Okay, my kids (who are familiar with my iPad) got a Samsung Galaxy Tab for Christmas. Since some apps are different from iOS apps, I am looking for suggestions. It has Polaris for Office documents, Chrome, Dropbox, and gmail, and I added Google Earth, the Kindle app, DuoLingo, Netflix, Stack the States full, and Mango Language, and I'm testing out PDF annotators, so now it will do all of the school stuff that we do on the iPad. I also added Ticket to Ride. So, Minecraft -- help! They want it, but a lot of things come up when I type in "Minecraft." Which one is a good place to start? Free to start is good; I don't mind paying a bit later, though. Favorite high quality games and learning apps? My kids are 11, 8, 5, and 2, so toddler and preschool phonics/games/puzzles/math apps are good too, as are math drill apps for the older kids. Photo editing and/or art/drawing apps? We aren/t familiar with any of these, so I'm open to recommendations. It comes with a music player and a video player installed. Are these good for mp3s and movies, or should I pick something else, and if so, what? We've ordered an SD card for more storage space -- mp3s, movies, and books go on that, right? What else would you recommend? Also, is there a guided access sort of thing that locks a kid into one app, like there is on the iPad?

Oh, honey, I am so sorry. I think you probably would be fine to wait to see someone, absent any signs of problems such as you have already described. I think, unfortunately, that there's really not anything anyone can do, unless you show signs of infection or anything. That being said, are there any midwives in your area? One of them might be able to see you, or at least talk with you on the phone, for a reasonable price, just in case you want the peace of mind that things are normal for a m/c. Again, I am so, so sorry. Very, very gentle hugs to you and your family.

So far, I have three kids of any sort of school age and four different math programs! 11yo uses Saxon, which works well for her, but it wouldn't be a good fit for my 8yo. He uses Singapore and Miquon, which wouldn't work well for my 11yo. And my 5yo is rocking the MEP Reception level. So, yeah, whatever works for each of them!

I'll update if/when I find something! That's lousy. I really hope we can find something that works. iAnnotate *looks* like it should, but hmmmm. . .

Yum, my DH would have liked that! The best part about the food is that it was such a big pot (I started with five pounds of ground beef!) of chili and had so much other food that was easy prep, that I won't have to cook much tonight (my mom is bringing dinner, so I just need to make some easy sides), and we will have food to eat all weekend without me needing to do much. *That* is a Christmas present to myself. :)

I can see why it bothers you. I expect that your family probably thinks, "Well, Susie loves this restaurant, and we're really glad we can make it so that she and Joe can celebrate such a special day at their favorite restaurant, when they might not be able to otherwise." And that makes sense, but I do see why it would bother you. I think I would suggest to your DH something like, "The holidays are so busy, and I know money is tight, but with our anniversary being right after Christmas, I think I would enjoy doing something low-key for our anniversary, and taking a special date night later on in the year, in the summer [or whatever time is usually a no-celebration, nothing particularly special time for you]."

I am very familiar and in love with Notability for my iPad, but I am looking at getting a second tablet because my children want to steal my iPad all the time, probably an Android one this time. I am looking for something similar to Notability that will work with Android. Needs to be able to read PDFs (although the Kindle app will do that too), but most importantly, it needs to be something that we can use to write directly on the PDFs with a stylus/finger like we do with Notability. Does not need to be a free app. Any suggestions?

We didn't refer to my sister's fiance (who will be her DH in a couple of weeks) as "Uncle" until they were officially engaged. They've been together for a little over two years but have only been engaged since the spring. Before that, we just referred to him by his first name, or Mr. Firstname. Now that they're engaged, I'm okay with calling him Uncle Firstname. DH's father's only sibling passed away fifteen years ago and never met our children. His wife, however, remarried a couple of years later, and when DH's whole extended family was still getting together for the holidays, she and her new husband were still included. After all, my MIL and FIL were close to her, and she is still the grandmother to DH's cousins' children. So even though the extended family is scattered and doesn't do the big family gatherings anymore, MIL still talks to her, and she still remembers each of our children at birthdays and Christmas (which is incredibly generous of her, since she hasn't even met the little ones, although I send her thank you notes and pictures a few times a year), and we still refer to them as Aunt Firstname and Uncle Lastname -- they are still filling the roles in our lives as aunt-uncle/great aunt-great uncle, even though they're not technically those things. So I think it depends on the relationship, but I can see why, in the OP's position, she might not want her children to think of the new girlfriend as Aunt yet.

