I would not want to be away from DH for all but five days a month, no matter how much money. The exception would be if it was for a year or two and would let us put away a LOT of money, then it might be worth it for a short time. I also don't think I'd want to be traveling continually. It sounds like fun, but I think it would probably get old quickly (and expensive). I think I'd be looking into keeping the cafe, and maybe hiring a manager at least part-time, so that I could quit my other job. Then the kids and I could travel with DH some of the time but not *have* to.

Giant has run specials on them before. I don't know if those are the *best* deals, but they seem pretty good. Also, one year, a local newspaper ran a program where the kids could do a few activities that involved looking for stuff in the paper, and when they sent it in, they got a free ticket. ETA: The Giant special also came with one free parking pass, which was worth $8. It's been three years since we went though, so IDK if prices have gone up.

I am planning to look for a reputable piercing/tattoo place when my DD is ready. If not that, an independent jewelry store (which is where I got mine done), but not Claire's or the like.

I don't know. That seems really high to me. I know we don't pay anywhere near that much. We have two cars, both with comp and collision, though I'm not sure what our deductibles are off the top of my head. Can you raise your deductible? I know we get a small discount on the auto for having home with Erie also, but I don't think it's huge. I would call your local Erie agent and have a chat with him/her about where you could reasonably cut your costs and still have good coverage.

Probably because it's your baby! I don't feel particularly nervous when I get behind the wheel of my car either, but I'm sure I will when my children do! Our protective mama instincts are strong, and it's hard when we can't do anything to make sure it's all okay. :) I think I'll be nervous when my children are having babies, regardless of where they're birthing.

Oh, and also stainless steel water bottles for myself and the children. No more looking for sippy cups, we drink much more water (and less juice/soda when out), and we bring them along instead of buying drinks out. (I really hated spending money to buy *water* for the kids when we were out!) Now, on really warm days, or long trips, I might still need to buy a bottle of water if we drink all of ours, but it still cuts way down on them.

Congratulations!

Yes, indeed, to that! We did the same thing a few years ago, and we love it. Our other option was oil -- noooo, thanks! Our furnace hasn't quite paid for itself yet, since it's only a couple of years old, but the higher oil goes, the faster it pays for itself. It's supposed to last 25 years, and it will definitely pay for itself within ten years, probably sooner. I agree with all the previous posters who said cloth -- diapers, wipes, napkins, kitchen cloths, etc. I spent about $65 on diapers nine years ago for DD; they lasted through my first three children, two of my nieces, and a friend's baby before they finally became too worn out to use. That is a good return! (And reusable feminine products too.) Buying a digital thermometer saves on birth control, if it's used properly (and it's not right for everyone, but if we chose to, we absolutely could use it to avoid a pregnancy). Yep, the hair clippers. I think DH has been through three sets in about 18 years of doing his own hair (plus DS1's for the past several years, and shortly to add DS2's), which is still way cheaper than barbers. Depending on your store's policy, buying their reusable bags can save money; we have a store that gives you a 3-cent credit for each bag you use, so after a while, the bag is free. My sewing machine and serger have paid for themselves too. So have my yarn and knitting needles. (I taught myself to knit when I wanted wool longies for my third baby and decided that paying someone else $50 a pair wasn't worth it for something I could make for less than $12.) DH's education has saved us money (more than the education cost), because he learned the skills to DIY house repairs properly. There are a huge number of things that we've not had to pay someone else to do because he can do them. I know he's bought tools and equipment along the way too that have made house and vehicle repairs possible. Once he bought fairly expensive vehicle manuals (more detailed than the basic Haynes type ones he uses for most repairs -- these were for like the electrical system or something), and he saved a bundle over having someone else do a big repair.

Having had one birth center birth and two homebirths myself (and planning a third), I'd be thrilled if my daughters or DILs wanted to have homebirths! Of course, I wouldn't encourage them if there were serious medical issues, but for a normal, uncomplicated pregnancy and all, I'd encourage homebirthing. (My DD is already a homebirth advocate, LOL.) As for being there, well, that would be an honor, but I'd never insist on it. Also, it would be slightly hypocritical of me to want to be there -- I have only ever wanted my husband with me (and our big kids), even though I love my mom and MIL and find them to be very supportive of our homebirths, and while I'd be thrilled to be a part of my grandchild's birth, I also think it's a very intimate part of a marriage that's really not my place to intrude (especially for the first baby). I think it really depends on the person/couple, though; DH and I are both very, very private, introverted people, and we don't even call people when I'm in labor, not until the baby has arrived and has been weighed and everything.

Yes to all of that. Liver from a pastured, hormone/antibiotic free animal, otoh, can be a good nutritional boost, a sort of superfood. I've used beef liver just sliced and sauteed with onions and peppers and a bit of balsamic vinegar. Not bad, just a little strong. My friend says she likes to chop it up fine and saute it in butter and serve on bread. I've also chopped it and mixed it with ground beef in spaghetti sauce; none of us could tell it was there at all.

At my house, it *would* be the daughter who thought of it. :) OP, this is hilarious! I'm so glad the boys are okay, and I'd be livid if it was my kids. It would take me a long time to laugh about it. But since it's not me, I'm laughing hard!

I like the "sign broken, message inside" one. One of the churches around here often has stuff that is applicable to the season, like before the Super Bowl it'll say, "Let's meet at My house before the big game, Love, God," or "Thanks for inviting me to the wedding; please invite me to the marriage, Love, God," during wedding season. I think they're sweet and not so "in your face" that non-Christians would automatically be turned off. (I've seen some billboards that are a little scary -- if I wasn't a Christian, they wouldn't really entice me to look into it more. But this church seems like its ideas are more "get them to think" sort of messages.)

That is a wonderful entry!

