My dad, who did remodeling for years, recommended that people put in the hardest wood they can afford. It will withstand more wear and tear and last much longer. We have a softer hardwood in this house and it's getting scratched and marked already (we've been here 5 months). I'd love to put in some reclaimed wood floors when we buy our house. My dad had some in his farmhouse that were fabulous.

Dd (8) will be a cowgirl, complete with pink hat, pink boots and a pink bandana. Ds (4) is going to be Spiderman.

I give my kids two choices at dinner - take it or leave it. I do, however, make sure there is something everyone likes. I involve them all in the menu planning and the making of dinner. They seem to be more open to trying new things if they've helped make it. We also look for recipes that use the "icky" ingredient in different ways. I keep healthy snacks in the house, too. My son has food dye sensitivities, so we're a bit limited on the processed foods we have on hand. It was hard at first for the kids to switch to healthier snacks and there was a great deal of whining. But when they saw that I wasn't going to be offering anything other than fresh fruit, veggies, or string cheese, they learned to eat - and like - those things. I've heard it said that a child needs to be exposed to new food up to 15 times before s/he will like it. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that once my kids become accustomed to seeing a food on our table, they're more likely to eat it. My oldest has some sensory issues when it comes to food textures. If I served a food that she couldn't eat, she was welcome to substitute extra veggies or fruit for that food. Many times, she was able to come up with a way of preparing something that didn't set off her gag reflex. She couldn't eat mashed sweet potatoes, but if I cubed and roasted them, she was fine. She couldn't eat smooth mashed potatoes, but if I left the skins on and mashed them with a hand masher, she could eat them. She can't stand to eat broccoli tops so she trades her tops to her sister for the bottoms, which she can eat. Not everything can be resolved like this, but she took charge of her diet and her sensory issues and found what works for her. My middle child is the pickiest of all my children, but she is slowly growing out of it. She's willing to try new things (our rule is that you can't say you don't like it unless you've tried it) and is starting to try foods she's not liked in the past. She surprised me last week by eating polenta, something she's hated from day one. She said that she still doesn't like it but figured she better learn to like it 'cause it was looking like I'd keep making it. LOL My son is the adventurous eater. The only thing he doesn't like is celery.

Not as often as we'd like. Our get-togethers tend to be informal - a bbq or a big pot of soup and some bread. We used to do the big holiday dinners when we were in Japan and invite all of the Marines over who couldn't go home. We had 14 guests one year! I love to cook and have people over - once or twice a month would be great.

I usually buy Land's End fleece pjs for my kids. They're a bit more expensive (check the Overstock site for some deals) but they hold up wash after wash. I bought a pair for my son when he was 18 months old and they've been passed down twice - and they're still as cozy as ever.

We're a military family and our blog is a way to keep in touch with everyone. It's a way to show them the little bits and pieces of our lives we can't share with them because we're so far away.

Just to lighten things up. :) 1) What's for breakfast at your house? I skipped breakfast this morning, but the kids had yogurt with cereal on top. 2) What kind of car do you drive? A Toyota Sienna minivan. 3) What's your weather today? Cool and partly cloudy. 4) Are your toenails painted? If so, what color? Not painted right now. 5) Read any good books lately? What was it? The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood. 6) Is your bed made? Nope. :) 7) What's for dinner? Braised Chicken Thighs (recipe from Food Network) over whole wheat egg noodles and broccoli. And there's homemade banana bread for dessert. 8) Name something your dc have done today that made you smile. Snuggled up to me while I was reading to them. They always do that and it always makes me smile. 9) What color is your bathroom rug? Multi-colored neutral stripes. 10) Who's your favorite artist? Rembrandt. 11) What's your favorite morning beverage? Hot tea. 12) Do you have any toys from when you were a child? I still have a teddy bear that my dad brought back from his first business trip. 13) Do you collect anything? Addresses. We're a military family. 14) Are you looking forward to the holidays? (whichever days you celebrate) Yes. 15) What are you wearing today? A pair of dark red heavy knit pants (ok, ok, sweatpants) and a black v-neck shirt.

The two that always get me are Live Like You Were Dying (Tim McGraw) and Just a Dream (Carrie Underwood). I'm a mess by the time those two songs are over.

Congratulations! Happy Birthday, baby!

Right now, we're in a 2400 sqft home with 2 children. We recently moved from a 1900 sqft house and we had 3 children living at home. I have mixed feelings about the extra space in this house. I like that there is enough room to be able to have some extra room or privacy when we start getting on each other's nerves. But I don't like it that everyone is so spread out in the house. It used to be that one would be on the computer, one would be watching a movie and the other would be coloring at the table - all in the same large room. But now the computer is in one room, the tv is in another room, the art supplies are in the kitchen and the playroom is on a different floor. Depending on who is doing what, we can go most of the afternoon without seeing one another. When my husband retires in a few years, we will most likely be looking for something smaller.

That looks like a fun program. I'm going to give it a try as we're struggling with our times tables right now. Thanks for the link!

Great! I'll check it out. :)

I've used Tide with bleach for years and love it. It really did a good job on dirt, grass and stains. But the price of Tide jumped quite a bit at the commissary recently, so I started looking for a cheaper alternative. Most of them have overpowering scents, though, and I have a sensitive nose. My sister uses Arm & Hammer with Oxyclean, so I thought I'd give it a try. It works pretty well and I'll use it since Tide is out of our budget right now. I've found that I can't stand the smell of liquid laundry detergents - they seem to be much stronger smelling than their powdered counterparts.

