I bet your kids' toys stole them so they could call their cell phones so your kids would play with them. :D After watching that movie, certain children in my house decided their toys did lots of stuff they weren't supposed to.:glare: In all seriousness, I always lose stuff in the couch cushions

Well, I'm glad the daughter wasn't really given Botox, but still sad she has an idiot for a mother.

Thanks for the help everyone!!! So many good ideas. Ok, here's what I'm thinking now. Bed: Regular bunk beds, something like this. I guess I was getting too greedy with the full size on bottom one, but my thinking was "Well, he might need a bigger one someday, might as well get it now" (see? that pack rat mentality is still there, trying to stick around). I can move the off season clothes from the closet into under-the-bed storage bins. I honestly do truly hate these types of bins, but since I will only be storing clothes from my oldest, I don't need to keep storing the ones my youngest casts off, that should keep me from having to store a ton. Closet: If I move the off season clothes out of the closet, I can put up something like this. Not necessarily this exact one, but something like it. I need more shelf space, not really more hanging space, but I figured I could always get some of those hanging shelves, like this. If I did that, I'd probably have to put a baby lock on the closet doors, because I'm sure my two year old would constantly be opening the doors to pull stuff out. For the toys, I can't decide if I like this or this. But I really do want to get rid of the dresser, it's too big. I can store the clothes in the closet, which will give me space to organize the toys. I do like these systems because I can make them organize it into groups (train set, Mr. Potato Head, cars, Little People, etc. (I am kind of a perfectionist too, although I don't know how that fits it with being so messy. I know it's weird) But on the days when I dont have the energy or time do make them do that, I dont have to. And just to clarify, all this stuff is for the boys bedroom, which is already dejunked. I just need to figure out where to put everything. I haven't thought about how to organize my room, the bathrooms or the two hall closets. ok, well, I did buy the Desk Apprentice. Our desk is a big behemoth that DH got for free and just had to take bc it was "so big, sturdy and most of all FREE." (See? Packrats :lol:) He doesnt want to get rid of it, so I might as well take advantage of its bigness and put it to good use. My only concern is that Digby, my little maniac, will find it and go to town. But that shouldn't happen too often, because he's not allowed in my bedroom unsupervised (this is where baby girl sleeps, so I leave the door closed when she's in here). When he gets old enough to open doors, I can put a baby proof thing on to keep him out.

Yes, I remember it being uncomfortable (enough to complain about, but not super painful).

One of my sons may or may not be named after Captain Mal (MAY). I like the line from Serenity, "That's not your way." "I have a way now? Is that better than a plan?" Because yes, Captain Mal does have a way, and I like it. WE LOVE PUSHING DAISIES!!!!! I got the kids' nicknames from there. Pigby got Pigby because when he hugged, he'd give these little wimpy hugs, so I'd say, "Squeeze Pigby" Kristen Chenoweth-style. And then Digby got Digby because Pigby and Digby go together. Then when baby girl came along, I wanted to name her Charlotte irl, because "wouldn't it be awesome to have a girl named Chuck?!" DH didn't agree so we named her something else. Then when I put them on my signature, I said, "Well fudge on that, I'm gonna have a girl called Chuck anyway!" And thus she became Chuck.

The closet and the view from the window. Those white drawers are there, but they hold baby girls clothes now. I'm thinking about moving them into our room, once that's done being dejunked. Those big bins on the inside of the closet are mostly gone now too. There used to be six, now there's two. They were holding all the baby clothes, but we've gotten rid of everything Digby's grown out of, since baby girl won't be wearing his hand me downs and I don't want anymore children.

As someone who is a recovering slob, I would ask you to consider teaching them something about picking up. I grew up having a foot of stuff always on my bedroom floor. Then I grew up and had a house with stuff covering the floor (not a foot, but enough to be embarrassing). I agree with Daisy, no one likes to live with a slob. My poor DH has put up with my slob ways for the past 6 years. Poor guy was always tripping on something or stepping on something and hurting his foot. He wasn't used to looking where he was going. Well, in my room growing up, I had to look and I was used to looking where I stepped. I do think it is important to teach my kids how to clean. As an adult, it is much harder to learn and break bad habits when you have kids adding chaos to the chaos. BUT, I want you to know this does not make me or anyone else a bad mother. Everyone has flaws, even those women with those spotless houses. Focus on what makes you a good mother, not what makes you a "bad" one. Use a little remorse to make some positive change, but don't let it overwhelm you and make you feel bad about yourself. There is nothing "bad" about being messy. It might make life a little more difficult, but as long as it's not filth and a health or safety hazard, it's not bad.

I used to babysit a boy that didn't crawl or roll over until about 10 or 11 months. I don't recall him being super huge (but I was a teenager at the time and had nothing else to compare him too) He walked very shortly after he started. I personally wouldn't be worried. If your DD wants to take him in for peace of mind, I don't think it would hurt.

Good point. I don't think my five year old would ever try, but the 2 year old probably would in a few years. The kid's a dare devil. Good idea, thank you! They already are sleeping in the same room, they will stay sleeping in the same room. Eventually, my baby girl will have to move in with them, which is why we'll need bunk beds of some kind. We are done dejunking, just trying to figure out where to put the stuff that is left. We do have some of those flat bins under our beds, but I honestly and truly hate them :D. I was thinking the drawers would at least get used. The out of season clothes already have a place. And I have thought about putting the dresser in the closet, but it's a very long dresser and everything else would have to come out of the closet for it to go in (like the out of season clothes). We have done the clear, plastic boxes for toys, but they drive me bonkers. Too many lids, they get carted all over the house and they've been hijacked to store other things. We do have an IKEA close by, but I've not been impressed with the quality of stuff there :lol: but I do know what you mean about Walmart. I think it was this bed or maybe a similar one, but the reviews said they were impressed with the quality. A shock, I know! In all honesty, if DH had the time, I would just have him make them. We could get much better quality for the same price, but unfortunately he just doesn't have the time.

