That would completely freak me out. I'm assuming in Texas your school year ends in May? If so, I'd take my kids out and homeschool, if only for the fact that if it's on the radar of the police department, then there's a lot of chatter going on, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. I just think that if there's somebody with a gun who wants to do a lot of harm, they can do so before the authorities can stop them. I wish that wasn't the case, but it is.

It would feel weird, but I would do it if that house's layout worked for you. The first house we bought was by Pulte, and they just started some neighborhoods here which have the same model. I joked with DH that at least we'd know where we'd want to put the furniture. But…we've added a few more kids, and realistically, we'd want something different.

I grew up in a home with a central vac. While I"m sure it was all modern and all, it was just as much of a pain to haul the hose around the house as an actual vacuum. Plus, "real" vacuums do a better job IMHO and are a lot easier to fix/replace if something goes wrong.

I've always been amazed with the cleaning that the truck cleaners can do. I have no experience with the chemicals. I'm married to a guy with OCD and we bought a Bissel home carpet cleaner for around $130.00. We use it every few months, buy the solution at Sam's for about $6….and it makes such a gigantic difference.

Legos. While I'm forever grateful for the giant bin of Legos that were given to us when DS1 and DS2 were tiny, I wonder if I'll ever not step on a few in the course of a day.

When I lived in Michigan, we used to watch CBC all the time….and not just for hockey. We got a few stations…one from Windsor (CBC), one that was French Canadian, and then another which was TVO out of Ontario and had great kids programming and was kind of like Canadian PBS. I miss Canadian TV. I remember I was excited when we looked at moving to the Lake Champlain region because I was hoping we'd have Canadian TV again.

LOL. So not true. ABC would be laughed off the air if they regularly demonized a President and administration the way Fox does. The whole liberal media thing is a myth, BTW, unless you mean that liberal means unbiased? If the media is so liberal, why did they run the fake ACORN stuff? Why did they ignore all the Iraq war protests? Did you look at the election coverage? http://www.upworthy.com/why-the-gop-cant-use-liberal-media-bias-as-an-excuse-anymore Fox news is the number one cable news channel int the country, and has been for some time. It is staunchly conservative. (IF you look at these ratings, you'll see that the other networks are nowhere close http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/04/18/cable-news-ratings-for-thursday-april-17-2014/255138/ ) The number 1 talk radio is Rush Limbaugh, decidedly conservative. Number 1 news aggregator site? Drudge Report, also staunch conservative. Number one paper for business people and number one newspaper in the country (beats USA Today and NYTimes)? The Wall Street Journal, owned by Rupert Murdoch yet again. I wouldn't call Disney or Comcast/Time Warner liberal…and they are the other major player. I suppose we could more accurately say, the media has a corporate bias…. and that definitely impacts policy far more than a conservative or liberal one. About the only news channel which one could argue is liberal is MSNBC, and their ratings are abysmal.

I had a friend from Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands…think Guam) who taught me her version, and it's the one I go back to. The difference is that the eggs are not cooked omelette style, but are rather mixed with a bunch of soy sauce and black pepper and then the whole rice mixture is kind of cooked with it. You don't see separate egg bits. Anyways…start by frying onion… and some chopped carrots….and maybe garlic and ginger if you have them. (Usually I don't have ginger.) If you have leftover chicken or meat you can add it then as well. Then add in your cold leftover rice. I've used brown and white rice…both are good. Keep pressing it down with a spatula to heat/fry it. Once hot, you add in the beaten eggs w/soy sauce all at once and kind of stir it into the rice. Then you cook the rice/egg mixture, by pressing it down with a spatula. Serve with chopped green onions.

I bought a 12 pound kettlebell at Target or Walmart. It came with a DVD. I think it was Danskin brand. Anyway, you use them kind of like you would use a single dumbbell. The key is that they require you to use your core muscles….and you swing them…so you use your core to stabilize. Here are some exercises… http://greatist.com/fitness/22-kick-ass-kettlebell-exercises

A quarter of a diopter is nothing. DH used to moonlight in optical shops when he was an ophthalmology resident and there was pressure to prescribe even just a quarter of a diopter. He refused, and thus the moonlighting dried up. So….based on his experience…I find your Rx a little suspicious. Does your Rx include anything for the astigmatism or just the -0.25 D? Is it OD and OS? Or just one eye? I suppose you could get a cheap pair, but I'm not sure you really need them. Found this...http://voices.yahoo.com/should-fill-eye-glass-prescription-2846557.html?cat=5

Three good books I've read recently are "Pandora's Lunchbox," "Salt, Sugar, Fat" and "Missing Microbes." Really eye opening. I'm pretty sure I heard all three authors on NPR, if you google.

