Lyra

My hubby and I are TTC baby #2. I ovulated 6/28 and on 7/2 halfway through the day I was spotting, which turned into heavy bleeding for 24 hrs (going through a tampon every 2 hrs), then slowed and stopped. Could this be implantation bleeding? I've never had this short of a period, and I didn't have anything like this with baby #1. As far as I knew implantation bleeding was only a little spotting. Has anyone experienced this? I'm not having any painful cramping or anything else weird.

I recently discovered that mice have been taken up residence in my apartment and have been here for a while (4+ months) I have been laying out traps for about a month now but there are still a few I have to catch. I went into the spare pantry where I suspected they were nesting, and I was correct. There was a LOT of nesting material, droppings etc, so I grabbed my broom and cleaned it out, afterwards using my swiffer with disinfectant spray. I only realized afterwards that it is important to wet the droppings to prevent spread of disease, such as Hantavirus. I live in Massachusetts. Should I be concerned about possible infection? I know the symptoms to watch out for, I just want to know how big of a chance there is that I could have been exposed to something.

Thank you!

I have always wanted to make a town, or have a large plot of land where many families come together and live off the land, similar to an Amish community or a Native American reservation, where people don't bother us and we don't bother them. How does one go about doing this? Is it even possible anymore?

I'm thinking of taking a road trip once I buy a car (it will be a prius or other hybrid) and I would like to have a camper, something with a kitchen and shower and all but not too big. I definitely don't want one that I can drive, I want to trail it but I'm not sure if a Prius could pull something like that. Anyone have any experiences with it? What about with other hybrid cars?

I have a substantial amount of money coming my way soon. The amount has been verified and there is no concern about something "going wrong" and not getting the money. I like a few plots of land, which are buildable and local and I do want to stay local. The only trouble is, I won't be getting enough money to both buy the plot of land and build the house I want. I am very set on building an Earthship style (100% self-sustainable) house, so buying a house that's already been built is not an option here.

I'm wondering if I should buy the land now, before it gets sold, or if i should put the money in the bank until I earn enough to build the house? A loan isn't an option either as i'm "unemployed" at the moment; I am a gestational carrier. Google it if you don't know what it is. I am planning on going into the Air Force soon in order to save up for the house, and also saving my earnings from potential future surrogacies.

Anyway, any solid advice and tips would be much appreciated!

My mom and her husband have been investigated by family services, and they may or may not take my sister away and place her in foster care. I have stable income and a room for her to stay in, so could my mom sign over custody of my sister to me? That way she isn't placed in foster care? I'm not really sure how the case is going, all I know is they aren't definitely taking her yet. My mom talked to me about letting her live with me, but we didn't get to talk long. I definitely don't want her living there anymore; my mom's husband is a complete ****** and told my sister that she was his least favorite child (my mom has 4, none of which are his) and makes a point to remind her of it often. She's 11 and on anti-anxiety medication...

Anyway, I just wanna know if my mom can just go to the court and sign over my sister so she can live with me? Or is it more complicated than that? Would they have to come investigate us? Us being myself and my husband. We live in Massachusetts

Thanks!

I would like to know which is more beneficial, and effective in the long run? By surgery I mean stomach stapling, lap band, etc I do not know much about either subject and Google hasn't helped me reach a conclusion on which would be better. After having children and not losing the "baby weight" I have 70 lbs to lose in order to be in that "just right" BMI zone

I have been out of work due to an injury (I dislocated my knee at work, however it wasn't caused by anything work-related)

My boss said I needed a doctor's note to come back to work. Today was supposed to be my first day back, and I can't find my doctor's note anywhere. I called him as soon as I discovered that I couldn't find it, and asked if it would be ok if I could have my dr give him verbal permission, and then get the note tomorrow (I didn't have time to get it and be to work on time) and he said, word for word,

"Really, you can't follow this rule? I guess i'm going to have to replace you. Sorry, I guess you're fired."

I feel like this is NOT a legitimate reason to fire someone, and I was never given a company phone number or an HR number. I worked at Adam and Eve, a franchised lingerie store.

