?

This is a bizarre question/scenario, I know.

I have bipolar disorder and my husband and I have been talking about having a baby for about a year. Up until recently I’ve been fairly hesitant because of the whole BD and other factors like work, money, etc. Over the last few months I finally got my BD under control with a new medication, but in the first couple weeks that medication triggered a “hypomanic” episode where I felt like I could conquer the world. Now I’ve stabilized and I feel great. And all of a sudden like a light switch, I’m seriously into the idea of having a baby.

With BD it’s so hard to trust my emotions because of all the ups and downs. Do I really feel this way or am I manic again? Medication or not mood swings still happen... any thoughts?

Recently I started taking Lexapro and it makes me a little sluggish but I’m still able to be productive. Only really bad side effect is sometimes I yawn so hard it will take the breath out of me. But my doctor said that’s a know side effect and isn t something to be super concerned about. But lately I have been obsessed with being in bed/sleeping. Literally all day at work all I can think about is crawling in bed and going to sleep. I usually take 0.5mg Xanax at night and watch a little tv or read before going to bed around 8-9pm. My night routine isn’t lavish or anything. So I cannot figure out why I am so fixated on going to bed. I don’t think I’m in a depressive episode, I feel pretty good emotionally. Does anyone else have this problem?

I have Bipolar Disorder and I struggle a lot. My husband is my best friend and is very supportive, we have been together almost 8 years and he has helped me through some hard times. But I don’t feel like I can completely open up to him because I’m afraid I will scare him or make him worry about me (more than he already does). I don’t really have any close friends who understand and I’m having a hard time finding a good therapist near me. Plus it’s difficult to open up to someone like that who is practically looking at me through a microscope. I just don’t know how to express to him that I’m having a hard time or having bad thoughts.

Our family has a puppy and I am constantly vacuuming. I’m thinking about getting a roomba but since she is not fully potty trained I’m worried about the roomba picking up and spreading one of her accidents. Has anyone with pets experienced this?

My husband and daughter convinced me to get a beagle puppy about 2 weeks ago. We just moved into a brand new house 2 months ago. I established that early on in our relationship, before having a child, and we have not owned a dog before. But somehow they talked me into it.

I have horrible anxiety and I had hoped that the dog would help that but it has only made it worse. The second day we had her I was sobbing in our garage while washing dog beds and towels that were covered in pee and poop knowing I made a massive mistake. Any time I look at the puppy it makes me sick and I have had 3 more massive panic attacks since then from just chasing the dog around to stop the chewing, biting us, and constantly cleaning our house.

I want to rehome the puppy but my husband will not budge. My daughter loves the *idea* of having a puppy but none of the responsibility, and flinches when the dog gets close to her (still getting used to it). I don’t know what to do or how to cope. I desperately want to get rid of the dog, to the point where I feel like I’m presenting an ultimatum to my husband. I know I pretty much look like a villain no matter which way this situation goes.

[I’ll go ahead and list them now: “You’re a terrible person”, “you should have known what you were getting into”, “you’re probably freaking out for no reason”, “you can’t do that to your family” and all the other insults that may come with this post. Trust me, I know all of these things.]

I just opened a Roth IRA and plan on making biweekly contributions. I make about $1300 every 2 weeks and I the max contribution for a Roth IRA under the age of 59 is $5500. That would be $230 a check and I can’t do that. Would $50 or $100 every 2 weeks suffice?

I started a new job and have made friends with a couple from work. They are a lot of fun to be around and our kids get along really well, and they are just all around good people. But they are fairly wealthy and we are lower middle class and our lifestyles are very different... while we love spending time with them I feel very inferior sitting in their gorgeous new home while they discuss their upcoming week long ski trip. When we go to dinner together they choose the nicest restaurants and don’t bat an eye at their bill, meanwhile my husband and I have to be very mindful of how much we spend.

I can’t say that we are quite so much jealous of them as we are embarrassed. They are very down to earth, and we are always happy for them and admire how hard they work and what they do for their family. Seeing their lifestyle make us strive to work harder and better ourselves. I just don’t know why I can’t help but feel so inferior when I’m around them.

I take 0.75mg daily and have for about 6 months. At such a low dose I may not have major withdrawal symptoms but because I’ve been on it for so long it might be a problem. I can’t see my doctor for 3 more weeks and the Xanax is making me unable to think clearly or remember simple things.

I take 0.75mg Xanax every day and have for about 6 months. I know the dose is small enough that I might not have too bad of withdrawal symptoms but since I’ve been on it so long I’m not sure how I will react. I cannot get in with my doctor for 3 more weeks and the Xanax is not helping me, it’s making me unable to think clearly or remember simple things.

I am a nurse that works 40+ hours in 3 days per week. I am currently in the process of buying a house and the closing date is about a month away. I was offered another part time office job 3 days a week making a little less than nursing. I know that creditors/lenders don’t like when people switch jobs in the middle of the process, but what about adding another job? The hours or pay at my nursing job would not change at all. I would just be working 9-5 on my “days off”. I know it sounds crazy to do both but compared to what I do now the extra job is easy money. I just don’t know if the mortgage lenders would see it that way.

