I'm not sure you could or should back out a contract, but I wanted to chime in that all orthodontists are not that way. Due to moves, we've dealt with 5 orthodontists. All of them have had great bedside manners with children and parents. Our current ortho gave me his cell phone number, and returns calls or emails quickly. My kids began care at ages 8 and 7, so I nearly always went back and sat next to the chair they were in. My 12 yo still likes for me to go back with her. My 9yo would prefer to go alone, but I want to know what is going on. If you decide to ride it out with this ortho, I echo the above suggestion to focus on relationships with the techs. They really do spend more time with the kids, and are generally chatty with parents.

I would expect an adult named Quinn to be a male. I think girls have overtaken the name though, so I would expect a child named Quinn to be a girl. I've only met female Quinns, and they were all teenage or younger. Quentin would definitely be a boys name.

I've had a similar issue. I don't know if it will make you feel better or worse, but avoiding those trigger foods (and black pepper) made a big difference. I also notice issues with peppers, onions, and tomatoes- the things that make veggie dishes tasty. :glare: I hope it works for you though. Having a beautiful voice is a wonderful gift.

We are a Mac family too. I love the portability of the laptop. The only downside to a laptop is screen size. It doesn't bother me, but it does keep dh from wanting laptops as our only computers. I'm actually not a fan of our gigantic iMac monitor, although dh likes it for photo manipulation. My MacBook is very old, and was replaced by a MacAir. I *love, love, love* it! Occasionally I am sad that I can't play a CD, but I just use another device. (We kept the MacBook for the kids). The Air is my favorite of all our devices.

What a great thread! We are just entering the teen years, so I'm very interested to hear ideas of how to do it right. :thumbup1:

When we had our last oven repaired the repairman cautioned us that ever using the self clean function was a bad idea. He said they are a common cause of damage.

:iagree: with Ann, I have found that presenting veggies as optional add ins often leads to a better attitude about trying vegetables for my children. I think they are tempted by small bits of pretty colors, and the fun of assembling their own food. As a side benefit, they become accustomed to the flavor, one little bite at a time. Our Christmas Eve meal is always a noodle bowl with lots of toppings available. My kids will put some of everything in their bowls, just for the fun of it. :laugh:

It was fairly common in Texas.

I just want to say how impressed I am! You guys have a lot of variety, and seem to cook something new every night. :hurray: I try to cook enough of an entree that we can eat it for two nights (usually not consecutive). We also have a lot of the same dishes over and over: salmon with rice and kale chips, chicken with vegetables, etc. Maybe it is because I have a dd who is dairy free, and we have to limit tomato and gluten products. Dairy, gluten and tomato seem to be part of so many delicious meals! :drool:

To me, it would depend on what type of house you have, I strongly dislike the look of farm sinks in most suburban homes. I've seen some that matched the overall feel in a farm house (painted cabinets, country decor, nongranite countertops). And I suppose the size is useful on a farm. I've also seen a couple of polished metal ones that looked okay in what might be considered a contemporary kitchen (stained cabinets, granite countertops) or industrial looking kitchen. I find the inclusion of a white farm sink into a modern decor kind of odd. If you want to know what is popular with buyers in your area, or for your style home, you could ask a realtor.

Instead of aiming for vegetable curry, can you make chicken curry with tons of veggies? Over the last several years, I've added more and more veggies to combined dishes and soups. My dh really wants to see meat though, so I usually add at least one chicken breast. When serving up the bowls, I try to place the chicken bits visibly on top. It makes a huge difference in how my family receives the meal. I applaud you for trying to change your family's diet. Dh and I both wish our childhood comfort foods were a little healthier. Best wishes to your dh as he beats his cancer!

You can also meet with an endodontist just to see what they recommend. I did that just this Monday, and was relieved to hear that he did not recommend a root canal.

((Hugs)) You are walking a very tough road. Your strength is amazing, but I'm sorry it is so hard.

I remember this thread. I've also wondered how it turned it out.

Sassenach, that email is wonderfully worded.

Laura, you listed several things I've never even heard of! I'll have to google them. Sugar snap peas and cherry tomatoes are our "must have" items. I'm curious since several people listed carrots above. We tried two varieties this year, and both were bitter to the point of being inedible. We pulled and composted them. What do you carrot gardeners think went wrong with ours?

I love Christmas ornaments! Each year I buy a family ornament and an ornament for each of my kids, and my nieces and nephews. For my own family ornaments, I keep my eyes open on any vacations we take. I write the year on the bottom with a fine point Sharpie. Every year, I love looking at the ornaments from the beach, the Redwoods, or wherever we went. I also look at places like Hobby Lobby or gift stores for ornaments for my nieces and nephews. I look for something that relates to their year, or to their interests. I find Hobby Lobby to have the largest selection, but I also like Pier 1 Imports, Cost Plus World Market, street fairs, book stores, and the Christian supply store. I also buy Lenox at Macys. A few years we made ornaments.

Like Annie and fraidycat, I use ours to shred a whole crockpot full of chicken. I then season and freeze the shredded meat. It is convenient to pull out a container of shredded salsa or barbecue chicken, ready to heat and eat. It is actually faster than heading out to a restaurant.

:grouphug: I'm so sorry. What a heartbreaking thing to witness. :grouphug:

:laugh: Well put. Not even water is guaranteed to be okay... it probably needs to be filtered, reverse osmosis, Kangan, etc.

I'm glad he is doing better. I logged on today just to check for an update.

:hurray: :hurray: Little girls are wonderful :hurray: :hurray:

Santa brings one gift here, and it is not a big one. Dh's family makes a big deal out of exchanging stocking stuffers, so we've never labeled stocking gifts as being from Santa. We haven't told our kids the "truth" about Santa, but talk about the magic and fun of Santa. I'm sure they both know where the gifts come from, but they still put out cookies, and carrots for the reindeers.

Our French Press is 12 cups, although that is not the same as 12 mugs of coffee. :laugh: It is very similar to this one, if not exactly the same. It is pretty and makes me happy. :001_smile: Once the first pot is poured off, a second can be made immediately. We use an electric tea kettle to boil the water. It doesn't have the advantage of being programmable though. If you are up with a baby at night, something programmable might be nice.

We also use a French Press. It really does make a delicious cup of coffee.