Right.

I know there are hundreds of post and questions on this on the web, but I've googled so many and tried so many options. Hoping theres something I'm missing.

We have a Samsung galaxy 10.1 tablet which decides randomly to have a black screen. The touch screen appears to still work as I can still hear sounds coming from it.

I tried the power, volume up, home button combination without success. Screen stays black.

Tried powering down, but then won't appear to power back on.

Tried to see if the brightness was affected. Don't know if that's it because I can't see if I'm actually getting the brightness settings.

I tried leaving it for a while and draining the battery completely and then recharge from dead. The red power light comes on but nothing else.

Only after a month or two, I randomly put it back on charge and it'll work again for a couple of weeks before going black again.

When it's on I try doing soft and hard and factory resets.

Is it just getting stuck in sleep mode? Or a hardware problem. Possibly a wiring problem? Hasn't been dropped that I know of but I do have kids so anything's possible there.

It would be out of warranty and i wouldn't call myself tech savvy enough to take it apart. I dont really have the funds to give it to a repairer for them to charge me hours of labor for something that hopefully may be a simple fix. Besides it's probably not worth it anyway.

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks.

I adopted a rescue dog last week. He's great with the kids and we love him.

But despite an hour walk each day, dog bones to chew, and a dozen toys to play with, he keeps taking our shoes!

He has destroyed 5 pairs of shoes in one week.

He steals them from inside the house.

He's driving me bonkers! I would love for him to be an inside dog, but I can't have him stealing our shoes.

Any helpful advice would be fantastic. Thanks.

And yes I try to keep them out of sight, but with toddlers it's hard to keep track of where they hide their shoes every minute of the day.

I don't know if I've spelled it correctly, but I'm looking for a Sudanese/ African recipe for Akop. It's made from maize flour and looks like little yellow balls. The families I've shared it with serve it with spinach and meat.

I would love to know how to make it as my kids love it, but language barriers make it hard for me to understand the steps correctly.

Does anyone know how to make make it, or have a link to it somewhere?

A malfunction in a gas cook top caused a fire in my moms kitchen, dining room and part of the lounge room.

The fire fighters said there was asbestos in the walls and we couldn t go in there. I m guessing her brand new lounge is not salvagable but Mom has the rest of the house with new bedroom furniture, clothing, photos and the only items left over from my dad. Are these safe to keep, or is it best to throw the lot?

I needed to replace my original car key when the hole that allows you to put it on a keychain broke. So I brought a cheap no brand ebay blank key and had it cut. It works perfectly fine on the doors and in the ignition. Recently I lost that key and had to use my original key - but it doesn t start the car?? The engines sounds like it wants to start, but won t crank over. It opens and locks the doors though.

I have since found the other keys and the car starts fine.

Why does the crappy cheap one work, but the original doesn t?

I've only been seperated from my husband for 6 weeks so I'm still learning how to juggle the kids expectations of their dad and the reality of what they will get from him.

My husband loves babies and toddlers and will happily spend his entire day playing with them. But when they get older he gets frustrated and isn't as hands on with them. That's always been an issue with me for years as I've always tried to encourage him to spend more quality time with our older children, now 11 and 7. We also have a 12 week old.

Since seperating he has visited every weekend and has always come in, said hello with a hug and kiss, then played with the baby until she cries, then spend the rest of his visit on his phone. I've tried telling him he needs to do something with them, if only kicking the ball at the park across the road, but he just says he is too tired from work and the hour drive to my place.

He currently lives in a share house so he can't have the kids there.

After his last visit my 11yo asked me what she could do to make him not so bored so he does more than just play with the baby and his phone.

Just wondering how other people work with ex's who aren't hands on with the kids? I know it's up to him in the end but Is there anything I can do to prevent my kids getting too hurt when they've finally had enough of my husbands inattention?

I've decided to leave my husband after 11yrs. We have 3 children, including a newborn.

It hasn't been a quick decision, I've thought about it the past year or two. He is a good provider, a good Dad and I know he loves me, but I feel like our relationship isn't working.

We fight constantly about small things which almost always turns into a massive yelling fest.

