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ChristusG

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Everything posted by ChristusG

  1. This thread makes me want to say, "Precision of language, please!" (fans of The Giver will understand LOL)
  2. All three of my girls each have their own Kindle Fire HD's, as well as their own iPod Touches. We have a shared Wii U, as well as two shared computers. DH and I have our own iPads that the kids usually do not use. My kids cannot self regulate. If I let them, they'd have their Kindle Fires in their hands all the time, or else my 10 year old would be on our computer using Minecraft. From about 9:30-3:30, there are no electronics allowed (except for the 2 year old....I let her have some screen time while I school the older kids). Then I do regulate in the evenings as well. It just depends on what we have going on at the time. This week, they have no electronics at all due to constant fighting and arguing with each other. I do see that Minecraft tends to make my 10 year old moody and snappy.
  3. We did two years of AHG. Last year was our last year for various reasons (for now anyways....nothing against AHG....we really liked it). The first year my middle was in K (pathfinder) and my oldest was in 3rd grade (Tenderheart). My middle was/is VERY shy and reserved. I just put on her registration her regular birthday and that her grade was 1st. I wanted her with her sister. We had no issues....no one even brought it up. If it had been an issue, we would not have joined. She wasn't ready to be on her own yet. Last year she did fine as an actual 1st grader while her sister moved up to Explorers. In her K year (when she was with Tenderhearts), I had her work on Tenderheart requirements. She was just going to have 4 years as a Tenderheart.
  4. It doesn't bother me. I've bought cute pink shirts with skulls on them for my daughters....probably starting when they were babies. Two years ago my oldest DD chose a purple jacket with small skulls all over it. I mean....we do all have skulls.
  5. Teaching that sex is wrong?? I don't know anyone who does that. I'm teaching my kids that sex is a beautiful, lovely way to express love to their spouse.....spouse, meaning when they are married. I definitely wouldn't teach them that sex is wrong. Just something that needs to be saved.
  6. I dislike the whole notion. Sure, this photo may be staged, faked, set up, whatever.....but the notion behind it is real. Many parents have no clue what to do with their children all summer and are thrilled when school begins. I really do feel sorry for children whose parents want to be rid of them nearly all day, every day. Not just want to be rid of them, but shout it from the rooftops as well. Sure, I love a day off as much as the next person, but I couldn't imagine being so annoyed by my children that I want to ship them off daily. Why did they have kids if they can't stand being around them? I know several moms who have had such a great summer with their kids that they are actually dreading it coming to an end. Kudos to them for spending and enjoying that quality time. ETA.....I'm not downing anyone who chooses to send their kids to school. I get that not every child/family can be homeschooled. I just truly do not understand the complete joy and celebration that happens when people "get rid" of their kids for 9 months a year. I wish more parents enjoyed their children.
  7. Seriously?? Candid Camera is one of my favorite shows EVER! I've always wondered why someone hasn't brought it back. I just went and set my DVR! Glad my kids will be able to watch a show with us!
  8. Next year we're wanting to take some family trips to states we haven't been....which is a ton! But for only a week's trip, we don't want to venture too far. So we were looking at central to southern Alabama, central to southern Mississippi, and possible Louisiana. Any must sees for a family with girls ages 10, 7, and 2 (but will be 3 by then)? Maybe awesome state parks....small amusement parks.....great hotels along the way (maybe something similar to Great Wolf Lodge with lots of things to do at the hotel), museums that are very hands on, landmarks, etc. Does anyone live or have been to these areas that can offer any tips? ETA....not the beach. We're from FL, we're surrounded by the beach on three sides LOL.
  9. Yep, ask for Percocet. I had to have my gallbladder removed when my youngest was 3 months old. I was freaking out! She was so little, had never had a bottle, and no formula. I researched a ton. I asked for a list of all meds they would use during the surgery and looked them up in Dr Hales book. Turns out, everything was A-okay. I nursed her in the prep room immediately before surgery. I gave my mom a bottle of thawed breast milk to give her, just in case. And I had planned to feed her immediately upon waking. Thankfully I only needed Motrin once for recovery but I had Percocet if needed. You shouldn't have to wean and don't let the doctors tell you otherwise. My experience is that most doctors are ignorant when it comes to breast feeding. I've had SO many doctors look at me like I'm a weirdo for nursing past a year old and spout off very wrong information. My nursling is now 2.5 and still nursing....usually only when she's tired though.
  10. We extend everything regarding car seats. Currently my 10 year old just moved out of a high backed booster last month. Now, in our 3rd row she can sit with just the regular seatbelt. But in the second row she has to use a backless booster. She sat in a 5 point harness until nearly 8. Currently my 7 year old just moved out of her 5 point harness last month. She's now using the high backed booster that my older daughter just moved out of. My 2 year old (turns 3 in late October) is still rear facing. She will be until at least 3....possibly later as she's on the small side. All of my kids have rear faced to at least 3 years old....possibly longer. I figure that if it's safer, then why not do it???
  11. Yes, definitely worth it! It's our favorite special event at Disney. We go nearly every year for a week around Halloween time. We have season passes, so we usually go in all day. Even if we didn't have passes, we'd probably use a day ticket to go in for that day. We bring our costumes and candy bags and put them in a locker. We spend the day doing whatever we want. Then around 5 PM, we eat dinner in the park. After that, we change into our costumes. We make sure to eat dinner BEFORE party time, so that's not cutting into the party. By 7:30, we're ready for the Halloween party! We actually do not ride very many rides during the party....we want to participate in the party activities. We trick or treat, go to the dance parties, meet characters that are not usually out and about, and get early seating for the parade and fireworks. In our opinion, this is Disney's VERY BEST parade and fireworks show! It's a really good time. As someone else mentioned, the Christmas Party is always a big disappointment for us. We've been several times and it just doesn't stack up to the Halloween Party.
  12. I LOVE my smart phone. I use it for everything. If I ever lost it, I would cry. Favorite 10 apps..... Notes: I keep Christmas lists, grocery lists, jot down funny things my kids say, plan birthday parties, basically jot down anything I want to remember. Camera: I use this all the time. Love it for when I don't have my big camera with me. And I use it for any videos that I want to take. Paprika: This stores all my recipes and ingredients that I'll need. I make my grocery list from this sometimes. And when I'm cooking, I just pull up the recipe and prop it up beside the stove. Bank app: I use this for keeping track of my budget and all my transactions. Facebook, Instagram, Text, and Email: keeping up with family and friends, of course. Composing and answering email. Kindle: I have my entire book library with me wherever I go! If I have to wait somewhere, I just pull up the Kindle app. Pocketlife Calendar: I keep track of my entire life in this LOL. I input every event, soccer game, family gathering, birthday party, appointment, etc. Sworkit Pro: Exercise app. I use this pretty much every morning. I customize my own exercise regimen and watch TV while it I exercise and it tells me what to do next. Retail Me Not: Before I purchase something at any store, I pull up this app and see if there's an in-store coupon I can use. A lot of times there is! Amazon: Whenever I purchase something at any store, I also look it up on Amazon to see if it is cheaper.....and it usually is, so I just go ahead and order it right then. And I have Prime, so free shipping. Weather Channel: I use this often......to see what we need to wear that morning, to see if I need to bring the umbrella, etc. Pinterest: I usually pin things at night while I'm watching TV with DH. Redbox: To reserve a movie for the kids when I'm out. Netflix: To watch shows. Flixster: To see the current movie show times, watch trailers, and purchase movie tickets. Alarm Clock: Use this to wake me each morning....I also set alarms to remind me of things. Dropbox: I have my phone's camera connected to Dropbox....so whenever I take a photo on my phone, it's automatically sent to my computer at home so that I can save it or scrapbook it. Bible: I use this to read my Bible each morning. It has lots of different versions, and I like to compare them sometimes. Music and Pandora: I hook this up in my car and this is usually how we listen to music while driving. Genius Scan: Instead of faxing, scanning, or copying a paper, I take a photo of it and it turns it into a PDF file. I actually just sent in my kids evaluations to the county using this....then I attached the PDF to an email. Super quick and easy, never had to touch a computer! My Disney Experience: We have Disney seasonal passes, so I use this often to set up dining reservations, check our plans, or set up Fast Passes. Find My iPhone: I have this app on my phone, my iPad, as well as each of my kids (3 of them) iPod Touches. We use this OFTEN. If any of the devices are lost, we just pick up one of the other devices and send a signal to the lost one. The lost device will make a loud, audible beeping sound until it is found. Even if it has been put on silent! I seriously LOVE this app LOL. Those are just the main apps that I use pretty much daily. There's many others that I love but need less often.....Shazam to tell me what song is on the radio, Comcast Xfinity to set up my DVR, YouTube, Priceline, Publix and Winn Dixie to check the weekly ads, Geocaching when our family is out looking for them, etc.
  13. Over the years we have significantly cut down on "stuff" for holidays. Each kid gets 3 things plus some stocking gifts....then something from Santa. I've begun making sure that everything they get are "quality" items. No more cheap dress up dresses that come apart at the seams. Starting with daughter #2, I began purchasing princess dresses on Etsy that may be $40 or $50....however, that dress gets worn over and over and over again.....then still looks good when I pass it to our next daughter. No more junk stuff that's not used. This year I think I may get the kids some things to redo their rooms. Littlest will be moving into her own room and the bigger two girls will be getting loft beds. So I'm thinking of getting them sheet/pillowcase/blanket sets in whatever theme they like most. Then maybe some of those vinyl wall clings in that same theme to decorate up by their loft. Of course I'll get them some sort of toy as well because kids love getting toys for Christmas.
  14. We purge slowly over time. We've done a massive toy overhaul within the past year or so. I've found that if we do it several different times, it's easier for them to handle. For example, during the first purge I'd tell them that I want them to weed out their stuffed animals until they were down to 30 animals each (yes, we were at a much higher number than that at one point). Then, a few months later, I'd have them purge again. I'd tell them that they need to be down to 20 stuffed animals each. And I'd do this for quite a few different categories of toys. We did it for Barbies, trains/cars, people/animal figures, Little People, etc. For things like trains/cars, I gave them a shoe box sized plastic container and told them that they could choose whatever trains/cars they wanted to keep, but they all had to fit into this container with the lid closed. I weed out the junk.....Happy Meal toys, goody bag prizes, outgrown toys, broken toys, etc. Now I'm pretty satisfied with the amount of toys that we have. Our main problem is the fact that my 10 year old is somewhat of a hoarder. She wants to keep everything because it is "special".....every drawing, ever notebook, every rock she finds, everything she makes at camp, everything. Her side of the room is a cluttered mess.....my 7 year olds side of the room is much tidier.
  15. Yay!! So glad he ate! But yeah, I'd have gone back home if he was that upset and still not eating. That's just how I parent.
  16. We've been seasonal pass holders for several years and we live 3 hours away. We go to Disney probably 5 times per year. One of those is a week long vacation, a couple are 3-4 night stays. And a couple are quick, 1-2 night weekend trips. Here's the cheapest/easiest way that we've always done it..... We get seasonal passes (they are cheaper than annual passes). There are blackout dates, but we wouldn't go during those times anyways. The most crowded times are blacked out and I wouldn't touch Disney with a 10 foot pole during those times anyways. So it works out perfectly for us. Our favorite times to go are Halloween week, mid December to see the Christmas décor, any time in January or February that's not during a holiday, and early May. The weather is great and the crowds are lower. Homeschooling works perfectly for us in this way. We go when school is in. Where to stay..... For our week long stay, we do one of two things: (1) Stay on property. Or (2) Book a condo in Windsor Hills, which is like a couple of miles outside of Disney. Since we are staying a week, we like it to be more comfortable and easier. Staying on property allows us to use the bus system, puts us closer to all things Disney, gives you the Disney "experience", and allows you to utilize Extra Magic Hours. Cons are that the rooms are quite a bit more expensive, smaller, and have no kitchen. We NEVER do the big deluxe resorts or even rarely the moderates. We like to go to Disney too often for us to pay that much money....so it is Value Resorts for us. Another option on our week long trips is getting a 2 or 3 bedroom condo (we get it in Windsor Hills). This is SO SO SO nice. No, we don't get to utilize the bus system (which I hate anyways....too long of waits, too crowded) and we don't get the Extra Magic Hours (if you plan your days well, this won't be too big of a deal) but the trade offs are worth it. We get a place big enough for all of us to spread out, the kids can go to bed