You could play around online a little just to get a feel for what you might be able to get if you're too afraid to just go straight to the credit union. There are companies that could give you a pre-approval letter right online. Honestly, I think you should just go to the credit union and see what they say before you get too overwhelmed by doubt. If they have to turn you down, they have to, KWIM? And I love credit unions, they're so friendly and really want to help. So if they do have to turn you down right now (and who's saying they will?) they can offer you advice to help you.

I have pergo floors and I use my swiffer on it. It's a three-step process, actually. Step 1: Sweep with regular broom. Step 2: Sweep with microfiber cloth on swiffer. (I use those instead of the disposable swiffer cloths, it works just as well and they're re-usable...just wash. I think they sell them near the cleaning stuff, somewhere, I've had these for several years now so I can't remember!. 3M/Scotch made the ones I use). Step 3: Spray sections of floor with windex and wipe immediately with old cotton cloth on swiffer. So for the pergo cleaning, I recommend a broom, dustbin, swiffer, microfiber cloth, old cotton rags (or handkerchiefs or whatever you have), and windex. I'm sure you already have some of those! Others might have better suggestions for cleaning pergo, but this system works wonderfully for me.

I think it may be true, but I think there is something inherent in the kind of person who willingly takes that sort of money in their adulthood (not including having a difficult situation arise, like being laid off). I thought of DH's brother immediately when I read that email. I shake my head at how he takes advantage of DMIL, how he managed to borrow her entire life savings years ago and still hasn't paid her back. Meanwhile, he bought a timeshare because he thought his family needed/deserved/whatever the experience of vacationing in Florida every year because it reminds him of his childhood. Then, surprise surprise, without considering selling his timeshare, he still relies on DMIL to buy clothes for his kids, that sort of thing. He has a good job too, he lives with his family in his own house. But there's still a certain financial dependence on his mother. BUT, he was like that as a kid too. He always "borrowed" money to buy things in souvenir shops while on vacation, never intending to pay the person back (as an example). He was like that in high school, then college. OTOH, DH always hated borrowing money, and still refuses financial "gifts" when they come up. So I don't know. I think a lot of it has to do with the person, as much as the parents.

I'm sorry, I read this yesterday and tried to let it go, but... (and I am not trying to pick on you, I don't even know if you believe this or are just putting a possibility out there)... According to this logic, it would also be un-Christian to do ANYTHING to plan for the future. No 30 year mortgages, therefore no home ownership. No planning for retirement. Why not just take out tons of credit cards and charge them up the wahoo? I mean, buy now, pay later, right? Especially if you believe there will be no later. To me, that's what this argument is saying. Go ahead and trash the earth, Jesus will come before we have to pay. Sorry, that's just what this argument is saying to me. Are there "good" Christians who really and truly live for today in their personal lives? If that's the mentality you take about the earth, then it stands to reason that's the mentality that applies in your personal life.

Oh right, that makes sense. (Someone else said Christian Content but that didn't fit either since people are saying "I'm a CC.")

Honestly? I've rarely heard this argument. For me, it's that I am always hearing Christian Conservatives bash the entire notion of man-created global warming without truly considering the evidence and without conceding that hey, even if it isn't real, what would it hurt if I cut down on my waste?

I have a stupid question...:o. What is CC in this context? I looked at the abbreviation list and found a CC but it didn't fit in this discussion. Thanks!

Have you gone to the Aldi website? I love Aldi, but even the company admits you will probably not be able to do all of your shopping there. I just like their no-frills approach and I bought some absolutely perfect chocolate there once. http://www.aldifoods.com/index_ENU_HTML.htm

I don't think it hurts to be educated on traditions other than your own. You do not need to pull your child out of school. Merely talking to your child about his/her school day every day and finding out what they covered is enough for you to counter with your own perspective.

ITA with all the previous posts. In fact, you should call the company back, report his behavior, and let them know you will be finding another mover.

