Good for you Melissa! :grouphug: I'll definitely cheer you on! :hurray: I've been dealing with a lot of the same issues you mentioned- lack of motivation, fatigue, fuzzy head. Did I mention lack of motivation? :glare: It's tough and I know how you feel about wanting to celebrate the little things. YAY for you!!! I don't want to steal your thread by any means, but this last week I'm starting to feel like I'm my old self again. I know first hand the joy you must be feeling.

This is what dh and I thought too. To be fair, the showers we (or just I in some cases) have been invited to have not been put on by the expectant parent themselves. But still, if it were for *me* I would not be comfortable having people come to a baby shower for our #5 should we have one. I would insist that my friend not have one or have just a fun night out to celebrate rather than a shower.

What an inspiring story! It was so wonderful to read about people who really, truly care about making a difference in others' lives. I bet those boys learned so much more from your husband than baseball this season. You hubby sounds like a really awesome guy. You're one lucky lady! ;) And yes, :iagree: - Rooting for you guys here too!!

I've been wondering the same as you. It seems to be a common practice of late where I am too. I have friends and acquaintances having showers for their third, fourth, fifth children, all of whom came in short succession of each other. And, might I add, these same people have also had showers for each of their previous children. Dh and I have politely bowed out of most of these shower invites, though I was quick, like yourself, to send a meal after the birth. For us, it got to the point that after attending each of their previous baby showers, there really was nothing left to bestow on the new baby. For some of these ladies, we were purchasing their second (and even third) infant car seat!! While I do think it's great to see peoples' generosity and kindness in welcoming a new baby and sharing in a family's joy, I think it gets to be a bit much. :glare: Edited to add that I do think it's fine to have a shower for a subsequent child if that child is of a different gender than the first (or first several). I have a friend expecting her first girl after 4 boys. Of course we'll throw a shower for them! It's when people start having showers for their second, or third child of the same gender that I start questioning the sentiment behind these showers.

Thanks! I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. Dh found it for me. For someone who resents how much time I spend reading these boards, he was pretty helpful on this one. :D It does remind me of myself- always running 'round in circles. Lemme out!!

Congrats on the new car!! :driving: I'm happy to hear the whole process went so smoothly for you. Buying a car can be so nerve wracking.

You can actually view most of the book online via this handy-dandy little tool! It's missing a few grades, but you should be able to get the gist of the book. This should help you decide if it's worth buying for you or not. HTH.

Ugh. Ok. Now you're all getting a lliiitttlee tooooo carried away with this spider thread. :eek: :ack2: This is definitely going to leave me with some scars... lol ;)

I've heard it's quite common and my babies have had this as well. All I do is drop bre*st milk over the affected eye. That should clear it up really well and relatively quickly.

They do sound good! Thank you for letting me know! Sometimes I find I get so much stuff "off loaded" on me and then I have to bring it to Goodwill myself because I really have no use for such things. The majority of the givers are very well meaning, and I don't want to be ungrateful by any stretch, but there are only so many sets of addition flash cards and Dr. Seuss books one family needs!! I am very thankful for all the free stuff I do get, and it sounds like I'm really going to like this set.

I'm not familiar with this set. An acquaintance has offered it to me. Can someone tell me more about it? What are the stories like and what ages are they geared towards? Would you want this set, or would it just sit around and collect dust?

I'm impressed by your will power Melissa! Mine would have been all gone by the time I got home, never mind make it to the freezer for the week. Good on you!

Have you seen the newest LG models?? :drool5::drool: LG’s New Stainless Steel SteamWasher™ with Allergiene™. 4.2 cu. ft. Ultra Capacity Steam Washer. The power of TrueSteam™ penetrates fabrics for enhanced cleaning performance and also reduces allergens by more than 95% with LG’s exclusive Allergiene™ cycle. I don't have one of these babies, but all I can say is: :drool:

Oh!!! Don't say that! Please! Don't say that! I really *want* a dehydrator!!

Well, not exactly a kitchen gadget, but mine is my CriCut scrapbooking cutter. Yup. Had. to. have. Ummm, it *does* look very nice on the craft table though. I'm sure it would work well, if I could ever find the time to use it. But, atleast the option is always there!! ;) Right??

*sigh* Yes. This is very good advice. Sadly, I do do this. But, there's always that HOPE, that one chance, that maybe, just maybe *this* one will work properly. Despite. all. the. scratches. :glare:

Phew. I was going to say.. there are *much* better uses for alcohol than cleaning library DVDs... :D

Oh, I've tried 'em all here. :glare: I'm trying the dishsoap. If that doesn't work, I'll give the Windex a go. If not, it'll be just one more movie that goes back with a post-it on it saying that it doesn't work. It still would be so much easier if people just took care of stuff instead of being so careless. To me, that's just selfish and rude.

Thanks. I will try this. I've heard that Pledge helps but we don't use that product. I'm almost considering buying it now, for how many DVDs I get from the library that are like this. It's not like this is even an old movie.

I've just sat down with my oldest two after *finally* getting the babies to nap. We were going to watch a highly anticipated, (around here) educational DVD from the Planet Earth series. So, I make myself my nice cuppa java snuggle in under a cozy blanket with the girls on this raining day and hit play. Oh. sure, it plays. and skips and plays and sss-kkk-iii-ppppssss. nice. :glare: So, after having the DVD on hold for weeks, it has all come down to this moment. Argh. Why can't people just take care of things?? Sure they don't treat their own DVD's like this. Do they? When I borrow a movie from the library, I'm always very careful so that it's not damaged for the next person. I *never* let the kids touch them. I thought it was just common courtesy. Apparently not. The girls are very disappointed. I'm very disappointed. The rain isn't helping.

Just wondering if anyone knows. I'd like to rep someone but I read on another thread that newbies give out grey or neutral rep. When will I no longer be a newbie?

Oh! oh. was this an inside joke? sorry to intrude. stepping out now. :leaving:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all!! :party: Hope your next year brings you all much happiness and blessings. Oh- how does one find out about these birthdays?? :confused: I've seen a few posts about birthday people but I'm very clueless. Can someone fill me in?

Oooohhh!! That is exactly what I had hoped to do next year!! :001_smile: But I read in a few places on these boards that it is difficult to do two in one year. :sad: I REALLY want to do the Astronomy but DD is interested in the Flying Creatures of the Fifth day.- Likely because I had planned to do a bird unit with her this year but, well, ummm, life got in the way. :blush: Perhaps I can do a short bird unit with her over the summer to satisfy her and then spend next year on Astronomy. But oh! I would LOVE to combine the two like you are if I knew it could be done by *me* adequately.

Thanks Sue! I have to admit you lost me! What is CKE ?? It does sound like what I am looking for to add to Astronomy next year.