Do your kids ever become too attached to an animal that you plan to slaughter? If so, how do you handle that?

OMG, how horrible. I actually feel for those girls too, because if you're breaking and entering at 9….what are you up to at 11? at 13? I honestly think that the cops should be involving CPS or something. Saw a sad story today about another 9 year old. This was a 9 year old boy killed trying to protect his 11 year old sister from being raped. What is the world coming to. :(

"Where are you from??" (Because I wear hijab.) So, I answer, "Michigan." Then I usually get, "No I mean, really from???" So then I say, "Well, really Michigan, I was born in Detroit." Then possibly….I'll get "What about your parents??" And then I usually say, "Well, on my Dad's side, we go back to the Mayflower. On my Mom's side, she's French, Italian and German…her family came over in the 19th century….but I think the answer you're looking for is I converted. "

One easy thing to tell her is to choose whatever she wants for lunch, take a half portion, and fill the rest of her plate with non-starchy veggies and fruits. If she did that with every meal, she'd be fine. For teen girls, one big concern is that they tend not to drink milk or get in enough calcium, so I would encourage that. Calorie wise…I wouldn't go below 1800-2000, as she's still growing. OK…did some searching….http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442459420 "Teenage girls need more, too: 1,800 to 2,200 calories a day if they're ages 11 to 13, and 1,800 to 2,400 calories a day if they're age 14 to 18. "

I've had good luck with some of the recipes at http://www.elanaspantry.com

He's going to be a Yalie. :) http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ny-teen-accepted-eight-ivy-league-schools-picks-yale-n94006

Yes, I saw that was leaked last night and I was really hoping it wasn't true. Her husband found her, along with his Mom, so I'm assuming he cleaned up anything….or….perhaps somebody else had been there and cleaned her up when things went wrong. (The husband and their eldest son had been staying with his Mom for the weekend.) I've never done heroin, so I guess I don't know it's appeal. I'd like to believe if my Mom died of it, though, I'd stay far away…but perhaps this was a way she thought she'd understand her Mom or whats he did. I did read that she had OD'd at an earlier time, including having stopped breathing. I have heard from some NDE people that the experience is so wonderful, that some long to go back to it. Sad.

On a side note, I find it very impressive that Shaquille went back and finished his bachelor's degree, earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and even an Ed.D. from Barry University. A friend posted this today on her Facebook page: "When Shaquille O'neal was drafted into the NBA, he spent the first million that he earned within 30 minutes. O'neal then received a phone call from his banker, who scolded him, and told him that he would end up joining the list of former athletes who ended up broke if the current trend continued. O'neal decided to sharpen up his education on business and finance. He returned to college, completing his Bachelor's degree, followed by his M.B.A, and lastly, his Ed.D. That's right, he is now Dr. Shaquille O'neal. As of today, Shaq is the joint owner of 155 Five Guys Burgers restaurants, 17 Auntie Annie's Pretzels restaurants, 150 car washes, 40 24-hour fitness centers, a shopping center, a movie theater, and several Las Vegas nightclubs. In addition to his business holdings, O'neal still earns $22 million per year (roughly $423,000 per week) from his endorsement deals with Arizona Creme soda, Icy Hot, Gold Bond, Buick, Zales, and at least a half dozen additional corporate sponsors. He is also a studio analyst for TNT. In Shaq's own words, "It is not about how much money you make. The question is are you educated enough to KEEP it."

May seem dated, but I have a friend who swears by Callanetics. You can still get the DVDs on Amazon. Another option may be Pilates.

How exciting. I had friends who went to Iceland and loved it. They went to the Blue Lagoon. There's a rather interesting museum there. I believe your prize for 10k posts is

Hate to say it, but if it's at night, could it be bed bugs?

I would say avoid "Math in Focus" because it would be very hard to transition into a Singapore style program that late in the game. I can't comment on the others, though.

DH wanted to pick up dinner, so I checked out their page. I saw this. I assumed it was left over from April Fool's, apparently it is real. Bizarre. http://parade.condenast.com/279692/linzlowe/prom-2014-kfc-introduces-edible-chicken-corsage/

We've made eggs benedict at home using the Knorr Hollandaise Mix. Not the same as from scratch, but good in a pinch. (DH would eat it on everything.)

It sounds like you are doing everything right…it just might take some real world consequences for her to learn about reality. BUT, this is exactly where/when she should learn. Not when she's 37. How are things for her friends? That can be a problem…well Suzy's Mom bought her a car and pays for everything so why can't you??? Michelle's Mom doesn't make her pay for xyz.

