:iagree: I have young kids and pets, so at the moment we have a very dark burgundy leather couch. it was either leather or slip covers! I totally agree on quality! I cannot for the life of me remember what we paid. it wasn't cheap, but it wasn't top of the line either...probably a bit above average. I love the idea of slip covers! The ones that come with the sofa itself, and not the ones available at department stores, they never fit right! having leather means I can wipe away spills, and the dark colour hides any, say grape juice, that doesn't actually come off. we are not a family that could live with white furniture! Do get something comfortable! as for Ikea, I have never even seen a catalog so i certainly cannot comment on their furniture...wish there was one around here though it sounds interesting!

Thank you for the link...that cleared up a few things! I had rather assumed it was related to spam, so now I know..thanks again.

I always use the cheapest I can get..except once I used Finlandia...I, personally could not tell any difference. I was shocked last time I bought vanilla beans! They had doubled in price, but that was awhile ago. I usally make enough vanilla to last 3 to 5 years. I have about 6 months worth left so i guess it is about time to start looking for those vanilla beans again...and maybe a sale on vodka!

I have the same question..I guess I don't really know what a troll is...although i have read them discussed a little

Thanks! That is what I wanted to know..might be a useful feature!

What happens when/if I put someone on my ignore list? Do I not even see their posts? Kinda curious about this Thanks in advance. Jenny

I am so very sorry for your loss. hugs and prayers to you!

This afternoon really was funny. The older two made this much harder because the little guy knew he was entertaining them! He absolutely knows when he needs to go and has total control! He just did not want to pee either while sitting or standing by the potty chair! he kept running from one side of the room to the other and peeing (on purpose), by the door, by the couch...he was having a great time! I started him out in training pants but he peed in those too. He knows what to do, and he knows when to do it, he just won't do this where he should! I am also all for doing this in as little time as I can. It will be a lot harder for me once June rolls around. From the beginning of June until Mid September we will be at our summer place which is wall to wall carpeting!:eek: I don't want to potty train him there!

:iagree: That is so very true! I need to visit only at night...even then, only for 1/2 an hour...but you ladies (and men) are so darn interesting and supportive!

Me too! Does anyone buy this anywhere else?

This might be more modest than you are looking for, but I just bought my dd7 a bathing suit from www.tamanusun.com . They have sizes up to 12-14. I think their racerback top and their regular shorts might be like a tankini. HTH

So, today I decide to give potty training a try with my almost 2 year old ds. He is running around the house peeing on everything except the potty chair!:glare::lol: Part of me knows this is funny, but the other part of me is already tired of following him around with a mop! So do any of you any tricks to get a little one to actually try sitting on the potty chair? So far I have tired... reading him a book, sitting with him, bribing him with chocolate, showing him how his doll pees in the potty Both his brother and sister learned how to use the potty about this age and he sems ready. My big problem right now is he is having way to much fun entertaining his big brother and sister by running around the room peeing in each corner! We have no rugs, just hardwood floors, but help! any suggestions? TIA Jenn

Braiding rugs...but I am good at theat one! Singing...even the 2 year old covers his ears and tell me to stop!:glare: Gardening...its the weeding I am no good at!:D

I bought these a few months ago for my 7 year old. She was having a hard time reading and no desire...She loves them! I cannot recommend them enough! Today she sat down with the first one to "teach" her younger brother how to read! I didn't laugh outwardly but inside my head I was smiling away!:D She has reread the ones she has completed and she has not done that with any other book! They are wonderful!

I also don't see how we are undermining the ps system anymore than those who send their children to private schools. I really don't think one has to do with the other. in fact, without my children there, the teacher can focus on less children right?;)

:iagree: I could not have said this better myself! not even close.

If dh is home then I go to my room and close the door! He is really good at handling anything that happens for one evening. I get my pajamas on and crawl into bed, with either a book or a video, or i actually go to sleep. If DH is not home, I either take a nap (if kids will look after the toddler), I turn on some music I like (the them to The Man From Snowy River usually helps) and try to tune people out, or I come to the WTM forum! really. This mood hit me tonight and although dh is home and kids were going to bed, I had a ton of dishes to do, table to clear, groceries to put away, dog wouldn't stop barking etc... I put on some latin hymns really loud so I could no longer hear the dog and plodded away at the dishes...now i am in here on the computer feeling much better!

