I don't correct other people's children unless they are hurting my child, damaging my stuff or it's something that truly needs to be addressed and the parent can't for whatever reason. The boy you describe sounds bratty. But he might have developmental issues. However acting the way you did towards his mother was also pretty rude. I think we should be able to expect more out of adults than children whether 7 or 9. I feel bad for mom if she's lonely enough to need to call people who storm off in a huff over what you describe. I mean I'd probably not spend time with them either in my position. It wouldn't really be worth it to me. But I'd never have chastised her child, stormed off in a huff like I was just too good for her and her child either. I'd have just politely declined further invites.

Hmmm 224 I shop a lot on Amazon.

I was in a trial once at a well known university for a medication in pregnancy. My son was born with neurological damage and a further later diagnosis at the age of 2 yo that the medication was found to cause. Pregnant women are now routinely told not to take that medication. However shortly after learning he had neurological damage he and I were dropped from the trial for some ridiculous reason. Never ever again would I do that and I'd certainly discourage my children. The trial we were in? It found the medication to be safe! It was later trials that proved it was dangerous. So he suffers the life long consequences of this medication and so do we as his parents. And I quickly learned how rigged it all was. As soon as they knew he was brain damaged they removed him from the trial. I was so young and stupid and naive. I can't believe I ever let myself be talked into participating. But I knew as soon as he was dropped why he was. :(

I have elderberry tincture I've made from elderberries from Mountain Rose Herbs. But I buy a lot of bulk herbs off Amazon now from Frontier and really like their quality.

I'm currently tandem nursing a 3 yo and a 5 mo. But I well remember my experience with nursing my first. We had multiple issues but what really drove me to finally quit was the day I gave him a bottle and then realized I was actually enjoying him for the first time since he'd been born a month before. I remember sobbing on the bathroom floor because I felt like such a failure. And I have not forgotten the nasty attitude women gave me for ending it. I later learned I have dysphoric milk ejection reflex. DMER. Basically I get an onslaught on negative hormones when my milk lets down and it's like a panic attack. It takes months for it to get better. But since I know what it is it makes it easier. That said, here is a great blog I found yesterday: Breastfeeding without BS. I really enjoyed reading a lot of it. The blogger is strong on actual science and not just oft repeated claims. http://breastfeedingwithoutbs.blogspot.com/?m=1

Oh, wow, I'm so very sorry. :grouphug:

The sound of a politician talking. I can recall this since about 13 yo. i can't stand hearing them. They make me uncomfortable and I need to leave the room or turn off what I'm hearing them on. The word corn. *shudder*

I think it's probably a combination of things. Food is not the same and perhaps the change is partly environmental (what the food is grown with and how it's processed). And then I do think people just died earlier due to these reasons but didn't know why. Most people on my mom's side of the family for instance end up with hypertension regardless of weight. Before the advent of BP medication and regularly monitoring many died relatively young of stroke. So I did read this thread and think about my great grandmother who lived her whole life on a farm and just ate food and died of a stroke in her 50's. She'd probably live several decades longer now.

I think her romantic interest was the guy in his underwear diving under the table in the bedroom! lol

I'm really curious if you don't mind PM'ing me. I wonder how much this is down to sil's selective choice making and not the cult.

I didn't realize there were any groups in the U.S. that didn't allow any medical care of any kind at all?? I know JW's refuse blood transfusions and many try and use natural means and use others as a last resort. But nothing at all?

I'm very torn. I think anyone would agree if it was a child you should report them immediately for medical neglect so the child could get immediate help. The problem is that despite this having been mil's ongoing religious beliefs, to not get medical care, she's been effectively deprived of that choice by no one telling her she'd most likely had a stroke. There is a difference between supporting an adult in medical decisions and deceiving an elderly person in it. It sounds like sil has been actively deceiving her and I'd be very worried about being seen as complicit in it because you drove down to stay knowing she was not well but didn't do anything. I do think people have a right to choose not to have medical care for themselves. But since she's had a stroke she's not fully in her right mind and can't comprehend what is going on. And your sil is depriving her of the right to even know something is actually wrong. So how does she decide how to handle the situation if she doesn't even know the situation?

I think I saw twice as many mannequins going through it the second time!

I found my first gray hair at age 13. I had noticeable streaks of silver while still in my teens. Now at 40 yo I'm probably 95% silver/gray. My mother and her sisters were all prematurely gray as well.

Gaaah!!

We used to get them every year and then they stopped coming. I'm not sure why but it's been since my teen boys were little. Maybe a yard full of ducks and chickens helps? Except my parents live across the street and they don't seem to get them either.

Yikes! That's not normal in my experience. I ordered from them last week the same day as Rainbow Resource and did not pay expedited shipping. My books were shipped the next day and arrived before Rainbow Resource sent me a ship notice. I also accidentally ordered two books I didn't want from ChristianBook. I think it's because I had saved them at some point and they got dumped in my cart when placing the order and I just didn't notice. Partially their fault but I guess also mine since I didn't notice it added to the cart? They said they'd send me a postage paid envelope to return them. They've usually been pretty helpful. I've dealt with some super horrible customer service people at Amazon lately. Including one threatening to charge me for items THEY sent me that I didn't order and demanding I have to deal with returning them. It wouldn't have been such a big deal to me if the Amazon rep hadn't been such a jerk about it. But I shouldn't have to deal with stuff they wrongfully mailed to me.

