Some of my favorite quick meals from TJ's: bulkogi (pre-marinated; just grill it) with rice and edamame; chicken pre-cooked sausage, sliced into chunks, and sauteed with the frozen parmesan potatoes and some green beans; turkey meatballs with marinara sauce and spaghetti; grilled chicken (frozen) and broccoli (steam) with Alfredo sauce and pasta; baby spinach salad with any protein; grilled chicken (frozen) with Caesar salad; tacos; mandarin orange chicken (frozen) with egg rolls (frozen) and broccoli or veggie stir-fry Wendi

My son really enjoyed Detectives in Togas and The Mystery of the Roman Ransom at that age. Very entertaining and well-written. Wendi

I do remember. And I remember going to a Rock Super Bowl to see The Police, and Martha Quinn was there. Very cool. Wendi

When I was growing up, my brother and I were very close with the kids next door. We played at each other's houses for hours and hours, often extending into sleepovers. So, as long as the kids are getting along great, and both moms are fine with it, I'd say let them enjoy themselves. My ds and his best friend usually visit one another for the whole day on Saturdays when they can. Both families are fine with it. Wendi

We do live in cowboy country (AZ), so I am planning to check the local western stores to see if they have any good clearance deals or something, but I just thought I'd ask if there's an online place with good deals. I can't spend $$$ right now. Our teacher is going to let ds try a pair of her dad's next week during his lesson. I will probably wear my hiking boots; no heel, but at least they're stiffer than sneakers! I don't have time to shop locally until next week; the musical I'm in opens on Thursday, so this week is nuts. Thanks! Wendi

My son and I started taking horseback riding lessons, not long ago, and we're really enjoying it. :001_smile: However, I think we both could use cowboy boots. Sneakers are not cutting it; they are so flexible and have no heel to help keep your foot in the stirrup. Any ideas where we could find something at a good price? In the meantime, I will try my hiking boots; they don't have a heel, but at least they are stiffer. It is pretty hard to post in Converse; I don't recommend it! :001_huh: Thanks, Wendi P.S. Horse people, be nice to me. I'm a beginner!

I'm so sorry for your family's loss. :grouphug: Wendi

How was your weekend? Pretty relaxing, actually. Bordering on lazy. Anything special going on tomorrow? Tomorrow night's our first dress rehearsal for a musical I'm in. It's going to be a big week. Today's totally random question: What is your favorite zoo animal? That's hard to answer, because I love all of them. But I'd have to say tiger. Wendi

I'm a little concerned that the redness and swelling are new. That suggests it might be getting infected. Can you call your doctor's office and ask what they recommend? Wendi

I don't know about the tires, but I do know that porcupines are apparently extremely cute when they're eating. Wendi

My family loves baked potato soup. Basically I just boil potatoes as if I was making mashed potatoes, drain, then add enough milk to make the right consistency, and a little salt and pepper. Serve with shredded cheese, green onions, and crumbled bacon. I do a lot of stir fries. You can get whatever veggies are on sale, and whatever meat's on sale, too. Slice up the meat (or tofu), put it in a simple marinade (soy sauce, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, mirin or brown sugar) while you slice up the veggies. Stir-fry the meat, then add the veggies (remove the meat from the pan if you need the room). Add a little more sauce to the veggies. Combine together. Serve with rice. I have lots of recipes I use, but they're all pretty similar in technique. Just slightly different marinade/sauces. I like a lot of Asian food. By investing in basic seasonings (soy sauce, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce), I find I can whip up a stir-fry with whatever I have on hand. If your family likes Asian food, find a couple of recipes that have marinade/sauces you like, and adapt them to what's on hand, or what's cheapest. If you like it spicy, you can add red pepper flakes. With a stir-fry, you can stretch a small amount of meat into a big meal. Wendi

Well, I'm in the desert (Phoenix), so we're used to hot. It's going to be around 110-115 today. My son and I are leaving in a few minutes for our horseback riding lessons; at 9am it's supposed to be "only" 97. When we get home, we'll jump into the pool. Because this is not unusual for us, most people here do have AC and other ways to keep cool. The bigger danger seems to be for people who decide to hike midday, or sadly, for immigrants crossing the desert from Mexico. It's brutal to be outdoors all day with no protection. :crying: Wendi

