I've developed many allergies since having my second child two years ago. I've never really been allergic to anything in my life before this. Now I'm allergic to nearly everything outside, cats, mold, hay, tobacco (I've never smoked), smoke, grass, pollen, etc. I'm also allergic to bananas. Also to something in ranch dressing. I'm not sure what, so I just do not eat ranch anymore. I've had skin prick tests done, as well as blood tests. They showed that I'm possibly allergic to soy, nutmeg, sesame seeds, milk, and eggs.....but I've never showed any symptoms that I'm aware of. Sometimes I do not feel very good, but I would need to go on an elimiation diet to rule things out....and I'm just not up to that right now LOL.

What do I consider cheating? A physical affair is definitely cheating, but my range is also much broader than that. Sharing intimate details about your life with someone of the opposite sex, going out alone with them, texting/emailing/calling them, thinking lustfully about them, fantisizing about them. Everyone thinks a member of the opposite sex (other than your spouse) is attractive from time to time....it is fine to do that. But when you start constantly thinking about them, focusing on them, trying to catch their attention, etc....that's when it becomes wrong.

I know what you mean. I havent even mentioned the swine flu to DH. I'm quite worried about it though. He never worries about anything health-wise. Yet he tells me he worries about things like the NFL draft and gets knots in his stomach because of it. Ummm....okay.

I agree!! Those portable potty seats are priceless! It has saved us from many emergencies. And I even use it for restrooms that are too "icky." We just go out to the van for a potty break. And we use it while camping as well. Like you, we started out with the On-The-Go Potty and my DD would always say how much it hurt to sit down on. So then we got this one: http://www.leapsandbounds.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=361755&parentCategoryId=85193&categoryId=85251&subCategoryId=86245&PIPELINE_SESSION_ID=f016bef57f0000016babd8c6cf50b84d It slides right under the seat in our van.

It drives me insane! Granted, the only place my kids are really given junk is my parents house. My DD does get two animal crackers each Monday night when leaving dance. But I'm fine with animal crackers. But at my parents house, they are always giving candy, cookies, snack cakes, etc. I've started instructing my daughter (she just turned five) not to eat any junk when over there. And she's excellent about it. Actually, just today my mom offered her a cookie and my daughter called me and aske me if she could have it. It was a rather large cookie, so I agreed to half of it. But yes, it does drive me crazy LOL.

Actually, this story doesnt seem to have all the facts. I have a friend that lives a few blocks from where this happened. The news stories around there are all saying that the uncle was a crack cocaine addict and the child was taken from the home in anger as retaliation. And the mother went to police after he took her. That's what my friend told me.

My DD (who just turned five) is in LOVE with Bolt. In fact, just yesterday for her birthday I got her Bolt figures, a Bolt card, Bolt balloon, Bolt cake toppers, Bolt plates and cups, etc. She has two Bolt stuffed animals and a Bolt shirt. Yes, she's a Bolt freak LOL. We saw it in the theater back in November, I think. Then we purchased the movie when it came out last month. I found nothing objectionable in it. It's really cute!

That is so sad. Gosh, I couldn't even imagine. My parents next door neighbors have two pit bulls. The male is MUCH meaner than the female. He has bitten the daughter on the leg (the daughter was about 12 at the time). Ummm, yeah....the dog would have been long gone after that if it were my dog. But no, they kept it. It has gotten out of the yard and since attacked my sisters cat, nearly killed it. It has also clamped down around the neck of another dog when they were out walking it on a leash. The dog is a walking time bomb...he's going to kill someone or something. But they just keep it. When I go over there, I always make sure I look around before getting out of my car. The kids do not go in the backyard alone. I'm not even really comfortable with them going out there with an adult either. I hate those dogs.

My daughter is only 4, and she's been taking ballet for 6 months....so we're not an experienced dance family. But I'm pretty happy with our studio. It is small, run by one lady. In my DD's class there's about 8 girls. And then there is another preschool class on another night of the week with about the same number of girls. I would not call this a "professional" school. They are very lax and it is a very comfortable atmosphere. None of the girls from here will go on to be professionals I'm sure.....but that's not what we were looking for in a dance class. If my daughter ever gets serious about it as she gets older and she wants to be competitive, we'll have to find another studio.

Grocery IQ (grocery list, LOVE THIS!, saves your favorite items so making a grocery list is a breeze) Facebook (Very easy to update on the go) Flixter (previews and synopsis of upcoming movies and DVD's, also has show times and such for local theaters) Pandora (internet radio) Amazon Kindle (I read a whole book on here and LOVE it! No more trying to remember to grab your book before leaving home!) Packing (a packing list for vacations....you can make multiple lists for different trips. Really comes in handy) Bible (has lots of different versions, you can bookmark your page, it will give you daily reading, you can hightlight passages) Life Timer (keeps track of things in life. Example, I have my last oil change listed, as well as my last female dr visit. It will tell you how long it has been since each of those things, so you know when you need to make the next appt) For the Kids..... They seem to like Martian (you build your own alien), Tap Tap Revenge 2 (think Guitar Hero for the iphone), and The Wheels on the Bus.

Uh....wow. Technology is great. It is useful. And kids DO need to learn it. However, that's not ALL they need to learn by. That's crazy.

I do not drink. I have never ever had any taste of wine, alcohol, beer, etc. Never. Neither has my DH. I was not raised around anyone who drank. My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc, did not drink. Therefore, I am not comfortable around those who drink. I think it can be a very bad thing and MANY people abuse drinking. However, I do not believe it is a sin, as long as you are drinking in moderation, infrequently. If you come to rely on it daily, I believe it is a sin. That being said.....the Bible does say that we, as Christians, should abstain from any appearance of evil. So what if your non-believing , unchurched friend saw you having a cold one in a restaurant? What would they think? Would they think "oooh, look at that Christian, I can't believe they are drinking!" If so, it would be an appearance of evil. So for me, I think that if a Christian feels the need to drink, they should do so in their own home. That's just me. I have strong convictions about drinking, and I believe that since my convictions about it are so strong, then it would be a sin for ME, PERSONALLY to drink.

