Ceres and Eris are two other dwarf planets. ;) Pluto will always be a planet to me.

Study skills. I was out of college for 5 yrs when I took my first master's class. That was the hardest part for me, retuning my brain to study/take notes again.

Nope! When I write it is probably around 95% cursive. Some print letters sneak in there b/c they're easier for me to write. There is no way I would have made it through high school or college w/o being able to write cursive - both were heavy on note-taking. DH does not write cursive (except to sign his name), and it takes him so incredibly long to write anything out. I can't blame it on his handedness b/c we're both lefties. I'm on the fence about teaching print or cursive first for our DDs. It's not something I will be retentive over, but cursive is still a necessary skill.

If you're looking at stainless steel, good quality is more important than price. I used to have some cheapo stainless steel pans and they were awful. When I finally spent the money for some All-Clad, it was a world of difference. Just be advised that you'll have to tweak how you cook to compensate for the lack of non-stick.

From the starting of pitocin to delivery, it was just shy of 6 hrs for my first, and 4.5 hrs for my second. If you decide to forgoe an epi/painkillers, I highly recommend having a doula or someone who can coach you through the contractions. Pit contractions HURT, esp if you were not laboring before they induced you.

I grew up in a family of readers. Both of my parents have rooms full of books (when we moved, the vast majority of our boxes held books). We'd make weekly trips to the library. We have a lot of books as well. We'd have more, but we did some heavy weeding before we moved from NJ to NE. Still, the majority of our boxes held books. Subjects run the gamit as well. DH and I read extensively. We try to instill that into our ODD as well. I'm on her 3rd bookshelf (she's 4) b/c she had too many books for the previous ones. I've slowed down on buying at the moment and am trying to use our library more frequently (will check out 20-30 books at a time). I'll buy books the way others would buy clothes or cds or whatnot. I can't walk into a bookstore without spending too much. Once DH and I settle down for good, we both want to have a dedicated library room in our house. Then we won't have to prune our book collection periodically. I'm also in the "book giver club" when it comes to presents. If you have a child, 9 times out of 10, said child will be getting a book. I grew up in a family of readers. Both of my parents have rooms full of books (again, when we moved, the vast majority of our boxes held books). We'd make weekly trips to the library.

I know this is OT, but for your horse-loving girl, maybe you should look at "Somebody's Horse" by Dorothy Nafus Morrison. It's out of print, but it was one of my favorite reads as a child.

I don't know if this is beyond what you're looking for, but two of the best basic cooking reference books we have are: How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman http://www.amazon.com/Cook-Everything-Completely-Revised-Anniversary/dp/0764578650/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280326072&sr=8-1 Martha Stewart's Cooking School (great pictures) http://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewarts-Cooking-School-Lessons/dp/0307396444/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280326137&sr=1-6 And for history: On Food and Cooking: the Science and Lore of the Kitchen http://www.amazon.com/Food-Cooking-Science-Lore-Kitchen/dp/0684800012/ref=pd_sim_b_54

Diana Wynne Jones? Eva Ibbotson?

1. Marriage is a partnership. If love is there, so much the better. Being "in love", isn't as necessary as ppl like to think it is. Once the cloud 9 giddiness fades, do you still have a foundation?

My mom gave me Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey to read when I was about 8/9 yrs old. That book was the turning point for me and I have been a reading nut since. How about the Bunnicula series? (Mystery / Vampire bunny eats veggies)

If it's the same one they had in Philly sev yrs ago, then yes....they do have interactive exhibits. You could ride in a simulation of the Millenium Falcon for an extra fee. If what you're looking for is exhibits, then it's worth it. I enjoyed seeing different costumes from what they had at the Smithsonian in 1998. The only draw back was that there were always ppl at the exhibits. It would be best to try to go during a less crowded time.

I would start with Pride and Prejudice. Someone gave me Emma as a birthday present when I was around 12/13, and I could not get into it for the life of me. It about turned me off of Austen.

