I like this http://www.amazon.com/Emjoi-Micro-Pedi-Battery-Operated-Remover/dp/B005BG5CK6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407196481&sr=8-1&keywords=microped I also like the product Healthy Feet cream which you can find at Target and Wal-Mart. http://www.amazon.com/OKeeffes-Healthy-Feet-Creme-3-2oz/dp/B0002QB9NE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407196509&sr=8-1&keywords=healthy+feet

I like Sonia Kashuk's tinted moisturizer. It's about $12 at Target. It's the only mass merch ones that does well with my fair skin.

Where we are, I would think sun screen stick or bug spray. Found this: http://www.foundationforamericashomeless.com/#!care-kits/c1sae

Wonderful news. I hope the treatment can be produced quickly to be shared with those in need.

But if you feel like a nut, Almond Joy bars are perfectly fine to put on the list. :) (It's like a Bounty bar with almonds for those of you who don't have Mounds/Almond Joy.) That reminds me, there's this chain of delis here called TooJay's which makes a Mounds cake. It is insanely good. It's a rich chocolate cake and then the filling is the coconut Mounds filling (I'm assuming it's coconut and condensed milk and who knows what else.) Soo sooo good.

Some communities have funds for electric bills for heating and/or cooling (depending on the climate). Your power company may have info. If you tell your cable people (and others), often times the customer service rep will try and find a "deal" for you. When DH was unemployed, they extended a 19.99/month internet rate for us for a full year vs. 6 months. If DH is not on LinkedIn, join. Network with people. Ask if they know if anybody is looking. Be proactive. Make it a goal to contact x number of people each day.

A friend is finalizing a divorce after almost a year. They have two young kids, one going into second, and one an infant. She would like to include the option to homeschool in her agreement. Thing is, Florida is a "time-sharing" state….and basically they try to enforce a 50/50 arrangement. If her DH has the kids 50% of the time, let's assume 2 days per week during the week, and doesn't want to homeschool, but she does? What happens. Any advice? I asked if he was willing to drop them off at her house on his days during regular school hours, and she said that might be a possibility. Any other ideas?

Following, because I see this in our future.

I had four babies after a colposcopy and a LEEP. They were all vaginal deliveries. The LEEP did not affect my pregnancies as far as I know, but I have had about four miscarriages in between the various pregnancies. Two had to be induced, and two were precipitous (very fast, one was 40 minutes of labor, the other was about 2-1/2 to 3 hours.)

There was an article about this great project on NPR http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/08/01/337141837/cheap-eats-cookbook-shows-how-to-eat-well-on-a-food-stamp-budget?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140802 You can download both of her cookbooks for free at http://www.leannebrown.ca/cookbooks

Just saw this on NPR and was coming to post. :) Blurb to intrigue people… "When Leanne Brown moved to New York from Canada to earn a master's in food studies at New York University, she couldn't help noticing that Americans on a tight budget were eating a lot of processed foods heavy in carbs. "It really bothered me," she says. "The 47 million people on food stamps — and that's a big chunk of the population — don't have the same choices everyone else does." Brown guessed that she could help people in SNAP, the federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, find ways to cook filling, nourishing and flavorful meals. So she set out to write a cookbook full of recipes anyone could make on a budget of just $4 a day."

My Mom is famous in our family for turning green beans purple one Thanksgiving. She's a horrible cook, but thinks she is not…so created her own recipe with mushroom soup, walnuts, and green beans. We think there was some sort of reaction. They were really purple…like lavender. Even our dog wouldn't go near them. For me, I was making chocolate cupcakes (the mud puddle vegan recipe) and forgot to add sugar. Then I put them in my kids' lunches the next day. They were not pleased.

It's funny you wrote this, because I almost made an exception for UUs when I wrote it. LOL They tend to be far more accepting than most. :)

DH is a physician, and has worn lots of scrubs in his career. He usually buys from Scrubs123.com He likes the Medline kind…Angel something. They're about $10 for the top and $10 for the bottom. He always puts in elastic into the bottoms when he gets them. He's had pairs for 10+ years that have survived numerous washings.

For those who have mentioned judgemental Christians, I just want to add that I fear these types exist in most faiths. In Islam, we find those who judge the women who don't wear hijab, those who judge the women who do wear hijab (not modest enough, small hair showing, whatever), those who judge reverts as being too American, those who judge reverts as having adopted an Arabic or insert ethnicity culture too much, etc. In fact, you'll frequently find converts who say stuff like "it's a good thing I converted before I met a lot of Muslims." (For the record, it was the nice Muslims I did meet and the whole concept of Muslim/Arab hospitality, which was a check box in Islam's favor.) Of course that doesn't even go into the crazy fundies and how they impact people's views. It's sad… but I think it's common.

When we moved to upstate NY there was no Costco. DH contemplated driving numerous hours to the nearest Costco, but we ended up joining BJs. Other than the name, I loved it. Cheap gas. Wonderful selection…plus sometimes smaller size items. Great coupons, especially the $5 off Luvs back when we needed diapers. Good store-brand too. They also had a good selection of organic foods, and always got in Kosher stuff around Passover (which as Muslims, we like to use…especially the Joyva chocolate covered marshmallows. Yum.)

