Stephie

I have lived in my current home now for 4 1/2 years with my husband and four children now ages 8, 6, and twins 4. For the past 3 years my neighbor has invited herself over pretty much every day of the summer. Her kids are 8 and 5. Our kids go to school together.

The logic of me wanting them to stay home is first of all I'd like to be able to relax and watch my kids and not hers too. I will not judge her as a parent, it is not my place but every summer something is always broken by her kids doing or she says she has to run to her house and I don't see her back out in 2 hours. Simply put I guess I would never leave any of my 4 kids alone with her but she leaves her 2 with me almost everyday all summer long.

I love kids but her little boy has special needs. Last year he broke our $70.00 pool pump. Year before that he bit my little girl. Always something.

I just want to have one summer to ourselves. I don't want to have to worry about her knocking on the door, or ringing my back doorbell at 9am. I don't want to have to look after, feed, and sometimes bathe her kids. NOT KIDDING.

I have told her and hinted in every way possible. I thought it had gotten through. I have not talked to her but maybe twice this year. And today here the kids come asking if the pools up yet.!!!!! If it weren't taking away from my kids I'd be about ready to say the heck with the pool this year, just so I can get some peace.

Opinions are welcome. I promise I am not being mean. I had my four kids and couldn't have anymore nor do I want anymore. Summer time should be the best time of the year but so far I wouldn't know.

Well let's face it I think "Extreme Couponing" has made us all rethink all the money we spend on groceries. I was one of the many that said I didn't have time for coupons. Well, it's hard but I do. I am by NO means an extreme coupon-er but have already been called the crazycouponlady.

I don't think I really have the nack for it, but any amount I save is a score for me.

Last week I managed to get 4 bottles of Pantene ProV, 4 deodorants, 4 women body washes, 2 men's body washes & Amdro ant traps for around $10. It's not a penny but to me I was astonished at how easy it was. So I decided I would try to stock up on toilet paper and paper towels. Just a couple of each is what I want. And wouldn't you know it no inserts in today's paper!!!!!

I am left scratching my head because I have $40 in the bank, "times is hard" and we are almost out of both. I have two recycling centers close by. I have never done "dumpster diving" for anything before but being a married to a trucker, and mother of four I feel I must do what I can for my family.

I am going to go tomorrow regardless of looks or the fact that I cringe just thinking about how low I feel. It's just that last week opened my eyes to the fact that those printed pieces of paper are money that people throw away. Money me and my kids desperately need. I'm not looking to start a stupid stock pile, just get us through.

If you saw a mom with 4yr old twins plundering through a bin what would be your first thoughts? And I can't believe I am saying this, but please be honest!

My husband is a trucker. He gets home late Friday evening and usually leaves out late Sunday evening.

I have an 8 year old son, 6 year old son, and boy/girl twins age 4.

Starting Friday morning all of my children are "crazy". They do not listen from that morning until Monday evening.

When my husband comes homes its like all the rules are thrown out. He does things the way he wants. I let it go because he doesn't get family time and he lets them stay of late watching movies and eating popcorn.

The problem is that when my hubby is home I feel disrespected. I work hard at instilling rules and discipline. I have tons of fun with my kids but there is a time and place for everything. Plus it is so hard to get everything back the way it is suppose to be.

What can I do to make this easier without taking the fun away from my kids and hubby?

My DD attends preschool. She has never had an accident there or out in public at stores and such.

It is only when she is home and when she is playing. She holds it until the last minute and if she is busy playing she just doesn't care.

I have three other children and it is hard to constantly be telling her to use the potty.

What tricks can I use to give her more incentive to want to put down her toys and go pee?

It has gotten to the point of me using powder on her to help keep her dry.

Any ideas are helpful.

BTW my other, older kids are boys so I am new to the girl thing.

My oldest son is 8 years old. He pretty much only has one chore. I have 4 kids and I do everything for them. Reason being is coming....

