Our high school rules are: weeknight curfew 10 p.m., weekend curfew midnight. We consider extending on a case by case basis. Once teen has a car, she can drive to destination once we're told of plans and as long as curfew is observed. Hanging out with friends isn't restricted as long as grades stay up. This varies weekly. Sometimes it's twice, sometimes it's 5 or more times. Spring break trips are with our family or the family of a friend during freshman and sophomore years. Junior and Senior years plans are considered based on many factors. For example, my 17 year old senior will be driving with a friend to a seaside city 3 hours away where they'll stay for the week with the friend's older sister. This child is very mature and sensible, and we're fine with her plan. She has gone on week long school club trips to San Antonio, Anaheim, Orlando, and Nashville each year of high school. the kids are allowed to explore the cities in small groups, so she's comfortable in those types of situations. Besides, she's off to college at the beginning of August, so bits of freedom are a good thing, in dh and my opinion. The bottom line is: each parent needs to make these decisions on a per child basis within the confines of a particular family's guidelines and comfort level. However, I believe that giving freedoms as the child shows readiness helps develop confidence and independence. But that's just what I think. It doesn't mean anyone else needs to agree. ;)

I'll turn 44 later this week. Recently, some of my children were shocked to learn that our family didn't get cable television until I was in the sixth grade. It really blows their minds when I haul out an old, black rotary telephone and ask them if they can figure out how to dial it. It confounds them. "Where are the buttons??" Lol. They have no idea how dh and I functioned through our teen and early adult years with no cell phones or home computers. "You typed your papers on an electric typewriter??" "How did you plan things with only a telephone??" So, I suppose I'm old. However, I don't feel old, I don't act old, and i don't look old so, for me, it boils down to....age is just a number. Being thought of as "old" doesn't bother me a bit. I can converse easily, and have at least a bit in common with all ages. Rudeness, however, is never acceptable, and I agree with others that you should take the opportunity to educate. I probably would've said something like, "well, remember, with age, comes wisdom." ;)

I second adding them to smoothies. Also, if you're not texturally averse, you can soak them til they get gel-like and add them to beverages like juice or cooled green tea or whatever sounds appealing. I quite like the combination of textures, but I know others who can't stand it.

I think I'm going to go with the purple cows 13" laminator. Sometimes, I want to laminate something that's 12x12. I don't do huge items often, so the price of those super sized laminators would never be justified for me, even if I saved for one. I'll just take the big items to Kinko's or somewhere similar. Those times are rare enough to work around. Thank you for mentioning that you successfully use the "Universal" pouches. I always appreciate tips like this! :)

I love the genuine hug! Those pics make me nostalgic for the time my girls were that age. They're beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

Oh yeah, my mom had one of the originals at her house when my girls were younger. It did the same thing. We removed the battery...and it kept talking!! True story. We couldn't get rid of it fast enough. The girls still laugh about it in a creeped out way. Needless to say, we were not interested in the new version for yds.

My 14 yo showers daily, wears deodorant, and I'm constantly doing laundry...but...he stinks. Lol. It's not body odor. It's just stinky. His room smells funky. I'm always cleaning in there, dousing his boots with odor eaters, stripping the bed and washing every last bit of bedding at least twice a week. Now I'm making it sound like he has some medical issue. He doesn't. It's only super noticeable to me and one of my girls. When he was little, I always thought he smelled like a wet dog, even straight out of the bath. Some of his friends smell funky to me too, and I know they practice good hygiene. I think I'm just hyper-sensitive to smells. I can tell whether or not dh went out to lunch as soon as he walks in the door. Dh doesn't smell bad to me, but I can also tell whether he's been in the office most of the day, or if he's spent most of the day at job sites. I wonder if this is the same kind of thing y'all are talking about? Are some boys just smelly or is it dependent upon an outsider's sensitivity to odor? Maybe a combination of the two? Younger ds has always smelled like his body wash to me, even if he skips a day between showers. Weirdly, I can also smell some illnesses. For instance, when yds has an ear infection, I know immediately, because he smells like maple syrup. Maybe I'm just a freak.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'm headed over to check it out. :)

I'm from IN, but we now live in SC. IN does not have these particular signs, but they're all over SC. The signs say: KEEP MOVING CHANGE LANES LATER. They make me laugh. First, they seem rude and bossy. Second, they exist because IME, southerners are way too nice and will let traffic back up while they let stopped motorists merge when everyone really should just keep moving. They probably aren't funny to anyone but me, but I laugh every.single.time I see one.

I'm so sorry, Jean! This must be incredibly stressful. Hugs and I will pray.

Our local, free library is abysmal, so I pay for a yearly membership to a nearby, but out of state, larger system. we live 3miles from the state line. We have a 99 item limit per card, and we have 4 cards. I don't know what our ILL limit is, as I rarely use it. I love our library, and the few times we've had excessive fines, they always voluntarily cut them in half even though I'm perfectly willing to pay them in full.

