I intentionally can jam without the pectin so we can have it for syrup!

DS was complaining because I've been slowly increasing their daily chores. He tells me "so you want to some day make it so we do ALL the work and you sit around and do nothing?!" Exactly. Baby #6 is on his way and my set of cleaning minions is almost complete.

Me. I did an atkins diet for a while a few years back. I realized while doing it how crummy sugar makes me feel. All these years I assumed allergies were the source of my constant headaches. Nope, it's mostly sugar. Still, I overindulge way too much. Just an aside, ever since that short aktins diet I did, I can't handle soda with hfcs. It instantly makes me feel super crummy and foggy. Like I can't even take a sip of DH's pop. I can eat a bowl of ice cream. But not pop. :-P

I use k-9 that way. I have a few game websites blocked. When they try to open the site, it won't. But I can put select allow for 15, 30, or 60 min when I put in my password. It's nice bc it automatically kicks them out when their time is up.

I was just about to ask this.

Ds5 just got over a bug that toom a week to clear up. A few months ago I got sicker than I have ever been with fever and stomach cramping. I never went to the dr bc I rwad online sometimes those bugs can take a couple weeks. Hope you feel better!

No advice. But I can sympathize. My 9 year old is acting this way right now. Much of what he says to younger siblings is rude and demeaning. Telling them everything they like is stupid, for example. When I get after him about it, he says he does that because they always are calling him mean. He may believe that to be true, but I know his behavior came first. He just refuses to believe it. And so far, nothing I can say or do is stopping the behavior. It's really bothering me.

Appalling. There's also a lot of women out there who felt violated/assaulted/raped during their births when the drs forced procedures on them. Their stories are so heartbreaking. There is a culture that drs always know best and women need to shut up, lay down and be compliant.

We live within 15 minutes of all my siblings and my parents. (Dh's family is another state) We get along wekl (mostly) and enjoy getting together often. But we (mostly) respect each other's boundaries so there haven't been any major issues. A few years ago DH started working for my BIl (my sis's dh) and it's been great. I don't think it's always a good idea to work with family, but DH and BIL get along really well.

I guess it depends on who you're listening to. I'm LDS and our church leaders are often talking about the importance of strengthening families, being faithful to one's spouse, not viewing p0rn, etc. We get reminded about all the other sins we're not supposed to be committing all the time. ;-) I personally think the biggest threat to marriage and family right now is not homosexual marriage, but rather selfishness, pride, infidelity, abuse, divorce for "irreconcilible differences," and all those other things heterosexuals are doing that weaken their marriages and families. The difference is, no one is trying to say those things are okay or justify them. I don't think homosexual sex is any more "sinful" than premarital or extramarital sex. I believe that marriage is good for children and anything that takes away a child's chance at growing up in a loving, caring home with a mother and father is contrary to God's will. LDS also believe that our marriages and family relationships can extend beyond this life and be eternal. Not only do we have a Heavenly Father, but we also have a Heavenly Mother. I don't know anything about the biology in Heaven, but I do believe that there's something sacred and divine about a man and woman coming together to create a family unit. It's more than just about falling in love or fulfilling one's sexual desires. As one LDS church leader said, marriage and family is about creating something larger than ourselves. I find the whole topic of homosexual marriage very difficult. I don't know what's like to be attracted to the same sex and I don't know what I'd do if I did. I don't believe that gays should be denied rights or persecuted. I fervently believe in an individual's right to free agency, but I also believe that all of our actions have the potential to bring us closer to God or to distance us from Him. If someone asks me, I will say that we are blessed any time we follow God's laws, no matter how difficult they are. But I'm also not going to standing around condemning or criticizing others for their actions because I'm too busy working on myself, trying to be a good wife and mother and follower of Christ.

I haven't read through all the replies, so my apologies if this has been said already... I don't think it's necessarily a consequence of their courtship. I think that bonding can still take place after the wedding, though I think it might be difficult and awkward. Personally I think some handholding and hugging and *gasp* kissing are okay before marriage. (And yes, DH and I waited for the rest till after the wedding) I hate to make assumptions about what the Duggars do or don't teach their kids about sex, but I am based on things I've learned about ATI on this forum. I wonder if it was taught (or at least implied) that sex is simply a way for a man to fulfill his own sexual desires. I wonder if they left out that huge part about sex being a *mutually* beneficial experience that brings a couple together emotionally and spiritually as well. If it's just about fulfilling the man's own sexual needs, they are both missing out on the best part. Sex would be really lame for the wife if the dh isn't doing anything to make sure she's having a good time and she hasn't been taught that it's okay to love sex. It's probably no wonder he got bored and went looking for "more." (And I don't think this is just a uber-conservative, partriarchal culture problem-- I think this may also part of the reason we have such high date rape statistics. If sex is just about your fulfilling own needs, no wonder so many are willing to take advantage of another person.)

