It's interesting to me that you bring this up! Before we knew the sex of our last baby (who turned out to be a girl named Faith), when we were discussing names, I said I liked Peter, but my dh had the same reaction--no way, he'll get teased. I had never even heard that name ever mentioned as anything remotely bad or crude, so I was wondering if it was a regional thing (my dh grew up near Pittsburgh), and I almost came on here to ask who had bad associations with the name Peter! But alas, I was too lazy, and then we found out it was a girl . . . I love the association with Peter, High King of Narnia, and I also felt like in a large, supportive, mainly Christian homeschool group, which includes not one but 2 Boazes, the potential for that particular kind of teasing would probably not happen! All that to say--I would use it, and if we do have another boy, that name will be back on the table for us!

I like to give baby calendars--the ones where you fill in the months, and there are stickers for special days and events. I have one for each of my 7 kids, and it's the only place I note little things like when they started solid food and got their first tooth. Much easier than a baby book! These are not always so easy to find, though. Sometimes Babies R Us has them, but sometimes I have to order them from Amazon or somewhere. Anyhow, it's a nice gift for someone who maybe already has some kids but would like something special just for this new baby.

LOL, not me either--but I should have mine in the next 2 weeks!

Thanks so much for the replies! They ahve been very helpful! The funny thing is, I have always considered myself very flexible when it comes to moving--I'm an Air Force wife, and my dad was also a career Air Force officer, so moving is just what I've done my whole life! But I have been surprised at how strongly I am against moving to AZ. I think a lot of it is just that it is sooo far from family, which is important to me--we're in D.C. right now, and I like it that I can take the kids and drive home for a few weeks by myself. That obviously wouldn't work from Arizona! And just that it doesn't fit the dream I've had for retirement for so long. But maybe my dream is not what God is calling us to, so better to be prepared! I think I do much better when I am not too surprised at what to expect, so that is why I am so appreciative of your replies! We're still in the early phase of trying to figure out where to go, and it's not like dh has even looked for a job or anything yet, so who knows what will happen! Thanks for taking the time to answer, and if I have more questions, I will ask!

My dh is starting to think about retirement, and he has hit upon Phoenix, AZ as paradise, mainly because it is hot and dry. I am not thrilled about this potential location, to say the least. I am more of a cold weather, let's-definitely-have-all-4-seasons kind of girl. Heat is not my thing! So I have some preconceptions about Phoenix, but I want to be open-minded, so I am hoping people can confirm or deny them! First of all, we will soon have 7 kids, and I can't imagine living somewhere where I couldn't send them outdoors to play . . . or at least down to the basement. It seems like Phoenix would not be conducive to outside play a lot of the year, and the houses don't have basements. Is that right? Second, from a quick glance at the internet, the houses all just look really unattractive--close together, with lots of rocks and not much else. Are there nicer areas to live that maybe I didn't see? Third, it bothers me that I've read that places like Phoenix are totally draining the aquifers that supply them, and it's basically unnatural for that many people to be living there. I don't want to live in a place that is going to run out of water! Is this a valid concern? Fourth, we have one son with skin issues--does the dry weather exacerbate things like eczema? Do you just bathe in lotion and moisturizer? And of course, is there good homeschool support there? I looked at HSLDA, and AZ seems like an easy place to homeschool in, but are there lots of opportunities, co-ops, etc., especially for older kids, as our oldest is in 6th grade now? To be honest, my dream retirement location is a few cheap acres with lots of trees and a big garden. That's certainly not AZ, so I'm trying not to hold onto that dream too tightly! But I also would want to be prepared, and right now, I just don't see anything good about living in a desert, especially when most of our family is in Ohio/Pennsylvania! Can you change my mind, or at let me know if you think I'm right? : )

We have a 2000 Odyssey with over 140,000 miles on it and no major problems. The only thing we've had is in the past year our check engine light has been off and on--some oxygen sensor thing. Ours is paid off, so we're planning on keeping it for the long haul. I fully expect it to get at least another 100,000 miles. It's a great van!

My 7 year old son has been on Singulair for 5 years, and I haven't noticed any ill effects at all. While on it, his asthma has been quite well-controlled. When we ran out (during a move), he had a very severe attack. He doesn't take it year-around, though, only during the spring and fall, when his seasonal allergies are the worst, and his asthma tends to act up. He is definitely not moody or anything--a very happy, and happy-go-lucky, little boy!

