any cheerleader moms out there? i need some suggestions. sm

• any cheerleader moms out there? i need some suggestions. sm - LMT
  • wrapping paper tubes - cat
    • oh, i didn't think of wrapping paper tubes! sm - LMT
      • Or netting in school colors like they do for weddings? nm - Just a suggestion
      • Speaking of homecoming... - ..sm
        • My kids homecoming is this weekend - trose

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1.  Did you have a lot of morning sickness?

2.  How many weeks did it last, i.e. from 4 to 12 weeks pregnant or what? 

How did you know they were "model material?"  My 9-year old Corbin Blue look- alike wants to go for an open call at our local talent agency.  He has the personality for it and i think he's gorgeous, but of course I'm biased!!!

Any tips for going to a call?

What are your summer fun plans?

Free days at local attractions, or something bigger? 

At my house we will be taking a week to explore our own state, which is pretty big!

I am in an unhappy marriage, but I am scared to leave.  I have insurance through my husband because I am an IC and I have all these fears - what if my job phases out? what if I injure my hands, what if I get sick, how will I take care of my kids.  How did you know it was time??  Is it better now>

I am separating, about to become a single mother of two children.  I am wondering if I should buy a home or rent one.  While buying seems like a good idea, I would also be giving a chunk of money for a down payment (which if I rented I could keep as emergency savings) plus I would be responsible to repair anything that might break.  I would appreciate any advice on this. 

thanks :-)

Apparently you, for example......I know moms of boys and sometimes I think some of them are delusional about their *boys/men*.....I don't know - I surely just don't get it.....as much as I try to get it.....

Right away or waited a while?

do you ever dream about living by yourself?  Not just with no kids, but with no hubby either?  I love my family, but when I feel overwhelmed, when life gets too stressful, I can't help but think how peaceful that kind of life would be, with just myself to take care of.  Of course I know in my heart that if I was by myself I would be bored and lonely, but right now it sounds really good!  It has been one of those days...

In the past 6 months, my sister-in-law's dog has killed TWO of our cats. 

She never married, doesn't have kids.  Her dogs ARE her children and she brings them everywhere.  They are not small dogs either.  One is a chow and the other is a mutt. 

She brings her dogs up to the in-laws every morning so my MIL can "babysit" while she goes to work.  Her dogs run around, come into our yard, stalk our cats, and attack.   Our dogs, if they are outside, will protect the cats but they aren't always outside.

She has been told that her dog has killed two of our cats and her only response is,  OMG!  I'm so sorry.   That's it.  Nothing else. 

I love her to death but she is totally irresponsible when it comes to her dogs and even more lacking in compassion when told that her dogs killed two of her nieces cats.  What the?

How would you handle this?   I don't want to cause any kind of friction because we all live so close and it is my husband's only sister.

Just really tired of losing our kitties.

If this rash ever recurs (God forbid) we will have to do some allergy testing. At the moment, I think there is a strong possibility that it is related to the trees we bought (see post below). Both of them were dripping from the holes in the bottom of the pot and I think there must have been some kind of fertilizer or something which got on his skin. Or possibly there was some kind of insect on the trees which got on him, because he has had new bumps appearing up to about three or four days ago. But he has several large areas on his chest which are just solid rash (he didn't even let me see that until last night because he knew I would freak out).

Tide detergent is a thought, too - he had been complaining of itching around his waist so he started washing all his underwear and T-shirts (undershirts) in Woolite. I use Tide Free but maybe I should change to something gentler.

Thanks again!    We will definitely try your home allergy test if this doesn't clear up or if it recurs.

I used to use Crest - I don't know why I switched.

And I tried Tom's years and years ago. I liked it but my husband didn't. We each have our own toothpaste now, so I might give it a try again.

Thanks!

I have some good lunches coming up!

