It really doesn't taste like spinach in a glass though. It's a healthy way to get more vegetables in our diet. No one should really have an argument against eating more greens! We eat greens in many forms. But I'm all about getting even more in our diet.

Sometimes a bad cut works out ok- I accidentally (ok, perhaps slightly purposefully) made a mistake when cutting my husband's hair back when we were engaged 13 years ago & had to shave his head (I really thought it would look better shaved because he was at least 30% bald already at age 19 and the combover was doing no favors). Well, he ended up loving it- after his anger subsided. He hasn't had it longer than a 1/4" since then! :) A little spiky gel might work wonders!

Yup, my kids each drink about 20-30 oz of green smoothie a day :) I figure that covers most of our fruit/veggie bases and any extras are just bonus! :)

I have a Vitamix and make them constantly. I have a few recipes on my blog (link in siggy). I've lost 20 lb and dropped my blood pressure significantly through drinking them 2x/day since January. And I feel great!!!

HIG is home instructor's guide. I agree with Bill- to a point. There was a time that my kids have had to just buckle down and learn the facts- because they weren't sticking. Some kids don't have that point- my older daughter naturally learned her addition/subtraction facts through other things (although she did need some drill for the higher multiplication and division facts when we got to those). My younger daughter was still stuck on each and every math fact until we took some time to just drill them (ReflexMath) and now math is much less painful. She requires a lot more drill than the average kid though. My point is to not make it a huge issue but at some point realize you may have to just suck it up and drill math facts for a bit. It makes life hard when you can't add 6+7 without thinking about it for a long time.

I've never seen it on sale either- I was hoping I was wrong and there is some magical sale floating out there!

Do they ever put Growing with Grammar, Soaring with Spelling, and Winning with Writing on HSBC? It would be a great thing for me...

Just ordered level 4. :) I hope we like it!

I know you didn't mean that all women with PMS issues are just allowing it to be a part of their home, but wow! I don't "allow" my menstrual migraines to reduce me to a whimpering, sobbing fool crying for relief. They do it to me on their own. I don't "allow" my cramps to destroy a week of my life at times-- they do that on their own, too! Maybe the women in your home do not usually get cramps or have PMS issues... but that might be a bit more genetic than just coming from the way you've talked about it! I don't need to tell my girls what PMS is like- they see it every month when I spend 2 days in bed with a migraine. They see it when I end up in tears over excruciating cramps and ruptured cysts. And yes, I know that you weren't saying that everyone with PMS issues in their house is bringing it upon themselves, but at the same time... it seemed a little lacking in compassion. ETA: I realize my views on all of this may be clouded by the fact that I'm currently sitting with a heat pack on my lower back trying mercilessly to find enough relief from the pain to function today.

Thanks- I'll look for 20 or 25 mg and start on that.

Would there be any harm in giving this to a 9 1/2-year-old? My daughter has just started breaking out. She's 4'11" and 100 lb - I feel like at her size, it *should* be ok, but I'm not sure!

I just take the fresh spinach (pre-bagged at the store, pre-washed) and put the whole bag in the freezer- no processing on it at all before freezing. I roll down the bag as I use it up and clip it with a chip clip.... I never re-bag it because I am too lazy for that! :) We go through several bags a week. I also use kale greens or collard greens sometimes, but I think spinach is my fave because my kids like it more. :) ETA: This also helps the spinach blend more- it sort of "shatters" when frozen...

We are about $800-900/month on food/household basics for 4 people. We eat loads and loads of produce. Our only meats are fish and the occasional chicken breast. We do eat a lot of fish though.

If this ends up being too challenging, can I recommend green smoothies? A green smoothie isn't always green in color but is basically a smoothie with greens in it- I make mine with pretty much equal parts water, frozen (fresh, bagged, then frozen- bought fresh- not bought frozen and clumpy) spinach, and frozen fruit. I add chia seeds for energy and Omega-3. It is very simple to make and they taste fantastic! I've lost 20 lb since the beginning of January having 2 green smoothies a day- I don't eat ONLY green smoothies but them alongside other foods in my diet. I've also dropped my blood pressure dramatically- I was sitting at in upper 130's over upper 90's (138/95, 135/99, etc...) in my daily readings and was looking at adding a second blood pressure med (I've been on one for over a decade but don't want TWO!). I'm now getting readings like 103/75, 110/72, etc... That's a HUGE HUGE drop and it means I don't need a second med! :) All of us in our family drink them every day and we all feel better than we ever have. And I swear it is doing amazing things to my hair and nails- my nails grow SO fast now!

I so commiserate! It is so so so so hard at this age! My daughter is only 9 1/2 but we are having major puberty symptoms and she's had chest development for over a year, so I know it is coming at some point. Her moods are so out of control and she cries at LEAST 5 times a day- it is unbearable some days!

My daughter is in 3 hours of classes a week right now- she's 7. This summer she will be in 5 (ballet, tumbling, jazz, hip hop, tap). This fall, she wants to take 12 classes, but I might limit her to a few less than that ;). After 5 classes a week, you hit a max tuition rate, so I don't mind the $ part, just the driving part! :)

IMO, the best beach within 2 hours is Siesta Key. If you want to stay closer, Cocoa Beach is the closest. Do NOT go to Playalinda Beach, parking lot 13. It's a nude beach. I took my kids there on accident. Just a warning! :) THAT was fun to explain ;)

Disclaimer: I live 15 minutes from my choice of Disney/SeaWorld/Universal. This colors my view of all other amusement parks. We did Hershey Park last year and found it to be completely boring and unattractive. Hershey reminded me of all the things Disney does well. Even little things like dining areas being mostly in more enclosed areas so that children are safer. There's lots of things I hadn't "seen" as big deals at Disney until I was at Hershey. My girls thought it was "ok" but liked the free chocolate kiss the best of the day, I think. There was absolutely no magical experience for them like Disney at all though. Did I have a point? I don't remember! Sorry!

I appreciate your responses and insight, Amirah! And now I will quote Chrissy's signature: "The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand."(Frank Herbert)

Work on her left hand strength/skill! :) My daughter just got out of her left arm cast last week (she's left handed) and she can now write almost perfectly with her right hand. :) So now she does the left pages of her book with her left hand and the right side with the right hand. She's also super proud of her right hand skills now :) ETA: Yes, books on Nook or iPod or iPhone are a great idea for now!

I did not see her in her classroom- only in the hallway and school office and leading kids to the lunch room. She had it on all of those times, but she may very well take the face part off in the classroom- I have no idea as I wasn't in her room. That is a good point.

I appreciate how thoughtful and non-combative this discussion has been, by the way! :) I was stuck at the school for 2 1/2 hours yesterday and my phone was dead, so I had a lot of time to stare at the walls and think... hence the reason I was wondering about this.

Can you explain your meaning here?

Do any conservative Christians cover their face? (Honest question, I don't know.) This was specifically about the niqab in comparison to the hijab. I am pretty sure hijabs are well accepted in every environment (as they should be).

You had my same thought process entirely. It didn't bother me religiously- it bothered me because I was thinking how much your face is used in teaching- especially with younger kids! But then I did think- well, if they had another reason for covering their face for some medical reason (??) or something, it would obviously be fine, so it should be fine for other reasons.