At age 8 do to unfit parents I was taking care of my younger brother. I made our own breakfast, got us both up and on the bus before my parents even rolled over. I was expected to do dishes and help sort laundry. I had to clean bathroom and countless other things while my drunk dad was rambling and my mother was too busy popping pills to even know me and my brother existed. I took care of myself. It was hard but now as a woman and mother I appreciate it because it showed me what NOT to do and how to be a better mommy than my mom ever thought about.

That being said I have no idea what he should be doing. I want to give him more responsibility one because it builds character and two I kind of need the help. The only my 4 kids get the more I have to do. I spent 3 hours today alone just doing laundry.

If there are any mothers out there that can help me without being rude or sympathetic I would love to hear your ideas for give my son more chores and how to go about doing it. He is a great kid and loves to help. I feel the need to do everything because as a kid I had to do everything.

I have forgiven and moved on but the scars still remain. I hope that you can help me.

The only other chore that is done is by my 6 year old. He feeds and waters our 3 house dogs.

My boy/girl twins have no chores.

Please help. I can't keep doing it all. I am exhausted.

I am a 30yr old mother of 4 kids. In my 30 years I have been very fortunate and blessed to have not lost anyone close to me.

My great-grandmother passed away at 4:45 this morning. She was the backbone of who I am today.

I snuck away from the kids long enough to cry for a few minutes. My husband consoled me for a few until kids came inside from playing. I don't know whether to tell my kids or if it is ok for me to cry in front of them. I never have before.

I feel numb. I have never had to go through this. I feel lost. Like a little girl. I do not like this feeling. I hate it. The lump in my throat and pain in my chest will not go away.

My granny was sick for some time so I know she is no longer in pain but I still feel hurt.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to deal with my loss? I don't know where to begin. I just miss her so much. :(

I am a mother of 4. I am not insecure. I am presentable when I go out, I wear makeup and fix my hair. With this being said I have noticed a rising trend in mom's really dressing up to go grocery shopping with their kids or to McDonald's Play place. I do not understand this. I would rather spend the extra time it would take me to do all that with my kids.

Does this make me lame or them in desperate need of attention.

Note: Many of these "mom's" are often dressed way better and are way cleaner than there kids. Personally everyday my kids are dressed better than me.

We (mothers) are judged first by our children and then by ourselves.

My 4 year old son and I really want Alphie. I really want to get it for him for Easter. However it is way out of my budget. I have four kids and planned on spending $20.00 on all of them and Alphie is $35.00. I have tried to look online but I must admit that I am not a very good coupon finder.

My baby boy talks non stop about this toy/learning tool.

I hope that someone out there can help. It will not be the end of the world if he doesn't get it for Easter. There is always Birthday and Christmas but like any mother I want to give my kids what they want and need.

My husband and I are both 30. We will be married 10 years in July. He has been a truck driver for 6 years. I have been a stay at home mom for 7.

Before kids I worked a full time job. I payed half of everything and so on. I also took care of wifely duties such as cleaning and cooking.

After kids, over the years it is as if I have been given less and less freedom. He is gone 5-6 days a week. I know it is very hard on him. It is hard on myself and our four children. When he is home he expects full meals all day, the house to be spotless, laundry done a certain way for him, washing his back in the shower, rubbing his feet, getting his beer etc... He shakes the ice in the glass to bring him more tea.

Up until this point I have been content with doing this. He is the King of the castle. But lately my three sons have picked up on his behavior and have begun asking questions. It has also influenced my 4 year old daughter as well. When my hubby shakes his glass she will say "daddy wants more tea mommy, hurry hurry".

But anyways, he makes the money I do everything else. I mean everything, bills, kids, activities, you name it. He doesn't even know the kid's teacher's names.

I am getting fed up. I am starting to feel like I am forgetting who I was or am, hell I don't know.

I just need to know, am I full of it? or does he deserve the special treatment and more?

He is the love of my life but 6 years of rubbing feet and washing a grown man's back is taking its toll.

Please any advice, no rude ones please. Man's input helpful.

