She probably ordered it by perscription so that she could regulate the dosage -- the concentration of the progesterone in the cream. Not all OTC compounds are equal, and they aren't regulated. Most brands tell you the concentration of the progesterone in the product. But, with unknown shelf-life, and unknown manufacturing/packaging/storage techniques, you don't really know exactly what you're getting.With a perscription, you know exactly what you're getting, and your doctor will be able to monitor your response to it. It's wonderful that your doctor is using natural progesterone, rather than an artificial progestin. Perhaps, after you use the compounded cream for awhile, and you've gotten yourself regulated, you could switch to a reputable OTC brand.

I used TP rolls to make an apartment building for my silkworms. They moved right in and spun their cocoons. :o)

Most crying book: The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks Most crying movie: (I haven't seen The Notebook), but Mr. Holland's Opus has me crying like a baby. Then again, I can't get through an American Girl book without getting too choked up to read.

My 10yods has enjoyed The Jetsons, Gilligan's Island, Lois and Clark, Home Improvement, and MacGyver. In the first season of MacGyver, he was "falling in love" with a different woman every week. They stopped that after about 8 episodes, though. It was really tiresome. After that, he kept things platonic with most of his guest performers. Ds loves to see what Mac can make out of nothing.

When my little girl (now 2 1/2) stopped taking morning naps, I thought all was lost. Then, I discovered Blue's Clues. Yes, I know most of the folks here would frown on using the TV as a babysitter, but somedays it is the only way we can get anything done. It's not every day. And, it's not for long. But, it allows me the chance to work my 10yods through his math and grammar. We really need to be able to focus on those. My 11yodd does these almost independently. The rest of our subjects, we do all together, and 2yodd is in and out as she pleases. She plays independently, or colors on the white board, or listens to our history, or "works on her grammar" (that's what she calls Reader Rabbit Toddler). :o) It will get easier. Hang in there.

Engineered hardwood comes prefinished with a super durable finish that cleans beautifully with just water. It is real wood, so it's beautiful. It "floats" (meaning it's not attached to the sub-flooring) so it doesn't get gaps between the boards like regular hardwood. It snaps together like Pergo-type laminate, so it installs easily. I love my Kahrs floor. I had polyurethane floors before, and I loved them, too. They did get gaps between the boards, though, when the weather was dry. And, they buckled when we had water come in the door in a storm. In the end, the easy installation of the prefinished flooring sold me. We would have had to wait an week for regular, old-fashioned flooring to be sanded, stained, and coated (several times) with polyurethane.

I had two of my kids with midwives, in the hospital. Both were entirely drug free. Both were on my terms. Both midwives were warm, and caring, and strong, and knew exactly what was going on. Both deliveries were fast and furious. Both children were healthy and strong. It seems to me that a hospital that has midwives would be the kind of hospital that would be open to letting you have it your way. If they were going to be rigid, intervening, and 50s-ish, they wouldn't have midwives on staff. KWIM? The negatives I had in the hospital didn't have anything to do with the delivery, but came afterward. The hospital staff doesn't seem to know that night time is for sleeping. They wake you up at all hours to take vital signs, take blood, check you out, etc. Very annoying, but not dangerous. Keep an open mind when talking to the hospital midwives. Most likely, they have your best interest at heart. They'll listen to you, and they'll take time with you to get to know you, and your history, and your hopes/wants/needs with this delivery. Most of all, they'll want a healthy mom and a healthy baby when it's all over.

A book I really like, and my 11yodd references regularly, is The Care & Keeping of You - The Body Book for Girls It's published by the American Girl company, but you can get it at Amazon. It is written in clear language, and gives straightforward about the various changes they will experience, emotionally, physically, etc. I got this book for her at about age 9. She and her cousin have referenced it frequently. Sometimes they bring questions to me, and I answer. You can see it here: http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/ProductPage.jsf/itemId/2852/itemType/FG/webTemplateId/3/uniqueId/138/saleGroupId/247 Or, here: http://www.amazon.com/Care-Keeping-You-American-Library/dp/1562476661/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203485816&sr=8-1 Other than this book, and to answer your first question, we've had an ongoing (well, off and on) conversation about body functions, reproduction, mating (of plants and animals, including humans), etc. since they were preschoolers. We got into more detail when we studied the human body as part of our 1st/2nd grade science, and we've always been very open and honest. My older children are 10 and 11 now, and I'm finding myself explaining a lot more, on a more personal level, as they realize that their dad and I had to do more than just kiss in order for them to exist. 10yods still thinks the whole idea is gross, but 11yodd has a quiet interest. They don't hesitate to ask questions, and I don't hesitate to answer. One thing I use as a trigger, to let me know it's time to talk some more, is when I notice a "change" in my dd. When she started having mood swings, she was kind of scared. She didn't understand her own over-reactions, and she didn't understand why she wasn't in more control. I used that as an opportunity to explain the hormonal changes that were happening, and also to tell her some of the other things that would be happening. Since then, I look for other changes (developing chest, oily hair, etc) as ice breakers to bring the subject back up again. I don't hit her with everything at once. I just touch on the things that are farther in the future, and go into more detail with the things that will happen sooner. Hope this helps.

