AH! I wonder where I got that idea. Well, this will be even more interesting then! Good, then there is hope of Jin and Sun maybe reuniting at some point.

It should be fun! Isn't this the last Lost of the series, not the season? I'll miss it.

Glad you are feeling better. I know what you mean about being thankful for medicine. I had to take ds to urgent care Friday night. A small scratch on his leg had turned into a nasty staph infection that was spreading all over his leg. It spread quickly but it is finally looking so much better. Believe me, I wondered what we would have done without antibiotics. I kind of teased him a little saying that we could have put maggots in his wound. He actually preferred that idea over going to the doctor. Silly boy!

Thanks all! I did check the balance online and it is still $50. I think the monthly fees kick in if it hasn't been used in a year.

No ideas but that is very cool. This actually works? Where did you get the hands?

Or would you care if you received one? Someone was so sweet to us last week and I would like to do something nice but we can't afford anything really nice. I have a $50 gift card to a nice restaurant that someone gave us at Christmas. I was thinking of passing that along with a thank you note and thank you pictures from the kids but if she checks the balance on the website, it's obvious it was purchased in December. Maybe I should just buy a plant or something?

Next week dh and I are starting a new job managing an RV park. I'll have to be available to park residents 9-5 during the week. That means I need to put together a schedule to keep the kids on track while I'm in and out dealing with people. We've never had a schedule and many slots in the day are looking very blank right now. We tend to float through the day which drives dh crazy. I have blocks scheduled throughout the day for the three older ones to sit in the office area by themselves and do their school work. The school part is easy to schedule! I just always draw a blank when planning their free time. The kids need ideas for what to do during their free time otherwise they get bored and that is when trouble starts. :) I'm starting to get nervous about this working out.

I lived in Hillsboro 9 years. I bought a math book from Nutmeg a couple of years ago! :001_smile:

I've wondered about this movie too. I'm a wimp when it comes to scary movies. The previews looked very interesting so I read the book and really liked it. Does the movie end the same way the book did?

This wasn't said to me but to my dh and sons a couple of months after we moved in. Dh and our two boys parked in the driveway and got out of the car when the neighbor lady, who was sweeping the sidewalk in front of her house, yelled at them. She actually called our boys "little sh**s" to their faces and accused them of scattering rocks on the sidewalk in front of her house (which they didn't do btw). I was amazed dh responded so calmly. I think I would have thrown a few of those rocks at her. Thanks for the welcome to the neighborhood, lady. Ooo, it stills makes me furious even to think about it!

Thanks! I have to say I'm a little envious of those who said their dc read a lot anyway so that isn't really counted. If only my 10 yo would do the same....sigh. He believes reading is a form of torture.

We are moving in less than two weeks but we still need to do school. I think we will keep doing math, spelling (SWR) and free reading for the 10 yo. What subjects do you stick with in very busy times?

I think people would take issue with that last comment because it isn't true representation of the Christian faith. I am a Christian and I don't follow a moral code out of fear of going to hell. I realize that if it is up to me to perfectly follow God's law, I am forever lost because that is an impossible task. I follow God's law to the best of my ability because I am forever grateful for the price Christ paid for my salvation. I do it out of respect and love, not out of fear. I think people who don't believe in God can do good deeds. I've known atheists who were incredibly giving and loving and at times seemed more Christian than some Christians I knew. That is much different though than saying people who don't believe in God can stand blameless before him. What we view as moral and what God views as holy are two completely different things. Christians aren't holy because of what we do. It is because we have realized that no matter what we do, we will never be good enough. We believe that God provided the perfect remedy in his son Jesus Christ. Not wanting to argue, just trying to clarify a point that I think many people take the wrong way. I don't like seeing people offended when they think Christians are saying that they are perfect and everyone else isn't and can never be--even though many Christians seem to say that which I do find offensive myself. We are all in the same position before God and need his mercy. :) I'm not sure what the original post was that brought up this question!

I'm still not sure where I fall on this issue. I keep going back and forth. I have some random thoughts about it from my Christian perspective. I'm a conservative Christian but I have a problem with Christian groups working hard to pass laws like the Defense of Marriage Act. I think if churches stuck with preaching the Gospel instead of trying to pass laws to ensure everyone else is doing what they are supposed to the world might be a better place. I believe homosexuality is a sin. It saddens me to see people breaking God's law (which we all do daily) but is the answer to pass a law? Has anyone ever been reconciled to God by following law? I think the Church's role is to show the world that we all have sinned and fallen short and stand in judgment but God himself gave us a way to reconcile with him. I think that message gets lost in all this political talk and Christians get so worked up about what laws we should or shouldn't pass. The twist is that we have a responsibility to be involved in government decisions because of the form of government we have. My politically-involved, conservative brother has taken the position that the government should have nothing to do with marriage. I'm not sure I agree. I need to do more thinking.

My grandmothers are Francis Loraine and Fredna Rae. My grandmother Loraine didn't like that both names have the male spelling (rather than Frances Lorraine). She hates the name Francis and always went by Loraine but then she named her daughter Francis as well. :confused: Needless to say my aunt goes by her middle name as well. Loraine's sister is Margaret, a normal name. Fredna had sisters named Jewell, Johnnye and Fairy. Fairy was the baby and was called Baby until she turned 3 when she named herself Fairy. I think my grandma also gave herself the middle name Rae. Dh's grandmother was named Thora. I had a great-aunt named Ora Nell. We always called her Aunt O. She was awesome.

