wife and mommy

I need to get inventory for my new business (about $5000 worth).

I have a credit card that has an available balance of $7000. (apr = 9%) Should I use that or take out a personal loan?

I'm new to cooking! I once 'helped' my gramma make a soup where she pretty much just added all kinds of stuff and it was pretty delicious.

Can you tell me if I can use these things that I have in my house right now to make a soup in my crock pot? Also, can you give me a little bit of instruction on how to do it.

Or if a pot would be better, I can do that to, I just don't have a medium sized pot; they're either too small or too LARGE (for gumbo).

Here's my ingredients that I want to use or have available:

celery ( I have almost 2 whole bunches)

Carrots

Onion

dried beans (lots of varieties)

Green bell peppers

I have some frozen but cooked pork roast

Sausage

beef bouillion cubes

dry onion soup mix

Rice

Lots of Seasonings

'steamables' edamame (would that be good in a soup? lol)

I've got a lot of staples and canned veggies too.

Can you help?

I'll soon be breastfeeding for the first time with my first baby. I will be mostly exclusively breastfeeding. My plan is to pump only when I will not be able to be with the baby for a feeding or to let my husband feed every now and then. I will not be working outside the home, so he'll have access to me whenever he's hungry.

What I need advice on is - what accessories do I need to buy? No one I know (friends or family) has been successful with breastfeeding, so I really need someone with firsthand experience.

I plan on getting a single electric pump, probably the Medela one.

What else do I need as far as bottles, breast pads, nursing accessories, nipple cream, etc?

Also, is there anything I can be doing now with my body to help the process?

I'm 37 weeks pregnant.

Thanks so much!

What sucks is I'm concerned about my husband... and my husband not wanting my mom there.

My husband is not exactly the most caring/supportive guy. Don't get me wrong, he is a good husband and takes care of all of our needs. However he is kind of selfish in some areas. For example, if I say I have a backache and that I would love a massage, he'll talk about his aching neck. Instead of offering a massage, he'll say, you never give me a massage.

Or last night I asked him to fix me some ice cream while he was in the kitchen, and he just brought me the carton and a spoon. I told him I didn't like to eat out of the carton because it makes fingers sticky, and he told me I was never satisfied.

And it's little things like that.

On top of that, he has this grudge against my mom, not that she ever did anything to him, and I don't think he wants her or anyone else in the room when we have the baby.

Also, he hates my doctor, and he definitely doesn't hesitate to tell me that any chance he gets.

My problem is, I'm worried about him not being supportive for me in my time of need with my natural birth.

I'm worried about my mom being aggravating and then that causing drama.

I wish I would have hired a doula, but now it is so late in the pregnancy... not to mention I am low on cash.

So-- any advice?

Or anyone else stressing of delivery room drama?

I want the house to be ready for the baby.. but I have no drive! His room is still the storage room and just getting the basic house chores done is so exhausting!

So.. I'm wondering-- any similar stories that ended up with your house in tip top condition???

When did nesting kick in for you?

I'm 30 weeks right now.

We have 5 cocker spaniels. They all have fleas and it's getting bad. I feel like it's my fault for letting it get this way (been dealing with the sickness and death of a family member).

I need to kick this problem. They are all over the dogs and all over the house. I guess it's safe to assume they are also all over the yard.

Here's what I know:

I need to bath the dogs.. Should I give them a close shave first? They all have pretty long hair.

I need to de-flea the house. I was told sevin dust is the way to go. Is the proper method to put it every where then vacuum it up about 24 hours later? This is what I was told. Is it safe for the pups? I'm pregnant, is it safe for me?

-I need to wash everything that can be washed. should I use a special detergent?

-I need to spray the yard with a flea killer. Does the weather make a difference?

Any advice, recommendations, and personal experience will be a big help! Thanks so much!

Hello everyone! It's time to start registering for and buying baby things! I'm having trouble picking out the play yard/bassinet combo we should get.

Can you tell me what you use? What's good about it? What's bad?

