I'm looking for a Tim Hawkins ticket (Friday night Cincinnati) for a friend. If you have one, please pm me. Thanks!

I've said it before and I'll say it again...parenting is SO much harder on this end of the deal! Parenting toddlers is a snap compared to parenting young adults. My first was so easy I thought I had it all down pat. Then came number two--not such a smooth ride. I have high hopes that number three is more the former than the latter. (Or perhaps I'll be wiser by then.) My oldest are 25 and 22.

I have a Silgranit sink that I adore! I've not had any heat issues and it cleans beautifully with Soft Scrub with Bleach. (It's white.) My only regret in my kitchen re-do is that I got a double sink instead of a single. I don't wash much by hand. I really...really...would like to be able to get those big pans all the way in the sink.

My band and engagement ring are soldered together. I put my ring on when I'm dressed for the day and take it off when I go to bed. I love wearing my ring! Because.... it was such a surprise. DH took me to look at teeny, tiny diamonds. Meanwhile, he'd been to an estate auction and purchased a beautiful 1+ carat diamond that he had reset. I was so shocked when he gave it to me! I've worn it 27 years now (almost 28) and I can't imagine NOT wearing it.

I'm going this year...more to get away than anything else. I have a few things I want to look at in the vendor hall and a few things to purchase. Most of the speakers I can take or leave. :hat: I have reservations at the Hilton.

My dd works in the processing department of the local library. Guess what she just processed into the system....you'll never guess! :biggrinjester: The Hobbit--in LATIN. Go Indianapolis Public Library!

Personally, I've liked Rod & Staff math. I started my youngest with Singapore, but it just wasn't clicking for him. Bought Right Start and couldn't make that work either. R&S was a better fit. Drill, but not so much that it killed him! I let him write in the book after the workbooks, through 4th grade. In 5th, we started copying problems, but we also started doing only about half of the review problems. If he has too many missed ones, we go back and pick up the rest. I'm doing book 7 with him now and will move to TT Pre-Algebra next year. I think R&S has given him a great foundation. (Sometimes tried-n-true works as well or better than "new fangled!")

If you're going to the MK in the near future, could you pm me?

I was able to book a table! My dh would have heart failure if he knew how much it was going to cost. (So, we're just not going to tell him.) The fireworks viewing was the hook for me--I want to see the candlelight deal, but I LOVE Epcot's fireworks.

My youngest didn't need the stimulation but he did require direct contact with ME 24 hours a day. The only way he napped or slept at night was if I held him. Any time during the day that I wasn't holding him, he screamed. I thought I'd go batty those first months...and I wasn't working. Hang in there. You will survive this eventually. It sounds like you are doing all the things your kids NEED. You're a great mom!

We're planning a trip to Disney the week of Dec.16th, and I'm looking at booking a dinner at Epcot. Has anyone booked the holiday special that guarantees seating for the Candlelight Processional and the fireworks viewing? Was it worth it?

I bought a flat screen from them last Christmas. Great service! Our UPS driver kept it on his truck until we were home and even carried in the house for me. Great price and quick service. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Probably already posted (haven't read all the pages) but this was my favorite part of the article: A June article in U.S. News & World Report said that home-schooled children graduate from college at higher rates than their peers, earn higher GPAs and are better socialized than most high school students. What? What did you say? BETTER SOCIALIZED??? :D :D :D

Last year for our 25th anniversary party, I displayed my wedding dress, bouquet and hat. So many people commented on it! I couldn't imagine purposefully trashing a dress that costs hundreds of dollars.

They can't stick to slimy hair--so use some sort of "shine" or leave-in conditioner. The hair doesn't have to be an oil slick, just a bit slimy. :-)

I use a recipe from Gluten Free Baking Classics for the Bread Machine by Annalise Roberts. It takes a mixture of 5 flours so there's some investment BUT my dh loves it and....it's kinder to his system than the ones that are rice flour based. (Some of them are, um, constipating.) I first got the book from the library to see if it was something I wanted to purchase. The other book I often recommend is another Roberts' book, Gluten Free Baking Classics. The pie crust in this one is marvelous--I serve it to everyone and no one ever realizes that it's a GF recipe!

There are many things the dr can do to help. I would go sooner rather than later. I waited too long with my son, and he will have scars the rest of his life. DS started with topical treatments, which he was not compliant in using. His acne was so severe that we ended up doing Accutane. I remember on our first visit, ds's face was horrible, and he was wearing ball caps all the time to hide it. (Even though he said it didn't bother him.) Another boy walked out who had obviously been in treatment for a while, and all I could think was, "oh, how I wish my son could have that face." In just a few months, he did! I've never regretted going that course. All that to say--if you're concerned and don't see improvement with otc products--don't hesitate to see the dr. I think you'll be glad that you did.

AHHHHHHH! (That's me running screaming down the street. Now I have to wait.) AHHHHHHH!

Hospital cafeterias have good food choices these days, and it's easy for a family to get to. Perhaps there's a gift card or some arrangement you can make there?

My siblings have/make considerably more money than we do. (At least 5x yearly income.) I've been blessed by their generosity to my family. I don't **expect** them to do anything for us. We have allowed them to help us get to some things that we just couldn't have done otherwise--my dad's 80th birthday celebration comes to mind. I wouldn't be comfortable with friends footing the bill for anything, and most of my friends are in the same financial boat as my family anyway.

Growing up we always made popcorn with bacon fat. Yummy!

Traffic on the north side of Indy is insane. I hate to drive up there and avoid it as much as possible. Do NOT under any circumstances settle in an area that will require your dh to drive on I-69--unless he likes sitting in traffic. Going Keystone or 31 is not much better. Personally, I'd go south rather than north or west, but that's just me. Center Grove is really a nice area.

We watched to original Today show coverage for a while this morning on MSNBC. My 12 yr old had heard us talk of 9-11 but he'd never really seen the footage. Even all these years later, I cried watching all the devastation. It's still unthinkable that it happened.

We painted our kitchen cabinets. They had been painted before--PINK. <<<shudder>>> I painted the cabinet frames and inside a bright, glossy white and the doors are a deep red. I also painted the yellow pine walls the same bright white (just not as glossy). Everyone loves my kitchen now!

I have no idea. I have, lately, cut my consumption of chocolate significantly. I do still enjoy a small piece now and then...rather than the constant barrage I used to eat. Small steps! As a side note, my oldest son's first two words were not dada and mama. They were "chalk-it" and "pep-ees." Guess that tells you how bad my diet used to be!