Note: He rarely interacts with the kids. We do not go out as a family. He says he runs all week and wants to be home. I say I am at home all week and want to go on weekends. We are butting heads and something has got to give.

I will be turning "30" on March 3rd. I feel like I have blinked and now I have a husband and four kids that really take their toll on me. I am an overweight mom. I consider my looks to be average. I don't think I am ugly or anything LOL. My hair has definitely suffered over the years and I think it is time for something new. I guess I just want to start off the next 30 years with a better looking me. My kids are 7, 5, and twins 4.

My husband thinks I am being so silly.

What I want is to have my hair dyed back to blonde "the color it was before I had so many kids" and then add in some foil blonde and strawberry blonde highlights". I have almost waist length hair so it will be a little pricey. I think I just need the pampering. The problem is that I feel so guilty for wanting this for myself. I am always doing for my hubby and kids and friends.

What do you think, should I do it or accept the fact that there is no way for me to keep that hairstyle up.

I have 4 year old boy/girl twins that attend preschool. They have been going since September of 2010. I enrolled them in the center so that they could interact with other kids their own age and to learn the basics. And of course I would be lying if I said I didn't do it for the break I get from 8:30-2:30. I am a SAHM of four. My oldest two boys are in 2nd and Kindergarten.

That being said, since my twins have been attending they are always sick. I may not have the cleanest house but I pride myself on Lysol use and constant washing. Also they have not learned anything at school. What they do know is what I have taught them at home.

There are other issues including the non-driving bus driver and such. My twins enjoy going to school. They have made friends and it keeps them more occupied than I can at home.

I just want my kids to not be sick for longer than a week. When one gets sick, we all get sick.

What should I do? Should I let them finish out the year at the center? Should I pull them out and have them tutored home base where a teacher comes to the house twice a week?

I am at a loss. I want my kids to be well and having them in the center allows me to get more done and attend scheduled appointments without kids in tow. I want what is best for my babies.

Please any advice would be handy.

My husband thinks it would be best to let them finish out the year and that I worry too much about them being sick. What do you guys think?

Our MS is two months old. I have a Dachshund and a Chauaua. I am not use to his breed. He is adorable and the baby of our family. He acts "catlike" in the fact that he paws at stuff and if there is something under a cabinet he will rake it out. He also wraps his paws and legs around my arm. This is all cute. I am just curious if this is natural behavior for his breed. He is CKC registered if it matters. He is not a "mut".

I have been taking lithium for 4 years along with other medications for bipolar/schizo effective disorder. Over the past two years I have gained 150lbs. Yeah no ****! Not only that a year ago my thyroid began to shut down. I am taking synthroid but it is not working.

My question is.....Is it worth getting off of lithium for. Lithium is the main thing that helps my sanity and I am scared of going back to the person I use to be. At the same time I am so tired of being obese and so very tired all the time. If you were me, what would you do?

I can only sleep for 3-4 hours at a time. Which means by the time I get to sleep and the time when I wake up an hour early with fear of going back to bed and oversleeping it is exhausting.

I have had sleeping issues since I was in my teens but it seems the older I get the worse it gets. I have tried sleeping medication and it does not work. I have even tried other drugs still no help.

I have been sleeping like this for the past year. I feel really worn down and have little energy to do anything. I was just wondering if it could be doing any mental or physical damage. Please help!

I have three boys and a girl. My three boys are all older. She is always so whiny. It gets on my nerves so bad. Is this just a little girl thing or am I doing something wrong? I had no issues with whining with my boys. She does it all day long, not just when she is sleepy. She just turned 4. It has been going on since she was 2. Please help!

I have four kids ages 7(boy), 5(boy), and boy/girl twins age 4. At the moment we are unable to get out do to ice and snow on our very steep driveway. So all extracurricular activities are canceled and NO SCHOOL. I am a SAHM. I am going out of my freaking mind. They are leaving toys all over the house, on the steps. I swear they are trying to kill me. They do odd things that anger me like pulling sheets and fitted sheets off their beds. I have a bad back and it hurts me to fix these things and they know it! I have replaced curtain rods several times because apparently my twins think they are freaking vines to swing on.

