I had a "boyfriend" in third grade, so around the same age as your daughter. We just passed notes to each other and spent a few recesses together. Nothing went beyond that, but it was very sweet memory. My next boyfriend, closer to the actual meaning, was many years later when I was 17. So even though I started early, I was not crushing on every person who came along :p My daughter has been talking about boys and marriage since she was 5 or younger. I like the fact that she can see and relate to positive characteristics in another person.

Ive got the baseline top-loading GE Adora from Home Depot and its pretty awesome.

About 3,300 gallons a month with 4 people and no landscaping, pool or other outdoor water usage. We are billed every two months for about $70. $60 of that is basic line charge and the rest is actual use. We also live in CA where much of the state is in severe a drought. Our area fared a bit better for rain this year, but should next year be dry we may be restricted under what they call a "Stage 4 Drought" for water usage.They then set a limit of 68 gallons per day, per person. We currently only use half of that.

I used to dream of owning my own small farm where I could sell fall produce (think pumpkins, apples, maize, etc) and host crafts and kids activities. I would down-size my home, increase the land, hire helpers, etc. That all changed suddenly when I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis last Fall. Now I am facing eventual major disability and realistically needing long-term care/assistance in the future. My DH is 18 years older than I am, so I expect that I will outlive him OR we will both need assistance. My goal now is to not be a burden to my kids and be able to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle doing enjoyable activities without worrying about the day-to-day stuff. The idea of having my housing, food and transportation taken care of is very very appealing. I also like the idea of being closer to other people in a community setting, rather than as isolated as we currently are.

Clash of the Titans, Conan, Red Sonja, The Last Unicorn, The Beastmaster, Indiana Jones, Time Bandits, Highlander, Legend Edit: Top Gun, Blade Runner, Adventures in Babysitting, Big Trouble in Little China, Tron, Romancing the Stone, Honey I shrunk the Kids, Police Academy, Field of Dreams, Little Shop of Horrors, Howard the Duck, Uncle Buck, Teen Wolf, Little Monsters

Well, here is my perspective..... This person had legally obtained three registered firearms, 400 rounds of ammunition and lived in in CA. CA happens to have some of the most restrictive gun laws in the US. Background checks, large capacity magazine bans, no fully-automatics, mandatory waiting periods, lawful sale, etc, etc etc. Restrictions that make sense to a lot of people. If restrictive guns laws represented a lesser incidence of violence, then CA should rank near the bottom. It does not, its near the top. Neither is there any connection to reduced rates of violence with accessibility/rates legal ownership of guns in the US. For example Washington DC has has a gun ownership rate on less than 4% ( CA has around 20%), DC ranks number one for violence/murders . States with the least restrictive gun laws rank average to low on the violence scale. This is just pure data, no NRA, no AGCA. That is what is truly scary. No matter how many regulations are in place, it has NO effect on making violent people, less violent or protecting innocent bystanders from meeting tragic ends by violent people. I don't have the answer, but it seems to wasteful to keep pushing for regulations that have no effect. In fact, it makes me more angry that as a society we cant seem to push past the "easy route" answers to address these difficult questions.

Escalators. I'm afraid ill trip and fall and have my hair get caught in those teeth things or get my shoelaces caught with some kind of horrific result. The creepy green lights than show through the tines. Ugh /shudder.

CA gas is also more expensive because of all the taxes they add on. Fed tax + state tax + local sales tax + ust tax = about 70 cents on the gallon. As a comparison, OR is about 50 cents on the gallon and WA is around 55 cents. My folks just moved to OR from CA and they were doubly pleased at paying less and getting full service!

Our home has no A/C and we live in Northern California up in the mountains. It still gets up into the 100Fs, but just less of the summer than the valley. We installed a whole house fan at the highest and furthest point in our home to help out in the summer months. By opening windows strategically on the first floor (plus screen doors), we can pull cool air at night and early morning through the whole house and also cool down our attic. Then we shut the house up during the heat of the day with thick UV/thermal curtains. It helps, but sometimes is just not enough especially if there is smoke from forest fires or it does not cool down enough at night or is too humid. We have existing (but inefficient) ducting for our (currently broken) propane furnace. We have debated replacing the furnace with a heat pump for cooling and heating options, but there is no return air in the second story so we would still have a "hot" second story. If we went this route, we would definitely install a window unit in the second story. Our other option is to go with a "ductless mini-split" heat pump. These are relatively new in the US, but used frequently in Asia and other continents. It consists of a single condenser unit that sits outside like a traditional AC, but then there are individual air delivery units installed inside, each with their own thermostat. They connect to the condenser through a pipe/line that goes through a 3" hole on the exterior of the home. Then the line runs down the exterior to the condenser, hence no ducting needed. Because its new technology in the US, the costs for installation seem to be higher. The units cost about the same as traditional units, you just have to factor in what the costs would be if you needed ducting installed. Ducting costs would likely be much much more than the added costs for the mini-split system so the mini-split is a very viable option. We do not have the money for either option right now...so I am not looking forward to the upcoming hot and likely smokey summer :(

Congratulations!!!!

