Honestly, it sounds like fun to me. What happens during a 2.5-hour drive that makes you want to claw your eyes out? The answer to that might shed some light on how best to handle a 10-hour drive. Do the kids fight? Whine? Dh and I drove 12 hours with a 2.5 yo and a 1 yo years ago. We left at their bedtime. For the first hour, we thought our plan had massively backfired because the 1yo screamed bloody murder, probably because she couldn't sleep on her tummy. But after that, they slept the whole way. I've done a 10-hr alone when the kids were 4.5, 3, and 1.5. We had a huge basket of books for the older ones, and some books and toys for the younger. The 4.5 yo and I got sick at different points of the drive--fun times. I'll admit that at 2-3 hours left, I got really good at pitching packages of fruit snacks to the back of the minivan every time one of them made a peep! Now we just do what everyone else said--audiobooks, books, water, and snacks.

We joined the Y in January. I suspect things will vary some depending on location, but we LOVE it. I'm going to try not to wax dramatic here, but it's been really, really wonderful. Family-oriented and friendly are the first two things that come to my mind. My kids do the homeschool PE class, and I get to work out without interruption--that alone is worth it! So far the only thing I've been even slightly annoyed by is that sometimes they have moved a class/event to another room than what is written down and not bothered to tell the front desk staff;). Small potatoes. The kids love it--I think they'd move in if they could! I fully anticipate years of membership.

:party: Just wanted to celebrate with you. I don't have a reluctant reader, but I have kids that love LOF, and I can sure see how it would motivate a kid to read!

All of the above? :001_smile: I, too, thought the samples were weird, yet continued to be intrigued. So after spending a lot on an expensive math program, I tossed in the first book of LOF as a supplement to try and appease the gut feeling that one child in particular would thrive on it. I wish I would've just bought LOF. I can't believe how all 3 of my kids have responded to it. Yes, it's weird--hilariously weird. Since I was just sampling it, I gathered the kids around and read it to all of them, and then they worked the problems on their own pieces of paper--including the K'er that I didn't expect anything from other than maybe accidently writing a "5" correctly. :laugh: On the other end of the spectrum, I thought my oldest might get bored. Ha. As a result of the first book, my always-skips-15-when-counting youngest is now adding--and by that I mean he comes up to me at random times (church, store, etc.) and informs me that if you have 2 and add 3, you get 5, etc. (no skipping 15 anymore, either). I did nothing with him outside of LOF. The oldest wanted to learn algebra as a result of the first LOF book. :lol: My middle child *finally* grasped how to tell time--thank you, LOF. I probably sound like a commercial, but I'm a LOF'er for life from this vantage point. They learn so many other things, too--I can't believe how often "Fred" comes up in the course of our lives. My kids beg for one more chapter of Fred, and sometimes do MORE of the "your turn to play" section than they have to--as in they sit there and make up problems for themselves/each other. My oldest (just turned 9...I probably need to update my signature!) had already started the "I already know enough math for real life" bit, and that speed bump has been flattened--thank you, LOF. More practically speaking, I have one child that hates repetition of any kind, one that needs some, and one that needs yet more repetition. They all love LOF and, I can confidently say, are getting enough practice and learning. I fully plan on making this our stand-alone math curriculum. I know plenty of people think it's only adequate as a supplement, and it would still be fun used as such, but the more we do, the more impressed I am. Yes, it's silly; yes, it's weird; my kids LOVE it. And since I can see that they're progressing in their math knowledge and skills, sign me up. Obviously, I haven't done the higher level ones, but judging from the progression I see in the first 4 books and the samples I've looked at in the higher levels, I'm not concerned. Honestly, I'd like to do the algebra book myself--because I strongly suspect I might have actually enjoyed algebra LOF-style;).

My ds had terrible eczema. What works is so simple it's ridiculous: I put some olive oil (or baby oil) in the bath water, remind him not to dunk his head;), and afterwards pat-dry rather than rub with the towel. It works wonders. Also, http://www.hardlotion.com/ is pretty amazing as far as lotions go.

