I currently have five teenagers (19, 19, 16, 14, 13); my baby is 11. I love teens. They are so much fun! Yes, they can be headstrong at times, but nothing compared to a 3 or 4 year old! Teens argue well, lol. Really, I think the teen years are our reward for raising kids when they are little. Teens are real people, with real opinions...lots of fun. Sure, they have their days, but overall? Teens are fantastic. Ria

LOL. I tried a number of programs such as this over the years. Got my money back for all of them. I ended up just making a chart on Microsoft Word. Ria

I'm going on a wilderness canoe trip in the north woods of Canada this summer, through the same camp that my five sons attend. I don't look forward to having to pee in the woods at night. :001_unsure: Ria

I'm praying for you and your family, Chris. Ria

Don't put them on dimmers! Our kitchen floods are fine, but we only replaced those not on dimmers. I'm hoping to find some floods for my dimmer floods soon. Our regular floods are 3 years old and are still fine. Ria

It's the area. We live less than 5 miles from Amish areas. I buy my wheat at the Route 10 Farm Market. It's lit by gas lights! Ria

My guys loved their Legos. The creative value of them is boundless. The K'Nex were only used for making guns. I hated the things. Whenever I would see a small K'Nex I would vacuum it up. LOL. Want to know how I really feel about them? Tee hee. Ria

Whole wheat flour goes rancid quickly. There's a huge taste difference between freshly ground and store-bought. Also, for me grinding my own is a lot cheaper. I can buy 40-lb of organic white wheat for $14. That's a lot of flour!! Ria ETA: I can grind 8 cups of wheat berries in about 4 minutes, so it's pretty quick. I grind a bunch and keep it in the freezer or fridge.

I think your friend's dh acted rashly. Hang onto the 401K and keep putting money in. The US economy is basically sound. It will bounce back...certainly long before we retire! Ria

Sunday: Miso Ramen Noodles Mon: Stuffed Pork Loin (stuffed w/ dried fruit/nuts); quinoa pilaf Tues: Southern Fried Chicken Salad Wed: Thai Soup (lime/shrimp/ciantro); tempeh salad Thurs: Pozole served w/ brown rice and avocado if I can find a decent one Friday: New Potato salad w/ bacon and brie; white bean/garlic soup Sat: Eggplant Parmesan Sunday: Vegetable Curry; chapatis Ria

Congratulations!!! I'm so happy for you! Ria

I would avoid Carnival. RC is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! You'll feel indulged and pampered. Room size is irrelevant...you simply won't be there much except to collapse and sleep. RC is a step above Carnival, I'd go with them in a heartbeat. Have a great time! Ria ETA: We really enjoyed CocoaCay as well. Lovely!

I drive 5 miles to the local Amish market. I get a 40-lb bag of Montana Prairie Gold white wheat for $14. :001_smile: Ria

You did the right thing. The man shouldn't be a pastor. We are going through a similar thing in our church right now...we finally have caught the pastor plagiarizing, so we have something tangible on him other than just lack of duties. Sheesh. I think you rock. Your church is blessed to have you. I have to meet a friend for a walk....more on this later! Ria

I'd want to rule out yeast infection before I tried anything else. Poor baby! Ria

Just an old cloth diaper sprinkled with warm water. Ria

Theh stand mixer replace the hand mixer. It has a wisk, so whatever you could do with the hand mixer you can do with the stand mixer. In addition, it mixes everything from bread to cookies, etc. Today I have used mine to make muffins, and am now making bread. I use it almost daily. It is faster, ore powerful, and much more versitile than a hand mixer. And the hand mixer? We don't even own one anymore. Ria

This kind of thing bothers me, too. You aren't alone. Ria

I can completely understand what you are feeling. I homeschooled my six children for 16 years. Our oldest two are in college now. Last Feb. I enrolled the four younger boys (at the time they were in grades 5, 6, 8, and 10) in the local schools. Guess what? We are all much, much happier. I loved homeschooling, don't get me wrong, but I was tired. I'd reached the end, and I knew it. The boys were ready for school...they not only love it, but they are thriving. I was more than a little worried about how they'd do with me putting them in school mid-year, but it was a very smooth transition. I now have a part-time job. The boys are enjoying their classes, learning lots, enjoying being with friends, and still have me supervising/instructing as need be. I'm still involved in their education. Please feel free to PM me if you want. Ria

First, I wouldn't panic. My guess is that the child wanted money (do you know why?). I would also be willing to bet that he/she has no clue as to the value of money, so $130 is probably no different than $20 in his/her eyes. I'd have a long talk to see why this happened. What was the child thinking? Had they asked for something and not recieved it, and done this out of spite? Lots of unknowns...but talking would be the first course for me. Ria

Okay you guys...here is a true story. My parents have friends; the wife's elderly mother died. Her wish was to be creamated and for her ashes to be sprinkled over some beautiful body of water somewhere in the world. Well, a year went by and her ashes were still sitting in the urn. The friend and her dh went on a river cruise in Europe. One evening as they were cruising somewhere in Germany or France, they just *knew* this was the spot. "Mother" was brought up in the urn and the friend gently and reverently tipped the urn and began to pour the ashes into the river. Just then, a terrific gust of wind blew up. Ashes went everywhere. People on the deck were suddenly covered in white ash. The ship soon docked, and people, with "Mother" still stuck to them, departed for an evening in town. The woman looked at her husband, sighed, and said, "Well, Mother always did want to travel all over." LOL. Ria (who wants to be cremated but not sprinkled on unwitting travelers)

I really like Prentice Hall Science Explorer. I never used the Teacher Editions, but if they are available cheap, why not? There are great experiments that don't require a lot of expensive equipment. I'm happy to say that our school district uses these books, so my guys have had a seamless transition. Ria

DS (11) says that yes, GH3 is "darker" than the others. No problems with 1 and 2 from what we can tell. The music in 1 and 2 is more upbeat and more of what I remember from high school. Ria

Can you be a little more specific? What age is your child? What, in particular, is the problem? Ria (a science nut)

I have no clue why it's rated for teens. We have it, I play it, and so do my kiddos. It's fine. You play songs. Yes, some o fthe cartoon character figures might be strangely clad. You'd see worse at the mall. Ria