According to these lists, I also prefer manly books and will be going back through to see what I'm missing. :) Here's a few more to add: The Long Walk: A True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz (this is seriously one of the best books I've ever read--if you like adventuring books, don't miss this one). http://www.amazon.com/Long-Walk-True-Story-Freedom/dp/1592289444/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259660335&sr=8-1 Endeavour The Story of Captain Cook's First Great Epic Voyage by Peter Aughton The Lost Men: The Harrowing Experience of Shackleton's Ross Sea Party Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (very interesting but not for the squeamish or those who have recently lost loved ones). The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula LeGuin..although the middle novel isn't as manly as the other two Eragon, etc by Christopher Paolini The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (warning: eugenics theme) My teen son just added The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yanckey to my reading pile.

I was allow to defer once because it was near my due date. The second time around they're not real sympathetic. I had a nursing baby with a fever at home when I checked in that time. They released me but because they didn't need me, not because of my excuse.

I hate housework. I wish I liked more veggies. I'm one of those supertasters and a lot of that green stuff tastes nasty to me. I have a Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction, along with experience teaching all of the major sciences at the high school level, and Bill Nye is doing much of the instruction to my homeschooled 5th grader this year because she responds to him better. :glare: I just fill in the gaps and do labs. Did I mention that I hate housework?

Be glad it's just socks. When one of my guys was little he used to leave his glasses everywhere like this. The floor (crunch!), the garden, inside the microwave...

Cut slits in it and place a sliver of garlic inside each slit. Sprinkle with McCormick's Montreal Chicken Seasoning and roast. Cover and roast. This recipe also works well with pork tenderloin: Teriyaki Steak Marinade Flank Steak 1 cup beef broth 1/3 cup soy sauce ¾ teaspoons season salt (ie Lawry’s) ¼ cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 3 tablespoons lime juice ½ cup brown sugar Slice flank steak into one inch thick strips lengthwise. Mix together remaining ingredients and marinade meat for several hours. Grill steak strips over hot coals, basting frequently. This marinade also works well with chicken and pork. I think I need to head to Sam's. :)

I'm happy with my Black & Decker. After my first one went down I had about 3 bad ones until I finally tracked these down online. These have removable plates which makes cleanup easy. http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-G48TD-Grill-Waffle/dp/B000063XH7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1259523579&sr=8-1

I do purposely save some, especially for my daughter. I have really great childhood memories of immersing myself in book from ages 10-12 especially. Two examples I can think of right off are Island of the Blue Dolphins and Little Women. I wanted her to have the pleasure of opening up those pages and make those discoveries for herself.

I'll just bet rookie is feeling better with each post we make. ;) Once I was in the kitchen crying. I don't mean the silent tear kind of crying--I mean really crying--and all three males in my household wandered into the kitchen and wandered out again without noticing. I don't cry very often--maybe once a year--so you think they would have a clue. My youngish 3 year old daughter walked in and noticed immediately.

Mine weren't that enthusiastic about Little House so I resorted to reading excerpts. They loved the chapters about Almanzo feeding candy to the pig and getting sick on watermelon. I would also pull chapters out of books they otherwise wouldn't sit through. For instance at that age they wouldn't go for all of Homer Price but liked the donut chapter. One of my sons was a big time series reader. Whatever series he was on that's all he wanted to read. Then that phase would pass and he'd be onto something else. That pattern held for recreational reading from late preschool until he hit middle school.

Curious amphibious toddler males dipping their pacifier in the toilet.:tongue_smilie: A toothbrush works too. Male preteens and teens all gathered together in a room playing their handhelds, without talking to each other.

I agree with this. Unless she is willing to take forward steps herself, you would be throwing money away in helping her.

Mine liked the original Thomas the Tank engine stories. Lego books Magic School Bus Busytown Berenstain Bears They loved Fireman Small, but I think they were younger then.

