You need to invent some sort of game that involves putting a diaper on a doll before you get squirted in the face. ;) Did find this http://www.parents.com/baby/shower/games/boy-baby-shower-games/

I think that's right. I googled hand print quilts and saw a bunch of neat ideas. Some used fabric paint, others just cut out the hands and then sewed them on. hand print quilt ideas Is there a color scheme we want to try and stick to or anything goes? If somebody has Lara's mailing address, will you PM it to me? I don't want to inundate her inbox. :) Aubrey…what a wonderful idea. :)

Whenever we go to a restaurant that has baked sweet potatoes, I always order one. I love them with butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. I'm perfectly happy just eating that for my dinner. :)

There's an Egyptian way of cooking vegetables that my kids really like… basically it's mixed veggies or peas and carrots in a tomato sauce. You start by sautéing some onion in olive oil with a little salt and pepper…once it's clear, add in about 1/2-1 can of tomato sauce. Let it cook. Then add in a bag or two of slightly thawed mixed veggies. You let it cook for about 20 minutes. There's also a great Turkish way of cooking green beans that my kids like. It's very similar. I think the tomato adds sweetness, which is why my kids like it. http://www.turkishcookbook.com/2005/03/flat-beans-with-olive-oil.php Oh, we also love to cook broccoli and broccolini following this Rachel Ray recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/garlicky-broccolini-recipe.html

But now when your kids ask you what use is geometry, you have an answer beyond pizza and pies. :)

I rechecked the thread hoping it had been a mistake. I'm sure it's all too real for you. Tried to PM you, but your box is full. I know in the States, an unexpected death can be a financial strain on a family. If you have a Paypal account, I know there are many who would love to help in a small way with those expenses or any expenses related to the fire. It's a small gesture, and the donations may be small, but they would be made with love.

This is what I was always taught http://www.seoulbrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/arc.jpeg I used to get facials from a woman who would make my eyebrows look amazing. My whole face, eyes, everything looked better. Nobody else did as good of a job. I miss her. I have friends who swear by threading. If you check yelp, etc. you can usually find one or two brow salons that have great reputations as being artists. I'd go with one of them.

My heart breaks for you. I am so so sorry. I hope you and your DD were not injured.

I'm sorry. You set a good example for your kids, though, by being honest…and knowing that you were going to get it. I hope it's not too painful money-wise.

Frozen vegetables can be affordable, especially when on sale. Ditto the recommendation on ethnic markets. We used to have an Asian supermarket near us in Brooklyn that was awesome. Farmer's Markets can be good/bad…but are always fun. Veggie soup is a great way to start. Most kids will like it with some fun shaped pasta included. You can add carrots to spaghetti sauce, even celery. You can add in mixed frozen veggies to the meat layer in lasagna. Carrots and hummus along with chips. Cucumbers and ranch. Get one of Mollie Katzen's kid cookbooks and let your kids pick out the recipes.

I've seen universities which have honors programs that have a set curriculum, and then the students transfer out after their Freshman year into various schools (within the university) that may support their intended major, but not an actual school devoted just to Freshman.

Happy Birthday. You've raised two sweet DDs. :) How nice that your husband remembered the Medieval Fair too!

You can cook it with peppers, onions, some cumin, and garlic and make Turkey fajitas. You could buy a box of stove top, and cook it with that for a quasi Thanksgiving meal. Cook it, add white beans, a can of tomatoes, and a packet of chili spice to make turkey chili. Serve with cornbread.

Oh, and also Orlando, Tampa, and I think Davie/Ft. Lauderdale have Ikeas. (Important to know. :))

I've worn Birkis for years ever since I was a massage therapist, but they don't always work at parks with roller coasters where your feet may be dangling. :) I've had good luck with Clarks, Skechers, and New Balance…but my feet tend to be a little wide.

You just made my day. We're moving back to Orlando in July. :) Is it going to be on Aloma near Whole Foods?

