http://anthonymezza.webs.com/photos/-Old-Skool/DSCN1355.JPG Figured it out. They were Dynamints! Thanks everyone! Now I will be able to sleep tonight! :)

Thanks for the responses. Definitely not Good & Plenty. I don't like licorice, so I never ate those. Not mike & Ike, Razzles, Pez, or Zots either. (Zots were so fun!) Maybe they were just Tic Tacs. Does anyone know if they came in a red & purple combo? I really hate it when I cannot remember something!

My daughter and I are stringing beads and I put some red & purple ones together. I thought it looked like a candy I used to eat as a kid, but I cannot remember which candy. I tried to google it, but not coming up with anything. It's driving me crazy trying to remember. I remember the candy had a wired taste, maybe a bit peppery, I don't know. They were maybe the size of tic tacs, or a little larger. There were red ones and purples ones in the pack. Does anyone remember what these are? Thanks so much!

Forgot to say that we did have to keep reminding my daughter to not tell her friends that there really is no Santa or Easter bunny. She was very good about that. She asked what she should say if the kid actually came out and asked her "do you believe in Santa/bunny" or "is there really a Santa/bunny." we told her to come whisper in our ear or tell the child's parent. If the child is at the point where he is asking a direct question, "is Santa real", I see no point is outright lying to him at that point. Almost all of the kids we know figured it out by age 8. Only one very immature kid still believes at age 10.

I voted 8-10, but my daughter figured it out at age 5. She asked one day if it was Mommy or Daddy wearing the bunny costume, hopping around the yard hiding the eggs. I asked her what she meant and she told me that she knew there could not be a real bunny that hides eggs, so it must be one of us. We told her the truth. She was disappointed that we didn't wear a bunny costume though! A week later she asked about Santa. The grandmothers were terribly disappointed.

I don't drink coffee. My husband only drank iced coffee or lattes from Starbucks once in a while. I bought a Keurig with money I received for my 40th birthday. Best thing ever. My husband now makes an iced coffee every morning to take in his travel mug. I make iced tea for myself. I just put a teabag in a mug and use the Keurig to brew the hot water directly into it. Then I pour that over my ice. The best thing it has been for is when we have guests. I never remembered to make coffee when company came over because I don't drink it. Now everyone can make what they want (decaf or rgular or flavors) and all I do is check the water level. Others who have a Keurig also will refill the water when needed, so I usually don't have to deal with it. It even worked great at a 50 person party we had. People also tend to get very excited when they come over and can get a cup of coffee from the Keurig. I don't know if it tastes better or they like the novelty of it.

Thieves watch cars. If they see a woman leave the car without a purse, they will break in. If they see a woman get out of car and put something in the trunk, they assume it is a purse and break in. The latter happened to me at the zoo. I put my purse in the trunk, thinking it was safe there and out of sight. The crook broke into the car and used the latch to pop the trunk open. the first happened to a friend. She went to the gym and left her purse hidden in the car. On her way into the building she said 'good morning' to a man. As she entered the building, she heard glass shatter, turned around and saw the guy running away om her car. He used a hammer to break the window and grab the purse. In both instances, the police told us that parking lots are targeted and those two instances cause a car to be targeted. Also, I had my gps stolen from my car in my driveway. There was absolutely no indication that I had a gps. That is all that was stolen. My daughter's Nintendo DS waas removed from its case, but left on the seat. I don't think this is an insurance scam. Most times stolen purses are not covered, or the deductible is too high to bother making a claim. My insurance company did pay to replace the loss on our other car because my keys were in the purse. Since my driver's license was also in there with the address, we decided to be safe and change the locks in case they came to the house to steal the whole car. (the car that was originally broken into was my husband's car.)

I get motion sickness pretty badly. I have to drive so I don't get sick. Some things that work for others either do nothing for me, or make me feel sicker. Here's what DOESN'T work for me: mint gum, ginger, juice, Dramamine, crackers, water, looking out the window (makes me sicker) These are things that help me: -sour lemon sucking candy -cold air -cold, carbonated drinks, but not sugary, or very cold iced tea -dark, wrap around sunglasses (I have Cocoons; I can wear them over my regular glasses.) -riding at night -riding backwards (on a train. When I was a kid we had a truck with a cap and a bench seat that allowed me to ride backward. I was even able to read while riding backward.) Good luck!

My daughter will be a Littlest Pet Shop tiger. We are making the bobble head from a 36" balloon and papier mâché. For our homeschool group's All Saint's Day party, she will be Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. She helped with the sewing on this costume.

Forgot to say, we are keeping the Rat Zapper set up, in case another mouse comes in. Since it uses dry bait, you can keep it set up for a long time and not worry about it going bad.

My cat is afraid of mice! http://www.amazon.com/Agri-Zap-RZU001-Zapper-Ultra/dp/B000BWFESU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318448422&sr=8-1 The Rat Zapper works well. I just use sunflower/pumpkin seeds as bait. We don't have rats, just small mice, but if you do have rats, it will catch those as well. Clean up is simple, you just tip the unit over and dump them out. There is no blood. (we only had two mice and I see no more evidence at the moment.)

