We always sell electronics if we get a newer one. I figure that if I don't sell it at that point, pretty soon it will be very outdated and no one will want to buy it....better to get the money now than not at all.

The bike helmet idea is brilliant! I've never heard of that. We're in FL so we don't get too many tornadoes....and if we do, they are usually only F1's. But I'll remember bike helmets just in case :)

I'm introverted and very shy....always have been. It helps to ask a shy person questions.....for you to be the initiator of the conversation and to be able to keep it going if it lapses. Also, give the shy person breaks. I'm not a person who wants a conversation to keep going endlessly with no breaks.

I have never, ever heard that term before.

This is my 5th year homeschooling and I've kept every single thing. I've recently thought about going through and pulling out a few things to keep....just haven't gotten around to it yet. I do believe we have to keep two years worth of their work here though. So I'll only purge three years worth of school work.

HUGE Disney fan here.....Personally I thought it was probably one of their very best animated movies. I absolutely loved it. And if you missed the big screen version in the theater, you missed a lot. I LOVED it on the big screen....the surround sound of the amazing soundtrack, the full screen....it was great. I totally loved that the "true love" in the end wasn't a guy. It always bothers me a little when love from a guy solves everything in the end. I love that this was the love of her sister. As for it not being "real"....ignoring physics and all that. Really.....I mean, pretty much every kids show does that. So does every super hero movie. Most movies with special effects, etc. We saw it the very day it came out so there was no hype about it yet. We see pretty much every Disney movie the day it releases.

https://diy.org/featured Earn your own badges! Kind of like scouting at home :)

No way. I wouldn't be able to take a full breath.

I can't wait until all of our activities end for the summer! I like my down time. By May, soccer will end, American Heritage Girls will end, and AWANA will end. This is a MUCH more pared down schedule than we had last school year. I wasn't about to have a do-over of that.

I don't sort anything and I've never had a problem. I wash each person's clothes separately so there's no wondering "well, whose sock is this??"

Hmm, this is something to think about! We have lots of Apple products, but two of our kids (ages 7 and 9) both have Kindle Fires. And we do have Prime. So this may be something to think about! I like where it talks about kids only being able to view approved television shows. I wish Netflix would do that! I hate that my 2 year old chooses Barbie Life In The Dreamhouse and there's nothing I can do to deter that.

So awesome to hear!!!! I've been checking this thread hoping he'd come home! If you could only get a GPS on a dog LOL.

Adult only party occasionally? That's okay.....there are times adults don't want to have to supervise children. But all the time? I don't think so. The only sitters we leave our kids with is my parents....so if there's ever an adult only family dinner (which there would never be) then we wouldn't be attending. What would anger me about this *particular* situation is that there IS a child that was invited. The 14 year old is still very much a child. As is the 16 year old but that's a little more understandable. But in my opinion, if the 14 year old is attending, I'd feel particularly irritated that my children were not invited to attend as well.

With my last pregnancy, I failed the 1 hr test. I felt so horrible I knew I . just couldn't go through with the 3 hour test....I honestly felt like I'd puke and then pass out cold on the floor. Going that long without food has always been an issue for me and it's 10x worse during pregnancy. I told the dr that I would just follow the GD diet anyways. I felt SO overwhelmed at first....but it turned out to be pretty easy. I steered clear of high carb foods, avoided sweets, ate plenty of meats and veggies. It worked out well. Dr got on to me for not gaining enough weight LOL. It all went over just fine.

Also, it is definitely much more fun when the kids are familiar with the characters. I'd definitely introduce them as much as I can over the weeks before you go. There's few things as magical as seeing your toddler light up when their favorite character has stepped off of the TV screen and into real life in front of them :)

Those are great ages to go :) We live 3 hours away and have season passes....we've taken our kids at all ages.....and we currently do have a toddler in the house, so here's some tips I often go by when doing Disney with young kids. We never attempt to make rope drop (park opening). We let the kids sleep so they won't be cranky and usually stroll in around 10. If your kid is a stroller napper, that's AWESOME! I've trained all my kids to nap when they get tired. I was never one to make sure I was home at naptime because usually it was an inconvenience. Same for Disney. We don't go back to the room for naps or anything....I've found that it takes way too much time and way too much struggle. The kids nap in the stroller (we were at Disney this past weekend and our 2 year old napped for 2 hours in the stroller) and we stay in the parks as late as we want. Sometimes that's 6 PM, sometimes it's midnight. Just depends on the day. Bring snacks....lots of snacks LOL. It helps with the waiting in line and also with the budget. We never purchase snacks at Disney. We eat breakfast in the room, bring our lunch in a cooler, and purchase dinner in the park. Bring new toys. Go to the Dollar Tree and buy a light up spinner instead of paying $20 at Disney when they roll out those flashy carts at night time. Do a day off between parks. We love doing this. Usually when we go for an extended period (longer than 3 days), we do a park every other day. On the "off" days we hang out at the resort, swim, ride the monorail, rent surrey bikes, explore other resorts (there's lots to see!), play in the arcade, explore other things in Orlando, go to Downtown Disney, ride a pony in the campground, etc. It allows for some recharging of your batteries with little kids. We will do this even when we no longer have little kids LOL. Bring a change of clothes for little kids when you go into a park. It's a pain to get back to the resort if they need to be changed. The one time I forgot to pack a change of clothes for my toddler (this past Saturday), she fell down after a huge downpour and got soaked all down the front of her dress. There was nothing I could do about it! We were in MK and that place is a pain to get out of. Monorail to tram to car to resort....would have taken a long time. Do a character meal or two. It's MUCH better to see four characters while you eat (they come to your table) than to wait in line for individual characters. Character meals are my preferred way of meeting characters! We like to stay offsite a lot. With little kids, having separate bedrooms (so they can sleep while you are awake at night) and a full kitchen is AWESOME. Plus, it's TONS cheaper than staying onsite. We just got a full kitchen, separate bedroom this past weekend for $88 per night. It was immaculate. Drive if possible. I hate trying to finagle strollers, backpacks, and kids on the trams and Disney buses. We drive every single time (with the exception of when we stay in a resort where we can just hop a boat....like the campground). You don't have to fold down strollers for the boat. Plus, a sleeping kiddo is much easier if you can just plop them into their own comfy carseat and you can throw your stuff in the trunk....as opposed to being crammed on bus (possibly standing up) with tired kids, a folded stroller, along with 50 of your closest smelly friends LOL. These are some of the things that have always worked for us. :)

