She is getting speech therapy and will continue to get it when she is discharged from inpatient rehab. I am trying to work out how we are going to handle her education once we get back home. We will not be able to do what we were doing before the stroke.

Is there anyone on this board with a kid who has suffered a traumatic brain injury? My 11 y.o. dd had a stroke on Jan 6 and we are looking at being discharged from rehab in the next month. I am looking for suggestions and strategies for teaching a child with pretty severe aphasia. TIA, Brigitte

I have the Whirlpool basic front loaders that are stackable. When I bought them, I had them stacked to give me more room in the laundry closet. The height was not a problem for me (5'5") and my kids used a stool for getting things out of the dryer. I did end up unstacking them, because I realized that with the front loaders I could put a counter top over them, and I would have plenty of space for folding, storing laundry supplies, etc. That arrangement works better for me.

She is fortunate to have such a great friend as you. I hope she makes it back to your area, because having a wonderful friend as support through tough times is a true blessing. Hugs and prayers for you both.

:iagree: You really do have to read the labels of all yogurt. There is so much junk in most of them. My dd who is lactose intolerant can eat Greek yogurt without any ill effects. So, it is all I buy now. Sam's Club sells the Chobani in 12 packs for just under $12. That is a good buy for around here.

Will do. My dh's car has the same problem. He is procrastinating taking it in. He probably thinks the problem will go away on its own. :-P

Are you going to be gone just for the day or will you be there several days? If it is just Thanksgiving day, I would make do with the garage and walking him or tethering him. If it is several days, I would find a place to board him (if you don't have another family member who lives near your sister who would keep the dog for you).

Stella goes nicely with your other girls' names.

We heat with natural gas and our highest bills in the winter are about $100. We heat a total of 2000 sqft on three floors. It is much cheaper than a heat pump or oil. I would suggest the OP get an energy evaluation for the home. Our electric company helps with those and will help offset the cost of modifications that are made to increase the energy efficiency of the home. Also, I would suggest the oil filled space heaters (the ones that look like radiators). I found them to be good sources of heat; they turn off when the room has reached to temp setting; and they don't have an exposed heat source.

My twins were born 12.5 weeks early and are now 11. Instead of a late September birthday, which would have them as 5th graders this year, the have a July 1 birthday, putting them in 6th grade. Academically, they are fine doing 6th grade work. Intellectually, there are times that they are better suited to 5th grade. Socially, they are definitely 5th graders, even the one who has hit puberty. If I were to send them to school, I would give very serious consideration to putting them behind a year from what we are currently doing. I don't think you should feel any shame in doing the same. I don't think people realize how big an impact the early birth has beyond age 2 or 3. I say, go with your gut and not with the arbitrary line in the sand drawn by school systems.

I would take it to a dealer and see what they will give you for the car as a trade-in. If it pays off the loan and puts something toward a replacement, I would go for it. We have two aging cars (dh's is in pitiful shape because he doesn't maintain it) and have the bills to prove it. I just spent $575 on a 120,000 mile service and putting in a new theromstat. It was a lot of money to spend, but the car runs well and has a lot of life left in it. Runs like a top now. That being said, earlier this year I spent a lot of money on repairs and I was beginning to think that the time was coming for a new car (car payments might have been cheaper than what I was spending on repairs). Part of the problem was that my mechanic was using after market parts and the parts were defective. He wasn't taking the time to research the problem and he was not that familiar with Saabs. If you are having repeat problems, you might consider taking the car to another mechanic. A new set of eyes might see something different.

We live on the VA/TN boarder. Most of our trees have most of their leaves. We are on the boarder of "just a few inches" and 12+ inches. I am hoping for a dusting. Our elevation is about 1600-1700 feet. I think the higher elevations will see a lot more snow than we do, but their trees are pretty much bare by now.

I would get a day bed with a pop-up trundle. Then you have two twins that you can keep apart or put together, but save the most room when you have no guests.

I would ask her for her insurance information. I would also get estimates for the repairs and hand her a copy.

I imagine you are feeling much the same way my mother felt when I signed on the dotted line for the Navy Reserves in 1986, two months before I graduated from high school. I went to D L I for French, too. It will work out. (((Betty)))