Melissa, that's very ... interesting. Sounds to me like they're toilet training the adults! :D

Angela

Okay Vickie - what does being "dipped" mean anyways? Hope you are getting some relief and feeling better - hugs to you (and Jim too!). Hang in there!

Melissa - how interesting! I'm a few years too late of course - but I wonder how much time one would be spending "watching and listening" for those all important cues from baby?

Sandra - how was your survival training? and your hot tea? :)

Angela - you are so right - need to remember we are strong women!

Kathy - how are you and Judd doing? Is he feeling "better" about the mass? I hope all is well and you are both coping with this new challenge!

It is a very rainy, gloomy cold day here today - matches my mood a bit? I have a bad TOM headache - this seems to be the common practice for me - once TOM really starts (day 2?) I end up with a bad migraine like headache which generally lasts a couple of days. Last month it was pretty bad and I ended up staying home for the 2 days - but I obviously can't miss 2 days every month due to TOM. I have medicated myself and try to finish up some projects at work.

Had a very good discussion w/my supervisor around our workplans (mine and my team's) and feedback is generally good - I tend to procrastinate on stuff as I hope to perfect it - and I am learning just to let go. Nothing will ever be perfect so I need to take whatever remaining risk there may be and just deal with it as required! Getting some help (consultant) with a few lingering projects so I am very happy with that!

Dh is now talking to me but frankly who wants to hear all that nagging and complaining on a constant basis? From the moment I got home yesterday until the lights were out he just focuses on and talks about all the stuff the kids do that he does not like - while I agree w/him on most of it (yes dd should flush the toilet when she's done - but why exactly is going around the house EXAMINING the contents of the toilets?), it's just got to stop. Yes ds is a slob (not really), yes dd needs to get off the phone, but don't we have SOMETHING BETTER TO TALK ABOUT! Must we spend all our waking hours dissecting everything that is wrong at our house?

I mentioned it would be nice when I came home to hear "hi, how was your day?, what are you working on right now? or how are your work projects going or even, heard any good gossip lately?" Instead I get "did you now ds left an onion peel on the counter after he made his soup - he better clean it up" and "who's baking cookies? they better clean it up?" Someone burnt all the cookies - how stupid is that? Ds said he was watching them, but obviously he wasn't cuz they are all burnt - this is a waste of money, and I wanted some cookies - now they are garbage!", and "dd did not flush her toilet, there is pee in it - how lazy can someone be not to be able to flush the toilet when they're done? Did you raise her to be like that?" and "ds is such a slob, he would not tuck his shirt into his jeans, people were looking at him, I don't like being around slobs". Well you get the picture.

I find this utterly exhausting and frankly am no longer interested - I now just agree and say yes I have raised slovenly, apathetic, badly mannered and messy children - I am a failure as a mother - hopefully w/your impact little ds will turn out much better than the other two have!

I try to tell him that in the big picture these things DON'T MATTER - he does not understand why I am so blase about ds's shirt not being tucked in - like I care? How does it affect me and my life? Why should I worry about this? He is 19 years old for goodness sake! I keep telling dh he needs to focus on what is important (getting a job, working on his amp design, nurturing our crumbling relationship) and not harping on and on about every little thing - he just doesn't get it, and ends up angry at me cuz I don't agree with him.

I wish we could just talk about other stuff - I want to almost whisk him away from all of this for a week to see if we can talk about "us" and normal things instead of the "children from ****". I need to find the man I married - I think he is buried in there somewhere??? but I can't get him out!

Frouf

P.S. Eating out of control it seems as the box of doughnuts and cookies were calling my name today so I am on a sugar high right now (can u tell?)

Dipped means test the urine with a strip to see if there is a bacterial infection. I don't know what else it could be but my Doctor is conservative. Since he already gave me one course of antibiotics without a dip he isn't going to do it again.

