This is my answer, too. When we were house hunting once years ago, the realtor referred to them as "dust collectors." That was probably 15 years ago, but dh and I still call them that.

One we do a lot is what we called Hawiian BBQ shrimp. We peel the shrimp and make a marinade of equal parts bbq sauce (any brand will do) and something like Lawry's Hawiian marinade or a Mojo sauce (basically a citrusy sauce with garlic). We will then make kabobs or just toss them in a pan. We serve them with rice and whatever veggies we have on hand.

You can also check out Diet Free Life. Robert Ferguson (who also did the Food Lovers programs) talks about the importance of eating clean and eating every few hours. Nothing is off limits, but obviously, there are limits to how much and how often some foods should be eaten. He also mentions though, that for best results you need to cut out sugars and highly refined/processed food.

I think you will enjoy it. My girls are now 12 and 10 and they enjoy it very much. We go every year. As a pp mentioned, you can actually get in at 4 pm. We just hang out and enjoy the pool and relax that day and then hit the park in the late afternoon. There are dance parties with the characters, free face painting, and other things you don't normally see. Go slow and take it all in. Disney even has the lights on the jack-o-lanterns synched to the music. In fact, we were just talking about it today. It is all about the candy bucket for my girls. One year we made a GIR unit (from Invader Zim), one year we had a Pokeball. Last year my youngest went as Lilo and used her Stich with the zippered pj pouch for her bucket. Of course, it is still fun without a fancy costume or just using the bags Disney gives you.

They could also go back to using thicker, higher quality cottons for the shirts. That would also help. I hate all the thin t-shirts out there these days. Again... Just in case anyone is reading. :)

Yes, she does!!! These were my favorite books when I was a kid. I continued to buy them well into my high school and maybe even my college years because I wanted to have an entire set to pass onto my daughters one day. Imagine my horror when my mother gave them all away to a friend's daughter. Not loan -- GAVE!!! But, yeah. She rocks.

Have you considered buying points in Disney Vacation Club? You can look for a resell. In the long run, it may come out cheaper than having to rent 2 rooms. Also, as DVC members, you get discounts on tickets, etc. Also, on the years you don't go, you could rent out your points to help cover the annual maintainence fees, etc. Timeshares are not ideal for many people, but it just may work for you. I don't know about such a big, cross country trip every year. I don't think I, personally, would enjoy going to the same place every year, but I know many people who do just that and LOVE it.

I was Lindana on another board for awhile. I absolutely LOVE P&F. Mine is easy. I live less than 1/2 mile from the beach, and we live pretty simple lives. "Simply Beachy" was taken, so I am "Just Beachy." :) Beachy

You know... Disney is building homes on property... A little pricey though. I wonder if it includes passes to the park as part of your HOA fees. :) http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/06/golden-oak-luxury-residential-resort-community-at-walt-disney-world/

I'm currently a CM at WDW, but will lose my job this fall since I have been unable to keep up with the new requirements for seasonal employees. Bummer!!! Lots of homeschoolers in the area though. There is even a Dinsey schooling yahoo group, but it has moved mostly to FB now (search Disney schooling Orlando). They have a group of tween girls that do American Girl studies at the parks. There is also a Duffy the Bear Adventure Group for the younger ones, and several "unofficial" homeschool days throughout the year. We have even enjoyed days at Sea World to study dolphins when the Dolphin Tale movie was released. They schedule Moms Night Out at different resorts, and there is always the impromptu "We're headed to Epcot. Want to join us?" posts. Anyway, lots to do, and not just at WDW. OTOH, I can't stand driving through Orlando. Ugh!! I like the Clermont area. Very pretty. Who knew Florida had such pretty rolling hills?

Well, I guess I am in the minority, but I refer to my step children as my step children. Once, early in my marriage, I called them my "kids." When my husband's ex heard about it, she called her attorney (as she often did) and demanded he send a note to my dh's atty telling him to tell my dh that her children are in no way, shape, or form his new wife's children. So, my husband's children from his first marriage are my step children. I have always tried to treat them as I do my own, but they are not mine. :) Beachy

That's interesting. I also grew up in the south and everyone was Mr/Miss/Mrs. First Name. I truly have no preference. Many of my children's friends call me Miss First Name eventhough I am married. The children I know from school (preschool, elem before homeschooling, and now co-op) call me Mrs. Last Name. I let each child's parent decide/dictate how they are to address other adults.

One tip I found useful was to declutter the closets first. Most of the things you will get rid of are probably in the closet because you don't use them often. Things you use a lot get left out because there is no room in the closets. After the closets are decluttered, you will have a place to stow away the things you really do need and use don't don't want to keep out in the open.

Yes, you may use licensed fabric to make things to sell. The big companies will occassionally send a cease and desist letter to a designer, but the law is on the side of the designer -- as long as the designer has purchased fabric through a retailer and not wholesale. (At least, I believe that is the caveat.) Now, those designers that do all the cute appliques and the people that digitze them.... I believe they are not following the law, but I can't find any info on that subject. I do know Disney came down pretty hard on a couple of designer friends who were digitizing the designs. I also know the company that has "Angry Birds" is pretty tough as well. I run an online fabric store and used to make custome clothing. I was almost denied an account by Robert Kaufman because there are a few photos floating around on the web of disney themed clothing I had made years earlier. ETA: I'm not sewing and selling anymore though, so my info may not be completely up to date.

