I think that driving makes more sense in most ways. One thing that we did once on a cross country move with an 18 mo old who did not do well in the car was dh drove with his best friend and our 2 year old. Then I flew with the toddler and the infant (and I was sick with another pregnancy that ultimately didn't take). I would not have made it those days in the car, and neither would the babies (I was still nursing the younger one). In your case, you and the littles could head out first, since your parents are on the other end to pick you up. I don't know whether reimbursement covers hybrid situations like this (we actually were reimbursed for this kind of move, but that was almost 12 years ago), but it may be another option.

:grouphug: I've had days like that. I've had days when I wanted to call to see if military schools would take 5 year old girls. Or a boarding school or something.

This has been my experience, too. For level 4, my son's instructor was in the water part of the time. Above that, they're generally on the side for lessons. For swim team, the coaches are generally on the side here.

We still have it on here in Central Texas, too (though we did have a week where we had the heat on). Having grown up in New Orleans and Charleston more than anywhere else, I don't find it odd, though.

I'm 40, mostly gray, and I color because I'm not ready to be gray just yet. I've learned how to mix my own color and buy at Sally -- it seems to work better than the box kits.

I prefer them savory ... butter, cheese and bacon. But the idea of sweet grits doesn't gross me out, it just wasn't ever done anywhere I grew up (mostly LA, SC, VA ... we didn't have grits in RI).

Go. Have a great time with your girls. They're grown men, I can guarantee that they won't starve.

I lived in SLC (well, Taylorsville) for 6-7 years ... there was a co-op at a church in West Valley right on Bangerter (4500 S or so?) that we did for a semester. Other than that, most of the groups were either for Evangelical Christians or LDS, and we're neither, so we didn't do many group things when we were there.

I haven't seen food offered on domestic flights in years, other than maybe nuts, crackers or something -- and I've often flown 3/4 of the way across the country in one flight in that time. For a while, they were selling food, but my last few times on several airlines, not even that. Definitely plan to bring your own. When traveling with the kids, we usually hit Subway or something and put the sandwiches in one of our backpacks -- then I can pass out sandwiches when they come by with drinks.

We've found that the real dolls hold up better. The Wal Mart one uses an AG wheelchair as she lost her legs in the first year. My dc generally aren't as hard as most on toys, but the legs came off very easily. The hair, however, has held up well. M-I-L bought both girls Target dolls for Christmas one year and immediately helped them wash their hair -- both have had absolute rats' nests ever since. The girls each save up and bought real AG dolls. Older dd has had Josefina for 2-3 years ... granted, she got her toward the end of her doll play time, but she is in perfect condition. Younger dd got a 'like me' AG doll a year ago. I was concerned that 6 was on the young side, but the doll has held up very well. She certainly plays with hers more than her sister, but it's not that carried around everywhere item, either.

My dd and I flew in and out of GSP airport this weekend. There was a brief discussion about changing our plans to make a side trip to see Autumn, but alas, not enough time. :001_smile: (My mom, who was driving, did think we were nuts.)

So glad that you found something that works! Right now I have 4 at home, but in the near future, I could potentially be down to one. I have contemplated finding something where he could just come along most days and do his school while I work.

I'm still undecided. If I do it, it will be my 6th year. It will be my dd's first year. My successes (I've completed it 3 times, fallen short 2) is to really frontload my writing. If I get to 30K by the 2 week mark, I make it -- I usually aim for a few 5K days in the first week. the first year I did it, I had an infant -- she was a bit older, though. I designated her naptimes quiet times, put out Montessori activities for the older three (they were 4, 6 and 7), and just holed up and wrote as long as she slept. That, plus 2-3 hours after they went to bed, and i was able to average 5,000 a day (though a day or two were practically nothing, if we had any outside activities).

We were gone for my oldest's 10th birthday (got back the day after). My birthday is just a couple of days before, and dh had a trip planned, and the dates weren't particularly flexible on the package. The dc were with my parents, and ds got plenty spoiled, plus still had a party when we got back. 4+ years later, he doesn't seem to have suffered any trauma from it. ETA: FWIW Oldest dc chose to spend 12th and 13th birthdays at scout camp. We celebrated before or after those years.

