Live teacher support would probably be a great thing. We have been using Apologia for two years, and it is the bane of our existence. :o( For the longest time I thought that math and science simply were not my dd's forte, but that all changed when we switched to Chalk Dust for math- she loves it and is doing quite well. If there is nothing comparable to CD for science, does anyone with Apologia experience have a recommendation for a program that is bears no similarity to it? Thank you, ~Lisa

Why do you feel you need to use the oil undiluted to have an effect? Do you know what kind of insect you are dealing with? Essential oils can be distilled at home, but distillers are very expensive, and make only drops at a time. I have seen home distillers at times on e-bay, though. You need to understand that it takes a huge quantity of plant material to make only a few drops...not that it can't be done. I'm just trying to think through how strong the oil needs to be. Rarely are they really needed undiluted. ~Lisa (3/4 of the way through to being a certified holisitc aromatherapist)

:)

this pint of mint cacao chip raw, vegan ice cream :http://cashewcreamery.com/Products.html This month for lunch I have eaten a lot of salads made of organic spinach, fresh basil, a handful of quartered Campari (sp?) tomatoes with olive oil and some fresh mozzerella, and a little sea salt and pepper. ~Lisa

Oh! Thank you so much. I missed this! Just what I needed. ~Lisa

Upon searching, I don't see that this has been discussed. Does anyone have personal experience on which one we should use and the differences? Thanks! ~Lisa

So, I guess you could say I've had it bad!!!! Every time I finished the series, I missed the story so much that I had to go back and start over. But, dd 13, is becoming a very good cook! :D I TOTALLY get it!!! ~Lisa

Just thought I would post here that the ASPCA says that oregon Grape is non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses.

1) Kitty is getting diluted chamomile tea in low sodium chicken broth. 2) I added 1/4 teaspoon fish oil. If this does not cause intestinal changes, I may increase this a bit in the next week. I didn't buy pharmaceutical quality, but I may change my mind about that based on some things I've read since yesterday. 3) I added a realtively expensive, but high quality digestive enzyme made for cats and dogs. I have to tell you, the cat is perking up. ?!? None of the things the vet said would happen have. I know it's still kind of early to tell, but this cat is not behaving in the crisis manner that the vet said she would. I will look into the Oregon grape issue futher, Soph. Thank you for commenting on it. ~Lisa

Well, yes, the calcium is related to her having been on thyroid meds, which have obviously been discontinued. The fact that you state that the calcium issue doesn't make sense makes me want to keep her at home and just watch her. The vet did say that the lab was so surprised that they ran it twice to double check. She also said she was surprised that the cat wasn't having seizures. She doesn't seem to be in pain, is eating well today, alert, and licked up some catnip that I sprinkled near her. She isn't having any trouble making it down the basement stairs to the cat box, so this should be some kind of indication to how well she is managing all of this! I am questioning giving the cat all these fluids. She seems a little swollen around the belly, which may be normal for this many fluids or not; I just don't know. Because the vet said that she was going to start throwing up all over, but since she hasn't yet, I have opted to give her a very diluted amount of chamomile tea instead of meds. I feel like that at this point, most pharmaceuticals are too toxic for her wasting kidneys, and since the liver enzymes are elevated, I'd rather not put any stain on them either. Do you have any experience with herbs and animals? Ina human, I would use parsley for kidneys, but it can be overwhelming if too much is taken in a cat. I found this product while looking for a feline kidney blend that contained parsley, which I am very tempted to buy, with what I know about herbs. http://www.petwellbeing.com/cat-kidney-disease-p90.cfm?s_kwcid=ContentNetwork|2559687323&gclid=CLOH2uaP5ZkCFWVM5QodtGBOQw I don't know how you feel about commenting on such things. Thanks! ~Lisa

Intuitivley, this is the kind of support I need right now. It's very difficult to make the choice to do something differently from what any medical professional suggests. Thank you!

But it never seems to come. And it won't if we keep interfering medically. She sleeps pretty much all of the time, but seems pretty peaceful. She doesn't really seem to be in pain. Today she ate really well, but that could change at any moment. She goes through spells where she doesn't want to eat. But then she starts again! Sometimes she responds to catnip, sometimes not. This is part of the problem!!! I can't feel really sure I know what's best for her because she slows down, and then perks up. My greatest wish for her is that she would just pass peacefully in her sleep, but it seems like we're going to have to walk a harder path than that. Thanks, ~Lisa

But she never did. I had to do it. Only then did she admit that we could be back in the very same spot next week. Because of her age, no matter what I do, she could simply die from old age tonight. Of course, I have no way to predict how long she would live if we followed vet recommendations. Actually, I think this would be easier on me if the vet would have talked about the options. Only recommending to treat, treat, treat, has me feeling like the bad guy for bringing it up. Thank you, ~Lisa

Although, having thought about this for several hours already, I don't see how it would really make a drastic difference. The cat is not behaving a bit differently from yesterday when we didn't have any of this information. This is partly why I am considering not giving her any of the meds at all, and letting nature take it's course- unless/until she is uncomfortable. Thanks, ~Lisa

Some oils come from berries, or stems, or leaves. In the case of citrus, most often the rinds are cold pressed. I think I would encorporate some vinegar into whatever you have blended to clean the floor, but that won't make it any thicker. I haven't done a really good job with this yet, though...it's streaky. Many essential oils could be made at home if you had a still (check out esential oils and hydrosol stills on e-bay) and enough plant matter. It takes a LOT to make the oils, though. I just throw my orange peels in some water and put them on the stove, bring to a boil, and them simmer. Maybe throw in some cinnamon sticks, or cloves, and let that naturally frshen the air. ~Lisa