We have financial responsibilities that got harder when he lost his job and had to take a lower paying position. I thought if our finances got sorted there would be less stress and we could work on other issues. But there is no relief in sight and I'm so emotionlly drained.

Our newborn wasn't planned and although she brings new joy into the house, I wonder what will happen when her 'novelty' wears off and the stress of a third child sets in?

A year ago I found out he was on dating sites that trust hasn't fully returned. His didn't have a reason for it. Just apologised with tears. He isn't a crier, so I know he was sincere. In the same month he told me during a big fight that if it wasn't for the kids he would have left years ago. He apologised and said he was just angry, but I still think about it. I want him to stay for me. My future with him feels unsecure. Will he leave once the kids have left home?

There is little to no intimacy even after I ask for more. Our bub was concieved on a rare night.

I just don't think I can do it anymore but I feel so sick about it. Does that mean it's the wrong decision?

It's been a rough year for my family.

My husband had to change jobs and take a large pay cut and we are severely struggling. I've been studying the last few years and tried to find work, but I wasn't able to. I then fell pregnant in April and it has been a very emotional 6 months with weekly hospital visits with specialists. Even if I was working, I wouldn't be now as I'm pretty much on 24/7 bed rest.

We've also have had a pretty emotional journey with my mother as she battles 2 types of cancer and liver failure.

My 6yo seems to be doing ok. But I'm worried for my 10 yo daughter.

Her grades have been falling, she says she's alone - but her teacher says she has friends, she blames me for our finances because I'm not working and we can't afford to do things like we used to. She's moody and has an overall bad attitude. I've been putting it down to hormones of a pre teen and dealing with the chnages. Ive been trying really hard to stay patient and give her extra attention. But no matter how much I give, it's never enough. She keeps wanting more.

She has mixed feelings about the baby. Saying she doesn't want it, but wants to feel the kicks and pick clothes. But today she asked me to have a miscarriage!

My mum says it's normal pre teen selfishness. But her request for a miscarriage has me worried.

Should I be seeking a counsellor for her? We can't afford a private one, would the school guidance counsellor help?

My husband and I are seriously thinking about moving to the UK next year after our 3rd child is born. I wonder if any Aussie families who have done the move can offer some advice.

I'm currently a stay at home mum as I haven't been able to find a job here in a few years, but will be looking for work when we get over there. I have Diplomas in Business and Business Management and have experience with administration and retail. My husband works at the meat works, but has experience in landscaping and maintenance work. So we aren't in the upper income ranges. How is it finding work?

We will have 3 kids by then, newborn, 7 and 10. And will need somewhere family friendly with excellent schools. What are the best areas to live for low-middle income earners?

I've been told that I could quite easily get residency because both of parents and all grandparents are British. But I would need a family visa for my kids and husband. Does this take long?

The idea of leaving Australia is both very scary but exciting. We've decided to go because we feel like we're in a rut here. We desperately need a change and I've always loved my British heritage.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm looking for a strong, uncommon, yet normal boys name.

I don't like the current trend of weird names, but would like something a little uncommon.

I quite like Lincoln, but my husband hates it.

Any suggestions?

A good friend of 20+yrs started suffering mental illness after her husband died in a horrific accident about 4 years ago. Since then I have been doing all I can to help her and her then 12yo daughter. I became her carer after her mother was sent to a court ordered rehab centre after she was convicted of burglary, theft, vandalism and assault accelerated by drugs and alcohol abuse.

During her stay she was diagnosed manic depressive, manic bipolar, a severe anxiety disorder and borderline schizophrenic. She s been at home with her daughter for 6 months now and appears to be going ok, but sometimes has her bad days. I help where I can with groceries, cleaning, laundry and taking her to doctor appointments.

Yesterday her daughter, now 16, comes crying over to my place saying her mum pushed her, she s 2 mths pregnant and doesn t feel safe at home. She knows leaving home right now will only hinder her mothers conditions, but she s worried about her baby and asked to move in with me and my 2 young kids. I would take her in a heartbeat to help her finish school, but it will not go down with her mum.

What am I supposed to do?

Family of 4. 2 adults and 2 kids aged 5 and 9. 3 week holiday.

This would be our first international flight.

