What are your kids making the grandparents, etc, this year for Christmas ( or insert your own holiday here)? My oldest is only 7, and I feel like between birthdays, Christmases, Mother's/Father's Day, we've already made all the good stuff.... I'm ready to be inspired!;) In the past we've done Peppermint Bark (kids love to smash the peppermints) White Chocolate-dipped pretzel rods with red/green sprinkles Sugar shower scrub Terracotta pot decorated like a face with grass hair Handprint oven mitts Fudge cut into fancy shapes and sprinkles Ornaments ....and many more things that are escaping me....:tongue_smilie:

My son is LOVING Sugar Creek Gang! :iagree:

What's your favorite game for a 7 yr old boy - card, board, etc. ? Little sis (age 4) will want to play also.... any thoughts?:)

:iagree:

Rhonda, these turned out awesome! :D GREAT JOB!!!! :D

He's SO CUTE! :001_wub: Congrats and prayers for you and your family! Keep us posted (but sleep is WAY more important!)

Lately, the dishwaher runs occasionally without any water......then the food is SUPER baked on from the heat the dishwasher generates. :confused: why is this, and how can I fix it? Before it was doing that, sometimes when it would drain the yucky stuff would come up in the sink. Any thoughts? (new-to-us house with new-to-us dishwasher) TIA!

Thanks so much for the answers, everyone (even the PM -- thanks!). :D To clarify, we go to Sunday School the hour before church, and then we all go to church together. Thus, they are getting the "protien bar" there as well as at home. :) It has been very interesting to read everyone's comments and thoughts. I think I feel better just knowing that I'm not the only one that has ever questioned it. I feel "weird" a lot. I'm thankful this is not one more thing to lump into my ever-growing "weird category!" :lol: Thanks! :grouphug:

Mary, I completely agree with the "dumbed down" comment. Your first paragraph here is spot-on. For the last part of what you wrote, could you explain how you do this? Is this with your own children or the sunday school class? I dunno if I can make it to the early service and then leave and go do sunday school on my own. :tongue_smilie: part of me feels like I'm making a big deal of it, that we have a great program. The other part of me feels like it's not a program I want us to continue unless I convince myself this is a purely "social" activity. And that's not what I want it to be. Food for my own thought. :D

I agree. It's just strange, because I think I aways envisioned myself reinforcing what they learned at Sunday School, not the other way around, KWIM? Thanks for sharing. :)

Good point, and very true here also. Thanks for sharing. :)

I would love to find something affordable to wear so that I am comfortable, concealed, and feminine. :001_smile:

All slow cookers on sale this week at K-Mart. :D Since mine melted on the stove last week when I turned on the wrong burner, this is great news! :rolleyes: (from the ad, it looks like some slow cookers come with bonuses as well as being on sale- carrying cases, mini crocs, etc)

If you send your children to Sunday School, what do you expect out of it? Why do you send them? Is it because it is the "right thing to do," or because they are getting some sort of benefit from it? What about if the only benefit was "socialization"? I LOVE the church we attend, but I wonder about the Sunday School aspect of it. It is very loud, very multi-media, and LOTS of kids in each class. It is supposed to be really fun, which it is, but it is kind of like a cupcake when I'd rather be serving a homemade protien bar. :lol: My kiddos also go to AWANA, where the classes are small and there are little old ladies doing Bible felt stories...and my kids LOOOOOOOOVE it. Much quieter, much more our pace. Our Sunday School program is very well done, and takes a lot of work from a lot of people.....why don't I like it? Please, I really don't want this to be a controversial thread. Just looking for opinions. Thanks! :lurk5:

Monday: Chicken Tuesday: Tacos (crockpot dinner for our busiest day) Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner Thursday: Something with Rice Friday: Pizza Saturday: Something with Noodles Sunday's: DH's choice!

I've done the vests...cut them as you would normally, and then turn them inside out. Works fine! :)

IMHO, older teens would really like St Louis Mills. Last time I was there (it's been a while) there was glow in the dark golf, an outdoor racetrack, cool shops, ice rink where the Blues practice, etc. PM me if you need anything. :001_smile:

Be sure to look on the website and see what time the zoo opens -- there are several things (great things!) like the Children's Zoo that do cost to do, BUT THEY ARE FREE THE FIRST HOUR! Plan accordingly! :D

:iagree: Yep, what she said. :D Good point about St Louis Mills. I wouldn't have thought of that, but you're right. Science Center is also free and fun!

I covered the cake board in scrapbook paper, tore a hole in part of it, and cut and glued a printed out WOW logo peeking out of the tear. Then I covered the board in contact paper. I figured out the shape by drawing what I wanted on pieces of printer paper and laying them out on the board. Then I could tell where I wanted the "crystal ball" to be, and I used superglue to affix it to the board. IMHO, every dragon needs some sort of spherical, sparkly something. I baked 3 cakes in my pyrex baking dishes, filled each with chocolate filling, and crumb coated each in blue buttercream. This would take care of the body, tail, and hind legs. Then I made a bunch of rice krispie treats and used that mixture to form the front legs, head, and neck. Coated those in buttercream as well. Made a huge batch of blue marshmallow fondant and rolled it out and let the kiddos use the small oval cutter to make scales and hand them to me so I could attach them to the body. Got the whole thing covered, and realized no self-respecting dragon arrives without wings, so I made a wing pattern and used candy melts to form those. Prayed. Prayed. Prayed. Especially during transport. And somehow it came together!!! :tongue_smilie: I could write more on this topic,but I am supposed to be making 80 mini-wedding cake cookie favors and they need to have icing on them by midnight so they can dry......:crying: Tired. Need sleep. Did I mention DD's eardrum ruptured this week? There, now you know. :tongue_smilie: Any thoughts on what I should charge for this? Materials ran about $50. I hate figuring the bill.

Thanks, everyone! :grouphug: I really had no idea what I was doing on this one! :lol: Praise the Lord it came together, anyway, despite my ignorance! :D

Woohoo! I've been seriously stressing over this one!

Thanks so much, everyone. After googling ruptured eardrum, that sure does look like what happened. I'll call the Dr first thing. Thanks again!

During church Sunday, a congregant requests prayer for one of the missionaries in Turkey who has been having "little seizures" and of course ds perks up like he's heard something amazing and does a stage whisper of "THEY HAVE LITTLE CEASARS IN TURKEY? WOW!" :lol:

Last night DD woke up crying and and complaining of her "cheek" hurting. Gave a drink of water, snuggled, got her back to sleep. She was up a lot last night, and kind of laid around a bit this morning. She had a 99* fever. She took a 3 hour nap (not uncommon, especially with being up quite a bit night before), and woke up wanting to run and play outside. She ate a good dinner, and had no fever. Around 6pm i noticed she had a bunch of watery brown stuff on her ear, she said it didn't hurt, so I cleaned it off gently, and it's been happening all night! Lots of brownish/pink water stuff, she said it doesn't hurt, but I wonder if last night's "cheek pain" was really "ear pain." I will certainly call the dr in the morning, but do I need to go to urgent care or anything for this tonight??? She seems to be feeling totally better and is wanting to run around and be a wild animal! I'm :bigear:, no pun intended. She had tubes put in when she was a toddler, if that makes a difference. Thanks!