You know what is really sad? What I would really like for my birthday is breakfast in bed and dh to take the kids somewhere for the day so I can have a day of peace and quiet. :lol: Somehow I don't think I'll be getting that. :D

My birthday is tomorrow and if I don't go pick something out, I won't get anything. I have no idea what to get but I know I'll feel a little sad if I don't get anything so. I would like Great Big Sea's new album but I'll never be able to find that locally so . . . What would you get?

Glad the problem is getting sorted out. I just discovered your blog a week or so ago. We did the first outdoor challenge today. Your blog is great!

That song reminds me of a great trip I took with my then-future-sister-in-law. We drove from Minneapolis to Chicago and heard that song over and over on the radio. We loved it! I can't believe I've never heard some of these songs. Sugar Walls? Oh.my.word. That is just horrid! :lol:

I just said something very similar to dh tonight about our ds. This evening dh asked him what time it was and he came back in and said it was 20 minutes until 8 o'clock. I knew that wasn't right so I checked the clock and saw that it was 10 minutes to 8. I asked him to check the clock again. Then he comes back and says it is 5 minutes to 8. Dh worries about homeschooling anyway and when it appears to him that our 10 yo can't even tell time, he flips out a little. Today it took ds 20 minutes to figure out what 3 x 8 is. Really! Even if you have a mental block and can't remember what the answer is you can surely count it out in a few seconds! Sometimes that kid's brain just shuts down. I worry that if we ever did send him to school he would get lost in the class. He would be those kids you hear about that graduate and still can't read. He does the absolute minimum to get by. On the other hand, he is very creative, draws well, is excellent at any sport he gets involved in, and is a very hard worker when it comes to physical activity. If only he could use some of that energy when it comes to brain activity..... :) And on a brighter note, he is doing much better writing his own narrations and even makes comments on our history lessons (instead of "oh I'm so glad we are done with that!").

Maybe it is the variety you planted? Is there some kind of dwarf zucchini? :confused:

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: Anyone else dealing with a student with severe lack of motivation? He just doesn't care!!! AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!! Okay, I feel a little better now. And I need to hold on to the glimpses of hope I saw last week.

I was going to say dh too but then I guess we do have some books that are much older than him. I used to have a pie safe my great-grandfather made as well as my great-grandmother's cedar chest. But we lost those in a house fire. That was very sad! :crying:

We have Sprouts by us. Here the prices on produce are usually cheaper than at Walmart. And the selection is much nicer. Other grocery items are priced higher. They carry lots of homeopathic medicines and vitamins. I find the meat to be good quality and usually something is on sale. They also have lots of bulk items like grains, nuts, granola, etc. They prices are very reasonable on those items. The kids like the free samples of coffee. I just got the new ad today. Here are some prices: mangos 2/$1, sweet cherries $1.69/lb, cantaloupe 99 cents each, plums 77 cents/lb, all natural whole chickens 99 cents/lb. I like that Wednesdays are double ad day. Last week's and this week's sale prices are in effect.

Has this been posted before? It hits just about every stereotype. :lol: I couldn't tell how nice their shoes were though.

In December 2006 we moved from Oregon to AZ. Just be prepared for climate-shock. :) I sure miss the green. But, you know, this summer we have been driving a car with no A/C. And we are surviving. I think we can call ourselves true residents now!

Not being able to breathe. The Abyss was on last night. Why did I watch that again? That scene where she drowns herself so he can take her over to the underwater oil rig and then when he started breathing that liquid oxygen stuff in the underwater suit. Ugh! I need to take deep breaths now! I absolutely can't stand turtlenecks and I won't even let any touch my neck. There are times I'm convinced I'm having an allergic reaction to something and my throat is swelling closed. I've had a few panic attacks over that in the past. I'm still considering therapy since it's happening more often. It seems the older I get and the more I realize what can happen, the more I worry.

I'll send you a PM with the name and email address of who to contact.

YES! I guess Step isn't in the title. :lol: I got the "S" right anyway.

Oh, I missed you were in Arizona! The company I worked for was in Tempe. Are you close enough that you could drive to Tempe once a week? (If someone else is in your area, you can drive every other week like I did.)

There is a book out there that has daily activities to do with your child from birth to age 5 (I think). I sure wish I could remember the name of it. It was one activity each day for 5 years and it covered all those things you mentioned. I thought Step was in the title but I've been searching online and can't find anything. I heard about it on this board so someone on here must know!

I did data entry work from home. I was processing rebates. I picked up mail every other week (someone else drove and picked up mail on the other weeks). I did not use one of those internet companies. Do not use one of those! I found an ad on Craigslist for a local company. So, my suggestion is to check Craigslist for opportunities to work for a company from home.

