My kids are 24, 21 and 11, so yes, I had a big gap. I was two weeks shy of 43 when I had the last one. (DH was 52.) Both of my older kids (dd who was 12 and ds who was 9) attended the birth. Great birth control for them! It was not an easy birth. Nuff said! I bf'd in front of ds1 all the time and thought nothing of it. It's what bOOks are for, after all. I don't think it made him uncomfortable. I didn't make any special efforts at covering in my own home. It was harder for *me* to have a child at that age. I don't have the energy I had earlier. BUT, I also have a great older sister for ds2 to hang out with. (She has the mothering gene.) DD24 still lives at home, in large part, to be and spend time with her younger brother. She teaches him geography and whatever else I need her to step in with. I would have liked to have #4, but circumstances just didn't permit that. I am very thankful that we had ds2, though!

DD(24) and I have IMAX tickets to the midnight showing next Thursday...can't wait.

OMG! I couldn't watch all of it. I have problems with heights--even watching my hands and feet are sweating! That is one CRAZY person! (and so is the camera person.)

Well, ds in in 5th grade, and I can pretty much tell you what we'll be doing through high school. I may make a few curriculum adjustments but not very many. DS is #3 through the homeschooling venue for me.

I, too, have mastered the art of the TP roll. It must take years of careful observation before you can venture out into actually changing the roll...cause the rest of the family is still in the observation stage. My other highly prized skill is putting soap in the hand soap dispensers. I seem to be the only one in the house with that particular skill...and I don't think they're even to the observation stage on that one!

I am so sorry for your loss.

Penguin Books will no longer sell libraries Kindle e-books. AND what books the library currently has must now be transferred via USB rather than wirelessly. Irritating. I don't mind transferring via cable, but I am irritated that the library is banned from purchasing e-books from a certain publisher. (I don't know if other formats are banned or if it's just Kindle.) They will still be able to purchase printed books. I'm not sure I understand the reasoning. If there's a way to "steal" and re-sell Kindle format books, it certainly isn't apparent to me. It's just irritating.

I've had a Dodge Caravan--which I liked, except for the air conditioning which kept going out. Expensive repair! I'm now driving a 2010 Kia Sedona, and I LOVE it. We've had no issues with it and haven't done much besides change the oil and replace a headlight.

It's sitting right on my desk...and now it's open to that page to read tomorrow!

The saddest baby I ever saw in a church nursery was an Ezzo baby. He didn't cry; he didn't laugh and I never saw him smile. He sat on cue, ate on cue and slept on cue...but he wasn't a happy baby. I'd be really happy if the Ezzo and Pearl parenting advice disappeared from the earth.

Thanks...always looking for tasty gf recipes! (And free is even better.)

I think the key to hs success is looking ahead. I knew that I wanted my kids to have the equivalent of the state's academic honors diploma and planned accordingly. DS knew by 8th grade that he wanted to go into pharmacy. I contacted the local pharmacy schools and asked what they looked for in an applicant. Because of that we modified his program to include 5 hs maths and 5 hs sciences. We did SAT prep courses in addition to our regular school load. Both of my kids were accepted into all schools to which they applied and offered scholarships as well. I think around 7th grade you start to get the feeling that what you do "counts." (Not that it doesn't earlier...but there's more pressure to perform in the upper grades.) It can be scary the first time you guide a child through hs, but with planning and preparation, it can be done and done well.

The textbook business is such a racket! When I was teaching in the ps, we'd have committees for book adoptions. The state chose 7 for us to choose from and the district said to pick 1. I was on a reading book committee--it was a nightmare!

It's illegal here to text and drive. (And I wouldn't do it anyway....too dangerous.)

I've always had great customer service with PC. I just exchanged my knife set and got a new, wonderfully sharp one back in record time. I love and use my stoneware daily. I have almost all of the stones...and two of the pizza ones. I love the fact that the stones keep items warm. Other items: chopper (I've never had a problem getting mine clean.) spatulas/scraper batter bowls bread knife twixit clips nylon set (spoons and spatula) bamboo spoons cutting board

Clark's Sunbeat are my favorite sandals. I've had several pair and wear them exclusively in warm weather. (I have problematic feet.) You can almost always find them online around $50-$60.

My m-i-l bought two additional spaces when my f-i-l died. My dh inherited them. They're in a mausoleum and under my in-laws. Anyway, when m-i-l passed, we learned that two people could be buried in one space as long as at least one is cremated. So that's our plan. We joke about it but we're planning to be together forever. :-)

I have two--one decent one and one very cheap one I got on ebay. (I actually ordered 2, but one of them didn't work at all.) I wouldn't recommend going the cheap-from-ebay route. I use the other with my Kindle Fire and my iPhone, and it works really well. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GCJEZU/ref=oh_o06_s00_i00_details

Unfortunately not a misspelling...small truck stop between Indy and my hometown... **name** Eat Here and Get Gas Wonder if that's for the trucks or the diners?

I haven't read all the responses, but I do think it's important, as a parent and a Christian, to discuss and monitor what our kids are putting in their minds. Just like I wouldn't want my young son to sit and view p*rn all day, I don't want him to put garbage in his ears all day. We had this issue with ds who is now 21. I finally told him that, yes, he could make his own choices--outside of our home. Anything he knew that we wouldn't appreciate had to be kept in his car or locker at work or somewhere else. And I stopped letting him take his younger brother (10) anywhere as I couldn't trust him not to have inappropriate music in his car. It still bothers me that he listens to garbage, but it's his choice. (And he's moved out of the house.)

Definitely not true. An extension just gives you extra time to file the paperwork. The IRS still expects the money on April 15. Penalties and interest begin on April 16th. You can easily set up a payment plan--however you don't get to pick the payment. I *think* you can choose how many months for the payments, but of course, the longer you take the more you pay in interest. Keep up the payments and you'll be fine.

You have obviously never dealt with weight issues.

Get a mix with pudding in the cake. Forget the directions! Add: mix 3 eggs 1 cup water 1cup mayo Mix thoroughly. Place in pan(s). Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Moist and yummy!

Try "Gluten Free Baking Classics for the Bread Machine" by Annalise Roberts. It has several kinds of gf bread in it. Her other book, "GF Baking Classics," is also good; it has a wonderful chocolate cake recipe. Mix-wise, dh liked the Gluten-Free Pantry Favorite Sandwich Bread mix.

Did I do something wrong??? When I put my iPhone in the box, the screen has "bubbles." Did I not get it in the right way? Do the bubbles eventually work out?