There are several websites that have ideas. Here are a few. http://anysoldier.com/WhatToSend.cfm http://www.ustroopcarepackage.com/

Yes, I like this idea. I have also purchased the rolled paper bracelets (wallets, too) and given as gifts. There is usually a little tag/brochure with the item and the recipients have gone and purchased more of the items for themselves and as gifts.

Personally, I don't care for these "made a gift in your name" deals. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, this is my opinion though. I'm not one who wants gifts, I actually don't like to receive gifts (love giving them though), I just don't like that someone is making a donation 'in my name'. If I am going to have a donation in my name, I want it to be to a charity I support. Also, this idea really isn't a 'gift' to your friend/family, so calling it that doesn't seem accurate to me. To me, it would be better if a family just told me they were not going to exchange gifts this year (or ever), and made their donation on their own, using their own name. I don't mind receiving cards from people that say something on the back about the proceeds going to a charity, I just don't like the donation in my name thing. I think it is great that you want to do something different, less materialistic, for Christmas, and if your family/friends like the donation thing, then you should do it. If there are young children you usually exchange with, you might want to consider getting them something, or tell their parents that you don't want to (or cannot) exchange gifts this year. Otherwise, they will get something for your child and you won't have something for their child, which might turn out to be embarrassing for you.

I cannot use make-up anymore either. I have a different reaction than you. My face gets itchy and my throat gets itchy, I cough and my eyes tear a lot. I tried the mineral powder stuff from the regular store. It was a little better. Then I tried Bare Minerals brand and that was a whole lot better. The only issue I have with it is I tend to breathe in the powder during application and that will irritate my lungs for a while. I only wear make-up now on special occasions. Good luck!

Do you have a letter from your school district saying you are homeschooling? If so, shouldn't they accept that?

Coworker, while patting my tummy: "When are you due?" Me: "Due for what?" Coworker: "Your baby!" Me: "I'm NOT pregnant." Coworker: "Oh, you gained a lot of weight then." :glare:

Sorry I don't have any advice, but I just wanted to say that I think it is an important skill to learn. I'm speaking from personal experience. When in college, I had a terrible time trying to take notes because I could not remember what the teacher said. I wish I would have done these dictation practices. Now that I am doing them with my daughter, I am finding it a bit easier myself. Also, I have auditory processing issues. Do you think your daughter might have that?

It depends how gifted your child is. If profoundly gifted, then try the Davdison Institute. You'll have to wait until she turns 5 though. http://www.davidsongifted.org/youngscholars/Article/Davidson_Young_Scholars___Frequently_Asked_Questions_381.aspx There might be some advice on Hoagies also, but I haven't looked there in many years.

You can build yourself a defrost-o-matic. http://www.amcgltd.com/archives/000855.html You get a new (never used!) fish tank water filter, attach it to a large bowl or clean (never used) bucket. (I would use one of the buckets from a restaurant supply. You can also get food safe containers from the bakery department of the grocery store. Ask for an empty frosting bucket. Most likely they will give it to you for free, and you will know it is food safe.) the fish tank filter recirculates the cold water, which makes defrosting fast. There is a new hot water bath method being studied by the USDA. Read about it here. http://www.kitchendaily.com/2011/06/08/study-reveals-quicker-method-for-thawing-frozen-meat/

Aldi has those big, patio heaters on sale right now for $99. (they won't have them fro long.) If he can afford it, tell the husband to get one or two of those, then he can have some tables and chairs outside for some of the guests that like that. It shouldn't be too terribly cold in November yet, unless there is an early snowstorm! Maybe he can rent a lodge. We did that for my mother-in-law's party and it was a really nice. Unfortunately, I got the guest list from her husband and he left off a lot of people that she would have liked to be there. Sometimes the husband's need help with guest lists, especially for such an outgoing person as your friend. Have fun!

Here are some links to get you started. Six Nations Indian Museum http://www.sixnationsindianmuseum.com/ Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora 500 Nations http://500nations.com/tribes/Tribes_State-by-State.asp State by State Listing of Native Tribes Mohawk Iroquois Lesson Plans http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/IroquoisVillage/ Native American Facts for Kids http://www.native-languages.org/kids.htm Lots of links. Nanticoke Tribe http://www.nanticokeindians.org/history.cfm Algonquian People http://www.bigorrin.org/algonquian_kids.htm Maps http://etc.usf.edu/maps/galleries/us/earlyamerica14001800/index.htm

A take on Dawn's idea. If you have an iPod Touch or iPhone, you could record your spending on that and have it with you all the time.

 oh, The Penderwicks is a great book! We just listened to an audio book called Just Grace. The Crinkles name is from that story.

Very cute! Wrinkles Crinkles Lamby, Lammy, or Lambie Little Lamb (that breed sometimes has fur that looks like a lamb) Sheepy Batty (the ears) Ratty (they have tails that look like rat tails) Stilts / Stiltz (long legs) Tarsy (reminds me of a tarsier) Monkey Face Spy Fawn (reminds me of a baby deer) We tend to like names describing how the animal looks. Have fun!