:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

I haven't read all the replies, but here's my experience. My 2nd has very sensitive skin and had horrible reactions to disposables. He also had bad, although not as bad, reactions to the synthetics in pockets like bumgenius and fuzzibunz. Fit has been an issue too, and changed as he grew. After buying and selling more than I could have imagined, I settled on making my own fitteds and using wool covers with a couple of thirsties mixed in. Just be prepared for some trial and error to find what works. Also, do research the best laundry method for your type of diaper and water. It makes a big difference in some instances.

http://www.classroomvictorygarden.org/index.html Did you see this free curriculum? It was posted on freelyeducate.com.

The drop-in group sounds really nice, but I love the hiking group idea! I wish I knew of something like that near me. How lovely.

There is a preschool program at a small farm that I would probably send my boys to if we lived a bit closer and had more money. It's the only one that has ever tempted me. Lots of outdoor time, whatever the weather, and lots of farm involvement. Luckily the farm has a jr farmer program that has a schedule and price better suited for us, so DS4 will start that in a couple of weeks. If your children enjoy it and it works for your family, I don't see a problem.

My sister is a TA for an undergrad class and sent me this tidbit from a paper she was grading: "Cook County, a suburb of Chicago, ......" :lol: She said she was amazed at how poor some of the writing was.

Voted. His piece is beautiful!

Thought I'd share this link: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/celebration/GettingStarted/kit. Maybe it's been posted before, but I was excited to discover it. :)

No.

He's a doll! Enjoy all of that delicious puppy smell!

We find lye at the grocery store. I think we've even seen a recipe on the bottle. Red Devil lye is what's available here. It is easy, but lye is very caustic so do be very careful. Have some cider vinegar ready to counter the effects of any lye contact.

Glad to hear positive reviews of this charity. :)

My sister just posted about it on her blog: http://tusarebecca.blogspot.com/2011/03/soles4souls.html. I know I have a few pair (or more) that I will donate.

Thanks! :001_smile: If I can figure out how to get these from my laptop to my nook, I'll be set.

I do think getting another dog to love can be very healing, but in my experience, yes, it will make you miss your beloved dog more. But not all the time. My best girl has been gone a little over 3 years now, and I can still be brought to tears thinking about her. I'm tearing up now. The little girl I have now is a real sweet pea, and I love her. Really. Just not like I loved my big girl. And that's ok. What I expected. Then sometimes she's just with me, doing whatever we're doing, or doing nothing, and I feel this deep togetherness bond that forces me to look at her and touch her and acknowledge that it's my little girl, not my dearest. And the feeling makes me so happy and so very sad at the same time. Now I'm actually crying. Good luck deciding. Take your time, but don't wait forever. Dogs are wonderful creatures, and you will be glad to have whichever one you choose even if you're also sad. :grouphug:

Fun Lego quilt: http://www.made-by-rae.com/2011/03/guest-post-lego-quilt-with-wee.html.

Do you have a Half Price Books near you? I can't begin to tell you how many amazing books I have found in the children's clearance section of the one by me, generally for 25¢-$1, plus 10% off with educator card. I've seen wonderful Caldecott & Newberry award winners, Dover coloring books of the ancients etc, living books mentioned on here frequently, and on & on. I have also been rather pleasantly surprised with the number of useful books my library has.

:iagree: :bigear:

My sister has a wheaten. He is a wonderful boy! He is pretty sure he is a real boy, actually. We were fairly certain he was part mountain goat or maybe gazelle because his climbing, jumping, and leaping abilities are so, um, impressive. As a pup, he and my sister lived on a farm so he could run through fields. Sometimes my sister had to chase after to be sure where he was, but he never ran off. I have never had even the slightest reservation about him with my boys. They both adore him. When I had trouble with my second dog, who had been abused, I called on the wheaten. My big nervous guy would do anything if he could do it with the wheaten. Saved us many times, and saved my old fellow. Although not aggressive in the least, he is protective when you'd want him to be. He's handsome, charming, and very intelligent. He isn't a mouser. My mom had a miniature Schnauzer who moused, so we were hopeful when mice came to her cottage. No luck. I hope you find a wonderful dog!

Well, she can't talk about it if it gets solved, you know. ;) It's ironic,, I think, that she believes santeria was used on the house but most likely would refuse to use anything similar to fix it. My SIL might have though. I have heard that Cleveland was cursed by the Indians, but hadn't heard that about Miami.

I have no idea. I'll have to ask DH.

I voted yes. Frequently, I'd say. And this little bit is especially for Ibbygirl: My MIL has problems in her house with duendis. I haven't seen them, but my SIL has. MIL suspects santeria has affected the house, so she can't keep them out. House is in Miami. ;)

EagainTA: Thanks Ellie too! I tried to change the title to nevermind, but apparently that isn't possible? A school I had considered here is state accredited as well as regionally accredited. And the comments that prompted me to ask the question both mentioned state accredited schools. But I realize the question is too broad, so I tried changing the title and edited instead of replying so as not to bump the thread. ETA: Thanks Heather. :) I saw something about this mentioned on another thread - that if a school is state accredited, attendance rules apply. Are there others? I know in Illinois, a private school may not administer the ILSAT. Are they required to administer other testing? Any other general rules that must be followed? Curious...

OP: I did a quick google search last night and found a crazy long thread about using honey on the Mothering forums. A number of people used a bit of baking soda mixed with the honey. There were a number of mentions of apple cider vinegar as toner, and the oil cleansing method. I just scanned it, skipping many pages, but you might find some useful info there.