Ok. I'm off to compare the scotch to the purple cow. Thank you for narrowing my focus and reminding me that I can just take the occasional larger item somewhere and have it laminated. I really do appreciate everyone who gave an opinion. If it cleaned, planned, shopped and cooked meals, plus laminated, I would be in love. If it was a robot of any kind, my boys would think life was grand. Of course, for weeks, we'd never accomplish any learning apart from what could be gleaned from the super awesome transforming laminator! :D

Strawberries, jalapeños, heirloom tomatoes (many varieties), carrots, a pumpkin or two...I'm still undecided on the rest. We also have raised beds. I fail at potatoes so I probably won't even try this year. The fire ants destroy them. Two years ago, we grew some gorgeous corn, but we underestimated the cleverness of deer. We have blackberry bushes, so they'll do well, I hope.

Yeah...my wording was really bad. It sounded as if I wanted it to be some type of transforming robot or something. Versatile was a terrible adjective. I really just wanted to be sure about the ability to accept various thicknesses of paper, what width most people choose, and how reliable the different brands seemed. I suppose I shouldn't try to post after a bad day. Thanks for your responses! :)

I'm not really 100% sure lol. I would use it for my own home published books (cooking, organizing, etc), for organizational projects...labeling, etc. I would also use it for homeschooling projects, for boards in our nature study area, etc. I know I would use it quite frequently, and I guess what i really need to know is whether I would need the 13 inch or if the 9 would suffice, and what brands are most reliable. Sorry my first post was rather vague. I guess I'm not completely sure what I should be asking. :) Thanks for your reply!

I wasn't sure where this "belonged," so it's a cross post. My apologies. Anyway... The search feature isn't working well for me at the moment, and there are so many different makes and models that I'm feeling overwhelmed. I would be using it for many applications, but homeschooling is one. I thought I'd ask for recommendations. If you'd care to share why you love the choice you made, that would be helpful too. Thanks!

The search feature isn't working well for me at the moment, and there are so many different makes and models that I'm feeling overwhelmed. I would be using it for many applications, but Homeschooling is one. I thought I'd ask for recommendations. If you'd care to share why you love the choice you made, that would be helpful too. Thanks!

Totally agree. As if someone makes a purchase, notices the packet, and thinks, "Hey! Cool! My shoes came with a little snack!" Nom nom.

Dd's curling iron came with the warning: Do Not Use on Eyelashes. Seriously?

I only skimmed a few replies, so my apologies if I repeat advice. Tying shoes: I used 2 different colored laces. I think I used red and yellow, but it doesn't matter...just use 2 colors quite different from one another. This helps them understand the process easily. I'm a leftie btw. Left handed scissors stink, IMO. I learned to cut with my right hand. Dd who is a leftie is very dominant in that hand so can't use her right hand to cut. She uses right handed scissors in her left hand, but holds them upside down so they cut properly. Ikea kitchen shears work equally well in both hands, so that's another option once they're old enough to use larger scissors. Spiral notebooks: I don't understand why they're an issue. I use both sides of the page and so do my righties, so for all of us, the spirals are on the "wrong" side 50% of the time. Slanting the paper the opposite way from what righties do almost always prevents the "hook." Pen does tend to want to end up on the pinkie if you don't hook (and we don't), but it washes right off. For encouraging correct pencil grip, I use The Pencil Grip Ergonomic Writing Aid for both my right and left handed children. They also help prevent hand fatigue. I can't link, but that's what they're called, and I get them through Amazon. The kids love them and never lose their pencils now. I have to run, so I don't have time for more suggestions. IMO, lefties are just the same as righties. I can bat either way, but typically pick leftie style because often amateur pitchers can't pitch well to lefties. Haha...it's just a way I have good natured fun. :D

A possible misdiagnosis of what could really be MRSA is what crossed my mind too. Our oldest dd was a school and competitive cheerleader through high school. Occasionally, the wrestling coach neglected to sanitize the mats and the cheer squad sometimes used them. Several wrestlers were diagnosed with cellulitis when they actually had MRSA. By the time this was discovered, dd and many other cheerleaders had it too. I hope this isn't't the case, and your son makes a quick recovery!

Your son is so adorable! Seriously, he's a super cutie! I love how devoted he already seems to his sister...an awesome big brother in training, for sure. The tee he's wearing is just precious too. How blessed you are! Congratulations!

My mom was 35 and my dad was 36 when they adopted me. Dad passed away almost 16 years ago, but Mom is a very, very young, active 79 year old. I was 23 & dh was 25 when we had our oldest (who will deliver her first child either right before or right after she turns 21).

Just prayed. Hugs!

Now that dh is back home, I have a bottle washer. He thinks it's only fair that if I cook, he cleans up...a keeper, for sure! The kids unload the dishwasher, clear the table, put away leftovers, and sweep & mop the kitchen. The cook/dietician idea is one I could definitely get behind. The Rosie clone is waaaaay overdue; especially if bathroom cleaning is included in the program! Also, while we're dreaming, I could use a personal trainer...I wonder if Rosie's boyfriend, Mac, would work in a pinch?