I filled my girls' baskets (ages 7-11) with things I felt they would actually use: - an age appropriate craft project - a book they've been wanting to read - gardening supplies, such as seeds (flower and vegetable), pots that can be decorated, a trowel and spade, a hat, etc. - DH took care of the candy; I don't have a sweet tooth and could care less I understand how you feel about all the stuff we are expected to buy for every holiday. DH and I avoid the stores as much as possible this time of year. We used to go all out for easter. However, a few years ago DH and I decided to scale back on the Easter baskets, and each year the contents of the girls' baskets are smaller and smaller. Also, I invested in nice easter baskets that could be used year after year so that we wouldn't have to buy a new basket each year. Next year we will scale back some more. I think if we would have drastically changed things from one year to the next, my girls would have been as vocal as your DD is with you. Perhaps you could gradually make the changes you want so she won't notice as much. Cindy

In case anyone is interested: http://www.munchkin.com/information_station/downloads.html Cindy

Congratulations! I know how you feel. When my DS was born last year, there were six years between him and my youngest DD. I was surprised at how much had changed in that time. I don't have suggestions for every item on your list; I'll just list the ones I feel strongly about. -Stroller/car seat-I highly recommend the Graco SafeSeat. It had great reviews at the time, and the weight and height limits are higher than standard infant seats. My son used it a little over a year, which was much longer than the time it took my older children to outgrow their infant seats. The only negative I can think of is that the infant seat is bigger and therefore heavier. -Nursing pillow/helper-All I've ever used is a Boppy. I bought a Boppy look-alike at Wal-Mart for $20 that functioned the same. -Breast pump- I didn't need to pump daily. The Avent Isis was a good manual pump that I could use to pump the occasional bottle. I was able to get 3-5oz in about 15 minutes. Not bad when I needed to leave the baby for a couple of hours. One product that I discovered with my son is Burt's Bees baby shampoo and wash. I bought a starter kit from Target that included the shampoo/wash, diaper rash ointment, baby lotion, baby oil, and I think a packet or two of powder. I didn't care much for the scent of the lotion, but the baby shampoo/wash is awesome. Only a small amount is needed to get a good lather. My son was 6 months before I needed to replace the bottle. I just bought a fourth bottle a few weeks ago when he was 16mo old. Finally, I love this product: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3211997 Cindy

Thanks for the info. I automatically ask here before going to other sites like wiki. There are so many intelligent people around. Also, hopefully someone else learned something new.

As a matter of fact I was looking through my pantry. When I was a child, my mom banned foods containing sugar as well as HFCS. When I had kids of my own, I decided that I didn't want to limit my kids like my mom did. Now I am learning that my mom was right all along. I just can't believe all the things that have HFCS. Even our bread has it. The syrup that my kids don't like has both HFCS and regular CS. That's why I asked. Cindy

I read the first paragraph or two of that article the other day. Thanks for letting me know I need to go back and read it through the end. I think my 16 month old turned off my computer that time. Cindy

Thanks. I need to subscribe to netflix. DH and I have been going back and forth about getting set up with netflix.

What is the difference between high fructose corn syrup and plain old corn syrup? Are they equally as bad for a person, or is one better (or less poisonous) than the other? :bigear: Cindy

I'm not sure anyone else will find this funny, but I thought I'd still share. We were walking in to our library as we do every week, except that my DH was with us. Usually he uses our library time to work at home in peace. Well, as we walked in, my DD asked him half serious/half sarcastically, "So, when's the last time you stepped in a library?" I thought it was hilarious, and DH joked along with her telling her that it had been decades. Little does she know that we both took her to story time from the time she was six months until she was about three. Cindy

I'm checking it out right now. Thanks for the link. Cindy

Well, yeah, I guess you're right. :blush:

Do you think this would be safe for a motorcycle helmet? I wonder if the sun would weaken the protective plastic? I don't even know if that's what they're made of, plastic, I mean.

It's a helmet like a motorcycle helmet. It completely covers his head.