It's possible that his post was deleted because of the responses it received, not because it was horrible. He may have just pushed someone's buttons, and they may have gone a bit nutty. The moderator may have deleted it to prevent further uproar. Just because his post was deleted doesn't mean he was banned, does it? Did he try to post again?

I once knew someone who moved into a house with wide, white grout between the white, glossy tile in her previously owned house (common in So. Cal). The tile *had* been sealed, but it was the kind of sealer that coats (doesn't penetrate) the grout. Over time, this grout sealer had turned black, and had rubbed off the area around the sink. It looked disgusting (though I never would have said so to my friend). Well, I was validated in my thinking when my friend decided that she must do something about the disgusting grout. I wasn't there (of course) but my friend told me that she used a Shark steamer and Oxycleen. She said it was loud, and messy, and steamy, but I'll tell you the result was fabulous! Oxyclean works well with hot water. It works amazingly well with steam. So, if nothing else works, get yourself a Shark steamer (they cost about $50), and some Oxyclean. Sprinkle the grout with Oxyclean. Use the brush tool on the steamer wand, and go at it. Oh, and make sure you get a *penetrating* sealer. I like the kind at Home Depot that has a brush applicator on the tip of the bottle. You just paint it on, all in one step. Then, a few minutes later, you wipe the excess off the tile. Easy.

Congratulations! (Enjoy your first e-bay win, and your cookbook). :)

Decide the absolute maximum you want to pay. Remember to subtract their shipping charges. You might want to take a quick search at amazon and/or half.com to make sure what the book is going for. I've seen many, many newbies get all excited about an auction and bid more than they would have to pay elsewhere. Very sad. Wait until 2 minutes before the auction ends, then make sure your logged on to e-bay. At one minute before the auction ends, bid your maximum (plus 2 cents). You want to add in that extra two cents so that you'll outbid someone else who is trying to place the same maximum bid. Place your bid, then make sure you "Confirm" it on the next screen. Then, hold your breath and cross your fingers (if you believe in luck).

Use Easy-off Oven Cleaner. Make sure it's the kind that works on a cold oven, and is "Fume Free". Of course, it's not totally fume free, but it's better than the old fashioned knock-you-dead-with-the-fumes stuff. Spray it carefully on the enameled surface. Be very careful not to get it on the burners. It could discolor them. You might want to put masking tape around them to be extra careful. Only spray it on the shiny, enameled stovetop (not the aluminum burners, or the burner caps, or the grates, or the plastic knobs) Let the foam sit on there for about an hour, then (don your rubber gloves, and) wipe it off. It will remove most of those stubborn stains. You may need a second treatment on the more stubborn stuff. I have done this with no ill effects on my 3yo JennAir, with sealed gas burners. It worked beautifully, in fact. The cooktop is shiny, with no stubborn film around the burners. You may want to read your owners manual to see if they specify not to use it. Or, you may want to test in an inconspicuous area first.

This would be my concern as well. If I only had one 10yo, then I'd probably say no. I'd hate for him to feel so "stuck", so far away with no way of going home. He would be miserable, and would possibly ruin the trip for everyone concerned. OTOH, your sons will have each other, so there will be less potential for homesickness. You know your boys best. How would they fare so far away from home for so long?

He'll still need to be able to print in order to fill out forms, do standardized tests, stuff like that. I second Handwriting Without Tears. Since he knows his letter, and just forms them incorrectly, I'd get My Printing Book. You won't need the letter shapes, or the slate. Just the workbook. You might as well pick up Printing Power while you're at it. By the time he works through both of those, he should be printing legibly. You can get it from http://www.hwot.com, or from Rainbow Resource.