I'm interested in things like safety, size, weight, etc, etc.

Any information you have would be great!

We're naming our son Beau Nathaniel Jr.

What's a good nickname that we can call him so as not to confuse daddy and baby?

We don't want Beau Jr. or BJ.

We don't want Beau Beau

We could call him by his middle name, but that is kind of long, so will be shortened down to Nate, which is my step brother's name.. and my husband hates my step brother, so that is not a good option.

I know I will end up just calling him Baby Beau.. but this won't work for everyone, and he will definitely outgrow it.

Any suggestions?

First Stage

-If I am under 4 cm dilated when I arrive, I would like to be sent home. If I am at least 4 cm dilated, I would like my pool to be set up.

-I want to enter the pool at about 5 ½ cm dilation.

-Please keep the room as calm as possible (dim lights, quiet atmosphere, minimal visitors).

-I would like to be able to wear my own clothes and move around as I wish.

-Do not offer me pain medication, but feel free to offer tips for natural pain relief.

-I don’t want an IV of any kind unless it is absolutely necessary.

-Light food and drink if I wish

-Please keep vaginal exams to a minimum.

Induction/Augmentation

-I do not want any type of chemical/medical induction or augmentation. Please allow my body to work at its own pace.

-If I am not progressing, remind me to walk and let gravity aid the baby.

-If baby is not in distress, I would like to wait patiently for him to come.

we have a very small home (2 small bedroom, 1 bath) and are starting to get ready for baby!

I need to know from parents what you found most useful, what you were surprised that you needed, didn't need, etc. Also, any great space saving ideas are welcome!

Specifically, i want to know:

-Did you double a pack n play as a bassinet? We're planning on doing this and would like to know your experience.

-Did you use a baby monitor? If so, do you have opinions about the ones with video screen?

-Breast pumps - what's the best and most affordable?

-Breastfeeding moms - what bottles are the best for pumped milk? ( I plan on primarily feeding from the breast, but just so Dad can share the fun and for when I can't be there)

- Carseats? I'm lost? Do they have one for newborns that can be converted to front facing and toddler size?

- What kind of clothes should we focus on? He'll be born in November, but we live in Louisiana, so that could be hot OR cold weather

- Any other tips at all?

My husband and I like to play the ps3 together.

We know about Army of Two and Conflict: Denied Ops.

We like to play offline.

We don't like fantasy stories.

Any suggestions on games we can play together?

I asked this elsewhere, but got no responses... This is the most active forum I know of so please forgive the fact that it's not ALL about pregnancy :)

I'm going on a road trip for a wedding/mini-vacation. What do I need?

We're leaving tomorrow to drive to Pensacola, Fl. We are about 5 hours away and will be staying Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night.

We have no plans, exept to hit the beach and go to the wedding Friday night.

We're staying at a Motel 6, nothing fancy.

Our food situation will just be to eat out instead of packing all kinds of stuff that will just leave a mess and may not even get put to use.

Any suggestions on stuff to pack? Anything for in the car, at the motel, for the wedding (getting ready, etc), on the beach?

Also - Any suggestions on stuff to do in Pensacola on a weekday that doesn't cost a lot and does not include waterparks/themeparks?

I'm 6 months pregnant if that influences your answer.

Thanks so much!

We're leaving tomorrow to drive to Pensacola, Fl. We are about 5 hours away and will be staying Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night.

We have no plans, exept to hit the beach and go to the wedding Friday night.

We're staying at a Motel 6, nothing fancy.

Our food situation will just be to eat out instead of packing all kinds of stuff that will just leave a mess and may not even get put to use.

Any suggestions on stuff to pack? Anything for in the car, at the motel, for the wedding (getting ready, etc), on the beach?

Also - Any suggestions on stuff to do in Pensacola on a weekday that doesn't cost a lot and does not include waterparks/themeparks?

I'm 6 months pregnant if that influences your answer.

Thanks so much!

The dust in my house is horrible! If I put something down for a week, it looks like it's been there for a year with how much dust is sitting on it. That's not an exaggeration! I'm going to have a newborn in the house in November so I want to fix this problem now so he doesn't have to breathe it all in!

