This is for a 7 yr old? I can't imagine that anyone would think that a little girl dressed her in fanciest dress would be anything but adorable. Just don't send her down the aisle with a basket of flowers.

So I just found out the branch of our big bank that I've used forever has been bought by a smaller local bank and I need to decide whether to go with the smaller one or move our accounts to a new bank. I've always gone with a big-name bank because I wasn't sure where we'd live and because we travel a lot. I mostly do everything online. With the exception of the first option, I'm going to have to set it all up again no matter what I choose. I could: -opt out of the transfer and continue with the big bank online, but nobody local to service the account and no ATMs locally. -let my accounts get moved to the new small bank - lots of local ATMs, nothing outside of the state, but I don't know if I'll have fees or not. -use an online bank that we have connections with but no local branch -move to another larger bank that has local branches and ATMs everywhere -move to a smaller local bank or credit union. What I care most about is accessibility of ATMs overseas and locally and easy bill pay and check deposit. What would you do?

My daughter really liked Maus and Maus II.

EPS The Paragraph Book is great for that age. http://www.christianbook.com/the-paragraph-book-1/dianne-tucker-laplount/9780838826713/pd/372671?dv=m&en=google-pla&event=SHOP&kw=homeschool-0-20&p=1179710&gclid=Cj0KEQiAn8i0BRDur-HV1PCTy4UBEiQAPuFr9DFNuNqqQV47ne-d8jw9JNtqjfa8H5jdBAF2eJjeBP4aAgLY8P8HAQ

Hmmm.... They'd be: -all male -homophobic -conspiracy theorists -into homeopathic medicine -anti-vaccine -very spiritual or devout believers in any religion -overly permissive parenting style with random bouts of punitive authoritarian discipline -smokers -lovers of football, nascar, rodeo -patriarchal -gun-lovers -with strict dietary rules - gluten-free, vegan, macrobiotic and judgy when others don't follow it I think it's a pretty strange mix, although I do have a friend who meets many of these requirements and I actually really like her.

I'm not really into the Myers-Briggs test. Maybe it seems just a step or two away from zodiac signs or something? (As in... "I'm like this because I'm a Scorpio" or an INTJ or whatever) Also... why 16 personality types? That said, I always end up as an INTJ when I try those online quizzes (that I scoff at and then do anyway). I homeschool because I do a better job of meeting one of my daughter's needs than the local school did, because it's good for our relationship, and because I like teaching someone eager to learn. I don't homeschool my other daughter for the same reasons -- I can not meet her needs as well as the local school does, it wouldn't be good for our relationship and I don't like teaching a person who does not really want to learn. As for co-ops, it's not much of a thing here. There's a Christian group who probably wouldn't welcome me, and some crunchy mamas who I wouldn't fit in well with either. We've done classes at the local alternative school. At first I tried to participate and such, but neither my daughter nor I are into the cliques and politics and have been happier without it.

I have had that one! It's super easy to maintain and has a slightly edgy look that makes me feel less frumpy than I do with straight shoulder length hair.

I've definitely made jello in the uk. Like this: http://m.tesco.com/h5/groceries/r/www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=252472628 Also Dr Oetker and Knorr make gelatine that you can flavor and color.

My goal was never to homeschool for the sake of homeschooling. Although I've loved homeschooling, it's not about me -- I've done it to meet the needs of my kids. Sending my kids to high school will meet their needs better than I can do at home. I'm not fluent in a foreign language, can't teach advanced math or lab science, and just can't provide the club, band, theater, sports, social experiences. This has been a great experience for my daughter and me, but I wouldn't be doing what is right for her if I insisted on homeschooling her through high school. We're both excited about next school year.

It really depends on the school! When we lived on the east coast, my daughter went to kindergarten at a parish affiliated school taught by nuns from a convent on the property. I think few of the kids were Catholic, but it was a high poverty area and seen as sort of a mission. It was pretty seriously Catholic and not a good fit for several reasons. They were, however, okay-ish with our same-sex family. Now we live close to a catholic school that is not affiliated with a particular parish and is only loosely Catholic. Most of the kids aren't Catholic. Kids do take a religion class, but they can choose a Catholic one or a "world religions" class. Just for reference, the parochial school was $3000/yr and the fancy loosely Catholic school is 16,000/yr.

13 yr old -- Doc Martens 11 yr old -- Just Dance 2015 8 yr old -- fusion beads Me -- a pasta roller Wife -- a Woodstove heat fan

Eva Ibbotson

I was originally going to get a Dritz or Singer adjustable dress form but I kept reading reviews that they are plastic and flimsy and the gap formed between the smaller and larger sizes is awkward and ugly. I decided to go ahead and splurge on a more professional type -- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049J18YK/ref=s9_dcbhz_bw_g201_i4_sh I also bought a padding system http://www.amazon.com/Fabulous-Fit-Dress-Forms-PFS0134L/dp/B00CZDK69K/ref=pd_bxgy_201_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1VG4998AGZXQBZY21H79 to allow it to work for both my girls and my wife and I. The dress form is definitely sturdy and so far works great. It even came with an arm. If you don't have a spare $200, I'd do a duct tape form. I had one for three years and used it enough that I knew a proper one would be a good investment.

