My winter coat is a hooded wool peacoat that DH got me from Kohl's a few years ago, and I love it. It's about thigh length and has a roomy enough hood that I can also wear an earwarmer or hat. It's very warm, even when it's wet. Kohl's usually has their winter stuff on sale in December.

If you do need to postpone your appointment with the midwife, look at mothering.com's UC board, and find some suggestions for doing self-care.

I would just tell her that you are interested in bartering and ask her what services she could use.

True, that. It is indeed a risk, and every family has to decide for theirselves what is right for them. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. Unfortunately (as my family knows -- my SIL's second baby died in utero at 35 weeks, due to a cord accident, after a normal pregnancy, full OB care, normal ultrasounds, nothing to indicate a problem), babies die sometimes even with full technology. There really are just no guarantees when it comes to childbirth, no matter what route you choose, and I think the right route can vary for each family.

I took a "Math for Elementary Ed" class in college. This wasn't a "how to teach" class; it was a content course. The homework was typical elementary school math problems. There was a woman there who was taking the class for the third time, and she still didn't understand the math concepts. I was pretty set on homeschooling my own children before that, but that really convinced me that I'd be perfectly well qualified to facilitate my children's educations at home.

Yes, indeed. There's also a big difference between a planned UC with a mom who is in tune with her body and baby and who has done her research vs. a mom who isn't doing or getting any sort of prenatal care.

I voted "other." I do have a Bachelor's Degree, but I also hold a License to sell real estate, which is additional schooling.

Bring warm clothes and boots; it very well could be snowy there then. As for lodging, it depends on your budget and how close you want to be to campus. If you want to be on campus and stay somewhere nice, there's the Nittany Lion Inn, but it is pretty expensive (or at least it was a decade ago). Last I knew, there were also the usual chain hotels; we once stayed in a Sleep Inn (I think; it might have been a Comfort Inn) on North Atherton Street, and it was fine. I've also stayed in the Hampton Inn a bit out of town (East College Ave.), and it was fine (no idea of price; my ILs, before they were my ILs, took me along a couple of times when they visited their son/my then-boyfriend), and I want to say I stayed in the Holiday Inn on South Atherton St. with my parents once too. The Stevens Motel on North Atherton was cheap but merely adequate -- fine for broke newlywed alums visiting friends. :) The Happy Valley Motor Inn on South Atherton Street has been a step above the Stevens Motel, IME, but still not that all fancy. For food, what do you like? If you like pizza, there's Facia Luna on South Atherton St. and Highway Pizza on College Ave. (which is the south border of campus), North Atherton Street (Atherton is the western border of campus, though it does extend a bit onto the other side of Atherton), and South Atherton Street. Last I knew there were the usual chain restaurants too. The Deli is nice and not too expensive (and not a deli; it's a nice sit-down restaurant). The Corner Room is on College Ave. and is *the* Penn State restaurant; it's pleasant and not horribly expensive. The Waffle House in College Ave. is a favorite breakfast spot. I've never actually been to the Allen Street Grill, but it's supposed to be good (no idea about price). I think it's Spat's that has a Cajun flair; I've only been there once, because it's expensive, but it was good. The Diner on College Ave. is also a favorite Penn State spot. Last I knew there were also several restaurants in the lower part of the Hetzel Union Building, on campus. (I can't remember if The Cellar and Coaly's Cafe are still there or not; I know they put in a bunch of chain restaurants and took some of the old ones away.) To do: there's the Palmer Museum of Art, on campus. There are some theaters on campus if you wanted to see a show. There's a small museum in the earth and mineral sciences department. If the Centre Furnace Mansion, east of campus a few minutes, is open, that's interesting to see. I'm sure if you like sports stuff, there are museums or something too. I'm drawing a blank on other stuff right now, though.

