Enjoy the shower!

I agree with FaithManor - you need to be familiar with the organization's guidelines. If you'll be adopting through DSS, then talk to your social worker and see what s/he says. If you're already being considered as prospective adoptive parents, then it's probably not an issue. We adopted an infant (through DSS) when DH was almost 40 and I was 38. Age was not an issue, and there are no guidelines for age in our state - so it wasn't a problem. I think the bigger consideration is your other kids. :) Good luck. It's a big decision, and I bet you already know the right answer for all of you!

Yes, and no. I was interested in doing it, but couldn't make time due to other volunteer and work commitments. So it just fell off the radar eventually.

You're hired. :) Can you be here Fri?

Would your DD want to head this way? She'd be in demand here, too! :)

We used a 22 year old babysitter for a few years (this was in 2007 - 2009), and we paid her $12 per hour, plus a tip (we'd have rounded up any extra half hours, etc). We had one child, who was 3 - 5 yrs old in that time. Sadly, our babysitter finished her degree and is working crazy hours as a nurse now, so we are out of luck. We've never found another, but if we did... We'd pay at least the same rates. Child care is valuable. I would pay her cash, and just try to get her to accept it. If she absolutely refuses, you can tell her that you wouldn't feel comfortable asking her to do it again, maybe. Or, as an alternative, send her a thank you note afterward with a check or a gift card. Rather than an ice cream shop, though, how about something like an Am Ex gift card that can be spent anywhere, on anything?

I loved St Louis. :) The suggestions above are great. I'm partial to the arch/museum underneath, and Cahokia. But here's the Must Do: Ted Drewe's. Find one. Stand in (a long) line. Order the most delicious ice cream (it might be frozen custard? I can't remember.)... Savor it. Seriously. Don't miss it.

:cheers2: Cheers, Moira!

I voted once week, but that's only the whole house - everything is vacuumed, swept, mopped and scrubbed once a week. We do touch up vacuuming once a week, too, about halfway through. Most of our house is hardwood, so it's just the area rugs, not a lot. And I've been known to skip it. We sweep dailyish, as needed. And we don't eat off our floor. DS says I am allergic to vacuuming. :D

I'm not sure what our housecleaners use - they bring their own. I will peek tomorrow to see what it is. Whatever it is, our floors look the best they've ever looked. Before these cleaners, we used vinegar and water or glass cleaner. Those were our best finds. For all I know, that's what they use now. I do know that they use a dust mop type thing, and that they dry as they go - which may be the key.

Please don't do this. :(

That's adorable. I think we need a new school mascot!

Ooooh, if there's a troll baby, will there be troll dolls? I learned right here on WTM that troll dolls are particularly devilish. :D

Not sure how in depth you want to go, but my understanding after tons of research (and take this with a grain of unspiced salt, because this cumin situation is changing fast & my research was a few weeks ago) is that there are only a few major suppliers of cumin in the world. At least one of these was compromised (I think it was actually 2). Since the contamination took place out of the US, it's been hard to trace, thus the unfolding of more and more info over such a long period. If you do some digging (i.e emailing companies directly), you can get some answers - if you ask the right questions. As of a few weeks ago, McCormick assured me via email that they were not affected by the recall, and their cumin did not come from an affected supplier. I would encourage you not to trust my word for it though, because this situation is changing often and quickly, and what I heard a few weeks ago may not be accurate. For lots of discussion and info, check out this (long) thread on my favorite food allergy support site: http://foodallergysupport.olicentral.com/index.php/topic,9886.0.html

How old are your children? I'm not familiar with the movie either, but I don't think I'd take my kids to see this one. Adoption issues are tricky enough as it is. Can you go see this on your own?

What a super cool idea! I hope you get a ton of responses. It would be completely cool to house swap with another homeschooling family. We are in the US, near DC, and probably not where you are hoping. Plus, I'm not confident that we could safely navigate DS's allergies (even flying on domestic flights has caused a reaction), but man, oh man, if we lived in a location you'd like and we could do it with DS - I'd be super excited! :lol: about the live-in help. We have a weekly housekeeper, not quite the same appeal though! Watching your thread and pulling for you to find a great network of house swappers!

Yes, this cumin recall has been growing since (!!!!) December. It is frightening in its scope. I would caution everyone with allergies to be very careful about foods containing cumin, as well as eating out in one's "safe" restaurants.

Poor kid! I hope the time flies, till they get this out. What a nightmare.

We've had Fiesta ... Forever. Seriously. In college, I started collecting old Fiesta - I was very picky about old vs new. :) To date myself, that was in the early 90s. None of that vintage Fiesta ever chipped. We switched to new Fiesta maybe 15 years ago. No chipping. I think we've broken one bowl. Oh! Wait - our butter dish chipped. I don't know what happened, but suspect rough dishwasher loading by a kiddo. Our old Fiesta isn't really in use anymore, I fear lead, but it still looks beautiful, too.

I'm not sure about the pricing. My guess would be different suppliers. Maybe?

Ditto. I love all the colors.

Check out Joss and Main - they have a Bohemian Look section this week. :) Looks like it might fit the same style. https://www.jossandmain.com/Bohemian-Fascination~E17100.html

We use a Bosch. Everything fits fine. :)

Welcome to the world of ASCP addiction! I adore ASCP!!!

That was going to be my suggestion. You need an LLMD. If you're going to go to AZ, off the top of my head - I'd choose Dr Fry. But posting at Lymenet will give you a better idea of LLMDs closer to you. You need a member of ILADS. :)