Yes, melt shortening over olive oil. Applesauce maybe for some of it in the carrot cake, but I wouldn't use all applesauce. But not olive oil…too strong. You could bake today and freeze, if you have the freezer space. Hold off on frosting your carrot cake, though.

I would have never made it as a diplomat. I would have said a bunch of swear words which I will translate here into What the Heck? Are you kidding me? Is he nuts? I would have lasted maybe two hours on the job.

I inherited an orange one with a banana seat from my brother. Of course, back then, girls weren't required to be all pink. My brother also had a Green Machine. Remember those? They were kind of like a recumbent bike. And a way cool Big Wheel that I inherited and loved. I remember pulling the handbrake to try and spin.

Yes, I saw this. It is really worrisome. Too much of a reminder of the pogroms and WWII. Is Putin the next Hitler? Seems like nobody really wants to confront him. He does have a tad bit of the crazy aspect to him. Not ex-Iranian President Ahmadinijad crazy…but more of an evil calculating crazy.

Wait..there's something wrong with that meal plan?? Let's see… you have a grain, the croissants. You have protein, the ham and cheese. You have dairy in the Nutella and cheese. If you add in an asparagus spear to the ham & cheese croissant, that'll check the vegetable box…and maybe some bananas or berries with the chocolate croissant….and you'll have a healthy meal. Well, kind of, sort of. :D

I wouldn't tip for something like that, but I would offer a cold drink or coffee/tea depending on the climate.

You can make them with lamb, ground beef, or vegetarian. I seem to remember that the meatless ones are served room temp, but don't hold me to it. If you have grape vines at home, you are very lucky. Best recipe book IMHO is Claudia Roden's. Here's a vegetarian version: http://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/cold-stuffed-grape-leaves http://mypantryshelf.com/2011/05/29/stuffed-grape-leaves-dolmas/ In Egyptian cooking, mashi is any stuffed vegetable, and it's usually a mixture of ground beef cooked with onion, soaked rice, salt, pepper, and chopped herbs of choice. This looks similar: http://greekfood.about.com/od/appetizerssalads/r/leavesmeatrice.htm

Sorry that you're in the hospital in the first place, and even more that you had to endure that. If you see her again, I would say something along the lines of "I appreciate your concern over my children's education, but this really isn't the place to discuss it. Studies have shown that homeschool kids outperform the peers." If she continued, then I'd talk to her manager.

I've gotten vaccines at pharmacies, Target, and Costco without issue. I would trust them.

The Peeps Minis should be available after Easter (May 1st) , as it's our entry into year-round snackability. Personally, I think it's a bad idea, because kind of like Girl Scout Cookies, part of the appeal is their only at Easter time (well, what used to be only at Easter, now it's every holiday.) But it was the VP of Marketing's decision, not mine. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/03/22/peeps-just-born-easter-candy-snacks/6690695/

If they are granddaughters of your neighbor, you might want to gently raise the issue with the grandparents along the lines of, "I know it can be hard to sort everything out after a divorce. Do you think it would be easier on daughter/son if perhaps they attended school for a year while they got things sorted out?" Another option would be to share some old homeschooling materials/books you might have if the Mom/Dad may be receptive. But it's really a difficult position to be in. I don't envy you.

If she eats dairy and eggs, then you can use cream or half-and-half insead of regular milk in recipes. Add in extra egg yolks. You can make little breakfast egg cups/souffles/what not using mainly egg yolks and cream. Google egg muffin cups for ideas too. Eggs baked in avocado are good too. The height and weight drop together would worry me. What does your ped say other than eating more?

When this happens, I find myself escaping to take a shower. Some days I take three. (Yes, I know I'm bad for the environment.) I have this lovely soap that a friend made me and I take it out…just so I can feel a little special. It helps. Plus, it smells heavenly. I also find that just stepping outside on the porch can do wonders. Fresh air helps me big time. We are a no-TV house in general, but when the kids are really driving me insane, I'll put a movie on Netflix, make them popcorn…and then have a blissful 1-1/2 hours to myself. That helps loads too. Of course, I have to realize this before things get too far. After four kids, I'm slowly getting better at self care. :)

You can also sprinkle a bit on chocolate chip cookies or brownies for that salty-sweet flavor. (You sprinkle it on before it bakes.)