I knitted headbands and neck warmers for some teen friends a few years ago, and they seemed to like them. Other than that, I love the idea of cookies/candies just for them. :)

I think UC can be a reasonable option, but I think you need to do it for the right reasons. There is a lot of responsibility on the parents, particularly the mother, with a UC. I definitely understand the financial concerns (btdt, and in your case, I'd look into Medicaid for a backup -- even if you do end up planning a MW-attended homebirth, Medicaid could help in case you need to transfer to the hospital), but they would not be the biggest reason, IMO, to UC. If you choose to UC, I believe you should do it because you believe it to be the right option *for your family at this time,* same as I believe you should birth at the hospital for the same reason, regardless of the financial cost. I am a huge believer in prayer and personal calling, and I do think God can call people to a UC -- but I also think he can call them to something else and provide the money for that too. You might discuss doing a few prenatal visits with the MW to see if anything shows up that is a bit odd or disconcerting. You might also see if she's willing to be a backup to a UC -- come and attend if you feel that's right, sit on your couch downstairs if that feels right, or just be available by phone/to come after the birth if that is what is right at the time. Then you could pay her a larger fee if you do end up calling her for the birth, or just a small amount for checkups and the postpartum exam.

Our goldfish get flakes, and they're fat and happy and well over three years old, so something must be working. We did lose our first set of goldfish quickly, but these are doing fine. DH does maintain their filter and whatnot pretty well, but they have survived multiple things being dumped into their tank (sigh, courtesy of the toddler), including cocoa powder (oy).

Wow, what a hard situation. I think it is okay, as a Christian, to associate with him, including dinner. None of us are better than others; we're all sinners. Jesus died for all of us. That doesn't mean you have to be best buddies with him, but as an opportunity to show him love and care, dinner would be okay. That being said, I'd also have no problem asking him to stop the filthy language in front of the children. (And I wouldn't associate regularly with someone who used a lot of bad language, but once or twice a year -- I'd get over it.) Or if he gets overly negative, I'd say something to try to snap him out of it and get him thinking on the positive side. I have squashed bad language, s*xual discussions, etc. in front of my children (and am prepared to step hard on anyone who mentions the Penn State thing this weekend, for instance). We're all sinners, but I'm also not going to condone sin or discussion of reveling in sin in front of my children.

We have managed to get everyone to tone down the gift-giving now that there are several children. We've also talked a lot about them not needing stuff, how much they already have, etc. I do suggest things like Legos or doll clothes, because they don't really add to the mess. 2000 Legos isn't really much more mess than 1000 Legos, just takes a few extra minutes to clean them up. For things like classes or memberships, how about some accessory to go with the class? Like, dance classes, but the something to open could be the leotard and tights.

Oh, that sounds like good news! DH and I miss AD! Now, if they could also buy Crossing Jordan and bring it back too. . .

I live in PA and don't really want to be anywhere that gets colder than here. (Hotter, either, actually; the blend of seasons is perfect for me right here.) However, in this economy, we'd go most anywhere. There are a few places where we'd really fight going (not for weather reasons), and both of us would be heartbroken to leave *here,* but otherwise, yeah, colder would not be the big deterrent.

I don't think I'd go for it. My concern wouldn't be the remote possibilities of something terrible happening, because they're pretty remote. My concern would be twofold: one, what if a hotel gets nervous about a man checking in with a pre-teen girl? I don't think there's anything wrong with this scenario, but I would rather not have anyone else decide that there's something wrong, y'know? And two, what if someone in the hotel sees him check in with her and then sees him around the hotel/leaving the hotel without her? I'd be concerned that someone would decide to be a busybody and make trouble for you for "abandoning" her. If you decide to let her go, perhaps send a letter signed by you that states that you agree that he may have her with him? And a copy of her birth certificate. I do see why it would be appealing, though, for her to have that independence, adventure, and special time to hang out with her dad, but I think I'd opt for other ways for her to get that.

I don't think there's anything wrong with fanfic; it seems akin, to me, to the times when our teachers would say, "Envision a different ending to X story that we read and write it." Shoot, my 9yo creates fanfic when she makes up pretend scenarios involving any of her favorite characters -- sometimes she's playing Leia Organa Solo and ropes her littlest brothers into playing Jacen and Anakin Solo and her other brother into being Brother Luke who has stopped by to visit his nephews. Sometimes she's Queen Susan and the boys are Kings Peter and Edmund, and they're inventing a Narnia scenario that Lewis apparently forgot. And so on. Put it all on paper, and it's fanfic. :) Seems to me to be a good way for a writer to get started.