I just bought myself a proper dress form. I used to use a DIY duct tape form but it wasn't looking so good and I decided to splurge. It's pretty awesome! I finished a Dr Who apron for my younger daughter (with some gorgeous Dr Who/Van Gogh Starry night fabric) and I finished an awesome bodice for my older daughter's ballroom dress and have the chiffon to start work on the skirt. I know my stepfather wants a leather vest for Christmas and I'd like to make him one, but I'm not sure where to get leather from. I think I'll do a muslin for him and fit him on Christmas (he's barrel-chested and I'm nervous to ruin expensive leather) and send him the vest in January after talking to him about what he specifically wants.

My daughter has loved Concordia language villages and will go back again this summer.

Cities were great to live in when I was younger, but once I had kids, the idea of city living wasn't so great. I love living in a small semi-rural college town! I love visiting cities, but living there now would just not make me happy.

My daughter was in the nutcracker for 6 years. She quit over the summer so this was her first year not doing it - and my first year not organizing backstage. It's been pretty great actually. I thought I'd miss it all, but I really don't. I enjoy having dinner as a family and having weekends free and actually going somewhere in December. For her, quitting ballet has been wonderful and she's so much less stressed. Technically she still takes a recreational ballet class three days/week plus a jazz class and two ballroom classes... But it's nothing on the hours she'd been spending on ballet previously. Congratulations on having a good ballet run and also on recognizing changing priorities!

Yes! My daughter does exactly this. The compromise has become that she can listen to music after she finishes math which is the hardest for her to focus on. I can't focus with music on... it makes me want to listen to the music and I find it distracting, so I don't understand the arguments that it helps her.

My 6th grade daughter is in the local public middle school and I had heard some moms talking about their kids doing Algebra in 6th grade. It didn't make sense to me. It turns out the books the kids use (Core focus on math) have three units, each in a small book. One is called "decimals and percents" one is called "fractions and ratios" and one is called "algebra". But it's not a full algebra class, it's just that they're learning some early intro algebra topics appropriate for middle school. My point is that random moms may not really understand the math sequence. And even if they're putting young kids in algebra shouldn't have any effect on what you do. Stick to MM through pre-algebra. It's better to spend more time on the basics now than to rush ahead and end up going backwards because the foundation wasn't solid.

Each step (spacers, palatal expander, braces, springs, oral surgery, rubber bands) has been rough. We don't usually bother with soft foods, but she's usually in pain for a day or two and annoyed. She pretty much eats whatever she wants, (except taffy and caramel).

I got my parents a gift certificate for a car detailing. They loved that!

I realized my post was quite a downer! Here's the positive things that have come from fostering. (I'm in a list mood) - We have helped out families and kids who really need help. - I have learned a lot about addiction and other social problems in our area. - I have become an even better parent and have honed my skills with some of the most challenging kids around - Besides being safe and well cared for, our foster kids have gone on some awesome vacations and had some wonderful experiences (tennis, ballet, gymnastics, camps, Sunday school, scouting) they never would have had. They've seen another model for family life and how people interact. - We get a stipend every month. It isn't huge, but it helps cover expenses. Also we get wic with the under-5s and access to a foster parent warehouse of free second hand clothes and the kids get lots of donated gifts at Christmas and several organized parties and picnics from local organizations. - I have become less judgy about other parents. I have been on the other side now. - Random people will praise us for doing foster care. - My kids have seen what drug and alcohol addiction will do to a person and understand that not all of our community are as well off as we are. - My kids have learned to change diapers and calm screaming babies and put difficult kids to bed and handle temper tantrums. They have a ton of childcare skills. - I have learned about all the social services in our town and have seen from a different perspective what it's like to utilize them. It's been good for me to find out how hard and depressing it is for these families on the edge when they have few resources.

My daughter did it for a year. I think they use galore park now, but when she took it the instructor didn't have a textbook. I don't think she learned much with just a once a week class. She liked the instructor but found some students annoying and really immature. (I think there were some 7 or 8 yr olds in the class).

We have been fostering for 4 years. We began when my girls were 7 and 9. Our foster kids have been between 10months and 13 years old and have stayed between 1 night and over a year. I'd recommend waiting until your youngest is more self-sufficient. It's too hard for me to have multiple little ones. Definitely know that the kids in foster care tend to have pretty big issues that can challenge a family and make life difficult and there will be times you wonder why you're doing this. What I wished I knew... - Don't be too idealistic -- the best, most stable family and most awesome parenting in the world won't "fix" years of abuse and neglect. Not even a little bit. - It's okay to say no and set boundaries with child welfare. - Be prepared for insane amounts of visits with various service providers and the bio parents (who can sometimes be scary themselves). - Be ready to let go when the time comes... Know in advance that your foster kids will most likely go back to whatever environment they came from and there's nothing you can do but put on a brave face and try to be supportive. - Kids (especially younger) will almost always view their bio parents as saints, regardless of what happened that caused the removal. They also tend to be afraid of police.

I don't have a serger but I do have a rolled hem foot on my sewing machine which I've used on sheer fabrics. What about a hot knife on (synthetic) chiffon? Has anyone tried that?