I cook with the same utensil all the way through. Serve with it, too (if I'm serving right out of the pan). I figure it's getting hot while I'm stirring, so...it's fine. No one has gotten sick yet...?

At least he had the decency to be horrified. BUT (!!!)... I wouldn't let that color my next steps. I'd still cut him loose because you obviously need a different approach in care. This sounds like something beyond his expertise.

I have a ton of Kelly Coffey-Meyer (30 minute to fitness) DVDs. For strength, I'd recommend: Sculpting Rx, Weights, Muscle Up, LIFT, Muscle Definition, Your Best Body, and workout 2 from Cardio Pump. I also enjoy Jessica Smith's videos (tons of freebies). I like Jari Love but most of hers are looong (but her Body Rock DVD has a 30 minute weight workout that's great!)

Anybody else remember the episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, where Ingrid dies from rabies? That scarred me for life!

Well, gee. I ship workbooks Media Mail all the time. (And I don't plan on stopping, either.) My boxes are sealed when I go to the USPS, and I say "media mail" and they say "just books?" and I say "yep" and everyone's happy. 😉

Aww. Sweet face. ❤️️

That first photo looks like the BEKVÄM spice racks from ikea. They're like $5 each.

We've always used something from CLE (whether math, LA or Rdg). We've also have used Sound Foundations for yeaaaars (either Dancing Bears or A&P).

Hang some blank shields but let them design their own CoA. Fwiw, Homeschool in the Woods (Time Travelers) has a super cute "Knights" pack that we really enjoyed.

Pinterest has tons of great ideas for this! I had a lot bookmarked a few years ago because I was going to do that (but I never did). Faux tapestries and shields and fake torches. Search Harry Potter party decor and you'll get more ideas! How fun!

I spend much less/week when I shop online. Apparently I add unnecessary items in the cart when I shop in person (like donuts... or items I already have in the pantry). Shopping online: I watch the price creep up and I ruthlessly cull my cart.

I make a list and then I specifically search: red onion or tomato sauce. Then if I want a certain brand I get it, otherwise I see what's on sale that week. I shop Harris Teeter online every week. They have an option like mentioned above, to choose from last week's order. I do that for my staples that I get each week: milk, eggs, creamer, etc. I just fly down the list and click-click-click. Then I do recipe specific items.

I used these (or something like) several years ago and they were so cute! I used them on spiral notebooks. Scale them down to size, color, cut out and cover with clear packing tape (to be a label on the front of the spiral notebook).

My kids are big HTTYD fans, but #3 brought on the waterworks (more so than #2). There were lots of sniffles in the theater (we just saw it again yesterday, at the $1 summer movies). I generally avoid what I call "crying movies." My kids want to see those dog movies (A Dog's Life, A Dog's Purpose, etc)...um, nope. Not on my watch.

I'm in the "suck it up, buttercup" camp. I'm sure it gets dreadfully wearisome, having no privacy, but she chose to marry into it (unlike those born into it).

I don't even own coasters. I thought they went out of use with antimacassars and such. 😉 Or maybe I just have such cr@ppy furniture that it can't be ruined by a drink ring.

Oldest DD and I are also obsessed! (In fact, we just had a bubble tea fix today - me with the classic and she got brown sugar. We both like the black boba). It was about $10 for the two of us! I have been looking at homemade options because of the price. I currently have this in my cart: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072R1G8BH/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A17R5YUG987G1V&psc=1 It is pricey but has many servings. Good reviews but I've not tried it yet. I seem to recall a thread here about making it at home, maybe a month or two ago...?

How about IKEA? Their linens/pillows are reasonably priced. (There's one in the Concord Mills area.)

Good reminder! Likely, we wouldn't even use them until after Labor Day (that's when our lake's summer fees end, and we can go for free during the week, lol). Maybe we can catch something cheap at the end of the season.

Well, we have a trailer (just a regular flat bed thing, quite ancient) that I believe can be outfitted to carry kayaks. (But idk if my SUV will pull it...and it's a bit of a hassle to get, stored in the back yard, inside a fence...)

I miss the hand-me-down stages. Mine starting wearing the same size right about the time they outgrew children's sizes (around 8-10?), so that's when we stopped. (Now we rely heavily on thrift store finds -- hand-me-downs of another sort.)

That is a good point (bolded). And we'd likely beach the kayaks and explore/splash around a bit (not to mention the wash over that you get with sit-on-top canoes).

All my thinking on this has me swinging the total opposite direction now; maybe I should just get three 1-person kayaks. I like the idea of transporting a small kayak inside the vehicle (seats down)...which would be fine for the trip to the lake (only a few miles). But what about the ride back home? Isn't it wet and drippy? (But anyway, an 8-10 footer is light enough to put on the roof -- question is, can *I* easily/quickly strap down 3...)

That really is fabulous. If canoes don't work out and we go the kayak route, that is on my Definite Possibility list. I found this YouTube video that looks promising (for easily loading heavy canoes):

Thanks for the comments. I'm leaning towards a canoe -- it seems the easiest (and most affordable) way to accommodate 3 of us. But they are heavy (80ish+ pounds), which is why I ask about loading and transport. We live very near a large lake. In the past, I've used a tandem, sit-on-top ocean kayak. I like that a lot, but I'd need two and that prices me out.