I'm surprised by the vitriol spewed here, but unfortunately I've come to expect it on these forums. I don't like JD either, but sometimes I feel like people are filling in all the unknowns about what really happened with the most hateful and disgusting assumptions possible. And I know that people disagree with JD's views (I do too) but I think people spewing anger and hatred aren't really taking the moral highroad either. Everything I know about ATI and Gothard I've learned here. And I don't agree with their teachings either. IMO, it's a sick distortion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But I also don't agree that it's the reason for all his problems. Or rather, I don't think that the opposite upbringing would have guaranteed a sparkly clean, morally upright life. JD made choices and he knew better. But his porn addiction and adultery are not the result of his ultra-conservative upbringing. There are plenty of people who grew up in open, liberal households who have developed porn addictions and gone on to do terrible things as well. We're all accountable for our own actions. The distinction between the ATI/Gothard teachings and regular, conservative Christian teachings aren't always clarified in threads like these, so it may be just my own feathers that get ruffled a bit when I see vague references to "conservative" teachings. But as a conservative Christian, I hate to see JD's poor behavior given as "proof" that teaching abstinence before marriage doesn't work.

And I wholeheartedly agree with that. But I would bet that a lot of people go into it thinking their show will simply be a realistic representation of their lives. They may not realize just how much their lives are going to be twisted in order to boost ratings. I don't even watch TV, but it's my understanding that a lot of those shows are "scripted" in the sense that the producers know what kind of end result they want, so they are manipulated into saying or doing things that will look good on the show. And that's just creepy to me.

I certainly don't delight in anyone's failings, even ones as hypocritical as Josh's. I think it's sad all the way around. I do wonder what the statistics are like for the relationships of people on reality TV or otherwise "in the spotlight." It seems to me that having that much attention thrown at you would make it easy to forget your priorities. Your marriage and personal commitments should come first no matter what. But when your income depends on how many groupies you have and what the general public thinks of you, it would be harder to keep focused on what your family and God thinks of you instead. It seems like it would be easy to get caught up in thinking you're a special snowflake exempt from the consequences of your actions. . The introvert in me would rather die than be on national TV. But I would never, ever, EVER want to be on any kind of reality TV show because I think it would be too easy to lose sight of who you are and what your values and priorities really are. Yes, even when your show centers around an ultra-conservative message.

There are 30+ grandkids among me and my 6 siblings, and we often get together. Those gatherings are large and chaotic and we are all used to it and enjoy it anyway. I do feel anxious and concerned bringing "all my kids" to someone's else home that may not be used to it. I would much, much, much rather meet together at a park or someplace more neutral, that way I don't worry so much about what my kids are in to. That way I can talk to the other mom(s) instead of chasing little ones around the house.

I am so grateful that I rarely get mean-spirited comments about our family size. In fact, I've only had 1 one person (a total stranger) berate me when pg with #5, telling me how I was going to have to pay for college for them all. I had one stranger ask if I was Mormon or Catholic but it was said in a sweet, complimentary sort of way. It makes me really sad to hear of friends who are criticized for their large familes. Large, loving families are not the problem in this world. I would much rather see baby #6, 10 or 13 happily welcomed into a loving home than a baby #1 born into a home where he/she isn't loved or wanted and likely to be neglected and abused. When I hear people griping about large families I want to tell them to go worry about some of the real problems facing the world.

