O My Goodness she is cute! I love pigtails :)

That is SO Funny!!

I'll change that diaper for you, I've got plenty. Then your toddler and preschooler can come and play with my toddler and preschooler while Mommy lays on the couch with a cup of tea and gives out school insctuctions :D

Ya Think???

My guess is the rest of the world already makes an income which is proportional to their higher cost of living. This is not yet the case here in the US, and that is why the rising prices hurt many of us so much.

Could you use this as a starting point for teaching him narrations? ;)

I didn't know Webkinz was an academic subject, I should have put that at the top of dd's list! :D

I have also heard that ethanol can not be transported by pipeline so it needs to be hauled by trucks ... the kind that run on GAS...

Oh THANK YOU!! I feel so much better now! My daughter and I are both sick. Funny thing is dd is never sick. The rest of the family could be bedridden and she would be just fine. Needless to say she is hurting. I also have two whiny, cranky, clingy boys - a toddler and a preschooler - who aren't feeling well. Fun is.

I have just recently eased into a routine with our school. We generally take 4 to 5 hours (for my 4th grader). Included with that is an hour for reading plus I allow two hours for science and history so she can play around with her experiments or explore topics of particular interest. I am beginning to homeschool my 4 year old also. I read to him for an hour during dd's reading time, and grab time here and there for reading lessons and math pages while dd works on something independantly.

(Cindy gives Kris a discreet high-five while Danestress and Sharon are looking the other way...:D)

Interesting idea - Thank you!

I like the recipes at breadbeckers.com

Yuck! I don't do dead things.

I have read the phrase a few times these past few days. Can someone explain how this works and when it is used? Thanks!

We try to switch off with other parents when we can. One Saturday we get a night out and the next we babysit. It only costs us our time, and for the evening we babysit it means we don't have to entertain our kids ;).

Interesting. :cool: I've never used a pressure cooker, maybe I need to look into one.

Suit youreslf. I wouldn't do it. I still remember the resentment towards my brother and my parents for treating me that way.

And what if the innocent party doesn't know who did it? Or knows, but it's one's word against another (this used to happen all the time with me and my bro...)

OOooohhh... My mother did that to me once when I was 17. I KNEW my brother was the guilty party, and I was convinced she did also, and just wanted to pick a fight. Anyways I LEFT with friends and didn't come home for a week. We had issues... I don't think punishing all for the sins of one is fair. Since the guilty party knows he's in for it anyways, what motivation does he have to "fess up? Why not make his pain-in-the-butt sister/brother suffer as well? I guess I don't have much to offer for dealing with lying. It hasn't been an issue for dd - it's just not her personality. My 4 year old ds I think may be another story... I guess the only thing I can think of so far is a) not let them lie (i.e. "What did you use to cut your sandals?") and b) make sure they feel safe telling me the truth. However, I know some kids will lie no matter what you do (my brother was like this). This doesn't help much, I know - I will be watching for replies from the more experienced moms.

Ethanol. So not only is gas more expensive, but corn is more expensive and wheat is more expensive because more farmers are planting corn. Animal feed is more expensive because the price of corn is going up which means meat, dairy and eggs are more expensive... And the sad/stupid thing is it takes more energy to produce ethanol than is saved by using it.

I would consider that abuse.

When it is silly stuff like this I don't need to know who did it. I don't ask questions that would set my kids up for a lie. I would simply speak to the entire group and tell them what I found and that this behavior is not acceptable. The guilty party will get the message, and the innocent will know not to try it.

Another trick I have discovered is to cook with the cover on - like rice. Do not lift the cover, let them simmer on low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours and beans are done nice and tender. Also do not use salt because then they take forever for some reason. I cook my beans at night using plain old water, then the next morning I put my cooked beans in the crock pot with whatever spices, etc., I plan to use and let them slow cook all day. I should also mention I always let my beans soak for at least 24 hours until they start to ferment (a squirt of lemon juice helps the process...) This neutralizes the phytic acid so they aren't gassy.

This warning would apply to any sugar alcohol.