Yes, that crazy homeschooling mom of 5 DID have a bottle of pee in the side pocket (netting) of her purse at church today. :D Why? Because at her doctor's appointment she was too distracted by all those kids to remember to turn it in. In fact, she's been carrying that particular bottle of pee around since Tuesday. Yup, steamed pee in a bottle. :tongue_smilie:

Calico cats are usually female kitties. I love kitties. Kat is part of my name. So CalicoKat it is.

Skip the yogurt, it's high in carbs even if it's plain. Greek yogurt is worse. If you're still working on getting your numbers down these two can derail you. I thought they'd be fine because they're protein, right? Nope! Frozen raspberries & blueberries are in the freezer section at Aldi. I can have a bowl of those and not worry about my numbers going crazy.Give them a twirl in a blender and it's a berry icee. A packet of stevia will sweeten it up. But don't use too many packets of stevia in a day. I've noticed that more if I use more than 3 (to sweeten my ice tea) my blood sugars go up. I also get hot flashes if I use more than 3 packets a day. It's an herb.

Any of your kids 6 and up should be able to get themselves ready for an event or outing AND do an extra helping chore besides. I think what you did yesterday with no camping is a fantastic start. I do think that they didn't really want to go camping in the first place and that's why they didn't make a significant change. Do more like yesterday. If you do x, y, and z, then we'll be ready to leave by _____ p.m. That's 2 hours away. I'm going to do q, r, and s to help us get ready. It helps to assign individual chores to that don't require much movement to the dc who need more practice at working, like dishes, folding towels, straightening the bookshelves etc. If they're not ready to go then it probably isn't something they really wanted to do anyway and didn't know how to tell you. An upcoming activity that's interesting will have them ready hours before. But it does take them the pain of cause and affect the first time. If they get it, feel it, then they'll be motivated. With as many children as you have you can even assign a younger kid to the older ones to get ready. Nothing like having to find missing pairs of shoes when you have a lunch to make. :grouphug: Keep on!

I like frozen mixed berries. :001_smile: In the freezer section.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

A poodle/bichon mix is my little dude. He's a little teddy bear. :D Non-shedding, not yappy, cuddly lap pooch.

nm.

Make a meal-in-a-salad salad! Layer it with your fav. veggies, hard boiled egg, meat(s), and fill your plate! And eat it sloowwwly. :D

How would you react if someone had been cruel to your child? I get that this kind of thing happens. It just seems to be quite over the top and I'm shocked. Something like this happened to me this a.m. My father is pre-alzheimerish and says some of the most _____ things. But lately he's started goading my boys by saying things he knows will get a huge reaction. "Alrighty then, I guess I need to be going." And we politely left with our snacks in hand and left behind half full coffee cups. There's nothing to say in the moment. Just walk away. And then you can see what happens, forgiveness & reconciliation or not.

A smile, nod and friendly wave would have left her the impression you didn't speak English and didn't understand what she said. :D That's my usual response.

Our children have them. We actually got a letter from our doctor to carry with us documenting that they were indeed birthmarks not bruises so that we might avoid any unnecessary attention. Our kids are adopted and it was the caseworker who recommended it. My MIL was the only person to ever mention it. She got to read the letter.

:grouphug::grouphug: I started to get my pudge moving by eating a paleo/primal diet. Basically just veggies & low fat meats. No carbohydrates. Give your body a two week jump start with that and go from there. I've lost 17 pounds in 4 months. That's the most I've lost in decades! :grouphug:

I had an ah-ha the other day, not all blue jeans are equal in appearance or fit. And what you wear does affect your image & first impressions. So, DH's wardrobe is going to expand a bit if you kind ladies can coach me on what to buy. Of course price is a huge consideration as we have made no money this year. But it is for his work wardrobe which would like to be released from the '80's. Thanks! Personally I'm working on being the eye candy on his arm when we're out in public. There's 17lbs less of me and a hint of a waist again. Onward and skinnier, right!

So instead of doing nothing but what I want I'll be nursing 2 sick kids. One puked last night. And another is on the couch with the pre-puke stomach ache. And consoling the two because they're feeling bad they're missing out. My mother will still take the other three, if they're healthy for their lunch, library, lessons @ Gma's :glare:

:party::party:

Complete with some of those BBQ'ed western oysters she mentions now and then! :D

We're in SW, WI. A bit far. I'm bummed because now I have to dig a whole pasture of post holes myself. :glare:

This is me. The books sit in a pile on the fireplace waiting to be put away. It's next to the box of new curriculum for the fall that I haven't even looked at twice. There's the basket of library books that are all cartoons and fluff. None of the lists I was going to do have been printed or even mentioned to my dc. I am toast this year far beyond any other year. I can't even imagine homeschooling another year. I dread this fall. The 24/7 of homeschooling is what's killing me. None of my go-to tricks for giving my self a boost are working. And none of the adults around me seem to hear me when I say I need a break. I have heard that the local school district does take homeschool kids for summer school.:auto: That's not until the end of the July though. And I need a break from my family now.

I have a whole week's worth of fencing that needs to be done. :D It could be a day camp experience if we live close enough, seriously.

Call the church and ask if there's a service that picks up shut-ins and if you could get her a ride that way--if she wants to go.

If she wants to continue going is there someone who could take her? My folks go to the same church we do and when we're running late or can't make it they pick up the healthy kids who want to go.

There are Good Nights Pull-ups that are made for those bigger bladders and long nights. That's what we use for our almost 7 year old son. He could sleep in a lake of pee and won't wake until he's had his 10 hrs of sleep. Eventually he will be dry at night. It will happen.

Has anyone made one and used it to bake bread?

nm