We bought our double stroller, as well as a bunk bed off of craigslist. They were both good experiences, and I know we got really good deals on the items. I only looked at listings that were close to me, geographically (the D.C. craigslist covers a huge area!), for the stroller, because I knew it was just going to be me and the kids going there to look at it. But for the bunk bed, I really wanted one with a single on top, double on the bottom, and something like a desk/dresser on the side (so the top bunk was perpendicular to the bottom double bed). I was willing to look farther away, and my dh and I ended up buying ours from a lady about an hour away. She lived in a rather scary apartment complex, and I was glad I wasn't by myself, LOL. I've never sold anything on craigslist, however, so I can't talk about that side of it!

We put most of our pictures on snapfish, mainly so we can share them with all the farflung relatives, but it has crossed my mind that at least the pictures are there, should something happen to our hard drive! I put them on there for a long time without having bought anything, so I don't think there is any sort of minimum buying requirement to store them there. Several months ago I started ordering prints off of there too, and it has been wonderful! So now that's what I do all the time. And for Christmas presents for all the relatives, I made photo calendars relatively inexpensively from there, personalized with birthdates, anniversaries, etc. So now I am done with my Christmas shopping for my relatives! I am loving snapfish this year! : )

No, lol. I just ignored that and pronounced the words in my best attempt at ecclesiastical pronunciation. Really, without the teacher's manual, you are just sort of on your own to go through the workbook with the story and exercises, so pronunciation really isn't a big deal at all.

I started PL with my oldest 2 (boys) when the oldest was in 3rd and the younger in 1st. When we were done with PL, we did Minimus, primarily because I was worried about the same thing the OP is, for a summer. It was fun, but I would not say their Latin abilities really improved over that time. I didn't buy the teacher's manual, so I knew there were things I didn't understand, and that frustrated me. It was a nice break, though. We went into LC I in 4th/2nd grade, and it took us about 2 years to get through it. Now it's been another year and a half, and we're almost done with LC II. Luke, the younger boy (now in 4th grade), never had any problems with the grammar in LC I, and we just moved slowly on the vocab (because there are more words per week than with PL), with lots of review. I did most of it orally, since he wasn't really ready to do a lot of extra writing at that age. I would say that both boys have a very thorough grasp of both the Latin they have covered, as well as English grammar now. I have been very happy with the LC program, and I am planning on starting my next 2 (also teaching them together) in another year or so, when the older is in 2nd and the younger in 1st.

I think you are thinking of that "Cramer" guy on TV? The really annoying one that shouts and paces around and talks about stock market stuff? Definitely not mild-mannered Larry Burkett, LOL!!! Unfortunately, I think the Cramer TV guy is still very much alive.

Well, I just failed my 1 hour test today too! I wasn't too surprised, since I also failed my 1 hour one with my last pregnancy, and I haven't done anything differently. Sigh. I'm calling tomorrow to schedule my 3 hour test. I did pass that one last time, so there is hope. I also feel very overwhelmed at the thought of having another thing to deal with and keep track of. I was not a very happy camper this afternoon when the doctor called!

Yay, Marie! I can't wait to hear the final name selection--I thought all your name choices were great! And thanks for posting here, Tonya! : )

I'm voting for Benjamin, although Joseph probably isn't my most favorite middle name for it (but I do like it!). I love the name Benjamin, but I don't think we will ever be able to name a son of ours that name. When my brother and sister-in-law were pregnant a few years ago with their first, they picked out Benjamin as their choice if they had a boy. They had a girl instead, but that was the only boy name they could agree on, so I would feel terrible if we ever used it (having already used several other Biblical boy names, LOL) and they did end up having a boy at some later point! So I'll vote for it for others, LOL. I'm glad you posted--I was thinking about you and wondering how you were doing! : )

This is exactly what I use Facebook for too! I like keeping track of friends from past assignments, and this is a good way to do it. It's not like I want to send everyone Christmas cards, you know? But I do like seeing pictures and seeing where they move to every so often. Also, since I am no longer anywhere near my high school, I keep up with a few old classmates on it too. I don't spend a lot of time there, but I do enjoy seeing how people have matured over the years!

When we moved here to Northern VA (D.C. suburbs) a few years ago, I didn't expect to find any big families here. I was so surprised to find a huge enclave I guess you'd call it in our homeschool co-op! I now know many families with over 7, including one with 10, and I don't feel at all weird about expecting #7! It really amazed me though, because I just assumed everyone here would fall into the materialism trap with the huge house and 1, maybe 2, kids and a nanny. Not true at all! The big families have been such an encouragement to our family. Congratulations!

