Using the web on my Kindle is painfully slow and tedious, however it is possible. Thankfully, Amazon has just added parental controls to the Kindles, so you can password protect the ability to go online and also the ability to purchase from the Kindle store. I bought the least expensive Kindle (but without the ads) for my children. It's great to be able to download classics for free from Amazon and other websites. I have a Kindle Keyboard that I really LOVE, but I've got my eye on their new Kindle Paperwhite!

The toddler years are challenging, aren't they? It's nice when they get above a certain age, then you'll know they are not likely to try to something completely inane like eat a beetle. (My current 6 year old did that when she was about one year old.)

This does make me feel better, because now I won't bother to do it. I truly only want to take precautions that are reasonable, necessary, and helpful. So I'm glad to know! :)

I like this advice! :) I gave my girls a little prep: don't touch anything you don't need to and wash your hands well when you're done. I'm totally at peace with it and I bet they will have a great time! Thanks again for all your help. This thread has really helped me! :hugs:

Thanks so much for your kind reply and your honesty. I know that my concerns are not typical, and this thread has helped me to see that more. The desire to take good care of my children is good; I just need to make sure the way it plays out is truly beneficial and reasonable and not, as you said, a cumbrance. Thanks for saying it that way.

You are surely right! I was reading Psalm 20 this morning and verse 7 says this: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." For me, I need to think of it this way: "Some trust in hand sanitizer and some in clorox wipes, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." I know that sounds silly, but I need to remember that God works all things to the counsel of His will. As long as I know I've been responsible to take care of my children, I can easily trust Him for the results. I guess I have to trust that even if I'm not sure I've taken all the right precautions that He will also take care of the results.

I'm glad I'm not the only one! :) I think one reason it's so hard for me to be moderate with germ precautions is that everyone has a different idea of what's reasonable. When I was growing up, I don't remember washing hands when we came home from somewhere, but in my house now we do. As a side note, I'll mention that I did not think once about germs growing up. (My mom is very un-germaphobic.) It wasn't until I was taken out to a really bad restaurant when I was about 20 years old that I ever thought about germs. It was really dirty there, and the menu stuck together when I tried to open it. For some reason, it totally changed my response to germs.

One other thing: many of you said that you'd be fine as long as they thoroughly wash their hands. Do you think it's okay for them to turn of the faucet and open the door with those washed hands, or should they use a paper towel to touch turn off the faucet and door handle? (I bet you can guess what I do. :o ) What do you do?

Thanks for your encouragement and kind words, ladies. :) I struggle with germaphobic tendencies in general, so it's not easy for me to deal with this. I think the best thing for me to do is to give them some common sense instructions, entrust them to the Lord's care, then just not think about it. So what say you: assuming that a toilet seat looks clean, is it better to have them put toilet paper down on the seat or not. I like the idea of a barrier, but if they are going to end up touching the seat to put the paper down that's probably worse. Thoughts? I think the thing that makes me the most concerned with the bathroom issue is the chance of their priv@te parts accidentally coming in contact with the seat as they get on or off (they are still pretty little!). I'm really ready to not be concerned with germs any longer, in general, but I do need to figure out what reasonable precautions are in different situations. This might sound silly, but some safety issues are easier for me to let go than others. For instance: I don't worry about my children's safety in the car because there are defined and reasonable precautions I can take (have everyone strapped in appropriately, drive responsibly, etc.). I know that we could still be injured in a car accident, but I can know that I've done what I could to protect them. But with other things (like keeping them safe from germs) it seems much more nebulous to me as to exactly what are "enough" precautions to take. Maybe I should start some threads here to see what precautions are generally thought to be reasonable in different situations. For instance, when I have a young baby (like right now!) and I need to leave the church sanctuary to go nurse I have to touch lots of door handles on the way to the nursing room. If it's cold and flu season, I use some hand sanitizer before I nurse her, since my hands need to come in contact with the place where she's about to put here mouth. Is this totally silly and overboard, or reasonable. I just don't know! Thanks again, everyone!

Help me know if I'm worried for no reason here. My husband is planning on taking my daughters somewhere later today where they will need to use a church bathroom alone. It's not one that he will be able to go into with them. In the past, I've always been with them. So I've been able to make sure the seat is clean, lay down toilet paper, and lift them up so that they don't have to be touching the toilet seat with their hands. If they go in alone (they are 6 and 8), they will have to touch the toilet seat with their hands while they are on the throne, then they will need to wipe with those same hands. This seems to me to be not okay as far as being exposed to nasty germs, etc. Do some of you take precautions like I generally do? Do some of you not even think about this, and just let them go in alone? How can I make it safe for them to use the public bathroom alone? Thoughts?

