I would like to go ahead and start our break but I know that January will pretty much be taken off since #5 will be arriving. So we're just doing a lighter load right now, making sure to keep up on Math and a couple other subjects each day. Plus, I know that on days when we don't do any homeschool then it seems like DS1 and DD1 have too much time to play together and it degenerates into whining and brawling by the end of the day. So I'll keep up at least a few lessons a day as long as I can, just out of self-preservation.

Solitude. Naps. A long, uninterrupted bath (without little observers or hands stuck in my bathwater because "I'm just feeling how warm it is!". A quiet lunch by myself with a book. Being able to sit for hours and read. *blissful sigh*

This is the pronunciation I'm using if we get the chance to use Annika. (From another nukeswife. ;) )

I still have about a month or so before I can start the challenge, but I can't wait to start getting back into shape! I'm not sure of my current weight because I don't step on a scale during pregnancy, but pre-pregnancy I already had about 20 lbs to lose. And a 26" waist, I haven't seen that since college! I don't think I'll see it again, but getting back to something healthy will make me very happy.

Mainly my 6 and 8 year olds use Brainpop (though the 4 year old likes to sit beside them and watch the movies, we just have the free ones on the app right now) so we're going for just a regular Brainpop subscription for Christmas.

Mmmm, Chakotay. Patrick Steward. RDA. :thumbup1: Just add in Jamie Bamber (played Lee Adama/Apollo on the new Battlestar Galactica) and yum! This is one of my top two choices if #5 is a girl. #3 was named Kira after the DS9 character, DH didn't pick up on it until after the birth certificate was filed.

I need to work on my mommy organizational skills also. Ours has been going crappy just due to exhaustion and pregnancy-related things on my part, but I know from past experience things won't get much better once I have a newborn. We go year-round so I'm just not going to stress and trust that we'll get caught up. We have minimal outside activities right now, it's just not something we can realistically fit in the schedule.

Our Wii has died so we will probably be getting a Wii U as a family gift this year, if we can work it in the budget. My kids love playing Skylanders and are really excited about the Skylanders Giants that has been released so we're going to try to get that for them.

I had mine removed at the end of February. The gallstones had been confirmed in early January (I was having 3-4 attacks a week, regardless of my diet) but at the time I was pregnant, but that unfortunately ended in miscarriage. I went in early in the morning for surgery and was done by mid-afternoon. They had to pull me off the operating table and take me back out to test my beta HCG levels again to make sure they were going down since the urine test the day before had been positive (this was barely a week after I started miscarrying), so that was just another slap in the face. DH took me home early that evening but I don't remember it. The next day was very, very painful. I needed to have a pillow partway under me when I would lie on my side and sleeping was difficult. For the first couple days I maxed out on my pain meds. After about 5 days things were more manageable, though it was a couple weeks before I could lift my 2 year old. I'm so glad I had it done! The incredible pain is gone and no lingering GI problems, I haven't had to change my diet.

I would be wary of changing dates based on ultrasounds that weren't done early. Fundal height can vary a lot too, mine is 38 and I'm about 34 weeks. But instead of worrying about going overdue I would be worried about being pressured into an induction before the babe was ready.

DS2 (2.5) is still a horrible sleeper. I've been trying melatonin (liquid) with him and while it does help him fall asleep he still wakes up multiple times during then night. Some nights he's up and ready to be in my bed by 10 pm, on good nights it will be closer to midnight. Then he squirms and (well, for lack of a better term) gropes me all night, he seems to need constant physical contact. #5 will be here in a little over a month and I was really hoping DS2 would sleep better by now.

No, I would be worried about being held liable for any injuries that occurred.

DS1 is getting some Star Wars wall decals for his room, "The LEGO Ideas Book" and a book on black holes, all were his requests. Also a few more books in the Young Jedi Knights series he is reading and probably another small Lego set.

:lurk5: I'd like to know too!

I love the smell of beer brewing. DH usually does it outside, he keeps his brewing set-up in the garage when he's not using it. He brews and I hang out in the garage with the laptop while the kids ride their bikes and play in the driveway, so that's what the smell brings to mind with me! Oh, and a nice hard cider is easy to throw together too. He started out bottling, but it was definitely a bit of a pain. He switched over to kegs a couple years ago, he converted my old chest freezer to a kegerator and I got a new upright freezer out of it. ;) We also keep a keg of carbonated on water on tap, to mix either with soda mixes (like Soda Stream) or whatever else sounds good. I need to remind him to get the cider kegged sometime soon, come January I'm going to want a glass!

I jumped around with DS1 (8) also, and now I'm worried about him being behind also. He's enjoying Teaching Textbooks now and has asked not to switch again so I'm supplementing with CWP.

DD2 (4.5) has night terrors and this is what we do too. She screams and thrashes around, but isn't awake (it's extremely difficult to wake her during these) and she doesn't remember them later. We'll carry her to the bathroom and put her on the toilet where she'll whine and fuss but promptly pee. Then we tuck her back in bed and she's sound asleep again.

I would be interested in one. It will be January before I'm ready to get started, though, but could use some support and motivation!

We have a small entry table beside the door that has the shelves removed (it used to have a middle shelf on each side), the kids call it the shoe table. We used to just pile the shoes on the bottom shelf but they would overflow into the foyer. A little over a week ago I bought 2 large baskets to go in the bottom, one for adult shoes and one for kids' shoes. This keeps them contained and looks much nicer. I try to keep it to one or sometimes 2 pairs of shoes per person in there so periodically I'll pull some out and send them back up to the closets, for some reason DH seems to be the worst offender. The kids are better about always putting their shoes in, even the 2 year old knows to take his shoes off and put them in the basket as soon as he comes in. Now I just need to figure out something for storing the Crocs/rain boots/etc. by the back sliding door that the older two wear out to take care of the chickens every day!

No, we stay home and enjoy the day in our jammies with cocoa and movies in front of the fire after opening gifts. All my childhood memories of Christmas are going from house to house to visit different relatives on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, I don't have memories of ever waking up in my own bed and enjoying it at home, I felt like our little family wasn't important. That's something I stand firm on as an adult, I want to enjoy holidays at home.

No, I wouldn't. I have a history of precipitous labors (last one was under 30 minutes start to finish), but even without that I would just stay home for this year.

I typically take 2 Fioricet. I've been taking it for so long that it doesn't make me feel groggy or weird. I've taken Maxalt and Imitrex in the past but can no longer take them.

Not me but DH just retired from the Navy over the summer. :001_smile:

If I'm in a hurry then I use Google. If I don't mind skipping over the first few results to find the good ones then I use SwagBucks. It's nice to occasionally get an extra Amazon gift card to help feed my Kindle.

I'm glad that at least two of them made it through! And a young Obi Wan and Boromir would be high on my list of people to ride out a storm with. :tongue_smilie: