Wilkie Collins (a he, btw :)) was a contemporary of Charles Dickens. In fact they were close friends and collaborated on a number of short stories and plays. They worked together on a literary magazine called "Household Words." Anyway, I had never read anything by Collins until after I read the book Drood by Dan Simmons. It's a trippy, historical fiction/mystery/fantasy/thriller that features both Collins and Dickens. I loved it, btw! I started Collins' The Woman in White after reading Drood, got about half way through, but didn't finish it. I don't recall why I put it down---I think I purchased a new book that I couldn't wait to get to, and never did get back to poor Collins (but I plan to!) despite the fact that I was really enjoying it.

Exactly how I felt when ours bit the dust. I absolutely do not miss it one bit. Really, there was very little in the way of adjusting to life without a microwave. I bid mine a joyous "arrivederci!"

I voted last since I'm the youngest of 4, but using the time-span criteria mentioned, I am a first-born as I am 8 years younger than the sibling closest in age to me. Interesting.

I can't speak to the particular kits you linked, but I have purchased several Thames and Kosmos kits as well as a couple of K'Nex ones. I've always been so impressed with the T&K products. They tend to use quality materials, the instructions are helpful, and my kids have really enjoyed learning with them. I've yet to see one that left me (or my kids) disappointed.

We are grilling burgers (trying Williams-Sonoma Hamburger Seasoning for the first time), Smart Dogs for my two vegetarian kids, and I'm making vanilla milkshakes with fresh blueberries sprinkled on top.

That sounds familiar to me. I was sad when MO (and all the original AOL boards) went defunct. I can still remember the little push-pin backgrounds!

I have to admit, the thought of having my own room sounds.....dreamy ;)

I would like to hear your experiences (good and bad!) with AP English Language and/or AP English Literature courses your highschoolers have completed. I know there are several options out there now for online and distance learning. Which would you recommend and why? Are there any that you feel were disappointing or not worth the cost? My daughter is a rising junior and I'm trying to finalize our plans for next year.

The first time I used the internet was in 1997 when we got our first pc. I made an account on America Online (still have my original screenname, btw), and promptly found the bulletin board called Mom's Online. I even remember my first post on Mom's Online---it was in a thread about nursing. My oldest was 17 months at the time. I also spent a lot of time browsing the AOL boards Writer's Online and Walt Disney World :)

You're...versatile? :D

Some other common patterns in words of French origin: gue for "g" sound---vogue, intrigue, colleague, fatigue gn for "nyuh" sound---chignon, poignant, vignette ille for "il" sound---espadrille, quadrille

Okay---mine is a rather bizarre small world experience: Many years ago, I worked as an account rep for a temporary agency, placing people in jobs, securing accounts, etc. Well, one of our accounts was a large waste management company. We sent several temps there daily. Basically, the temps worked with mountains of garbage---sorting and so on. One afternoon as the temp workers came in to get their paychecks, one of them asked to speak with me. When I walked over to him, he reached in his pocket and handed me a photograph of myself taken a couple of years prior. As I stood there with my mouth open (wondering how the heck someone I barely knew got hold of a photo of me) he explained he found it on one of the garbage floors he was working on. By this point I was thoroughly gobsmacked. This was in a fairly large metropolitan area. In other words: LOTS of trash was generated there. The odds of someone finding a photo of someone they recognize among the heaps and heaps of trash have to be pretty astounding. After I got over my astonishment, I realized it was probably thrown away by an ex-boyfriend (or perhaps his new girlfriend ;)) as the photo was taken somewhere we had visited together. Weird, weird, weird.

Uummm...yeah. I have more fabric, thread, tools, and notions than I'll probably ever get the chance to use. The good thing is both my daughters sew and they are free to "shop" my stash whenever they like. I am, however, a scrapbooker too. And, yes, I have supplies spilling out of every drawer in the house. I'm encouraging my kids to scrap and make cards so it doesn't go to waste.

Ok---while in Italy last week (in Epcot, alas ;))---I picked up How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci by Michael Gelb. It's a combination personal growth/mini da Vinci history book/ mini art course that encourages (by using the suggested exercises) strengthening your thinking skills. I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be, however the book does contain some interesting info and I do feel some of the exercises are quite helpful. Plus, I've got a list of da Vinci books now that I plan to make my way through eventually.

No. And, for many of the reasons already brought up by other posters. I really would not feel comfortable with my child in someone else's care for that long.

If it's only the aspirin you need to avoid, Excedrin Tension formula contains only acetaminophen and caffeine. Maybe that would be an option for you.

I'm the "baby" of four :001_smile:

While I haven't sold a lot of stuff here, I do recall selling items to a couple of new people with very few posts. No problems!

When I was pregnant with my first, my ob recommended alternating hot and cold for my headaches. Take 2 washcloths, place one in a pan (or large bowl) of iced water. Put the other in a pan of hot water. Wring out one cloth, place on head for 45 seconds, switch to 2nd cloth, place it on for 45 seconds. Alternate and repeat for 10 minutes. This works best if you catch your headache at the onset.

While I love going out to dinner, I'm with you in that I'd rather spend time with the whole family, so the five of us go out to eat quite frequently. I think the last time dh and I actually went out to dinner alone was when our teen was 4 weeks old and my mom thought we needed "a break" so she shooed us out the door and babysat while we went to eat at a restaurant around the corner from our home. One thing I would like to do as a couple is to start golfing again. Before we had kids (and, actually, throughout my pregnancy with my oldest) we went golfing every couple of weeks. At this point, I probably wouldn't even remember how to swing a club...

Exactly! (And, I'm not even from Indiana or Kentucky) :D

I can't do it. I need my serial commas! All of them. We did use a grammar program (can't recall which one it was) a few years ago that taught it was optional to place a comma before the "and" in a series. I ignored that :glare:. Commas, parentheses, and exclamation marks are some of my favorite writing tools! ;)

Yes, it is unfortunate that some assume that older parents are not as involved or active. Or that younger parents can't possibly be ready to raise a family. Frankly, I don't think there's any arbitrary magic age to be the best parent possible. I absolutely agree that it should be a personal decision. I touched on this in yesterday's spin off thread.

The only Follett novels I've read have been his historical fiction books (my favorite genre)--Pillars, World Without End, and, Fall of Giants. I enjoyed each of these. Many of his books are thrillers, right? Which is generally not my thing. I remember when Pillars was released, many were surprised because it was so different from what he had been writing previously.

Prayers and well-wishes for Jonathan. :grouphug: