I am laughing so hard I'm crying! You all have such a way with words! My worst offenders: Not long after we got married, I put a roast in the oven to cook while we were at church. Came home to smoke billowing out of our apartment and the bottom half of the roast scorched to ashes. No one told me that you need to put water in the pot! Then there was the gravy that was so thin you had to slurp it up with a straw. I added more and more cornstarch trying to get it to thicken, but didn't leave it to cook long enough...cornstarch with a bit of drippings is not a good flavor. When I was pregnant and nauseated, cinnamon toast was the only thing that appealed. Popped some bread in the toaster, buttered it up, and liberally sprinkled cinnamon and sugar all over....only it was cumin, not cinnamon. Talk about nasty! I was so hungry and hormonal that I burst into tears, then cried even harder when I realized that was the last of the bread and I couldn't just make more! The first time I ever made fried chicken, I was so proud! The chicken was beautifully golden on the outside, so I took a big bite and had to spit it right back out! The inside was still completely raw. Took me a long time before I was brave enough to attempt frying anything. Lana

Does cat food count? In my defense, I was a child on a dare. :ack2: Rocky mountain oysters, although I didn't know what they were at the time. Lana

I've been there since the beginning back in 1999. So sad...that is where I got all my news! Lana

We're still plugging away. I hope we'll be caught up and finished by the end of July, just to start again in early August. We started the year 2 weeks behind schedule as we were invited to go on vacation for a week with extended family. Then we went through several months of house showings and a mid-year move. So far we've managed to finish spelling, phonics, and geography, and we'll finish up FLL today and WWE next week. We'll be lucky to finish math by the end of July, but I may end up skipping or combining some lessons. History and science pretty much didn't get done at all this year, so I'm hoping to make July a history/science intensive, since we'll be finished with everything else by then. Lana

I really know nothing about wells...but is it possible that there's not enough water in the well to meet your family's demand on it? I'm wondering if the water gets so low that the pump is not totally submerged and therefore sucks up the clay. Just a thought... Hope you are able to resolve the problem soon and at minimal expense! Lana

Not sure what level these would be at, but what about books by Bill Wallace? They were some of my favorites. A Dog Called Kitty Trapped in Death Cave Ferrets in the Bedroom, Lizards in the Fridge Snot Stew Some other ideas: Encyclopedia Brown How to Eat Fried Worms Bunnicula and The Celery Stalks at Midnight The Indian in the Cupboard Lana

We do $5 for the first tooth, and a dollar per tooth after that. The tooth fairy prefers that the tooth be left on the nightstand because she worries that she won't be able to find the tooth if it's under the pillow. The money is also left on the nightstand. If there is no tooth to pick up, you must write a note explaining what happened to the tooth. (DD6 swallowed one at Chick-Fil-A on Saturday and was worried the tooth fairy wouldn't come since she couldn't leave the tooth.) Lana

My dd8 still doesn't know how to spell our last name. It is rather long, but still... Neither one of the girls know their address or phone number. I've tried over and over, but for some reason it just doesn't stick with them. And now we're about to move and I'll have to start all over! Lana

My 2nd grader is doing A Reason for Handwriting B, which has a verse for copywork each week. We're also doing FLL2, skipping most of the enrichment, copywork, and dictation exercises. We do WWE2 as prescribed. DD tends to be a bit behind on fine motor skills, so I haven't pushed too much written work yet. Lana

My dd turned 8 in October. She is a tiny little thing, has never been on the growth charts. She is wearing a 6 slim in pants and a 6/7 shirt. About a 12 in shoes. She is about 44" tall and weighs about 42 pounds. Lana

My dd turned 8 in October. She is a tiny little thing, has never been on the growth charts. She is wearing a 6 slim in pants and a 6/7 shirt. About a 12 in shoes. She is about 44" tall and weighs about 42 pounds. Lana

I LOVE the methodology of AAS, but my dd8 hated the kinesthetic portion of the lessons. She would much rather sit down with a workbook and tackle spelling on her own. And honestly, it's nice to let her work on her own while I have one-on-one lessons with my kindergartner. Is there anything that is similar to AAS but in a workbook format? We're using SWO B right now but I am not crazy about it. Thanks, Lana

Thank you all for the thoughtful and insightful responses. I've realized that my objection isn't to standardized testing in general, just unnecessary for this particular stage of our early education. I have also realized that I am not doing a good job of communicating with dh about what we're accomplishing each day and what our goals are for the year. I do keep a portfolio of their work, so I will make it a point to have it more available for dh. And I will coach the girls to be ready to tell daddy something they learned when he comes home from work. I know he will appreciate the opportunity to connect with his kids. I appreciate all the wisdom you've given me! Lana

Thank you all for the thoughtful and insightful responses. I've realized that my objection isn't to standardized testing in general, just unnecessary for this particular stage of our early education. I have also realized that I am not doing a good job of communicating with dh about what we're accomplishing each day and what our goals are for the year. I do keep a portfolio of their work, so I will make it a point to have it more available for dh. And I will coach the girls to be ready to tell daddy something they learned when he comes home from work. I know he will appreciate the opportunity to connect with his kids. I appreciate all the wisdom you've given me! Lana