I'd give anything to just be able to eat food! Instead I'm this close to being full blown type 2 diabetic. I also have 2 kids with celiac. I've never been tested myself due to insurance reasons but I must avoid all gluten or I have very bad reactions. They aren't mild. I never cheat. Ever. It wouldn't be worth it. But I truly hate living decades with dietary restrictions and everywhere I go I can only eat a little of this or that. Most of my family just eats though. We grow a ton of food ourselves and I don't otherwise restrict my kids. I just try and provide as much good food as I can for them. And the grandparents try and provide as much dessert as possible. ;)

Please tell me more about neuro psych evals? Who do I see and what kinds of things do they test for? Thank you!

My 7 yog still can not recognize her letters and letter sounds, or remember the names of numbers or math symbols. We've been working on it off and on for many years now. I kept thinking it was a maturity issue for a while but it just seems so much more than that at this point. It seems to be something with not being able to connect auditory and visual. She is doing well in math IF I remind again every single lesson which is the addition, subtraction symbol etc. She can do the math just fine, single and double digit addition and subtraction. But she still struggles to remember if asked the name of each number. At this point 0-10 is usually fine. But with the larger numbers she can add 24 + 38. But she can't say they are twenty-four or thirty-eight. With reading it's even worse. After all these years she still can not tell me the names or sounds of the majority of the alphabet. She's half way though 100 EZ Lessons for example and can read what she is supposed to read. But I will have to remind her of almost every letter sound at some point. She might or might not remember it for a while. If she's reminded of letter sounds she can easily sound the words out though. But she will quickly forget most letter sounds even after practicing it repeatedly or reading multiple words with that letter in it. We just started Apples and Pears recently. She'll write /g/ and say the sound 8 times but then the very next line when she's supposed to say the letter sounds she won't remember it. Even Apples and Pears says it is for absolutely beginners and they should be able to recognise most letters by sound before they start. I just don't know where to go or what to do when she can't remember the very basics of the letter sounds and names! She can write words without letter reversal though. And her fine motor skills are very good.

I think it's fairly normal. It is for me but I am also anxiety prone anyway. I miscarried my last 3 pregnancies and actually miscarried a twin early in this pregnancy so I must say I am super paranoid. I can't handle hearing about others losses every which way I turn. I thought once I made it past a certain stage it'd be great and I'd be ok. And I am thrilled I've made it this far. But it turns out I'm still just afraid. And I hate thinking of spending the rest of my pregnancy like this. :(

I love the idea of an obstacle course! We do have a wooded area but it's in limbo right now with the DOT. Most of it's going to be taken by them for indefinite period of time and returned to us with or without the trees. It's a nightmare. We do have stilts, a scooter board, tether ball, 2 plasma cars that I think work like the flying turtle, the swing set is a wooden one with a little two story fort. My husband has always wanted to build a treehouse but we haven't gotten to it before now and with the land requisition we don't really have a place for it just yet. I also got the girls a pogo stick for Christmas. It was on their list and a good deal with really good reviews but it only holds up to 60 lbs. I do think the boys would like one but feel like a nut having two pogo sticks. Dh says it's maybe not too crazy if it's for 6 kids. My oldest was recently given some older weights from his grandpa who is also giving him his adult bike. The kids do have a pile of bikes. I really like the idea of maybe punching bags. The bigger pogo stick might be easier though. We don't really have enough level space for soccer ball goals or a basketball hoop I'm afraid. Our land is really oddly shaped and hilly. Thanks for all the ideas! I'm going to be looking through the Hearth Song website tonight.

My boys are ages 9-12.5. We really like to buy fun outdoor toys to counterbalance the indoor stuff. And my inlaws give us a chunk of money at Christmas to buy the kids stuff. I am coming up blank for my boys. Last year they got a metal detector and a slack line. We also have a zipline, swing set and trampoline. And this Christmas with the grandparent money we bought the younger girls ages 2.5 to 7 a seesaw and a Geometric Climbing Dome. But those two things really seem more for younger kids. It's getting hard to find stuff that they'd all like. I'd really love some outdoor toy suggestions. Thanks!

I haven't been watching her much but what I saw made me wonder the same thing. Hopefully things kick in soon. It took me forever after my first was born. :blush:

I was experience some similar symptoms a couple of years ago: weak, hands trembling, muscle twitching, extreme paresthesia and even partial paralysis in my face. It was only getting worse and worse. I had a full work up with a neurologist and it turned up nothing. In the end I had to figure out on my own that those symptoms were possibly from the medication I was taking. I slowly weaned off and my symptoms left. It still really bothers me that out of the 5 care providers I was seeing at the time including the one who prescribed the med I was the only one who could be bothered to look up rare side effects of that med. I asked and no one said it could be the med. The one who prescribed it was instead suggesting a possible diagnosis of some sort of psychosomatic disorder. Yep, she told me it was possible that I was actually making it all happen to myself. I even believed it for a while. So I always wonder about medication before jumping to some potential scary diagnosis. But I think a visit to a neurologist would still be worth it to rule out anything.