If you mean like designs on the butt, lots of places. Aeropostale for one.

I always thought I would for sure let my daughters wear bikinis. I don't. :) We will do tankinis, but they haven't been interested in them lately. They also really like wearing their swim shirts, even in the indoor pools. They say they just like wearing them. When they started growing quickly, around 8, the tankinis didn't seem to fit- either the tops were too short or the bottoms too baggy, so we switched to one pieces and they haven't had any interest in going back. I don't see a bra and underwear type bikini in their future, but we take things as they come...

My mom still sends stuff. We'll keep up the traditional way until they don't believe in the Easter bunny, then they'll continue to get an Easter gift. Our baskets these days don't have candy. They have clothes, books, and little goodies.

Our dentist does this. It's for insurance fraud. Apparently it is pretty rampant right now. But, according to my hygienist mom, it's also pretty convenient for the staff and is just one more identifying piece to help prevent mix ups.

I had a friend with b/g twins and people asked of they were identical ALL the time. She used to say, "yeah, except for the p*nis."

Just a note. When I taught first grade we would send out supply lists and I hated it because we'd have to store stuff, we always had too much of certain things and not enough of others, and people never bought the right brand/type. So, we switched to just a suggested donation of $20. Parents spent way less, it was so easy, and even with all the parents who didn't donate, we were still able to buy exactly what we needed throughout the year. It was perfect. We had affluent parents, so asking for a donation was ok. When I taught in a poor area, I spent $2,000 a year on my classroom. We did awesome stuff though. ;) I was young and didn't have kids yet.

If you wanted to invest that money, how would you do it? How much money does one need to invest to be making some good interest/returns?

We have retirement and I think it is going to be enough. Working for six years before staying home was probably the smartest thing I did. That money will be worth more than any I'm able to save later in life. We've made retirement a priority, so my husband saves a pretty big percentage every month. He'll wait tables before touching that money for anything, knock on wood! College...kind of. Grandparents have small accounts and we have saved some, plus our rental property will be paid off around that time, so we're planning on a pay as we go situation. Also, I do not think my kids need to go away as freshman. I'd be fine with them staying and doing community college first, depending on what is available to us. I did that and got accepted to the UC system, so it could be a good option depending on where we live. We spend a lot on curriculum and field trips, but school was expensive too. I spent way more on clothes and uniforms, lunches, fees, projects, field trips, etc. Vacations were more expensive because we had to go at school breaks. My kids went to an excellent school, so extra fees came with the territory. Oh, and I was talking to my mom about this last night and she reminded me that it's a good plan, but just DON'T GET DIVORCED! She had two divorces and even though she and my step dad have very good careers, they'll both work much longer than they would have wanted.

I had only been out for five years, but I did grad school while fostering and adopting our twins and teaching first grade full time. I loved grad school. It was just different than undergrad. The coursework, for the most part, was extremely relevant and interesting. There was more writing- that's the only big difference I noticed with regards to the course load. It was the first time that the quality of my writing was actually evaluated, which I thought was interesting. It was worth it, but looking back, I honestly don't know how I did it.

Where was it warm enough to camp?! I want to go!

Yep. I agree. We thought dd (adopted at 4) was just having nightmares. During the sleep study she stopped breathing every few minutes. The dr said she was surprised she ever learned to walk (she was severely delayed). She got her tonsils and adenoids out and sleeps much better. She sleeps 11 hours a night and she is 10.

Our pediatrician referred us to someone. It's just one night, so you could drive for the appointment. It will tell you a lot. Call your insurance company and ask if you need a referral. Sometimes you don't. If you do, just insist on it! Be very firm. It really isn't a huge deal. I think it would have been $1,500 put of pocket but our insurance paid for it.

That 2-4AM window is classic sleep apnea time, according to our sleep doctor. A lot of kids don't know why they wake up- they don't know they stopped breathing. Might be something to look into!

Ah, welcome to a new phase of parenting. It's a balance. You'll have to figure out, sometimes through trial and error, what you are comfortable with and whose house you'll let him play at. Just remember it can sometimes be a good thing for him to have experiences you'd wouldn't let him have at home. It's an opportunity for discussion and growth. Sometimes I've quietly ended friendships with families who just allowed way too much, and other times I've been grateful for the "push" to let up a bit. It comes with the territory of having friends and playing more and more away from Mom.

You did the right thing. I never send food back. Ever. Ever. Ever. My husband waited tables for many years when we were in college. I never send food back. ;)

We are doing Lake Powell this year and my SIL with five kids under the age of eight was actually the one to suggest a houseboat. It's cleaner than camping in the sand. You have to watch kids regardless of where you camp near water. It's nice to have air conditioning and quiet places for naps, too. There are plenty of families who vacation like this yearly. You just have to learn a new set of rules.

What exactly is it? Is it something beneficial or is it a time sucker? Do you let your kids play without supervision?

Omg. I'm dry heaving. I've never even heard of that! And he did it in public?!

Nag, nag, and nag some more. Basically. ;) The Etiquette Factory is cute and helped when they were a little younger.

We've had kids like this in the neighborhood. I just answer the door and say we can't play and tell them when they can come back.

Oh that is a great story now that everyone is ok! Great writing!

Yep. My whole family would.

Dd has a nasty cough! No other symptoms though. Is this going around or should I be prepared for it to turn into something worse? We are on Day 2.

Wow. What do you think her intentions/expectations are? Is she clean now? I always wonder what my girls will think of their bmom when they are adults.

If you can hit DC on Sunday, do it because y can park for free right at the mall. Park, walk to the memorials and pick one museum. That would be a totally free day. You could spend a month trying to do all the DC museums. Spend Monday at Colonial Williamsburg (I think it will be too cold to do more than one day). Go to Jamestown Tuesday. Make sure to go to the original Jamestown as well, and the Glass Blowing place. On Wed, go to Yorktown (nobody talks about Yorktown, but we loved it) , then drive to VA Beach. Spend Thursday VA Beach. I hope that helps! Of you can spend another night in DC, do, but staying overnight and figuring out weekday transportation can get expensive.