I'm a fan of running swiftly away from Crazy. The fact that you, OP, ended up feeling like you owed her is just more evidence of Crazy. I say you've done your part at being a good friend and it's past time to stop letting her string you along. Remember...Crazy is as Crazy does.

I've culled toys multiple times, in just about every way possible. I have one child that wants to save EVERYTHING (could be used in an art project, you know...or repurposed as a 'decoration' on the ceiling), so this last time I just systematically went through and sorted. I didn't get rid of anything they loved, but I did get rid of lots of stuff they "loved" but didn't miss;). We have a bin for Legos (um...and multiple sectioned storage boxes), trains, cars, blocks, Playmobil, and dolls. We have a huge dollhouse, a DIY Lego table, and a "car rug." I just saved the stuff that got played with and would be played with by my kids or their cousins for years to come. Now if I could just get gift-givers to say in those categories;). It's not magic. Legos are worse than the proverbial bunny--despite my Thou Shalt Not attitude towards them leaving the playroom, it's like they sneak about in the night to lay in wait for adult feet. But it is more manageable and a lot easier for the kids to pick up--it's less overwhelming to only have to pick up cars, rather than general mayhem. Philosophically, I still think the kids have a ridiculous amount of stuff. But, at least it's good, quality stuff that has educational value and longevity going for it!

I only wear Chapstick:).

I had great success with it.

Oh, I sympathize!! Except for me it's happened TWICE--once the mail lady, and once one of the nice Mormon missionaries that came by. EEK. At least the mail lady had raised 3 kids close in age, but oh, my. The MAIL LADY that I see everyday!!!

Uffda. Well, *I* would want my close friend to come alongside me and graciously talk to me about the situation. Could I promise not to get all "mama bear"? No, since much of that would depend on how "the news" was delivered. But I would certainly hope I would hear her heart, ponder what she said, and be honest with myself. I would much rather go through that discomfort then have my child reach adulthood and find out that my friends had seen what was happening all along and were just worried about how I'd take it. That said, it's tough. Really tough. I would focus my energy on how to bring it up and discuss it. If there's a way you can use an example of a similar situation and discuss that in the course of usually parenting chat, I'd try that first. It could be that she KNOWS, but not what to do and feels defensive in general. Looking at it as a "coming alongside" rather than a confrontation might be helpful.

Two of my kids have had teeth pulled--including ds at 7:). I was told it would be a breeze, but it wasn't. Turns out my kid had big, stubborn roots. He handled it well, but it was tough. Dd 6 had a front tooth pulled, and it was much, much easier. So, there's everyone's favorite answer: it depends:).

We turned to IKEA as well. We use a couple different things. One is this. You can also get lids, making them stackable. They're easy for the kids to handle, easy to have stuff dumped in them, and completely portable. They can see what's in them without having to yank them out or rip the lid off, too. We have them in various colors--one each for cars, blocks, Playmobil, Duplos, trains, dolls, and, up until this weekend, Legos. But now we are using these for the Legos. We had one already, and tried it out with some Legos and decided to get more based on how well it was working. They come with additional dividers, so if you want to make smaller spaces and sort them by shape you can. Without the added dividers, it has three sections that each hold the medium-sized Lego sets--so you can get 3 sets in one of those boxes! We have ones divided by set and ones with miscellaneous Legos sorted by shape/type. Hope that helps! It's an ongoing battle, isn't it??

I saw some beautiful brown-skinned Cabbage Patch dolls at Target the other day, too. Don't feel too badly--while I always wanted a doll with brown hair like mine back when all the dolls were blonde, my daughter has chosen a wide variety of dolls from obviously Hispanic to blond/blue-eyed. She herself has brown hair and hazel eyes and fair skin. She also imagined that she shouldn't marry someone with dark skin because their babies might be STRIPED. This despite the fact that our neighbors' children are definitely not striped, and neither is her own cousin. You just never know what kids are thinking!!

I've had a nice wooden recorder for years. Granted, my dad bought it for me when I was a teen;), but I still play it sometimes and love it:).

Good call.