I have no clue what to get my 5yo daughter for Christmas or what to tell my family when they ask... she will destroy anything you put in front of her, and I mean anything. We ended up taking away a lot of her toys and are down to just a few dolls, stuffed animals, books and puzzles, and crayons/markers under supervision. We made her donate some of her things and she occasionally gets one of her old toys back for good behavior but the cycle never ends. The last time she was given a nice gift, it was a Leapfrog tablet and she shattered it to the point where it will no longer turn on within about 2 months of having it. She also tore apart a gorgeous dollhouse my MIL gave her within hours. You get the idea.

We have contemplated opting out of toys this year and taking a trip to a big zoo or a theme park (we live in Florida) but aren’t sure yet. Does anyone have any advice on something that can withstand her or any alternatives to toys?

I'm a nurse and my husband is in law enforcement so our schedules are a little hectic, we both leave for work around 4-5am and get home between 7-9pm. I tried freezing meals for the crockpot but it's a little difficult to cook them without burning anything during a 14+ hour day. Does anyone know of any meals that I can prep a couple of days in advance and then throw in the oven for a bit when I get home?

*Btw I know that I could cook dinner the night before and refrigerate it to heat up later, but it's just not as good lol.

I ordered uniforms from a company called Fashion Seal and they charged me but it has been 3 weeks and the order is still "processing". I ve tried to contact them multiple times by phone and email and have gotten nothing back. Can I report this or cancel my order?

My family has been passing around the stomach flu... once it hit my house, I took a Zofran as soon as I felt funny in the hopes to prevent any nausea and vomiting. So far so good, but should it help me from get sick? I know that it won't act as any sort of barrier from me getting a virus. I guess my question is can I use the Zofran to stop the symptoms before they get to me.

They are nightmares. Her 4yo tattles constantly, pees her pants every hour on the hour, and is so destructive! And when you try to explain to her that she shouldn't do something or that she does something wrong, rather than acknowledging you or saying "I'm sorry" she hides on a corner and screams for her mom. She's started a new game where she will antagonize my 3yo daughter until she gets mad enough to act out, and then cries like it was my daughter's fault (mine knows better than to hit or bite but she has her limits too). She can't form full sentences yet so trying to get her to say what she wants or what's wrong is a constant challenge. Plus my SIL's 2yo throws an all-out fit when you aren't giving him attention, to the point where he's gotten so red and wouldn't take a breath between cries and we thought he might pass out.

My SIL recently got divorced and moved in with her parents so they are now her live-in babysitters according to her. She's never home and when she is she doesn't pay any attention to the kids. Her mom and I are usually the ones cleaning up after them, changing them, taking care of them, etc. Even her parents have called her out on it. My child is no saint and I'm not a perfect parent by any means... we fight our own battles but it's gotten to the point where I will avoid being around the three of them at all costs and don't like my daughter being around them too often out of fear of picking up their bad habits. What the heck can I do to cope?!

My husband was recently offered a job as a manager at the Applebee s in Winter Haven, FL. The hours are 11am-2am so we are just curious as to how shifts will work and what it is like to work there.

I m officially in burnt out/panic mode with my 3yo s behavior. She constantly whines rather than talking in a normal voice, refuses to listen to anything her dad and I tell her, and punishment/reward is useless. Talking with her calmly, taking away privileges or toys, time out, spanking, rewards, none of it has worked. We have tried our best to be consistent with it and she understands the concepts we are trying to convey but she does not give a single crap. Example: we recently went to see a model home and she tore the pillows off one of the beds and was jumping on the couch, leaving footprints all over it. We used to get numerous calls from daycare and have had to leave work to talk to her, and since we have pulled her from school we have gone through 2 sitters. We both feel like terrible parents because she dictates our lives. HELP!

I work at a doctor's office and have only been there for a few weeks, and I'm already ready to move on. The practitioners are great people, but the office is doing some things that I don't agree with morally and cutting some (pretty important) corners. There are unlicensed employees performing procedures that legally require a professional license. Medical records are being "fluffed up" rather than entered in detail so they have more time to see more patients. The doctors know what is going on and I just can't work for a place who practices like this. Any advice?

My 3 year old is taking the antibiotic augmentin for a stubborn respiratory infection. She had a regular dose this morning, and this evening after drinking a little bit of fruit juice with dinner she threw up. Not long ago she had a stomach bug but that was a few days ago, so I m not sure if that has something to do with it also. Help!

There is a small area of carpet at the threshold of my bathroom where the tile meets the carpeting in our bedroom that is soaked. Just that one spot, and a bit of the edge of the carpet that meets the wall on one side of the doorway. I think it might have something to do with our shower, which is on the other side of that same wall. I know that if the shower is causing the issue, then our problem is bigger than just wet carpet... But is there a certain kind of vacuum I can use for the time being to prevent mold until we figure it out? Or do I just need to skip the DIY altogether and call a professional (or professionals, ugh)? I have no clue what would need to be done, and I don t like calling my landlord to fix things around the house because it ends up being unnecessarily difficult. So I m trying to do anything I can to get it done myself. Help?!