A popular meal lately is quesadillas. A few weeks ago, we ran out of bread, so I decided to use the corn tortillas in the fridge to make quesadillas. I don't like the idea of frying the tortillas, so I just put some muenster cheese between two tortillas and microwaved it to melt the cheese, and my kids loved it. Since then, I've sauteed bell peppers in olive oil until soft and add those and a tomato slice along with the cheese. I've also added left over chicken or ground beef. Muenster cheese is yummy but expensive, so I try to use cheddar or mozzarella as well. Cindy

I was going to recommend against using bleach, as that will only draw the dirt into the grout. However, after seeing your tile, I'm not sure if the grout is supposed to be that gray color, or if it's already absorbed dirt. I've had natural stone throughout the house in the last two houses we've lived. I either dry mop, sweep, or vacuum, depending on my mood a few times a week. We don't allow shoes in the house, nor food to be brought out of the kitchen. For the majority of the house, I have my youngest DD spot clean the the tile as needed; it's her favorite chore of all time. I try to mop the kitchen and bathrooms weekly, with hot water and a squirt of dish soap. I use a microfiber mop, one cloth for each room so as not to cross contaminate. Just as the other posters, make sure the area is swept or vacummed really well first. HTH Cindy

They are re-airing the episode on Friday along with a new episode in case anyone missed it. I am saddened by what I saw tonight: the attitude of the school cooks, the preservatives in the food, the potato pearls, the fact that the lunch ladies were delighted that the children chose their processed pizza over the healthy chicken made my Jamie Oliver. Cindy

I picked up DH's helmet to get it out of the laundry room yesterday, and I almost fainted. I honestly don't know how he puts that thing over his head. What can I do to deodorize it? We are sensitive to perfume smells, so febreeze is out of the question. Any ideas? Cindy

I wish I had advice, but all I can do is sympathize. Your 5yo DD sounds a lot like my 7yo DD. She has complete meltdowns that really drain me emotionally. DH and I disagree on how to handle them, and that alone is a big problem. He tends to give in to her demands, plus give her extra attention or a special privilege, even when she's broken one of our rules. My way of dealing with her meltdowns is to remain firm about the rules, while trying to let her know that I understand that she feels frustrated about the situation. Sometimes I compromise with her if we are in a rush, and I need her to get over it. Neither of our methods seems to work, and we are concerned about her. I will be following this thread to see what others have to say. From what I've read so far, I am interested in hearing more about the possibility of Aspergers. I had recently mentioned to DH that she had a lot of the characteristics of a child with Aspergers. He dismissed me, as usual, because he was brought up in a family that doesn't seek medical help unless it's dire. (He is not opposed to medical care or mental health care, it's just his first instinct to react that way.) Sorry for the length of my reply. Know you are not alone. Cindy

I've never seen those two. Is womyn supposed to be singular or plural? I guess it doesn't matter; I've seen people use women as singular and woman as plural.

That makes sense, the branding, that is. I guess people just learn how to spell from signs? As for catsup, I don't mind reading it the way you prefer to spell it, I just can't get myself to write it that way, because that was the way I learned it. Cindy

I have two theories for this one: 1. They couldn't fit THROUGH on the sign, so they shortened it to thru. (unlikely) 2. Perhaps the first chain restaurant that started this trend decided that half of their customers wouldn't be able to decode the correct spelling and thus decided to make up a word everyone could read. Cindy

:tongue_smilie: Well, golly, then you are excused. :lol:

I refuse to spell catsup the way it sounds (ket-chup). I refuse to spell night the shorter way. I cringe when I see the words Drive Thru. I always spell okay with four letters. Don't get me started on texting abbreviations that are slowly crossing over. I realize that I am being petty, but I was wondering if there were others like me. So, if you have time to kill, which word spellings do you refuse to adopt? I'm sure I have others I can't remember. Cindy

I just had to participate in this topic. If I decide to make something I've never made, I research several different recipes, ask people who've made the recipe for advice, etc. I make note of which cookware pieces are used in each recipe. For instance, I do not presently have a dutch oven, so I eliminate all recipes for dutch ovens. I do the same with curricula. I do lots of research for the specific needs of my children, and I try to find stuff that is very detailed, scripted, and organized to make me feel like I can't fail. Once I'm comfortable with a recipe or curriculum, I look at other options that come highly recommended. Sometimes I try those, sometimes, I just wing it and do it on my own. Eventually I get to a place where I am comfortable adding in different ingredients, not measuring precisely, and getting creative with the whole process. Finally, if I find that I cannot make something to my liking after several tries, I just outsource it. Cindy

I don't know if any of these have been mentioned yet, but I randomly declare cooking days, lego days, reading days, etc. I would like to incorporate board games into lessons, but I tend to forget. I'm going to look over the replies for suggestions that I can use. Thanks for posting this question. Cindy