Nothing like the last minute, eh? I'm debating whether I want to stay up for another 55 minutes to see, or if I don't care anymore.

Maybe 40? I don't know. My mom got married at 20, had me a few days before she turned 22, and had her youngest (of four) a few months before she turned 31. I got married at 21, had my first baby right before I turned 25, and I'll be 34 in a few days, with my fourth baby expected in a few months. I don't feel old, maybe older than I did with my first, but it hasn't been an appreciably more difficult pregnancy (actually, in several ways, easier than my second and third -- which makes me wonder if this one is a girl, since the hormones just seem different). I expect that I probably have a decade or so of fertility ahead of me, if I want it. I had originally thought I'd probably be done having babies by about age 30, but it seems my body prefers a slightly longer spacing between them, and I don't feel that post-30 is too old. I can definitely see myself having at least one or two more, at maybe 37 and 40. 45 seems like it might be a bit old, but it also seems like a long time away. :) I suspect it varies for everyone.

So sorry to hear that y'all may lose some of your libraries! Question: Do you already pay for the library usage directly, as in a membership or something? Or is that only for people who are not directly in the area? I've wondered if that would be a reasonable solution for our local system; they haven't closed libraries around here yet, but I know they have at times cut hours because of budget constraints. I've wondered if charging a yearly fee for library or state park usage (both of which are currently free) would be a viable alternative to raising property taxes across the board. Curious as to how that works in other states.

I use Dr. Bronner's for most cleaning. Floors, as you mentioned, but also in a spray bottle with some water and maybe a bit of tea tree oil or lavender oil, as an all-purpose cleaner. I use it for pretty much any cleaning, except for glass, for which I prefer vinegar/water. I also use it, diluted with water, in a foaming soap dispenser. (The only exception is that DH doesn't feel that it does a very good job if his hands are greasy; that needs something stronger, like dish soap or GoJo.)

That thread is hilarious -- thanks!

I'll just say that it varies. :) What I really want to know, is the origin of "teA." I understand what it is a reference too, but I'm curious as to why it's called "teA" on this board and why it's spelled that way.

My 9yo got them recently; my 6yo will get them in a year or two, as he doesn't have all of his permanent molars yet. Our dentist uses the BPA-free sealants, so I felt pretty comfortable doing the sealants. I want to say it was around $50 a tooth, but our insurance covered it; otoh, they wouldn't cover a filling in full, so sealants are a better deal.

I'd vote for seeing the gyn first. She can then refer you to someone more specific if need be. Btdt with what your DD's going through. Taking Advil or Midol round the clock for the first few days was the only thing that really helped. I probably have mild endometriosis, in retrospect, but neither my mom nor I thought it was anything abnormal (she had gone through the same things as a teen). It got markedly better after having kids; now I might have a day with some mild cramps, maybe an Advil or two, but it's manageable. Also, you might want to look into cloth pads or something like the Diva Cup for her (they have a size that is made for young women). I have heard that the chemicals in regular pads/tampons can cause heavier bleeding and more pain.

If you don't eat out, don't buy expensive drinks, cook from scratch as much as possible, and try to eliminate disposable products like napkins and paper towels, yes, $35 a week for an adult seems fairly doable (assuming you're also not in a high-cost area). It's probably not going to buy all organics, or expensive cuts of meat, or even meat every night, but it should provide reasonably filling and nutritious meals. Although with teenage boys, maybe not (I don't have any of those yet).

DD likes the American Girl book, and we also found a similar one. I personally found that the Christian books focused more on sex/love/marriage, and while I appreciated that perspective, we didn't want that yet, just the basics of physical changes. (And the non-Christian ones had references to things that I don't feel are acceptable.) The AG one seemed pretty neutral, just the facts sort of thing. DD is the kind of kid who would be embarrassed if I sat her down and discussed things with her (and while she's seen births and knows how babies grow/are born, she's yet to ask questions about how they actually start growing -- her lack of curiosity sort of surprises me). I thought she'd appreciate being able to read the facts on her own and then ask questions of me if she has any.