I'm only starting my second full-year homeschooling, and I don't find the OP at all offensive. But, then again, it's probably because I don't see myself as one of those cutesy, doing-too-much moms. I taught PS for a couple years before my oldest was born. I spent hours and hours and hours creating lesson plans completely oblivious to the resources available to me. I remember the shock when a mentor teacher handed me a workbook with pages very similar to what I was trying to "invent." It would have saved me so much time. I started out homeschooling determined NOT to reinvent the wheel (again) and deliberately chose resources that wouldn't require time I didn't have. I self-describe as a "bare-bones" homeschooler and I find a lot of validation when the experienced homeschoolers share their advice about not over-doing it. I'm with Quill, in that I think sometimes our kids turn do well in spite of us. In fact, the running joke in our house is whenever one of our kids says something smart I turn to hubby and say, "I taught him that" when we all know for a fact I had nothing to do with it. I think it's important to find joy in homeschooling. For some moms, that means spending hours recreating Pinterest ideas, and there's nothing wrong with that. But I do think it's important to realize that joy can also be found in simple things, like reading a silly book together, or watching your 8 year old help the 4 year old cut out shapes. It's those moments that I remember why I'm doing what I'm doing. I felt like teaching elementary public school lessons sometimes felt like putting on a "dog and pony show." And I'm so over that and grateful that learning can be so much simpler.

I decided that the best way for history to get done this year is to just do living books as read alouds and have them available for the kids to read on their own time. I'm having a baby mid-year, so we're keeping our expectations especially low. :) We are studying middle ages. Our library has a lot of children's non-fiction books about the middle ages in general, but I realized I need an outline for major events or people that I should cover as well. Where can I find something like that? My kids are 8,7 and 5. Thanks!

And the phone! It takes me a long time to work up the courage to dial numbers. I don't like talking on the phone, I think in part because I miss facial clues and I feel lik I'm awkward and misunderstanding things. MIL (as mentioned upthread) is a talker and you can "talk" to her on the phone for hours without saying anything more than "uh huh" and "really." In the last couple years when she would call she started abruptly asking at the end "is there anything you want to tell to me?" Uh, that ship has sailed. I gave up trying to get a word in edgewise and I'm not going to start talking now. She actually hasn't called me in a really long time (she calls DH) and while I feel a smidge guilty about it, I'm mostly relieved!

I agree with others about this thread being validating. I loved college, but I hated the large social gatherings. I had decided that there was something wrong with me and labeled myself a social recluse. I felt like I was supposed to love the social aspect, and felt like I was doing something wrong because I didn't. I knew enough about myself to recognize that I did well in small gatherings of people that I mostly knew, but didn't understand why large parties caused me so much anxiety. Years later I stumbled across the definition of an introvert and it was so freeing! I realized I wasn't a broken, social misfit. Had I been able to understand that about myself earlier, I think I could have found ways to handle it better and be more confident in my own skin.

One of my best friends in college just thought I was stuck up before he got to know me. That was heartbreaking for me to hear. Especially when I realized some other people thought that too. I have gotten better as I've gotten older (and I'm a lot more secure about myself) so that I'm not so awkward in new situations anymore. I do have a problem with MIL's extrovertedness. I just spent a week with her and she never.stops.talking. She finishes my sentences, chimes in on every conversation she can hear, repeats what I say, narrates her own actions, etc. I found myself sneaking out multiple times a day just for some quiet. My own 5 loud and crazy kids aren't as draining as she is!

Wow, thank you for all the ideas! Most of these I've never heard of and I am going to try them! TBH, even Zantac doesn't work all that well for me. It seems like it wears off before it's supposed to. So any other tricks to try will be welcome!

I take magnesium for the leg cramps that I also get when I'm pregnant. I wake up in the middle of the night with charley horses. :crying: I feel like the magnesium helps with the restless legs, but only to a certain point. I just looked up baking soda as a remedy-- and apparently it's not the best thing to take during pregnancy because it can increase water retention. I'll have to try a small amount and see if it helps though. I also have some pickled ginger that I munched on during the first trimester. I will have to see if that helps.

I get heartburn all day every day during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. I've never been able to pinpoint it to any specific food(s). It's just a nagging, daily thing. I've tried the Tums (which you shouldn't take too many of) and Papaya extract - both of which relieve my symptoms for about 5 minutes. My last couple pregnancies I've resorted to taking Zantac once daily. However, I had decided that the Zantac was the trigger for my restless legs at night. I'm at that point in this pregnancy again where the heartburn is constant. I started taking Zantac and I started having restless legs again, and then I remembered.... What are my other options for treating heartburn? I'm not sure which is worse-- heartburn or restless legs. But I'd love to not have either!

Oh I don't know. When people use the term "delusional" and "conspiracy theory" in an attempt to shut down conversation and belittle the OP, it's pretty dismissive. I get you don't like her sources but it comes as comes across is disbelieving there could be any truth to it.