I've lived in the Orlando area, Jacksonville, and now SW FL (Naples/Fort Myers). Most of my adult life has been spent in Florida. FL is a great place to live, but realize that many people act the same way in the summer as people up North do in the winter. (You stay inside most of the day, and then go out late afternoon/evening. :)) My property taxes are much lower than up north. Homeowner's insurance and flood insurance for us run about $2500/year. Our property taxes are about double that. Schools really vary (JAX has great magnets--and two of their high schools (Paxson and Stanton) have been ranked in the top 10 high schools in the country for years), but homeschooling is easy. Homeschoolers are also eligible for Bright Futures scholarships which is nice, as well as dual-enrollment. There are some umbrella schools here too. Central FL has some toll roads, which can add into your costs if you use them a lot. Gas is on par with the national average. Food on par with national average. Really good local grocery store called Publix, which has an excellent bakery, wonderful subs, and great store brand to save money. If you like Trader Joe's, it's limited in the state to Naples and Gainesville, I believe. That kind of sucks. :) Costco, BJs, and Sam's Club are everywhere. Aldi has pretty good distribution. Lots of cities/towns have wonderful farmers markets. Gulf has the best beaches, although I really loved living in Jacksonville. Going up to Amelia Island or down to St. Augustine was great. Central FL is great (Orlando area), but traffic can get insane. Naples/Ft. Myers is weird because it's so heavily seasonal. Snowbirds triple the population of Naples every winter. Some businesses close in the summer when the snowbirds leave.

I think I would add to the Michael Pollan advice, and include not genetically modified food. I do believe that there is some credence to what is said in "Wheat Belly" about how wheat has been genetically modified and how it may impact health. (But in all fairness, I have gluten intolerance, as do some of my kids.) I don't believe that all grains are evil, though. I think we have way too much added sugar and processed foods in our diet, and moving away from that would be healthier for all. I think that, in general, the quality of the food supply in the US is not good. We emphasize quantity over quality. I found it very interesting that many Egyptians I know in the US complain about the quality of food here. One would think that we would do far better than a poor country like Egypt, but the thing is, many people buy their food from family owner farmers in Egypt. THey bring their food themselves into Cairo to sell, or sell their animals to the butcher. The concept of large-scale factory farming really hasn't taken off, which I find surprising for such a large (population-wise) country. I also remember buying strawberries at Farmer's Markets when I lived in France, and they were 1000% sweeter than any I can buy here, even organic. Same thing with the wonderful grapes I used to buy at of all places, the train station when I lived in Switzerland.

Yes, I was thinking that too.

Read the book and it is in much the same light as other NDEs. Honestly, regardless of theology, the only people who can have any clue what death may be like are people who have died and come back to life. Their experiences are extremely similar--and this includes children who would not have heard the typical NDE stories in their lifetime. I find it disheartening that people who have not experienced death can judge those who have--and whose medical deaths have been verified. One can also read about how people's lives have changed for the better after these experiences. In my viewpoint, a loving God giving people a glimpse of heaven is not outside the realm of possibility, especially if it helps others with their faith or helps the viewer to live a kinder, more compassionate, love-filled life. From everything I've heard, the movie is a good film, well done.

There's a place in Massachusetts called Old Sturbridge Village. https://www.osv.org

Read this today and I loved this bit: "“When I arrived at the orphanage, I did not know how to read or write,†he says. He was tutored privately for a year before beginning his formal education in seventh grade. “I always tell my daughters-in-law not to worry if the children miss a few days of school, because I lost seven years of school and it didn’t stop me from becoming a lawyer,†he says. http://magazine.gwu.edu/lucky-child

So, we're winding up our first year back homeschooling after a break. It's been a really good year for both DS1 and me. As I'm facing a move and looking at what to do next year, I started wondering if people re-evaluate their decision to homeschool each year or pre-decide that they're going to homeschool until their DC reaches high school, college, or whatever? DH would love for me to commit to homeschooling all four through high school, but I simply am not willing to do so. DS1 is extremely intellectual curious and self-motivated, but I know that two of my kids are far more stubborn, and I may simply tire of dealing with that on a daily basis. My goal is that if I think homeschooling is negatively affecting our parent/child relationship, then i will send them back to school. What's your philosophy?

The kids got a family Kindle Fire last Eid and love it. They all have FreeTime accounts on the device. I download/borrow/buy books for each of them. Probably DS1 will need his own just because of space soon, but we like to have kids share devices.

In the past, my kids had weekly lessons at the YMCA or a similar organization. Last summer, our local program had daily lessons for two weeks. The gains they made were amazing. I'm now a big fan of daily lessons!