After you posted this I took a close look at both & decided to go for the smaller, cheaper one. So thanks!!

It's just the figurines

Thanks! I was able to get a few things I had planned on buying for 1/2 off!

My other thread has me thinking about this-what has been the best present you have ever gotten your kids? I am thinking in terms of 1) the immediate reaction 2) long term use/quality/value etc. Include your kids age at the time. So far for me: When my older girls were 4 & 6 they received American Girl dolls from a real life 'Santa' (a generous family friend who insisted they go under the tree from the big guy). 3 years later they are still in great shape, well loved, & frequently played with. As I mentioned in my other thread-when oldest dd was 3 we bought the Loving Family dollhouse. Still in use today (6 yrs later) and has held up very well. Play kitchen was another winner. Along with books. Ok-your turn!

I would like to get something that they all will love & treasure. It's so hard to know what that will be! Kids are so finicky! I will say that we have the Loving Family dollhouse & it has been used on & off for 6 years now. Definitely worth the cost! They do seem to play 'outside of it' more than actually setting up furniture inside.

I have the KEVA contraption set in my shopping cart too! Still trying to decide what to do

How much was it discounted on the lightening sale? And how do you find out about lightening deals?

My girls love the Schleich horses & farm animals. I have bought them one or two here & there over the years. I am thinking of getting them the barn ($170) and/or horse stable ($144) for Christmas. It's so much $$ though! Is it crazy? I am sure it's quality & will last forever. Do any of you have it? Anyone want to talk me into it or out of it? If I bought this it would severely limit any other gifts they get. But that isn't really a bad thing...

My nephew had a reaction to peanuts & now carries epi pen. My sis just keeps him away from all nuts. I am making cookies & used bulk sucanat from country life (comes in a sack). Now I am worried bc the catalog says they process nuts but to call about individual products. They aren't open today. What should I do?

Going to my sisters tomorrow for turkey with my family. Went to DH family yesterday. I don't mind. I like to eat good food :)

Rave-my SIL made bacon jam & my other SIL made some kind of polish noodle/cabbage/bacon dish. Both were awesome! Rant-none of the desserts my MIL made were good. She makes the worst, weirdest desserts. I knew I should have brought one!

My family gives me a hard time bc I always make out long lists with a wide range of options (but only when asked by my mom & MIL). I don't want them to waste money on things that I don't like, want, or need. I love having lists for other people. I like guidance bc I don't want my gift to go to Goodwill. I don't spend my $$ for that to happen.

I think the Jesse tree would be good. I always forget about!

I need to figure out my Advent plan for this year. I have 5 girls-9 & under. We have done Truth in the Tinsel for past 3 years so I am ready to move on. I would like something similar-bible story, discussion-but I don't want to do crafts. Or silly activities. Coloring page (not my favorite option), simple activity, or just good reading. I want to keep the focus on true meaning of Christmas so I don't want a list of activities like 'drink hot cocoa', 'watch Elf'. Anyone have suggestions to fit my wishes?

I will absolutely share!!

Well it's over. I feel such a sense of relief for some reason. Like the burden is off my shoulders or something. I really liked the examiner. He said DD have good effort. I don't think he was prepared for me to have so much to say lol! He said they usually give summary over the phone then send report but he thought I was the type who would enjoy going through the details. DH said 'wow he figured you out quick' lol. He didn't say too much other than concerns about processing speed & attention. He have me a checklist that I figured was for ADHD & I checked off every item ;) By the way-my DD has a brain tumor & suffers seizures as a result. All the testing is through our treatment center-St Jude. The examiner said there is emerging research that he thinks will help guide the way we can manage DD. He said that ADHD manifests itself a little differently in kids like mine. And the combo of brain tumor & seizures is like a perfect storm. I am really interested to hear all he has to say at out next appt (dec 10). Oh-I drank A LOT of coffee today to help me fill out all the forms & get through the history/interview after an almost sleepless night with the baby. Thankfully there Is a Starbucks inside the hospital :)

Thank you! I had planned to be much more prepared for this. It's a long wait usually. But they called Thursday & said they had a cancellation for this Tuesday. It was now or wait til May.

Last time I filled out tons of forms while examiner was with the child. She interviewed me also before beginning eval. I just couldn't remember what type of questions she asked. I have a 10 month old who thinks she is a newborn so I will be sleep deprived for the rest of my life I think ;)

I hope no one takes offense to my 'neighbor with a mental illness' statement. Not everyone who has a mental illness is a danger-I just didn't trust him. I should have left out the mental illness part. That doesn't really matter. Our back yards were side by side & no fence in between. He didn't work so he was outside a lot. I just always felt like I needed to keep an eye on my kids because my DH & I got a weird vibe from him.

In our case we had a neighbor who had a mental illness, cars drove down the street at about 40 mph, & strange dogs were always around (no leash law). So it wasn't paranoid. We don't have any of those things happening now. Just because your neighborhood is safe doesn't mean all are.

We used to live in a neighborhood on about half an acre (fairly spread out housing) close to a grocery store & fast food. We never felt comfortable letting our kids outside without us & we desired more privacy. Last year we moved to a house on 2 acres in a more rural area of our community. We have neighbors but we can't see their house & vice versa. We really love it. It's wonderful to just let the kids run wild outside! I also love the critters (mainly squirrels & birds) I spot & just walking around the yard looking at plants & trees. The land surrounding us has 2 ponds very close to our fence. We throw rocks & watch turtles. Ducks sometimes land & that's fun. We all spend a lot more time outside now. I do miss having a grocery store & fast food 5 min away. It's still not far (15-20 min) but enough that it's not convenient. Trade off is worth it though. I will never live in a neighborhood again. I love that no one driving by can see what I am doing in my yard. DH wants to be even farther out though. He wants quite a bit more land. I wish we had a creek but otherwise I am content.

I am very sleep deprived so I need help thinking this through & getting prepared. DD had had this eval before but I don't remember much about what she asked me. What do I need to be prepared to answer as far as my observations & school work concerns? Specific examples & concerns?

I know not everyone will agree with me & that's ok. I flip flop on this issue myself. I believe that marriage is forever. So ultimatums just seem wrong to me. But if it brings about a positive change-is it justified? I don't know. I just know that I didn't feel right about it. Maybe if he would have continued on the meds I wouldn't feel that way. But I think the fact that I 'made him' was an issue for him. He DOES NOT like to be told what to do.

Thank you all for your kind words & suggestions. I don't feel so alone.