When a child is showing issues in multiple areas and it's causing life functioning problems, I'm all for getting a complete evaluation done. If there is one or more issues going on, you will feel much more empowered to help him progress through some of these hurdles. Do check out sensory processing disorder, including the book "The Out of Sync Child". Sensory rarely rides alone. The speech patterns that you are describing sometimes are due to auditory and/or language processing problems and can usually be helped by speech therapy, but the younger the child, the better results. Finally, a specialist like a developmental pediatrician can help you pull the pieces of the puzzle together if there is an underlying cause. Your pediatrician can help you get the ball rolling if you decide to pursue any evaluations.

You can download $5 albums at the Amazon Black Friday sale! I'm just listening to Charlie Brown Christmas now. :) http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rs=2236008011&sort=salesrank&ref_=sr%5Fshvl%5F1-all&bbn=2236008011&qid=1259348515&rh=n%3A163856011%2Cn%3A%21195210011%2Cn%3A2236008011%2Cp%5Fn%5Ffeature%5Fbrowse-bin%3A625150011

I'm sorry you are having to go through this. It's tough watching family members ruin their lives. I had a parent that was in a mess with a business deal once and it caused me no end of worry. I handled the other parent recently getting married for the 5th time well though. :001_huh: Since her collapse seems inevitable, I think you and your dh--and other siblings if there are any--need to sit down and formulate priorities and a plan, including how far any of you are willing to go if at all--to help her without putting your own families at risk. IMO one of the best things to do would be do a family intervention to haul her to a financial counselor ASAP. Would she be willing to go through the Dave Ramsey materials or classes?

I always made a really nice dinner for my kid's elementary school teachers and sent it home with them the last day before break to have with their families. I think those were the most appreciated gifts I've ever given. The first teacher I did it for cried when I brought her the meal and after that they all just fought over my kids. :) We don't have any left in ps elementary, but sometimes I'll bring dinner to the very busy band directors, who are single and very grateful for a real meal during marching season.

This is a recipe that I've made before but it's sooooo easy and always goes over well. Hot Spiced Fruit Mix together One 29 oz can pear slices, drained One 29 oz can apricots, drained One 29 oz can peach slices, drained 1/2 cup pecan halves, crumbled ¼ cup raisins Pour in ½ small can (3 oz.) frozen orange juice concentrate, undiluted. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup brown sugar (or to taste) ½ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp nutmeg ¼ tsp cloves Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or heat in a crockpot until heated throughout.

For those of you with little ones, I thought I'd mention this tradition. I'm not much of a decorator to begin with and Thanksgiving always seemed to get lost in the shuffle, so when my kids were of preschool age I saved their Thanksgiving crafts in a tub. Every year I'd add to the tub and every year a few days before Thanksgiving I'd take the tub out and use those items to decorate. My kids are 16, 13, and 11 now and they still enjoy seeing their old treasures. Yesterday at breakfast we set the table with their woven construction paper placemats from preschool and during breakfast checked out the turkeys they'd made through the years. Today I'll pack it back up again. It's fun, cheap and easy--perfect for the holidays!

I agree. I think this could cause more hard feelings than skipping.

That's what carryout pizza is for.

I've not made that recipe before but you should expect a sweet roll recipe to rise like regular bread. If you used warm milk it should have been fine provided the yeast was good. Yeast is a funny thing--yesterday I made two double batches of my overnight refrigerator dough. I did everything the same to both batches--including proofing the yeast--but one rose beautifully and the other one is just limping along. I did use yeast with different expiration dates, but both were still months away from expiring. Unfortunately I didn't take note of which was which so I don't know which to clear out of the cupboard. I think we'll have the limping along ones for breakfast.

Yup, dump it all in except the extra cups of flour. I usually crack the eggs into a bowl and let them sit for a bit to take off the chill. And make sure the potatoes are lukewarm: the yeast doesn't like it if the potatoes are too hot or too cold. I've just finished a double batch and am off to mix up another.

I agree. At our office the typical process is for the doctor and parent to step out into another room for a few minutes for discussion so if kids are younger another adult needs to be along to assist.

I'm making a triple batch of homemade rolls. I'll start the roll dough here in a bit and it will rise in the fridge overnight. I'll be up baking early in the morning. Also making hot spiced fruit. Fast and easy. That's it. On Friday I'll do a turkey breast and mashed potatoes so we have some leftovers.