We always do our own baskets. My parents did the same. That way you can customize it to each child. Plus, I've recently looked at the pre-made ones and it looks like junk in them....toys that will break that afternoon. Some ideas that we've done in the past and are doing this year.... small bit of candy gift cards in $5 amounts My Little Pony sticker book Chuggington trains t-shirt with something the kids like on it flip flops DVD anything themed (this year my 9 yr old DD likes Minecraft and my 7 year old DD likes Frozen....so they will be receiving some items themed to those things....figures, plush, etc) Barbie doll None of the items are very expensive but I do tend to spend $50-60 on each basket because I hate getting the kids pure junk that won't be used or will break. So I will spend a little more to get things of quality.

I was disappointed with this episode. All that build up and they gave us nothing. Seems like it's been that way since they came back from the mid season break. The storyline has been moving SO slowly since then. I didn't really learn anything new. I don't read the comics but I did read about the comics before last nights episode. It told everything about Terminus being run by cannibals and about the brutality Rick had to show to protect Carl....so the show followed the comic pretty well last night, so it seems. I really really wish they'd reunite Rick and Carl with the baby! I love this show and I hate that we have to wait until October now to learn more. Glad Daryl is back with Rick! Loved when he called him his brother and that they are having Carl act more child-like now.

Wow.....I don't drink and I don't agree with drinking. I'm also an extended breastfeeder and nurse well into toddlerhood. That being said, even I think this is ridiculous!! Endangering her child by nursing at the same time???? Why don't they just arrest people who take medication and breastfeeding as well?

When my older two were around 3 and 6 years old, they would ask me to play ALL THE TIME. I never enjoyed it and I felt so bad! They are now 7 and 9 and don't ask me to play anymore. And my 2 year old is still a bit too young to ask me to play. But I really didn't enjoy it. Yes, I felt guilty. But then I realized all the things I do for them that I enjoy.....snuggling with them, reading books, tickling, fixing their food, schooling them, taking them fun places, talking with them, listening to them, playing board games with them, playing Wii games with them.....so I stopped feeling guilty about the one thing I didn't enjoy: imaginative play. People grow out of imaginative play and it's hard to go back to that, I think. My girls have each other to play with, and sometimes their friends. I've come to the point that I'm good with that.

I'm not procrastinating....I'll do that tomorrow.

We saw it last night and loved it! My husband, 18 year old nephew, and 9 year old DD also loved it. Love seeing a movie with other believers and hearing everyone cheer on God :)

No time is a good time, but I'd tell her sooner than later. That way you can be there for her for a few days after she hears the news. Otherwise she'd have to deal with it alone. I'd tell her Sunday evening.

DD is 10. Her Easter basket this year will include: a My Little Pony comic book some candy a plush Minecraft squid a Minecraft t-shirt Minecraft Steve figure (see a theme here LOL) possibly a few other small things but I haven't decided yet For older kids, I always do things in themes that they enjoy: teenage nephew has always liked zombies and Dr Who, so I've looked for those things DD10 likes My Little Pony and Minecraft so I look for those themes. gift cards are always a hit....iTunes, Kindle, Google Play DVD's or video games (not the really expensive games though) snacks, special drinks that they don't always get new t-shirts with funny sayings that they would like skins for a Nintendo DS or phone or iPod stylus new earbuds or headphones magazine, book, or comic book Nail kit....polish, stick on's, file, etc hair supplies.....brush, clips, bow, headband, etc new PJ's are always a hit with my kids, no matter what age new unique earrings from Etsy small nano blocks set

DH and I saw it last night. We loved it! It's one of my favorite books and I usually hate movies based on my favorite books. So this is a nice change! Four.....he's very nice to look at LOL. He's exactly how I pictured Four to be. Maybe even better LOL. I think they could have cast Tris better though....she's not how I thought she'd look.