We are planning on going to the Museum of Science and Industry. When I was a kid, we went there every year and I loved it. I want the kids to experience it. I grew up in the Black Hills so I get the commercialism of Wisconsin Dells. I try not to buy into the hype of an area but, if possible, talk to people who know the area.. I know from experience that they best places to eat and visit are not always in the tourist books.

We have decided to take our family vacation to Wisconsin Dells and Chicago this year. We are looking for recommendations for the best place to stay in the Dells as well as the best museums and musts in the Chicago area. Our four kids will be 10-16 when we go and we want to stay somewhere that the teen boys will enjoy. Our oldest is planning to go into engineering and loves chemistry so if there is anything pertaining to that in the area, we would be interested. We are not set on just those two areas. We will be driving and do not mind going to surrounding areas- Milwaukee, Madison, Lake Michigan, etc. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!

My 10 year old daughter also wears a women's size 7. She wears boots- purple fur lined, black dressy, and brown casual, as well as flats and fun colored canvas shoes.

If you live anywhere near a Runner's Roost, I would strongly recommend you go there. We are 2+ hours from the closest one but that is where we go several times a year for my boys to get their cross country and track shoes. They have a treadmill that you can run on that records how you step and where the most impact is. They watch you walk and run and discuss with you what you would use the shoes for. They have you try on several pairs and try them out to see how they feel. You can even try them out on the treadmill. They really listen to you and are very knowledgable about what is available. My brother is an Ironman and recommended that I take my boys there when they started running. It is well worth the 250 mile round trip for my boys to get the proper shoes. They are also very competitive price wise and offer other running gear as well.

When our kids were younger we decided to do trash castles. We kept boxes, lids, scraps of paper, wood, etc. and had the kids slowly put them together to make a large castle. They used oatmeal canisters, jello boxes, cereal boxes, yogurt cups, etc to make draw bridges, ladders, moats, tunnels, towers, and more. It got to a point where they would ask for me to make something so they could have the container. They would glue, tape, or use toothpicks to stick pieces together and would use fabric and craft paint to decorate it. Eventually they made other buildings as well but the castle was the original and they played with it for a year before we had to toss it. We also got large pieces of canvas for them to make their own playmats out of using paint and colored pencils to create scenes.

My two eldest sons had theirs out last summer at ages 14 and 15. Our second son needed them removed because they were starting to become impacted and our eldest was mainly precautionary once he had his braces removed. Both our dentist and orthodontist thought it would be smart to get them out before he had another growth spurt. We asked around to find the best. We went with an oral surgeon located 100 miles from our house. I am so glad we went with him. Both boys were put under and were closely monitored the entire time. DS1 was in surgery for about an hour and had no adverse reactions to the anesthesia. DS2 was in for 75 minutes due to the impacting and the anesthesia made him loopy for a couple of days. Both boys had stitches and were put on antibiotics, pain killers, and a third medication for swelling. They both recovered nicely and have had no issues since. No part of the procedure was covered under insurance but it was worth it to us to have the best work on our boys. We are still paying on the surgeries but are relieved to know that they will not have to deal with their wisdom teeth as adults.

I have broke many toes and my foot a couple of times. You need to buddy tape your toes. Take a little piece of a cotton ball and place it between the broken toe and the toe next to it. Tape the two toes together with bandage tape. The cotton is needed for swelling. If your toe tingles, feels hot or cold, or you see a red line or bump- you need to contact your doctor to make sure there is no nerve damage or infection. Ibuprofen is best for swelling. If it hurts to put a shoe on, you can purchase a surgical shoe for around $20 at a pharmacy or medical supply place. Try to practice RICE for the first 48 hours- rest, ice, compress, and elevate. I am not a doctor put have had my share of injuries and a have teenage boys who have had their fair share as well. Good luck!

I voted.

