Bump. Anyone???

I do decaf. I discovered that caffeinated drinks cause my blood pressure to go up. My coffee-loving ds makes fun of me, but I like being able to drink a half-pot of decaf rather than only a tiny bit of caffeinated. I know it probably isn't as tasty, but that's just tough. I only drink regular coffee if I am out somewhere that they don't have decaf, and it is pretty early in the morning. And then it is limited. I also drink decaf tea and sometimes caffeine-free Diet Coke. I have never noticed a big difference in how caffeine makes me feel in the mornings, but if I drink it in the afternoon/evening, it has a longterm affect on me. I have enough sleep issues without adding to the problems.

If a smallish gym wanted to set up a security check-in system for the users of the gym, do any of you have a recommended software/system for that? Definitely should have emergency info for regular users, but also something for guests who might drop in. It is a community center type, so does not have required membership, and sometimes has people off the street who come in. It should be easy to use, and fairly easy to set up, as well. Extra points for reasonable cost.

Sounds normal to me. I'm pretty sure that my kids had no idea what a plus sign was at that age, and they are bright. I was a little concerned over one who seemed a little slow about reading in first grade. He eventually took off with it. Kids develop at different rates and in different areas. I actually thought that her polite, "No, thank you," showed brightness in and of itself. They also have different interests. We had a Sunday School teacher who was sure my oldest was behind because he detested coloring. (Her two preschool daughters loved it.) It disturbed her that when the others were coloring, he would distract them by spinning elaborate stories. :001_rolleyes: Like a pp suggested, some of those skills have to do with what is emphasized. For example, a child who has been in a preschool where desk-type work is emphasized might do well at those tasks; but another child who spends hours outside might have better spatial skills or imagination. Some of those tasks don't (necessarily) have to do with their intelligence, but with their exposure.

https://www.amazon.com/Monistat-Soothing-Chafing-Relief-Powder-Gel/dp/B01LXA0KR3/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1515696864&sr=8-4&keywords=monistat+chafing+relief+powder+gel People were saying this works great as a makeup primer. I tried it, but like it more to avoid chafing. My local Walmart carries it generally, but has been out recently. ETA: It leaves a soft, silky feeling to the skin that lasts a long time.

If I remember correctly, this was at their initiative, too. :laugh:

Oh no. These threads are never good for my pocketbook. ;)

Many books and movie recs (to watch on Netflix) Speed Queen washer and dryer Immersion blender Ticonderoga pencils Snap Circuits Microplane zester Victorinox chef's knife Corelle baby doll Shark vacuum Chafing powder-gel Stainless steel cookie spatula Danish dough whisk Memory foam mattresses Suspend game Wool dryer balls Charlie's soap Handy caddy ETA: Oxo pepper mill and probably more. All have been wins except: the game hasn't been played with much (typical in our house), the dryer balls weren't real effective with static, and I didn't care a lot for Charlie's soap. I would never have found or heard of many of these things outside of WTM. You guys are my go-to reco people. Even my dh now asks me to ask you all about things.

I'm sorry you are feeling bad. :grouphug: I have realized that I seem to have the opposite of SAD. I enjoy a sunny day well enough, but if I don't have enough rainy, gloomy days, I feel the effects. The rain makes me relax and feel less stressed.

My 17yo ds really enjoys Master Class. https://www.masterclass.com/?utm_source=Paid&utm_medium=AdWords&utm_term=Aq-Prospecting&utm_content=Search&utm_campaign=MC There was a special the latter part of last year for people who were already enrolled, to get unlimited classes for $99 for a year. He was so excited about that. The format makes it so that he can explore and watch partial courses if he doesn't want to do the full class.

I'm not a lactation expert or anything, but I was just wondering--you know how there are generally significant appetite increases at approx. 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months? Is it possible that in the last day or so he has had an appetite increase, and has been getting more milk than you realized--and thus drunk you dry? It's been a long time since my breastfeeding days, but I seem to remember that happening a time or two at the beginning of one of those huge increases. Then after nursing constantly for a couple of days (with lots of rest and hydration for me), the supply caught up and regulated. Just wondering--may not be your situation.

Glad you are going ahead and renewing. Like others said, issue date doesn't matter; we've travelled the day after receiving a renewal.

You need six months on it for many countries to allow you in. That doesn't make sense to me, because why don't that put that date as the expiration date then? However, that's the way many of them work. I don't know about France.