Frouf, if you need to do your own private intervention then that's what you should do. It sounds like you guys a reaching a crisis in your relationship. I'll be praying for you and for your family. Mostly, I'll be praying for your DH because he truly sounds like a lost soul.

Back to the couch for me. I took the Uristat this morning and it seemed to help but then I got a fever/chills. It says not to take any more if you get fever/chills. Sheesh. Now I'm worried that it is something worse.

Speaking of worry, I hope you and Judd are ok Kath. I'm a little concerned that we haven't heard from you today.

Sandra, hope you're well.

Hey, I'm here. Just so busy that I'm flying by every once in a while to read new posts in a hurry. Judd seems to be doing fine and is still going on his 3 day motorcycle ride to Arkansas this weekend. We'll see how well he's able to stay on his plan. He's taking his snacks and breakfast with him, but for lunch and dinner, it'll probably have to be salads and grilled chicken. Hopefully he can find a place where he can find that.

Frouf, take care of yourself. You too, Vickie. I certainly can relate to what you're going to since I've had these darn things off and on for most of my life as well as kidney stones. I've had to have them go in and scrape the inside of my pipes because of built up whatever. Wasn't a pleasant thing but it helped for a time. I hope you don't have to do any of that. I have funny stories about some of my tests, but I'm sure you're not up for a funny story right now. Maybe after you're better ...

my goodness, vickie, you and jim sound like curtis and me. sore feet--sore shoulders. what's with us anyway?

frouf, we had a blast last night. i have to confess to cake, though. we went to a different place than i'd planned. i was weak. i know it's no excuse. i just did it. it's prob a good thing i'm not weighing this week. can i push halloween back to mid-november? i'm on a sugar high now, too.

melissa, i didn't exercise yesterday and it's looking like i won't today either. the grands are here. that's my excuse and i'm sticking with it. lol

melissa, call the doctor. it's probably an infection that needs to be dealt with.

well, i need to go. the grands (they've been here all afternoon and will be here till tomorrow sometime) are modeling halloween costumes. they are having a blast and my nerves are about shot. i'll catch ya'll later.

Evening everyone,
didnt forget about you all just busy..
Froufy I just want to give you a big hug...you need some *ME* time...I know that wont solve your problems but maybe it will help with the stress...thinking of you...
Ouch Vickie,,,that infection is stubborn isnt it..maybe you jsut need stronger antibiotics. Let us know...
Kathy Im glad your Dh is still going on his trip,,,maybe it will help him. Good for him to sticking with his plan too.......
Sandra how old are the Grands....sounds like your having fun with them. I wish I had little ones around here that still went out for halloween....so cute. I spoil them at work instead..haha
Ate a sub for supper tonight...I had the points for it..but I feel just alittle bit guilty. Wasnt the little 6 inch one either....I will see on friday if it affected my weight or not. I weighed yesterday and showed those 3 pounds gone from the weekend but didnt weigh in today and its driving me nuts....how sad is that!! Off to read a magazine....didnt get a walk in tonight but went to volleyballlast night.
ttyl

Well I'm in my jammies and ready for bed - very very tired tonight! Also cold and damp, giong down to O tonight (32 degrees) - at least the cleaning lady was here today so clean bed sheets and gotta love those lovely vaccum carpet stripes!

Dh seems in better mood today - not that much complaining - but I did end up cooking dinner as nothing was prepared! I have spoken w/him about the "status quo" which does not seem to be workikng for us so "something" has got to change! I have asked him to call his old therapist tomorrow morning, and he has agreed. I suggested he make an appt and I would be more than happy to come along so we can work out some type of "plan" (he kinda did not like the tone of this!) about what we should be doing about the situation. He of course brought up the money aspect, and frankly I said is he not worth the investment and it is better to sit around crying and save the money? So at least he was in the right frame of mind to talk about this and I am hoping that at this meeting I will be able to explain the situation and would think the therapist might have some ideas/suggestions on how we can move forward. I really don't see going on like this for much longer!

