If you eventually want to end up using Saxon, begin with it as well. I love Horizons and hope to use it through the grammar years with all of my kids. If it isn't broken, don't "fix it. "

It's pretty hard to say because it depends on how long the counters are, how much would be used for the pantry, and work flow concerns. Is there anywhere else you could renovate into a pantry? Maybe a small kitchen closet? Another option is to just upgrade your stand alone pantry. You could customize the front to match the rest of the kitchen cabinets. Just a thought. Good luck!

My LA is as follows: Rod and staff for grammar Writing with Ease Rod and staff Spelling Getty Dubay handwriting

There is a lot of good advice here. I understand that he has allergies, but you may want to try increasing his exercise. Twice a week isn't enough for an adult to lose weight either. Growing up, I ate a ton of junk everyday. However, I was on my bike for a few hour everyday too. Oh, my YMCA offers exercise classes for kids so maybe yours does too.

Macadamia crusted mong chong fish with a truffle cream sauce. I actually stopped in mid bite because I realized that it may be the best thing I had eaten in a very long time.

It is definitely better if the cake is cooled off. in fact, the cut will be even cleaner if you froze it in advance.

Are house values going up that it would be worth keeping? It doesn't seem worth it for just a few hundred dollars a month. Would it be hard to sell? It so, renting it out may be your only option.

Seriously! All my kids crowding around the mixer spilling everything and then swiping chocolate chips? Some math lesson.

It depends. Objectively it should be fine, but I doubt that I would be treated the same as someone of the dominate religion as the company. I guess it would depend if I was okay with this.

Have the academic records of every other white president ever been in question? I am not a fan of Obama, but I still can't figure out why everyone still picks on him about these issues. I can only conclude it is because of his race.

No, I wouldn't. It is hard enough to raise kids as it is. I don't want to put that guilt of having disappointed me on my daughter or son. My grandparents were in the situation that you are speaking of, but they didn't make any effort to teach me either.

Actually, I was asking about the race part. A while ago, a friend of mine said that she was offended that I referred to her as Caucasian. I thought this was the standard, non-offensive way of describing her color, but apparently she felt that it was better to be called white. White people in this country have blended so ethnicities cannot often be summed up in one word such as Irish American. So what is wrong with being called white or Caucasian? When I meet a person for the first time, the first thing they notice about me is my skin color. They often ask me, "where are you from? China, Japan?" Um, no. I am not and I speak perfect Standard American English. I have no Asian accent! When I tell them that I'm from Ohio, you should see the funny, confused looks that I get. Hehehe... They then are sometimes embarrassed so they stop questioning me, but some continue to ask where I REALLY am from. I then get annoyed (but i sweetly smile). and specify my town when obviously that is not what they are asking for. So, the point of this story is, why is it okay to question a person of color about their color, but white Americans get upset when others bring up the issue? You know, I used to feel the same way about being referred to as an American instead of stating that I was Asian American. I no longer care either way. One thing that I realize is that my ethnicity is such a huge part of who I am.

Can I ask you a question? What would "white people" rather be called?

This is interesting. I could understand this if they were concerned of communication problems, but because they feared the doctor had an "easy pass" through medical school? Wow. They will certainly have greater difficulty finding white, male doctors: I believe their numbers are shrinking.

The first thing to do is massive purging. Start with the top of the house and move down. Decide if you want to pack and take the item with you to your next home. If you schedule a massive pick up by Purple Hearts or Veterans of America, it is your deadline to be done with purging. Scheduling a pickup also prevents the dread of having to drag a ton of stuff to the Salvation Army. win win situation.

While we are a shoes off home, I usually defer to the host's preferences. actually, I am surprised at the strong opinions that this thread has brought out! I must say, the people here definitely have a lot of strong opinions. ;)

Please, refer to us as Asians. Not Oriental. I am saying this in the kindest way possible.

But don't you try shoes on at the store that others have tried on? Although most stores provide those barely there stockings, I rarely see people wearing them.

I see what you mean here, but this is a cultural norm. In an Asian house it wouldn't be weird at all.

I see that you think that I am incredibly rude. But that is okay because I have thick skin. ;) Actually, when I do have non Asian guests over, I give consideration to their worries about stinky feet or fungus issues and provide my unused disposable slippers from my airline travels. I never ask guests to remove socks. Actually, most guests assume this courtesy and remove their shoes without my having to ask. I am guessing that they assume this is my preference because I am Asian. I understand your embarrassment issue. Honestly, I do. But I don't believe that a guest or a stranger has the right to do whatever they want in my home either. So yes, "c'est la vie!" And people, the best policy is to always consider the other person. That is why I do the best that I can and provide slippers since we have a no shoe (not no sock) policy.

Most adults don't have visibly dirty feet. I haven't really had this issue. Eg. My sandal and croc wearing kids often go to a playground that is on mulch. I will use the front hose to spray off feet and shoes. Their friends usually happily comply. I realize that I sound extremely picky, but truly I am not. My house is usually a mess with the toys and books covering the floor. But my limit is dirty floors. Because of this I can get away with vacuuming once a week and mopping every two weeks. I detest cleaning!

Okay, I see that it is just a preference. I guess I just disagree when people say that wearing outdoor shoes in the house is cleaner than going barefoot. It's true that if going barefoot outside or sandals will make bare feet equally dirty, but we wash our visibly dirty feet when entering the house. :) Like you, I doubt that "foot oils" damage carpets. The shoeless homes I know have very clean carpets and floors for years. There was No to replace carpets for a very long time.

That is nutty and horrific! I can't even imagine any scenario where this would be and acceptable question. Seriously. I honestly don't believe that she was in her right mind.

Socks, tape, Legos, pencils, dirty napkins, clumps of food, discarded sippy cups, pieces of scratch paper, small toys, underwear, dust bunnies, etc. it is endless. Not complaining or anything... ;)

Excellent points. I moved into a house covered in navy blue paint and ancient wallpaper. The drywall was not primed under the wallpaper. When we were removing the wallpaper, the drywall came off in chunks. It was a nightmare.