It sounds like he wants more attention.  I am not accusing you of not giving him enough attention - it just that kids normally think the world revolves around them, so it is normal for them to want tons of attention imo. Kids (and adults) just want to be heard.  Ask him what he really wants from you when he acts this way.  I find it helps to repeat back to them what they want.  If they are screaming that they want a cookie, mimick loudly back "You want a cookie.  You want a cookie right?"  Then they know you get what they are trying to say.   Three years old seems a little young to be home schooling.  Most daycare programs don't start teaching a curriculum until age 4.  I'm sure he can learn an enormous amount at this age, but it may have to be in short "bursts" of learning rather than a structured program at this point.

As far as disciplining goes, my boys are now 5 and 6, but when they were 2 and 3 it was so hard to discipline them because they forget what they did wrong in a matter of seconds!  Once they hit age 4 or 5 they understand consequences a bit better and tend to listen more, so hopefully this is just a stage he is going through and your life will get better soon (I know mine's less stressful now!)

I think it's great you are trying to home school them for their well being, but you cannot sacrifice your own happiness to try and make your kids happy.  What your kids want is for YOU to be happy.  They learn by what they see you doing.  I'm 26, and I still want my parents to be happy!  I worry about them all the time.  Maybe you could put him in a program 1 or 2 days a week for just a few hours (after doing lots of research to make sure it is a good, safe program) just to give yourself a break.  Plus, he would probably enjoy it.  My kids get so bored being cooped up with me that they actually beg to go into boring places like the post office sometimes! 

Good luck with all your stress.  Maybe he could be redirected to other projects - playdoh, coloring, leggos, V-Smile video games (they teach shapes, colors, letters, etc.).  You could also give him tasks to "help" you around the house.  For some reason my boys love it when I have them help me with chores.  I guess it makes them feel important.  When your husband gets home tonight go take a verrrry long, hot bath with a fun novel!

The others gave excellent advice and suggestions. I found with my sister's lung ca. she loved exercise work-out clothing in a size much larger than her own, which she slept in and then went to chemo in or vice-versa if need be, the extra size was comfy and allowed for the weight gain that sometimes comes on with treatment. You just have to be careful with zippers if you are having any sort of radiation. She also felt a little more "dressed" if someone were coming over.She found Ambien a great help for sleep and sometimes would break one in 1/2 and, of course, you would have to check with the doc as to what other meds would interfere with this. Sometimes this was more of a relief at night than the pain pills. You should not mix both, of course. She preferred Maalox for her stomach upsets. If you Google Dana Farber they have some items on their web site for cancer patients that might give you some ideas. She had a cute turban with just a bang of hair coming from it that she wore to chemo. She also attended the "look good, feel better" classes offered at the hospital. The softer the clothing, the better for you, of course. Pain meds are very constipating and a stool softener sure does help and at times a glycerin suppository will encourage things along. The others are more familiar with the drains, etc.,that you will have to deal with. You should listen to them as they have walked your walk. Treat yourself to a manicure before your sugery, and pedi if you can afford it;  although you probably cannot wear polish, at least you will feel better about your nails.

Most of all, I am sure everyone who reads your post is praying that you will have a speedy recovery and wish you all the best. With today's technology, you will be okay, we are all wishing you the best. Anyone please correct me if I'm wrong with any of the above posting. I don't want to give wrong advice. A friend of mine had a mastectomy and her doctor was very adamant about her not using anything on her skin or anyplace else without her okay first, so follow what your physician tells you, especially if it involves skin care or meds.

I'm looking for some suggestions.  I have been battling with psoriasis since I was around 12 or 13 years old (that's over 30 years now).  Luckily it is only one patch behind my earlobe where the earlobe connects to my head (that sounds weird but think you know where I'm talking about).  Anyway.  I have also been going to the doctor for over 30 years for this (moved around a lot so been to a lot of doctors).  They always prescribe a cream for me but never with any refills.  All creams have worked in the past (some better than others).  What gets me is when I tell a doc a cream works really well and they tell me they want me to try something else. 

Here's what I'm looking at now.  I'm at the end of my cream (which was prescribed to me four years ago when I lived in another state). The cream is called Elocon 0.1%.  I really don't want to go to the doctor for this but I have tried everything I can think of on the market (all 1% hydrocortisone).  Nothing works.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  Maybe something natural.  Heck at this point I'd go for something supernatural.  HA HA.  Or am I going to have to bite the bullet and find a dermatologist locally.  I looked up how to treat it naturally and all it said was eat more fruits and veggies.  Ah, yeah, right! 