Yep, my first thought was ice cream. Get a few different toppings. Maybe even banana splits. But only if dairy isn't an issue too.

I'm :lol: while I read these. I can relate to so many of them. Can M&M's be eaten in any other way besides even numbers? I have to have the same number on each side of my mouth when I chew them. I usually eat them in groups of four. They can be four different colors ('cause I like putting the yellow, blue, red and green together and yellow, orange, brown and red can go together because they are fall colors) or they have to be two pairs that match. If I end up with an odd number, then I bite one in half so both sides are even. I also type things in my head. It's so funny to be talking to someone and if I latch onto a certain word, I start typing it over and over in my head. And of course the letters have to come out even on each hand. Sometimes I add the space bar to make the letters come out even. My sister-in-law were talking one day and she admitted she does this too. :lol: Her son likes words with even numbers of letters. Dh thought we were all insane. (although dh is fanatical about having the dishes complete clean before loading them in the dishwasher. Most nights he rinses the dishes after supper. I drive him nuts. :D) Gardenschooler, I'm right with you on the bagging thing. What really, really irks me is when they put meat in with produce. I mean, what if that raw meat leaks onto the produce?!?! Raw meat with anything actually. And soap with food? The smell would make the food taste funny! And it goes without saying that only frozen foods belong in the bag together.

I'd be happy to travel with you! Maybe we could get a group discount on plane fare (or maybe even the QE2 or the Queen Mary 2). :D

And now with the monsoon here, the days are sticky and muggy too. Ugh! The only way to beat the heat (besides A/C!) is with water. My boys still do outside chores with dh. They get out early (when it's only 100 :lol:) and spray themselves with the hose. It's tolerable when you are soaking wet.

Yes, demand everything in writing. Also demand proof in writing that this bill is legitimate. I got a letter once from Verizon stating that I owed a certain amount. We did have Verizon at the time and I couldn't imagine that we owed them money and they didn't contact us personally or add it to our existing phone bill. Anyway, I contacted them by mail stating that I didn't believe the charge was legitimate and to provide proof that I owed the amount. I never heard from them again. Just a couple of days ago I got a letter stating that we owed almost $300 for two CAT scans done for my dd's kidney stone back in August. At the time we were covered under the state's medicaid program and everything is covered at 100%. Also, the letter went to an old address when the hospital that did the procedure had our new address. It was all very curious. I wrote them a letter asking them to provide proof the debt was legitimate. Even on the back of the letters they send it says that if you don't think the debt is valid, you have 30 days after you receive their letter to ask them to provide supporting documentation of their claim. I think some of these companies get old bills whether paid or not and try to scare people into sending them money.

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. I have started a time after lunch (about 1/2 an hour) of listening to audiobooks. The three older ones sit quietly at the table and color or draw. While they do this, they listen to a chapter in Heidi (that was one on the recommended free reading list on Ambleside). Ds did enjoy some of the fiction books we read together this year--The Little Duke, Understood Betsy, and The Wind in the Willows. He really likes The Wind in the Willows. Maybe it is all the descriptive language combined with his vivid imagination. This was the second time we had read it together. He really likes Pilgrim's Progress too. That kind of surprised me. That is a difficult read but we only read small sections at a time. And maybe it helps that they are reading it together in his Sunday School class as well. I haven't gotten my 10 yo to read Flat Stanley once. :lol: Hmmm, something just hit me. Maybe part of his dislike of reading has to do with the fact that it is a solitary activity. He needs to have interaction with people. It is definitely a need with him. Me? Lock me in a room with dusty books and I'd be happy for days, weeks even. For him, it would be absolute torture. Dh would be happy as can be living the life of a hermit on his mountain in Idaho. Ds has been very social since he was a baby. He fussed and fussed if I carried him facing me. He had to be facing out so he could see what was going on around him.

I only use half a fabric softener sheet in the dryer. It works just as well as a full sheet. Dh taught me that one. I love coupons. I used to not bother with them because full price name brand items were still more expensive with the coupon than the store brand. Well, now I've learned how to use coupons. Like Mom to Aly, I've even bought some on eBay. I store them up and use them to stock up on supplies when they are on sale at places like Walgreens and CVS or Albertsons. A couple of months ago I bought over 20 bags of tortillas chips for $5. I have a box full of about 36 tubes of toothpaste that I was actually paid money to buy. When dc want something, they ask, "Mom, do we have a coupon for this?" :lol: My 2 yo's favorite new word is "coupon." Freecycle is great too. We got our couch from there. A couple of days ago I picked up a massage table. Dh always said that if I got one, he would give me a massage every day. I'm still waiting..... :)

How big is your RV? We lived in our 30 ft motorhome for 10 months last year. It's definitely doable!