Thanks, Toxaris. The problem, then, is having the numbering continue when an <ol> has a <ul> under it.
What I want to achieve is:
1.  text text text
2.  text text text
•  text that relates to list item 2
•  text that relates to list item 2
3. text text text
etc.
Sometimes there are subbullets; those are the <ul ul>. But it's my understanding that EPUB or more specifically, MOBI for Kindle, doesn't respect <start="x">, where 
x is the value for a beginning or continuing list item number, so that's why I wrap the <ul> into the <ol>? Works in web browsers, but maybe not in EPUB?