Vickie - hope you are getting some relief and that your dr's appt comes quickly for you.

Sandra - glad you had fun - don't sweat it about the cake - just a blip on the big screen of life. I barely ate dinner (still full from my pigout lunch) but did end up having ice cream w/the rest of the famiy as I am weak, weak, weak!

Kathy - glad to see Judd is taking this in stride and I guess he should still go on his trip! Good luck to him with staying on plan - where there's a will there's a way! How are you doing? Hope the long days at work are not exhausting you too much!

Melissa - are you out walking right now? Wish we had some warmer walking weather here! I am spending my time on various cruise sites as I contemplate some warm sunny beaches (great deal on a nov 13th cruise - would love to go! - ALONE!).

Gearing up for hallowe'en here - dd wants to go to Value Village and find some "costume" stuff - she is asking for a corset - can you believe this? Firstly not happening at 13 and secondly it's like freezing cold here at night - almost winter weather and she can't quite get it that she will have to wear a coat/jacket or something warm over the corset in any case - but she would rather turn blue and freeze or get sick I suppose!

I got the cutest puppy outfit for little ds (I think it's supposed to be a St. Bernard). A one piece furry jumpsuit w/puppy head - and paws and the cutest little tail. He will be very warm in this outside w/a sweatshirt/pants underneath. Problem is school hallowe'en party/parade this saturday afternoon, and he will certainly be warm in this indoors - will have to dress very lightly! Already chose a bag of lollipops (one of his favorite things) as a treat to hand out at school!

Today was picture day at his school and I can't wait to see the pics - we "practiced" smiling this morning. So cute in his full uniform (formal for pics which means dress shirt, pants and school tie) and I really really hope he smiled big cuz I want to capture the fact that he is currently toothless - too top front teeth are out now and I would love to have that memory in the school pic!

Okay time to go read in bed now! Nitey nite!

Frouf

Frouf, that sounds like some good news. It seems like there might be a smidge of improvement with Mr. Frouf, so I am optimistic. If he's willing, there's a way.

There's a lot of drama going on right now at work ... just found out today that a dear coworker is going thru some very tough times with her DH. I hope she'll confide in me soon, but until then I have to pretend that I don't know. She's such a sweetie and a devoted mom and wife. It must be tearing her up, but she's probably worried what people might think. They've been married for 21 years. So sad.

I had a close call with the big TV tonight. No picture! I had to call Judd at the bowling alley to ask what to do ... he instructed me and then said "I'm starting to worry about that TV." I don't think we need to buy another one right now ... maybe we should put it on our Christmas list for MIL/FIL. You know how they buy us whatever we ask for. I'd hate to take advantage of it though. And by the way, they bought us this one, a big 36" Sony in a beautiful cabinet, as a surprise about a month after we got married. She's a realtor and goes to estate sales of her fellow realtors. Found this one at a sale and it was less than a year old. She only paid $900 and it was more than twice that much new. We were happy to have it, because it gives her great pleasure to spoil us (well, actually her baby boy, but I also reap benefits).

Kate and her BF are upstairs working on a paper for biology. Immunodeficiency diseases vs. autoimmune diseases. Sounds like a hoot, huh? I've already been told that they will be working on it most of the night, so I told them to tread lightly around Judd, be quiet and make sure they're working, and let's not have a repeat of a few weeks ago when the world nearly collapsed on us all! She's taking control of my laptop as soon as I go to bed so he can research while she works on the paper on her computer. Thank goodness we have 7 computers in this house! :lol: And sometimes it doesn't seem like nearly enough!

I made a humongo pot of beans and sausage for the potluck tomorrow at work. I had a package of bratwurst in the freezer and a bag of 15 bean soup mix, so I cooked both and combined them. Now I just have to remember to take them with me in the morning, or I'll be in big trouble! Because no way can we eat all these beans!

