Oh, you have hair similar to mine. It looks fine, thinnish, and straight. If it's like mine, while you're deciding on hairstyles you could do what I do. I brush it back (I have bangs which I push to one side) grab it and twist it (careful not to get it too tight). Then, I tack it to the back of my head with a few small bobby pins in a kind of a twist. Works great and I never have to pay to get it cut or anything else because it's long and my dd's trim it when I ask them to. It also makes it look thicker. :)

If you've ever seen a vegetarian or vegan who's overweight and rather greasy looking, it's because they're eating a lot of FAT. Meat and cheese are loaded with fat, sure. But so are nuts and seeds and almost any soy product. Chocolate Silk Soy Milk is delicious; but read the carton and look at the amount of fat you'd be guzzling if you drink this stuff. And I love to cook with tofu; but I can actually GAIN weight using too much of this stuff (soy products, nuts, seeds, etc.). If you don't like it now, I wouldn't cultivate a taste for it. Also, many vegetarians eat a lot of OILS, which contribute to weight gain. But did you know you can saute in water or veg. broth or Bragg's soy sauce or oil-free BBQ sauce ... or anything without fat? And when you're baking you can often substitute unsweetened applesauce for the oil/fat? There are many ways to cut the fat. Also, in our area, anything organic costs way too much for me to justify buying. (Maybe not where you are.) And our Natural Food Store is even more expensive than the grocery organic stuff. Even the local farmer's market here is a lot more expensive than the grocery store. We just buy the regular fruits and veggies at our local grocery store. Here's a link to a discussion board similar to this one, only for vegan issues. You can also find many recipes at this site without having to buy cookbooks. http://drmcdougall.com/forums/index.php

Yep. This is what gets rid of eczema in our family. Dairy products are especially eczema-inducing. When 3rd ds was a preschooler he had eczema in various places - legs, arms, a little on his face - so I took him to an allergist, because I know it can leave scars. He was questioning me about his diet and one of the things he specifically asked me was, 'Does he drink a lot milk?'. I said yes (rather proudly, btw), that he even figured out how to pour his own and gets it anytime he wants it. And he drinks a LOT. Well, this doctor about jumped out of his skin. He YELLED, 'NO! Don't let him do that! (etc. etc. etc.)' I was stunned. Anyway, we didn't eliminate dairy until much later. Ds continued to have some eczema. But when we went vegan (which means no dairy, among other things) his eczema disappeared entirely. Which leads me to believe that most of the doctors KNOW the real cause - but they ALSO know that most people will NOT change what they eat. Thus, the endless prescriptions, allergy shots, etc. But have you ever noticed how thin and healthy many of these doctors are ....... ;)

I've never liked driving at night. I don't need glasses now and have never had to wear them. But I remember an eye doctor telling me I have some slight astigmatism in one eye. I notice that the brighter headlights on one of our cars helps. And I'm OK in town where there a plenty of lights. But once I get out in the country where it's pitch black on the roads ... I slow waaay down. And keep my headlights on bright as much as possible. It helps a little. So, no you're not the only one .... tell your dh. ;)

