There are Wegman's up there, thankfully. So I won't be completely w/o a good grocery store. I don't quite get there there is supposedly diversity between TJs? I've been to them in CA, AZ, NJ, OR, and NE and they are all pretty much the same minus one or two non-staple items. They look the same, they are laid out the same...

Their peanut butter is the best. Before we got a TJs here, I had my parents send care packages of non-perishable TJs goods. *sigh* We're moving soon, and I'll be once again in a TJ-empty zone (really...they have one in Lincoln, NE but NOT Buffalo, NY? Really??). I will stock up on the non-perishables and then move them w/us halfway across the continent.

Darth Vadar hands down. My pregnant self about started crying at the kid's reaction when the car started.

Bravado was worth every penny.

For me, piercing your ears is somewhat like a rite of passage. My girls will get theirs done when they are old enough to take care of their ears themselves. I got my ears pierced as a "big sister" present when I was 7.5 and my mom was pregnant w/my sister. She stressed that I was a big girl and it was my responsibility to take care of my ears myself.

I have most of their K-2 programs, but won't start using them for a little bit. I did buy their Globetrotting w/Cinderella, modified it for DD4, and had a lot of fun w/it.

I've opened this to read post-nap. I will have to forward it to both DH and my mom. Regarding corn/soy beans, DH and I were out driving last summer. On one side of the road was corn, and the other was soy beans. All I could think of was, "food food everywhere and not a drop to eat." Didn't Michael Pollan have a hard number of what we're actually paying when we buy subsidized food? My books are in a box in NY at the moment. I could have sworn he had what the true cost of cafo beef vs small farmer grass fed beef was, and the latter came out cheaper when factoring what we pay for subsidies.

Congratulations! And by candlelight too. :)

Regarding invitations - if it address to Mr & Mrs only, or Mr/Ms and Guest, then I would assume it's adults only. If it address to the X family, or Mr & Mrs & family, then I would assume it includes kids. Pretty much all of the weddings I've been to recently include kids. DH's family is very close-knit and has a lot of little ones. If anyone excluded kids, then most of the family wouldn't show up. That being said, I do think that the no kids stems from ppl wanting their day to be perfect, and they think that kids would keep it from being perfect.

Ridiculously busy. If you're taking a college student, go in Jan before their semester starts. January is one of the least busy times there. The last two times I've visited were in Jan. Pretty much no lines for any ride. We also went in the middle of the week (T/W/Th are the best days).

#3 due in September. :)

We all have them, including our 10 mos old. When our newest is born, they'll get a passport too. W/#3, our traveling will slow down quite a bit, but it's easier to cruise w/a passport. That and when we move, we'll be spitting distance from Canada. To me, a passport is irrefutable proof of who you are.

Yes. My 4th grade teacher, Mr. Sanchez. He was amazing. Every Wed after lunch, he would squeeze in doodle time. We each had a special notebook that he would draw some random doodle in. We then had to complete the picture and make up a story/poem to go along w/it. In middle school, Mr. Smith. He was a non-conformist. I got lucky and had him all 3 yrs b/c of a special block program they were trying out (you have the same teacher for all core subjects). He took over sev wks into my 6th grade year, and that first day, he ranted about learning only the capitals of each state. He pointed out that only knowing that Tallahassee was capital of FL wouldn't help you find Disneyworld. At various points, he also had us design and build spaceships, and create an "adult life" w/an income, budget, paying bills, etc... In high school, my senior English teacher, Mrs. Logan. At a military school, she had a big "Question Authority" poster above the blackboard. She was an ex-nun who related everything to either the Bible or sex. She was very quirky and read portions of Canterbury Tales to us in Middle English (is Chaucer Middle English? I feel like I'm remembering this wrong).

Another British option: Black Books. My sister loooooooooooooves this show.

Death Note? It's an anime series, but both DH and I love it. You have to give it the first sev episodes to build up steam, but it essentially looks at the downfall (both physical and psychological) of a kid who is given the ability to kill anyone he wants. I also second Eureka. Dead Like Me Tin Man (SyFy mini-series take on Wizard of Oz) Alice (SyFy mini-series on Alice in Wonderland - Kathy Bates is the Queen of Hearts) Ergo Proxy (another dark sci-fi anime series) Darker Than Black (anime) the Last Exile (anime) Scrapped Princess (anime) I don't know how your tastes run, so some of these might be out of the question for you.

I loved this book as a child and would spend hours reading it, so I bought the reprinted version from Sonlight. The reprint is somewhat fuzzy, but it's still the same content.

We had a small contingent of sikhs at my military school, and I remember some of them would wear a kiran. But then, the school also trusted students w/swords (certain ranks/positions carried swords). I know this isn't necessarily directly related, but it made me remember it.

http://www.seedsavers.org

To DD (who was 3.5 at the time): Don't lick the car. Her response was: I'm not licking the car, mommy. I'm licking the rain.

DH did something similar, but w/our deck and fence. He power-washed it, sanded any rough area, then stained it. I would recommend the power-washing as it will help get rid of the crud that has accumulated on the wood. Our deck/fence went from gray-brown to a light blond color.

Thank you both! I will see if our library has those books.

Any recommendations? I watched "Victoria and Albert" today, and just started watching "Young Victoria." I would love to learn more about her life beyond what I can find on Wikipedia. ;)

I haven't taken a bath since...well...um....1997 at the very latest? I'm not a bath person either. I don't like getting wet. I don't like swimming pools or lakes either. The ocean doesn't bother me.

Maybe ask the director if your son needs a GED for his entrance requirements? You can indicate you're concerned that his application packet is not complete based upon what the admissions counselor said.

Congratulations! She's beautiful! More successful home birth stories makes me think that maybe I'll have the courage to try it this time.