I also used to be a big time scrapper but haven't for several years. For the past couple of years I have been the mentor for some 4Hers and taught them the basics and let them use my supplies. In November I was asked to be the 4H scrapbook leader for the county- 13 clubs in all. I will be hosting scrapbooking afternoons once a month as well as having one on one time with some kids in our club. I decided to agree to be the leader because I knew it would force me to get back into scrapbooking and would get to take time for it without feeling guilty. Our first get together is next month and I am looking forward to it.

I would find a trusted accountant to talk to. I have been self employed for years and my taxes vary depending on how much I have in income and expenses during the year. I found a great accountant who helped me figure out how much to set aside to make sure that I was not shocked when taxes came due.

My daughter got her first the Christmas she was 5 (she turned 6 in January) and she got her 2nd on her 6th birthday. She will be 10 in a couple of weeks and will be getting her 6th doll. She loves them and I really wish I would have started her earlier. She loves creating food, clothing, furniture, etc for her dolls. She takes wonderful care of them and they have been well worth the money to us. They are the only thing that she has continually played with over the years- everything else has been a fad that I felt like I wasted money on.

My husband has been a plumber for 18 years and a master plumber for 12. He comes from a long line of plumbers and we have many in the family. He also consults with the state inspector when the inspector is unsure of something. My husband says never flush feminine products, flushable wipes, paper towels, etc. While they may be flushable they do not break down. They can snag on tree roots, swell, attach to gunk on pipe walls, and more. If you ever hear a plumber refer to a sewer rat they are referring to a flushed tampon. They can cause damage years down the line. You should also never put pasta or egg shells down the garbage disposal- egg shells float and can block a pipe and pasta swells and sticks to the pipe walls.

My third son is 12 and also loves legos. I just ordered him The Lego Ideas Book and The Lego Book from Amazon. This way he can make some some new things with the million+ legos he has. I also got him some of the minifigure packs. Last year we cut found instructions online to make marshmallow guns. We cut the pieces and fitted them together and gave the kids some sheets of duct tape to decorate them. They also got a bag of cheap marshmallows for shooting. There are some great books and tutorials out there for creating things with duct tape. You could get him some sheets and rolls and let him be creative with it. My 16 year old loves getting fun rolls every year in his Easter Basket and Christmas Stocking.

Since I have one in public school, we follow his schedule. Our last day of school will be the 21st and we will have 2 weeks off. I wish he got off a little earlier but the district made many changes to this year's school calendar. We have been adding baking times and craft times to our days but still get all of our school work in. We let the kids work ahead on any of the school work that they want to if they know that there is a day that they are going to want off but we do not have it scheduled.

Aeropostale American Eagle Rue 21 Old Navy H&M Target Kohls

I saw information on the sale yesterday on the AG facebook page. I am glad I saw it because the deal aired on the Today show here only 30 minutes ago. I was able to order Cecile 2.5 hours ago before she sold out. My daughter has Marie-Grace and had not requested another doll but for that price I got Cecile to put away for her 10th birthday in January. She will be so excited to get her. She adores her dolls and we make a trip to the AG Denver store every year for her birthday.

I asked for a new ironing board. My husband says that it will be a give away as soon as it is wrapped and under the tree- no easy way to disguise it. Our daughter took over my ironing board with her 4H projects and I need a good one for all my quilting and sewing.

First of all, I have to tell you thank you from both my daughter and I for posting that link. She has a list of items she wants to get started on now. We have several things that we use to organize her AG dolls and all their accessories as well as her multitude of craft items. I bought a cheap TV cabinet at Walmart that had a pair of doors(for DVDs and accessories), a shelf for dvd player, and top for tv. The shelf for the dvd player is the perfect size for a doll's bed. In the doors we put a couple of sterilite 3 drawer shelves to hold the doll clothes as well as some fishing lure boxes to hold her dolls shoes, food, and other items. On the top we have a couple of her doll dressers and other large items. We also have some sterilite drawers that hold craft supplies and more doll accessories. Finally, we got a 3 by 3 shelf from Target (the kind that hold the canvas bins) along with some canvas bins. The bins hold a variety of items and are easy to take out for a project and rearrange. I found some zippered canvas totes (the kind for storing dishes) and have those on top of the shelving unit- these hold a variety of items and look nice stacked neatly on her shelf.

