I'm another long-timer. I joined when my oldest was just a pre-K'er...probably 2002? He's a senior in high school now. His younger brothers (twins) have also been homeschooled all the way through; they're high school sophomores this year. We started homeschooling because Brian was allergic to pretty much everything as a kid...and it was the kind of allergies where you stop breathing. Not good. I looked into homeschooling because I couldn't fathom how a school was going to be able to keep him safe. A lot of the homeschooling literature at the time was... what should I say... OUT THERE. Then, one day, I was wandering quite aimlessly in the library and stumbled on The Well-Trained Mind. It spoke directly to me, convincing me that I could homeschool in a way that wasn't outside of my comfort zone. I devoured the book. I sincerely think I memorized the first section on the Grammar stage. Thank you so much, Susan, for providing this place for me for all of these years. I sincerely couldn't (and wouldn't) have done it without you!

I agree that Insanity is awesome, but I think you will be irritated with it since you say you don't like cardio. It's a lot of cardio, and it is pretty repetitive. That being said, it is one of my absolute favorites. It sounds like P90X might be for you. You don't do nearly as much cardio, but you do a lot of strength training. Tony Horton does not scream. I find him very encouraging, and just dorky enough to make me laugh during workouts. YMMV. I hurt my ankle back in February, so I've been nursing it for a few months now. I just started P90 (no x...I call it the lower case version) and will do that, hopefully get stronger, and then go for the P90X program again. HTH!

I live in MN. I bought all my boys' snow gear from Lands End for years. Now they can't wear the boy sizes and I am still looking for a men's brand that offers such quality. I like the 4 in 1 parka and the boots with Velcro for boys. Hth!

I don't know where you are, but this sounds like something for the Calm Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Perhaps there is something similar near you?

I was thinking about all the butter and cream she uses, so for a present, I'm thinking gym membership! (snort)

I bought a child safety fridge door "lock" after this happened several times over here. Sometimes it was irresponsible kids, but sometimes it was the force of the central vac tube being manhandled around the freezer.

I vote for learning to play an instrument. That's on my list...

If you decide to ignore all the wisdom in my previous post, you could name them all Robert and call them Rob, Bob, and Bert.

I have twins. I would strongly suggest you avoid rhyming names or names easily confused, like Shawn and Shane. It makes it too hard on poor ole sleep deprived mom to call the right baby the right name! Also, even if they are fraternal, they will likely look similar as babies. I made little braided bracelets for each of my boys. I put them on in the hospital and left them on for years. (Mine are identical.) even when you and your hubby can tell them apart, other people will really appreciate the help!

Another great vegan restaurant...maybe just open for breakfast and lunch? Modern Times.

Sauteed mushrooms in dairy-free gravy on top of homemade bread. Yum!

I will likely work. I have always wanted to be a secretary. Seriously. I also want to go back to teaching ESL to adults. I would also enjoy tutoring math.

Are you leaving the wet clothes sit in the washer for too long? Especially during the hot, humid summer, I can't let my laundry sit at all without getting some funky smells.

I would go with bigger if possible. I agree, though, that you need to have. Dryer that can handle it, too. I don't know how old your kids are, but I will say that the larger size is really nice once your kids move into adult sized clothes.

I know nothing about horses, but, this really seems like a great idea. I just love boards like this where creative, thoughtful people can get me thinking outside the box. )

I'm sorry if I'm repeating what has already been said, but I did want to mention that whiteboards clean up much better with no ghosting if you use real Windex. I have tried just water and also knock off brans, but now I just spend the $ and get the Good Blue Stuff.

Rosetta Stone offers mandarin.

I second the protein advice. I was sick to death of chicken by the time my twins were born, but I credit that to them being so healthy.

I agree with the stroke possibility. Your vet wouldn't be able to do anything...as long as she is happy, just go with it.

I agree with the stroke possibility. Your vet wouldn't be able to do anything...as long as she is happy, just go with it.

I don't think the Quakers have singing. They have a lot of silence.

We eat cheese less pizza all the time due to food allergies. Some favorite toppings are seasoned ground beef & pepperoni. Tis is for the kids cuz they like meat. Mine are always veggie. I like artichoke hearts, asparagus, olives, fresh tomatoes, spinach, fresh basil, carmelized onions, squash, zucchini, loads of garlic. You can also make Thai pizza with peanut sauce and chicken. You can also make Mexican pizza with salsa and black beans. Yum! Now I want pizza!

If you have an ipad, I strongly recommend the Shakespearience iBooks. They totally rock. They have complete texts, include audio and video from actual performances, discuss costuming, lots and lots of help with Vocab, plus more. Certain.y a better way to study shakespeare than how I did it in school!!

I usually watch a documentary and eat pizza. Love it!

Sloppy joes. You can even make them ahead of time and just warm in the hotel.