Sorry, I had to take the boys to swimming! The articles Rai posted do a fairly balanced job. The villagers are a little more biased, of course. There are several websites by locals that are a little more...heated. In addition to the issue of "sprucing" up the village, there is some controversy over the sale then re-sale of Mackenzie-Childs I think. That I don't know as much about... My sister went to Wells at the height of the P.R. firestorm. Incidentally, it was also the time when Wells became a co-ed college. Plenty of controversy over that decision too! :tongue_smilie: President Lisa Ryerson and Rowland are/were thick as thieves, I believe. Conspiracy?? :lol: I noticed the deletion of the criticism of P.R. from Wikipedia too! It does bug me that the dolls were never made in the U.S. I believe production shifted to Eastern Europe before finally settling in China. I have originals. :D My sister and I were HUGE A.G. collectors way back when. She has NO intention of buying them for her DD though, and should I ever have a daughter they aren't high on my must-have list either.

Yes, a lot changed when Pleasant Rowland sold out to Mattel. :glare: She is really not my favorite business woman/entrepreneur. Her behavior in the village of Aurora, NY is another example.

It's already on Pinterest. I saw it today from one of the Potter Facts sites. I'll try to find a link so you can repin. ETA: Here it is. Might be the image referenced in the OP? http://pinterest.com/pin/227291112414960340/

These were most of my suggestions. We have Rody Ponies for each boy and several ride-ons as well. We've done the balance board too. Hullabaloo is a good game for getting out wiggles. A few giant cushions go a long way too (unless you don't mind the furniture coming apart-- I finally had enough!).

Yes, my DH does most of his work for Green Mountain and Keurig and has mentioned this. I also get hints about "top secret" projects. I have a love/hate relationship with the darn things. :auto:

This fits my three boys, although they are all very young. My second is a bit more responsible at times, and the oldest can be something of a dreamer to balance his engineer qualities. :) #3 is spot on, especially as he's a toddler. :lol: He is certainly more daring and physical than the older two were. I don't expect that will change. My MIL has two boys, and my husband is the younger. He and his brother are very like descriptions #1 and #2, but swapped.

Yes, each boy has RFed longer than the one before. All the boys are very tall, but the seat we have should allow my DS (nearly) 22 months to RF until 3 by height. He has been able to climb in and out if his own seat (van has captain's chairs in the middle row) for ages and can buckle his chest clip and he's outgrown his distress in the car. We use a mirror to see him while driving, but if he kicks it down there are two sentries in the third row happy to report what he's up to. :D

I don't have any advice, but I'm sorry this happened to you. :grouphug: My sister looked into this company a few months ago, and was very upset with what she learned. Their BBB rating was an "F"-- among other terrible reviews. I sincerely hope you get your money back, or your climber in short order. We got a Lifetime dome climber from Amazon, if you need another source once this is dealt with.

Funny, I started my list today too! :tongue_smilie: This is us, but we do "something to play with" instead of wear since their "need" is always new Hanna Andersson Christmas pajamas. We also do stockings on St. Nicholas Day that I fill with food I never otherwise buy: cereal bars, juice boxes, chocolate bars... I have a running list of books for each of them and their "play with" will be a puzzle or board game, as is age appropriate. Their "wants" are my only undecideds. Right now, I'm thinking a new iPod Nano for the oldest since he doesn't play with toys, but is obsessed with audio books. Or maybe a telescope since we're studying astronomy this year. I'm planning a Fagus truck each for the other two to add to our collection. Definitely for the two-year old, but maybe something else for my middle son. We'll see what inspiration strikes!

I thought I was the only one who feels that way about Sonya Shafer. :lol:

Did anyone do Seven Beers for Seven Brothers? :tongue_smilie:

Lol, I thought of that one too! Beer Society or the original: The Philadelphia Beer Singing in the Beer Top Beer (I was thinking Fred Astaire in Top Hat, not Top Gun) The Usual Beer

Us too! That was our first CD. We have a big collection. All are outstanding, but current favorites include King Arthur and His Knights, The Jungle Book, and Just So Stories. Oh, DS1 wants me to add Giants! and Tales from the Old Testament.:tongue_smilie:

It really depends on where you are. When we lived up north, this was true (although the Oswego area has something small now). The Syracuse area, however, has several non-LEAH support groups! Three (two are mostly for field trips) are secular and one has a large co-op.

Not a car seat, but a baby holder seat: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12247.html I agree. I wonder about the wisdom of forcing a baby into that position before he's ready. Not to mention how many people use them on raised surfaces!

I'm always surprised more people, especially homeschoolers, don't know about Simon's Rock: http://www.simons-rock.edu/ It's exclusively an early college and been around for almost fifty years. I went there after my sophomore year. Most of the freshman were 15-16, though Mia Farrrow's son started the same year I did at 11, IIRC. Students complete a two year degree in the lower college than can matriculate into the upper college or transfer. There is far more support for students than at most colleges because the students are all so young. It's academically rigorous, and just all-around a fascinating place.

I think full price it was $100 or so. I found mine on clearance for $50, but I don't think it's available anymore, so I'm sure that's driving up the price. :glare:

I have one and used it this week to make golden mashed potatoes. I do also whip them in the mixer. Depends on how we're feeling. :D I'll be 30 in two weeks.

:iagree: I have many of my old pairs. My first pair, of course, special ones from various productions (my favorites are dyed yellow!), and my last pair. :sad:

Someone posted this on FB last night (warning for language): http://jezebel.com/5931055/10-reasons-ryan-lochte-is-americas-sexiest-douchebag This jumped out at me:

Elizabeth Foss has a Sarah Ann(e). I like it a lot. They call her Sarah Annie, however, and that I don't like as much!

We asked when one of my husband's best friends was gettin married a few years ago. They were fine with us bringing him, do we did. DS2 was six weeks old, and ended up sleeping through the ceremony and reception tucked into my Mei Tai. The hardest part was the drive out there (three hours away in Niagara Falls), as he was NOT a car fan in those days!

This just happened! DH is reading to the boys, and there was some jostling for position on the couch. The 20 month old was fussing at the 6 yo for getting too close, and the 4 yo (today's his birthday!) pipes up and says, "J likes his personal space." :lol:

I once read that he was born in 1980, so 32 this year! (I'm sure I'll never be able to find the source for that!) ETA: It was the Harry Potter Lexicon: http://www.hp-lexicon.org/timelines/timeline_harry.html ETA2: I think in Deathly Hallows, the date on his parents' grave is 10/31/1981. I'd have to look it up to be sure.

I line dry year round, in and out, and when I first started five years ago, we had a $30 drop in our electric bill that month. I've never done the math beyond that. I find the rhythn and ritual of hanging and folding laundry soothing, so I do it as much for that as the savings. :tongue_smilie: I've never noticed any fading from line drying outside. ETA: At the time I started, there were only three of us, and I did 8-10 loads per week including diapers.