Well, in the sense that the thought of doing this makes me feel sick to my stomach, I think it does control hunger! :p

Hmm, I wish I could remember more, but recently I've cried at the end of Waitress (with Keri Russell) and I finally watched the season finale of the Gilmore Girls. If you're into TV shows, that was such a good one. Neither of those has a sad ending, so they might make you cry without depressing you! (Although I think part of what was so sad when I watched Waitress was knowing that the producer of the movie and a co-star died after it was made, and her own daughter has an appearance in the movie).

I know you can purchase a small keyboard to work with a PDA. Are you sure it wasn't just a regular PDA and a keyboard?

I'm sorry, but I agree with the PPs. Your dear toddler doesn't know any better! I'm normally against spanking, but I really think this was an inappropriate situation to spank. Your girl just didn't know any better! I know it's hard. I have gates up all over the house so I can keep my toddler away from stuff and safe when I'm tending to my other kids. And I would never let her roam free without me. I've been in that waiting room situation and it's hard, but even when it approaches tantrum stage, I keep her right there.

Sounds like we're not doing anything too special. Neither of our babysitters is available today or this weekend and we don't have family who could watch them anywhere near us. So we can only hope the kids get to bed early tonight to have some adult time for once!

One other thing, are you measuring the coffee consistently? I know some days I scoop a little extra or use a little more water, and that obviously could affect the taste. Good old Alton Brown did a show on coffee. I think that's where I heard it's actually not a good idea to keep your coffee in the freezer because once you take it out there's condensation on the beans (or something) and that ultimately does more damage to the coffee. I think his suggestion was just to keep smaller quantities on hand so it will be fresh. He also said that you should measure one cup of water (I guess a six ounce cup) to one tablespoon of ground beans, not just a teaspoon. If you use less coffee, this actually increases the bitter flavor because of the screwed up water/coffee ratio. Alton explains it all much better than I! Finally, I personally start with hot water most of the time. I just like my coffee that way.

Yeah, this is what I'm thinking...it could be just that the kids wanted to write that much!

i don't think anyone's mentioned this one..."How to Eat Fried Worms"

Um, don't you work hard all day too? Don't you deserve a break, and to put your feet up occasionally?

You know, when I observe my three children and their different personalities and interests, I become more and more convinced that barring any major catastrophes, they're going to be who they're going to be whether they're homeschooled, public schooled, etc. As long as I'm providing some stimulation for them, they're going to be just fine. I never thought I would be such a deterministic person, but there you have it. I'm in a hurry but otherwise I'd love to share details...but even the research generally backs up my anecdotal observations. Basically, if you're the best ever parent/teacher/whatever, the kids will turn out about the same as if you're a "pretty good" parent/teacher/whatever.

That's very true. I hate to admit it but I watch Desperate Housewives. Their tornado episode was a little ridiculous, because they were all running to the store to stock up on supplies because of a tornado watch. You could have tornado watches every single day in the spring but never have a single warning (which is when an actual tornado is spotted). So, it's easy to get lazy about the whole thing.

I can't answer for everyone, but tornadoes can be really unpredictable. They can jump over some houses and go on to destroy 20 miles of property, then jump again. I've personally been away from home during some tornado warnings. In one case, I was in a college class. This was before the age of cell phones, the Internet, etc., so none of us knew things were that bad (we just thought there was a storm). The tornado hit a mile away. In another instance, I was a couple hours away from home, shopping and stuff. We were listening to CDs in the car, and saw it really cloud up. But it wasn't until we got home and saw the news later that there was a tornado spotted just 5 miles away!

For all the criticisms of those who believe Al Gore, I think it's strange to see all the people who deny the existence of global warming based on the fact that it's Al Gore's pet cause. That's seems like politicizing the environment to me.

I think as long as the technician is truly experienced, you can be confident in what they tell you. I heard someone complain once of a tech saying the wrong sex...then found out the U/S was done at something like 14 weeks (maybe earlier)...when sex organs haven't even developed yet! And with a girl, they don't just look for the absence of a penis...there is a clear pattern there too. So I think you can probably relax and look forward to your baby girl! And I don't understand why someone would name a girl Patrick...you don't have to stick with your pre-planned name if it turns out to be for the wrong sex! They could have at least gone with Patricia!

Thank you thank you! This is what I was getting at with my last point...why the utter denial? Why NOT try to be a little earth friendly? Who does that hurt?