What's your starting age for letting kids text? Our 9yo has an older ipad so she could facetime Grandparents and text cousins that live in another state. A few months ago she got a hold of her friends numbers and now they have a texting group of gals. It's innocent and harmless, but I can see it creating a jealousy in my daughter. They create videos (GRWM) and showing their skin care routines, etc. I can see she is struggling that some have nicer things or things she does not have or she didn't get invited to someone's house, etc. We're struggling as we know technology is a part of their future, but we weren't ready for her to be texting with friends yet. Curious to know other thougths! Thanks in advance!

Taco Dip! Easy to pull together and everyone loves it. Black Beans or refried beans, cream cheese (mixed with taco seasoning), lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, jalapenos, avocados, cilantro. I'll make it even if I don't have all the ingredients. Fruit, especially watermelon. It's so refreshing on hot days! Some say frozen grapes. I don't really like them, but my friends and kids do. And chips. Everyone loves chips, lol! Beef sticks, dried mango.

@Shrimpy123 I don't have recommendations for a doctor, but I know doing leg compression has helped mine in the past. I did it often with my last pregnancy and I have one big one that typically gets so big during my past pregnancies and this was the one pregnancy it did not.

Orgain is great and can be found at Costco. Our other favorite brand is Just Ingredients. Very clean ingredients and made with whole foods. It's a small business and the owner has a great story of why she started the biz and we love supporting them. https://justingredients.us/collections/protein-powder

Xlear Nasal Spray (or other saline sprays), IV Vitamin drip with Glutathione, Vit C, Lysine, Magnesium, Elderberry.
Are you taking Vit D? Vit D is a good boost to add while you're sick or sit outside in the sun. Lots of sleep. I also like melatonin at night to help promote better sleep. Limit dairy as it can increase mucus. Hope it passes qucikly!

*Not a doctor either, just sharing what we do!"

I've also heard about CoQ10 being great for fertility. Acupuncture can be great to promote good blow flow along with seeing a chiropractor. The spine touches every nerve in the body and each nerve touches every organ in the body. Also make sure to get basic labs done to check hormones and thyroid function. Good luck Mama!

We liked Ted Lasso, The Chosen, The Office is funny, Game of Thrones was good, a bit intense to watch before bed (lol).

Keeping fluids going is a priority! Whether she's breastfed or formula make sure she's drinking enough. If fever is too high then may need to take into urgent care or er. Hopefully it passes quickly!

My 2yo only wants to be held most often. It's exhausting especially when I want to make food or a meal or just get anything done. She has older siblings so does have entertainment (lol), and I'll set up playdough or a coloring project for her. But looking for any other tips or suggestions!

I love dark chocolate and love getting Jojo's chocolates as gifts. They come in great flavors and perfect sizes. https://jojoschocolate.com/
I also love the Siete brand of products so love throwing a bunch of their products (chips, seasonings, cookies) in a cute basket. I also like doing Christmas ornaments related to that year or any events that took place. Or Holiday towels. I always feel like I need new ones!

Curious to know your thoughts on a trampoline for the kids?! We love the idea, but worry about injuries or having friends come over and get injured. Do you have one? What do you think about this? Are we worrying too much?

I really like Ilia brand. https://iliabeauty.com/
They do sell it at Sephora, but I usually get on their website around their sale times. They probs will have a Black Friday sale coming up.

Just Ingredients are good and educational. I like Oprah's Soul Sundays for inspiration/gratitude.

Grandparents bought the kids the Amazon Fire Tablets and I also find them not user friendly. I know it's expensive, but I like the ipad the best. Our 3 kids share an older one we had. We do not pay for service on it, but we like to download movies and games. Then they can watch when we travel.

Reverse Osmosis with a re-mineralizer is great. Or a Multi-Pure Filter. Those are probably the best and filter out the most. We also have a Hydrogen Water hook-up to our reverse osmosis which is the best water you can drink. It's full of antioxidants and is an anti-inflammatory.

I love trying to shop local or get them a gift card to a local boutique. Or mani/pedi/massage. We all want that, right?!

Our kiddos are still 9 and under. We recently did get a Nintendo Switch and try to limit the time each week. They're still younger so some weeks they don't even touch it and other days that's all they want to do. I still think I'd prefer a video game over a TV show. I'm sure they've definitely changed since we were kids (lol), but they probs need more supervision now. Especially since I think you can play with people online so need to watch that.

I have not had one, but did look into it as (post kids) my periods are extremely heavy. One of the cons is they may only last around 5 years, so it could come back (before menopause). I also take a more holistic approach and worry about the negative effects of stopping that natural cycle.
This year I started seeing a functional medicine doctor and started trying hormone replacement therapy. I also started some iron supplements as anemia can actually cause heavy periods. My periods are soooo much better since I've gone this route. Good luck Mama!

Yeah, we have a few Caraway pans too. I think they're great, but hard to clean. I'm trying to use our cast iron skillet more along with our stainless steel pans. Once you get used to it they work so great! This may sound silly, but when I use them I heat it up and set a timer for 5mins. Once that timer goes off then I know it's ready for oil/butter. Then I set another time for 4-5 mins. After that then I start cooking. It works great and they are non-stick once heated up properly.

We love making a batch of oatmeal and then keeping in fridge for a few days. Or making waffles ahead of time and freezing.