Thanks everyone! We have to cut off the damaged parts so she doesn't look so much like a scarecrow :001_smile: and so her hair will be healthy. I guess we will just have to see if it grows back quickly or not! She won't like it but she also hates when I brush her hair because it hurts so much because of all the knots and tangles.

I like the idea of a bob but both dd and dh are set on her having long hair. Will that help in the long run? Maybe if we cut off most of the damaged hair though, it will grow out again healthy at least. I'm sure it can't grow back worse. My hair is the same as dd's. It's grown past shoulder length but won't grow anymore. It's not damaged but I haven't noticed it growing faster after I trim it. MIL says that hair is like a plant. If you prune it, it grows back fuller and healthier. I always thought hair was dead, but I guess it isn't. :confused: Doesn't anyone have a crystal ball? :D I'm thinking about this too much. :lol:

Like others said, it depends on the activity. For tae kwon do, I am usually there but occassionally I will drop the kids and run to the store to grab milk or something quick like that. I guess I only do that with the 10 yo. I still hang around for the full class for my 7 yo but that is mostly so I can see what he is learning next so I can help him practice at home. The 10 yo is way beyond my abilities to help him now. :) Tae kwon do is a very controlled environment--not outdoors with lots of strangers around and the kids are under someone's eye and authority at all times. Dh or I were always around for baseball practice. That is at a public park or school with lots of people around and kids running all over.

Dd is 4. We've never cut her hair just trimmed the ends once in a while. She has baby fine hair that was damaged last year because of daily swimming and sun. I've been using the Dove Intensive Hair shampoo and conditioner which helps but after her hair is brushed, it's knotted and a mess within the hour. Several people including hair stylists have told me to cut it very short and let it all grow in again. They all assure me it will grow in thicker and stronger. This will be a somewhat traumatic event for her if we decided to do this. I wish I had a guarantee that cutting her hair very short will make it nicer! Has anyone tried this and did it work? I'm going to try to find a swimming cap for her this year or at least try the tips that the lifeguards gave me last year like getting her hair wet before she goes in the pool and even putting conditioner on before.

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I've been checking Freecycle and I posted a wanted ad on there too. I stopped by Goodwill earlier and found a set of four wooden tv trays. I think we will use those trays for now. I figure we can always use those. There were some cute round tables but they were marked $15 each! And they were scratched and needed work. Goodwill is expensive these days! I think we will stick to garage sales. I love the idea of having a treasure chest for the boys. They just jam all their clothes in the dresser anyway. If I could find two, that would be so cool. I'll be on the look out for some.

Not *that* kind of help!!:blush: Due to very little money coming in at the moment, we have to give back our bedroom set today to the owners of our rental house because we simply can't afford to pay them for it. Now all we will have is a king mattress on the floor. I think I found a metal bed frame on craigslist for about $20. What are some creative (and frugal!) ideas to use for nightstands, headboards? I'm still on the hunt for a cheap, functional dresser. I might swipe the one out of the boys' room and give them something different. They want a pirate-themed room anyway. Any frugal decorating and storage ideas welcome!

All my dc love coffee. Once in a while we go to a local grocery store and we all get free samples. I make them get the decaffeinated. I drink hot black tea a few times a week in the morning. I like to sip on it throughout the morning but my 4 yo dd will sneak sips until it is gone. So will 2 yo dd. I've learned to keep it high out of reach until it's gone. I suppose they wouldn't like it if I didn't use cream and sugar. :)

Wow, I'm jealous. I have zero free time...seriously. Maybe an hour a week when I say Forget it! to everything and take a long bubble bath. Dh works 7 days a week so I'm with the kids 24/7 and I've had to take on some data entry work from home to make ends meet. All of my former free time is now spent typing (afternoons when dc have quiet time and usually from dc's bedtime until 12 - 1 a.m.) but I'm trying to stay thankful for the additional income. :) In fact, I just sat down to do more. The stress level is definitely higher.

I agree! With #1, the nurses ignored me and relied only on checking monitors. One nurse kept telling me I was in the first stages of labor and ds was born a few minutes later. (I remember thinking that if this is the first stage, I will die before this is over!) I told dh to tell the nurses that I was pushing and couldn't help it and that the baby was coming. I wasn't in a position to speak up for myself so he did it for me. Dh actually did deliver baby #3. My midwife arrived 10 minutes later. I certainly needed him there for that birth!

Yep! When my youngest was 18 mos she wore a couple of size 3T dresses. Some of the size 5T and 6T dresses my 4 yo wears are now too short for her. Do 4 yos (or anyone for that matter!) really need to prance around in skirts and dresses that barely cover their bottoms?! They really need mothers running these clothing companies! But if you think about it, if nobody bought skankwear, the clothing companies would stop making it. On the other hand, maybe the people who are buying skimpy 5Ts are buying them for their 2 and 3 yos. :lol: