i'm an other :-) We had no vax concerns with our first two. Then along came #3 who reacted sometimes violently to vaccines. I called our ped the first time this happened, and he was less than helpful. This made me sit up and take notice that I needed to get more info and not blindly trust the info sheets in his office and to get a new ped. We continued to vaccinate on a delayed schedule and with only one vaccine at a time when possible. We've not been able to get an MMR separately in years. Finally the number of vaccines continued to increase, and that has caused me to be even more vigilant.

We pretty much consider it trip insurance for our family. Ds and his wife drive cross country at least twice a year as well as visits back home which are about three hours each way. Our family vacations usually involve driving as well as several 8+ hour scheduled trips each year. When ds needed a new battery at college, they came to him and installed it. He paid for it but didn't have to get a ride to an auto parts store. We all drive older well-maintained cars, but they still have problems from time to time. When we were involved in a accident last summer, AAA towed the car, paid for a rental to get back home, and for an overnight hotel stay. They also reserved the hotel and rental car for us as well as the ride to the hotel. We didn't have to do anything that night which was a huge relief. We did have to pay for the hotel and car upfront and then file to be reimbursed. We give AAA yearly at Christmas to each of our dc. Getting the premier plan for our entire family costs about $300 each year since some dc are still at home. I will have to say that they're not always prompt. We actually had one of our cars towed home last night because of a water pump and fan belt. We went home, and they called us when the truck was in route. ETA: We've not had to call them for a flat tire. All of know how to change tires.

Extremely useful! We've had the basic for years and went to the top level ( platinum?) for the last four since it covers one 200 mile tow per year. Ds is in college 180 miles away. Each of our children get this membership from us each Christmas. It's been fantastic. We unfortunately had to use their trip interruption insurance last summer, but it reimbursed a rental car and a hotel room for one night. I can't say enough good things about it :-) ETA: Their battery replacement service is also useful, but you have to live within a covered area.

We share two vehicles between three people. Dh and I pay for most of the gas, but dd will fill it up at her cost if she needs to. If she gets the car on empty a couple of times in a row, she'll just mention it to us, and we'll reimburse her. She does little recreational driving.

A major point for us was having a place for cousin's camp and for some extended family vacations. We've always wanted to have extended family together several times during the year and frankly that's extremely expensive for us, the parents/grandparents, to pay for if travel is involved. When we began to research a beach home, we saw a cost-effective possibility. Our administration is close to zero. When we go down during the late winter for HOA meetings and early fall for fun, we do some deep cleaning like baseboards, cabinets, and paint touch-ups to save on costs. Other than those little maintenance things, we have no administration issues or taxes to deal with, except our personal taxes which our accountant handles. Our management company takes care of most everything for us. It's not important for me to defend our decision. I do however like to tell others how vacation home rental can be a good investment and isn't as cost prohibitive as some think. As Creekland said earlier, no investment is without risk. We've decided that the returns are worth pursuing in relation to the risk. It's just another part of our retirement plan. On the flip side, we still shop at Goodwill and keep other economical habits.

Owning a beach house is a risk. There's no guarantee that the economy or a weather event won't devalue your investment. You have to be as insured as possible and hopefully have cash reserves built up.

The affordability of a vacation destination property that you rent out is not as expensive as you might think. We've owned our modest home for almost twenty years and chose not to upgrade to a more expensive home. The cost of building a beach house was about the same as an upgraded home in our area would have cost. The irony is that dh and I can afford to own our vacation home but would be stretched to rent it for a week ourselves during the summer months.

We live about eight hours away so finding the right management company was a top priority for us. Once we decided the overall area where we wanted to build, I did an internet search and weeded out several companies based on their lack of response. Then I spent a week in the area and walked through the neighborhoods. Almost all of the rental homes have rental signs out front with contact info. If a property was in disrepair, I noted what rental company managed it. When I noticed a pattern, I marked that company off my list. I also stopped and talked to the folks who were checking on properties. They would be driving company cars so it was easy to tell where they were from. When I got to just a few companies, I spent some time on VRBO and checked out their property listings and the calendars for bookings. I also contacted them as a guest to see how I was treated. Finally, I got down to the nitty gritty of the cost and the contracts. One company stood head and shoulders above the rest. It was a long drawn out process. I did it though because these are the people who would literally either make us or break us. I found the least productive info i got was from the homeowners I met. Most of them assumed all management companies were the same and usually had chosen whoever their realtor had recommended.