We're going on an international trip where the quickest option is a 10hr flight with only a 3hr layover in Abu Dhabi, followed by another 23hr flight.

A much longer option includes a 14hr flight, followed by 16hrs in Bangkok, 15hrs flights, 20hrs in Zurich, then the final 10hr flight to our destination.

The return flight is basically the same but with 15-16 hr layovers in Rome and Guangzhou. A much shorter layover option is available with one stop for 4 hrs.

We've been told by our travel agent we can stay in a nearby hotel and a have a few hours in the city.

During our trip, we will be visiting 3 countries in total. With flight layovers that will be 7 countries in 3 weeks.

As this is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity for us, I would love to take the longer flight with more destinations, but I'm concerned about how much it will take out of the kids.

My question is: With 2 kids, is it worth taking the longer trip and giving them short experiences in more countries? Or would it be too much for them? And better to stay longer on the plane and only have 1 short layover?

We haven't travelled like this before, so any advice from frequent flyers would so greatfully appreciated.

My hubby and I come from large families. I have 10 siblings, he has 8 and all 4 of our parents have between 7 and 12 siblings each. Large families have all we have ever known and we love it! It was always our intention to continue on the tradition, but now I don't know if I want to.

We were trying for a 3rd 3 years ago but I was unexpectedly diagnosed with epilepsy so we put it off. Now we've found the right medication and my hubby is asking again.

Motherhood hasn't come as naturally to me as I dreamed. Our 2 kids, 9 & 5, fight all the time and the stress wears me out daily. We agreed I would be a stay at home mum for the kids, but now at 31 I feel like it's time to do something for me. I have been studying and with my 5yo going to school next year I can go back to work. I really don't know if I could handle the late nights, tantrums and the general toddler stage again. It's hard enough dealing with an emotional tween.

I know. My body, my decision. I get it. But i also feel like why should he miss out on the kids he wants because I've changed my mind? It doesn't seem fair for him. We originally agreed on 5, but he knows that isn't going to happen. He's asked, almost begged, for one more and vowed to be more supportive so I can return to work, at least part time.

I would love to hear from mums who have struggled with a similar decision themselves and how you feel about your decision?

I would also like to hear from the dads who have asked for another child but didn't get it.

My daughter will be 9 soon and I am struggling so much with her.

She is selfish, inconsiderate, lies, throws huge tantrums and shows so much hate and contempt towards her 5yo brother. It has been getting increasingly worse the past 3yrs. The doctors tell me she is going through normal childhood attention seeking behaviour and shouldn't worry too much about it. But every day is so exhausting with her.

I've tried one on one special times, team activities to build her relationship with her brother, father-daughter time, separating her from her brother, getting her involved in sports and other activities. Nothing seems to work.

Most of it is directed towards her brother but I don't understand why. He is so different. So compassionate, sympathetic, loving, friendly. He adores her so much. He will want to hug her and tell her how great it was she got a reward at school, or tell her how amazing her drawings are, or give her a hug goodbye at school, or a goodnight kiss. He will draw pictures for her, open doors for her or ask to buy a present because he knows she'll like it. He constantly tries everyday to be her friend. but she just tells him to go away, throws away his pictures and grunts at his praises. He gets so hurt and cries, wondering why she doesn't love him.

Her whole attitude and behaviour, especially towards her brother, is so stressful. I have tried so hard to find out what is going on and how I can help her.

I feel like I have failed her. Please help me.

I ve been with my husband for 10 years now and he has always been a great support for me and I for him. We ve never said "you can t do it" and always found a way to make our decisions work.

But lately i have been having so much trouble supporting him through never ending business ideas. I supported him changing jobs 3 times, moving away from family for work, leaving me for 6 months ao he work interstate, taking on a fly on fly out job and only coming home 1 week a month and which he started 2 days after our wedding, taking time off to study and last year he took 3 months off to work on a farm so he could earn 10s of 1000s of dollars (we barely made it through).

Now he wants to go back to the farm work as a contractor so he can earn "more" and taking more time off work. He also wants to start buying building supplies so in 5 years time so he build a house without paying for materials or labour. He has 0 building experience and I had to fix our fence because he had no idea. He keeps talking about opening a business but doesn t know what and his idea changes daily.