I agree…and I read that in the US we waste 40% of all food. Other countries waste a lot of food, but not as bad. There has to be a better solution. Maybe community dining halls, where all are free to come in for a home cooked nutritious meal? Kind of like what the Hutterites and others do. I don't know. Cooking healthful food small-scale could be a good job for people who have that skill set, but perhaps not formal training or other sources of employment. Why couldn't family cooks take care of school lunches too?? Just rambling. They already found out in Utah that it's cheaper to provide a homeless person with an apartment than for them to stay homeless. http://www.nationofchange.org/utah-ending-homelessness-giving-people-homes-1390056183

I grew up Presbyterian. Occasional go to church not on holidays Presbyterian. Still, my parents taught Sunday School and my Dad was a Deacon. They are completely Biblically illiterate. Church is social. Church is what "good people" do. Do they believe the actual tenants of the Presbyterian church? Doubtful. In college and after, I explored many different faiths including Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Bah'ai, Catholicism, Christian Science, LDS, Paganism, and more. I took RCIA classes, but never went through with the First Communion at the end. I ended up having a very definite response to prayer which led me to believe in God. I started to attend an Assembly of God church which I liked a lot, and had some friends at…although to me, speaking in tongues should be something useful like Mandarin or Spanish, rather than something that is not a known language (personal opinion.) Contemporary worship was an eye-opener to me…especially as I can't sing. My voice is drowned out by all the drums and stuff! What a great idea! :) Because of this, I decided to take some classes at a Reformed seminary in their Grad program while I debated whether or not I wanted to go for a full MDIv degree. I had doubts on the Trinity…and the whole concept of the Trinity. I seriously have doubts about a true virgin birth. (Even though Islam prescribes that as well.) I attended a Disciples of Christ congregation when I was in grad school and liked it as well. I explored Hinduism and found a lot I liked, and a lot which seemed too strange to me (although to be fair, there are cultural imports into Islam which are very strange to me too.) I ended up exploring more about Islam, and basically it came down to between Judaism and Islam. I liked both. They are very similar (surprising, I know.) I decided to stay with Islam because Jesus was still part of the picture. A prophet, rather than the son of God…but still, very important. Do I believe everything in Islam 100%? Nope…as previously said, I take issue with the concept of the virgin birth of Jesus (peace be upon him). I do not see Muhammad (peace be upon him) as infallible…because he wasn't portrayed that way in the Qur'an…but today he is. The whole was Jesus crucified or did God make it look like he was and put Judas in his place…no opinion on. (I have read somewhere that there was a theory that Judas and Jesus were twins. No idea on that either.) I find the whole Shi'a/Sunni split disgraceful and sad…especially as it's based on events that happened 1400 or so years ago. Let's move on people. I don't feel that any one religion is an exclusive, only way to God. I think there are many paths. I have friends of every faith and agnostic friends as well. I find beauty in them all.

We did the Cetaphil thing the most recent time. Bought the Cetaphil at Sam's. Key is to remove as much as possible before you blow-dry…and then really dry it well. I still combed like crazy with my Fairytales comb though…before….and in between both Cetaphil applications. It's actually been studied and written up in a medical journal.

If you're riding your bike, I'd say definitely a backpack. I used a backpack in college and grad school…but it was before the time when taking a laptop or tablet to class was the norm. I think for your DD, it would depend on her class schedule and how far the dorm is. I don't think you can go wrong with a backpack, though. There was a big thread raving about LL Bean backpacks a day or two ago. We've had three, and two have lasted three years now. One had strap issues after one year. They do say they'll replace them, though. Wait for coupons, though…or look for back-to-school sales.

That's an interesting point. If somebody is on Medicaid or Medicare, does that change the equation? I don't know, but the thought can be both good and troublesome. I do remember reading that when food was rationed in WWII in England, a host of "preventable" diseases went down. I can see it making sense, but I worry about a future where the government determines that I am obese, so therefore, I am only allowed 1500kcal/day….which translates into xyz foods. KWIM?

So, as I think it's kind of on-topic, I found this article today on "The Atlantic" http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/07/the-key-for-conservative-anti-poverty-plans-keep-it-simple/375392/ "In an interview with Playboy in 1970, William F. Buckley proposed an antipoverty idea: free food for all Americans. The federal government would provide grocery stores with quantities of cheap dried foods. Anybody who wanted—“you, me, Nelson Rockefeller,†he quipped—could help themselves to as much as they cared to take. Buckley’s suggested list of free foods included powdered skim milk, soybeans, bulgur wheat, and lard." What do you guys think of this? Not Buckley's list of foods, but the concept that certain basic foods should be available to all Americans so that they don't go hungry? I'll also add that I think part of the problem is that we've lost classes like shop and Home Ec in many schools. People don't know how to cook. They don't know how to meal plan. Yes, many have access to the Food Network, but can you really afford to experiment on food when you don't have a lot to begin with?

I grew up in the Midwest, where we always started after Labor Day. Now that I"m in the South, it's always in August---which is weird. Some kids start next Monday, but most districts start on the 18th. Today and tomorrow are tax-free days I think at the stores.

Beware the sample ladies! beware!

Yes, apparently Emory has a special quarantine facility that they designed with the CDC and never knew if they'd need to use. Of course Donald Trump (or Donald Trump's hair…if you follow the Celebrity Aliens thread) is making inane comments about that. Kind of makes me want to house them at Trump Tower. Ugh.