LOL, this is so funny--I am 4 months pregnant, live in VA, and ate pickles with my lunch today (better than chips, right? Surely?)! So maybe they migrated up here to a Loudoun County refrigerator! : )

Yes, this is just about exactly the same pricing I use at our consignment sales, and I also sell most of my stuff. I love those sales! If we move again from here (we're in northern VA), I am going to want to start one of my own--it's so much nicer than a consignment shop, which has higher prices and not as much selection.

I'm due Feb. 10 with #7!

We had a big Olympic party this past Saturday. We don't do individual birthday parties with friends for our kids, but each summer we have one big party. We've had themes like a medieval feast and a revolutionary war party, and this year it was the Olympics. When the kids got there, we put a flag from some country around their neck, but down their back so they couldn't see it, and then they had to ask other people yes and no questions to figure out what country it was. The kids did really well with that. After everyone had figured their flags out, we formed up on the side of the house, and then marched around to the front to the Olympic theme music, like the Opening Ceremony. As each child got in front of the adults, he or she said the name of their country's flag out loud. Then we had a few relays, like a land swimming relay, where we divided up into teams of 4, and each person had to "swim" across the yard in one of the 4 strokes of a swimming medley relay. The other relay was a pentathalon of sorts, where each person had to do these 5 events (run around the cul-de-sac, walk a balance beam, throw a frisbee into a kiddee pool, long jump across part of our driveway, and shoot a basketball into a little hoop). Then we had a medal ceremony, where I handed out gold medals to all the kids (there were 26 of them), and we played the national anthem. I had written the words on a piece of posterboard so everyone could sing along. For food, we had a bunch of round things, like bagel bites, tortilla wrap-up spirals, grapes and blueberries, pineapple rings, etc. While people were eating, I asked them a bunch of Olympic trivia questions I found on the internet. I sent everyone home with a schedule of events printed off the internet that just basically tells what days what events are happening on, and when medals are being awarded in each event. We also made a bar graph so that kids could fill in how many gold, silver, and bronze medals the US and a few other countries (Germany, China, Russia, and someone else . . . can't remember) get during the Olympics. It was a really fun party, and now I am really in the mood to watch! Hopefully everyone else at the party is too! : ) I guess this really doesn't qualify as "cheap, fun, and simple", but maybe even just doing one little thing will get everyone more excited?

Oh my goodness, my 4th son had this, but I didn't know what it was called! He was about 18 months old, and he had a stomach virus. Then he got better, but he threw up almost every night for several weeks, I think (it was almost 4 years ago now). He obviously wasn't sick, but it was like a rut he was just stuck in--lay down at night, throw up a few hours later, be fine the next day. He's 5 now, and he has no allergies, and no migraines or other health issues either. Eventually he just stopped throwing up, which was a huge relief to me! Strange thing though.

My dh is an astro engineer, and also an Academy grad (87). We also never even had an overseas tour, and he did a lot in research labs, etc. Often USAFA cadets, no matter what their majors, go on to pilot or navigator training, and then of course they would deploy after all their training. It seems that more and more officers who would not normally deploy are in fact deploying in support roles, and doing joint work (like with the Navy or Army), so just the fact that one's child is an Air Force engineer no longer means they probably won't ever deploy. But it is less likely that they will be in continuous combat situations than if they graduated infantry from West Point, LOL, and we know a lot of people who deployed to Qatar and places like that. A really good book to read to get a realistic idea of the 4 years of being a cadet and the preparation they receive for combat is Absolutely American by David Lipsky. It follows cadets through 4 years at West Point, and 9/11 happens during the course of the book as well, so the cadets are aware that they will be going into combat somewhat shortly after graduation. Hope this is helpful!

We were just there on our way back from our big trip. We stopped at Rapid City and went to Mt. Rushmore. I actually really liked it (the area)! One of my requirements for where we end up is that there be a base nearby so we can use the commissary etc, and Ellsworth qualifies. Of course, Bob brought up the important point that he would need to do SOMETHING if we moved there--we still wouldn't be able to live on his retirement, LOL. Nothing up his alley, unfortunately. We got some groceries at the WalMart there, and I saw several large families, which surprised me, but also made me feel at home, and not like I stuck out like a sore thumb. Anyhow, passing through there made me wonder about homeschooling in that state, but I never even looked it up on HSLDA. All that to say, I'm no help either, but I do love the big, empty prairie! : )

See, that's the problem--there are NO physical symptoms. No bites, rashes, or anything else. He feels like the "things" crawl in his ears and nose, and hop around on his skin, but there is absolutely no evidence. I'm sure he'd try soaking, but there's no real affected part to soak. Thanks for replying! I'm going to pass these on to his wife!