Well, my kids' combined bday party is this coming Saturday (they all have bdays in the same week), and we are inviting 6 families, all with 1-2 kids within my kids age range, who we play with regularly. We expect a total of 11-13 kids (counting mine). We have no family nearby.

We came on a weekend-long house hunting trip 6 weeks before we moved from Houston to New Orleans. We saw 11 houses the first day and 11 houses the 2nd day. We kept a running top 3 and every house we saw either took the place of one in the top 3 or was no longer in the running. We went back the morning of the 3rd day and saw our top 3 one more time, and wrote a contract on our favorite. Turns out our top three were the first, third, and 17th houses we saw. We have been very happy with it. We would have loved one of the others in the top 3, too. It really came down a toss up between the two of them and DH chose based on commute time.

I use my steam mop on my laminate. I keep moving and don't spend enough time in any area for them to get saturated. The water is hot enough to evaporate very quickly. I know they're not recommended for laminate, but I've never had a problem. I adore my steam mop! I have the Eureka EnviroSteamer now, but I preferred my Bissell Green Tea. It died after several years of hard use, though.

I'm doing K-light with my young 5 ADHD oldest. I'm not sure how much he's ready for, honestly, so I'm playing it all by ear, and will not be surprised if we do a second year of K when he's 6. I would hold him back if he were going to school elsewhere, so I'm comfortable either way. We plan to use FIAR, HWT, finishing AAR pre-1 and then starting PP, and MEP reception.

My b/g twins are Hazel and Charlie. I love their names. I have no idea what I'd name another set. :lol: Here are the most popular names for twinsets born in the US last year. You can see lists for b/b, b/g, and g/g sets. http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/twins.html#t0=0

:iagree:

With my 4yo twins, we plan to use MEP reception and c-rod play.

I dislike matchy twin names and I dislike creative spelling. :glare: But I agree that you should say nothing about how terrible they are. I don't think it would be bad, as a PP suggested, to ask if they have any nicknames planned. I'd be curious to hear the answer!

1. Camera basket on the bar in the kitchen 2. Video camera n/a, take videos on my iphone 2. Flashlights kitchen cabinet above the oven, unless the kids have run off with them, then the playroom 3. Purse floats, but most often hanging on the door handle to the pantry. It's supposed to go in the mud room, but I always end up walking all the way in the house with it on my shoulder, then drop it in the kitchen on the pantry door. 4. Incoming mail that you don't have time to open just yet floats on the bar 5. Your dh's wallet no idea where he keeps it--his responsibility 6. Library books basket on a book shelf in the living room 7. Items that need to be returned to stores but you can't get around to immediately on top of the dryer. LOL 8. Outdoor toys usually in the yard :glare: but supposed to be on plastic shelves on the patio 9. Completed homeschool stuff (workbooks, etc.) n/a, too young 10.Game system accessories (dance mat, wii balance board, rock band drums, etc.) n/a, don't have note that I don't necessarily think these are GOOD places for all of those items, but it's where I would go to look for them, so I guess it's where they "go".

:iagree: that is what I do in my minivan. remove the captain's chair by the sliding door and make room to get in and buckle everyone. I don't know if you'll be able to get 3 Boulevards across, though. I'd pay to switch one or two (whatever it takes) seats to Radians, which are narrow, to be able to accomplish this arrangement, though. Worth it.

I have a history degree and would vote LA, math, and history. My DH (an engineer) would vote LA, math, and science. I voted MY preference.:lol:

I would absolutely use K materials with a 4yo if he was ready, but I wouldn't call him K until the fall he was 5.

:iagree: In Texas, redshirting is so common. I would absolutely call them kinder and pk based on age.

I made an Ikea run for a 4x4 expedit for our schoolroom today. I can't wait to get it all set up!

I don't, and don't find one necessary. I've made one a couple of times and never stuck with it. I have my calendar in gmail, easy to a access on my phone or the laptop which is always open on the kitchen bar. I have a loose cleaning routine that doesn't need to be written down, a tickler file for papers and documents that need keeping up with, and usually have a to-do list floating around the kitchen somewhere. Grocery lists, etc go on the fridge (I painted one side of it in chalkboard paint). So I guess I have all of the stuff that usually goes in a home management binder, but I'm not a binder girl, so I keep it several different places.

I voted b/g twins. Mine will be 4 next week. They also have an Irish triplet brother, 2 days shy of a year older than them. We adopted oldest ds and then got pg with the twins when he was 4mos old. They make a crazy fun trio!

4 bedrooms as follows: Parents Boys Girl School room (this bedroom is far removed from the others, and I didn't want a kid on that end of the house alone.)

I love something like this. I'm a sucker for bear ears on baby hats. http://www.etsy.com/listing/60007517/baby-girl-hat-and-baby-boy-hat-bear-hat?ref=cat_gallery_16 I have used this pattern before with good results. Use a fuzzy yarn and google for a flower for the girly one and you're good to go! http://owlishly.typepad.com/owlishly/files/owlishly_designed_bear_infant_hat_email_quality.pdf

I have vol. 1-3 plus the bible supplement, but I bought them used so they're all separate. I think I'm glad. It would be thick to have them all bound together!

I sewed a hang-from-the-doorway puppet theater for my DD's 4th birthday and a curtain for the school room window. Current yarn project is my annual stash of preemie hats. My NICU baby and I take a pile to our children's hospital every year on the anniversary of her discharge. I think I have 7 done so far. I'm so grateful for the care she received there; it's one of my favorite ways to "give back". I think that covers it for May.

We have a 2x4 expedit in our room for our dresser. It was purchased for the playroom, but didn't end up being needed in there, and there was a need in my room, so there you go! It works great. I have the dark brown color, with 8 Target Itso fabric bins in dark brown in there. It's very roomy, holds a lot, and looks very pulled together.

lifelong Texan here, and NOTHING compares to chips and queso. :tongue_smilie:

Mine love pattern blocks and pictures to use them with, like these. http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?product=3760&keyword=Pattern%20blocks&scategoryid=0&CategorySearch=&Brand=&Price=

I taught Shurley 3 and 4 in classical private schools and they are not very different. Shurley 4 reviews everything in Shurley 3, and then adds predicate nouns and predicate adjectives, if I recall (it's been a few years!).

IMO, there is no comparison. I much prefer Costco. When I had the choice, I drove past three Sam's to get to Costco. We moved, and now I just have Sam's, and it's such a bummer!