I tend to go for the "Goodbye Mr. Chips" reasoning… paraphrasing..."Why teach Kikero when the kids are going to hear Cicero the rest of their lives?" But I don't think it matters. And when I took Latin, it was "Kikero" "Kiwus" etc. This has some fun clips from Monty Python http://www.carmentalatin.com/extras/extras.html

responding to wrong thread…oops

Do you remember the merry-go-rounds that used to exist? I haven't seen one at a park in ages except for this park in Albany, NY. I'm sure they're dangerous, but dang…they were fun. Not the best video…but "Bag o' Glass"…

Can you take him to a place like Pump-it-Up ? (Inflatable bouncy place) or one of those indoor Trampoline places? (experience) Maybe wrap up a spoon and when he unwraps it tell him he gets to go get a sundae for lunch or some other treat? (My kids love those yogurt places where you add your own toppings.) I second the recommendation on those hoppy balls. Big fun. On a side note, we do have the foam block pogo-stick and it's been a bit hit, but we paid half what it's going for now on Amazon…so just watch it. What about a plasma car or something he could ride inside?

Thanks for answering. :)) I used to live near Borough Park, and so would see lots of Orthodox women at the park, etc. From what I can remember, most would wear 3/4 length skirts (daughters too), 3/4 length shirts, etc. Are pants totally verboten or does it depend on the community? Also, if a young person decides not live as an Orthodox Jew when they are older (say they want to be Conservative), is there a point where they can make that decision and not be shunned or have repercussions within their own community? (I'm kind of thinking like the Amish…if they leave before they are baptized, it's not such a big deal.) Oh…and a weird thing…. I was reading a book about a certain Orthodox sect, and there was a discussion about why they could or could snot eat a chocolate bar (I think it was Hershey) because of the symbol. It had maybe an OU and some other chocolates had different symbols (maybe the OK or something else)….and only one was viewed as kashrut. I know this may sound confusing…but do different communities follow different symbols? Is one viewed as more strict?

It looks beautiful, but yet unrealistic for most, kind of like Yolanda's fridge on RHOBH. In general, I think decanting condiments and stuff is a waste of time, but it might make it easier for you to fit more in your fridge. I just think it would be a lot of trouble for what it's worth (as some are sticky, etc.) I like the salad in jars, but no idea if that helps it keep longer. I'm a fan of mason jars though…we use them to store dry goods. I like the yogurts all in the little mesh thingy…and I like in general the fruit/carrots. I guess for us, it would look nice for 3 seconds, and then would start to decline. If you can do it, though, more power to you!

Our cat's name is Sabrina. Her nickname is Brina. She is actually named after our previous kitty who died….and when we were adopted by this kitty, my kids couldn't imagine naming her anything else. Kitty #1 was named Sabrina because when she adopted me she was very skinny, had black fur (tortoise shell), and looked super elegant…so I named her after Audrey Hepburn in the movie, "Sabrina." Our cocker spaniel used to be called Sir Paws Maximillian…but he went by just Paws. (The sir was because he was a purebred, but honestly, he thought he was a mutt.)

Improve the cost. Look at the Scandinavian countries, Canada, Europe…nobody causes kids to go so much in debt to learn. Improve options so it's not college or nothing. Really let people find a great way to contribute.

You can't create a desire for him to lose weight or engineer his weight loss. If you are restricting carbs or other foods too much, that will lead to closeted eating. It may seem counterintuitive, but offering him a lot of food that he likes, including desserts and sweets, is the easiest way to reduce sneaking food. You can create healthier versions of family favorites. If you tell me some of his, I can give you recipes or you can Google. So many great options out there, even for desserts. For ice cream, there's banana ice cream made with simply frozen bananas and maybe a little milk. You can let him add his own toppings. You can make healthier brownies, cookies, chocolate pudding made with avocado, whatever. Healthier pizza, mac and cheese, spaghetti, you name it. It doesn't have to seem like a punishment. With all that, though, can you also love him exactly as he is…at this weight…or even larger? Can you really try to limit the comment on his size or even things like "his health"…because most kids get that those are closeted insults at his weight. Encourage weight lifting. Encourage being active. If he likes to play on the computer or games, can you rig up a treadmill desk? So he can walk even at 1 mph while gaming?

Teannika, actually, they didn't reject their Messiah. If you knew more about the OT and the Jewish prophesies about a Messiah, you would know that Jesus did not qualify. The Messiah was never meant to be God. I find it interesting that a Christian believes s/he can lecture Jews about their faith. http://www.jewfaq.org/mashiach.htm "The word "mashiach" does not mean "savior." The notion of an innocent, divine or semi-divine being who will sacrifice himself to save us from the consequences of our own sins is a purely Christian concept that has no basis in Jewish thought. Unfortunately, this Christian concept has become so deeply ingrained in the English word "messiah" that this English word can no longer be used to refer to the Jewish concept. The word "mashiach" will be used throughout this page."