A date does not have to mean a romantic meeting. It can mean a time set aside to do something. I've heard the phrase "I've got a date with the dentist today." Or "I've got a date with my girlfriends tomorrow." I dont think romantically about those things. I dont think the person is going to be romantically involved with their dentist or girlfriends. I think it is perfectly fine to call it a date.....its a time set aside for their daughters. That being said, I think daddy/daughter "dates" are sweet. Now the things that some of you are referring to such as the purity stuff is creepy, but I've never ever heard of those things before. The innocent "take my daughter out and have fun" dates are fine. Even if that is a daddy/daughter dance.

Are you sure you want to go in July? LOL. I live in FL, 2.5 hours away from The Mouse, and we go often. But never ever ever in the summertime. Miserably hot with crazy long lines.

LOL I'm glad you saved the tail! The other day I got themsevelous opportunity to clean a poopy diaper, clean up dog pee on the kitchen floor, and clean up cat throw up all in the span of about 20 minutes. Exciting times of being a mother LOL!

We had one for a little over a year. I think it was a 2005 or 2006. It worked well for us. I was never "in love" with it.....but I think that was because we had to get the Freestyle because our Pontiac Aztek had gotten totaled in a wreck. And I had really loved my Aztek. So I wasnt as accepting of the Freestyle LOL. We had the Freestyle with the two bucket seats in the second row and the bench seat in the last row. We kept the last row folded down most of the time for cargo room. When I got pregnant with our second child, we ended up trading it in and got a new Nissan Quest mini van. We just wanted the roominess of the van, the ease of moving through the two bucket seats, etc. We never had any troubles with the Freestyle. We didnt have it for too long though.

I want my girls to be nice and clean for church, but that doesnt mean dresses. Actually, I usually dress them in jeans and a nice shirt (not just a t-shirt) for church. Maybe a bow in their hair, maybe not. No grubby shoes....but nice clean shoes. I personally hate dresses so I do not even wear them. It's jeans and a nice blouse for me.

As far as children go, I dont think that they necessarily need to be with nonbelievers at this age. They are still growing and learning their faith. They can be easily swayed. I'm not saying to keep them away from nonbelievers LOL.....just that if it does not happen, then that's okay. It is hard for kids to be a witness when they are still just "baby" Christians. As for yourself, like someone else mentioned, just pray. God WILL provide you with someone to share your faith with if you ask. It may not be today or tomorrow, but when you make yourself open and willing before God, he will steer you in the direction he wants you to go. It is interesting that you are contemplating this part of your life though. I've never thought about it like that. And I think it is good to reevaluate these parts of your life at times. Much like you, I dont have too much interaction with nonbelievers. I sit at dance class for an hour while my daughter has dance practice. And I sit at soccer for an hour as well, but like you mentioned, everyone is watching their children. Plus, I am an extremely shy person. I do not just come out and talk to people that I dont know. So this is another obstacle that I have to work with when witnessing. To Jenny In Florida.....I'm just wondering what other term we should use besides nonbelievers? Our belief and teachings are that if you do not believe that God died and rose again to save us, then you are a nonbeliever. Maybe we should say "those who believe differently." But that's long and drawn out. The term nonbeliever is not meant to be an offensive term....it just is what it is.

Personally, I'm a worry wart LOL. I probably would not do it alone. I'd be thinking too many things like "what if I break down" or "what if I get sick" or something along the lines of that. Also, I have little ones so I dont let them eat in the car (for fear of choking...yes, it has happened to us). So that would be a lot of stops for food. And like someone else mentioned, I get so tired of driving after a few hours. I mean, I love to be the one driving, but my eyes start getting bleary eyed. So for me, I dont think I would do it alone.

Where's the sign up sheet??? I'm tired of hearing "you cant shelter your children." Umm....oh yes I can. I was in a store the other day browsing decorations for girls rooms. I came across one that said "Sexy". Sexy??? A little girl???? No, I dont think so.

My daughter is about to turn 5. I feel bad that she really has no friends. We have her in church twice a week, she plays on a soccer team, she goes to speech class and there's another little girl in her class, and she goes to dance. She is sooooo shy that she will not talk to anyone. So we are inviting cousins. Of the 7 little girls that will be invited to her birthday party, there is one that is her age. My little girl is turning 5. The girls that are invited are 11, 11, 10, 9, 8, 4, and 2 (my other daughter). I feel so bad that she has no friends, but I dont know how I can help her. So yes, I feel your pain.

I second the vaccine book by Dr Sears. It is neither pro-vaccine or against vaccines. It states the facts. I really like it and it is my go-to guide when my kids approach another round of vaccines. I used to fully vaccinate, but stopped when my youngest turned 18 months. So she does not have her 18 month shots, nor her two year shots. My four year old does not have her four year old shots either. I may still give a few of those shots, but not right now.

I'm a Christian who has strong moral values. I allow my kids to play pirates. In fact, we just love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and the ride at Disney World. I see no harm in it. I dont think they are going to want to grow up to be bad people and do bad pirate things. I remember playing Ninjas all the time as a kid. I'm not a ninja now LOL.

Well, I dont think you will like our naming trend LOL. I let my then-3-year-old daughter name our cats. So now we have an Armadillo, and a Mac-N-Cheese. :lol: You probably dont want any help from us LOL!

I just asked my 4 year old DD what color A was. She said red. :ohmy: