DD was 2.5, so I don't know how much of a difference that will make, but the toys we bought her for Christmas that year (that she still plays with) are: a chalkboard easel silk swords (http://www.threesisterstoys.com/p-534-silk-sword.aspx)

:iagree: I LOVE the Colin Firth version. LOVE LOVE LOVE!! I only watched the first part of the KK version as it was just atrocious - very vapid. Though, I did like Donald Sutherland.

I used the Gerber brand thick cotton undies with Dappi covers on them. Gerber isn't the greatest as I believe the "absorbant" layer is foam (which essentially means it's not), but the fancier ones made by cloth diaper brands are more than I want to pay for such a short period of use.

The white borshct is more like a sauce. You tear/cut up the bread, kielbasa, and egg, then pour the sauce over it. I think the actual name of what this is begins w/a "z", but I cannot for the life of me remember it. Pierogies are another essential in DH's family. It's a family production when they're made. So good.

Shoot! I just realized from Mrs Mungo's post that I was thinking the wrong direction! It took DH HOURS to call me when he landed in DC from Germany - dead cell phone that needed to be charged in addition to needing to check into his hotel room, take a shower, eat a meal, and decompress.

I don't know if this would be a go for you, but "The Last Cato" is one of my favorite books. Her language is so lyrical in its English translation, I would love to read it in it's original (unfortunately, I don't speak Spanish). It's along the lines of Da Vinci Code, but there is an immense difference in quality as well as respect for the subject matter.

Is this a military flight, or a civilian flight? I know that when DH has had to fly through Germany to get to other places, it's random if I hear from him or not. It depends on if he has access to a phone or if the military is being particularly militaryish.

Moderate voices do not sell papers or airtime. Moderate voices do not breed an "us against them" simplistic mentality. It's easier to control others (and to strip away civil liberties), when you have a distinct enemy - real or imagined.

DH's family makes something called white borscht every Easter. I'll have to ask him for the specifics, but it contains: rye bread kielbasa hardboiled eggs a sauce made from buttermilk and the water the sausage was boiled in

I can't help off the bat, but I would recommend looking at either "Four Season Harvest" or the "Winter Harvest Handbook" by Eliot Coleman.

My second was breech until around 36 wks (and even after she turned was sunnyside up until right before she was born). I was highly paranoid as well since my first had dropped and was pushing on the exit from 32 wks onward.

Yes! We love ours! It gets used at least once a week. This week it's been used to make the dough for calzones, rye bread, and zwieback toast. I will say that we NEVER bake in it as I don't like the loaf shape or the fact that the crust is super thick. We just use it on the dough (or pizza ) setting. I think it's about 10 yrs old. I'm not too sure since DH had it before we got married.

I don't have kids in HS yet, but my school did: Biology Earth Science Chemistry Physics (optional)

I second needing mustard as an option. But...real mayo all the way. We eat Hellmans as neither DH nor I have had any success in making real mayo - it always separates.

Increasing personal scanning will only do a minimal amount of good for an increased amount of hassle when with some creative placement, you can get some serious contraband items through a scanner in your carry-on. I will feel that they are really making a difference in my safety when they become proactive instead of reactive.

A myriad of reasons. The short version is that congress hasn't figured out what to do. It would seem like an easy thing to solve, but politics gets in the way of humanity. The Dream Act is a possibility that has been tossed around for a while. It comes and goes though. Americans en masse have issues w/illegal immigrants as they see them as the "wrong" sort of person (as in ones who don't look, speak, or act like them) who take away their jobs and opportunities. It's a shame really b/c there are some good kids out there who could make a difference if they were given the opportunity to. But b/c their parents tried to give them a better life, everyone in that family gets screwed. Keep in mind that the above is my opinion only from my personal experiences.

PPOs all the way. Between Kaiser Permanente and the military, I have had awful experiences w/HMOs.

If it were me, based off what you've said, I would choose Europe - even if I was expecting. In Europe, you have a more concrete idea of deployment dates. You also like where you are and want to explore some more. And when he is home, he's home more often. If you choose the US, you could end up at some gawd awful base for starters, then you have no clue as to a deployment schedule, and rubbing salt into the wounds, he'll be TDY more frequently, so even when he is home, he isn't. I second volunteering. Dh has volunteered for things in order to keep from being voluntold at an inopportune time.

My answer as an immigration officer: the girl is essentially screwed. Yes, she is being punished for her parents actions, but at this point there is no law in place that helps children who came here illegally w/their parents. When she turns 18, she would need to leave the US and then reenter b/c of a job or a marriage. Even then, going through the proper channels, she could still be barred as her HS diploma could be used as proof that she resided illegally in the US.

Deployment is a given regardless of where you end up, right? Is there any difference in the length of time he'd be gone between duty stations, say 12 mos if you were to stay in Europe vs 9 mos if you end up in the US? Or any difference in the amount of time that would be devoted to TDY/VIPs? Where do you want your family to be when he is home? Where do you want your family to be while he's gone?

Nope. Born in Tucson, AZ (went to college there too). Raised in Albuquerque, NM. Now I live in Lincoln, NE and will soon be moving to Buffalo, NY.

DH is the main baker in our house (from scratch, including frosting). To the extent that DD4 assumes that EVERYONE'S daddy makes cakes.

DD4.4 has read the first 5 books at this point. We're packing for a move and I can't find the BOB books, so we haven't worked on them in sev wks.

DH really enjoyed this series as well. I had the fortune of sitting down and watching the tar and feathering part. :ack2: It was not intentional by any means, just bad timing on my part. It didn't help matters that DH explained the details of it, and the fact that most ppl died.