I think I'm blocking the truly messy out of my mind, because I know we had it--I just can't recall. One of the most fun and creative things my dds did was to build an extensive Lego town in one of the bedrooms. It had restaurants, an amusement park, houses, schools, playground, etc. And one ds built a Lego electric guitar (almost full sized) and an automatic rifle (also full sized). I'm always a bit perplexed when people say that Lego is limited by the things a kit is made for. Do they really only use it that way? Our kids always started out a new kit with its boxed purpose. After that, however, it was free game to be added into the general mix of "whatever I can imagine." We have a huge collection of pieces, however, because for years, all they ever wanted for gifts were Lego sets.

Over the holidays, I read Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. https://www.amazon.com/Killers-Flower-Moon-Osage-Murders/dp/0385534248/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515118440&sr=8-1&keywords=killers+of+the+flower+moon+by+david+grann It's an extraordinary research book on a terrible time in the history of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma.

I like to cook, but I've never done wings before. So I'm experimenting with this recipe tonight: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/buffalo_wings/ But with broccoli and carrots rather than celery (the store was out!). We'll have some empanadas I made the other day and froze for lunch. Sometime along there I will melt some cheese and chipotle sauce for nachos, because dh thinks it isn't New Year's without nachos. I also have a Caesar salad kit in the fridge that I might mix up if it looks like we aren't eating enough veggies.

No way. Younger ds is in public school now, and he starts back Wednesday. Older ds worked right up until Christmas in order to finish a couple of courses and get to a stopping place in another. He may not start back until next Monday.

I'm cooking a new dish tonight, and wish we could go to the state park for a hike today. But it was 0 degrees this morning, and that does not sound appealing. (We don't have the winter clothing to make the weather a non-issue.) So it will be mostly an indoor day for us. Dh is very much looking forward to the football games though. :) Some family friends may come over for awhile this afternoon, and if so, we will probably pool our food resources in order to make it a mini-party.

I usually get ours put away at some point within the week after Christmas. This year I did it on the 28th. I don't have a huge amount of decor, so it doesn't take a long time to decorate or to put it away. The extra complications Christmas decor makes to housecleaning causes me tire of it quickly. I love the Christmas season in general, but I don't like for it to last for weeks on end, and I don't like dusting in consideration of the small decorative pieces. I'm seriously thinking of eliminating some of my small pieces and adding a few larger one-piece items for the future. (I have quite a few small nativity sets. I like them theoretically, but when they begin to feel like clutter, that seems to defeat the purpose, you know?)

What a fun idea! And then it becomes a much-loved Christmas tradition without your having to figure out what to do with it the whole rest of the year. You might even start to look at it affectionately if you aren't forced to do so all year long!

Yes. We also lived in another country that had bidets. I found the sprayers convenient and more practical than a bidet, and miss having one. Maybe we should get diaper sprayers...

In many Asian countries, there is a sprayer with a flexible hose that is attached to the wall beside the toilet, or to the side of the toilet; it's similar to the kind of sprayer many have by the kitchen sink. It works well. ;)

I guess I have done similar as well, though there might be an extra one or two depending on prices. If a gift is more expensive, then other gifts are cheaper. All in all, total spent is not a huge amount. I can't help but wonder, for those who don't worry about it at all, how your kids might really feel about it in years to come. I'm not talking about toddlers, but once they get into their teens or so. ETA: In both areas, I'm talking about "approximate."

Tylenol or ibuprofen was sufficient for me. Interestingly, the worst ones were after my second. Due to hemorrhaging after my first, I was always given something to cause my uterus to contract more quickly and thoroughly, so sometimes I was pretty uncomfortable the first day or two, but it didn't last much longer than that, and never was just horrible.

I just finished wrapping everything that has arrived so far. :/ There wasn't a lot this year, because there are only four of us who will be here. And one son is getting a bicycle, which he helped pick out and is sitting in the garage waiting to be rolled in under the tree on Christmas morning. :D No wrapping there, but we might stick a bow on the seat! The other gifts were delivered to my daughter, who will wrap all but hers (which I ordered giftwrapped). That has cut down considerably on the wrapping that I have to do. I do a terrible job of it; thankfully, I had some of the Amazon gift bags from last year--those are great! I'm notorious for waiting until Christmas Eve, but the task didn't seem as daunting this year.