My older two kids have tasks (I like that term better than chores; chores sounds like drudgery, but tasks sounds like something busily productive -- whatever it takes to make it work) that they have to do each morning. It's the same every day, so they know what they are and no longer argue about them. Changing up the tasks just makes it harder on me. I also have zero problem with saying something like, "I can clean up X, but then I will still be doing that when it's time to go to your lesson and won't be able to take you." This is usually pretty effective. Yesterday, for instance, there was a huge pile of laundry to fold, and the kids wanted me to take them somewhere, which isn't what I had planned to do (I had planned to fold the laundry). So in exchange, they folded and put away the laundry for me. Everyone won! I've mentioned this before, but if there is a lot of stuff out, I assign them a certain number of items to pick up, and that's it. Getting some of the clutter is better than none, and if they know they only have a finite number of things to pick up, that's easier on them. If they argue or dawdle, I assign more.

And yet, when I was in school (15 years ago), people looked down on me because I was particularly good in math (science too, but I kind of have always disliked science) and wanted to be a homeschooling mom instead of an engineer. Seems like girls really can't win. I'm sure this mom had a legitimate concern, but it seems like it was phrased wrong. Maybe she was questioning the amount of college-prep math and science that is pushed for bright students just as a matter of course, even if that's not what's needed (I did not need multiple calculus classes in high school to be a history major in college, but that's just what good students in my high school did, and nobody questioned it), but it really came out badly.

That's what I do as well, regardless of immunization status. Besides, how do they know you didn't have a religious or philosophical awakening this year and change your mind about immunizations?

I think you're doing fine -- it definitely took me some time to get into regular routines of covering several subjects. I probably wouldn't be so routine about things, because I do kind of favor an unschooling-ish, laid-back approach in general anyway, except that my state requires a bit more documentation, so it's forced me to be more regular. But you have plenty of time for them to learn history and science, so don't worry too much!

I don't really have a set age in mind, but I guess probably somewhere between 16 and 18. It will really depend on the kid, and the person the kid wants to date, and why, too. I have mixed feelings about kids getting serious at very young ages, like 14 or 15. On the one hand, I met DH at 14, and it was serious very quickly, and so we did avoid a lot of the typical teenage heartbreak that can accompany serial dating. Also, we really did form our ideas about adulthood, marriage, children, etc. together, so we've generally been on the same page about that sort of thing, which has avoided a lot of frustrations that I know other couples encounter. Otoh, being serious when you have years before you can actually get married and start a life together has its own heartaches and difficulties. I really see dating as a chance to spend time getting to know someone before committing to a life together. I do not think it should ever be taken lightly, and I don't want my kids dating anyone that they really can't see themselves marrying. If you're not the right person for forever, you're not the right person for an evening, in my personal opinion. I guess I'd really prefer them to go on dates when they're old enough to think seriously about marriage, and I'd prefer that they date very few people (ideally, one, but that doesn't always happen).

Wow, well done -- she looks fantastic!

I'd look into bulk buying from a local farm. Grass-fed beef is going to be the healthiest. I pay no more than $5 a pound for grass-fed ground beef, and often it's $3.50 or $4.00 a pound. (If I buy a quarter cow at a time, I pay about $6.50 a pound for everything -- a little high for ground beef but fabulous for really amazing steaks that are otherwise $10+ a pound, or for roasts that run $7-8 a pound.) It also depends on your area; where I am, beef is plentiful and easy to raise, so it's not too bad.

I think I'd go with the bigger room for the homeschooling room, though the biggest issue might be which one had the better flooring for projects and such, like if one had carpet and one had wood or something. Our house has three front rooms on the first floor. One is small and on the left when you first walk in. The second is behind that first one and is also fairly small (and the least sunny room in the house -- it has one window that looks out onto a covered porch). Between those two rooms is not much wall but an extra-wide doorway (no doors), so it's almost one big room. We also have one big room that is on the right when you first walk in (that has doorways into the other two and is twice as big as those two together). That big room has been the living room and the playroom and is now the school room. I like it best for the school room. It's bright and sunny and has room for a reading chair, my huge desk, DD's little desk, the art table (and storage for that), a table for the boys' work, more shelves, the piano, and more. And its floor is easy to clean. One of the smaller rooms is the playroom (the less sunny one), and while it's a little more cramped for that, the kids don't seem to mind (it, however, makes a lousy homeschooling room -- too cramped for all the surfaces we really use). The front small room is the living room, and it's nice and cozy for that purpose.