I was raised by a pack rat, DH was raised by a pack rat. We both turned into pack rats. We have recently started dejunking everything we don't need. It has been a very freeing experience to not have spend so much time reorganizing junk or spend so much time looking for our junk. Here's the help I need: how much would you be willing to spend on items that will help keep you organized. We have a fairly decent sized apartment, I'm guessing about 850 square feet. But there's enough of us now that we need the most bang for our buck. I've been looking into getting this bed. We've already been planning on getting a bunkbed when Digby (almost 2) outgrows the crib. Right now Pigby (5) just sleeps on a mattress on the floor. If we got this bed, then we could put their clothes into the two drawers on the bottom and get rid of their dresser completely, giving us more space in their room. Also, someone mentioned these desk organizers. These would be of great help in keeping our desk organized. I'm constantly losing paper, pens, tape, stamps, etc. I'm also thinking about getting this system for their toys. Their toys drive me nuts!!! And we've gotten rid of quite a bit, now I just need a better way of storing them than a big 35 gallon bucket. Which ones would you think are worth it and which ones not? Are there any other things you'd recommend? Remember, this is for very disorganized people. I'm aware that in order to be useful, I'll have to be making sure they're used properly. But the problem I always run into is "a place for everything". Once everything has a place, the "everything in its place" is much easier for me to maintain.

If you can, you should watch it yourself. It's worth watching without someone spoiling it for you. You can watch it here.

lentil soup. It'll be the first time I've tried this recipe AND the first time I've ever tried lentils.

I think what often happens is that science discovers something great and companies market it to death, claiming it to be some sort of "liquid gold". Sure I think probiotics are great. But if all you ever ate was yogurt and kefir and kombucha, you'd still be malnourished. Possibly in the bigger picture there's something else you need? Fiber, water, exercise? (I honestly don't know, since I don't know you, but those are things that also help with digestion). Maybe you are already doing all those things great and there's not much that needs to be improved, so the effect of probiotics is minimal.

:grouphug:

DH and I just switched to Sprint. I got the Optimus, he got the Epic. He needed a phone with an actual keyboard because his fingers are too big to accurately use the touchscreen. Even so, I don't think he uses the keyboard all that often, but the phone is bigger, so the keys are bigger and it works fine for him. He would have gone with the transform, but it was more expensive than the Epic. I got the Optimus because it was so cheap. I like it. The Swype is easy enough to get used to. Much better than trying to type with two thumbs. I like that the phone is mostly a screen, not a lot of buttons. I would recommend going to a Sprint store if you can and trying them out in person. Make sure you get a floor model that's working well. My husband tried one Epic that must have been broken or something, it wasn't working well at all. Then he tried another one that was working and he loved it.

You aren't a bad mom. If you feel like she needs something extra, go ahead and bring it. If it were me, I'd bring some stuff in my purse or bag, but not tell her that I'd brought stuff to entertain her. See how long she could go without it. Then when she hits her limit, give her something (notebook and pencil, a book) and see how long she could go with that. Then when that's too boring, pull something else out (snacks, water bottle, stickers, electronic game) and see how long she could last with that. I don't know her history, so I have no idea how well that would work; if you don't think it will work, don't do it. But I know even for me, I have a hard time sitting still through graduations. They are pretty boring.

Oh, I didn't mean we'd be taking a laissez-faire approach. We will be working with him during his homeschool. I'm hoping to build it up a little at a time, because he seems to be very self-conscious about it and I don't want him to feel bad about it, but I do know we need to work on. I just didn't know if I should see a doctor yet. Thank you for the advice and tips, I do feel much better about it.

You can also add a little lemon juice with the pectin and that should make it set a little easier.

Is it possible it's a lateral lisp? In this video, the SLP demonstrates what a bi-lateral lisp is. It does sound like a cat hissing. It's something to do with the tongue pushing up in the middle of the palate. I would talk with her doctor when you go in this summer.

grinding wheat actually makes more flour, volume-wise. I have no idea why that is the case, it makes no sense to me; I think last time I measured, 4 cups of wheat =6 1/2 cups of flour. If you want to experiment, try finding a Good Earth or Sunflower Market or other health food store. Usually you can find a lot of grains for a good price in their bulk section

I haven't, sorry :001_unsure:. We just switched to Sprint on my brother's plan (same amount of money every month, but we get texting and data) and I got the LG Optimus and my husband got the Epic.

"Kerry, who asked that her family's last name not be used, told "Good Morning America's" Lara Spencer that it was actually her daughter, Britney, who wanted to try Botox, a beauty treatment more normally requested by aging women than growing girls." This woman blames her eight year old daughter!!!! And really, according to this: "When I brought it up to Britney she was all for it" It was really her idea, the daughter just went along with it. What kind of woman wants to inject an 8 year old with toxins, can't say no, and blames it on the kid?! What an idiot!

Bread machine. The loaves don't come out as perfect;, the bread machine operates on a timer, it can't poke the dough to see when it's done rising, but it saves me a lot of hassle. It may not look like much, but it's nutritious and better than store-bought ETA: Oops, I use a mix of freshly ground wheat and AP flour

I cannot adequately put into words what I feel about this. I can, from the bottom of my heart, say that people who "homeschool" but are really just neglecting their children are a disgrace and should be ashamed. It is my religious belief that they will be held accountable for it. It is also my religious belief that I cannot make anyone else do anything. I cannot make anyone else be kind, I cannot make them learn, I cannot make other parents be better parents. I don't think the government has that ability either.