I wonder if the hospital has wi-fi...because if I was that mama, I'd be pleading my case for a couple of iphones and some FaceTime.

I also love to quilt! I'm not all that great, but it's fun! If you want an easy quilt to start with, the first one I did by myself was the super-fast jelly roll/1600" quilt. :) It went together fast enough to keep my attention, and also showed me that it was not impossible for ME to learn to make a quilt, lol.

Voted! Good luck!!

The Chocolate Factory

I lost 33 lbs on it last July, in an extended round (normal round is about 3 weeks, I did about 50 days or so.) I've gained back 8 lbs, but I've eaten horribly in the past 3 months, so that's my own fault. I am so glad I did hcg - losing the first 15 lbs or so actually brought my bp DOWN from being pre-hypertension, to normal. I used the homeopathic pellets, "intermountain" brand from netrition.com. I've tried to do another round twice, but my head just isn't in it like it was last summer. The menu is pretty boring IMO, and that's the hardest part for me. My most recent attempt, I was planning to do a rogue menu, avoiding all fat like the original menu, but using different vegetables, and upping my calories a little, too. But - no dice. It was too easy to throw in the towel. Looking back, I think the first round I was just at a point where I was disgusted with myself, and that (along with the daily weigh-in) motivated me to stick to the menu. Now that I've lost a good bit, I don't have as much motivation. I'm by no means "skinny" but I'm much happier with the way my clothes fit, the way I look, and the way I feel. I could stand to lose another 20-25 lbs probably, scale-wise, but honestly, I'd be just as happy to tone up what I have going on right now. I'm not so stuck on the number as I am on the things that jiggle, lol. As for the hair issue - my hair did have a lot of thinning after I stopped taking the hcg, around September. To be fair, though, I was not taking the vitamins that I read other people were taking to prevent that issue. So, I started taking biotin, and a multi, and the thinning stopped completely. I never had any bald spots or anything but the volume of my hair was DEFINITELY noticeable to me.

My mother's husband, who plays, picked out DS1's guitar, so I don't have any pointers about that. They could probably help you in the music store, though. We've been using jamplay.com - They have online guitar tutor programs/videos and so far, we like it very well. It's $20/month, which is way cheaper than lessons IRL, and you can pick any tutor, any style, any level, etc. you want. You can jump around and switch if they don't fit, and the best part is you move at your own pace. They do have some live lessons, and tutor interaction, but we haven't tried any of those yet. My son is 10 and just does one new lesson per week from the beginner guitar for kids tutor, then daily practice the remainder of that week. They used to offer a free 7 day trial, but I don't see the link for it right now. Maybe google?

Do you have any hobbies? Arts n crafts? Printers/office/school supplies? We have turned 2 pieces of a 3-pc wall unit into a sort of organizer for lots of things. On the bottoms, I have sewing and quilting supples/fabric on one side and boy scout financial stuff on the other (I'm treasurer, so the big checkbook, file, receipts, etc.) On the tops, one side holds craft supplies like markers, crayons, colored pencils, etc in their own shoe boxes, tissue paper, construction paper, etc. The other side holds the printer, printer paper, hole punch, pencil sharpener, and other assorted school stuff. Between them, is a long low bookshelf divided into four parts - old school stuff, current school stuff, library stuff, and miscellaneous stuff. We have "my" stuff for school on the top of it - like post-it notes, pens, highlighters, paper clips...along with the globe and any current quilting squares or projects in progress. You could also paint it a funky color, all over or just in the background of the top - add contact paper, wall paper, or whatever to make it look fresh in your style...I'm dying to paint ours! The best thing about having a large piece of furniture but not much to put on it, is that it looks clean and organized. Even if our table is a wreck the wall unit makes it not so bad, lol.

I'm really starting to get into quilting!

Yep. When I was 14, I volunteered at a nursing home. I was there for a year or so when I found out I could actually be PAID if I took a job as a "feeder" instead of just helping with activities and such. Basically, I would bring the residents their meal tray and either help them feed themselves, or do it for them if they weren't able. So I had one little guy on my wing who was super-sweet, but didn't talk much. Tons of personality, though. One day I came in with his tray and noticed his face was bruised pretty badly. Apparently, he had taken a nasty spill since I'd last seen him. I felt so bad for him! He put his arms out for a hug, and of course, I went in to hug the poor dear. That's when he bit me. Right on the bOOk! :eek: Luckily, he didn't have his teeth in :lol: but that was it for me, lol. Had I been a grown-up, I don't think it would have been as big of a deal, but at 14, wow. I was NOT expecting that!

