That depends on where you live! In NY (and several other states, I believe) we pay sales tax at Amazon. :glare:

Zuzu is the name of one of my cats, taken from a certain movie since she's a Christmas cat. :D 8/22 is my birthday.

We did that! We used the one from Catholic Icing: http://catholicicing.com/2009/12/diy-printable-nativity-for-kids/ Also, my Jesse Tree has 12 ornaments/readings for the 12 Days...

In addition to what's been mentioned, I try to have something special to do each day. It doesn't necessarily have to be directly related to Cheistmas, but just something. Today we worked on the Kiwi Crate we received from my sister. Tomorrow we're doing our gingerbread houses, Thursday we have a playdate at my sister's, New Year's Eve/Day, Lights on the Lake, etc. I didn't notice the ages of everyone's kids, but I bought a 12 days lapbook we may or may not do and of course, we're tacking the Wise Men as they move toward the manger. This year we'll make an Epiphany cake and we give three small gifts on the sixth (myrrh- something for the body like bubble bath, frankincense- religious gift, and gold- something handmade).

My three are asleep (5, 3, 13 months). This is their normal bedtime. Now I need to get up and work some Christmas magic! :D ETA: 7 PM Eastern. :)

Ooh, did not know that! Thanks, I'll keep my fingers crossed!

I've had no problem until today. I ordered two items (same order) early on Wednesday and the delivery estimate was today. One item arrived and one didn't. :glare: In contrast, four minutes before the Friday delivery deadline on Wednesday evening, I ordered a Kindle. It arrived today. I'm really annoyed the one item (Stomp Rockets) didn't make it. I had no notice from Amazon, and when I checked the tracking it was still sitting in Kentucky. I hope it's here Tuesday.

One of my favorites! :lol:

I read about this on another forum a few days ago. The girl's mother died earlier this year in a car accident. What a hard time for the family. :(

Thank you! I did order a 9. I do order up with my kids, but I had a moment of paralyzing indecision. :lol:

:lol: I'll keep that in mind. He's off to Africa with the Peace Corps, so I'm leaning toward casual. ;) Thanks! I'm ordering from Zappos, so if they're a disaster, at least return/exchanges are easy!

My brother asked for flip-flops for Christmas. (Don't ask, lol!) Anyway, he wears an 8.5. Do I order him an 8 or 9? I've email him, but no answer yet. TIA!

That's the second story this week! There was a nine month old baby raped locally late last month. She has severe internal injuries and needed emergency surgery to save her life. :mad:

If you recycle them, make sure you cut the straps so they can't be reused. :iagree: Definitely recommend the BRU trade-in!

And I'll add this: relatives whose kids are grown seem to very quickly forget! :grouphug:

My sister and I are using Snapfish this year, and we're using pictures from 2011. For each child's birthday, however, we are able to add a newborn picture to the little square for the specific date. It's been very easy!

I'm contemplating this. My oldest is five and sounds like your DD. He plays the piano, reads, fiddles around with blocks and couch cushions, and plays outside. My middle son would play more, I think, but under the influence of his brother most days, he doesn't play a lot either with "real" toys. The 1 yo is too young to say, but I really doubt any of them would miss most of it. I'm thinking of keeping just the trucks, blocks, and trains. I haven't quite worked up the courage yet, honestly, to sell the rest... so it sits.

:iagree: We move our babies out by 4-5 months. They are long and chunky during the first few months! Usually 20 lbs. by four months, but all have topped out at 23 lbs. and 32 inches by a year and have continued to be fairly thin but very tall.

We're somewhere in the middle. The adults in our house have a fair amount to techie stuff: my DH and I each have an older iPod Touch, iPads, and an iPhone. I also have a 1st edition Nook. We don't have a TV, gaming systems, or any other electronic toy for the boys.

That's not exactly what Reg means. Lately, anytime I switch tabs for any reason (double check a fact, copy a link, etc.), Safari is refreshing when I return to the tab and losing the text in reply boxes. I feel the frustration. I've lost several long posts here and on other forums and even while typing an email via hotmail. I'm not sure what's changed, as I haven't had this problem in the past either with my iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.

Just loss my response. :glare: Recap: yes, it's a real sale! Two years ago I was unexpectedly at the mall on Black Friday, and I bought two iPod Touches at the Apple Store because they were $299 rather than $399.

Sounds a little like scare tactics to me. :glare: It's a been a while since I read The Vaccine Book, but it was fairly neutral and straightforward. IIRC, Dr. Sears is pro-vaccination, but also pro-personal choice! The book presents information about each disease (how common, how serious, etc.), how the vaccine is made and the ingredients, which ingredients are controversial, potential side effects and how to treat them, and suggested shot schedules for selective and/or delayed vaccination. I'd say it's layman scientific, which is what its purpose is, IMO. It presents straightforward information to parents without dumbing the information down, making it difficult to understand, or being condescending. Hope that helps! I can get my book out and look more thoroughly if you'd like.

Same for my three boys! My nearly 3.5 yo boys is getting add-on pieces for our wood train set, a pirate ship, a construction set, and the Busytown airport game. He also loves play food, unit blocks, big trucks, and his Rody Pony.

I wasn't able to read the Facebook document either, but here's what I found at HSS from the FIAR publisher: http://forum.homeschoolshare.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7631 I've never been a big fan of FIAR or the people behind it (although I like the book choices), and this really rubs me the wrong way, especially what he says about potential negative results years down the road from non-approved FIAR resources. :glare:

Our newest favorite is AnimaLogic: http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Brain-Toys-FA0351-AnimaLogic/dp/B002JVN9YM My five year old really likes it, and even DH and I find it challenging at times! We also like Harvest Time quite a bit.