I have cast iron pans that were awfully rusted and I tried to get it off but there is still this "dust" coming off it and my fingers are numb from scrubbing... can I put them in the dishwasher as long as I don't put detergent in? Or can I put the detergent in and just re-season it later? They have never been seasoned correctly, I got them from a friend who didn't know how to take care of them and gave them to me.

I have had these in storage for a while and when I got them out of the box they were very badly damaged by rust, as the storage unit had been compromised and water had gotten into many of my boxes. I managed to get all the bright red-orange rust off, but there is still a little orange hue on the grill-pan, and the other looks like the top layer is starting to chip off. Are these still safe to use? Or should I throw them out and buy new ones? Also, after I cleaned them and was wiping them dry, there is black stuff that comes off onto the paper towel (shown in the pictures if you click the link below) and i'm worried about that getting into the food. It looks like black dust, as if I had taken the paper towel and wiped down a surface that had not been dusted in a long time, but it isn't dust because I had just VERY thoroughly washed them. Any help would really be appreciated!

Here is the link with pictures of the pans: http://www.flickr.com/photos/92568137@N07/84146354...

My husband and I have decided to separate and are contemplating divorce. We are 100% sure we don't want to be together anymore. We got married Feb 14th 2012. I don't wanna hear any crap about us rushing things or anything else mean and rude. I'm here for advice, not opinions.

We have one daughter together, she is 5 months old. We have already agreed on custody, i'm gonna gave her all week, and he is going to come to my apartment and stay in a spare room from Friday until Sunday to see her. Neither of us have lots of money or property or anything, so there isn't anything to divide up. He's moving in with his mom and brother. So how do we go about getting a divorce? Town hall? Court? How much money should we expect this to cost?

Thanks!

I just got a job that I walk to, and on the way I have to walk past two very shady streets. It's not common, but people have been mugged/beaten/raped in that area. There's no way around it, and I have no one to walk with me. I can't carpool because everyone walks to work except two people and unfortunately I hardly ever work the same shift. So, i'd like to buy pepper spray or mace (not sure what the difference is) but i'm not sure where to get it, or if I need some kind of permit to have it? I'm 21 and I live in Massachusetts

I live on a "court" and all of the apartment buildings are around the road. The part of the road/driveway in front of my building is really icy and dangerous. I emailed my landlord (more like slumlord) if he wouldn't mind putting down some dirt or salt, since I often go out with my baby in her carrier (on my chest) and it would be VERY bad if I were to fall with her. He rudely replied "cxxxxxx court belongs to the town of Gxxxxxxxxx, it's their problem." So I asked him if he knew of a number or company I could call to have them come out and he just replied "no."

I was under the impression that if a landlord's property contained a road or driveway, it was the landlord's responsibility to have it plowed, or to notify the town that it needs clearing if it's a public road. Am I right? If not, who can I call? My landlord is not complying with a lot of laws and i'm hoping to find another apartment, and then take him to court for all the things he's done to make our lives miserable!!

I'm going to be starting a job soon and i'm not sure how to fill this out. The last time I filled one out, I wasn't married and I didn't have a baby, so i'm completely lost lol

I want to be able to file for my tax return and get a lot of money back as opposed to owing them money. How many dependents should I claim? I don't think anyone can claim me as a dependent since I live with just my husband and our baby.

Thanks!

I am wondering what the laws are concerning service animals in Massachusetts.

I have PTSD and a Panic disorder, and my therapist has suggested that getting a service dog could really help me. The apartments that I live in are owned by a very disrespectful slumlord, and they have a "no pet" policy. I already know that service animals are exempt from this policy, but i'd like to know a few more things.

1- Can my slumlord charge me a pet deposit? I was under the impression that service animals were exempt from that as well, but i'm not sure about it and Google hasn't been too helpful.

2- He is trying to make me pay $500 for "damages that might occur." I read somewhere that he can only charge for damages after they've occurred, again specifically for service animals. Can he legally make me pay this?

3- Can he legally evict me for anything related to the animal? For example the dog "barking too much" etc?