Best. Thread. Ever! I may be the only one here who quit a job because an old man bit one of my bOOks! :lol:

Also voted!

My 9 year old has definitely questioned it a lot the past couple years, but from the things he says, I think he still wants to believe, whether he actually believes or not. So this year, I am going to take him out for his birthday (in early December) and let him in on it. I read something that seems perfect for him, and I think I read it here, but could never find it in a search... Santa is: Someone Anonymous Nice Thoughtful and Able (I might've remembered this acronym incorrectly - if anyone can think of a better word for N, I'm all ears, lol. :bigear: ) So in this sense, Santa IS real. And it isn't always mom/dad - it can be anyone! Even him! I'm hoping this year he will want to play along and see how fun it can be.

My kids mastered that at Disney. Best field trip ever.

An idea that might work - use a grocery shopping app. I have one that lets you input your own items, edit the names of "aisles/categories" and check them off the list into a cart. You could just name your list "Library" and edit an aisle to be "Book." That might work. It's called Shopper and has a green background icon with a white shopping cart on it. ETA: it also has a bar code scanner - so if you're in a bookstore and see one you want to put on the list you could just "scan" it and it usually pops up from amazon, and add it to your Library list.

Add me to the hcg fan club. I lost 32 lbs in 57 days on an extended round 1, and I'm currently in round 2 with 3 lbs down (well, 8 if you count the load...) I take the homeopathic pellets. We are going on a cruise in November and I want to be in the pictures this time. My blood pressure has gone back to normal after being high for almost 4 yrs, too. I'm so glad I tried it! Good luck with the plan you choose! You'll love how much better you feel and that picture will be awesome!

We're going to be up there, too! My sister's family camps there every Labor Day weekend, and we'll be joining them this year. Hope it doesn't rain! lol

Another vote for Lock & Lock! I loooove them! For leftovers/fridge stuff, I use corningware. I cook in them, then just stick the same dish in the fridge, without getting another one dirty. I have a set of round ones and a set of oval ones, and they stack very nicely in the cabinet. (Big deal for me, lol.) Also, the sets I have came with a glass lid and a plastic lid for each dish.

Yes! We love xtramath!

Nice - thank you!

Job Charles Job Jonah Job Gregory Job Ezekiel Job Oliver Job Arthur

And let's not forget there are 5 branches, not 4. No, really. -USCG wife. :)

You can find a good program online, for free, in Body-for-Life by Bill Phillips. It's an exercise and eating plan, based on 12-week "challenges" - but you could do it on your own timeline. It's a great site to check out, especially if you're looking for a direction to go with alternating cardio and strength-training. This page will outline the program, all aspects of it - food, exercise, etc. Warning: It does push EAS products since they bought the program from Phillips, but when dh and I followed it, we never used any supplements, and only occasionally used protein bars (different brand, though) to get in our six daily meals (hey, I had a newborn. I was tired, lol.) So don't let that turn you off - just skip that part if you're not interested. From that page, under the "Tools" section, you will find the worksheets that help you track your exercises and menus. Click on "Progress Reports and Success Journal" and you'll see links to pdf or excel formats you can print and take with you to the gym. If you're like I was, the "Exercise Animations" link will also be very helpful, as I didn't know one exercise from another when I started, lol. If you are interested in more info, there's a book that explains the program more in-depth and is usually an easy library find. There's also a cookbook of sorts (more of a menu planner/meal idea book, rather than a book of recipes) that goes along with it. Again, I've always been able to find it at the library, too (and we move quite a bit being military.) Good luck with whatever you decide to do - I just read your OP and it reminded me of when my husband and I did this one. We had great results, and LOVED the free days, but we only stuck to it for 6 weeks. We've actually talked about getting back on it, recently.

In north AL, this was about $1,000. DH's mother wanted to be cremated. Not what the OP was asking, but the only knowledge I have to offer on the subject... Sorry you're having to worry about this, at all. :(

Putting in my vote for Teaching Textbooks. We are so happy we switched.

I was going to post the exact same dessert, but I found the recipe I use on allrecipes.com a couple years ago. I do use either cheesecake or french vanilla flavored pudding, though. And if I use the prepared frosting, I put it in the microwave just long enough to make it pourable - makes topping it super-easy. As many times as I've taken this to a potluck there has never, ever been anything left. A couple times I didn't even get any before it was gone...