Made the switch to vegan years ago. (for health only - not animal thing) Here's how I went about it, which may or may not be helpful for your (OP) particular family. I read all the stuff, found recipes, explained it to the kids, cleaned out the kitchen, and just did it. Didn't ask dh anything. Just did it. And it's worked very well for our family. Here are some of the reasons why ... - We were in our 40's when I switched us. When you get up into your 40's, what you eat suddenly begins to make a BIG difference in how you feel, for most people. And any extra weight you may be hauling around gets less and less easy to 'haul' with each passing year. Dh knew this because he lived it; as did I. There was incentive to make the change. We could no longer ignore the problem or exercise it away or diet it away or whatever. Also in your 40's, you begin to notice that people your age are 'suddenly' beginning to pop up with serious health problems (and even die). Dh watched people from work 'suddenly' develop high blood pressure, blod clots in legs, autoimmume problems, and on and on. He's one of the few people over age 40 NOT on prescription drugs where he works. (Same story when we went to church.) - I made the house vegan - not the people. Dh eats whatever he wants when he's out of the house. Dc also eat whatever they want when we go out to eat - which is rare. I will sometimes get some gunk when we're in town. No big deal. - I allowed for special occassions. On birthdays, holidays, vacations, etc., we may or may not get some gunk. Last year, ds made some gumbo for Thanksgiving dinner. Some of us ate it and some of us didn't. If anybody wants non-vegan desserts on their birthdays, I usually cook it. If they want some kind of meat thing, ds cooks it or we buy it already cooked. And so on. We're not legalistic about it. We know we'll probably feel bad for a few days if we eat it (even dc notice this at their young ages!); but we make the decision knowing the consequences. - Dh has never really eaten at home Mon - Fri. He works 12+ hour days. So even if he takes food from home, he still eats from the vending machines at work; eats whatever is out for all to eat at work; eats all the free samples at the grocery store when shopping; and so on. He gets his meat/cheese 'fix'. He eats vegan at home and 'meats out', as someone once said on this board. :) This also works the other way around, too. When dh is on vacation, he's home and eating vegan. He never fails to point out how much better he feels without all the gunk. - I kept experimenting with recipes until I found quite a few delicious meals which dh, and the rest of us, love. This was the hardest part. I had to 'relearn' how to cook. The flip side, however, is that it was much easier to teach dc how to cook like this, thus relieving me of 95% of the cooking at this point. The only reason I cook now is to try out new recipes or as a substitute when the cook can't cook that day. And I got most of my recipes from the internet. No reason to go broke buying cookbooks. - I didn't worry about the kids at all. I was doing the cooking. They ate what I cooked. - I stopped talking about food (except here, occassionally ;)). The food is made. There it is. Eat it or don't eat it. I have other things to do. And that's all I can remember right now, and ds wants to use the computer. If I think of anything else, I'll add it later. HTH

This can be eaten hot or cold. Keeps well for a week or so. I don't mix the sprouts in with the finished dish. Instead, serve them with it and let everyone add their own so the sprouts are still crunchy and fresh. Also, I don't usually bother with the tofu. And if I do tofu, I slice it, place it on a plate, squirt a little Bragg's on it, and zap it in the microwave until it's how I want it. I also double the whole thing for a crowd. It goes quickly. THAI NOODLES 12-14 ounces linguini (broken in half) 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup natural peanut butter, creamy 1/4 cup soy sauce 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 1-2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce (see hints) ¼ teaspoon sesame oil (optional-see hints) 3 tablespoons vegetable broth 1 bunch green onions, chopped 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 ½ cups mung bean sprouts 1 ½ cups shredded carrots 7 ounces baked seasoned tofu, thinly sliced (optiona) chopped cilantro chopped peanuts (optional) Prepare noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, combine the honey, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili-garlic sauce and the sesame oil in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside. Place the broth in a non-stick frying pan with the onions, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes. Add the sauce, mix well and heat through. Pour over the noodles and toss well to mix. Add the bean sprouts, carrots and tofu and toss again to mix. Serve warm or at room temperature. Let each person add chopped cilantro and/or chopped peanuts, if desired. Hints: Rice vinegar and chili garlic sauce may be found in most supermarkets in the oriental section. One brand of chili-garlic sauce is made by Huy Fong Foods. It is quite spicy, so you may need to adjust the amount used according to your tastes. I use a small amount of sesame oil in this recipe for the unique taste it adds to foods. It may be omitted, if desired. This dish keeps well in the refrigerator and may also be served cold. This is great to fix on those busy evenings when everyone is eating at different times because it tastes best at room temperature.