I bought a Canon Powershot SX130 IS a couple of months ago (upgrading from our Fuji Finepix S5000, which we'd loved, until it finally died), and so far, we've been really pleased with it. It seems to do a very good job with the video capability (though we've not tried it a *ton* but it does zoom while recording, which is nice), and we've been pleased with the pictures. It should hold me until I can get a DSLR. :)

We just work at whatever pace is most convenient at the time, and we take breaks whenever we need to. When it's hot, and we get a break in the weather, so that it's pleasant to be outside, we might not do any schoolwork for a day or two. We took a couple of weeks off this summer when our baby was born, and then we started up again but with a handful of subjects. Then we added a few more after a couple of weeks, and the rest after a couple more weeks. I actually really liked that ramping-up schedule, because I turned their grades over July 1, so that let us get used to new curricula and new routines and new levels of work, in a gentle way. Both kids have greater quantities of work this year than they did last year, so adding a few subjects at a time let them get used to it and made it not so overwhelming. I think I will do that again next year. We did a fairly light schedule in June this year. DD's ballet recital was mid-June, and the week of rehearsals plus being 30-something weeks pregnant and trying to get the house and everything ready for the baby was enough for me. It was also just enough of a break for the kids, and we'd already finished our required 180 days and had our evaluation. We just did a bit of reading and history in that time.

Elisabeth Joy (I'd have said Abigail Joy, but you have an Abigail) Susannah Lily Joanna Ruth

My upstairs is almost all carpet -- warm, but a pain to keep clean. My first floor is linoleum in the kitchen -- hate it. Too hard to clean; it has little "pocks" that trap dirt if I don't clean it by hand (as opposed to with a mop). My living room is beautiful old wide plank hardwood -- needs some refinishing, but I love it. The playroom is old (not as lovely) hardwood with a big rug over most of it so that the children have a soft, warm place to sit while playing. My schoolroom and dining room are Pergo laminate. I'd prefer real hardwood, but the Pergo is really nice. It cleans up so nicely and easily, moreso than the old hardwood -- food, paint, etc. all are easy to clean up from it. It's a little cold but not terrible. For that in a family room, I'd probably go with a rug if people will be sitting on the floor.

I'm pretty sure they don't see you as a freeloader; they probably know you would bring something if you could, and it's less stress for them just to do it themselves. I'd shoo them out of the kitchen after the meal while I cleaned up. I'd also see if I could do anything beforehand to clean or otherwise prepare (iron tablecloths, polish silver, etc.). And I think asking if you could bring soda/juice/apple cider would be a nice gesture. Also, ask if you and your children need to avoid those allergens that morning, or wash your hands when you enter, or whatever. (And if your children don't see their cousin regularly, they may not be familiar with her allergies, so maybe you could coach them ahead of time in case they're wondering why familiar favorites aren't on the table, or why Grandma didn't include nuts in something.)

Congrats!

Spanakopitta! Delicious! (I can't get my recipe right now, as I'm nak'ing an almost asleep baby.)

A few months ago, the shipping from Nallenart was also pretty high to the US, and the only downloadable items were entire packages (mp3s, flashcards, student workbook, and answer key), so it was about $35. She has now changed it so that you can download just certain parts of the curriculum. I studied French for five years myself, so while I bought the full package for the first book, I think I'm going to get just the student workbook for the second book. I can pronounce French fine, and I rarely look at the answer key anyway, so I appreciate the option of downloading just components so that I can save money. If you don't speak French, I'd get the rest of the stuff. Also, we have not used the flash cards; there is plenty of repetition in the workbook for DD to learn the vocabulary. (I did copy the verbs onto index cards, for French and for our Latin book, so she can refer to those quickly.)