I have always worked part-time (in both WV and OH) and I've paid $30 - 40 per day. HTH!

Yes! My dd is named Olivia, which (I believe) was the number 1 name the year she was born. I really struggled with giving her that name because, even though I had loved the name for years, I didn't want to just give her a trendy name. I am so glad that I stuck to my guns and named her that because it fits her perfectly (and I still think Olivia is a beautiful name).

Great idea! Today, I am thankful that my dh and I both have good jobs. We have struggled with dh's unemployment through the years and this is really the first holiday season in a long time that we are not fearing or dealing with a lay-off. Dh has a great job new that is full of opportunity for him. It feels so good. :D I have to add that I am thankful for my job too, even though I pray regularly that I might be able to stop working at some point. But I have a good job...and for that I should be thankful. :001_smile:

I totally agree! Praying for you as you work through this transition. :grouphug:

:iagree: You know, I have a budgeted amount that I spend on Christmas. Whether I spend it all on Black Friday or the following Tuesday, I spend the same amount. A few years ago, my best friend and I decided to try Black Friday shopping and we loved it! We spend the early morning laughing so hard...drinking coffee, fighting the crowds together and getting some great deals. It might sound crazy, but it is our "thing" now and we look forward to it each year. So, back to my budget, Black Friday shopping has allowed me to use my budget more wisely and to really enjoy time with a friend. Not sure what is so greedy about that? :confused:

Homemade vegetable soup and cornbread. This is a teadition from when I was a child and it is what we have every year.

Bumping to see if there is anyone out there with a simple craft idea for me. :)

I am seriously the least crafty mom in the world. However, I would like to make tomorrow a fun day, with a craft for my 7yo and 4yo. I just went through my craft supplies and I have: - craft sticks (in many colors) - little pom poms (I think that's what they are called!) - construction paper - pipe cleaners (in many colors) - magnet backing - the usual...markers, glue, crayons, etc. (no paint though) So can you help me come up with something fun, but not too difficult? It would be great if the craft has a Fall/Halloween theme. Thanks!

Is always aim for the bathroom sink. The thought of using the toilet makes me want to puke. :D Not sure about my kids, as it has been 5 years since we've had those sickies in our house. Yup, if you look at my signature you will see that my oldest was 2 the last time he got the stomach bug. My 4 yo dd has never gotten it. (I am sure I just jinxed my entire family by announcing this on the Internet).

Not gross to me (although I suspect my mother would have a heart attack if she ever ate at a house that did this!).

Ummmm... I did last year (except at Walmart, rather than Target). My best friend and I have been doing this for the past few years and it is actually quite fun!

I love Claire!

I ran into our local Walmart today and saw a sign stating that they are hiring seasonal help this year. Maybe it depends on the area?

:iagree: I'll be honest...my family practically lives on peanut butter and since we have no food allergies in our family, it is not something I think about much. It just might be that the library hasn't dealt with anyone with peanut allergies in the past and if you bring it to their attention they will probably change their food policy (I know I would!). I am sure that as a parent of a food allergy child, it is hard to imagine that others out there don't "get" what you are going through. I admit that until spending time on these message boards, I was quite ignorant about food allergies and I wouldn't have put it past me to serve peanut butter to kids (although I wouldn't do that now that I've been educated). So basically, I just think that not everyone out there is as educated as they should be about food allergies. This is a great opportunity for you to gently and kindly educate them. :)

I was a HEAVY diet coke drinker and I gave it up a few weeks ago (cold turkey). In its place, I have been drinking a cup of green tea, 1-2 times per day. It doesn't have nearly as much caffeine as what I was getting in my diet coke, but I think it helped the caffeine withdrawals somewhat (although I still had pretty bad headaches). As far as it being addictive...YES it is!!! Just now, I was thinking of how I would love to drink a nice cold diet coke. Mmmmmm....sometimes green tea just doesn't cut it! AND I agree about pushing water. That has helped me tremendously. Good luck!

Thanks so much! Thoughts (or links) on where I might buy an appropriate guitar for him? Can you give me an approximate price?

Oh my...I just had a flash back to middle school cheerleading and we did that exact same cheer!!! I never thought about it not being spelled correctly and nobody ever pointed it out to us. How funny! (I guess "R-O-W-D-Y, that's the way we spell rowdy" just doesn't have the same rhyming affect)

I am not musically inclined at all. Ds (7) has never taken any lessons, but for the past several months he has been talking about wanting to play the guitar. Now that we are getting closer to Christmas, he even has a guitar on his Wish List. I know nothing about playing guitar and I have no idea if this is an appropriate instrument for a 7yo boy. What says the Hive?

Goose for me - WV Grey Duck for dh - MN

Yup! However, I grew up in a non-drinking family and I am not comfortable drinking in front of my parents at all (although they know I have a drink occasionally). I still struggle with how to handle the drinking-thing with my kids. I want them to see alcohol as something that adults drink on occasion and nothing more. When I was growing up it was sort of the "forbidden fruit" and I was one of those high schoolers/college kids who did binge drink. Looking back...I wish I hadn't and I hope I can find a way to prevent my kids from making the same mistakes. ETA: My "drinking" consists of having a beer or two with my dh, maybe once a month.

Me too! I think this is a wonderful idea and would love to join in as well.

We are planning a movie night with the kiddos tonight (ages 7 and 4) and will be choosing something in Netflix. I am not overly conservative when it comes to movies, but I do like to choose movies that are age appropriate. Thanks!

I had the flu last year over Christmas so I did go to the doctor to get tamiflu (expensive!). I don't thInk it helped much. I knew it was the flu because I could barely get out of bed. I went to the doctor on my second bed day and ended up spending a total of three days in bed. It was awful.

According to the local news, a veterinarian got within 10 - 12 yards of a 300 pound tiger and shot it with a tranquilizer. Apparently the tiger went crazy and started running away from the vet/police. Because it was running in the direction of neighborhoods they felt their only option was to kill it. I don't know about the other animals (except for a lion that was hit and killed by a car in the interstate...can you imagine???).

Facebook Camera Banking (can even take a Pic of a check and it will deposit it) Google Maps Games to keep my 4 year old entertained while I fix her hair Internet (right now I am posting from my iPhone!) I don't know what I'd do without it :)