Please only respond if you really know about this, and please provide links if you're referencing laws. He wants proof of the laws and like I said, I can't find much on Google.

My brother in law is going through a nasty divorce. He lives in NC and all of us/his family lives in MA. His soon to be ex wife is a complete psychopath, and she is physically and verbally abusive to him and recently her two oldest children, who aren't his (they have a 2 year old). She is trying to keep his son from him, but we do not think she is fit to be a mom to ANY of those kids. The trouble is, none of us can afford to travel down and testify against her (we have personally witnessed her actions, and have been the victims of her physical and verbal abuse.)

I was wondering if the court would allow us to write a letter stating what she has done to us personally, and what we have seen her do? I was thinking we could each write it, sign it, and have it notarized or something to make it more official. Would that work? If not, are there any other options, like a conference call or something? Any help is appreciated!

Here's my problems:

I owe $1492 to a college because I had to drop out due to a family member's health problems and financial aid refused to pay for the classes.

I had my car repossessed after almost 3 months of getting it because I was laid off from my job.

I have a nearly $300 speeding ticket for trying to pass an asshole 18-wheeler on the highway (he kept speeding up as I tried to pass, cop got me going 85 in a 65)

There is no way I can pay this now as I have a baby and if I paid it, I wouldn't be able to afford our rent, bills, her diapers, etc. My husband and I both work, but we just don't make enough to pay all of this off.

We need a car badly and with my repossession I doubt i'll be approved for anything, and my husband doesn't have a license so he can't get one either. I've applied for a second job, and if I get it, i'm hoping i'll be able to get my car back at least. It has been almost a year since I voluntarily gave it back. Would I be able to get it back on my own, or would filing bankrupcy help me get it back? I don't really know what else I can do in this situation. I have such crappy luck... :( And please, no bashing. We're doing our best in this crappy economy.

My daughter is 4 weeks old, and ever since week 1 she has been making the characteristic "whoop" that comes along with whooping cough, but she isn't coughing. I figured at first it was just her getting used to her lungs, and she's already had her lungs listened to at her 2 week doctor's visit, but now that it isn't going away i'm worried. Has this happened with anyone else's kids? Is this normal? Or should I bring it up with her doctor? My husband and I were both vaccinated with the tetanus/diptheria/pertussis vaccine, so I don't think she has it. I'm also exclusively breastfeeding, idk if that makes a difference.

Thanks in advance!

I might have to get induced due to a possible serious health concern, and I just wanted to know how successful it would be, i'm terrified that i'll have to get a c-section if it doesn't work :( This is my first baby, and 3 weeks ago when I got an exam she said my cervix was very soft and maybe slightly effaced already, but not dilated yet. I'm really hoping for a water-birth, I already spoke to my midwives about this and they said even if I am induced, they have waterproof monitors that I can wear in the birth tub. Will being in the water help things along? I know it does in a normal birth, but I've never met anyone who had a water-birth after being induced.

I'm just super worried. I really wanna avoid a c-section!!

Hey Everyone,

I'm due in August and I was overweight before I got pregnant, so i'm thinking of ways to lose weight after baby in a healthy way. I will be breastfeeding exclusively if all goes well, and I want to make sure I get the right nutrition. I've looked up a lot about Nutrisystem, as well as what you need to have in order to have a healthy and good milk supply. So here is my plan:

Order as many healthy meals and snacks from Nutrisystem as I can

In order to make up the extra 500 calories, I will eat purely fruits, veggies, and dairy (cheese, yogurt, etc) since Nutrisystem does not have many fruits/veggies in their foods. I will also probably eat lentil soup a lot, since it's been my life-long favorite and I can't ever get enough of it haha.

What I want to know is if anyone sees any problems with this plan? I'm concerned about sodium, I know that a lot of packaged food contains pretty high sodium levels, but i'm going to be chugging astronomical amounts of water anyway, so will it really matter?

ALSO- Please don't bother answering if you don't know much about this subject. I'm looking for responses from moms that have been there, or tried this, or people with extensive nutrition experience, not a "best guess".

Thanks!