Yes to this. I don't miss not having the retina display, and I have no problems running apps on the 2. I don't mind the size (I prefer the larger screen) and don't find it heavy. I suggest a bluetooth keyboard/case. This takes it from cool to really, really useful.

I am with you. I don't care for the "we all go, why not enjoy the go" commercial. :)

I am going to find or buy decent-sized boxes, one per kid, and I will wrap them, each differently (or buy five different colors), and then I will give one to each child, in which to put their little stocking stuffers and small things. I made 9 kinds of cookies this year, which was just perfect. I started early and froze a lot of them, so I didn't have too much to do last week. Taking off from regular schoolwork the full week before Christmas so that we could do special crafts and books was a great idea! LOVE having a casual Christmas Day -- no big formal meal. I made a huge pot of chili and had sandwich stuff, cookies, crackers, veggies, fruits, and dips available. Little time in the kitchen for MIL and me, and no pressure on the kids -- they ate a bit and went back to playing.

Also, hit: MIL often puts new gloves and new socks in my kids' stockings, which is wonderful of her (that MIL on the other thread -- mine is like that!), but my boys are close in size, and it gets hard to tell them apart. This year, she thought of that on her own and got the 8yo and 2yo the same socks, and the 5yo and infant the same ones -- SO much easier on me. Also, the Gymboree pirate raccoon stuff is ADORABLE on the baby. :D

Expected hits -- Legos. Also, the vintage Transformer that I scored from ebay. My daughter cried, and her hands were trembling so much, because she couldn't believe that it was actually hers. (Last year, I scored the Lego Millenium Falcon for a steal, as a group gift, and she did the eye-rubbing, jaw-dropping that we hoped for. Her reactions are always priceless!) Books -- hits. Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions for my little boys -- 2yo LOVES Danny and the Dinosaur, and the 5yo was thrilled to see Batman phonics books. 8yo was quite happy to get two more TinTin books for his collection too. 11yo was pretty excited to see the Wrinkle in Time quintet (books about a girl who is the only girl in a houseful of boys but not girly, AND a grand fantasy adventure, perfect for my girl!), which she hasn't read yet, in Kindle form (because that's what she prefers over paper). DH surprised me (although they're as much for him too) with a couple of new cast iron items that should make life easier for me. I needed a second medium-sized skillet because it takes too long to make everyone's different eggs, and he got me a second one, but it is square and will be better for omelets. He also got me a handled dutch ovenish thing; my dutch oven is awesome but huge and heavy and has the bail instead of handles, so it is actually quite hard for me to lift. Of course, my real present came last week -- a new stove, because our old one was only half functional, so that is pretty fantastic. :) Hit with the baby -- little super soft stuffed puppy and a little lion toy that plays music (just loud enough to amuse him without being annoying). Unexpected hits -- clothes for the boys. My 8yo really was enthusiastic, when we only expected polite reactions from him; it was really adorable. Misses -- not really any, although there is a pair of shoes for me and a sleeper for the baby that I need to exchange for slightly larger sizes. MIL is not offended. And a piece is missing from one of my 8yo's Lego sets, which was really disappointing to him, but he quickly switched to working on another set instead.

Grandmom's mac and cheese (my MIL's recipe) doesn't use eggs. It is just a white sauce with cheese in it, and it is delicious. It is on the back of the macaroni box, although I use shells instead of elbows, because you get little pockets of cheesey goodness. I would try again! I am so sorry it didn't turn out the way you wanted!