Thanks.

Hey Kaydie, I used to work with special needs kids and had one with a similar weight problem though not nearly as severe.  What your sister needs to understand, and if she gets defensive tough give her some tough love, is that if your nephew develops diabetes and then goes off on his bike and eats whatever the heck he wants, he can do more than lose a toe, he can die.  A guy I was friends with in middle school, died after we graduated from a hyper/hypoglycemic episode when we were like 20.  He was short and skinny! 

As far as suggestions, the pediatrician needs to update his malpractice insurance because there sure as heck is something wrong.  As far as South America sizes, we'd have to know what country but think Brazilian bikinis and you can see that South Americans in general are not predominantly large people.  Now, as far as his job is concerned, if this is under adult programming, tell them he is under dietary restrictions and can only eat vegetables or what have you.  I assume he has some sort of superivision at work regardless because of his disability.  Do not let him carry around pocket money if he is going to insist on using it for food. 

Get him involved in something that equals exercise like Special Olympics or something.  Riding his bike is great but not if he's going to McDonald's and back.  Give him errands to run like going to a post office or the library, things that don't require him to carry money.  Get him a paper route that he can ride his bike for.  Have your sister turn it around on her and say that her doctor told her that if she doesn't lose weight she could get really sick and she needs everybody's help so no junk food in the house and healthy food.  Get him to help develop healthy meals for mom and help shop for them.  Get that cookbook that shows how to sneak healthy foods into meals for kids.

Above all make sure your sister understands that you love her and your nephew and want them both around and healthy for a long, long time.  Heck tell her a friend of mine who is 6 feet 2 and weighed 225 at one point started having knee problems at 26?  He has lost 40 pounds and guess what?  His knees don't hurt him anymore.  It makes a huge difference.  I don't know how tall your sister is but 230 pounds is not a healthy weight for most women adn 340 pounds is not a healthy weight for anyone.  Good luck to you!

I would enroll her in a good basic puppy obedience class.  She sounds like a typical fun-loving, high-energy pup, but you're right, you want to get a handle on this before she gets any bigger/wilder (though at 6 months, I'd guess she's close to full size, just with some filling out to do).  Plus, she will soon be entering into what I've come to think of as the teenage/juvenile delinquent phase of her life.  LOL

She just needs to learn some 'manners,' so to speak, and you/your family need to learn how to communicate w/her in a way she can understand, which a good trainer can help you with.  Learning the basics (sit, stay, down, come, heel) will come in very, very handy - esp. 'sit.'  I mean, think about it, she can't very well 'sit' and jump up on someone at the same time, right?  Teaching basic obedience to your dog is sort of like teaching manners to your kids, can you imagine how insufferable they'd be w/o any manners? 

Ask your vet if there are any training classes locally that he/she recommends.  You can also try the Assoc. of American Pet Dog Trainers:  http://www.apdt.com/  Find someone who uses fun, positive, dog-friendly methods, and avoid anyone who wants to use force, yelling, hitting, pushing the dog into a sit, drilling the same command over and over, etc.  Do some research before deciding on a trainer, because anyone can hang out a sign and call themselves a dog trainer - doesn't mean they know what they're doing!  Training s/b a fun, bonding exp. for you and your dog.  In fact, you might want to look into something called 'clicker training' because it's really fun, and even kids can do it.  If you can't find a good, affordable class, there are some good dog training videos/DVDs, but I think a class is better. 

And personally, I would not play tug-o-war with her, at least for now.  For some reason, that game seems to get dogs pretty wound up and 'hyper,' and is sort of an aggressive way of playing for them.  *Maybe* later, if she learns to release the toy on command when you say 'give' or 'release' or something like that, you can play tug-o-war w/her, but I'd focus on the basic obedience stuff first. 

