I would not do it. I have some vague recollection of someone telling me about dosing a child with benedryl for flying and having to go to the hospital as a result. Frankly, I don't think we should feel obligated to drug our children just so someone might not get annoyed by normal infant noises, but I realize from the "flying with kids" article posted a few weeks ago that some people seem to think kids should no longer be allowed on public transportation and we should have some sort of sterile adults only world to live in. (Can you tell that article kind of upset me? :glare:) Anyway, I've done a lot of flying with kids and I think she should be fine if you just make some provision for the ear pain that can be caused with the pressure change. Usually nursing during take off/ landing helps significantly with that.

I've never had a home birth, but I just wanted to say congratulations!:party: Elaine

:confused: This sounds like theater of the absurd, for sure. Weird! Elaine

I don't live in California, but wanted to say Hello Nancypants! :seeya: I remember you and I always enjoyed your posts. I hope you will come back and visit again. Elaine

We take them around first grade or so at a pediatrician's recommendation. I just didn't think of it at first with my oldest son, but I was glad we followed the advice we were given because it turned out he really needed glasses. I hadn't had any idea because he was reading fine and didn't complain about not being able to see things. turns out her wasn't complaining because he thought everything looked a little like a Monet! Elaine

I think I need to vote for that obligatory "other" that didn't make it into this poll. ;) I don't believe that God "dictated" the Bible, meaning that He told the authors exactly what to write and they just copied down. They used their own words. At the same time, I do believe that they were inspired by God and that every word included in the original language is valuable and worthy of study and consideration. I think some of the prophecies, for example, seem to have multiple layers of meaning of which the original writers were not aware. They wrote them in their own words and with specific intentions, but the inspired end result supercedes their intentions. Does that make sense? I also can't answer the "literal" vs. "metaphorical" as stated because I think different parts of the Bible are to be interpreted differently depending on genre, and that many parts which are literal are metaphorical as well. (It is that multiple layers of meaning thing again.) I guess I see God as a Poet, and her writes his poetry into reality. so I don't see this as an either/ or proposition. Elaine

We are considering getting our ds 11 a Kindle touch for Christmas. Does anyone have the "with special offers" version (i.e. advertisements for your screen saver)? We like the idea of saving 30 dollars but I'm wondering what kind of ads my son will be viewing on a regular basis and how annoying this turns out to be. What would you do? Elaine

Congratulations! :) How about Ziva Leigh ? Elaine

I read the WSJ article posted in the other thread and, despite the OP's warning, began to read the comments. I was rather horrified by the degree of distain and disgust expressed toward children and "people who breed" (yes, "breed" is the term that was used). I feel like I am seeing this attitude expressed more and more lately and I am wondering if American society in general is becoming more selfish and more contemptuous of others whose needs inconvenience them. There seemed no understanding of the fact that children are not fully mature adults and are unable to sit perfectly still for hours on end and may sometimes accidentally kick the back of a seat because that is exactly where there restless little legs end up when they are wearing the seatbelt. Do you all sense this level of contempt for children growing in real life, or is this just the crazed rantings one often finds in comments following internet news articles? I am truly hoping it is the latter. Elaine

I'm just now seeing this thread as well, but I would like to join in! I think this is a great idea. I look forward to hearing what you all decide to do week by week and what the outcome of our "random acts" will be. Elaine

I don't know, but that sounds really weird! I could see people promoting their own product or systematically writing bad reviews for a category of things they disagree with philosophically, but what you are describing sounds inexplicably strange. :001_huh: Sorry, I guess that didn't help to answer your questions at all! consider it a bump- Elaine

My son was telling my daughter something similar and she was making a "gross" face back, so he said, "Don't worry! You only have to do it once." :001_huh: That's when I realized that we hadn't communicated as much information on the subject as I thought we had. Elaine

Yes, this drives me crazy! I voted 5+. So is there a certain of pencil that reduces this problem? We waste so much time sharpening pencils and cleaning up the shavings off the schoolroom floor. :glare: Elaine

We do about 5 hours a week in Latin and about 4 hours a week studying Chinese. It does definitely take a good chuck of school time. I think you just have to decide whether the end goal is worth it to you or not. I spent a lot of school hours studying French and have retained almost nothing, so I do think that part of the decision has to be whether or not you think they have a reasonable chance of reading or speaking it regularly in the future. Elaine

I once got a mummified looking mouse in my oatmeal when I poured it into the bowl one morning. It was in a big bag of oatmeal purportedly from Australia. The most disgusting thing was knowing that we had been eating from that same oatmeal bag for awhile. Yuck!!!:ack2: Elaine

I am about a third of the way through it right now! It is really a fun read. I keep thinking, "He's got to be making this stuff up!" But then I do a little research and find that he is right. I loved his book about Australia as well. I think it was entitled In A Sunburned Country . Elaine

I've always loved that quotation as well! Good old Puddleglum. Elaine

I am finally able to return to check this post and just want to thank all who took the time to answer. I love that I can come here and receive thoughtful input from so many intelligent women (and men!) of different perspectives. I appreciate you all! Elaine

Thank you. I can't seem to get your link to work, though? I am interested in looking through the info there. Elaine

This is very insightful, I think! Yes, part of what I'm feeling is that Christianity always encompasses both the spiritual and physical in a complete and perfect manner and a purely symbolic interpretation of the eucharist just doesn't seem to "fit". Elaine

Unfortunately I need to get off the computer for the moment but I will definitely come back and check responses to this thread and want to thank everyone who joins the conversation for their contributions. I don't want you all to think I'm just asking a question and running away. :001_smile: Elaine

Thanks, Asenik. So if I'm reading the second half of your post correctly, that means that for a Catholic the eucharist of the EO church would be valid (truly have Jesus' presence) but that would not be true of Protestant denominations holding a belief in the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine. Is that corrrect? And does CCC refer to the catecism? Thanks again. Elaine

That's true, Laurie. I know I can get too caught up in the whys and hows sometimes. Thanks for your thoughts. Elaine

We've done this many times, for similiar reasons. Usually we will also do some small family things to recognize the actual day, like a special celebratory dinner with family gifts and maybe a cake if the party date is too far off. I'm sure he will enjoy the party more if most of his friends can actually be there. Elaine

I know there have been a lot of questions about faith issues lately, but you all were so helpful in answering my last one that I'm wondering if I can throw one more out there. I'm trying to understand the implications of the idea of Christ being really present in the eucharist. It is an idea which really speaks to my heart, but I am not sure what my mind makes of it, if that makes sense. What causes this transformation in the eyes of the various traditions that hold this view? Is it the prayer of the priest/pastor of the church? If so, do Catholics believe that only the prayers of their priests are effective in this regard, Orthodox only the prayers of their priests, Anglicans only the prayers of their preists, etc...? In other words, can only one branch of the faith truly have the presence of Jesus in the elements? I am a Christian myself, if that affects the way you would answer this question. Thanks! Elaine