We don't do it orally. Ds writes words on a table-top white board. He hates to write, but doesn't mind so much on the whiteboard. You could do this orally, but you would want to keep lessons very short. If your dd doesn't write much, consider writing the words for your dd as she dictates the spelling. That would allow her to see the words and remember them better. Here's what we do, about once or twice a week: We go through the lists: I give ds a word, and he writes it down. If he gets it right, I just go to the next word. If he misses it, I tell him how to spell it, and have him write it two more times. I also circle the word, lightly, in pencil, in my book. Then, I go on to the next word in the list. After he's had a few successful words, I go back and give him the word he missed. If he misses it again, I tell him how to spell it (and, depending on his mood, I might have him write it two more times). I keep it circled in my book, though. Then, I go on to the next word. We keep on like this until either he's missed several words, and he's starting to get frustrated, or, we've been at it about 15 minutes, and he's starting to get bored and agitated. Then, I mark our place, and we simply put it away. The next spelling day (we don't do spelling every day), I start with words I know he can spell, to give him confidence. I stealthily move on to new words, and periodically stick in a word he missed previously. If he gets it right, I congratulate him and ceremoniously erase the circle from around the word in my book. If he misses it again, I tell him how to spell it and have him write it two more times. Then, I go on to more new words. If the word becomes a problem (he misses it three days in a row), I have him go through memory exercises: I have him look at the word and say the spelling, then close his eyes and draw the word in the air as he says the letters, then have him open his eyes and write it big with his finger on the table, then have him write it on the white board again. I have him write it a few times, correctly. Then, I put it away until the next spelling lesson. The next lesson, I start with "easy" words, then stick that one in. If he gets it right, I congratulate him, and swoon, and tell him he's wonderful, and ceremoniously erase the circle from around the word. :) As for activities, I periodically have him add -s, -ed, or -ing to words he already knows how to spell. I don't do that with words he's struggling to learn to spell. I have a 11yodd, and I make her do a lot more work (vocabulary, alphabetizing, verb forms, etc.) But, I keep it simple and straightforward for my ds.

You could get just the flashcards for Latina Christian I. He'll enjoy it because many (1/3?) of the words are duplicated from Prima Latina. But, he could learn the new words and get a head start on LCI.

I would put function before style on this one. We bought a table lamp and a matching floor lamp from Pottery Barn that have adjustable height. I love how they look, and my dh (who sits 6 inches taller than me) can raise the height to his comfort level. I can lower it a little,and the kids can lower it even lower (though they usually don't bother). Your eyes are the important thing here, not the "proper" height . The color of the shade will be important. A darker shade (that doesn't let out much light) will need to be higher. A white shade, that allows lots of light through, can be lower. But, it still might not be enough light for reading. If you bought the lamp primarily for reading, then let light be your primary factor. If you bought it for ambience, then look at it in the evening. If you bought it for style, then height may matter. Function above all. :)

Perhaps a page for six-week goals in each subject (those for which you have goals). How about a page for jotting down materials you need to acquire. You could have another one for books to buy, one for books to check out, one for books borrowed (from friends), another for books you've loaned out.

I didn't find it at either of those places, but I found it through Google. http://forums.dealofday.com/showthread.php?t=174829

I definitly wait until it goes on sale for half-off. JoAnnes, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels frequently have 50% off sales. Target has good prices, too. There are other, more advanced books out there, too. We've seen them, but I don't know the names.

Always brand. I see that others have mentioned them, but I just wanted to add my vote. They have a gazillion different products, different lengths, widths, and thicknesses. They have "wings". They have a good stay-dry liner.

This question has never entered my mind. I had no idea that people worried about such things. I just throw them in with whatever load matches their color. Of course, I've been known to use my bath towel more than once, too. So, you may not want to listen to my opinion. ;) We're all more than just "still alive". We're quite healthy, actually. I can guarantee that your family will not suffer from you throwing your dish cloths and towels in with the rest of your wash. Assuming your washer is working properly, everything will come out clean.

I agree. Honesty is usually better in the long run. If your pretending was better than you think, you could end up with a yearly tradition! I'm sorry for the times I pretended to like something, especially with my inlaws. There was elderberry pie one year. I don't remember if I really liked it, or if I just pretended the first time. But, I've had it every year since. MIL shops produce auctions in order to find them for me. Bless her heart. She goes through so much trouble. I don't have the heart to tell her that it needs more sugar or something. I just smother the pie in ice cream and eat it. Not fun. Oh, then there was the time (about 10 years ago) when I picked up her Ladies Home Journal (because it was there) and found an interesting article. Ever since then, I get a LHJ subscription for Christmas every year. Anyway, I would have wanted you to say something like, "Oh dear. I really hate getting my picture taken. I'm so uncomfortable in front of a camera. But. I'll do it. I love you, and I want your kids (and my dd) to have a picture of me. Just promise you won't buy a hundred of them to pass out to everyone and their dog." Then, I would have wanted you to pick out a simple, solid colored top in a color that suits you (jeans and a t-shirt would be great -- something casual). Anyway, it's over now. You can still be honest about it. You may want to clear the air, for no other reason than to prevent it from biting you again in the future. Or, you can just practice your pretending, for the next time it comes up.

I'm looking for a story I received through a forwarded e-mail. It lists how things were in 1906 (or there-abouts). I wanted to share it with my kids, and I thought I kept it, but I guess I deleted it in one of my mad purging episodes. Has anyone seen this, or know where I can look for it? Thanks