I live on a gravel road and we have dogs that go in and out through a doggie door. These are things that can not change.

We live in a small mobile home; we almost never open the windows.

There's carpet only in the bedrooms, but soon there won't be any carpet in the house.

We have central heating and AC.

Is there some sort of filtration machine or AC filters that REALLY help keep the dust out?

Is there something I can do so that I don't have to dust twice a day to keep thing in order?

I'm due in November, and I am planning to have a waterbirth.

I'm really praying everyday that I don't have to have a c-section, but the prevalence of them among overweight women is scaring me.

What kind of (if any) exercises can I do to help prep my body for delivery and be safe at the same time.

Also - does perineal massage actually help with tearing? And can you give me more information about it?

Any information or personal experience stories are welcome! Thanks!

My hsband installed a doggie door yesterday. I know that it's going to take some time to get used to for the dogs, but all but one of the dogs understands that they push the flap to get to the other side.

The one who doesn't seem to get it is Lolly. She is about 2 years old and is a cocker spaniel. In the 7 months that I've had her, I've never accused her of being exceptionally smart, but surely she should grasp the concept after we've coaxed her through many times? She'll stand outside and stare at it, but won't come in unless we push the flap.

Any tips on helping her with this?

The ones who have gotten it are Harley (about 4 years), Lady, Rooney, and Miller (all about 4 months old)

All of these pooches are Cockers.

I say they've gotten it.. I don't know if they understand they can use it anytime they want, but they do understand that the flap moves out of the way.

To me, it shouldn't be that big of a deal .. I'm just sliding and getting wet. Does anyone know about this?

I just need opinions about what's going on with me.

I feel very alone. I'm don't talk to people most of the day, not initenttionally-- it's just that everyone in the office is busy doing her own thing. When I get home, my husband wants to relax, and plays the PS3.

The people in my family (mom, sisters, etc) are all busy with their own lives. They don't ignore me if I contact them, but it feels like no one is interested in what's going on with me.

Am I being selfish?

I feel bad, I should be overjoyed at this time in my life. And I am. I'm excited to see my baby in the 4d ultrasound next week (hopefully that will get me out of this funk).

The smallest things make me cry. The puppies ran out of the house while I was trying to leave for work, and I cried the whole time I was rounding them up, and then sat in the bathroom and balled for 10 minutes before getting in my car.. where I cried some more.

I don't have a history of deprssion. I just feel so alone right now.

Here's the details. I just graduated from college in May. My grandmother had planned a wonderful tripped to Disney World for my sister (who just graduated as well) and I.

However, we found out that me and hubby are pregnant; we decided that since I would be about 5 months at the time of the trip (now) Disney World was no place for me (rides, heat, on my feet).

Instead, she offered to buy me and my husband a new chair for when the baby is here ( I LOVE this idea; furniture is expensive!)

I would like something big and comfy, like a lazy boy; one that reclines so that we can nap together.

I need it too rock and I need it to be useful while I am breastfeeding the baby.

Also- a lot of people use gliders- it is because they are better, or is it because they are economical?

Can breastfeeding moms (and all moms!) tell me what you think would be the best chair for my baby and me?

Hey everyone! I'm planning to have a waterbirth in a hospital. I'm using Medicaid, which is why I am not doing it at home (not allowed).

My doctor told me that I needed to have a birthplan to submit to the hospital so that I could be approved for the waterbirth and so that the experience is what I want.

I've read that a lot of the time birthplans go out of the window, which worries me. Can I have your thoughts on that?

Also - what are some things that should realistically be included in a birthplan?

If you have already given birth in a hospital, what topics do you think I should address that might not be obvious?

Facts: I'm going natural, no induction, no epidural; I'm breastfeeding; Baby will room in with me (hospital policy, which is great); My husband will be involved; I'm open to all kinds of natural suggestions; I'm prividing my own tub-- Any tips on that?

Thanks so much!