I frequently toss a bag of frozen boneless/skinless chicken in the crockpot, dump a big jar of black bean/corn salsa on it, and cook it on low most of the day. Then I fish the meat out and dump it in my KitchenAid and watch while it shreds it all up restaurant-style. Then I toss it back in to the crock pot, grab the tortillas, and make burritos. We eat them for dinner, and I always freeze up a bunch for dh's lunches. Ridiculously easy and lots of variations possible. I also use chicken for fajitas--quick and easy. Dh prefers steak, of course, but chicken's cheaper:). And since I'm a fellow can't-cook-fish person:D, I discovered that if I follow to a T the directions on the back of the frozen packages of tilapia filets, I can't mess it up! I usually cover them in olive oil and lemon pepper seasoning. I get tired of chicken, too:).

I've had a KitchenAid stand mixer (the Artisan model) for nine years now. Never a problem. I use it a LOT--general baking as well as bread. I haven't baked bread the entire time I've had it, but I'd say it's had at least a couple years' worth of bread made in it once or twice a week. It's pricey, but not nearly as pricey as a Bosch. My personal opinion on Bosch (I've only used one once) is that it would be great if I were making bread for a large family. As I'm not, I prefer my red KitchenAid:). KitchenAid has different size bowls--4,5,and 6 quart. I imagine you could find a 4-quart on sale for a decent price. And, in the spirit of vain silliness, KitchenAid has fun colors!! :hurray:

Definitely contact Amazon. Mine did that, albeit 3 weeks after I got it, and it was replaced for free because it seems some have a manufacturing issue with the screen. Could be it just happens after time, but it's worth checking out.

While I don't have anxiety about dentists, I do about other things, so I know what you mean in that regard. That said, it really will be fine. Ask people for recommendations rather than pick one from the phone book, and then go. I've had 3 root canals and was terrified beforehand because everybody always acts like it's the worst thing ever. I don't know why, now. It's not a short procedure, so that's annoying, but it wasn't painful, either. If you're so anxious you can't even sit in the chair:), just have them hook you up to that nitrous oxide, and you'll laugh over thinking it only took 2 minutes. But really, it's fine. Either bring an iPod or ask for music to be played to help with the boredom:). It's definitely not that bad! :)

:iagree: I haven't been to GWL, but from the website it looks like there are portions of the water park that your daughter could accompany your younger children in where she could "enjoy" (no guarantees, obviously!) some time in shallow water while watching the youngers. She could wear a pad with her suit and board shorts or whatever. Looks like the wave pool could be like wading in the ocean. Maybe with a task to do, she could look beyond her own misery and end up having fun:).

You could wear leggings under the skirts. As for where to get them, I guess I'd check thrift stores and watch for online sales/coupons. As for shoes, have you looked at Mary Jane styles? There are a WIDE variety of dressy, casual, and even just weird Mary Jane styles available, as evidence by http://www.6pm.com/mary-janes-shoes/CK_XAToC9BLiAgIHAQ.zso?ot=mary+janes&s=percentOff/desc/#!/women-shoes/CK_XAToC9BLAAQHiAgMHARg.zso?ot=mary+janes&s=percentOff/desc/.

I'm not, but ds7 is. Try Yami yogurt--you can go to their website to see what stores near you carry it. They use lactase to transform the lactose or something...well, read about it on their website--not sure how to explain it:). But ds can handle that just fine, and it's lower in sugar as well. Have you tried almond milk? We've found that there's quite a difference among brands, but most of them have gone over pretty well here. Not sure how the creaminess would compare to cream in your coffee. Best of luck!

I know you said this was just a rant:), but why don't you just go over and ask them if there's a compromise you both could make? Is there another side of the house they could smoke on? Another porch? A better time? The wind here almost always blows in the same direction, and we had a smoker move in next door. She'd smoke on the side of the house, and the smoke would blow right into my kids' windows (no AC) at bedtime. Yup, I played the kid card:). She was happy to smoke at the front of the house in the evening, leaving the side of the house for the late night smoke. Obviously, not every neighbor is that nice, but unless they are blatantly and consistently cantankerous, it can't hurt to ask:).

Forgive me if this is too simplistic, but have you tried just ignoring the "say 3 times" part? If once is all it takes, stop there. You could also try FLL 3. Or, as others have noted, something completely different:).