Hi Allison: Please keep us posted on Monday .. thanks for the info. of requested tests on Stop the Thyroid Madness site. In the old days, doctors went overboard in unnecessary tests & surgeries, but nowadays insurance put a restriction on that. Over a decade ago my sister wore her hair in an "onion" bun (capped with a metallic hair fastener), they took X-ray and the doc. thought it was a HUGE GOITER, or HUGE THROAT CANCER. They did CT scan & MRI & unnecessary tests just to find out that it's a bundle of hair & metallic cap. I wrote to my insurance asking for further thyroid antibody-test & neck-checking for my 12-year old daughter, and my insurance wrote back " You can submit a pre-authorization request for review. This normally includes a letter of medical necessity with medical records to substantiate the service. This review generally takes 15-20 business days and all responses are made in writing. " From StrawChicago: I will wait for the kelp snack to boost her metabolism, and if she becomes depressed again during the summer, then I will take her for further thyroid-test. When I read through the Earthclinic.com/People's pharmacy website, one person reported solving her hypothyroid just by consuming a few Brazil nuts a day (high in selenium, necessary for normal thyroid function). Another person solved her hypothyroid with Stress-Tabs (Vit. C 120 mg, Thiamin 10mg, Riboflavin 10mg, Niacin 50 mg, Vit. B6 5 mg, Folate 400 mcg, Vit. B12 100mcg, Panthothenic Acid 40 mg, Proprietary Amino Acid Blend 100 mg (Arginine, Glutamine, Taurine), Sensoril extract.). The NON-MEDICATED approach is more effective & less side-effects because it comprises of a vast array of nutrients to boost thyroid health. Plus one can adjust the dose by oneself (less Brazil nut, or less seaweed snack) ... without going through the doctor. There are side effects for Levothyroxine: Insomnia, flushing, muscle pain, fatique, mood swings. There's a long list of side-effects of Synthroid, see the link below: https://synthroidhaters.wordpress.com/synthroid-side-effects/ When I googled, "The problem with Synthroid", there are tons of info. of horrible effects either through buying less-effective generic drugs, or it doesn't work, or the dose is too high, etc. Here's one example: " Saw dr after labs and ultrasound dx cysts on thryoid and hypo put me on generic synthroid.25. On meds for approx 6 weeks became very hoarse to the point of not being able to speak, not sleeping for more than 3 hrs, terrible bloating and gas, increased racing heart and "shaking like tremors". ... Subsequently I felt so bad I stopped the med without her knowlege. Hoarseness, sleeping, hand symptoms and chest fulness, bloating have improved to what they were before starting meds." http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Thyroid-Disorders/problem-with-synthroid/show/1587399 From Stop the thyroid madness site: "Did you know that a healthy thyroid makes five hormones?? They are T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin. T4, also called thyroxine, is simply a storage hormone meant to convert to T3, the active hormone. But a healthy thyroid doesn’t make you totally depend on conversion alone, and also gives you “direct” T3 plus the other hormones above ... Being on a T4-only med means you are missing out on four other hormones directly, and thus, you are being forced to live for conversion alone!" Many people complained that Armour Thyroid (dried pig thyroids) are no longer available, and the chemical Synthroid has tons of side-effects, which they can't handle. See an excerpt from below link: "I had been on Armour thyroid for several years and it worked really well. Unfortunately, my last prescription was put on hold by the manufacturer and I have not been able to get it filled. That was in July 2009. My dr. had to put me on Synthroid instead and I feel terrible now. I have insomnia and anxiety yet my blood tests look fine. I'm not sure what to do now. I've called the pharmacy several times in the last 4 months and Armour is still not available to the public. " http://www.endocrineweb.com/community/hypothyroidism/1288-armour-thyroid-vs-Synthroid "About a year ago I was prescribed Synthroid and almost immediately had a pretty severe reaction to it. Throat swelled, ankles and hands swelled, heart raced ... felt like crap. My doctor switched me to an all natural herbal product called "Innate Thyroid Response." It worked pretty well until just recently. So I'm going back for a tune-up. :o) Doctors and pharmacists are provided ve-e-ery generous "perks" by pharmaceutical reps for pushing what my doctor calls, "designer drugs." The more expensive the drug, the "more effective" it is often touted to be, when often that could not be further from the truth. I would question the motives of a doctor who "insists" that one drug is preferable to another ... especially a tried and true oldie like Armour." Tinyhandz said... 2 years 52 weeks ago "I was on Synthroid for a while and I really did not like the way it made me feel. I was shaky, nervous, couldnt sleep, and I became very anxious over the months that I was taking it." http://www.endocrineweb.com/community/hypothyroidism/1288-armour-thyroid-vs-synthroid

