We don't buy cereal, though occasionally we've been given some. On those occasions, I realize why I don't buy it -- my children will eat an entire box for breakfast and then an hour later, they'll be complaining that they're hungry! Oatmeal, eggs, smoothies, even good pancakes -- those satiate them a bit longer.

I don't eat things I don't like, unless there's really not a choice. I am not a terribly picky eater, though, and I'm generally willing to try most flavors or new foods. If we were at someone else's house, and they served something I really didn't like, I'd try to eat the other items and skip the thing I don't like, or eat just a bit of it. At home, everyone has a couple of things that they don't like, so you're not made to eat them. I'll eat cauliflower, even though I don't really like it, if that's the veggie I've decided goes well with the meal (and DH likes cauliflower). Otoh, if we're having a roast or stew, and carrots are a part of that, DH will eat few or none of them (he hates carrots), and it's no big deal. I don't mind when DS1 skips the peas; everyone else likes them fine, and he'll eat plenty of broccoli or brussels sprouts at another meal. None of my children are very picky at all though, and there's usually one thing they like a lot. However, for financial reasons, if you don't eat the veggie, you're also not allowed to have more than your share of the meat/protein. (Not usually an issue; they generally like the veggies but are sometimes pickier about spices or whatnot in the main dish.) I don't make separate meals for anyone, except that occasionally I'll serve extra veggies; the kids don't really like asparagus, but DH and I do, so I'll serve that plus broccoli or something.

I think most manufacturers use some sort of canvas (usually made of cotton), because it's sturdier than quilting cotton. My Ergo and Kozy are both cotton canvas, I believe. I'm 5' as well, and the Ergo (mine is 6 1/2 years old, and I know they have changed them a bit, so ymmv) works for me for a toddler, but it's a tiny bit too big -- I'm short enough that I can't quite tighten it small enough. I compensate by putting it lower on my hips. I love wrapping, but for a toddler, I usually opt for the Ergo or the Kozy mei tai. Kozy is a great brand (and owned by a very sweet homeschooling mama). Some of their prints are heavier in weight than others, so you could ask them about a lighter-weight one.

I think it would depend on the situation. If I felt something was a bit off, then it would be about a 20 on my creep-o-meter. Otherwise, probably just a 3 or 4, as in "a little unusual but probably one of a hundred legitimate reasons for him being there." I go to the library sometimes in the evenings without the kids, and gasp, I often ask DH to stop and pick up books on his way home, sans children. Here, all of the books on hold are at the main desk, though, rather than the children's desk. (Actually, that's a different annoyance. The vddusport large, very nice library around here is two stories, the main desk, adult section, and DVDs/audio books on the main story, with the children's room on the lower story. One time, we had books waiting at the main desk, and I wanted to browse the audio books to find something for DH, which takes a while, so I sent DD, age 9, downstairs with the 3 and 6yo boys, telling them I'd be down in a few. There's nothing for the 3yo to do upstairs, except make noise and mess with the stretchy ropes in line, so I figured sending them down was a good plan, since I'd be along in a couple of minutes. They got fussed at, and the librarian fussed at me too, for them being alone for a few minutes. The rule is nobody under 12 allowed alone. DD thinks that's ridiculous. So do I.)

Legos, the game Battleship, and books about folding paper airplanes and origami creatures.

My third was earlier than my first two, but since he was born at 40w5d, and my first was born at 40w6d and my second at 41w1d, that's only a span of three days from earliest to latest, and I think it's not terribly statistically important. They all fell into the "about a week late" pattern that we expected for baby number four as well. Baby number four decided to make his appearance at 38w3d. If we have a number five, all bets are off. :)

For their age, Payless's ballet slippers will probably be fine, both for play and for class. They held up well for DD for several years; now she uses Bloch, which are a bit pricier but better for her slightly wider feet. For the costumes, how about leotards (discountdance.com or amazon) and tutus? If you sew at all, tutus for play are not too difficult, and when my DD was the same ages as your DD, her tutu was her favorite thing. :) (Wait, tutus still ARE her favorite things!)

I don't have a jacket, just the letter, but it's in the attic in a bin with yearbooks and other memorabilia from my childhood. It doesn't really take up a lot of space, and my children might enjoy seeing some of it someday. I wish my parents would talk more about their own childhoods.

I wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but having been the tiny sibling who was eventually outgrown, I do know that I was a little sensitive to it. After all, I WAS two years older than my brother, darnit! (Now, we all laugh about it; I'm the oldest of four, and they're all taller than I am.) So I do see why you'd not want them to be pointedly sharing clothes. Can you alter 5Ts to make them fit your older DD (take in waists a bit)? Can you put one of them in dresses, so that it wasn't the same set of clothing?

I enlist DH, whether it's to cuddle a toddler who wants to nurse, or to provide someone else to snuggle with the toddler at night. My DD was over 2 when I got pregnant with DS1, and it was not comfortable to nurse her. I did manage to keep doing so, but I definitely cut it down to short times, and I was no longer able to nurse her to sleep. We cuddled and rocked together instead, and/or DH came and cuddled with her (and during the daytime sometimes offered chocolate milk, which was a huge treat for her). When I was pregnant with both of the little boys, I found it impossible to sleep with a toddler next to me at night, so they started sleeping on the other side of DH, rather than in the middle, and that worked well. It made it a little easier (on me and on them) to couch it in terms of "you've graduated to Daddy snuggles" rather than "you're losing Mommy." :grouphug:

:grouphug: -- I am sorry. It is really hard to have to turn our kids' wishes down because of finances. I really hope you're able to find a good solution!

I happen to love living in PA, so I'd vote for it for that reason. Allentown's not a bad area -- nice out there, actually. Homeschooling could definitely be worse; it's really not so bad. More restrictive than CA, but it's really workable. It doesn't cost me more than a few extra minutes here and there to comply with the law (there are a million loopholes, since they're very vague). I had a friend who lived in Twentynine Palms, and she really didn't care for it at all.

I don't find it difficult at all. We have an evaluator who is a friend; she knows our family and understands our educational philosophy. An hour chatting with her about what we'd done last year was no big deal. Standardized testing was annoying in that I even had to get it done, but it was pretty painless. Sending in the required forms and portfolio is a bit of work in the spring, but that's it. My SD is pretty homeschool-friendly, though; not all of them are. Not having to worry about sending paperwork for my first grader, since compulsory age is 8 here, is a pleasant bonus; I lean heavily toward the relaxed side for young children. It really could be a lot worse.

I don't have teens/adult children yet, but I'm kind of thinking that this is one of those things where you need to let him "fail," because the stakes are pretty low, in hopes that he will learn to take care of himself.

Things I use (many of which were gifts from DH): -knitting bag -needle roll (If you sew, these are easy to make.) -chart keeper -interchangeable needle set (I have the KnitPicks set, and I think they have a trial pack that is not too expensive.) -small notions -- stitch markers (these tend to disappear), retractable tape measure, all-metal fold-up scissors, needle size finder/gauge checker, yarn needles, row counters (these get lost a lot too), special thimble-thingy for doing colorwork, small project bag; I think there is a "knit kit" that has a lot of those notions all tucked into a nice little package. -possibly a ball winder If someone knows my tastes, I like new pattern books, especially if accompanied by gift certificates to KnitPicks so I can choose the appropriate yarn. I probably would not suggest choosing yarn, unless you know her tastes very well.

We use coconut oil for moisturizing too, and I also like the Burt's Bees balm, but it does sting a bit on chapped skin. When I need a thick barrier of protection (not just moisturizer), Lansinoh is my first choice.

I like a lot of the Waldorfy ideas, like an emphasis on natural foods and materials, imaginative play, celebrating festivals throughout the year, no TV, stuff like that. I think that fits well with my personal Christian beliefs and my general parenting style. I think there is a lot to be said for a handmade, unhurried, creative lifestyle, and I love the beautiful, timeless sorts of toys in the Nova Naturals catalog (as do my children). I like the emphasis on pretend play over academics for young children. However, I also think plastic and screen time have their reasonable places in modern society. :) I do not particularly care for the more left field, as another poster said, ideas. And while I don't push academics on young children, I also can't see how I would have kept my 4yo DD from reading.

