The guy that works w your husband is wrong. Data is used when you're on the Internet, checking email, etc. call time and text messages are separate.

Will your oatmeal-eater eat cooked steel cut oats? As they take so long to cook, I usually make a batch in the beginning of the week (or whenever) and keep them in the fridge and they are good for several days. I imagine you could do the same with regular oats, I just haven't tried it. Muffins? Those freeze well. Hardboiled eggs? (Did you already mention that no one eats them?) Yogurt? Smoothies? (Either make themselves, or storebought yogurt smoothies?) Fruit and toast?

This is similar to what I was thinking. It sounds like they are willing to have healthy diets, just not varied ones. Instead of freezing whole individual meals, however, what if you had a variety of steamed veggies, starches and proteins available in the fridge and allowed everyone to choose their own balanced meal. Honestly, if they're causing this much stress, I would have the kids make their own plates, requiring them each to choose a green veg, an orange veg, a starch, and a protein (or whatever combination you choose) and then reheat.

Smoked salmon, onion, spinach Ham, bell peppers, onion, cheddar Tomatoes, basil, chèvre (soft goat cheese) Spinach, tomatoes, feta Lots of fresh herbs and some cheese

I was going to say no, but after reading the replies I'm half-convinced that I need a label maker. Hmmm...

iTouch with a really good case?

Aurora Mills Farm sells organic (thus nonGMO) wheat berries and flours. http://auroramillsandfarm.net/ Wood Prairie Farm http://www.woodprairie.com/category/23 They're also certified organic, so all their grains are non-GMO. They do a mail order business, but if you live anywhere near them (you live in ME right?) I'm sure you could do a farm pick up.

Yes. Especially to the not wanting anyone to help, as it's often more stressful to try to direct them. And I always offer to help with cooking and try to help with cleanup, but especially in a kitchen I'm not familiar with, it's difficult without some direction, and I don't want to annoy the host with constant questions about where things go, so I try to do the obvious things: clear the table, wipe down counters, etc.

I have not yet hit a limit on devices (and between family members' kindles, phones, computers, etc. we have 18 registered), but for most books, there is a limit to how many devices can have the same book concurrently on it. (Generally 5 or 6, which is still very generous, IMO.)

Read my previous posts. The fault is in the calculator page.

I'm using the exact same calculator. I just think it doesn't recognize the decimal point and so it read what you inputted as 6500000.

Martha, I figured it out. Put in the data WITHOUT the decimal point and extra 2 zeroes. Then it comes up with the accurate quote. I could not understand how we were getting different numbers if we were putting in the same info.

What you quoted is the data is spits out for a family that size with an income of $165k. That extra $100k makes a bit of a difference.

I started it because it just makes sense to me. Skill subjects we work on year round, wherever the kids are, finish one book, start the next, so it doesn't really matter how the school year is structured. So the Jan-Dec planning is more for content subjects, where it just makes sense to me to spend the calendar year on ancient history and whatnot. So, next year (4th and 2nd grades): Math: Combination of Math Mammoth and Singapore IP books Math drill with Kumon books and XtraMath Language Arts: PHP products for the younger, transitioning to MCT Island Level as he is ready MCT Town level for the older Self-designed literature studies History: Self-designed Ancient History studies with various encyclopedias and books Lively Latin Science: As of now, still undecided. Continue with Singapore Science or, something more experiment-based with designing my own lab sheets and reading assignments. Arts and Music: Continuing art lessons and piano lessons. Artist/composer bios? Also: Memory Work Logic puzzles

I understand not wanting to put your family income on the net for all to see. However, the quote you put from the calculator (saying that it was with income of $65k) is SO completely different than what the calculator spits out at that income level, and is incredibly misleading, in essence implying that a family of 8 with an income of 65k would get no assistance with insurance premiums. In truth, this is what the calculator spits out with that info:

24 pack for $12.75 http://www.northeastcoffeeco.com/cgi-bin/sc/ss_mb.cgi?storeid=*14d93f262abe40870c94012c&ss_parm=A4d7c32c01e6be40f1a2916baa7070cc5

Thank you! I mean to do this for my mom every year, and this was just the push I needed to actually get it done!

I did a Ragnar this year, and we loved it and are planning to do another next year. It's a relay race, so you need to put together a team, or find a team to join. We did the one in Napa Valley, which was beautiful, and a lot of fun. Have you done Disney before? They have a bunch of different races, at different times or the year, with different themes. It wasn't my favorite, but definitely worth doing.

Where do you get your audiobooks? Digital or CD? If the budget allowed, I would get an iTouch (refurbished?) and perhaps speakers, so they aren't listening with earbuds. With the audible app (audiobooks I pay for) and the Overdrive app (free audiobooks from the library system), I can download books directly to my device, no need to hook up to a computer. And then you could also download Librivox audiobooks and CDs onto the iTouch with your computer. Alternatively, if you got a cheap CD player, you could listen to CD audiobooks, and also burn digital copies onto discs for them to listen to.

I don't think the foster family is "allowed" to keep the younger sibling - they took off with her, but it sounds like when they are found, she will be removed from their care. How sad for everyone involved, but I am glad the little girl has a family she knows, so hopefully she doesn't feel abandoned. I hope she can be reunited with her sister soon.

Yes, I am so happy with how much easier it is to read on my phone. And the more I use the mobile version, the more it grows on me. I especially like how easy it is to get to new posts on a thread with the mobile version. That was always a pain with the previous board.

The ones that are 99c per episode are available to rent streaming, but you don't need prime to rent them - anyone can. (So you're not paying for the privilege of paying more...) Prime is just for the (small) selection of video that they have available for free.

I love this idea! Any excuse to buy books!

I think the forum as a whole has a disproportionate number of introverts (compared to the general population), so the thread may give the impression that more introverts have experience with depression solely because we have more introverts posting.

Before I read your post, my instinct was fly, as I love to fly, but it sounds like you'll have a much less stressful experience driving. If you do fly, I wouldn't worry about seating. Depending on the layout if the airplane, you can divide into groups of two or three and take up a few rows.