Odo Ban - I highly suggest it. The smell is terrific. sm

• Odo Ban - I highly suggest it. The smell is terrific. sm - me
  • I was curious about this ---sm - Kathleen

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I think you'll like it.  Do not get discouraged.  You should really only lose 1-2 lb per week.  Just taking the attention to the portions is a great step.  Also, drink the water if at all possible.  The exercise is good as well, but this need not be structured or even at a gym.  Exercise around your house.  Take the long way to do things.  Park further in the parking lot (be safe of course), walk around your kitchen when you're cooking.  Getting up the heart rate is most important!!!  I think you'll like Weight Watchers.  Feel free to keep in touch, would love to encourage you some more!  Well wishes to you...  

You are very brave - a lot of people would be afraid to speak up. As I was reading your post, I kept thinking about a prayer I read when my son was little:

"Dear Father, hear and bless Thy beasts and singing birds
And guard with tenderness small things that have no words."

Sounds like you are His eyes and ears and hands down here on Earth.

One of my grandsons is home-schooled.  Two are public-schooled.  The home schooled one is doing very well.  The two who are not are in deep trouble (one is in 1st grade and the other in 3rd grade.  The 3rd grader has been held back twice.  All the school does is complain about him, say he cannot read (he can read at my house) and plague his mother with their frequent phone calls and meetings where they try to place the blame on the parents "lack of helping enough with their homework"  (since when do first and third graders have two hours of homework at night - that is crazy).  The 1st grader is doing okay, but barely.  When my own kids were young (I have 3) my son would have really benefitted frome home school, but at that time the state of California made that impossible.  I went through so much with him and with a nephew (my sister-in-law and brother-in-law spent 800.00 a month on special reading and tutoring classes and that was back in the 1970s and 1980s.  That is the only way he did well, and the tutors agreed with the parents that there was nothing wrong with him or his ability to learn, that it was the school's lack of teaching to the individual that was the problem.  Lucky for him that his parents could afford the tutors.  Psychologist's don't know everything (and I am an old Psych RN and have met a lot who were probably attracted to the field because they were formerly psych patients  .  As a grandma who lives with her home-schooled grandson who is in the fifth grade now I say hooray for home school! It feels really good to know that he gets taught in a way that works best for him and his mother.  If the psychologists are worried about "group interaction" just take her to martial arts classes.  Since when were schools the only place a child could interact?   Martial arts is good exercise and it also has worked wonders with ADD children and I've seen that first hand.  It is helpful with self esteem and helps children work on their ability to work with others as a team.  My home schooled grandson can interact with anyone anytime and we get tons of compliments on his behavior and he is delightfully happy.  Every year we ask him if he would like to change to public school, private school or continue with home schooling.  His answer so far has been homeschool!  My other two grandsons who go to public school are much loved, but there is defnitely a difference in their behavior, their attitude toward learning, and their ability to get along with others when compared to their cousin.  The public schools are not what they were when I went to school - I had wonderful teachers and obtained an education that was second to none.  Alas, this is not the 1950s anymore and the public schools prove that to me every day in every way.  Go to some websites and check out the curriculums.  See what is out there.  I recommend Calvert's great curriculum.  Good luck! 

that this guy is capable of change. And the best thing you can possibly do is think about your girls and what you want for them, how you want their childhood to be, and how you can avoid further trauma to their psyche. This type of dysfuction is devastating to them and will, if left unchecked, eventually lead to them seeking out dysfunctional relationships in the future. Children learn what they live and have no reason to believe that this family dynamic is not normal. It certainly is not healthy for them. As you filter through advice that you are given and make decisions about how you will deal with this, ALWAYS make your girls the first and foremost consideration and make all decisions with their best interest in mind.

Exhausted, I wish you and your girls the best. I also have a 16 MO daughter and cannot imagine my DH acting this way. Sure, he doesn't LIKE to change poopy diapers, nobody does, but he will do it if she needs it. He will do anything for her.

As their mother, you are their most important role model. If you continue to be his doormat, you can be sure that they will just the same later in life.  You have to show them that this type of life is unacceptable and that you always consider their needs and emotional health to be your first priority, always.

HUGS!

Please, everyone with a pet of any kind, consider it.  It can be a lifesaver (literally!), and I personally like the peace of mind it gives me, whether I ever need to file a claim or not.  Try Veterinary Pet Insurance:  http://www.petinsurance.com/ 

There are other companies too, but this is the only one we've used.  It saved us a small fortune when our Rottie got bone cancer in his front leg at just 4-1/2 years old.  After the diagnosis, we got a CT scan (same machine they use for people - $$$) to make sure it hadn't spread.  It hadn't, so we went ahead and amputated the leg (also not so inexpensive).  He felt great, was out of pain, adapted easily to 3 legs and was his old, happy self.  But just 6 months later the cancer was back, and we had to let him go.  Poor baby.  It all ended up costing about $2000.00, and we were reimbursed about $1200.00 from the insurance, so it was a big help. 

I think we just had their basic policy too, not the more expensive one (that would've reimbursed more), but I don't remember.  I think we paid around $300.00 a year for him (including an optional $99 routine care coverage addition to the policy).  The cost depends on the age and breed of the animal, and you can make monthly payments or pay all at once.  They insure all kinds of animals too, not just dogs and cats. 

We have VPI for our 2 youngest dogs (2 y/o Rottie and 5 y/o husky mix).  Personally, we will never be w/o it again on any of our dogs.  It's just such a relief to know you have it.  VPI also has a routine care plan you can add on to the policy (or not) that reimburses part of your yearly costs for shots, spay/neuter, teeth cleaning, flea/tick products, and heart worm meds, and we like having that. 

My oldest dog, my baby, is Wiley, a 12 y/o Siberian Husky.  Much to my regret, I didn't get insurance for him when he was younger.  Now it's too expensive (and they don't cover preexisting conditions).  Same with my senior Siberian, Alexx, who died earlier this year - I didn't have insurance for her because it's too expensive when they're seniors (if they'll even cover you then).  So I'll be paying off credit card bills for Alexx (who was very healthy until the last year or so) and Wiley (mostly Wiley) for yeeeeeaaarrrs to come. 

Wiley's had health problems since he was 5 yrs old, starting with his teeth (enamel hypoplasia, meaning lots dental x-rays, cleanings, extractions - root canals!), then a tumor (spindle cell sarcoma), then a recurrance of the tumor 3 yrs later (the biggest expense by far, due to the extensive nature of the surgery, need for a scan first, a specialist...), and now... immune-mediated joint disease.  If I'd had insurance for him, I would've save myself, literally, *thousands* of dollars (assuming they didn't cancel the policy! LOL) 

We're like you, Hayseed.  Our dogs might as well be our children, and we take care of them accordingly.  ;o) 

JLo and Antonio Banderas.  You will be moved and inspired to act.  HIGHLY recommend.