We train our dogs from the start that they are never allowed to put their teeth on us, ever, but some people allow the dog to do it if they do it gently, in play.  I just find it easier to not let them put their teeth on us at all, but that's up to you.  We also teach our dogs that they are not allowed to jump up on anyone unless the person gets down on the floor and calls them up (by patting the chest).  They don't often try to jump up on us, but if we have company they get very excited, so we might sometimes need to put a leash on them for control until they settle down. 

Please don't think I have perfect, 'robot' dogs BTW - far from it!  I often 'cheat' and take the easy way out by using distraction.  For instance, there is a dog toy called  'Kong.'  You can fill it with peanut butter and kibble, freeze some beef broth and kibble it it, all kinds of things, and give it to the dog to keep them busy.  I love it!  If you go to their website, they have recipes. 

My other big suggestion is:  Exercise, exercise, and more exercise.  Dog people have a saying:  'A tired dog is a good dog.'  I can tell you from personal experience that this is soooo true.  My dogs can be so obnoxious when they haven't gotten enough exercise.  A dog that gets plenty of exercise, both physical exercise and mental exercise (in the form of training where the dog is having to concentrate which wears them out mentally just like it does us) is a good dog, because it's a dog that doesn't have a lot of excess, pent-up energy to get into mischief.  Some ideas: 

1.  Treadmill (supervised, of course). 

2.  Walks on a leash with the dog having to heel and wearing a backpack that has something it for a little weight to wear him out a little. 

3.  Running, playing, wrestling with another dog of similar size and energy level (with a friend's dog or at the dog park maybe?)

4.  My absolute, all-time personal favorite (because I'm lazy and not nearly as athletic/energetic as my dogs are, so it's the easiest thing for *me* LOL):  Riding around the neighborhood on my mountain bike with my dog running/pulling alongside, attached with something called a Springer, which you can find here:  http://www.springerusa.com/  (I use a better harness than the one that comes with it.)  This is a great way to exercise your dog, IMO.  Be careful, wear a helmet, let the dog set the pace. 

You have a high-energy breed, so... enjoy! 

I find I am going into a depression each day as time goes on.  The root cause is home sickness.  I live far away from my family where the only way to see them is to fly.  This happens maybe once every 3 or 4 years (which is how often I go back).  My DH doesn't mind me going back at all and has been excited for me when I do go back because he knows how much I enjoy myself even just sitting around watching movies and visiting with family, and he's a loner kind of person, so am sure he enjoys the quiet time (we have no kids).  However, with that said DH listens to a lot of talk shows, news stations, etc.  Almost 2 or 3 times a week he'll tell me how bad the airports are getting, all these people are saying how unsafe it is to fly, this could go wrong or that could go wrong, then whenever you hear of an air disaster (i.e. the plane where those seats came unattached or they found screws missing in part of the planes, or maintenance checks not being completed properly) it intensifies his confirmation of why "anyone is nuts to want to get on a plane now adays".  I haven't mentioned to him yet that I want to go back to see my family (dad is in his 70s now, sis is desparate to see me and I haven't seen my new niece yet), not to mention I'm homesick to see the area I grew up and love.  He just came out again to tell me he's listening to someone talk about how there's no way in he!! they would ever fly, your just asking for it, etc, etc. (I'm sure those people are rich and can don't have a job and can drive from Canada to Mexico whenever they want to)  My heart just sinks everytime he says that.  Once I told him that they have to make flying safe because the whole country is filled with people who have to fly for business or personal reasons.  I want to go back to see my family so badly my heart just aches, so was thinking maybe between Thanksgiving and Christmas time frame (we don't celebrate holidays here so no big deal) that way it would give things time to settle, but I just haven't said anything to him about wanting to go back.  Also, with the crisis and election coming up there is a lot of uncertainty too, and I can't throw too much at him (he can't handle it). - Believe me in this household the impending gloom and doom are an every day part of our lives and our talks what we'd do if certain things were to happen.

What would you do?  Do you think I should just hang in there and wait to see what happens over the next few weeks or so?  P.S. - we do not have a marriage where I just demand or tell him the way its going to be.  Of course I may just be thinking too much of this, but at this point not sure and I get more and more depressed the more I think about it.  So looking for some opinions/suggestions on how you would handle this situation.