It s really hard to keep being supportive when I just want to tell him to stop thinking of crazy ideas that will never happen and be thankful you have a good job that pays the bills comfortably. We ve often been in hard positions because of his "ideas" and now we are good financially I don t want him atuffing it up.

What can i do?

My neighbours got a new dog which hasn't stopped barking my kids or me each time we go in our backyard.

It doesn't just bark, it growls and is very aggressive through the fence. It runs up and down the fence and tries to jump the fence. The owner says it's growl is worse than it's bite, but I know the difference between aggression and being protective. I feel it wouldn't hesitate to attack me or the kids given the chance.

Our fence is 6 feet high, but towards the end of the yard it goes up on a retaining wall so the fence is actually shorter on the wall.

They've had a dog before the same size which often jumped the fence. But it was well mannered and they always came and got it when asked. They told me the day they got their new dog the other dog bit a child so they let it run loose until council picked it up.

They tried a fence with chicken wire, but the dog made a hole which gets bigger each time he tries to jump it. When I told them my kids were too scared to play outside, they dismissed it as an over exaggeration.

They've never really cared much for others opinions. Their kids, 7 & 6 are often left outside alone to wonder the streets. They don't supervise their 2yo well either. Found her in my garage a couple of times, only to take her home and they didn't even know she had gone missing.

I know the dog hasn't actually done anything yet, but that dog has to stop. My kids should not have to feel scared in their own yard. What should i do?

I havr a 4mth old Cattle X who keeps scratchibg the doors at night.

We used to have 2 of them until 2 weeks ago, when the other died of unknown cause. Now my only dog keeps scratching at the door After being outside all night. She's fine all night until about 4am when the scratching starts. She's already ruined one screen door and I've had to cover my other door, but it hasn't deterred her. She keeps scratching and trying to pull the cover off.

I figured at first she was missing her friend because she wouldn't eat either, but has started to eat again.

She is house trained but only if the doors are open, so i can't have her in the house all night.

We have a garage with an internal door into the house and access to the yard. I tried leaving the outside door open for her so she can sleep in the garage, but she'll just scratch at the interior door, stripping the paint.

What can i do to help her? I don't have a problem having her inside, but she needs to learn to wait just a couple more hours

A friend of mine offered me her 2 sister pups when she had to move out of state. She couldn't give me a breed, saying she rescued them after the mother died.

We've had them nearly 2 months now and I would estimate their age to be about 6 mths. They've bonded well with the kids and family.

At first the white one was scared, timid and growled when handled too much. She's still a little shy but doesn't growl at us anymore.

The black one has always been outgoing and playful (and looks so cuter).

But I have noticed the past couple of weeks how dominant the black one really is. When we play fetch, the black one always gets the ball first or takes it off the white one. I would give them a bone each but would have to seperate them as the black one would steal them both. Same with other food and toys. Their fights are getting worse and more aggressive and I'm worried if my kids get in the middle they'll get hurt.

I know puppies play rough, but they growl and bark at each other and the white one is always the one on the bottom yelping.

Doing some research has shown me that having 2 sibling puppies isn't the best option, especially 2 females. So now I face the decision on whether it'll be best to rehome one of the dogs. The thought is heartbreaking enough without having to choose which one.

The dominant one who seems easier to train

The shy one who just may need extra attention and some self confidence.

Any advice from people with dog experience? I would really appreciate it.

I was diagnosed with epilepsy in April and put on anti-epileptic medications. I also have the implanon implant in my arm as birth control. This is my 3rd implant so am used it. But I've never not once ever had my periods on it. Even before and between the implants, my periods were like clockwork and relatively pain free.

Now on the anti-epileptics, and with the implanon, my periods have begun again, but this time more heavier than I've ever had and with the most severe cramps I've ever felt.

My doctor and neurologist just dismiss my concern as normal side effects of the medications. But they can't tell me if my implanon is being infected and therefore I could get pregnant. And they dismiss my heavy bleed and cramps as nothing to be worried about.

I've never had to deal with these cramps before and not sure how to relieve the pain. I've tried ibuprofen, warm compresses, hot baths. Nothing works.

Do you have any other suggestions to help with the period pain? Thanks.