we'll say ds can't go at all rather than change the plans of the hosts and the other guests. It's too late to "just decline" without an explanation since I asked for the specific movie list before giving permission to go . . .

their house? Ds has a close friend. This boy has a nice, friendly family and they include ds in many of their activities. He has been here several times, too. The boy is having a spend-the-night movie marathon. We do movies. We do spend the nights (with families we know). But we don't do horror movies. Ds told me the plan is for a horror night, so I said I'd like to know the specific movies they'll be watching. Young friend's dad called to get our email address. He sent a list of movies they're considering, along with descriptions and ratings. Despite his effort and reassurance, I still don't want ds to watch these movies. I can't really explain why except that they give me an icky feeling. Dh doesn't have the same qualms as I do, but he's backing me up. How do we respond to the other parent who has made this effort for our ds to be included?

Have you talked to your dr about your options, given your health history? Paragard may meet your criteria.

:iagree::iagree::iagree: (Although we've met many retired military folks who had worked an assignment in our area and came back when they got the chance!) Now I've been around enough to know there is good and bad anywhere you go. It's up to you to find the good and make the most of it.

I'm not sure what to recommend since I don't know what style you really like, but a resource I frequently turn to is collagevideo.com. You can search by workout type or level or length of workout or customer rating. And you can watch video clips of the workouts. Another great resource to read reviews and forum posts is videofitness.com. I, too, was disappointed when Netflix removed many of the workouts from their streaming list. Some types you might want to investigate (that were on Netflix) are the 10 Minute Solution series and Crunch series. Two instructors with great reviews are Ellen Barrett and Kelly Coffey-Meyer. Ellen's combine Pilates with some other toning and/or cardio. Kelly's are more traditional high energy strength and cardio. Maybe your library has some you could check out? I've been surprised by my library's variety -- pleasantly surprised! hth a little

Yes. My mother actually had two types of tumors. One was hormone receptor + and the other was not. One was knocked out by the chemo and the other returned. :crying:

Saying a prayer for your friend.

:iagree: When women go for screenings, they are likely getting pap smears and mammograms and blood tests and blood pressure checks. If "pink" reminds them to go, they'll be more likely to get early diagnosis for other health conditions.

Thank you. I do appreciate your kind thoughts.

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

nm

It doesn't bother me. My mother was a breast cancer casualty. I am undergoing treatment after my early diagnosis in May and three separate surgeries. It doesn't annoy me. I'm not on every bandwagon but I do think bringing awareness encourages screening. Early detection saves lives.