She would be amazed and impressed. I think the knowledge of what was in store for me would have changed my 14-yo self's life for the better. I was seriously lacking in confidence at that age. I wish I could go back and boost her confidence, and tell her that all her hard work would pay off, and she should keep it up but be happier about it.

I would have a serious problem with schmoozing also. What I would do: when I signed in, I would take a close look at the list. I would also say to my child, "so, you are now 5th in line- so it shouldn't be too long now!" And every time someone went in, I would do a count-down. If someone went in early, I would go to the receptionist and ask nicely- "um, excuse me- but I think someone made a mistake- that person was #10 on the list when she got here, and I was #3. I'm confused as to why they went in before me- can you help me out?" And I would ask every single time it happened, getting progressively louder so everyone else waiting could here. I would also ask (joking around at first) how I can get priority to move up the line faster. Sometimes the squeeky wheel gets the grease. Especially if the squeeky wheel is right.

:iagree: Let yourself have some space. Do this every year. It's been 25 years since my mom died, and I still do this. Today is the 6-year anniversary of my dh's death. It's still a rough day, but it gets more bittersweet as the time passes. I wish they both could see my daughters now!

I'm in the middle of it now. I don't think the problem is meat- I think the problem is how the meat is raised and processed (just like the plant foods.) I completely agree with reading the ingredient list- eat real food, not chemicals. I think most of the people in the film would have had just as dramatic results on a whole foods, plant based diet with plenty of organic meat and eggs thrown in. I'm leary of dietary studies that use rodents, and scientists who extrapolate the results to humans with absolutely no human studies. Are there any rat populations that have casein as a natural part of their diet? To rats, maybe casein is a carcinogen. I also think everyone is different, depending on their genetic makeup. I would not be good with the higher carbs and lower fat that vegans eat.

I think of "Win at all costs" as it's OK to lie, cheat, and steal. I think that competitive teams should strive to win in a sportsmanlike manner.

Your dh should have a page that lists all his rules and policies for athletes and parents, and have the parents sign the form saying they understand. Make it required for parents to pick up on time, and note that being more than 15 minutes late twice without a cell phone call to the coach will result in being kicked off the team. (And limit the number of late times with a phone call also.) Your dh is right- he's doing a great job with the team- but there are a few parents in every bunch that are really THAT inconsiderate. If they want their kid to play, they will follow the rules.

It's not even appropriate then, IMO.

Don't do it! I got a second cat to amuse my first, and they hate each other. It's been 3 years, and now they almost tolerate each other. The little cat will sometimes come out of hiding and sit with us in the living room now. I tried to find a new home for the newer cat- she's so sweet... but now my younger dd is too attached. Next time I'm getting two cats at the same time from the humane society.

My brother! (He's an arborist.)

Thank you- that's good to know.

Thanks for the info, Colleen! I don't see anything in the Mexico info saying anything about passports expiring. But I did learn that I need to bring my parental documentation.

I LOVE Colorado. I would not want to live in Estes though- too isolated for me (plus the pine beetle problem...) Loveland is nice, I live about 30 miles from there. It's in the flatlands, but close enough to see mountains all the time and drive there easily. Also close enough to Ft. Collins and Denver for day trips. I took a trip to Durango last summer for a college visit, and that area is absolutely beautiful. Dd said, "I think I found my forever home."

I remember hearing a rumor that your passport can't expire within 6 months of your travel dates. Is this true? I googled it, but didn't see that information. My dd's passport expires in April 2012, and we are going to Mexico in November. Thanks!

I was a girl scout leader for years. Never in my training was I asked if I believed in a god, or what my religious background was. I asked about the girls scout promise, and told the training leader that I would not make an oath to god. She said I could replace "god" with whatever I wanted- nature, mankind, etc., and she told me many people just say "good" instead of god, because it sounds the same. I was specifically told that atheists and agnostics were welcome in girl scouts. However, I was looking for the "official" girl scout stand on religion, and it seems they do expect you to uphold their oath.

Thanks, that helps a lot! For some reason not coming up with an actual number was not on my radar. I thought I was doing something wrong when I eliminated all the ys.

My brain is not working tonight. Solve for y: 6[5y-(3y-1)] = 4(3y-7) It's actually a greater-than or equal in the middle, but I can't figure out how to do that on my keyboard. Thanks for any help!