Everything. And that doesn't apply just to Christmas; it's the case across the board for us. But we're definitely not spending much on gifts this year; the kids will get a few things from DH and me, but DH and I aren't giving each other gifts this year. (The only reason he and I gave each other gifts last year was because some friends of his sent us some money to help out with Christmas.) We'll send fewer cards, give fewer gifts, go fewer places, make fewer cookies. . . but it will still be Christmas. :)

Trash is picked up once a week, and we can have up to five containers. We're also allowed a few bulky item pickups a year, with no additional fee, but we have to call in advance to schedule those. The trash company also sends out a truck to pick up the recycling every other week.

Mama is the mama, not the maid. Pick up after your own self, or mama will remind you to do it, even if that means she interrupts whatever fun thing you're doing. My 6yo: -makes his bed -brings down his laundry -cleans his room -empties the trash cans from around the house into a big trash bag -takes out the trash, recycling, and compost bucket -occasionally puts away laundry -cleans up toys or whatever he gets out -clears his own dishes after breakfast and lunch -occasionally vacuums, as requested My 9yo does those same things, except that she feeds the cats and empties the dishwasher instead of doing the trash and taking stuff outside. They both have the option to vacuum, sweep, fold laundry, or clean a bathroom in order to earn extra privileges. I want to get them more involved in helping with dinner prep and cleanup, though. They are also both great at helping with the small boys (hold the baby while I shower, get the 3yo's shoes and sweatshirt on him if we're going out, etc.). The single biggest thing about keeping the house tidied and the kids' stuff picked up: do it daily. One day's mess is not so much, and when they can see it easily, even the 3yo can do a decent job of tidying. If stuff's been sitting for several days or a week, it's way harder to keep tidy.

I would have the OB/GYN send the bloodwork to the endo and have the endo make the call. 1.81 is in good range, but if you're borderline, the increased demands on your body during pregnancy might make it go up (the lower the TSH, the better -- when it goes high, it means your body is having to put out a larger "signal" to make your thyroid do its job), so you might need a bit of supplementation. The endo may also want to check you postpartum.

I'm a little more self-conscious about letting the kids play outside at our house during the school day, especially if I'm inside, than I am about actually taking them somewhere during the day. But I really don't worry about it much at all. We have a fair number of homeschoolers around here, and it's generally a MYOB sort of place. We go to the grocery store, library, eye doctor, etc., and I don't even think about it. I do feel pressure, otoh, to make sure the children are especially well-behaved when we go places, because they're conspicuously homeschoolers, and I want homeschoolers to be represented well.

I have still been spotting (very lightly, a tiny bit every couple of days) at 6w with two of my babies, even though the uterus was small and everything was fine, but actual bleeding, even like a light period, would be concerning, especially if the uterus has not shrunk. I do think methergine is pretty safe to take, even while nursing; it's typically what they do instead of pitocin if you're not contracting properly post-delivery. This says it's a category L2 drug (for short-term use), according to Hale: http://forums.ivillage.com/t5/Mom-s-Questions/question-about-lactation-and-m-c/td-p/19553725 However, I'd want to know if there was a clot that needed to pass, or a piece of retained placenta; the methergine could be effective in making that happen, but at 6w, I think I'd want to have a look to be sure.

My almost 7yo boy would like dress-up stuff -- cape, knight's tunic, vest (great for being a colonial boy or a pirate), eyepatch, hat, sheath for a sword. Or a knapsack for collecting treasures. If your son likes being outside, maybe a backpack, pencil roll, and/or notebook cover for nature outings would be a good idea. I love the idea of a play tent or fort too! PS -- When emailing her with ideas, I'd play up the idea that they would love something that only Grandma could provide -- a favorite cookbook (or possibly a collection of her favorite recipes), or something that she sewed for them.

I was just over 21 when we got married, DH just over 23. We're successfully married thus far (celebrated 13 years in August). The only reason we didn't get married sooner was because we had no way to support ourselves; we'd have gotten married at 18 and 20 if we could have. (By the time we got married, we'd been together almost 7 years. Shoot, if we'd met when we were older, we totally would have wanted to get married on the first date -- that's how sure we were!) My parents were 20 and 23 when they got married, and they've been married 36 years; they'd only known each other for a couple of years before they got married, but obviously it's worked for them. My ILs got married at 21 and 24 and have been married 40 years. My brother was almost 22 when he got married, but his wife was only 19, and they'd been together, IIRC, five years. They just celebrated their tenth anniversary. I know way too many people who have gotten divorced in the past few years, regardless of their ages. I don't think age has a lot to do with it, nor even maturity.