As far as weather goes, either fall or spring will be very nice. We live in the Phoenix area, but dh has never seen the Grand Canyon (ds and I went last year with a group). I've proposed going in the fall. Wendi

I assume ds will live with us for at least the first couple of years of college, so I'll likely be about 50 when he moves out. I'd like to become foster parents, if that works out. Otherwise, I intend to become more involved in volunteer efforts, and probably work part-time to help pay for ds's college. (If he doesn't need our help, I'll use the $$ to go on mission trips.) I'll continue to participate in community theatre, and maybe train to become a director for the children's theatre program. I'd like to learn to play an instrument, too. I'd love to take some college classes. I'd like to regain my fluency in Spanish (teaching English to Spanish speakers is one of the volunteer things I'm interested in). I'd also like to take some other classes on things I'm interested in. Maybe I'll even get organized and get a master's degree, if I could narrow my interests down to just one major! :D Wendi

Can anyone tell me more about this curriculum? I'm interested in using it for my son who'll be in 10th grade this year. Did your student like the lesson style (on DVD)? Was the work well-designed? Was your student able to work independently? How much time per week did your student spend on it? Thanks! Wendi

edamame baby bok choy broccoli corn tomatoes onions mushrooms zucchini (although I'm the only one who likes it) romaine lettuce spring lettuce mix (mostly for the bunnies) carrots Those are our main ones. Wendi

I agree with everyone else. It's unprofessional and inconsiderate. Hiring someone to come into one's home for pet care means you are trusting them to be professional, responsible, and considerate while in your home. They blew it. I don't blame the dd; she's pretty young, and probably trusted her mom. I do think you should give the girl some feedback. Maybe a note saying you're thankful the pets were cared for, but that you recommend she not allow others to accompany her into customers' houses and use their belongings, because it bothered you and will quite possibly bother others as well. And you want her to be successful! :001_smile: Honestly, 11 years old is old enough to follow some simple pet care instructions without mom, if she expects to be paid for it. I pet-sat for our neighbors all the time at that age, and my mom never came with me. The owners usually left me a note reminding me what to do and where to find whatever I needed (or they just left the pet food, etc., out with the note). Wendi

My son and I recently had our first horseback riding lesson. I've gone on trails rides and such, but this is the first time I'm learning all about how to control the horse and ride properly. It's fun! Wendi

I hear ya. We have a pool in our backyard, and I haven't been swimming this summer because I hate how I look in a swimsuit. :glare: But we are on vacation right now, and I ordered a new suit from Lands' End before we left. I am pleased with it; it's supportive and flattering. I feel fine walking down the beach in it. So I'm sure I'll use it to swim in our pool when we get back! :001_smile: It's this suit. It has a retro vibe. I got it in black. Hang in there! Here's hoping next summer we're feeling better about our swimsuit bodies! Wendi

I can't . . . do a split roll my r's understand the ending of "2001: A Space Odyssey" paint my toenails without it looking like a monkey did it tolerate my son's dubstep music for more than a few minutes Wendi

Dh pays up front, and is reimbursed promptly. Sorry that's not the case for you. I do wish they'd give him a company credit card; we don't use credit personally anymore, but dh kept one credit card open to use on business trips. Then when the reimbursement comes, we pay off the card. Wendi

We're planning to do U.S. History (1 credit) and Government (1/2 credit) this year. We'll do English, Algebra I, Japanese, and Logic (1/2 credit), too. Wendi

My son has done well with Strattera, but it has caused stomach trouble sometimes. We are hoping to discontinue it soon, because neurofeedback has caused so much improvement. Wendi

Laundry, laundry, laundry. Spend time on the phone trying to get the insurance company to fix their mistakes. :glare: Then later ds and I have our first horseback riding lessons at our friends' place in the country. :hurray: Thankfully it will "only" be 103 today, much better than last week. Wendi

I don't think it's crazy at all. You're only 48! Wendi