Does anyone have some insight on how to handle a spouse who questions if a child is "keeping up?" DH asked me today if I planned on having our girls tested "to know where they are." He wants to see how they compare to their age peers, and also wants me to give letter grades on assignments so that *he* knows where they are educationally. DDs are 6 and 8 (kindergarten and 2nd grade). I do not intend to give them standardized tests until late in middle school, as preparation for the ACT or SAT. I feel like standardized tests are unnecessary and set a child up for failure and disappointment, especially since we are deliberately not studying the same things their public school peers would be. As far as letter grades go, I'm with them all day, every day. Much of our schoolwork is oral so I have immediate feedback on whether or not they have absorbed the lesson. For the work that is written, such as math, I go over any missed questions with them and they correct any mistakes. I am confident that they are working at a level comparable to what their peers are, even above-average in some areas. How did you handle this situation? DH is not terribly involved in the schooling, but he's a worrier and so I'd like some ways to reassure him that homeschooling is not detrimental to the kids' education. Thanks, Lana

I would think you could hand wash it in cold water and lay flat to dry. I've had wool sweaters that could be handwashed. Lana

We're in the midst of remodeling my grandmother's house, which we are buying. Most of the work is cosmetic, but it's still expensive and daunting to think of what we still have left to do! - Replace blinds in all rooms - Install 2 new toilets - Install all new light fixtures/ceiling fans throughout the house - Install new towel racks and toilet paper holders - Rehang bathroom mirrors - Replace all lightswitch and outlet covers - Replace wall oven and cooktop - Install new range hood, which involves cutting through the cabinetry into the attic for venting - Replace kitchen counters and backsplash - Possibly replace kitchen sink and faucet - Replace bathroom counters/sinks/faucets - Replace old cabinet hardware - Fix cabinets that won't close completely - Paint sunroom - Have chimney inspected - Restain several interior doors - Check heater in sunroom for safety - Repair loose rocks around pond in the backyard - Have trees trimmed that we are keeping - Remove several trees that are too close to fence or other trees - Paint exterior of house - Paint shed in backyard - Haul in dirt to cover tree roots and reseed with shade grass - Tear out random concrete slabs in backyard - Replace 2 fence posts and panels - Remove wiring for invisible dog fence (stapled all the way around the fence in the backyard) - Tear out shrubs that are dead and/or overgrown - Re-level the brick paver patio and remove old tree roots - Run cables for internet into office and schoolroom - Run surround sound wiring in living room - Have carpets professionally cleaned - Clean EVERYTHING! Drywall dust and sawdust is everywhere, not to mention just basic move-in cleaning. Whew! I'm tired just thinking about all this, and I'm sure there's more I've forgotten! Lana

If you plan on *running* rather than just jogging/walking, you will need a higher HP model. Wider belts are better than narrower. 20-22" would be a decent width. Consider how tall the person is who will be using it. Taller people have longer strides, so you may need a longer platform. 56-60" is probably fine for most people. Most treadmills will go up to 10 mph, better ones will go to 12 mph. Also look at the incline. Most will have some sort of incline, better ones will incline more, and the best treadmills can also do negative incline. Just my opinion on this, but I would not get a space saver unless I absolutely had to. I think they feel flimsier and they're a pain to open/close (at least, the folding treadmill I had was). Lana

Just talked to a RR customer service rep, she said the backordered item arrived in their warehouse on Friday, will be shipped today, and should be here in plenty of time for Christmas! Yay! Lana

Remind me how RR handles backorders... One item I ordered was on backorder, so they sent me the generic email that said they expected it to be back in stock by 12/2. Nothing has shown up yet, so I was wondering if RR typically sends a tracking email when a backordered item has shipped. I know there's still plenty of time, but I'm getting a bit nervous that it won't be here in time for Christmas! (And dd6 is wondering why dd8 has more presents than she does!) Lana

Redmond Earthpaste Lemon Twist flavor! It's a fabulous toothpaste, no fluoride, glycerin, or SLS. Only "problem" is getting used to brushing your teeth with brown toothpaste! :) Lana

We talked seriously about building a house with my parents (ultimately we decided against it) but this is one of the floor plans we considered. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/70439181645858935/ Lana

I've never tried it myself, but I did read that large doses of vitamin C can help. Good luck. Mastitis is miserable! Lana

Sigh...I feel your pain! My 8 year old hasn't hit 40 pounds yet. We found Children's Place to fit narrowest. Carter's also seemed to run slimmer. Now that she's in a size 6, it's easier to find Slim sizes. When she was in toddler sizes, she spent at least one or two winters wearing leggings and knit pants that I pinned at the waist. Lana

Awesome! We have a store or two that carries La Preferida refried beans, I will start stalking the shelves. Lana