I love the art, but, even more, I love the fact that the artist was willing to let go of her creations and allow her daughter to create with her. She has given her daughter such a gift.

Dd had expanders, braces for 4 years....her mouth went from a horrific mess to gorgeous. Our primary reason was not cosmetic, of course. It was to correct many issues that would ultimately affect her overall health. The entire course of treatment was right at $5,000. We made monthly payments, and she had over a year of treatment left when we made the last payment. Her orthodontist had a "breakfast club" program where we received 10% of the cost at the end of treatment if every appointment was prior to noon. That was a nice incentive. If you are really being quoted that much for expanders alone, I would definitely seek some other opinions and quotes.

The question is...Is it Well Trained Food? :D

The song and the story are just lovely. What a breath of fresh air to see an affirmation that there are such kind and caring people in this world. I mean, I know there are; it's just rare to see it put out there, and it's so nice when it is.

The additional symptoms are what tipped my vote to the stay home side. Every pediatrician we've ever seen has stated that they don't consider a temperature to be a fever until it's above 100.4. So, if they were otherwise symptom free, I'd say go ahead. With the sore throat and cough, I think staying home is a better call. As a pp stated, what isn't too bad for them could be very bad for someone else.

I often do my best thinking when asleep. I come up with great ideas, and I sometimes solve problems or realize where a lost item is. I "found" my lost wedding ring in my sleep. It was in a place I would never look, and must have fallen off when I was putting something away. Obviously my subconscious mind is more aware than my conscious mind at times. I, too, think it's interesting how differently our brains function.

I see everything that is spoken or written. I can't not see a picture in my head. It's unsettling and disturbing sometimes, but helpful at other times. I wish I could turn it on or off at will. I also see snapshots. In school, I never needed to study. I just read the text and my notes, then "saw" the page where the needed info was for each question. Now that I'm older and have children, the snapshot ability is less reliable. My pictures sometimes get lost or jumbled together with others making retrieval more difficult.

Yes, and it's evenly split among those I know who have volunteered the information.

I agree with the above. I also use a similar process to make applesauce, which I then freeze. It keeps for at least a year without a loss in quality. I do the same process as described above through the step in which I force them through a manual mill. Then I add a bit of sugar and cinnamon, portion into meal sized freezer containers and freeze.

They have them at Babies R Us and on amazon, I know for sure. I'm certain other places must carry them too. I've always used cotton, so I can't attest to the quality of the sheets at the places I mentioned.

Tape it to your fridge, your cabinets, and every mirror in the house if you want. :D I'm glad it was helpful. I've been there...it sucks. Just keep reminding yourself that you will get out of this place. You will, you will, you will.

Lands End and Pottery Barn clearance, overstock.com, Tuesday Morning, and the rare find at TJ Maxx or HomeGoods are my best sources.

You *will* go back to normal. I have OCD and anxiety, and I hate the residual,stage after an event. Take your meds as needed, and if it doesn't feel like it's receding after a few more days, go see your dr. That's what he or she is there for. If necessary, you may need another med to get you through this rough patch, but you will get through it. I could kick myself for the times I didn't seek help and suffered far too long needlessly. Something else that helps me is to repeat a positive "mantra" to myself over and over about the situation. It helps re-direct my anxious thoughts. So it might go something like this: "DH is fine. He is great. He is well, and we are happy." It sounds kind of dumb when I type it, but it helps me. You'll get back to normal. You will. Hugs!

Awww...I hope he feels better soon! Cat gave awesome advice, and you're already seeing the beauty of homeschooling. You aren't tied to anyone else's schedule. Embrace the freedom of being able to wait for him to get well! It sounds like you're already doing that, though, so....yay you! Good job! :D

I agree that at 13, these are honest mistakes, not carelessness or clumsiness. My 14 year old has done similar things, and, well, we just have him clean up the mess, which you did with the clippings. For the pool pole, I would've probably done something similar if faced with yellow jackets, and I'm 44! ;) Dh is a big strapping man, and sometimes he drops the mower bag. It's just one of those things. I honestly think your son showed creative problem solving skills, and I wouldn't punish him for that. It's not as if he maliciously broke the pole. At 13, boys are definitely a long way from maturity. With ours, we've found that gentle suggestions and a whole lot of grace Goes a long way in helping our son make better decisions "the next time." There is always a next time, and responsibility is something that grows best when encouragement and understanding are liberally applied.

Dh and I shop together on Sunday evenings. I meal plan and make the list on Saturday, and it only takes about 30 minutes because I have a list of about 50 meals we enjoy, so I just pick 5 and make my grocery list from that. We have a leftover night and then go out or do take out one night, so that allows for 7 days of meals. I quickly check the pantry, fridge and freezer to make sure I don't buy something we already have or forget to buy something we do need. We've always shopped together, although sometimes with children in tow. It makes us feel like we get extra quality time together, since dh works long hours through the week. Weekend shopping makes the most sense for us, because I dislike trying to fit it into our already busy weekdays and nights. Sunday evening is good for us because we're already gearing up for the week, and I like the feeling that everything is set for meal prep that week.

Another "I agree with the PPs" vote from me. You're doing her a favor. She really should be insisting that she come to you.

That's such great news! I'm wishing you luck, but you won't need it. I know you'll be a stellar student! :)

Roasted marshmallows are my very favorite camp food. Of course, one can't eat only marshmallows, so my second favorite would be the burger, veggie foil packet thingies that you can put together yourself...they have a name, I just can't think of it. We have carpet, which I hate, but we don't want the expense of replacing it right now. I far prefer wood floors. The bamboo sounds lovely! I use reusable bags almost exclusively, but when I forget, I typically use plastic. Sometimes when I've forgotten our bags and need paper for some reason, I'll have the dry goods put in paper and the frozen and refrigerated items placed in plastic.

What a wonderful opportunity! Congratulations!

I think your attire will be just fine. It sounds perfect for a casual wedding. I don't have suggestions for what Riesling, but here is an idea for a gift that I did for my own Mom's second marriage as well as for other weddings. People seems to love it. I color copy the invitation, soak the original label off of the wine, and then affix the invitation to the bottle in place of the label using spray adhesive. If you feel like you need to let them know what type of wine it is, you can place that information on a small hang tag. Gifts that are just right for occasions like this are so difficult to find.

We just got home from the grocery, so here's the plan. It's definitely not a healthy week, nor is it inspired: Chicken Spaghetti (Pioneer Woman), peas, and some kind of fruit or 2nd veggie Roast, potatoes, carrots, rolls...possibly some roasted brussels sprouts Shepherd's Pie made with leftovers from the roast, weird as it is, I'm indulging my youngest's request for corn as a side Potato Soup, grilled cheese, homemade applesauce Stuffed shells, huge green salad with lots of veggies, Italian herb bread We will have a leftover night and get take out or go for sushi one night, so that wraps up the week. :)

I'm not sure exactly who Roy Rogers was, and none of my kids do. We all know of the drink, however our household preference for a special occasion drink for the younger set is a Shirley Temple.

In a perfect world, I would. In the world that is my reality, I haven't gotten to it in almost 23 years of married life. There's always tomorrow, right? Oh, wait...that's right...tomorrow never comes. :D

That's wonderful! So happy that you were able to clear old misunderstandings and are now reconciled. What a blessing!