Michael Jackson's Beat it Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it No one wants to be defeated Show 'em hot monkeys all through the night (show them how funky and strong is your fight) It doesn't matter who's wrong or right I know the right words and I still sing it the wrong way.

Both of those sound like they would work for Elle. Thank you! :)

My daughter is 8 and will be in 3rd grade next fall and I'm not sure what to do about a spelling program for her. When she left 2nd grade (in a public school) she was reading at a 6/7th grade level and spelling words like machinery, occasion, illustrated and foreign. She is very strong in language and reading. She has a photographic memory, so she doesn't need to spend a lot of time learning to spell a list of words. I was originally thinking of pulling words from her reading (history, science, language arts) that are unfamiliar and having her write out the word, the definition, and use it in a sentence (very similar to the program her teacher had her set up with at school). However, I don't want her to miss out on concepts of spelling (suffixes, prefixes, etc). Is there a way or a program that we can use to teach her the spelling concepts without her being bored to tears?

My daughter has been out of public school for 3 weeks (we moved to a different state and will be homeschooling in the fall) and is bored to tears. She and my son have been fighting and bickering for the past 2 weeks. They've been so bored that they were happy to help with chores (we've been so busy moving and getting unpacked, and there wasn't much for them to do in the past few weeks). They were both excited to help me fold laundry yesterday and they were actually fighting over who would sweep the floors this morning. I think I'm going to start a set of lessons with them this summer. I've been slowly buying their curriculum and last night I put it out on the bookshelves in our computer room; guess where I found both of them? On the floor in the computer room reading (or just looking at pictures, in Mac's case). Elle's excited about learning latin, so when that package comes, we'll set up a schedule. Mac will be happy to do some of the workbooks I picked up for him.

I made a weekly menu planner similar to Donna Young's. I plan our meals according to the kids' activities (quick and easy meals for softball nights, more involved dinners for the weekends) and that way I don't have to scramble for something to make. I've left room on the bottom of the list to add things we run out of during the week. I made a diagram of the grocery store that I use to make my shopping list. I organize my list by aisle, which cuts down on forgotten items and the time I spend at the store.

I was going to ask if you could sew. :) My daughter is stocky, too, and we have a hard time finding things to fit nicely. I made several dresses for her spring and summer, and I made her a ton of leggings and stretch pants last fall. We moved this spring and I didn't get anything made for her. She wears mostly dresses with leggings underneath. Target has some skorts this year that are a cotton/spandex blend and are priced right around $5. I look for shirts with an empire waist or a long length. Old Navy had some dressy-looking spaghetti strap tops that have elastic around the middle and are full cut, like this http://www.oldnavy.com/browse/product.do?cid=6794&pid=572395. I tend to stay away from anything shirred or snug fitting. I second Hanna Anderson - their play dresses are perfect for girls that have bellies.

We have 3 children, two girls and a boy. While I was pregnant with our third, we'd be out somewhere as a family and I'd be asked if, since we had two girls already, we were hoping for a boy this time. I got tired of hearing this and started answering with "No, we're really hoping for a pony." I get a lot of questions regarding the spacing of our children (our oldest is 18, our middle child is 8 and our youngest is 4), like did I plan it that way, why did we wait so long between children, or why did we have another child after we were halfway done raising the first one.

We don't have many desserts in the house because they're worth too many WW points. I keep juice popsicles in the freezer for the kids and we'll make a batch of cookies, brownies or an Ooey, Gooey, Butter cake once a month or so.

I picked some up at the commissary and keep them in the car. I also have one of the big ones from Target. My husband doesn't remember to grab them, but my kids never forget.

I had the same thing a fee months ago and it turned out to be coming from the underside of my disposal collar. I popped it out, saw what was on the underside and gagged. I scrubbed it with some baking soda and an old toothbrush, then sprinkled some more baking soda on it and let it sit overnight. A leak under a sink can cause a rotting sort of smell, too. I hope you find the source soon! Christine

This looks fun and interesting. I know my daughter would really enjoy doing these activities. Thanks for posting this.

My food processor. I use it to chop vegetables, make sauces, marinades and salad dressings, grind spices, mix bread and pizza dough, and puree soup. I use it almost every day.

Mike's? I think I'm going to like it here! :)

I've been wearing Birkenstocks for years, although they're not inexpensive. But I have a very hard time finding a good sandal (or any type of footwear) for my high arches and wide feet.

We just moved to VA and we're south of Richmond.