Tomatoes (aside from heirloom varieties) generally are produced by slave labor as well. That sounds like a joke, but it's not.

This is totally how I feel the first few times my babies sleep well. I think it's just recovering from the extreme sleep deprivation. I have heard the same from other mom friends.

I found that soaking stinky workout clothes in warm water and detergent before washing really helps get the stink under control. When I had a top loader, I would just let the washer fill and agitate enough to mix things up, then stop the machine. Now that I have a front loader, I have soaked like this in a bucket or a sink.

I'd say close to 15 loads a week. We cloth diaper our twins, and also use mostly cloth cleaning and personal care items around the house. My older kids are messy and DH is not a re-wearer. DH would probably only use a towel once as well for himself or one of the children if he's supervising bath/shower time, if I didn't rescue them from the hamper on a fairly regular basis. ETA: We are 2 adults and 4 children.

I'm so very glad for all of you. Hugs and prayers.

I have gotten two boxes and I really enjoyed both of them. I should get another soon . . . .

My DH used to have a shirt that said, "No, I will not fix your computer." LOL

Can I get a "hear, hear," for a ban on pantyhose? Those things are heinous. Full disclosure: I am wearing a wonderfully comfortable pair of leggings right this minute.

I won't click on their ridiculous excuse for "news". My body, my clothes. Enough with the slut shaming.

Ernestine Vanessa I can't remember the second one's name Dunstan Mario Deirdre something Can you tell I was the horribly indulged youngest child?

Me too.

The boy-o gets his clipped at home by either me or DH. We have gotten reasonably good at blending. And when you're 4, you can afford to look a little weird sometimes. :) Oldest gets hers cut every 3 months or so at an inexpensive salon for $15 + tip. Twin toddlers just have baby mullets, so they're getting home trims for now.

I wish I could give you a hug and really fully express my admiration for you. I remember your announcement, too. Congratulations on a year.

Drives me crazy too!

I didn't change my name, though we live in a pretty conservative area and go to a conservative church. I saw no reason to change my name--it's just a cultural tradition that I didn't particularly care for. Our kids have both names and oldest picks and chooses which one she wants to use at any given time. It's fine with me. It does seem to confuse people around here, but I don't mind.

I have toddler twins, plus a 4 and 7 year old. I will definitely miss it, as impossible and crazy as it is. I would love to never stop having babies and toddlers of my own.

I'm listening to Peaceful Parent, Happy Child by Dr. Laura Markham right now and it is excellent. I also have recently begun to use some ideas from Janet Lansbury's Elevating Child Care and No Bad Kids and they work great with all my kids, including my 19 month old twins.

I love Katy Bowman's Restorative Exercise/Nutritious Movement, so for your knees, I'd recommend all of her work, especially Save Your Knees, Build a Butt (scroll down on this link to find it). Her $5 Alignment Snacks are also really great for restoring the body to a healthier state.

I have just started using the Moisture Boost sunscreen and it is great--not greasy, not so gross that I don't want to reapply it when needed. It's the best facial sunscreen I've come across.

I bet you could special order some soft-soled Robeez-style shoes on Etsy for the right measurements.

I have a friend whose growth-restricted baby wore a pair of American Girl doll shoes for a family photo. She was tiny though and not walking.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction has been used for chronic pain and other chronic conditions with clinically proven success. Jon Kabat-Zinn has at least one smart phone app that leads you through various types of meditation used in MSBR. There are also books. Here is a link to some of the studies about MSBR: http://www.mindfullivingprograms.com/whatMBSR.php I just got my DH this book: Mindfulness for Beginners It comes with a CD. My DH has been meditating and it has been very helpful to him in a variety of ways. He's a skeptic, but he was impressed!

I think lots of us would benefit from thinking more about movement and the body's very real need to move a lot during the day, vs. exercise. Exercise often requires equipment and special clothing and can be very inconvenient, but movement is something you can and should do all day, everyday. You can set up your home and life to require a lot more moving (getting up and down off the floor, hanging, climbing, clambering, squatting, etc.) and your body will probably start to feel a lot better because of it. That's the thing about exercise/movement: your body needs it, and you will probably notice that your body feels a lot better once you are moving more.

Just ask for the single-dose preservative-free shot. It's thimerosal free. I think it's the only one my doctor's office has anyway.

I haven't had a period in ages either, but when I did, yes, the b00ks were very very sore. It's a common PMS symptom.