I wish I could find the interview I was reading with Abby Lee a few weeks ago, but I can't. In the interview Abby said that she has another older competition team that competes mostly in the local area, but there isn't nearly the drama in that group as there is in this group. For the group on the show, the producers never even watched the girls dance. They only interviewed the moms. Apparently, the girls were not supposed to get much air time at all, and Abby wasn't supposed to be on camera either. It was going to be just the crazy moms. I watch precious little tv, but I will adnit I am hooked on this show. I always say it is my guilty pleasure, but I think the previous poster that called it "morbid fascination" was more acurate. This link has a video of the dance they did. As others have mentioned, though, they appear to be nude. http://hollywoodite.com/dance-moms-burlesque-abby-lee-miller

Former f/a here. Of course, it has been many, many years since I flew for a living. However, even back in the "old days," this was not allowed. If I saw someone doing it, I told them to stop and I also told them why. It was not any kind of authority kick, nor did it have anything to do with the odor. As others have mentioned, it is flammable.

I have one of the larger hybrids -- a Toyota Highlander. I average about 22 - 23 mpg. There are certainly cars out there with better gas milage. At the time, though, I needed the larger car. I routinely carried my 2 girls and a friend's 2 girls, so I had 2 carseats and 2 boosters. I love my Highlander, but I recently told my dh that I no longer "needed" it. We are trying to cut back on expenses and I am willing to give up the car for a smaller one. Dh doesn't want to do that. He likes having a larger car for the times we do need it, and feels we get great gas milage for the size and weight of the car. My Honda Odyssey averaged about 14 mpg, so we are please with what we now get.

We love the show. We do something similar, but not quite as involved. We find out where the pit stop will be and have an Americanized version of a meal native to that country Sunday night before the race. (Americanized because I am often throwing it together at the last minute) Sometime during the week we look at and discuss the country and try to have a more authentic meal. This season, at a friend's suggestion, we are starting something new. We go to the Operation World website and see what prayer requests are mentioned for that particular country, and we spend the week praying for the people there.

I was also going to suggest mixing dirt and glue and using it to cover a formed mound. You could also try painting some styrofoam. That could make for a nice textured look.

I had the NovaSure ablation, and my only regret is waiting so long. Mine was on a Friday. I was in the hospital and knocked out for it. I remember some cramping on waking, but the nausea was worse than the cramping. I went home and rested but I felt fine. Same thing the next day. I felt fine -- just tired. For me, it really was a non-event.

This is me. I will admit that Dance Moms is my guilty pleasure. It is a show with no redeeming value at all, but I watch it every week. (In my defense, it is the only reality show I watch, and I don't watch much other types of shows either. I was reading an interview with Abby Lee, and it was pretty interesting. She was saying that one of the moms went out and hired a publicist for her and her dd. She also said the moms saw it as a way to help their dds with their dance career. Will it? Who knows? They have already gotten a music video out of it though.

We are in a similar situation. My oldest is in 6th grade, and our youth group starts in 7th. However, there are no other girls my dd's age in church. The closest ones are 2 years in each direction. Our youth pastor has done a lot of outreach and been successful with the high schoolers since they are able to get themselves to and from church and youth group. There are a very few jr high and 6th graders who will come sporadically in Wed night. They live in the neighborhood and can walk. They are difficult and not good influences on the other children. If she had at least 1 fairly strong friend going into youth with her, I would feel better. As it is, we have started attending a different church on Sat. nights. I will still go to our church on Sunday morning because my youngest has friends there. I also have responsibilities, and I feel a need to support our new pastor since I was on the committee that brought him here. I have spoken to the youth pastor about our concerns. He said that if all the families did that there would never be any children moving into youth and he would have to constantly start over. I agreed, but explained that I need to do what is best for my dd. As it stands now, she would be the ONLY jr. high school girl in youth. Not something I want for her.

This is how I choose to remember Whitney. She had such a strong and beautiful voice. She gave me chills when she sang the National Anthem.

LOL!!! Of course, you need to keep the 'gators in mind, too -- depending on where you are looking to move, of course. The other day we were driving down the road and my dd pointed out a gator that was sunning on the banks of a pond.

I grew up in the south, and yes, many people owned guns. For those who lived in populated areas, shooting at things in the backyard is not a common occurance. However, it is not unusual to take the gun and some things that are about to be recycled or thrown away out to an open, empty field outside of town and shoot at them. For those who have acreage, they do this on their property. Count me in with the group that just does not see this as a big deal. It sounds like the dad did what he felt he had to do. It didn't harm his dd or anyone else. It sounds as if he has tried less extreme measures with no success. It appears that he is genuinely surprised this thing has gone viral, and I will admit that I am, too. He seems like a decent guy who just was at his wit's end. I would welcome him as a neighbor. But no.... if you move to the south and live in somewhat populated area, you will not hear people having target practice in their backyard. You'd have to live out in the boonies to have neighbors that do that. Of course, if you move to Florida, your neighbor could be carrying since people here can legally carry a concealed weapon.