It's only "magic" for the first day.

For many reasons, but my favorite is all local ps students go back today! I won't post this sentiment on Facebook alongside the hundreds of first day of school pictures, but we slept in this morning and are enjoying another fine summer day. We are rebels. That is all.

Personally we are wrapping up a nice family vacation today. Laundry tomorrow and getting ready to start school on the 9th! Although we have a field trip planned to Williamsburg this week, that counts right?

I agree. I've spent years sitting outside with a cup of tea watching my littles play to help them learn the rules for outdoor play. Just now as my youngest is 8 I've been able to come inside to take care of dinner or other housework while mine play outside. They are all now old enough to tell me where they will be, follow the rules of the road on their bikes, and come home to check in at certain times. My youngest still needs reminders and he has to check in more often then his older sisters. I wouldn't expect a 6 year old to show good judgement outside unsupervised.

I crocheted the most adorable purple hippo last night. I have three quilts in need of binding and I am in the process of making more fingerless knit gloves for the winter for my Etsy store.

Having read this novel a few years ago, I can understand why it is required reading across the board. He is a brilliant author who really knows how to tackle tough themes. I wouldn't expect your professor to make an exception for you, especially if it is listed reading for all of the required classes.

Good for you! My kids are learning, unfortunately, that bad drivers are everywhere and we have to be extra careful to avoid accidents. Yesterday my favorite bad driver was texting on his phone and holding a lit cigarette with the same hand while driving through the HRBT. I have my parents here for a visit and we were all amazed at this guy's blatant disregard for everyone else.

I am currently crocheting a baby blanket for a friend, quilting a King size quilt for our bed and sewing a rail fence quilt top.

I wasn't sure if I was allowed to, but my shop on etsy is quiltprincess, all one word.

I love little pockets so created my own tote bag pattern that has turned into my carry all without being huge. It has six outside pockets and my friends love them so much I have a couple posted on etsy.com -

Some great advice already, but keep in mind that Disney will go thru every bag that you bring into the park. The more little organizing pouches and zipper places you have, the longer this will take. They allow you to bring in food and drinks but they want to see what you have first. Also, takes way too long to leave property to eat and return later so plan for the time. Personally, if I were staying in Orlando without a car I would relax a bit about trying to get a ton of food to your hotel and instead plan to share meals and pack snacks on the airplane. Without a car you will be limited to your hotel and wherever the shuttle will take you and expensive cab rides. At Epcot the Sunshine Grill is yummy and easy for sharing. Magic Kingdom I would eat in Tomorrowland and share, meals are huge and easily sharable. Do not buy water but carry water bottles. Animal Kindom I would share BBQ from the Flame Tree - it is so good and huge portions. Hollywood Studios has a lot of counter service places that are easy for sharing also, including turkey legs on your way to the Tower of Terror that are enormous and can feed 3, IMHO. Have a great time!!

We have those cubby closet organizers from Target to house our games and audio books in the living room. Most of the games have lost the boxes but each is now housed in a large ziploc bag (except for the boards). The bonus to this is they are see thru and very easy to find the game pieces we are looking for, as well as fitting nicely in the cubbies. The puzzles that are too large fit along the top of the shelf. If we do not have all of the pieces for a game, I am ruthless and it is tossed. We have plenty of games to play but not very many of the boxes left.

I am so happy in my sewing room and mine "mostly" leave me alone while I am working. I try to find time for my quilting projects everyday, even if it's only the 30 minutes before everyone wakes up. It's also easier for me now to leave by myself with my oldest babysitting so the grocery store can be a nice quiet trip out.

I try to go every year, at least for the shopping. The vendor hall is so helpful for getting to see the options available as we move forward, year after year. I may feel like I have a handle on the elementary level but my oldest will always get to try new things LOL. Susan, this reminded me that I had a lovely conversation with Jim Weiss's wife in the vendor hall and she was so gracious about only being allowed to be in the vendor hall. I had asked her if Jim was here and giving a presentation but he wasn't asked because they are Jewish. How sad :(. We came to the conclusion that we worship the same God, why can't HEAV see that? Now I'll probably get blasted by someone but it made me sad how such a big and influential convention could decide whom to invite based solely on their idea of religion. I will be going this year to shop but I really wish I had a better option. It's very sad that education wouldn't be a priority at a homeschool convention.

Anyone traveling with a child will not be allowed to do the full body scanner because it's just not built for children. You will do a regular metal detector, so as long as you are not wearing any metal there will not be a pat down. I've flown a lot, with kids, in the last 3 years and only once have I been patted down. I was traveling without my children that time so had to do the full body scan and the zipper on my pants made them suspicious. Ridiculous but a two second pat down from a female officer and we were done. Just remember to remove your shoes and any jackets to go thru security, put everything in the bins and push your own items thru the X-ray machine. If you walk away from your stuff you will cause significant problems also. The most problems I've ever had were once, I traveled with my knitting double pointed needles and my bag was selected for extra screening. The guy had no idea why I was traveling with chopsticks :).

If the chips and salsa were out, I would not think this was rude.

I think I need some math pants! My dd9 told me the other day that she feels bad for the other kids in the neighborhood now that nicer weather is here and we can go hiking while they are in school.

If you have a house for your stay, you can save a lot on food and packing lunches for day trips, etc. You may want to bring a crock pot if you are driving; most houses won't provide one but we use ours for dinners when you come home and are too tired to cook. Go see Winter and her friends in Clearwater and visit the beach. Don't waste your money on Ripley's Wonderworks or whatever it's called on International. It's horrible, pricey and only takes an hour, if that. If you head for Downtown Disney, be prepared to say "no" a lot if you are not into shopping; there are a ton of stores and many temptations but if you are looking for one really nice dinner there are several great options in Downtown with free parking. We've never been to Universal but we love Busch Gardens and the all day dining deal can be a great option if you plan to be there all day. I have heard there are several great organic farms that you can visit but haven't found one yet. HTH

We are business owners and buy our own insurance. We are already paying more with fewer benefits and this trend will continue into 2014.

www.mightyleaf.com They have wonderful tea choices and ship anywhere.

She ended up charging $7/hour for the two girls. I think we will discuss a rate scale for the future at $5/hour for one kid, $7/hour for two, maybe $8/hour for 3. I'm not entirely sure that is perfect but I think it will fit our area well, plus get her some experience.

Thanks for the responses!

It was kind of a surprise for both of us. The mom made a last minute request that put my daughter at her door only 3 minutes after the mom called me. I tried to remember everything before she left but didn't catch it all. This is new for both of us. Normally these kids are all too busy during the week for something like this but it is spring break around here and the neighborhood kids are home. Next week they will all go back to school and we won't get this situation again until July.

Forgot to add that she was watching 2 girls tonight, ages 9 and 6. They are a wonderful family and it is a great first job for her.

A Week in Winter - Maeve Binchy's last novel A Vintage Affair - by Isabel Wolff I thoroughly enjoyed both of these novels recently.