We don't use them here either. My kids go outside often and gradually build up a tan. If they look like they are getting too much sun, then I have them play in the shade or put on more clothing. i know it is just my opinion, but i am one of those people who thinks that the sun is needed (vitamin D and all that) and that sunscreen can do more harm than good.

I was a geologist. Now i can tell the kids what minerals are in each and every rock they show me! They think it is a fun game!:D

Yeah, I eat this way...most of the time. There are tons of breakfast ideas to choose from, from simple eggs and bacon to last night's leftovers. For snacks we usually bring hard cheeses, almonds (I toast slivered almonds or bring whole raw almonds), other nuts, strawberries..any berry is a good choice but strawberries tend to be more available this time of year and cheaper. Whole, unsweetened, yogurt that I mix fruit into myself... you are welcome to pm me if you need more ideas right now. There is another web site that I go to and they have a really good recipe section. it is www.proteinpower.com/forum/index.php this is a website put up by Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades. They wrote the protein power books and are friends with Gary Taubes (Good Calories, Bad calories). I hope this helps and is a good start! Jenny

I love the coffee shop analogy! I only visited the old boards a few times, maybe 5 at the most! I've been here since the beginning of February and I do think of it as a coffee shop in a way! I have read some of the heated threads and have not posted in them...actually I haven't read through some of them because i just cannot read that much! I'd be here too long!;)

I have everything set for "next" year. I was also chomping at the bit to start...then I realized that dd7 is already doing 3rd grade math and everything else was finished except history and that we are finishing up pretty quickly so we will start the !st week of May. We are also starting 3 weeks on and 1 week off so i am really excited! We are also starting things we really haven't touched before like Latin (and I am really excited..that befuddles me). We are starting formal grammar with R&S 3. I'm ready to go! The programs I am so excited about? All of them! but they include NEOE Science:Chemistry...okay, I love Chem and so does DH...I am hoping to instill a love for it in my kids as well! We will be supplementing this with Element-O..a Chemistry board game! The weeks we have no experiments we will play Element-O instead. The other program I am really excited about is Winterpromise: American Story 1. Can't wait! But we are having fun finishing up the Middle ages! I love when my kids request SOTW audio cd! Ds6 was so disappointed that I didn't have it in the car yesterday! We did have "the queen's pirate" by Jim Weiss and he ended up being happy with that! When my kids ask to listen to stuff like SOTW or other things like it I am always so glad we homeschool! I just think of their cousins (not all of them to be fair), who would be happy watching Songebob Squarepants and listening to who knows what music....I like this much better!

As I was sitting in the dentist's chair this morning I was thinking of this thread! I had my teeth cleaned by a new hygenist and she was pleasant and not at all chatty! Then, I went in for x-rays. This woman was also very nice and a little chatty. Homeschooling did come up in conversation. after she asked how old my kids were and when I mentioned they were all at home. Anyway, at this point I'm wondering which direction this conversation will go! It turns out that the head dentist, well actually his wife, homeschools their kids! So, no awkward comments and no bizarre looks and i guess a pretty homeschool friendly place! I'm glad we (homeschoolers) are everywhere!

I think it will be Syesha tonight. Bottom 3 might be Syesha/Brooke/Carly or maybe Kristy. I think Kristy is about the only one of the girls who is actually getting better! Now, I still don't like her, but the last few weeks she has really stepped it up! Of course, I still can't get "8 days a week" out of my mind! I thought Carly looked better last night too. Those high waisted pants were really awful! This season is amazing! I sure do hope they keep all the guys left until the end! Jenny

I have this same problem and it comes and goes. I end up going cold turkey for a week, and then if the kids actually ask i let them watch 1 show per day. As others have said, the kids get bored for a day or two (sometimes only a few hours), and then they just remember how to play! I find that I can be the one who ends up turning it on because i want a break...that is something I have to work with! In our family, limiting the tv to 1 or 2 shows per day without the week of no tv just doesn't work...the kids moan and whine more! I am also one who would love to be without the tv again, but dh won't. On weekends I will find the 5 and 7 year olds sitting in front of the tv watching "this old house" and not wanting to get up! I need to go cold turkey here again too! it is easier now that the weather is getting nicer..hurray for that!