I'm more a Millionaire Next Door type than a Dave Ramsey type. I own my own business, and I would not have needed a college education to do what I do. I do have good health, good luck, and a good work ethic. The advise I give young people is- 1. Do what you love- many people work at jobs they don't like. Why spend half your waking hours doing something you don't enjoy? Try to make what you love to do into a business. 2. Live well below your means. (Buy used everything!) 3. Don't have debt unless you are making money due to the debt. (i.e.- take out a loan for a business, business covers loan payments.)

I used to be the biggest fan of SBD. Worked for me every time, and I always felt great. For a month or so. Then I started to feel like I was starving. Famished constantly, craving carbs in a big way. After watching Fathead and doing a lot of research on my own, I changed my diet to LCHF (low carb, high fat.) (Fathead guy is Paleo, so I am not necessarily doing what he recommends...) After eating like this for a week, people started to notice that I just looked better- healthier & happier. I had not lost any weight yet, so it had to be the diet changes. Anyway, I have been doing this for about 6 weeks now, and I have not hit the wall yet. I feel great, my blood sugar is completely under control. I have lost about 15 pounds without limiting my food intake at all. The best part is, I have not once felt like I was starving, and I am not craving carbs. Now when I don't eat enough, I feel hungry- like a normal person should feel hungry. That starving feeling I had on SB and other diets was completely different- it was something normal will power could not overcome. (And I have above average will power.) So I have decided for me that all natural fats are healthy, no carbs are healthy. I only eat grass-fed beef (different fatty acid makeup than traditional beef,) organic pork & chicken, wild caught fish, etc. I avoid all processed oils- if you can't squish the seed, nut, or whatever and get oil, I don't use it. (Probably TMI, but I was on a roll...)

:iagree: However, I am very relieved to see so many posts this morning that I can agree with.

:iagree: Kids that are trained to be "happily obedient the first time" give me the heebee jeebees. It's unnatural for humans. And this: "Yes, I achieved obedience. I did it by _________________." Sounds like we are training dogs. (BTW- my kids are very well-behaved. And I have nothing against a little spanking for some kids (like my second.))

I went to my dd's school last night to meet her teachers. Not many parents of seniors go, so I got to meet them in a small-group setting. She has an AP Calculus teacher that is very young, so I was worried about that- the fantastic teacher who used to teach the class got a job as a principal at another school. Dd's pre-calc teacher last year was horrible. Anyway, this young lady is FANTASTIC! She's energetic, loves math, and has a degree in mathematics (not teaching.) She's working on her Master's in Mathematics! She took a class last summer- on her own time, at her own expense, on teaching AP Calculus. She's so excited about MATH! I am relieved and excited.

My dd 12 just got her ears pierced at a hair salon/day spa. Older dd got hers at Claire's, and they were not even- which messed up her 2nd piercing. I figured someone in a salon would have a better eye for symmetry. (They look good to me, but I don't have a good eye!) The lady in the salon said not to turn the earrings for 2 weeks, and they will heal better. Start turning at 2 weeks. It's fine to change earrings at 3 weeks, as long as you change to good quality earrings.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I learned long ago that if you want people to wish you happy birthday, happy anniversary, whatever is important to you- you have to remind them many times. Some people are just not wired to remember things like that, because it's not important to them. I used to remind dh a month before my birthday, 2 weeks before, 1 week before, and the day before. I wanted a birthday gift from him, darn it! (I would also remind him that I did *not* want anything for Valentine's Day and other random holidays.) Yes, it would have been nice if he could have remembered all by himself, but that wasn't going to happen. It wasn't because he didn't care about my feelings, it was that he didn't care about his own birthday. Neither one of us ever remembered our aniversary, so that was covered. ;)

I recently made this recipe for 40 people: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/velveeta-down-home-macaroni-cheese-50467.aspx It's kind of home-made-lite, because it uses velveeta. But the roux is the key! Everyone thought it was great.

I think pre-teens need to schedule 10 hours of sleep. Any less on a regular basis, and my kids have trouble getting up in the morning. Sometimes they will need less than 10 hours, but that's probably the average for my kids. I don't think it's healthy for kids to stay up at night texting and messaging on the computer. Maybe once in a while for a treat if that's what all their friends do, but on a regular basis that's rediculous. I had my dds text their late-night friends to stop it.