We have several read alouds going every week. Right now, I'm reading Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends and Beatrix Potter to Mac (4) and The Tales of Despereaux to both of them. I have Aesop's Fables for next week, The BFG, and a few Pooh stories (books by A.A. Milne and not adapted by Disney). My husband prefers to read shorter stories at bedtime, but will treat the kids once or twice a month to a fairy tale re-enactment. He'll grab some stuffed animals or dolls and put on a little play using the toys, funny voices and some hysterical interpretations.

We dropped the Spellwell books as they were too easy for Elle. She's got a very good memory for words and their spellings, so I pick words from her readings and have her write definitions. We dropped the science program (Real Science 4 Kids) because Elle just didn't like it. We're going to use TWTM science outline and start at the beginning. She's in 3rd grade and some of it might be too easy for her, but I think she will like the reading and the experiments much more than what we're doing now. We were doing Latin over the summer and didn't pick it up again when we started again in the fall. I'm also doing a more indepth program for my son (4) than I thought I would. I picked up a few Kumon workbooks and figured we'd just read and play, but he blew through the workbooks in 6 weeks and was wanting more. I ordered Explode the Code for him and he's been so happy to have something to challenge him.

I shop at Kohl's for most of my stuff - just wait for the sales. I also shop at Lane Bryant and Land's End (overstock store). Ashley Stewart has nice dressier clothes. For basics (pajamas, fleece sweaters and layering tees) I shop at Old Navy. JCPenny's carries Liz & Co clothes which are really nice, but they're pricey. They also carry plus size Levis jeans and their own St. John's Bay brand. I like Macy's, too, but I wait for the sales. I'm willing to pay a bit more (but not too much more ;) ) for well-fitting, nice looking clothes in my size. I think the shapeless, boxy clothing most stores carry only make me look bigger.

I had to laugh at this; my son calls everything chicken! My standard answer is "chicken" (even if we're not having chicken). When pressed as to what kind of chicken, my answer is "cooked chicken".

We're using WP American Story I. This is our first year homeschooling and I wanted something convenient and easy to use. I ordered the ASI history set and the coordinating Language Arts program. I love that the entire program is laid out on an easy to follow week-by-week schedule. I know what I'm going to be doing every day and can plan/prepare accordingly. There are also several suggestions on websites, videos and books to further the child's learning. I like that there are several different ways the material is taught - reading, crafts, movies, mapmaking. Looking at the schedule, it looks like there is a great deal of work each day, but the lessons are short and we're usually finished in 2 hours. My daughter loves the literature that comes with the program and finds many of the crafts to be fun and interesting. Having said that, I don't know if I will be ordering any more curriculm from them again. It's very expensive, for one thing. All of the literature can be found at our library. There are several things we're not using because they're either too easy, too complicated, or just too much. I also like the idea of teaching history chronologically, as laid out in TWTM (which I did not read prior to beginning our homeschooling year). The customer service leaves something to be desired. It took 3 months to receive the materials (they arrived sporadically), several books had been changed, and I'm still missing one book and the instruction manual for the cd/rom (I emailed WP and am still waiting for resolution). It's a good program and we're enjoying it, but the cost will keep us from continuing.

Have they been watching 80's music videos? :D

I use mostly Clinique. They have foundation shades to match my skin tone (I'm very fair) and the compact powder foundation gives good coverage and doesn't make me break out. I love their Double Lash mascara and their Black Honey Almost Lipstick. I do use different eyeshadow and concealer, though. I have CoverGirl true match concealer and several eyeshadows from different brands. I would love to use mineral powder make-up (and finally found a shade light enough at Aromaleigh.com) but I'm using Retin-A for my acne and the mineral powders make the peeling much more noticeable.

Most days I walk out of the house wearing concealer, foundation, mascara and lip gloss. When I don't wear them, I get comments about how tired I look or people asking why I'm out if I'm so sick. Foundation and concealer are a must for me. I have dark circles under my eyes and the mask of pregnancy that's still hanging around 4.5 years later. I go all out once a year for the Marine Corps Ball and put on the works.

I grew up typing two spaces between sentences (I graduated high school in 1986, for reference. :) ) When I took typing in my community college class, it was 2 spaces. And I had a college professor who wouldn't even read a paper if it wasn't margined and spaced properly. Can I say how much I detested typing essays and papers? I'd always, always, always find a mistake on the first page that I would have to go back and fix. It was never just a mispelled word, either. I'd leave out a sentence or half a paragraph.

My two youngest have older names that are often spelled incorrectly. My daughter's name could be spelled two different ways - the way I spelled it or the way it's spelled for boys or the holiday. She's often called by a different name completely - maybe because people misread it? My son's name is spelled the traditional way and the only way I've seen it, but it's misspelled nearly everywhere we go. Add in our last name and they have some very odd names on their soccer trophies.

Mine's always been on the heavy side, but my cycles have gotten shorter as I've gotten older. I finally had to go on the pill when my cycles hit 19 days.

We listen to a wide range of music, from bubblegum pop to classical. I love 80's music, especially the hair bands. I like classic rock, alternative rock, pop rock, blues, and old country (George Jones, Freddy Fender, Willie Nelson..). I also like Eminem. And the Beastie Boys. :D I recently tuned the van's radio to a country station because I really did not want to have to explain why someone liked his girlfriend down on her knees to my 8 year old. The country station is squeaky clean compared to the songs on the rock station.