Ugh, but hurray that the original arrived!

We had people do this kind of thing once for us, and it really touched us -- so glad so many of the fine families represented here are getting to experience that love this year!

A lot needs to be done. My house was built in about 1830 or so and "remuddled" over the years by people who didn't know what they were doing. Structurally, it's sound, and the roof and septic are good, and it's a good size on a nice lot in a great area surrounded by nice people and beautiful countryside, but it could use a fair amount of cosmetic work. Don't feel too badly about the stuff you have to pay for to have done. My husband IS a professional carpenter, specifically in historic buildings; most of what this house needs is no sweat at all for him. (For instance, he looked at the front of the two interior staircases when repairing a step, and said, "Huh. This staircase isn't actually original to the house -- want it taken out? I'll draw up a plan and estimate for how to do that. No problem.") But do we have it done? No. It one, still costs money, and two, he's crazy busy at work. Shoemakers kids go barefoot and all of that. (But I do know that when he does get it done, it will be amazing, so I am patient.)

I think you may be right! I keep debating about Prime, but so far, Netflix seems to have more of what we actually watch, so I can't justify Prime yet. :) My package arrived!!! Both the UPS one from amazon AND the USPS one from ebay. Amazon was right about their estimate. I didn't even have to go to the PO myself. I can relax now. :)

That is awesome! I was about age when I asked for a "circuntry." My parents had NO idea what I meant. Turns out, I meant a toy cash register. I don't remember how they figured it out, but somehow, someone did. I also once asked for a "fithering stick." That turned out to be a battery-operated stick with colored buttons on it that played music when you pressed them (cutting edge for the 80s, LOL -- imagine my surprise when I found out that DH had the *exact* same toy). My poor parents. . . To the OP, I would just say that sometimes Santa isn't able to get something, but that he picks something else pretty cool, or maybe hint that he passes the ideas along to other people. Or maybe just tell her that it was too late for Santa to get it for her, but maybe it will come for her birthday.

Crossing fingers! My package just arrived in my state; it's about three hours away now. I have high hopes that it will arrive in time. Another package (from ebay) shipped Friday afternoon from Illinois, via 2-day priority shipping with USPS. (Yeah, a couple of last minute ideas.) Its tracking says it is expected to be delivered today. I think that is probably not accurate, but I think there is a very good chance that it will be at my post office by tomorrow, and hopefully, I can hop over there and grab it.

Oh no! I hope they overnight you the replacement.

I am making two this year. One will have eggs, cheddar cheese, mushrooms, and sausage (cooked before adding to the casserole). The other will have eggs, mozzarella cheese, broccoli (frozen, but thawed), and ham (ham steaks work well for this).

I have a regular-sized iPad 2 with WiFi only, and I carry it with me all the time. It's not really significantly bigger than a notebook or binder; it fits in the large back pocket of my bag (ostensibly for a changing pad). I still have very young children, though, so I carry a large bag with me; perhaps when I no longer need a large bag, I will find the full-size tablet to be too big. It wouldn't fit easily into a purse. Having WiFi only is rarely a problem. It accesses the WiFi at home with no problem, and so many places have WiFi for free now. Occasionally, if we need directions, we find a convenience store or McDonald's and use the WiFi there. Really has not been a problem at all. (I don't have a smartphone either, fwiw, so when I am out and about, I have no internet access. Not a big deal.)

Oddly enough, it does not appear to have shipped from the warehouse(s) near me; instead, it is coming from Indiana. It is coming UPS, for which I am very grateful. The FedEx/USPS partnership is very slow for us; I think that is largely our local PO, which sometimes takes four days to get first class mail to and from my mother's house (3 hours away from me). So fingers crossed, but I do have a backup plan, just in case. :)

Well, amazon sent me an email at 4 am to say that it has shipped! Still saying it will arrive by 8 pm on the 24th. Woohoo! It is coming UPS, which is better than USPS for our area.