Have you been tested for Lyme disease and auto-immune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus? I have RA and have many of the symptoms you have described. It started off as flare up of carpel tunnel and ulnar nerve entrapment (elbow carpel tunnel) and foot tendon pain. It was paired with exhaustion and then developed into swelling in all my joints, joint popping, and "heat" in all my joints. To get a diagnosis I had to get blood testing for a few immune markers like rheumatoid factor, anti-ANA and anti-CCP.

My thoughts are with you and your DD. :grouphug:

I am sorry I did not see this thread earlier. I too am reading and nodding with every single post. Both my parents fit 30 out of 33 of those questions posted by DawnM. I am pretty damaged by it and all I can do is do everything possible to make sure my relationship with kids is completely different. I could write a book on all the crazy things they have done. I noticed things were "off" with my parents early on in my teens. My brother, on the other hand, only noticed this past winter (he is 3 years older too). Unfortunately, he is just like them which I I truly believe was his mechanism/response to the abuse. I mourn the lost relationship with him, probably more than the one with my parents... Its sad all around. I have accepted the fact that I will never be the person they expected me to be, nor be loved by them. My poor hubby too; having to deal my parents. They are so cruel to him. He is the most loving and supportive spouse who has made huge sacrifices for his family (he is a SAHD), yet cant do anything right because he does not fit the imaginary "husband mold". I am at the crux of cutting them out of our lives for the sake of my husband and kids. My DH's family is so far away, so my kids really have no grandparents, cousins or active aunts/uncles in their lives and it kills me. My folks recently made the decision to move out of state to live out their retirement dream and succumb to their new paranoia (they have gone off the deep-end lately about the government "stealing" their money and how the USA is going to have a civil war, etc etc). They have been begging us to move with them despite the fact that there is nothing there that appeals to my family. Its all part of their plan to be our "saviors" of course..... Anyway, this is the first time they are actually doing us a favor. They are leaving. Im sure the guilt trips will follow about how much they miss the kids and how selfish we are for not moving...blah blah blah. Ugh.... :grouphug: to you all

"The Pelletiers had butted heads with other doctors in Connecticut — Justina’s pediatrician there would accuse them of doctor-shopping and “firing” multiple providers. And despite their fondness for Justina’s main doctors at Tufts, they had previously clashed with other members of the Tufts staff, who had filed an allegation of neglect with the Connecticut child-protection agency in late 2011." The doctor who performed the surgery was the one they sought out at Children's. He was not allowed to get involved in her case at Children's. I get the hinkey feeling that his colleagues or supervisors may not have agreed with his decision to perform the surgery.

Not necessarily. This is all speculative but, what if her mental state (and therefore physical state) is tied strongly to her parents mental state. The psychologist at Children's noted that her symptoms were worse when her mother was in her presence and stressed. Well now, her parents are *really* stressed and no doubt making that known to her very much so when they visit. Since Children's is insisting that her care be taken over by the physc. ward, this indicates that they firmly believe that her mental health is critical. Perhaps she has Munchhausen syndrome herself? Her decline actually makes a lot of sense from that standpoint. The parents have also refused previous requests by Tufts for psychological evaluation for their daughter. You cant clear potential psychological causes without at least an evaluation. Tufts has reported them for possible medical abuse long before Children's did. For the record, I'm not siding with Children's entirely, but trying to see the case from an alternate standpoint.

I thought I read that they had taken to "several" hospitals and specialists over the years. So I am not sure if Tufts performed all of those surgeries or could even be classified as her primary care specialists. Unfortunately "hospital/doctor jumping" ie shopping around excessively for a doctor that aligns with your personal diagnosis is one of the red flags for Munchhausen by Proxy. Edit: actually the family fits 4/5 major red flags for MBP.

I bag all fruits and veggies. I don't separate bunches..to me that is strange (unless its a HUGE bunch and the only ripe set). I bag them because the cart is absolutely filthy and it keeps them compact and less likely to get separated. I also bag fresh meat regardless of its packaging; to protect all my other food. Melons and other things get washed before I cut them. Shopping carts are one of the most disgusting surfaces ever. Toilet seats are cleaner, seriously. I am also a microbiologist ;)

I have a 2005 Prius. I love it. I still get almost 50mpg and the car has had no major problems at all, even with over 100K miles on it. Ill replace it with another Prius when the time comes. We also plan to swap my husband's sedan for a used 4x4 Highlander Hybrid for our "snow car". The Prius does awesome in the snow with chains on, but does get quite squirrel-ey in just a little bit of snow/ice before the chains officially have to be on.

This is how I feel about Mr.Q Science labs. Immediate turn-off, no matter the content or ideas.

I definitely would not want my car insurance premium to increase over a sore thumb! Id just tell them a "door" and leave it at that.

Any curriculum that requires an insane amount of hunting around in the library. Plus my local library is a double wide trailer, mostly full of multiple copies of the Hunger Games, Twilight series, 50 Shades of Grey, and anything by Diana Gabaldon. :/

I did not! But I just looked it up now and its $99.

Thank you so much for the input! I went ahead and ordered the teacher edition paperbacks for science, geography and the grammar workbook. We have a home copier, so I can just copy off the student pages. The Teacher File Box looks like an amazing resource, but I am not sure we would use enough materials to justify the annual fee.

For those who use the Evan Moor daily workbooks, do you think that the teacher editions are crucial or could you possible get by on just the student workbooks? Thanks!

Fascinating watch! Thank You!