I tried to post this on the pet group, but it was just way too long so I just copied and pasted it and put it here. Plus, I only have until morning to think about this, and I wasn't sure if Soph would see it be then (I haven't been able to be here much lately...there were no new posts on that group since March). I not only value Soph's opinion on the matter, but all you kitty lovers, too. I have posted about my kitty Sasha in the past, but not for quite a while. In August, we discovered her kidneys and thyroid weren't doing to well. She was put on Methimazole for the thyroid, and gets 100 (ml? cc?) sub cutaneous fluids twice a week. She had a six month check up yesterday, and I was a little concerned because in the last two weeks we have seen her kind of stagger around a bit once or twice. Well, the bloodwork came back, and her kidneys were seriously worse. She is down to 25% function. She also has elevated liver enzymes, her calcium is below 1 (!!!) and her potassium is outrageously high. She has a slightly elevated WBC. The vet wanted me to bring her in and give her IV fluids and IV calcium. It's going to cost about $550 dollars. Yesterday's bill was $250. I wish I could say money was no object, but it isn't so, and must be considered. The cat is 18 years old. The vet feels like the cat is in crisis. Today I told her I just couldn't afford all that. This afternoon, a check came in that was late. It's enough to cover the bill, but things may still be tight and I'm just not sure at this point that it's a prudent thing to do. I could end up needing to pay another $1,000 at any moment. Because I told her I couldn't do the $550 route, she sent me home with some other meds to help the liver, and to help the vomitting that she says is going to start happening. :o( She sent me home with Denosyl, Marin, Metoclopramide, and Famotidine. She also wants the fluids increased to 150 (whatevers) and done every other day. Half of me wants to just pitch all the meds into the trash and forget it, because this is all becoming very unnatural feeling and her body is old and ready to go to sleep. The other half of me would spend the family's food money and never bat an eye. I really need an objective second opinion. Thanks. ~Lisa

I found you post helpful! Virtual rep! :) ~Lisa

That included the piercing and the highest quality jewelry that they had; titanium with a Swarovski crystal. Apparently they, being a tattoo parlour, don't feel real safe about stocking 18k gold and real gemstones, LOL!:D ~Lisa

I wrote a little about mine below. I have been thinking about having a nice piece of jewlery made -gold-, because I keep wondering if my problem is the metal (mine is titanium). What you said makes me feel like I need to really go take care of this asap! ~Lisa

And I may be the one who was referred to in an earlier post. I had mine done in early June of this year, and I made a huge deal out of it 1) Because it was a huge deal for me to do it 2) It was a really huge deal for me to do it, LOL! #1 I guess information will vary from place to place. I had mine done in a very respected, established place. The gal who did mine said it is a very rare person who can remove theirs and it not close quickly for EVER. Even after having had the piercing for years, a cartilage piercing can close very, very quickly. I had a little accident with a towel and ripped mine out. By the time I got back to my piercer, it was almost completely closed. I had had the piercing for about 3 mos at the time, and pretty much had to have it re-done. #2 If you need to hide something, I think you need to seriously consider not doing it, but that's my own personal opinion. #3 I chose the left side because in Ayurveda, it's a pressure point for female related issues. I don't believe there is any hidden meaning for or against either side though. #4 I have really had a lot of trouble with mine. Before I ripped the thing completely out, I bumped it pretty hard having forgot it was there. I developed a keloid bump. I spend a fair amount of time keeping the thing under control. It stays red a lot, even 6 mos later, but is definitely not infected. The piercer says she has seen that occasionally in very fair skinned people. I am looking into having a real piece of gold jewelry made, though. I, (like Cin I believe) am begining to wonder if my body just doesn't like the titanium in the stud. Of course, there's no telling whether you might have similar or different issues. As for what some other posters have commented on, I am definitely not "cool." Never have been, never will. I'm overweight and 39 and I just don't care! I did it because I wanted to since I was a kid and read my first National Geographic. My husband for some reason thought it sounded like a great idea ;) but I talked about it for years before I was brave enough to do it. I added the pic I posted in June to my album at my profile. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/album.php?albumid=231&pictureid=1043 Even after all of that I can still say go for it!:) ~Lisa -------------------------------------------------------------------------- #1 - How long do you need to leave the nose stud in after piercing? #2 - Is there any way to mask it (seriously, my folks would die and my Amish aunts, uncles & cousins would think I've lost it) during the time you must leave it in???? #3 - Does it matter which side you get pierced? #4 - Anything else I need to know? I've been contemplating this for a while, and a few friends and I may do it at the same time. My *one* thing holding me back is my parents and my relatives. If I knew I could dab a little make up or something on it to cover it for an evening, I'd go for it! __________________

That is one of my top 10 favorite foods on this earth!!! ~Lisa

I'm kind of scared to change, and this doesn't help. :) ~Lisa

And it's not so "out" that they don't make it anymore. It doesn't matter what hairstyle I have. No matter how it's cut, it's stick straight without something to lift at the roots and then glue it in place.

Last night we had crystal clear skies, and the scenario looked like that brief second when a firework explodes and the "bits" (I don't know what you call them) are about to start falling. It was hard to come in from the cold! ~Lisa

Right now I'm using Kenra. I like it just fine, but I use a lot of hairspray, and it bothers me that I spend so much on something of that nature! 1) I need an aerosal. 2) I have very fine hair that gets damaged easily. 3) It has to be water based due to point 2. 4) It has to have SUPER hold! Is there anything much cheaper? I don't want to waste money trying tons of things if someone can recommend something. Thanks!!! ~Lisa