Thanks for the plan ML...I did miss it. I printed them out. They are very, very helpful. My husband knew how to enlarge them, and I'm going to cut them out. I can then move them around like puzzle pieces. I sent the designer a rather scathing e-mail. When I get REALLY ticked off, my mind clarifies. Basically, I said that my detailed lists, and what had been said at our meeting had obviously not been read or listened to, like everyone else I have paid. I also said that I would not tolerate any further disrespect. No reply so far. The guy is not someone I want doing our final drawings and blueprints, so my DH can do that with his software, and said he is going to work on it after mowing today. He sure likes our little tractor. Maybe we will get something usable on the floor plan from the designer, but I seriously doubt it. This is a guy who says to me when I was trying to decide on logs versus log siding, or loft or no loft, will say "Oh, so we're back to that again", rather sarcastically. I made a huge point in my e-mail today that it was MY house paid with money earned by my husband and I. I could just spit nails right now. Middle age is a blessing in that one ceases to care about what someone else, who is trying to push them around, thinks. I am starting to draw out a floor plan with a second story loft. The stairs will run along the bedroom wall in the great room. I'm thinking the second bathroom can run between the bedroom wall and stairway, accessable to both the master and great room. Maybe it will work...don't know yet. I'm hoping it would be private enough. An extra bedroom WIC could sit next to that along the same wall area. Sort of like building rooms back to back with the bedroom. The "study" could be turned into a nice foyer, not as large, with the laundry access off that. There could be a door from the master bathroom into the laundry room as well. These ideas, combined with the space that stairs take up, will create a hall, with privacy gained into the bedroom. The foyer can be a spot for my large roll top desk, which would be awful to get up into a loft, and a nice bench or chair, so as not to be wasted "show" space. The beautiful door with leaded glass and sidelights would really set this area off. I would also like to see an access point from the foyer into the kitchen. There will still be another kitchen door somewhere so we can go outside to the porch, and also grill, maybe between the dining area and counter run. I'll try to post here later. The kitchen will be reworked from how he did it, but the basic concept of it and dining running the direction they are. I can pivcture storage closets with a window seat on the front east wall of the kitchen. Maybe that's where the access from the foyer can cut in to run along that wall. At least my ideas are starting to flow again. Does any of the above make any sense? Hard sometimes to see it with just a bunch of words. I think we can come up with enough to satisfy the county, (and me), so we can get started, with small "remodels" made as we build. I guess I had to get good and P.O.'d. It sure does make it easier taking the sewing room off the main floor. It makes for a nice plan that isn't boxed in. The other good point is that even though we do not care about resale and are out to please only us, the loft makes the home versatile for resale when we finally kick the bucket. Another point made to me by a log home builder was that it is good to at least build for a future loft in these types of homes, even if the whole space were walled off and not used. The reason being, the walls could come off, and the second story finished. He and his wife ended up with custody of a couple grandchildren. His point was that we cannot predict when we might need extra bedrooms. Sure wish you gals lived close by. We'd have this thing done and engineer stamped in the blink of an eye. And we'd have fun doing it. Sigh....haven't met any ladies here like you yet. So it's a little lonesome. Society isn't the same any more. Sandy

Giggle While I understand what you are saying the courts view point on the subject is I have to say I still can't see how it could really be inforced if it was the child's decision to call the step parent mom or dad. Short of following the child around all day there would be no way to really inforce it. To me it is also like the courts are forcing the child to pick a favorite which is really haard on a child who loves two people. I only say this because the girls call me mom half the time. I used to try to correct them but Jonathan said stop. Just let them call you what they want. Even when they were trying to call me by my name they'd slip up and say mommy first. I think it's natural when you have a woman that is taking care of your needs 95% of the time to become refered to as mommy. They can't help it and I can't make them stop. I don't feel the courts could hold the girls or me reliable for that.

Well, here it's raining. In the 40s tomorrow, then down to 17 tomorrow night, so I'm assuming it'll be slick. This was a couple of years ago, we can pile up some pretty impressive snow but we have experience and equipment, so we're good at moving snow and getting around in it. That's our old truck, a full size Chevy Silverado with a "crew" cab. The problem with putting oil on the weatherstripping of the doors is that if you then rub against it while getting in or out, you get oily spots on your clothes. (yeah, ask me how I know) WD 40 and PAM both work too, but can degrade the rubber weather stripping. Rubber conditioner is really best if you want to treat the rubber weather stripping. My problem is that water gets into the locks themselves and then I'm heating my key, or using Lock-Ease. The Enclave does have heated seats, and I have a garage, so I can start the car, turn on the seats, go inside and have a cup of coffee and then leave after the car warms up nicely. It also has all wheel drive to get me though most of the navigable stuff and the old farm truck is 4 wheel drive, of course so we're pretty prepared, usually. So we're enjoying the break, but it'll only last until tomorrow, then it's back to normal Michigan winter, it looks like the 20s in the day and single digits at night for another month or so. Annie