Now I'm really signing off and going to bed to watch the news. Hope everyone is having a peaceful evening.

patti, the grands are 8 and 10. i have to tell you they had a blast trying on wigs, etc.... i have quite a stash of costumes and accessories for them to play with. they about wore me out tonight. they are watching disney channel now and all is calm. life is good.

frouf, i am weak, weak, weak, too. wish we could get together and help each other, but i guess we're big girls and should be able to help ourselves. okay, i know i'm usually shy about posting websites but have you gone to the "just my size" one? they are having a coat sale. jms.com i found an outfit there that i'm thinking of getting to wear to the play. if ya'll are interested in peeking, it's the black jms tunic and pants. i'm glad dh is going for counseling. that's a big step, isn't it?

kathy, 7 puters! wow! we have 2 and i thought that was a lot. if i were you, i'd start dropping hints for that tv. (i'm not bashful, am i?)

it's late. i guess i'd best close for now. i think i'll order that pantset tomorrow. i showed the photo to curtis to see what he thought. he doesn't have a clue what it would look like on me. i guess if i don't like it, i can send it back. what a hassle!

Sox against Astros on Saturday! I'm expecting to feel better by then so I can enjoy the game. The pitching matchup is Roger Clemens versus Jose Contreras. It doesn't get much better than this for baseball fans.

I'm counting down the hours to my Doctor visit. 13 to be exact. I'm still miserable. My honey rented two movies for us to watch tonight; Fever Pitch and Friday Night Lights. We tried to watch Fever Pitch first because as you all know I've been dying to see it. We got into it about 20 minutes and it started acting up. I told Jim to turn it off and make them give us a different copy tomorrow. I didn't want to miss any of the good stuff. Jim acted offended as I laughed hysterically at the inside of Ben's apartment (since it looked pretty much like Jim's house before I moved in with him!). I'm sure I'll enjoy the rest of the movie. Friday Night Lights was about a high school team from Odessa Texas in 1988. It was supposed to be a true story so maybe Kath and Sandra know of it. It wasn't exactly my kind of movie but it was good and distracting.

Frouf, things sound better in your voice. I'm glad DH agreed to go back to therapy. He needs it and you need him to get it. I'll keep praying.

Kathy, I'm glad Judd is not freaked out and that he's still going on his trip. The distraction will be good for him.

Patti, isn't it funny that you feel guilty about a sub! Remember the kinds of things you used to eat before? I'm sure they were worse than a sub. Mine were anyway!

I'm staying up until 11:30 so I can take a tylenol with codeine. My hope is to be able to sleep through the night tonight.

vickie, i hope you get to feeling better quickly. i know about mojo magic. i saw several high school football seasons where odessa permian would play just well enough to make it to the playoffs--then something would come over them and they would whip up on everybody. i used to work with an assistant principal who played there when he was growing up. his office was covered in mojo goodies.

http://images.buy-here.com/jms/10170...8_j101705M.jpg

this is what i'm thinking of getting. yep, i'm even thinking of getting the shoes. i think my feet could stand them for a few hours.

on their website they have a place where you can "shop by shape." i am oval. this outfit is included in the listings for oval folks. i am more top heavy, though. i'll have to order my tunic a size larger than the pants. guess my oval is mixed up.

Sandra, that is so cool that you know Mojo! I can't see your picture. All I see is a red "x".

I'm off to eat some Natural Ovens cookies so I can take my tylenol with codeine.

I'll talk to you all after my doctors appointment tomorrow.

Oh it's cute! Now I see it. Kinda sexy. Must be for date night?

vickie, i'm hoping to look sexy. i just ordered this whole outfit via the net. i ordered 1x tunic. sure hope i don't need 2x. they are sold out in black. anyway, i have this outfit on the way. i'm planning to wear it when we see "lion king" on stage. the tunic is still 1 size larger than the pants so maybe they'll fit.

now i have to worry that it's going to fit. oh, well. if it doesn't i will return it.

i hope your doctor can give you some fast relief. night night.