Questions are no problem! That probably means that the oil is burned, which heats air, which is then pushed through the ducts and into the various rooms -- as opposed to having radiators or baseboards that heat water or oil, and then the heat just sort of radiates out, rather than actually being pushed out. If I stand next to our electric baseboards, they will be hot, and the room will be warm, but I won't feel anything blowing. If I stand next to the vents in the rooms that are heated by forced air in our house, I will feel warm air blowing on my hand, like how a fan feels. In old houses in PA, hot air could also mean that there's not a direct heating system in some rooms, but that they're heated on the principle that if you heat the air in the lower rooms somehow, the warm air will rise to the upper rooms, and there may be holes cut in the ceiling/floor between the two levels. It's not particularly efficient, so you absolutely should inspect all levels of a home before deciding. :) (This is what our house had when we bought it. We put in a wood-burning furnace that heats water that then heats the forced air, to replace the oil-burning furnace, and then we put electric baseboards in the necessary rooms upstairs.) Keep asking if you come upon more questions! They're working on it. :) Also, even though the LAW allows you to use the public school facilities, the local district doesn't necessarily have to make that easy for you. It just depends.

Depends on the MW. Some do, some don't. It's not uncommon for them not to have an assistant. My MW might or might not have an assistant/apprentice with her at a birth -- depends on what else is going on, who else is in labor, whether her oldest child (who is one of her assistants/apprentices) is needed to watch her younger children, etc. The CNMs I've used all had requirements for having assistants, but they also were large group practices with plenty of MWs to handle other births and things at the same time (and nurses/assistants separate from the other MWs), but a CPM like Karen might not have a lot of backup coverage. Maybe she did tell someone to call 911, but maybe Dad was scared to leave Mom or maybe it looked like the baby would be okay, or something. It is very unfortunate and really, really sad all around, and I'm sure Karen will live with the "what ifs" for the rest of her life.

I would try block feeding for the oversupply. Give her the same breast for all feedings within about a 3-4 hour period, and then use the other breast for the next 3-4 hours. This will get more hindmilk into her, which is more filling, and it should cut down on the forceful spray. Sometimes too much foremilk can also overwhelm their little bowels with more lactose than they can handle, and that can cause gas, uncomfortable tummies, slimy and greenish poop, etc. As for not pooping frequently, my third baby was like that. He was over 9 pounds at birth, so I didn't necessarily expect the same patterns as a more average sized baby, but while his diapers were wet, he didn't poop that all often. When he did, he wasn't constipated, but it was thick, not seedy like my other two. I kept a close eye on his weight, and he was gaining, but just barely at the acceptable minimum for a breastfed baby. He also clicked when he nursed, and not the normal click -- a click that meant he was breaking suction and taking in too much air. Turns out he has a slight bubble palate, so the nipple was going up into his mouth, instead of toward the back. It took a couple of months of me needing to help him anchor his jaw while nursing, to make sure he got the most power out of nursing, and then he grew into it and was fine. I did take him to an LC, and I would recommend doing that -- she can evaluate for tongue-tie, bubble palate, or anything else that might be causing nursing issues, just so you can make sure your little one is getting as much milk as she can.

Totally acceptable for an almost 10yo who loves Narnia -- in fact, he'll probably love it! It is harder than Narnia though. DH read The Hobbit to my big kids when they were 5 and 8, and it was quite the hit (same time I was reading them Narnia, also a hit). DD also likes the LotR series, but it is much more of a challenge for her to read to herself.

You're in PA? Look at Erie. We've been with them for home and auto for over a decade, and we've been nothing but pleased with them. Our local agents have all been fantastic, and even though we've fortunately only had a couple of claims with Erie, they've handled them promptly and professionally. We do get a discount for having both home and auto with them. I have looked at Geico as well, but Erie has always been cheaper. However, that assumes you have a good driving record; if you do, Erie is a good plan.

It sounded like Karen ended up with a fairly light sentence, unless I was reading it wrong (it was late; I might have misread), which is good, right? Though it may have hurt her reputation, and I'm sorry for that. She doesn't sound inexperienced -- didn't the article say she'd handled 40-50 breech births? It may or may not have been a wise decision, but it doesn't sound like it was made lightly. Mistake or not, sometimes things go wrong.

I was surprised by that too, because I lovelovelove the name, but I am thinking it's because it has multiple common spellings, all of which get counted separately. Like, Emily can be spelled different ways but is most often Emily, whereas Kathryn, Katherine, and Catherine are all fairly common spellings. I think the same with Sarah/Sara; it's a common name but with two equally common spellings, it gets split up and counted separately.

So, so glad you are home and safe now! Prayer is amazing! Your kids sound amazing. Very mature and helpful. :)

We've used several of the items mentioned by PPs, but my kids adore Susan Hammond's Classical Kids series. Also, The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is very good.

I planned my HS room around the surfaces we needed. It isn't perfect, but it's pretty decent. There's my big desk, which holds the computer (helps to have a flat monitor, so it doesn't take up much of the desk space, plus the desk is a big old office style desk, quite large); it also holds the workbaskets (and has room for me to lay them out every night), globe, and the big crate that holds our current schoolbooks when they're not in the workbaskets. There's a small table next to it for the file crate with our completed work. I've got a comfortable chair for reading, if I'm not sitting at the desk. I have a table for the little boys, and a desk in a quiet nook for my daughter, who is easily distracted. And we have a table for art projects. And a piano. And several baskets of books -- current history and science books, plus board books for the toddler. I have a clothesline sort of string over the art table for displaying projects, and two large maps on one wall. I'd love to have room for a timeline on the wall, but we don't really have the space for that.

I love this! (I don't really expect that it will end in 2012 either.)

:grouphug::grouphug:Prayers being sent from here.