Today alone I cleaned up five spills due to simply not paying attention to what they were doing. Ok one was the puppy's fault but they put him on the table!

I am sick and tired of feeling like their slaves. They do not do this when their daddy is home. He is a truck driver. When he is home they are absolute angels.

Tonight I had to have a couple of drinks. That is something I have not done since my children were born. I feel guilty for it but it was either that or scream and lock myself in the bathroom while they beat the door down.

Does anyone else out there have these problems? Are they normal?

I have tried everything, time out, standing in the corner, taking away toys and privileges, taking away games, even resorted to spanking. They do not respect me and I do not know how to earn it, or get it. Please someone help me before I go and stand in the front yard and become a lonely snow woman!!!!!

I have (had) three small dogs before our Boxer "Duke". I am not familiar with large dogs or his breed. I have read some on boxers.

Anyhow when I am away or when I go to bed he chews on everything. I was gone for an hour and put him in the garage so that he wouldn't be destroying the house. Before that he had already ripped our blinds down. I returned to find a partially chewed up door.

If my kids leave toys on the floor for a second he chews on them. He has already pooped a lego block and crayons.

When I go to sleep at night he chews on our firewood and makes a horrible mess. He has torn a hole in my quilt that is on the sofa.

He is 8 months old and teething is normal but damn!

He has a variety of dog chew toys to chew on throughout the entire house. Pig ears, raw hide, dental chews, even the really hard ones with the "marrow" in them.

I am at my whits end. I don't know what to do with him. I do not believe in chaining dogs up outside. Dogs to me are part of the family.

I am going to have to start taking him with me I guess but that is easier said than done when I have four kids and three other dogs that ride with me as well.

Please help.....How can I get him to stop chewing and calm down?

My Grandmother (my world) passed on almost 6 years ago. I had very small children at the time and was pregnant and was not able to grieve for fear of them seeing my cry and hurting them.

6 years later and I have still not grieved. I have my Grandmother's dog. Ginger (wiener dog) is 17 years old and is showing signs of passing on. She is almost blind and has lost control of her bladder. I am so afraid that when Ginger passes on that I will fall apart. Having Ginger all these years has helped soothed the pain that I feel. Is it weird for me to feel this way? Why can I not let this go? My Grandma was a huge part of my life and helped raised me. She was and is the strongest woman I know. She was my everything. I am so afraid I will end up back in the hospital. I've already had one nervous breakdown I don't want to go back.

I have bipolar disorder (diagnosed 15 yrs ago). I take very minimal medication due to having four children and a life and the fact that I grew up seeing my bipolar mother over-medicate while growing up and being a zombie.

With that being said I am not manic or depressed at the moment. Rare moment I know LOL. I have never slept "well" but lately cannot sleep more than 3 hrs at a time. It is wearing me down. I am use to the rapid thoughts and background noise but lately these have been really loud and I swear I hear them in my sleep.

Are there any natural remedies I can use to help sleep and ease the rapid thoughts? I do not want to up my medication. I refuse to be the mother my mother was.

I am on a schedule. Sleep or no sleep I stick to it. It is key for me to keep on track with my life.

Medications- 0.5mg Klonpin 3 times a day if needed. Celexa 60mg daily. Lamictal 150mg nightly. Lithium 1500mg daily.

I took in a 7 month old Boxer about two weeks ago. I have four small children and three other dogs so it is hard for me to walk him so I have trained him to use garage which has a drain, yadda, yadda, yadda, you get the idea. Anyhows when he does have an accident in the house he walks while he is peeing! I have never seen this before. At first it was funny. Well it is not funny anymore. Chasing him down the hallway with a towel or mop is not my idea of a good time.

Any ideas on why he "Duke" does this or how I can teach him to stop and pee LOL?