My daughter liked the LIV dolls because she could change their hair and their limbs are jointed.

Yes, my 16 year old can not eat kernels of corn. We discovered this when he was 5. For some reason his body has a hard time breaking it down. He can do popcorn and corn bread but not plain corn. The doctor told us that he may grow out of it but so far he still has issues.

I have teenagers and all my kids are athletes so my kitchen is never closed. When they were younger I always had a bowl of fruit, crackers and peanut butter, yogurt, and string cheese that were available at anytime but now that they are older they eat anything and everything at all hours.

It will probably be 300-350 for each of the four kids. The kids usually start letting us know around August if there is somethihg that they really want. That way I can be on the look out for a good deal and adjust the budget if necessary. This is the first year that all four kids have a high dollar item that they would like so we had to adjust our budget a little. Our youngest wants an ipod touch. She has never had anything electronic but loves music and wanted something that would let her keep track of her 4H projects and club meetings. Our third son wants a kindle. Our second son has one and our third is always wanting to borrow it. He has tracking issues and has found that it is easier for him to read on a kindle. Our 2nd son is getting a letterjacket. He is homeschooled but ran cross country for our local high school. He lettered this year, as a freshman, and wanted a letterjacket. We have opted to get him the more expensive version since it is warmer and will be with him throughout high school- our oldest has an identical one and we are glad we went with that one. Our oldest does not have anything on his list but thought it might be a good idea to start getting a few things to have for college. We will probably get him a tv that can be linked up wirelessly but have not decided for sure on that. Each kid also gets a lego set every year along with some of their favorite candies and pop. Usually we get each one some clothes, nice toiletries, a book or devotional, and other odds and ends. We also get something that deals with a project or activity that they want to work on- cake decorating supplies, sewing items, artist pencils and canvas, shoe polish, laces, and insoles, nutrional guides, mini tools, informational manuals, etc. There is no way that we could afford to pay for everything if I waited until November/December to shop. I shop all year and try to pick up gift cards here and there throughout the year to help pay for the gifts. My extended family usually does a small token item for each kid less than $5 or handmade. My inlaws try to give the kids each a nice practical or useful item- electric razor, sports gear, books, gift cards, etc. My husband and I usually spend about $100 and get little things for each other- our anniversary is Dec. 17th so our gifts are for both. There were years when all we could do was $25 for the kids but those years were just as good as the years when we had more.

A doll blanket and pillow. You can cut shapes out of the felt to make little throw pillows.

My extremely social kid is a born leader. He is not a follower and refuses to confine himself to a mold others have. He was starting to feel lonely and just wanted to be around people. He thrives on having people around him. He is so glad to be back in public school. He is on the honor roll, well respected by peers, teachers, and parents, he is athletic, popular with guys and girls, loves the Lord, involved in community service, and is all around a great guy. He is now a 16 year old sophomore and is making his college plans already. It was a hard decision to send him back to public school and there are times that it really feels like an inconvenience. I know that it was the best choice we could make for him and he continues to show us that we were not wrong in the choice we made. No one can tell you what is best for you- each family and child is different.

It is based on the child and their individual needs. My eldest was homeschooled 3rd-6th. He thrives in the public school environment and loves the social aspect of school. Our second has been homeschooled since 2nd grade. He wanted to try public school in 6th grade. After 6 weeks, he came home for school. He is now in 9th grade and loves being homeschooled. He runs on the cross country team of the local highschool along with our eldest. He lettered this year and will get a letterjacket for Christmas. He feels he has the best of both worlds- school at home and athletics at the public school. Our third and fourth have never been to public school. The third one wants to always be homeschooled while the youngest thinks she wants to try public school when older. Each year we discuss the pros and cons with each child and then make the decision on a child by child basis.