Discount School Supply. If you get on their mailing list, you'll get info on their promotionals (sales, free shipping, etc...). Fast shipping, good quality supplies from what I've bought so far. They do have tempura powder. I would recommend a paper catalog as their website can be somewhat cumbersome given the sheer amount of items for sale. They have everything including a classroom sink. ;)

I traveled with CDs w/o a problem w/ODD. I just had to make sure we stayed at a hotel w/ a w/d if we weren't staying w/family. We're going on a cruise in Jan, and I'll be CDing YDD onboard. Using travel compression bags helps w/the space the dipes take up in luggage. For washing, a box of washing soda and bottle of Simple Green will go a loooooooooooong way for washing dipes! Vinegar or Grape Seed Extract can help kill the baddies, as can sunning the CDs.

Yes! Spirited Away is what got me hooked. That and Howl's Moving Castle are my favorites (yay for Diana Wynne Jones!). ODD loves Kiki's Delivery Service and Ponyo.

If you want natual line/skin spot help, you can use rosehip oil. Coconut oil is also good for shaving.

I use either CeraVe (recommended by my dermatologist) or jojoba oil. I have sensetive/acne-prone skin, and neither bother me. Same thing goes for washing my face - either CeraVe or a mixture of jojoba/castor oil.

I don't know about children's fares. When we sailed it was under a special rate, so there was no breaks for ODD as the 3rd pax. Gratuities tend to get added on automatically. You can adjust it at the purser's desk. JMO, even w/an infant they're still doing things - like making up the crib if you get one on board, dumping trash cans w/dirty diapers, etc...they might not eat food, but I have yet to see a waiter NOT dote upon a child/infant in the main dining rooms. When we sail in Jan, I'll pay full gratuities for both girls. The cabin/wait staff don't get paid very much, and they do one heck of a job. ODD was spoiled on our last cruise by both our steward and waiters. If you can get passports, it would probably be wise. We have one for ODD, but not for YDD. I'm not going to get YDD one for the Mexico sailing b/c she'll be 9.5 months, and won't be traveling internationally soon enough after that trip to justify the cost. Also, if you plan to sail w/o your spouse, I highly recommend getting a notarized letter indicating you have their permission to take your child(ren) out of the country. It isn't necessary, but it's a peace of mind issue. We had no problems on our cruise last Fall, but when ODD and I went to Niagara Falls w/the ILs, the Canadian boarder officer asked for it.

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I would agree that Tulum is much more extensive! I have a soft spot for Chaccoban b/c the first time I went, visitors were still allowed to climb some of them (this was when they had just started receiving cruises, so there was nothing where the ship docked).

I've never cruised with a group, just w/my family. We love it! We're in the planning stages of a Mexico cruise for this coming Jan. For itineraries, I've been on Western and Eastern Caribbean, Alaska, and Mexico, if you have any questions. :) QValencia - have you been to Costa Maya before? There are some pretty interesting Mayan ruins (Choccoban) at that stop.

Thank you for posting this! Both DH and I are lefties, and ODD is a righty. I've been wondering how we're going to teach her to write.

My dad had his gall bladder removed several months ago. The big thing I have to say is that if after the recovery period, you start feeling fatigued, etc...look into the symptoms of jaundice. My dad ended up getting it really bad and had to go back into the hospital. I guess the clips they used irritated his liver and caused the bile to get backed up.

I've CD'd both my girls once we got home from the hospital. Prefolds are simple and inexpensive (Green Mountain Diapers is m favorite brand for these). You can either use a Snappi to hold them in place, or you can trifold them and tuck them into the cover. The NB/XS Proraps are my favorite for new babies (don't like the larger sizes). Right now, I'm using them with Thirsties and Thistires Duo covers. W/ODD, my favorite diapers were the BumGenius one-size. Both girls fit in the smallest setting around 2 months. ODD wore them until she was PT'd at 2.5 yrs old. You get A LOT of use out of them. I also love Clothmopolitan fitteds. The BGs and Clothmos made up the majority of my stash w/her. Bummis Super Whisper Wraps were the only cover I used. W/YDD, prefolds make up a larger portion of my stash at the moment, but I also have the BG one sizes again (love them!). I use Flip for her nighttime diaper. Echoing pp's , you need to try out multiple brands and styles to figure out what works for your baby. There are multiple websites/forums dedicated to CD'ing that are a wealth of information. Diaperswappers.com I have found to be very useful.