Since more than half of those who took the poll have not sought medical help, I'll mention a book that has helped me: "Before the Change, Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause" by Gittleman. I bought the book in my late 30s when I started feeling irrationally irritable, and I have had good success with the nutritional tips to address symptoms for the last 10 years.

I would like to be added. I have two out on their own—22 and 19—and a 17 yo still at home.

I do like your trip-planning thoughts, i.e. something for her to look forward to. My mom has decided to host an 80th birthday party in her small town next July (whether she attends in person or looks on from heaven). It will be a dinner fundraising event for the senior center, and she is more engaged because she has something to think about and plan that will help others when she is gone.

My very active, adventure-loving mom was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer Dec. 23. (She is 79.) She has been living with us since. For us, I have taken the initiative and planned things: geocaching (her hobby), walks in the neighborhood, tai chi at the local cancer center, wig fitting, starting a puzzle, etc. This has worked for us because she is living with us, so I have more opportunity than you have. She is just very tired and overwhelmed and not really at the point to plan and take initiative. I highly recommend looking at palliative care options. We have a group here that is associated with hospice so, if/when hospice is needed, the team we will work with will be the same doctors, social workers, etc. we are already getting to know. We have had one appointment with palliative care, and they were so caring and helpful. They switched up my mom's pain meds, and her pain is now better controlled, and they helped us resolve an issue with constipation. (The oncologist's team addresses these things too, but we were told by both the oncologist and the palliative care team that the oncologist specializes in fighting the cancer, and the palliative team specializes in all the side effects, spiritual/emotional issues, general questions or fears, etc.) I have also set up a page on Caring Bridge because it is so difficult to keep everyone updated about what is going on. I'm so sorry your mom is going through this. It is very hard. I would be interested in joining a special interest page. It is difficult parenting and care taking at the same time. Also, my one still at home (17 yo dd) and I are introverts, and we both find it challenging when we do not have any physical space (or quiet space) at home to recharge, and going somewhere public is draining. (My mom is an extrovert who comes in closed doors and doesn't get the concept of "private space.")

I would rather ask a human, but sometimes it's hard to find someone on the floor. I voted "other" because I could see this being useful if a greater number of people could be helped. In that way, it would be kind of like the price scanners some stores have on the floor that you can use to find a price quickly when you don't see an employee to ask.

When my husband and I were attending the University of Tennessee for our master's degrees, we met a homeschooling family in our church there. We thought it was a neat idea, but I didn't think I was the homeschooling type (i.e., in my mind, grinding my own wheat for homemade bread, etc.). When we moved to Mississippi after grad school (our firstborn was two weeks old), we attended a church where literally every family homeschooled. I was amazed at all the different personalities and approaches and realized there wasn't a single "type" that could effectively homeschool. One day when I was at the park with our daughter, then about one or two, I was praying and the verse (or partial verse) "redeem the time for the days are evil" popped into my mind. I wondered what this meant in terms of child rearing and thought (my thought for me, here—not applying this to everyone!), "How can I teach, disciple, train, and encourage—fully redeem all the time possible—if my child is at school during the day?" Nineteen years and two more states later, we have graduated that baby through our homeschool program and she is a professional ballet dancer (great educational flexibility with all the training hours she put in through the years!), our second child homeschooled until high school, and our youngest is a homeschooling junior this year. Interestingly, I would have been afraid to homeschool if I had known all the reasons it turned out being a gift to our kids (oldest on the outskirts of the spectrum and some health concerns and middle with auditory and executive processing issues and dyslexia). Glad I didn't know what I know now, and glad we made the choice—albeit a sometimes difficult one.

For things like loose produce, I use lightweight lingerie bags (the kind you can put delicates in when you wash clothes). I found packs of three bags for a dollar at the Dollar Tree. Regarding the issue of holding up the line while the cashier fills the bags: while the cashier is scanning, I hang my bags on the handles of the bag dispenser so they are positioned and open. It seems like this cuts way down on the bagging time since the cashier doesn't have to fight with the bags lying on their sides.

The responses were surprising to me. I didn't realize how minor the procedure is for the majority. I didn't want to post until after the OP's test, but it is pretty painful for me...perhaps because mine are small and very fibrocystic (so much so they always have to do an ultrasound because it all shows white on the X-ray anyway—I always wonder why they don't just do the ultrasound since they say the mammogram isn't helpful in my case). Glad it went pretty well for you, OP, and hope you are feeling back to normal by now.

