I dropped my cell phone on the pool and it landed on the step. I reached in and grabbed it immediately, but of course, it had already begun filling with water. I took the battery out and blow dried the whole thing for a while, trying to get the air into the cracks. I left it apart, overnight. The next day it actually worked!!

Wow, that is amazing! I love hearing stories like that!

I second what Rebecca said....how old is your daughter and what makes you think constipation? If you truly think constipation, then I'd get to the ER right away. A impacted bowel is nothing to mess around with.

The cigarette smoker would be enough for me to say "No thanks." I'm very allergic to cigarette smoke and it sounds like you are too. There's no way I would risk being misrable the entire time and for days afterwards. Invite Grandma to your house for a few days to stay. We do not go to MIL's house or SIL's house due to cigarette smoke.

You can post very short "Tweets" about what you are doing or thinking. Then, people on your Twitter friend list can read about it. I don't have enough people that care about what I'm doing each second of the day LOL. It's kind of like a stand-alone Facebook status update, without all the other stuff that goes along with Facebook.

Awww, he sounds like a great kid!!!

Definitely worth it! I have the iPhone (pretty much like the iTouch minus the phone and camera) and my kids are always asking to use it. I could not live without my iPhone LOL! I got the kids an iTouch for Christmas....I'll put all their little TV shows, Jesus songs, and games on it. Plus, they'll love looking at photos of our Disney trips and stuff like that. Just make sure you get one that's large enough. I would not get the 8 GB if she plans on putting movies and videos on it. You can check out refurbished 16 GB ones at the Apple website (which is what I did, they are no longer in production). Or you can purchase the 32 GB or 64 GB one at a store.

Wow, that sounds amazing! Your daughter will never forget that experience!

Thanks so much for your advice everyone!!! Looks like the best thing to do is just be patient. :D And I'll keep working with her and try some of your suggestions. She really wants to read so I'm hoping it will click sooner rather than later, for her sake. She wnats to read books to her little sister.

Are you a good friend of the mother or just an acquaintance? If you are good friends, you may want to talk to her first. I just know that if my child did this to a good friend's child, I would feel very betrayed if you went to the police before even telling me about it or giving me some sort of warning. I agree that this is VERY serious and dangerous behavior. Definitely talk to the mom.....and based on her reaction and what she plans to do about it, then consider the cops. I would be really freaked out about this happening to my child.

LOL!

Yikes! Glad you noticed it before it got any worse!

I almost got one for my kids last year, but I kept reading that they do not work as well outdoors, which is where mine would have to use it at.

I always thought it was fairly common knowledge that kids learned in school. I could say them all, and place everything on the map too.... I might forget one of the oceans but not the continents.

Wow, I have never even heard of the term "Oceania."

Oh, I agree, five is young. And we are just starting out. I was just wondering if I should be teaching it some other way, or if it will just happen one day. She wants to read so bad though.

I am beginning to work on reading with my 5 year old DD. We've learned the sounds of all the consonants and we're beginning to learn vowels and blending sounds together. I can already tell it is not clicking with her just yet. For instance, yesterday I put up the word MAT. She could say mmmm-aaaa-t. She knew all the sounds seperately and put them together quickly. But she could not go from mmmm-aaaa-t to mat. Will it just suddenly click? Or can I do something to help her along?

Maybe one of those labyrinth mazes that you run the marble through?

DH and I believe that tithing is simply giving back to God. We do this sometimes in the form of giving our tithe to our church. Other times, we help people in need. Sometimes it ends up being one of our parents, other times it ends up being people I have met online, and still other times we use it for things like choosing a child from the Angel Tree around Christmas time. I do not feel it always has to be giving to your home church. If God places it on your heart, give wherever you feel comfortable.

Have you seen these? http://www.zoobies.com/ They are similar, but I think they are a lot cuter. And it also comes with a blanket stuff inside so it triples as a blanket too!

DD5 is getting a gel ant farm with a book about ants. She's getting a lab-in-a-bag set, a Webkinz pug, a Disney Collection storybook, 2 Zhu Zhu hamsters and their carriers, and an iPod Touch. From Santa she is getting a scooter board, a big art set, a table top easel, and a big box of craft supplies. Her stocking will consist of a few magic tricks, a movie, Webkinz cards, new jammies, a few pieces of candy, a Mickey Mouse pen, a small doll, a Squiggle travel drawing pad, a sippy cup, and a Mickey Vinylmation collectible figure. DD2 is getting a Webkinz llama, a Wedgits set, a shape sorter, a Disney Collection storybook, magnetic wooden animals to use on our dry erase board, some Animalville figures, 2 Zhu Zhu hamsters and their carriers, and an iPod Touch. From Santa she is getting a scooter board and some wooden block people by Guidecraft. Her stocking will consist of a movie, a small doll, new jammies, a sippy cup, a set of Little People figures, a few pieces of candy.....and I still need a few more things for her stocking. Thankfully, my kids grandparents and aunts ask about what they are interested in. I'm really trying to avoid the whole "junk toy and electronic toy" trend this year. I want to steer clear of that from now on. So from various family members, I know that my girls are getting the Playmobil Pet Clinic, gift cards to Build A Bear, a Disney Movie each, unit blocks, a Leapster game, and the Animalville Town Center. I also wrote down things like magazine subscriptions and stuff like that. Very very few actua toys!

My DD goes to speech therapy at public school. And while her speech teacher has never said anything negative about homeschooling, she always seems to quiz me on whether or not my DD is getting "outside activities." My DD is VERY VERY VERY shy. Did I say mention VERY? And I think that she thinks homeschooling is hindering her in that area....making her a "mama's girl" who cannot function without mama around. Edited to add.....I saw a friend of a friend post something on Facebook the other day about homeschooling. She was obviously a teacher and mentioned how teachers always have to "pick up the pieces" of homeschooling families who are put back into the PS system. And how those children are always behind grade level. Well......HELLO, the ones put back into PS are most likely (not always) the ones where homeschooling is NOT working for them. People are not going to put their kids back into PS if homeschooling is working well. So teachers will rarely see those kids who are ahead of grade level. Which leaves the fact being that most homeschooled kids that teachers see will be the ones that are not doing so well.

If I'm still paying the taxes that go towards the schools, then yes.

Wow, that is incredible!!! I seriously don't I could have let anyone cut into something that cool!

That's really neat! Now, if someone could only make housework more fun! :D