My 10 year old still likes to insist she is right even with evidence to the contrary. I do not engage. I simply say "if that is what you want to believe, go ahead." It is not a hill to die on. It drives her brother crazy. She gets a reaction. She is happy. As for the tattling- we had numerous discussion on tattling vs. telling so they would know the difference. Then I instituted The Tattle Form. You must fill out the form if you want to tattle. There are a bunch of questions you must answer before getting to the tattle. Name, date, date of birth, address, house tel. number, my cell phone number, favorite food, least favorite school subject, favorite song, and so on. Eventually you get to who you are tattling on and what they did. This form greatly reduced tattling and reinforced info-such as cell phone number. They really had to want to tattle to take the time to fill out the form.

Huge pet peeve of mine. Unless the RSVP states: Regrets Only you need to RSVP. It is simply rude not to. That said, we all have the occasional brain freeze. I have had my turn at getting caught up in life and forgetting. It is the habitual person who forgets that drives me crazy. Some people just don't get it.

I love my delayed start. I remember thinking "What do I need that for? When it is full, run it." I love that it runs in the middle of the night when electricity rates are lower.

I am the daughter of a business owner and now married to one. The good years are good and the bad years can be really bad. During the good times, make sure you are putting all you can in savings. The savings help during the lean times. It has definitely added a huge level of stress to our marriage. You have to keep those lines of communication open. Be prepared to not see your spouse a lot. My dh says the difference between working for someone else and for yourself is that when you work for yourself you get to choose which 70 hours a week you work. Homeschooling has helped him stay connected with our kids. They can stay up late to see him. He can see them during the day when he is home. Sometimes, I wish he would just get a job so that the stress can go away. But, then I remember that before he started his own business we had stress. It was different but it was there and I think in some ways worse because my dh was not happy.

They do, I mark, they correct. Getting back to things later never seems to work out well for us.

I've just started planning 8th grade for next year. Here is the plan so far: Math: MUS Pre-Algebra Grammar: Growing w/grammar 8 (although I may drop grammar for next year) Literature: Lightning Lit 8 Writing: Still trying to find that writing program that will turn my acts as if I just asked him to remove a limb ds into someone who at least willingly does the assignment. Vocab: Vocabulary from Classical Roots Spanish: So You Really Want to Learn Spanish Book 1 Science: Will most likely continue with Oak Meadow since he is really enjoying it this year. History - History Odyssey-Modern TimesPhilosophy Class Every year I say I am going to work in art and music appreciation. I am hopeful to get in more then 3 weeks of it next year. Phys Ed: Swim Team

I miss the foyer in the house I grew up in. It was very handy. Our house has a vestibule. Which is helpful since there is a coat closet right there but it is tiny. My dream home has

I have been blogging about our adventure for 3 years now. I post photos of the kids. I don't use their names. Based on our activities it is pretty easy to figure out where we are. I have yet to have any nasty comments or issues.

I looked at it and thought "Hmmm, I wonder how this can is saving pepsi money? Does it hold slightly less soda while giving the appearance of the same or more because of its taller shape? Does it save on shipping costs because the cans are narrower thus allowing more 6 packs per case? As for the skinny image problem, well, I don't take my self worth from a can but I do see how it could be problematic.

My dd is 10 and will still wear an outfit like that on occasion. My rule is (for general wear) it has to be weather appropriate after that she can make her own decision. We have had discussions about being judged by what you wear and the impression you want to make. I figure if she is happy with the way she looks who am I to tell her otherwise. She has her own sense of style and I go with it.

Yes, I agree. Rick is the reason I watch.

I know what you are saying but I have to admit that I love Pawn Stars. I have actually learned quite a bit of history from the show and it has sparked my kids into learning more about some things. American Pickers -oh that show is just awful. I think those 2 guys are obnoxious and are more interested in making a steal then in the historical aspects of what they find.

Well, what exactly do her boys do if they are not playing with toys? My 12 year old still plays with his legos and nerf guns and board games. He and his 10 year old sister play games with her dolls and their stuffed animals. I will say, when ds was 10/11 I noticed that some of his friends who went to school wouldn't play when at the park. They would look longingly at my ds who had no problem joining younger kids in their games while they fiddled with their ipods attempting to look cool. It made me sad.

My answers above in blue.

Yes, it would upset me. The mother is clearly over-stepping knowing how you feel about the Pearls. You handled the situation with grace. I would be discussing the incident with my dd so she would understand why playtime at that house will know be limited.

Another satisfied Oil of Old Ladies (Oops, I mean Olay) user. I have been using it for a few decades now. I still use the basic Olay complete moisturizer.

I don't sprout but I do soak after grinding. I forgot to mention how absolutely terrific corn bread tastes from fresh milled popcorn kernels.

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You did great and now I want to go to your school.

We have had good luck with these traps http://tomcatbrand.com/product/29-spin-trap-for-mice. The mice like to use my garage as a condominium complex so we have to put out traps every once in awhile. I miss my cats. Although, our dog is a pretty good mouser.

I don't know about a trend. I think it is just personal preference. An invitation is just that. An invitation. The choice to attend or not is mine. If my kids are invited-great, if they are not then I see if I can make alternate arrangements. If I can't I decline. No skin off my nose either way.

I like Alton Brown's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/instant-pancake-mix-recipe/index.html

I often think about running for the hills but then I remember how crazy I get while visiting my mother in AZ. I have decided that I like the idea of living in the middle of nowhere but not actually doing it. I enjoy the conveniences of living where I do. In my perfect world I would have a home in the middle of nowhere and a home in the city.

My parents paid my car insurance until I got married. I was very fortunate and grateful that they were so generous. I can guarantee if I ever mouthed off at them the way your daughter did at you I would not have had to worry about insurance because I would no longer have a car.

Everything here is coated in ice. One of our gutters froze over and split and now it is raining in my house.