Thank you. L'Shana Tova to you and your family. May you be inscribed in The Book of Life for a healthy, prosperous, and happy New Year.

Pico de Gallo Chop tomatoes, chop onion, chopped cilantro, chopped chili pepper, chopped red peppers, chopped what ever you like, drizzle with juice of one line and sprinkle with sea salt. Let sit for at least 2 hours. So yummy.

I wish I was hanging off a sand bar right about now but I am not.

Yes, I have a box from Rainbow Resource being delivered today with the last few things I ordered. Nothing like a few last minute decisions for adding in Vocabulary and Geography. I am okay with not having everything. We started last week with a light schedule because I knew I would not be getting a lot done this week with Rosh Hashana. Next week we will be at Colonial Williamsburg and then DC for a couple of days with my sister. When we return from our trip we will be leaping in with all subjects.

I know there are other board members in NJ but I don't think any of them are near me.

Medical Billing is legit but you would have to get certification. Call Center work. Alpine is the only company I can think of right now but I know there are others. Are you crafty? Perhaps you can sell something you make on etsy.com.

My sister is a psoriasis sufferer. She says nothing works as well as the ocean. She said the do it yourself at home treatments help but do not work nearly as well as swimming in the ocean.

I don't buy cereal often. When I do I buy puffed corn from Arrow Mills for dd. Dh likes Honey Nut Cheerios or the Trader Joe's version. Ds likes Strawberry Fields from Kashi. I like a nice granola cereal.

My kids eat most things. Some favorites are sushi, salmon, orange roughy, cod, tilapia, anything pasta, roasted chicken, hamburger, meatballs, meatloaf, quiche, waffles, pancakes, most vegetables. They won't eat brussel sprouts or peppers. The rule in our house is that you have to try it. If you truly do not like what I have made you can go and make yourself a sandwich or have a bowl of cereal.

I purchase my wheat berries from pleasant hill grain http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/buy_wheat_whole_grain_red_white_wheat_berries_making_bread_flour.aspx.

Now that ds is in 7th grade I am starting to hear........"The classes are going to get harder, you know."

Little House on the Prairie Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Monk (okay, not classic, but we all really love it) Classic Cartoons-Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry, Scooby Doo The Addams Family I Love Lucy

No, the tv does not have to be fairly new. Our Wii is hooked up to the tv dh and I purchased when we got married almost 18 years ago and netflix works just fine.

I have to say, there is rarely such thing as "attacking without any previous signs". There are signs, no one recognized them or took them seriously. A pit bull can be a great pet. As long as your son has done the research, is investing in proper training, and has the ability to be a consistent pack leader all will be well with the dog.

I was in my late teens/early 20's the first time someone called me ma'am I am not offended if someone calls me ma'am. I definitely prefer ma'am to being called honey. Neither am I offended if someone does not say it. The respect culture where I grew up (NY) does not include ma'am and sir after a please and a thank you. It is used when assisting someone and you don't know their name. i.e. "Excuse me, ma'aam, do you need anything else today."

Love Pit Bulls. When properly trained they are the most wonderful and loving dogs. Back in the day in England they were referred to as "The Nanny Dog" because they are so amazing with children. Like the German Shepard Dog, The Doberman, and The Rottweiler-the pit bull is having his day of being bashed in the media.

We have caller id. If it is dh I answer, everyone else goes to voicemail unless I sense it is an emergency.

As a parent myself I have finally been able to forgive my mother. I realize now that she did the best she could. Did it fall short? Heck, yeah. Nothing would be accomplished by discussing it. I just try to do better with my kids.

I second the neti pot. Everyone is our house uses them.

Wow. My homeschooling does not look anywhere near as cool as yours.

Oh my, me too!

This year for 7th grade I decided to try Oak Meadow Science.

I do 30 minutes 2x daily brisk walking. Some days my drill sergeant friend takes me on a really brisk 4 mile walk. During the winter I do the Wii Fit for 30-60 minutes M-F. I do need to step up my workout routine, though. I have been slacking a bit on the intensity of my workout.

I love being in my 40's (will be 44 in a couple of months). *I am so much more comfortable with who I am then I was in my younger days. *I really don't give a fig what anyone else thinks of my decisions. *Life experience has made me wiser. I have more experiences to draw on. *Life is drama free. Things that sent me into a tizzy in my 20's are things that I now realize are not worth the energy. I don't sweat the small stuff (and it is all small stuff).

Believe me, your father is just as proud of you as he is with your brother. As the daughter known as "No, the other one" in my family it took me a long time to understand that my sister got spoken about and gushed about because he could relate to her and her success. She is a lawyer. I worked in the art world. I am a mom. I always thought he loved my sister best. Shortly before he died I finally really got that it wasn't that he thought less of me or that he was not proud. He just had no idea how to talk about my accomplishments or what I did because it was so outside of his zone. You could try talking to him about it. He probably doesn't even know he is doing it.