I think it's becoming more and more common. Many of my peers chose to stop at two children, and now that they are becoming grandparents, their dc have also made it clear they are only gong to have two. Unlike you, they don't think it's sad, they think it's smart. You can see by my siggy we chose the large family route.:) It'll be interesting to see what my own dc choose. I'm curious though~if you think the trend toward small families is sad, are you and your dh leaning toward a larger family?

I'd get it now.

I enjoy seeing my teens develop their own style and since they all stay within the modesty standard we've set, dh and I rarely say anything about their outfits~although dh did do a lot of sighing when my oldest went through his t-shirt and pinstripe suit vest phase ;). It is harder for me to just smile and say "that looks nice" to my girls though when I really, really, want them to switch out a part of their outfit. I chose to become their ally instead, and began picking up accessories for them that I knew they'd love. "Look at this necklace. Don't you think it'll look great with your red skirt and boots? Oh...it doesn't work with the blouse~do you have anything else?" :) I know them well enough to pick out scarves, necklaces, hair accessories, etc. that they will want to wear and will willingly give up whatever article doesn't "quite" go with it. My oldest dd actually likes to run her outfits by me now before she wears them in public; dd (13) isn't quite there yet, but I'm working on her ;).

I love glass tile~dh was ambivalent but offered a compromise. I like it ok but I still would have liked all glass tile.

So, in a nutshell, your ds told you he was coming home-not his gf, but when she found out she took over his coming home plans, right? Sounds to me like she didn't like being the last to know and was reasserting herself with him. It's really up to your son to decide how to react. If he's ok with it, I'd let it go even if I was still ticked. Don't think of it as simmering or ignoring the white elephant, but as simply letting go. Fwiw, I'd be upset too. :glare:

I would go with the business casual look.

Purse pattern.

Yes. Already made a trip to Goodwill and I'll be going again tomorrow. Purging toys always leads to finding other things that can go, so it's not just toys I'm decluttering.

My 4 y.o.'s always like dress-up capes and accessories like these: cape powder horn, coonskin cap, etc. I like to make sure they have a variety for imaginary play. Dress up is a favorite for years and years; other toys get decluttered, but never dress-up.:)

Does he have an armband for music (I'm assuming he has an mp3). Running headbands are good, too.

Wow. I'm impressed and I would be jealous but dh and my older girls are doing the cooking tomorrow, so...I'm not (jealous, that is ;).) I have cleaned and decluttered like a madwoman today though, so definitely ready to kick back now <insert exhausted smiley>.

I have six children~I don't take "nothing" for an answer when asking what I can bring :001_smile:. If the hostess has a request, I follow it. If she's vague, I bring things to make little people happy: plenty of juice bags, snacks to munch on in case the meal is served later than they are accustomed to, kid friendly side dish like fruit salad or homemade macaroni and cheese, and usually one of my girls will bake some type of dessert.

Dry eyes? My 16 y.o. was recently advised by our eye doctor to use daily eye drops because she has a tendency to have dry eyes...whatever that means. She has been using the drops and says she didn't even realize how tired her eyes seemed before because now they feel so much better. She does wear contact lenses and switches to eyeglasses in the evenings.

Ha, I'll grant the analogy is a bit more harsh but the point is that stating a fact can be bashing. My example was obvious to make a point, others enjoy being more subtle. "...most people do not consider saying you believe in YE to be an insult." Right. That's not what I was referring to.

I would buy it now because I would worry about it selling out. That always seems to happen to me.:glare:

Context is everything. If I call an overweight person "fat," I would not be surprised if someone said I was bashing him. What would be the point of my stating that fact but to insult? Nothing else to add...just wanted to clarify that small point. Mercifully not living in SoCal ;) (There is nothing wrong with SoCal, I just really like the southern states:D)

I know you don't want your dd5 to be resentful, but what about Baby? Don't you think she might resent the fact you don't rescue her from her overzealous sister? I would encourage 5 y.o. in her role as a sister, not as a psuedo mommy. She can play mommy with a doll.

Thanks!:001_smile:

This. Mostly because it happens all. the. time. :lol: Kids get excited and confuse facts. Always good to doublecheck with the other grown-ups.;)

Do you peel the turnips before cooking?

Yes. My 9 y.o. has an ipod touch, and my little boys regularly use it as well as our Nook Color and ipad. They all are very specific about what they want to play/read and don't try and go on the internet~doing that would interfere with the time they are allotted, so they wouldn't waste the time.

Maternity. For some reason I want to add some more r's to the word.:confused: I finally gave up and started asking salesclerks if they sold clothes for pregnant women.

Oh...Dh does this and he's not home but dd helps and she says this is what they do: For every 5 lb. bag of potatoes: two packages of cream cheese, 8 oz. sour cream (with chives), garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. QValencia's add-ons sound yummy too. This is definitely a once in a great while treat, though~I hate to think of the calories in a serving.

Sides. If we have a large crowd and are worried about the main course being enough, dh makes his garlic mashed potatoes. He uses sour cream and cream cheese instead of butter and milk. No matter how many pounds we make, every last spoonful will be gone. Some people will even have a bowl for dessert, foregoing the pies or ice cream.