I could live on rice and beans and be perfectly content. My ds has yet to meet a legume he likes (only eats them when I grind them into flour). My dd loves rice and only eats white beans. My dh is a diabetic so too much rice is a no-no for him. He will eat beans if they are in something but not something he goes out of his way to eat. There are times when I tell the kids to suck it up since rice is what was in the budget.

It bothers me that it bothers me when my ds or dh want to slather ketchup on a meal I prepared. I feel like it shouldn't bother me. That some people just feel everything is better with ketchup, or bacon, or butter. But it does bother me a fair amount of the time. I do find it insulting and somewhat ungrateful behavior. I took the time to try to make a meal that is seasoned perfectly and the whole family will enjoy. When a family member takes a teeny tiny forkful and declares it needs ketchup and proceeds to glop it on I feel unappreciated. I feel that if someone takes the the time and effort to make a meal they think you will enjoy then the least you can do is say thank you and try a few legitimate forkfuls. It is probably more my issue then theirs but that is how I feel.

I can't believe they didn't even give you a soda. Bad customer service. That is why I never returned. Well, that and the fact that thinking about that fly turns my stomach.

I use shredded coconut in the smoothie instead of the coconut oil due to the solidifying issue. I usually throw in nuts/seeds, oats, banana, and avocado.

I have found that for me to keep the budget down and provide satisfying meals it requires a lot more planning from me. For example, I buy dried beans in bulk and I have to remember to soak them the night before to cook for the next days meal. I buy local and seasonal. If it is not on sale it does not go in the cart. I stretch ground meat with oats. I bake from scratch. Muffins, cookies, bread, granola bars, fruit bars, etc. I just borrowed this book http://www.amazon.com/The-Homemade-Pantry-Buying-Making/dp/030788726X from the library and have been experimenting with making my own ricotta cheese and toaster pastries.

I had a fly baked into my breadstick at an Olive Garden in Kissame, Fl over 20 years ago. It looked like a worker slapped the fly with the breadstick and then put it in the oven. The manager comped us a soda. i have not eaten in an Olive Garden since.

Clearly you have never had a strawberry daiquiri that was made with hagaan daz ice cream. Personally, I love a good cosmopolitan. But if it is not made correctly it is simply pink swill in a glass. I like my alcohol foofy and pretty. I do not care for the taste of alcohol without the foofy.

Clearly you have never had a strawberry daiquiri that was made with hagaan daz ice cream. Personally, I love a good cosmopolitan. But if it is not made correctly it is simply pink swill in a glass. I like my alcohol foofy and pretty. I do not care for the taste of alcohol without the foofy.

I can feel my arteries clogging and my blood sugar spiking as I read the recipe. It does look delicious.

The smell of the ocean and the rustling of the grass on the dunes brings me right back to summers on the beach. There is a hand moisturizer that my kindergarten teacher used that I can still remember. It was pretty stinky and she always put it on right before story time. It was probably Jergen's or one of the other drug store brands from back in the day. Sawdust brings me back to the butcher shop. I loved going there with my mom and making sawdust piles with my feet while she ordered.

I hate the nickname sissy. Mostly because sissy was the word most family members used to refer to a bathroom function. Makes me cringe like the word panty.

Soap box warning: Pretty much every specialist my dh goes to do not take insurance and payment is due at time of visit. No cash/check/credit card - no service. This way they eliminate the billing hassle. They will also go over the cost of any testing they are requesting so together you can make a decision on which tests need to be done at this time. I saw this in play long before the affordable health care act. Insurance companies are just using it as an excuse to do what they do for their bottom line. Doctors are responding in the way they see fit to maintain their practice. All the drama and hand wringing and finger pointing is no different from all the Bush bashing (as we all know everything is his fault) and blaming Clinton for the epidemic of oral sex (since no one ever engaged in that act prior to him becoming president) To answer the original question-I see an upswing the other way-doctors not accepting any insurance.

Dust bunnies are my favorite pet. You don't need to remember to feed or water them and they grow and grow all on their own.

Are you talking about the actual top of a muffin or the dreaded clothing muffin top. Define your terms. ;)

Saturday Night Live has not been the same since the Original Not Ready For Prime Time cast. Anything since then is dreck with an occasional funny. Militant Breastfeeders. Can't stand the attitude. I don't think a nursing mom has to bury herself under a blanket but you also don't need to pull your top up or down with an "I dare you to say something to me about how I am nourishing my child" attitude. Nor do you need to tell everyone in ear shot that breast is best and you would never feed your child that poison in a can. I am also not fond of militant intactivists. The state of my sons penis is not topic for discussion unless I ask you for information. Right to Lifers who actually go to court and get injunctions to stop total strangers from having a pregnancy terminated in the hopes their wife will come out of the coma and get well. Truly, none of your business and incredibly rude.

When pregnant with my son I ate mashed potatoes, soup, and salad because I had aversions to just about everything. I couldn't look at raw meat or smell it cooking. And with my daughter all I wanted was garbage meat. Sausage, keilbasa, hot dogs, etc. Guess which child loves all things meat and which one doesn't. I am believer that if you are craving something your body needs it and to roll with it. Clearly my dd needed nitrates and nitrites.

I line dry most clothes. I also do the majority of my wash on the same day. I don't run the dryer until the last load of wash so I only run the dryer once. Unplug appliances that are not in use.

No, I would not. Lousy attitude is not rewarded with my cooking.

I think she looks precious.

We love Egypt but you do need to plan accordingly. We also love the Japanese Garden which I always have a hard time finding. And no trip to the met is complete if I do not take a pic of my kids pretending to run from the charging horses with the knights in shining armor. We also have a good time playing "spot the homeschooler". It is probably not pc but we have a blast speculating.

I do many things for my kids. Camping is not one of them. I do know some people who absolutely love camping and go whenever they can. I think they are not quite right in the head.

I will agree that not camping because you fear catching lyme is, for lack of a better word, stupid. I don't camp because I hate bugs and am very fond of private indoor plumbing and hot and cold running water. A cabin in the woods is acceptable if it has these things.

Fruit salad served in an ice cream cone. Fig bars might get approval.

Another thread reminded me that I also have this UO: No birthday cupcakes at school. Really? Because the 20-25 cupcakes the kids eat over the course of the school year are responsible for childhood obesity. Nothing says special birthday treat like a celery stalk.

My dh is battling lyme right now and I do not wish this on my worst enemy. That being said, kids can learn to play in the dirt without screens for hours at a time without my being forced to sleep in the bugs house-nature.