We had a Bosch mixer/blender combo. I liked everything about it except one thing. The whisking beaters connect to the base of the mixer with plastic parts. When I tried to make divinity in it, they got hot and ceased to work. :glare: Major defect in the design. Sad, too, because the rest of it is so well made with nice heavy metal. Also, it didn't seem to be built to handle small anything. It plastered the butter and such against the side of the bowl, unable to be mixed well with the other ingredients. Seems to be built more for large batches - and esp. bread.

Why teach chronolgically ... Because it goes better with their Bible study. The Bible is an ancient book which we began teaching to our dc when they were young. Thus, beginning with the Ancients in history fleshes out their Bible study ... even though the Bible is not arranged chronologically - it's still set in ancient times. I also like Aubrey's idea of teaching a lot about the area they're living in - esp. considering some of them may not stay there very long. Opportunity of a lifetime. :)

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:thumbup1: You must (and should!!) be very proud of your ds, Rebecca. He's probably a joy to be around, too. :)

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I didn't try to analyze it. I just thought it was a great story with many unexpected turns. It's like I told my kids when they asked me why I liked the Harry Potter stories ..... because in the world of magic, ANYthing is possible. The sky's the limit. Also, my generation watched TV shows like Bewitched, The Adams Family, The Munsters, The Twilight Zone, Dark Shadows, Alfred Hitchcock, Batman, My Favorite Martian, I Dream of Jeannie, Superman, etc. And ancient horror movies like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, etc., with actors like Bella Lugosi, Lon Chaney, and Boris Karloff. So The Hobbit fit right in. My older brother and his friends were so wrapped up in LOTR that they made their own little language, names for each other, maps, etc. :001_huh: I thought they were a little wierd, however. Also, I find many uses for The Hobbit. For example, when we first moved here, an old man who's land borders our land would swoop through every year before hunting season and mark his border with blaze orange paint. He always snuck in when no one was looking. We nicknamed him Smaug. :D Another example. We live downwind of a paper mill. One of our neighbors who loves LOTR refers to the paper mill town as Mordor because he says, "It's dark and it stinks." Very true. And I would add it's full of rather shady characters. :)

Do you mean 'raising' boys?

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I never really had a passion for any occupation. When all the other kids were making college plans, I was trying to get my father to send me down to LSU so I could live near the relatives. That was my only reason for wanting to go to college. Pathetic, huh? :tongue_smilie: I always felt like somewhat of a failure because I had no idea what I wanted to do for the rest of my life at the age of 17yo ... and I STILL have no idea. ;) I seem to live more day by day, whatever that means. Dh, however, says he's had a passion for science ever since he can remember. I can't even comprehend that. Only 2 of our 6 kids have a passion for something specific which I'm aware of. 25yos wants (is???) to be a writer. He writes constantly, when he's not doing his school. Stays out in the shop until wee hours of the morning, scribbling away - with pen and paper, or on our only computer(no internet), if nobody else is using it. I think we are going to buy him his own computer soon for his writing. 35yos's passion was always tools. From about toddler age. In hindsight, I would have helped him learn how to run his own business (garage) so he could have actually made some money at it and done what he loved. He currently has a full basement crammed full of tools. His garage is also crammed full. He even worked for a major tool company for a short time. I believe he does home repair now. But he can't manage money. The other 4 - have many hobbies. 26yos studies and writes about Bible and theology and scientific things, when he's not doing his school. 21yod is always drawing and painting. She also gardens and does chickens and peacocks. 19yod knits, crochets, sews, writes. 17yod does music and languages and is teaching herself fencing. But whether or not they'll ever become 'jobs', who knows. It's really up to them.

I remember doing this when I was young. I'm sure that's how I got through Alg. I with straight A's, not having a clue what I was doing. :tongue_smilie: However, it became almost impossible to rely on that method in college due to the tremendous amount of material covered. And as I've gotten older, I've noticed I've developed more hands-on and verbal (vs entirely visual) ways of remembering things. No real suggestions, however. You might point out the need to work on other methods for 'back up' when she hits college.

Another thing to look at: what you're eating. As in 'The fat you eat is the fat you wear'.