I'm fairly new to the boards. I am always logged in when I am on here (usually every day.) I stick to the general board and try to stick to the first 5 pages...it gets to be so time consuming! I am also a curriculum junkie, so I usually check that board too. ;) I would much rather be here than on Facebook!

:iagree: I used to be the director for T&T and never treated any of my volunteers this way. I would pull your kids out of Awana and do something different with them. And I LOVE Awana! But this program sounds way too disjointed and unorganized. At the very least, I would demand to be just a listener and say that you aren't coming back until they get their acts together! My BIL's church requires parent participation from each parent. They have to volunteer once per month. It really stinks when so many parents just drop their kids off and leave and then show up late (which is a huge pet peeve for me!)

I budget $1000 per year. That includes school supplies, curriculum, hslda membership, magazine subscriptions, zoo/museum membership. I only have 2 in school at the moment and am hoping to reuse curriculum for my younger children so it will get less expensive every year. :)

:D At my house too!

Oh dear! I am so very sorry...I have no advice to offer, just sympathy. :grouphug:

Yeah...I would probably move. As long as everything else would fall into place too (housing, jobs, etc.)

Nothing beats a Hoover Windtunnel (the bagged kind...not the crummy bagless hunks of junk!) I had one when I got married and cried when it finally went kaput. After going through two of the bagless ones, I found a refurbished one on Amazon. Praise the Lord!!!!

:w00t::smilielol5: Oh.My.Stars!

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Oh dear! My kids are going nuts because I am laughing so hard!

Ugh! What a pain in the neck! My niece (13) and nephew (15) have birthdays that are 3 weeks apart. They usually get to have a sleepover with their friends on their birthday weekend. Then they have ONE family birthday together. It works out great for those of us who have travel from out of town. But of course, my MIL has to have a snit fit if the birthday doesn't suit her needs. She has been very controlling of birthdays since...forever I guess. My poor SIL has to deal with that sort of junk all the time from her. It has gotten to the point that SIL & BIL don't even plan a party anymore for any of them. Sympathy from me...

Ummmm...no way! I would NEVER allow a co-ed sleepover with teenagers! Ummmm...hello? How naive are those parents? They all slept in the living room? Shock and awe coming from me. :glare:

Go for it! I would do it in a heartbeat if we had the money. A few years ago, I took the kids on a month long trip across the country to see family on the east coast. We survived! :) And I totally understand about the books. Take some favorites along with you in the carry on luggage. And the cool thing is that you can stop at libraries all across the country.

Wow! Most of the time, sales people are so "hungry" to make a deal that they leap over all kinds of hurdles for you. What a hag!

Lots of sympathy from me...dd3 was two weeks past due and was uncooperative when I finally did go into labor. That might explain a few things about her personality! :)

Oh dear! I'm so very sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you. :grouphug:

Precious! :grouphug:

A gift certificate for a pedicure or manicure? I would always welcome a gift card to Amazon or our local coffee shop. Have a fun birthday!

Wow! I can't believe she has sat there for three hours! Poor little thing is going to be sore when she finally gets up. You may just want to hand her a cup of grape juice so it will help her move along a little quicker! :)

:iagree: I'm a Christian and have been in several different denominations from ultra-liberal to ultra-conservative and everything in between. I have never understood the "us vs. them" thing. I've never gotten that vibe in church. I have gotten that vibe from individual people...so I think it is due to the selfish nature of man. I have two cousins who are both Mormon and have amazing family values and a love for people. While we don't agree on everything, I have definitely seen a huge difference in their lives.

The Truth Chronicles and Cause and Effect ... both are newer. Someone above mentioned anything with Blackgaard. My dd10 loves the ones with the mysterious stuff happening.

:lol: That was so funny! I totally would be doing something similar!

The Heavenly Homemakers blog has recipes for both of these. I love her blog!

I used proraps...the best cover I found with gussets. I used Chinese prefolds. That is what I used in the beginning. Then as dc got older, I used Fuzzibunz (too stinkin expensive!) I do love the bumGenius one size pocket diaper. I also use the FLIP system from bumGenius. I bought all of my cloth diapering stuff from http://www.cottonbabies.com/.

We used the recommended schedule in the notebooking journal. :)

My absolute favorite is Psalm 119 - every single verse (176 verses!) refers to God's word in some way (ie. chosen your precepts, you law, your rules, your commandments, etc.)