Do you have attached or detached earlobes? detached Do you have hair between your second and third knuckles? (When you make a fist, it is those knuckles that you can see.) no Do you have a straight hair line or a widow's peak? straight Do you have straight hair or curly hair? (Wavy hair counts as curly.) curly Do you have a cleft chin or a smooth chin? smooth

A friend's father, who is a pastor, is Reverend Booze.

Chow dog. I was kind of disappointed (cute, little patronus trotting around), but some of your results made me feel a tad better. ;) I was placed in Ravenclaw, Ilvermorny house is Wampus, and my wand is aspen wood (I was born in Colorado, so...) with a dragon heartstring core—"reasonably supple."

Our older daughter and her friends had an evening of hilarity and put together a little "Pumpkin Pilates" video. You can find it on Youtube by searching for "Pumpkin Pilates" (it's the newer, shorter, video by that name). Kick back with a pumpkin latte and enjoy! :001_smile:

Braunschweiger…taken sliced in sandwiches…with Miracle Whip. I loved that for lunch in elementary school. And Pixy Stix—does that even count as a food? Oh! And bananas sliced lengthwise and spread with Miracle Whip and sprinkled with peanuts!

$130 for a 2500 sq foot house in the Midwest. We are all electric (including the water heater) and run the A/C at 79 (82 if we're gone for a day or more).

We have consulted with Cynthia Smith with Life Zone Wellness concerning our three children's 23andme reports and have been very happy. (She does Skype consultation and will work in conjunction with local physicians.) You can find her by doing an internet search.

This one has a Christian component: http://www.alertacademy.com/iaa/ We know a family or two that have children who participated, and they all thought it was beneficial.

Our doctor suggested DMAE. It didn't help our teenaged son, but it helps the doctor's adult son a lot. BTW, our son also has homogenous MTHFR C667T mutation so takes (or should take—he is on his own now, so don't know if it's happening) methylated B vitamins.

My child got a recruitment postcard with a misspelling from a college. :huh:

I try to eat a teaspoon a day with black pepper and olive oil (like in chili or cooked in an egg, etc.). That is a lot of powdered turmeric for my taste, and I am really looking forward to trying the gold paste recipe. Thank you, Denisemomof4!

Thanks for all the questions, it helps me understand the tax system a bit better. I'm sure the reason is the one LucyStoner mentioned: that she is paying her own self-employment tax. My husband and I had mentioned that factor to her, but my surprise came from the EITC age limit rules. I simply wasn't aware of them. Oh, I see that you wrote that the EITC is about $60 for those nearing the upper end of the scale (which she is). Well, that makes me feel better for her; sixty dollars is a help, but not a huge difference. She'll be fine. It was just a surprise. Now she will know how to better plan for next year. We'll have to go back and look to see if her loan interest amount can indeed be included in her taxes. Thanks for the tip. :)

You have a good point, Crimson Wife. In our case, our daughter is not currently a student, but she has been living in another state and self-supporting for three years—even paying a college loan off. (She was an early bloomer.) But she can't count the loan payments on her taxes since she can't itemize. She isn't a homeowner, and she doesn't have dependents. She is very responsible and hardworking, but her age is working against her (not yet being 25 so no tax break). She will have to pay over 10% of her net income in taxes, and her earnings put her at the poverty line. This in a state where two loads of laundry at the laundromat costs $15. Certainly these are all her choices, and she will be fine. In fact, she'll probably take the tax payment in stride. I was just rather shocked and disappointed that she would have to pay such a high percentage of tax when her income is so low and was disappointed that younger independent workers do not get the same allowances as those a few years older. I somehow thought that people with low incomes were in a low tax bracket so payments would not be so steep. Live and learn.

Thank you! I don't want to have an entitled attitude, and I feel a bit better just to see that I'm not the only one that thinks that it would be OK to allow younger adults the same benefits as older adults.

I realize everybody wants to pay as little as possible for things—including taxes! But it seems like another instance when it sure is hard for young people starting out and working hard.

My husband is helping our 21 year old with her taxes. She lives 1,300 miles away in a high COL area, is a professional ballet dancer, and works 20 hours a week as an independent website consultant. I'm disappointed that individuals have to be at least 25 years old to qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. She is really going to take a hit.

I voted "other." We haven't owned a scale in years, but I occasionally weigh when my daughter and I go to the gym (which we only do in the winter months). So the time of day varies greatly.