Our four young cats eat in the mudroom, with a baby gate across the door. Our old kitty likes to spend most of his time in our office, which is in the lower level of our house, so we feed him there. We have a baby gate at the top of the steps to keep the dogs from going down there. He has his food bowls (with his $$ prescription kidney diet food), litterbox and his very own big, puffy comforter to snuggle in.

DH and I both lost 20 pounds by giving up grains and almost all sugar (we still have ice cream once a week or so).

How about Greta or Gretel, Kirsa, Birget, Liesel, Elke or Berit?

No, it hasn't happened to me. Harassment, I could definitely believe. Many people are heavily invested in public schools, whether it is administrators, teachers, school board members, or other parents. Stalking? I'd need to hear more details to believe that, but people are weird, so who knows? Maybe it's the Teachers' Union (said only partially in jest, since I live in a state with a large Teachers' Union that is notorious for its bully tactics).

Aw, poor thing! That sounds painful. We caught ringworm from a newly adopted kitten a few years ago, but none of us had it on the scalp. I can imagine that would be more difficult to treat than other areas, and would probably require oral medication. Our vet and her staff have had tons of experience with ringworm, and they warned us that it's hard to get rid of it completely. They gave us two tips that were very helpful. One was to continue with the medication for several days after the rash disappears, just to make sure it is gone. The other was to launder all clothing, bedding, and towels in hot water after one use, and to clean all surfaces (counters, floors, etc.) with a swiffer followed by bleach and water. You want to make sure those spores don't have a chance to spread! Good luck and I hope she feels better soon!

:grouphug: I'm sorry you're having such a tough time. How many times each night does your child's sugar have to be checked? Could you and your husband take turns? I understand your concern about your husband having to get up early for work, but your job (schooling and caring for your kids) is just as important as his. It's crucial that you find a way to get more rest, because nobody can function well on only three hours of sleep a night!

garbage bags pill pockets for my dogs Simple Mills grain free pizza dough mix toothbrushes napkins deodorant filters for our showerhead Torani sugar free hazelnut syrup (for iced coffee) Band-Aids paper towels Aveeno Eczema Therapy lotion razors kleenex Lysol wipes toothpaste dish soap tea canned cat food tp I also get our dry and canned dog food auto-shipped from chewy.com

By telling Janeway she is wrong, you are saying she made it up, and how could you possibly know that? It's wrong to jump down her throat with accusations when you don't know the facts.

Janeway is the only one here with any knowledge about her husband's workplace or the circumstances of his termination. I'm certain she has a better idea of what happened than those who know absolutely nothing about the situation. So why is she being told she is wrong and to hush up? Janeway, I hope your husband finds a new job soon in a location that you all love! :001_smile:

I'm so sorry. Big hugs from a fellow dog lover :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

My DH suddenly became allergic to caffeine in his 40's and had to give up his beloved coffee and Diet Mountain Dew cold turkey. He has had pollen allergies his whole life, but never any food allergies until this.

I'm sorry! That stinks. :grouphug:

I would give $50 in that situation, too, and I agree that cash is better than a gift card. I'm sure he'll appreciate your thoughtfulness!

My wedding ring is a thin gold band and I've worn it pretty much constantly for the 26 years we've been married. So has DH. His ring won't come off anymore, not because of weight gain (he weighs about the same as when we got married), but because it won't slide over his knuckle. I wear my engagement ring all the time, too, but it's actually a replacement ring. The stone fell out of my original ring a few years ago and was never found. I was sad because the ring had a lot of sentimental meaning to me, but DH got me a very beautiful (and much bigger) diamond for my birthday. On my right hand, I wear an anniversary band with three diamonds.

I read a happy news story yesterday that touched my heart so much. A group of guys were attending a bachelor party at a cabin in Tennessee. While they were cooking, a hungry female dog showed up at the door begging for food. They followed her into the woods and discovered she had a litter of seven pups hidden in a hole. They brought the puppies and the mama dog back to the cabin and fed them and cleaned them up. They used their beer money to buy puppy food! And at the end of their getaway, they brought the mama and pups home with them and all were adopted by the groomsmen and their families. The dogs all live within a few miles of each other and get to see each other and play together frequently. :001_smile:

I don't think you need to worry about botulism, but there might be some other kind of bacteria growth since they were at room temp for so long. I would throw them away to be safe. The botulism risk from potatoes occurs when you bake them wrapped in foil, because the foil creates an airtight environment that allows botulism to grow.

We got our son's twin XL mattress from Amazon. It's a Sleep Master Ultima Comfort. I had shopped around and ending up getting that one because it has many great reviews. My son has been sleeping on it for a year and says it is very comfortable.

I grew up on a farm, too, and we all were expected to do farm chores from the time we were very young. When I was 12, I started babysitting and cleaning the office where my mom worked. I also weeded the neighbor's flower beds each week for $5 (I considered that to be big bucks, because the flower beds were pretty small and I could be done in less than an hour). At 15, I started working at a local history museum, and after that came a long string of food service and cleaning jobs.

With the symptoms you've described, I would take her in right away. Poor thing, I hope she feels better soon!

In my experience with the teams our kids have been on, only Dec. 24 & 25 and Jan. 1 would be days off from practice or games. A lot of basketball and club volleyball teams around here have tournaments between Christmas and New Year's.

My 82 y.o. FIL, who grew up on a farm and was one of 12 kids, quit school at age 12 and went to work. My MIL was one of 10 kids from a farm family. They got married right after she graduated high school and built a very successful business together. All three of their kids not only went to college but got advanced degrees (an MD, a PhD, and an MBA). Quite a difference in education levels from one generation to the next!

Have you looked on Etsy?

Well done to both of you!

Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine. She was always my favorite mystery/suspense writer, but her last few books before she died seemed like they were just slapped together. Also agree with previous posters that the first several Stephanie Plum books were fantastic but the series began a downward slide around book 6.

I'm definitely in the warm and fuzzy camp. I love A Christmas Story! Our whole family does. Love everything about it - the humor, the family, the setting. I'm amazed that anyone could find it depressing (not being argumentative, just fascinated that people can have such opposite reactions). To me, it's happy, lighthearted and hilarious.