Sex bothers me more than the other two. I think that is because, in movies, and in society in general, the morality surrounding sex is more muddled for kids, and more mixed messages are sent. I'm very conservative in my personal attitudes about sex, and especially with my pre-teen, I realize that my children are forming their life-long attitudes about sex, love, marriage, etc. I want to make sure that the (limited amount of) movies they see (and the books they read) are promoting the values I have about those topics. Large amounts of profanity (or nasty name-calling, or use of God's name in vain) would bother me, but the occasional bit of it doesn't, in an overall good movie. I think it's easy to discuss why So-and-So shouldn't have used that word, whether it's IRL or on screen. Violence -- my children are still young, but I'm not so bothered by that either. My kids, however, while sensitive, are not particularly overly sensitive, either. Also, in the movies they've seen so far, the violence has a distinct point -- fighting evil. The good is very good, and the bad is very bad, and there's not a middle ground. The violence isn't just gratuitous, if that makes sense. I have no problem with them understanding that sometimes good people have to fight to stop evil, and that sometimes it's unpleasant. I suppose it would also depend on the movie; the ones they've seen have been fairly tasteful in their portrayal of violence, as well, not a ton of slashing/gore/blood/etc. No horror movies around here! For instance, my kids have seen the LOTR films (all twelve hours of the extended versions), and they LOVE them. We were careful to watch with them and to explain the fighting and everything, but they weren't really phased by it. There's a very obvious reason for the violence, and the heroes (and heroine -- can't leave out Eowyn!) are truly being heroic. The language is very clean as well. I was cautious about what's portrayed about sex/love/marriage, and I found that it was acceptable to me -- no sex scenes, limited kissing, obvious themes of faithfulness and sacrifice and waiting. Yep, there are worse role models for marriage to have in your mind as you grow up than Arwen and Aragorn. (There is one scene on the extended DVD of TT where I think Liv Tyler's dress is too revealing, but it's not a central part of the scene and not a huge thing.) On the other hand, DD checked out a bunch of Carolyn Myer's Young Royals books, about Henry VIII's wives and daughters. I skimmed through them and nixed them for her. Way too much about sex, and not just sex, about flirting and making matches and that sort of thing. It wasn't the sort of thing I wanted in her mind.

Not personally btdt, but congratulations! I think that while it may be harder to manage the blood sugars, it's also a natural time to be paying even closer attention to what you're eating. I think you AND your baby will end up the healthier in the long run for it.

OK, there is that. We do that too.

I don't reward my kids for reading, exactly. The only thing I do reward is DD, who reads a ton but who has a tendency to start chapter books and then not finish them. I probably have 20 or so books around here where she's read a chapter or three and then quit. I don't really like that particular trait, but I also don't really want to micromanage every book she picks up. So while she only gets 20 minutes a day of screen time, if she finishes a book, she gets an additional 20 minutes of screen time. This tends to work very well for her. Otherwise, no, reading is its own reward.

For an award, or something that was a really big deal to the kid, I probably would ask for a new one. Otoh, DD participated in a five-week embryology class in the fall, and a couple of months later, we received a certificate of completion for it, with her first name spelled incorrectly. I thought by that point that it was probably a little late to ask for a new one, and it wasn't that big of a deal (not going to display the certificate, for instance, but it will go in our portfolio). But for an award, yes. My first name has two common spellings, so it was often spelled wrong on things; for awards, it did bother me a bit, even as a teen, when it was wrong.

I use coconut oil in recipes that call for shortening (if butter will not work -- and it won't in all circumstances). Lard would work too, but I don't really like its flavor in frosting. However, coconut oil works just fine and adds a gentle flavor that complements other flavors.

Also, what about basic OTC drugs? Along the lines of food stamps not buying toilet paper, they also don't buy Tylenol or cold medicine. I don't know if food banks have rules about that sort of thing or not, but if they can give them out, it might be nice for them to have some.