Maybe you need to reframe your idea of "supporting the family." Instead of it being about earning money via a job, could you make it about reducing expenses? A dollar saved is more than a dollar earned, since you have to pay taxes on the dollar earned. Ways your boys could help save money: Gardening Car maintenance and oil changes Chickens for eggs Bulk cooking Canning and dehydrating anything that is a good deal Install a timer on the water heater (water heaters cost about $40-50 per month to heat all the time) Reading about and implementing other energy saving ideas If they put together enough of these (unless you are already that frugal), they might be able to save your family more money than they could earn if they were able to find a job.

That's probably zone 5, maybe zone 4 - much milder than what the OP is talking about.

I was having a problem with my 5 year old not being thorough enough when cleaning up his toys. Recently I started telling him to get the room "vacuum ready" and he does a better job. Less stuff gets left on the floor. "Don't expect what you don't inspect." If I can't check on his work right away, sometimes I have him take pictures on my phone. Then I look them over and point out what things he forgot to put away.

Here's a list of what my 5 1/2 year old does. -kitchen: set and clear the table, empty dishwasher, sometimes put his dirty dishes in the dw, wipe the table, sweep or vacuum, take the trash out (I have to lift it out of the can for him), take the recycling out -outside: trash can out to road and back, get the mail, water the garden (with help) -other rooms: vacuum, vacuum indoor floor mats, empty small garbage cans, put toys away -laundry: help put everything away, move wet clothes into dryer and start it, load washer (but not start it) -misc: he wants to help cook, but I haven't had the time or energy for having both of them hover during this; put groceries away; get breakfast for himself and his little brother, and have the kitchen cleaned up before I come down What I still need to teach: cleaning the bathroom and tub, dishes I've had a chronic illness for five years and have just started to feel mostly better in the last few months. I followed the saying "give the job to the youngest person that can do it" because I had to. Now I'm very greatful to have a son who's so helpful. A few things we learned along the way: -He gets upset if we keep telling him "do this" throughout the day. He is much happier if we just give him a written list all at once. -Racing against Mommy and Daddy to see who can get their big Sunday list done first speeds him up a lot. -If he's being too slow or getting distracted, setting a timer for each job helps him focus. Stuff he doesn't do that I should teach him

-Get some good, large exterior and interior mats and put them by all doors. This cut my sweeping and vacuuming in half, or less. Don Aslett's mats -Have one of your kids empty the dishwasher as soon as it's done. All dirty dishes go directly in. -Make good use of your crockpot. -Teaching your kids to do chores is an investment that pays off well. -Buy a small stick vac that even a two-year old can use to vacuum. -Whoever makes the mess cleans it up. If a toddler spills his drink, give him a washcloth and show him how to wipe it up. -I don't play with the toys, so it's not my job to put them away. I rarely put toys away. Cull the herd ruthlessly and only keep toys used frequently and that have a good spot to keep them.

Did you feel 100% completely at peace with it a few days before the procedure, or did you have a few doubts, if even your reasons for not having more kids were good?

I would look into freezing your credit, too.

What is with women calling themselves "moms" if they have pets but no kids? Do men do this? Someone I know listed herself as a "stay-at-home mom" when she doesn't have any kids. They do have many rodents, however. I know she takes very good care of them, but I find it hard to believe that their pets are even as much work as training and caring for a dog...no comparison with a baby.

Have a six month emergency fund in place before quitting any old jobs (even more would be better). Clark Howard recommends contacting SCORE, Service Corp of Retired Executives, for free advice. Find a good accountant or bookkeeper to make sure he's keeping good records from the start and to help choose the appropriate business structure.

Coupon code: 2012 Expires: Tues 1/17 Good for 20% off everything they sell, including freeze dried meat, dairy, veggies, fruit, beans, flour, and grains. Shipping is a flat rate of $4.49. I just placed my order and thought I'd pass along this great coupon code.

I haven't read any replies. I absolutely would not allow my kids on the trip. How can I even help them make a packing list if it's a secret? And how do I know the adults in charge are trustworthy?

I never had enough excess tomatoes last summer to feel motivated to can. So I sliced them and dehydrated them instead. If you sprinkle Italian seasoning on them first, they taste like pizza. I like to put them on my salad in the winter when tomatoes are expensive or lousy. I plan to dehydrate more this summer. It was much less work than canning. Dehydrated strawberries and pineapples are really good. DH made some amazing jerky.

We bought an Aroma brand one at Wal-Mart. It had good reviews on Amazon and came with a delay timer and a brown rice setting. It does a great job with brown rice, quinoa, and millet.

I just want to say I love the word shadenfreude. I've only seen it used one other place, on The Housing Bubble Blog. I wonder how it's pronounced.

The zoo would be a great idea.

If you are conservative with your money and don't know much about investing, put it toward the mortgage. Big piles of money have a tendency to get spent.

Hands going numb sounds like it could be a b12 deficiency. I'd consider starting some sublingual methylcobalamin form of b12, along with extra folic acid. Some people can't use folic acid properly (a genetic defect), which leads to the symptoms of b12 deficiency, since the b12 can't be used properly. Read about the MTHFR defect. Look into taking folinic acid and the 5-MTHF form of folic acid.

I've been at it for 5 years and each year I make fewer repeat mistakes, plus some new ones. I think maybe by 7-8 years, I'll be pretty good at it.

If you can garden at least better than average, how many years of gardening did it take you to develop a green thumb?

Millet isn't really gluten-free. I've been GF for years and just learned this. Gluten is the collective name for two proteins, gliadin and something else I can't remember. Millet has gliadin in it, so it seems like something GF people should avoid.

Your neighborhood sounds more stable. You don't sound like you want to move. Is the stress and hassle of buying, selling, and moving worth it?

Jesus warned about the Pharisees who went around publicly praying and letting everyone know about their tithing and fasting in order to look good. He said they already had their reward in full. He told people not to be like them, but to close the door and pray in secret. I don't follow football, but if he's being overly public about all this, then maybe the above is why it bugs you.

We didn't find out with either because we didn't want an ultrasound and I wanted something to look forward to while in labor. For my second, I had all the clothes from the first (mostly gender neutral newborn sizes) plus I bought one or two outfits for a little girl, in case my suspicion of having a boy turned out to be wrong.

I don't see how John Piper can logically compare men beating their wives and other forms of assault with girls choosing to wrestle as a sport. If he really considers wrestling moves to automatically be assault, then he should be telling everyone not to let their sons wrestle boys either. I also don't understand this whole, "I teach my sons not to hit girls" thing. Why not just teach all your kids not to hit period, unless necessary in self-defense? I don't want my boys hitting anyone without just cause. Getting in a bar fight with men would be no more acceptable to me than getting in a bar fight with women. Also, if a woman is trying to attack them and they can't get away, I don't want them to hesitate to defend themselves because she's a woman. A criminal is a criminal. I think Christians are called to be peacemakers in general. Unfortunately, it seems like some people (of any or no religion) consider teaching their sons not to hit girls to be enough, while allowing video games and movies that glorify violence. Look at how people cheer when there's a fight at hockey games. It's one thing to play a little rough in a sport, but intentionally trying to injure someone is different.

It doesn't sound rude. Their goal is to get drunk and they are looking for any excuse to do so. If they weren't drinking types, I doubt it would bother them. They are the rude ones for trying to impose themselves and their drunken behavior on you.