I don't think so. We married at 18 and are coming up on 23 years together. I don't think I would be attracted to the man he's become and I don't think he'd be attracted to me (setting aside the fact that we'd be different people simply because we hadn't married each other). What was attractive and desirable at 18 isn't at all on my list at 40.

Don't feel silly. I wouldn't know what to do with beets. :) Cut the top off of the head to expose the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and wrap in foil. Roast at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cool. You can refrigerate this and add it to mashed potatoes, spread it on bread or add it to recipes.

Our kids were tv zombies at the beginning of summer. I would turn it on and leave it on while I prepared for a 3 week vacation (driving half way across the country and visiting several sets of relatives and friends along the way) and for our closing and move one week after returning from vacation. Once we moved, we were without tv for nearly two weeks while waiting for the cable company to come out and hook us up. I was fine with not having cable, but mindless television is my husband's way to unwind. The kids quickly got used to not having the box on and had a blast playing upstairs, reading and playing outside. Even after the tv was hooked up, I didn't turn it on - and they didn't realize it was working until two weeks later. We've kept it off during the day, except for a few things on the Discovery channel, and the few movies they watch come from Netflix. They don't ask to turn it on and they now discuss the books they read and the games they play instead of the things Spongebob and Patrick say. I'm so much happier (and they are, too) without it.

Rigatoni with sausage, fresh green beans and fruit salad.

This workbook came with our WinterPromise package last year. My daughter thought it was fun and preferred it to WWE. It's not a scripted program like WWE and allows the child to be creative with their writing. I'm thinking of supplementing WWE with Just Write this year, just for a bit of fun.

I'm like you - I want flavorful, delicious food. I'd rather have a bit more butter or cream or cheese and have to walk an extra mile than to have a bland, flavorless, healthy meal. I have several Cook's Illustrated magazines and haven't had a bad meal yet. :) I was going to buy one of their cookbooks, but I have most of the recipes in my magazine pile. I also like Ina Garten's cookbooks and I've enjoyed everything I've tried in The Barbeque Bible by Stephen Raichlen. I get many of my recipes from the Food Network website. It's free and I don't feel too bad if something doesn't turn out. Some of my favorites are Emeril's salisbury steak and beef stew, Paula Deen's pot roast, and Giada's Dirty Risotto. Bon Appetit magazine also has good, flavorful recipes. I checked out some back issues from the library before subscribing. :)

This sounds right up E's alley - she loves puns and word plays. Thanks for the recommendation!

I used to spend hours decorating my kids' birthday cakes - and then didn't want to cut into them. You can't go wrong with a chocolate ganache... :D Now I want cake. :glare:

We've been in Richmond (Chesterfield county) a little over a year and I find it very easy to homeschool here. We just moved to a new area a few weeks ago and I have been told that there is a large group of homeschoolers in my area - I'm sure I'll meet them when the ps year starts. :) PM me if you like. :)

I've had good luck with Hyena Cart. It's a WAHM marketplace that has a second-hand shop and forums with a For Sale sub-forum.

I'm a big fan of Brandon Sanderson, too. :) Have you read Elantris and his new one, Warbreaker? I'm also a fan of WoT and I'm happy to see Sanderson is finishing the series (you can pre-order the next book on Amazon :D). A bit of warning about WoT - Robert Jordan ends up with a confusing number of story lines by the time you get to Knife of Dreams. I'm hoping that Sanderson can pull them all together neatly.

5 Guys and Panera (I love Panera's soup!).

I asked my husband how he wanted me to handle the situation so I didn't end up nagging him. He said that he would prefer a "Honey Do" list posted on the fridge by his coffee pot. That way, he would see what needed to be done and work out how and when he'd do it. He also suggested I "assign" him chores for the weekend, if I wanted help. So Friday night through Sunday night, he has dish duty (he also takes care of the lawn, outside chores and takes out the trash). He doesn't feel nagged and I get a little help around the house. Tell him you feel like you're nagging him and would like to know how he would like to handle the situation. He knows how he works best. :)

We're starting our second year. :)

We lived on Okinawa for 3 years ('99 - '02).

We're starting the first week of September. I had been planning on starting mid-August, but my doctor scheduled my surgery for August 14th. We'll be doing some reading and watch the Blue Plant and Living Earth dvds while I recuperate.

We just got back from a vacation that included 6 days of driving. The big winners for us were blank books (you can buy them at barebooks.com or make them yourself with computer paper and cardstock) and magnetix. Our daughter wrote and illustrated several stories in the blank books and our son had a blast figuring out how to make cubes, pyramids and other shapes with the magnets. Games they loved were Bananagrams, Uno and Dominoes. We have some fun outside games, too. Frisbee, boce ball and badminton. I also packed some new books for reading aloud and for bedtime stories.

Our son swallowed a quarter a year and a half ago, and the doctor was concerned enough to send him for an xray immediately. It had made it to Mac's stomach and we waited for it to pass. When it hadn't showed up a week later, we went back for another xray. It was moving along slowly, but not blocking anything, so we waited it out. It took 3 weeks for it to show up. Ugh - 3 weeks of "checking" for that coin.

Giada de Laurentis' Stracoto with Porcini Mushrooms. Delicious!

I sent my kids up to the playroom to watch a dvd and I took a nap. I haven't been sleeping well since we moved (there's a huge skylight over our bed and there's enough light coming in at night to keep me from sleeping well) and this is just what I needed.

I learned to crochet before I learned to knit and it was easier for me to knit Continental. BillyBoy, I purl Continental, too. I move the yarn to the front and use my thumb to push the yarn down and behind after I slip my needle through the loop.

I love french fries. I want a deep fryer just so I can make my own and stop paying the clown to make them for me, lol. My new favorite is fried cheese curds (the orange ones, not the white ones). We were up in northern WI for vacation last month and had some beer battered, fried cheese curds.

I'll be going by myself this time. :( I usually go with our oldest, but she's in NC for the summer. No one else wants to see it, so I'll have to wait for the weekend to go.

My son is very oral, too. He's 5 and still feels the need to put things in his mouth and taste things (he also smells things - don't know if the two are related). I'm concerned with him swallowing things (Magnetix, Legos, things he finds on the floor, etc) and picking up germs from licking things (shopping cart handles, the window at the auto shop, etc), so I allow him to have sugarless gum on a regular basis. He rarely puts things in his mouth or tastes things if he has a piece of gum.

Our son's name is Malcolm (a family name) and we've had many comments on how unusual it is. We also considered Angus (another family name), Oliver, and Oscar. My sister named her boys Wesley, Maxwell and Owen. When we were stationed at Camp Lejuene, I got used to hearing unusual boy names like Diesel, Rocket, Gunner (not Gunnar), and Semper (as in Semper Fidelis). One of my husband's coworkers named his children after Marine Corps bases and battles.