Yes, so far it's been paying for itself and for the cost of furnishings last year. The key I think is to have the best rental company that you can find. We found an amazing rental company, and then built in the area that they primarily manage. Also be aware of flood insurance, it can get tricky. You'll have to purchase it even with a higher level condo. As for storage, that may be hard to find. Most condos have little to no storage space except for an owner's closet in the unit.

Yes. We have a home at the beach. It's about a year old and is thankfully paying for itself through rentals. Dh required a business plan before he agreed. It was about two years from let's do this to ownership.

We just built a beach home and our colors are Revere Pewter, Palladium Blue, and Sea Salt. They're amazingly restful. If I had to choose only one color, I'd choose either Revere Pewter or Sea Salt. They're versatile and give the feel of a neutral color since they seem to change with the light and furnishings.

If you're open to changing your cleaning ways, then you may want to check out flylady.net. If you'd prefer not to change, then how about making yourself teach the basics in the mornings and then begin cleaning afterwards? What about schooling for six or nine weeks then having two or three weeks off? Some ideas for your dc are: quiet time in bed/room for books or puzzles Leap Frog/Factory Magic School bus videos Lincoln Logs Outside play for the olders At the risk of sounding not nice, we homeschool moms don't usually have the luxury of living by our whims/moods if we wish to do our homeschooling job well. Taking hours or afternoons off to clean is probably okay; but if you require weeks to clean your home without schooling, then you may want to re-evaulate your methods. Best wishes as you find a solution~

I totally understand. We recovered our sofa set of eighteen years and moved it to our beach house instead of giving it away. I just couldn't bear to see it go.

nm

$6.50 an hour for infant care is a bargain. Prices here begin at $10 an hour and usually add $3-$5 more per sibling per hour. We're in a middlish cost of living area.

We used www.barleans.com swirls when dd was younger. They taste wonderful and helped with her eczema. She can tolerate small amounts of dairy and has problems if she consumes too much yeast. As others have said, food allergies may be your culprit. It costs nothing to do an elimination diet, and won't affect your child's health as long as he continues to get the nutrients he needs. Best wishes as you find a solution.

When the kids were little it was easy. We had a before bed snack and were done. Later with young teens, we closed the kitchen at 10. With older teens, it was a rule that all pans and dishes needed to be washed when cooking/eating happened.

True. We live next to a city with soaring rents and property prices. One of the large service industries/employers in the area purchased an older hotel and renovated it as studio apts for its workers. The workers only pay a fraction of market value as one of their benefits.

Just following this little bunny trail: I can totally see my family asking if I would be getting a job if dh was unemployed. My grandma would probably be going a step more and insisting that I get a job. I'd probably tell most relatives that we're getting by okay but would share more financial info with my MIL and grandma just to reassure them.

Justice and Target have cute, modest clothing once you get past their window displays. Justice goes to size 20. Target has XS and goes to 16 in the girl's dept. You might want to skip the junior dept no matter where you shop. Many preteens still have a little girl belly which doesn't fit well in jr tops which are usually quite fitted. I often reminded my self conscious preteen that it's totally normal/natural to "grow wider" before growing taller because our bodies store that extra layer to have energy to grow. ETA: Ross usually has a nice selection of summer dresses.

That's a lot of white. Could you possibly paint the bathroom vanity or replace them? It would be less expensive than new tile.

Could you post the recipe please? I have some TJs cod in the freezer that needs to be used.

We're planning to build a new home for living with my MIL in the next five years. Our plan is a two story home with a master suite downstairs for MIL and three more bedrooms upstairs including a second master suite. We've decided not to do a MIL apt since Mil doesn't need/want a separate entrance or kitchen. Then when we're older, we can move downstairs if needed, and only use the upstairs for the kids visiting. We're also planning to rent our current family home instead of selling it to provide extra income.

That's awesome! Congrats to your daughter!

Try some Prid's drawing salve since it's a tiny shard. You should be able to get it at Walmart or Walgreens.