My youngest strongly favored her left hand until she was 3 or 4. Then, overnight, she switched ... and has stuck to the right ever since.

Jacobs is a great course, but no, I wouldn't call it easy to teach at all. My dh has a masters in math, and uses a combination of Jacobs and Life of Fred because he finds the LOF easier to teach from, but he does add in some examples of different concepts and additional practice from Jacobs as well.

Earliest was 4 mo to have a tooth come through ... like most babies, he showed signs maybe 6 weeks before that. Latest didn't have any signs until 9 mo, didn't have a tooth that stayed through until almost a year, but hers grew in so slowly, the gums would grow back over it and would have to break through again. Oddly, the one who got teeth the soonest was the latest to start losing them (8), while the one who took forever to get them was the first to lose one (at 4 1/2, before her older brother, who was pretty typical at 7 mo for first tooth and about 6 to lose the first one).

Yes, I'd definitely bring something quiet for him to do. I've had some 3 year olds who have sat well during mass (ironically, my boys), and some (the girls) who were almost 5 before they could make it through mass without something to keep them occupied. I've also found that sitting up front so that they can see EVERYTHING helps a lot, but even with that, some need something to do -- my youngest still does the activities in her Magnifikid missal during the homily.

We like hiking in the foothills (a favorite is around Red Rocks Ampitheater), and the Science Museum in Denver is awesome and not far away at all. We also enjoyed the brewery tour.

My cousin and his wife both needed lapband surgery. As part of the prep, his wife sent my cousin out to the park for the day with the dc, and she and a friend went through her house and got rid of ALL processed foods, sugar, soda, etc., then went shopping for the new, whole grain, fruit, veggie, and lean meat eating habits she wanted to institute. The dc are also in one sport (or dance class) at all times. The difference in the dc is stunning. They're never going to be skinny -- they're just not built that way ... their almost-7 year old is 100 lb ... but that 100 lb is truly muscle. He prefers apples and oranges to cookies and candy most of the time because that's what he has been raised to know (he was a toddler when they made the change). For them, it took a decision to break the habits that had been engrained for generations ... habits that led to early deaths of most of their family members (all parents and grandparents but his mom have died between the ages of 45 and 60). I'm sure it wasn't easy (especially in S. Louisiana's food-based culture), but they've been determined. And nutritionists also struggle with what they know and what choices they actually make. That cousin's sister is a nutritionist raising children who are obese enough that they are already dealing with health consequences. The earlier you change the habits, though, the more natural it will be for your dc to make good food decisions. I think that's my cousin's main downfall after having grown up in a house full of junk food.

My cycles have been awful for years. I do bring it up with my GP (she was an OB for 20-odd years until malpractice insurance got to be too much) ... she doesn't ever do anything about it, just commiserates that it stinks. I'm glad I never made an extra trip, though (just brought it up during regular visits), because it wouldn't have ever been worth the time/money etc.

5 or so.

Sometimes we go out to eat (often to exotic locales such as Shake and Steak or the IKEA restaurant), often, it's grocery shopping or other shopping that needs to be done. The kids are so busy right now that it's usually between dropping them off and picking them up from some activity (where either they're all gone, or one of our teens is home with the one who can't be left on her own). Or, if somehow neither of the teens has class or work during the day, I might go meet dh for lunch -- he works in one of those new, fancy, open-air malls. Sometimes that is just Subway and then shopping for something we need, but sometimes there are good discounts at fancy places for employees of the companies who lease office space in the upper floors like dh (his office is right over Maggianos, and they bring up coupons).

A friend of mine said that the girl was in one of her dd's co-op classes. Definitely a sad situation, and yes, probably something that had been brewing for some time, though I can see how nobody would have imagined something like this.

The choice not to invite her was your brother's (legitimate) choice, not yours. Her emotional manipulation on this issue is uncalled for. I agree with ignoring the note and just letting things lie for a while. She'll call you when/if she's ready, but if she brings up the wedding again, I'd hang up. You would have been out of line to invite her or give her any info without your brother's approval. His wedding was about him and his wife, it was not about her.