before us and we don't have to be extra quiet, and we have a kitchen to help us save on meal costs. Plus, it is usually a LOT cheaper, cleaned immaculately, and still very very close to the main gate. It's even closer than some of the actual Disney resorts. There's a large resort pool, a really cool castle playground, etc. This year, as we did last year, we are staying in our camper in Fort Wilderness (Disney's campground) for our week long stay. We love it there. For our shorter 1-2 night stays or our 3-4 night stays, we get whatever we can find with a microwave and mini fridge. Sometimes this means using Priceline, sometimes booking a hotel outright, maybe getting FL Residents deal at a Disney resort, getting a condo, etc. Whatever is cheapest but clean with good reviews. How we save on food......I keep mentioning a kitchen, microwave, and mini fridge because this is how we save. We eat breakfast in the room (I bring muffins, we do microwaveable sausage, toast, eggs if we have a kitchen, bananas, yogurt, bagels, etc). Basically whatever we would eat at home but I make sure we all eat protein to last us until lunch time. I bring all snacks. We do get the occasional Mickey ice cream bar or something as a treat. We bring lunch into the parks. I bring ice packs from home and put it in the freezer at the condo or hotel. We pack our lunches and throw in an ice pack and we are good to go for lunch that day! For dinner, we usually eat in the parks. Sometimes that's a cheaper counter service meal, sometimes I make reservations for a character meal or another table service meal. If the park is closing pretty early (like Animal Kingdom) we may just eat after the park closes.....either pick up something, stop at a restaurant, or make something super simple (like hotdogs and salad) at the condo/room. Souvenirs......we don't buy a lot of these anymore. Once you've seen all the souvenirs then you've seen them LOL. The kids do occasionally want something, but not too often. And they use their own money they have saved. The best thing about having passes......we can take our time! If Peter Pan is 45 minutes long, we just don't wait. Ever. Our "rule" for max wait time is about 15 or 20 minutes. UNLESS it is a new attraction. We waited longer to see Anna and Elsa back in February. And if we cannot get fast passes to the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, we'll be willing to wait longer for that the next time that we go. We know that if we don't see it this time, we can always see it next time. We don't go overboard trying to make it to rope drop. We'd rather sleep in a bit and get there around 10 or 10:30. We do usually stay until closing though....whether that be 8 PM or midnight. We love Disney as the crowds thin out in the evenings and the weather is cooler.
  17. Exactly. I'm not going to chat about breastfeeding with the dad down the road. Sorry, others might, but I just won't.
  18. :confused: Every person in the world is different. If you don't click with someone, you make another friend.
  19. Ya know, I can't speak for the rest of the world. I'm just talking about my circles. The men I know talk football, sports, action movies. I know there's some women that prefer to talk those things.....not me.
  20. Actually the post I quoted must have been edited.....at first it said something about talking about "bedroom stuff" as the kids played with Legos and Barbies in the next room.
  21. Okay.....good thing we are not friends then, I guess? :confused:
  22. I know you said you weren't specifically referring to me, but like I said....for me, playdates are as much for making mom friends as making kid friends. In my circles, moms tend to hang with moms, and dads with dads. I know I wouldn't give a hoot to talk about hunting or car motors with dads.....and I'm quite sure all the men that I know don't care about how I get my hair done the next time I get a haircut.
  23. Like I mentioned, my goal for playdates is for my children to spend time with friends, as well as myself. Sorry you misunderstood.
  24. Ummm....seriously? Since when does girl talk have to be dirty talk? What about hair styles? Make up? The newest chick flick at the movie theater? There's a plethora of things that women and men wouldn't discuss because it's not relevant to them. I'm not sure why you went straight to dirty talk. Strange.
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