Check out this science project on preserving your Halloween pumpkin: http://www.myscienceproject.org/pumpkin.html

I wanted to add that even when short term disability is processed without delay, it can take several weeks to get the first check. I wish you luck. :grouphug:

Is the insurance through an employer? If so, I recommend contacting the human resources dept. They should be helping coordinate the disability insurance. If it is individually purchased insurance, I'd just keep pushing the insurance company. Call daily. If it is denied, appeal. If it is denied again, consider seeking legal advice. Insurance companies like to delay payment as long as they can so keep hounding them.

Congratulations on your new job! :grouphug: It does sound exhausting. Try to focus on the positives: more income, helping people, time must fly by when you are that busy, you are sure to build up some endurance over time. At the same time, be sure to take care of yourself. You aren't doing your family any favors if you get sick or collapse from exhaustion! Invest in some really good shoes. Your feet will thank you for it. Hang in there. It may not seem so bad once it becomes your new normal.

Should be fine to attend class on Monday if the teeth are coming out on Friday. Unless you end up with dry sockets or something, you are really only out of commission for a day or two.

This happens here too, for feeding leopard geckos, except that I'm usually just carrying the clear plastic bag of crickets in my hand. I've had people lean in close while asking what was in there. For some reason, they back up quick when they see/hear that it is crickets. :D As for the cauliflower, maybe he was looking for a recipe?!?

:iagree: Cat nailed it!

Hives generally appear a few minutes to a few hours after exposure to an allergen. If the hives are showing up days to weeks later, I'd say it is unrelated to the flu vaccination. Everyone here was vaccinated for flu recently with no issues. . .other than how long it took at the health department. :tongue_smilie:

:grouphug: My children are almost the same ages (almost 16 and almost 13). Have you tried talking to the teens, one-on-one, when no one is angry or upset? I'd separate the issues: it sounds like one is chores around the house and one is treating one another with respect. For chores, have you tried asking them which chores they would be willing to do? I'm surprised by the chores my DDs do willingly. DD16 does the laundry, from collecting, sorting, washing, drying, and folding. She likes it because she can do what she wants between loads. DD13 likes to work outside, pulling weeds, cleaning gutters, sweeping walks, etc. Sometimes I make a long list of everything that needs to be done and they take turns initialing beside the ones they will do. They cooperate more willingly if I am not just telling them what to do. About respect, I'd be tempted to start with an apology. Getting angry, yelling, nagging, etc. is not respectful. Start with admitting where you have gone wrong and apologize and say that you are working on it and hope to do better. Then, discuss the specific words and actions from them that you find disrespectful and calmly ask that they refrain from these. When they can't show respect, they are to go to their rooms until they can, through mealtimes, if necessary. It's important for DH to back you up, when necessary. You two need to be on the same page with your approach or the kids will play you off each other.

Wow. I guess we got lucky. At one point several years ago, DH decided we needed to have a piano. No one in the family plays or takes lessons. :confused: He bought an old piano fairly cheaply and moved it himself with one friend using a rented U-Haul truck. I let it sit and take up room for a few years until I was able to convince him that it should go. We posted it free with the stipulation that the taker had to move and transport it. We had several potential takers within a few hours and it was gone the next day. BTW, the friend got DH back later by asking for his help in insulating his attic. :lol:

:iagree: DH and DDs love this one.

:bigear: I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. DD has outgrown the wonderful girl's cotton knit dresses from Lands End and we haven't yet found anything similar in ladies sizes. It just might be worth trying these dresses with the available dye pack. Reviews are good.

:iagree: Nothing "regular" happening here. When it does get cleaned, it is usually with scrubbing bubbles (DH) or magic eraser (me or DD). So glad to have old fashioned shower curtains instead of a door on tracks to clean. When the liner gets too yucky, it is tossed and replaced.

Wow! I love the gorgeous benches. Unfortunately, neither DH nor I are handy that way. Maybe I can ask around and see if someone can use it to make a bench or something else. Otherwise, I'll probably hold onto it for potential future grandkids. It has metal hardware so I don't consider it unsafe to use, personally. Just trying to make some more room/space around here. No basement or attic to store big items. The crib is taken apart and under DD's bed right now. :tongue_smilie:

What do I do with the crib now that we are past the childbearing stage? I hate throwing away a piece of furniture BUT it does have a drop side which is now considered unsafe. Charities will no longer take them, as far as I know. I'm sure I could advertise and give it away but I'm a bit paranoid of a future lawsuit. Is the landfill my only option? :confused:

I feel a poll coming on! What other unusual side dishes can I add to the poll?

ha! Thanks for the warning. My family isn't very adventurous and I don't want to turn them off of trying new things!

heat-resistant silicone

I'm not even sure that I can pronounce this. . .

:grouphug: I love this comment. :D I promise that I did cook it. I followed the directions on the side that included heating it in a pot with some oil for a minute and then adding boiling water and simmering for 8 minutes and then letting it sit for 5 minutes. It was cooked. It just wasn't what I was expecting. Yes, I suspect that what I've had before is instant non-Israeli couscous. I think I just rush too much in the grocery store as this isn't the first time that I got home with the wrong product.

Well, mine aren't perfect by any means but they are SO much better than me and my siblings were. We have very few rules but enforce them intensely: no hitting, no name calling, no mean insults. DDs are 12 and 15 and hold to the above fairly well. However, they still do not always get along very well. DD12 chooses to take even innocent remarks as criticism/insults and reacts accordingly. *sigh*

I wanted to add more variety to our side dishes and decided to try making couscous. I have had it a few times (restaurants, friends houses, etc.) and it has always been fluffy and yellowish. Well, mine turned out tan, dense, chewy, and most resembled small cat kibble. I finally grabbed the box and hit Google. It turns out that the product I bought is Israeli couscous, also sometimes called pearl couscous. It was NOT a hit with the family. We all had a small serving and threw the rest away. There's a reason many of us are hesitant to leave our ruts. :tongue_smilie: Pegasus

Claimed. :auto:

That looks like a chore list made for a WEEK not a day. :grouphug:

That sounds quite odd to me. You will pay for the device and then your midwife will bill the insurance for it? I'm not sure that is legal, even if she plans to then reimburse you. I think I'd go ahead and make a separate appt at the OB/GYN for that.