Pretty much. We'll still do Math and Grammar, but that's it! I'm enjoying it. I got to make cupcakes this afternoon, which is something I don't usually have time to do on a weekday. :)

We do lessons year round and I've tried lots of different ways of taking time off. I usually end up doing way more days than are required. I found that my children don't do well with lack of routine for even a week, so I like doing lessons four days per week. We do take a week off a couple of times per year for vacation and Christmas. HTH! :)

I wouldn't hesitate to use 4 day old beans if they've been refrigerated properly. I'd probably make sure to heat them up well, just in case. :)

Thanks so much! I'd have to say "no" to answer the bolded question, so I'm thinking that rules out plantar fasciitis?

Well, my mom bumped into her podiatrist this morning when she was swimming, and she was able to ask him. He's thinking tendonits and thinks I should stay off it as much as possible until it improves along with ice and ibuprofen. I checked this out. Ouch! Is the pain mostly on the bottom of the foot with this? Because the bottom of my foot is not hurting at all, but the side is very painful. Thanks so much, everyone! Now I have to figure out how to stay off my feet with 5 children, including a 6 week old!!! I can take it really easy this weekend, for sure, while my husband is home. (Well, once I get back from the memorial service, that is.) Thanks again!

The outer side of my heel has been bothering me for a couple of weeks, probably aggravated by bouncing my youngest in her bouncy seat to help her get to sleep. It would hurt/pull only when I leaned far forward or twisted it. But I could walk on it without pain and with a normal gait. Yesterday when I woke up when I woke up, my heel was much tighter and painful. It doesn't hurt when I bear weight or step down on it. But, first thing in the morning, when I try to walk, this is what happens. When I step forward with the good foot, the back heel (to the outer edge and near the ground) tightens/hurts just at the moment before the heel lifts from the floor. It makes it so that I can't take anything like a full stride for a while until it loosens up. So I can take a full stride forward with the bad foot, but it doesn't want to let the good foot take a full stride forward, if that makes any sense at all! Yesterday, it was bad early, but felt almost normal by mid-morning. This morning it doesn't seem to be loosening up, so I can't walk normally. QUESTIONS: I've been icing it, taking ibuprofen, and trying to stay off it (Ha!). Is that a good course to take? Any thoughts on what this could be? How important it is to try to rest it? (I don't want to do more damage.) Do I need to see a podiatrist? (I'm assuming yes.) I have a memorial service for a dear friend's husband to attend this morning, and I need to drive to do it (it's my right foot). I really, really need to go to this service, but I don't want to injure my foot more. Thanks so much!

We eat vegan/plant-based and LOVE it!!! My husband's cholesterol dropped 100 points and he lost 20 lbs. without even trying with this way of eating. Check out these books: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease (great info AND great recipes!). PM me if you would like more info. There are some great cookbooks that are easy to use.

Oh, good! :001_smile: I'm hoping it will help me figure out how to use it well.

Thanks so much! At this point we're leaning toward KONOS. When I emailed Jessica and asked her if it would be okay to start with Volume 1 with my children, she said it would be fine. I really want to spend some time on attentiveness and obedience! :D We just bought their 7 hour video set called "Creating the Balance" and started watching it last night. I think it will help my husband and I get a feel for whether or not it will work for our family.

Oh! I just remembered these simple "recipes" by Jeff Novick:

We've been mainly vegan for about 3 years now. (We still eat animal products if we're having dinner at someone's house or for special occasions.) I don't have much time to cook, but I've found a couple of cookbooks that have recipes that are quick and easy to prepare: http://www.amazon.com/Mcdougall-Quick-Easy-Cookbook-Delicious/dp/0452276969 http://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Happy-Herbivore-Quick---Easy/dp/1936661381/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351727972&sr=1-1&keywords=everyday+happy+herbivore HTH! and Hugs! I get tired of cooking sometimes too! ETA: I never use fake meats in my cooking and I generally find it simpler to prepare meals than when I was cooking with meat.

Thanks for posting this! :)

You're right ... sleep is a biological need, isn't it. (I think sometimes math seems like a biological need to me!:D) My three year old still naps, my 6 year old does "room time," and my older two do independent work ... so it can be done safely here. Also, now that my oldest is 11, he would certainly alert me if someone was doing something they shouldn't be doing. 5 kids in 8.5 years! Wow! My five children came in 11 years (and I've been nursing or pregnant for that long too!) ... and I still feel overwhelmed. Thanks for the congrats! She's a sweetie. :001_smile: I think that some people are just wired differently as to how much sleep they need and how much they can do. I really don't do well with less than 7 hours or so. (8 is really nice!) I have to remember that taking care of myself is really taking care of my family (indirectly). Thanks, everyone, for all your input! :)

This is really helpful. Thanks so much! I think you're right that I'll burn out if I try to drop the nap now ... and that's not good for anyone!

As of now, about 70% of poll responders *do* take a nap when they are waking at night with a little one. That's helpful to know ... and it makes me feel less like a slacker for napping right now! :D