Looking for a trampoline to purchase. I am looking at a 14' from Walmart and and Jumpking 15' at Sports Authority. Does anyone have a 14' and wish it was the bigger size. I want a net enclosure but I hear they are fragile and problematic. Does anyone have a trampoline that has lasted years and years of heavy use in heavy wind?

We have many people in our family who have chosen not to get married because it is cheaper not too, especially if they are going to have children. Each one of the women in our family said that they would loose their "services" if they married their boyfriends who had decent jobs. Medicaid paid for their births the doctor appointments, and then the series of money they get as unwed mothers in the form of financial assistance. So although they were in solid relationships, it was financially better to stay unmarried. On the birth certificates they can still give the baby the father's name. We have one family member with 4 children and over ten years unmarried. Very practical.

I am on the zinc bandwagon now! Based on this board's recommendation I started giving my daughter zinc for her acne. I started taking it myself, for the mini breakouts I get once in a while. My daughter's skin looks great so we eased her down to 50 mg every third day or so. The big news is my skin. My itchy and crusty and greasy scalp that I've been treating with all sorts of meds, shampoos, orals, etc. for a decade has almost completely healed. (99%) Plus, my dry flaky feet are becoming normal. For twenty years, I have dealth with rough dry feet. I've used everything on them. But within a few days of taking the zinc supplement, my callouses are falling off! I can't find any real scientific explanation for this. I guess I don't care. Soon, I'll be able to wear my cutie sandals without worrying about my feet. As far as my scalp goes. I can go days without washing my hair! Thanks!!!!

I am the dissenting opinion here. I have more than one shy kid, introverted in the ways you mentioned though not unhappy or anything like that. In fact their personalities, talents, etc. are very different from each other. However, we push/pushed them out there. We deliberately put them in situations where they had to be around people/kids and situations that they did not want. This included public speaking/performance. We especially push/pushed them into team sports. Yes, they were not happy to be there. Yes, they threw fits. Yes, there were tears and breakdowns. Yes, all of those things that break our hearts as mothers to see. But, in the end, so far, it has been worth it. We never told the teacher to let them do their presentations in private, or ask for alternate assignments, like other parents I know who have shy introverts. In fact as soon as we saw signs of shyness and introversion, we asked the teachers to call on them often, even though they don't raise their hands. "Please, put them on the spot," we asked. I have chosen specifically not to homeschool my two shy/homebodies. My oldest is almost sixteen and recently thanked me (yes, I was floored) and his father that we made him do all the things we made him do. He said that he would never have accomplished what he has, nor made the friends he has made without the forced participation. He has made a huge turn around from being nerdy and bookish to being athletic, involved, talkative, self confident and pro active in his own life. Says he wants to be an orthodontist or a Rock musician. We'll see what happens to the other one.... he is at a community play practice today. What he really wanted to do was finish a Percy Jackson book and be in his room...maybe go exploring later, alone. In our minds, we are just trying to help facilitate them finding new aspects and talents that they may not know they have and will never find on their own, unless they are forced to "get out there!" Just another option.

We lived in the Meyerland/Bellaire neighborhood and though it was older, it only took my husband twenty minutes to get to work. If we had lived in Spring or the Woodlands the commute was over and hour and a half each way. Also, if you like to do things, then the Meyerland area was only seven minutes from Herman Park, the Zoo, the Nature and Science Museum, the Children's Museum, and our favorite the Medical Science Museum. We were also closer to downtown and the train. We were only fifteen minutes from the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. On top of that, we were closer to Kemah, Galveston, Sugarland, George Ranch. I loved the Woodlands and Spring where my parents lived because of the newer homes. But, I was glad to be so close to the fun things. We went somewhere every day, even if it was only a free park or the arboretum. Remember also, if you are looking at homes during the day then you are not seeing the true traffic situation. Drive in the real rush hour traffic to determine how long it would take you to get to and from work.

1. Camera 2. Video camera 2. Flashlights 3. Purse 4. Incoming mail that you don't have time to open just yet 5. Your dh's wallet 6. Library books 7. Items that need to be returned to stores but you can't get around to immediately 8. Outdoor toys 9. Completed homeschool stuff (workbooks, etc.) 10.Game system accessories (dance mat, wii balance board, rock band drums, etc.) When the organizing craze started (about 9 to 10 years ago) I tried to "organize" and "put things away" and it didn't work so well. I read somewhere that organizing should be practical and make your life easier while keeping you from looking cluttered. So, if you walk in your house and start "shedding" then have decorative recepticles ready to collect your debris. I have a drawer in the pantry (we put cabinets with lots of drawers in the pantry) where we put tools and flashlight. I have a junk drawer for screws, staples, candles, loose doodads. My husband has a basket in our closet that he drops in his pocket contents and he can plug in his phone. We have a decorative rubbermaid box for outdoor toys. I purchased a decorative file cabinet (looks like furniture)that can sit in the living room for homeschool items. We have a decorative deep bowl in our living room where we put our cameras (the cords discreetly come up over the sides. We have discarded all of our cd/dvd cases and put our game cds and regular DVD in those cd binders that zip up. The accessories we have go into a heavy duty deco basket with lid that I made hinged by using yarn. I saw a very cool thing for storing cameras and phones. It hangs on the wall and plugs into an outlet. It has many plugs for your phones and cameras and stuff, and its all hidden behind doors. I'd get one if my husband wasn't building an electrical device station in my mud room. I have a small daytimer type notebook calendar that I carry most places. I put the mail in there. When it gets to unruly to handle I deal with the mail. My daytimer has a small pocket where I keep stamps so if I'm out somewhere and need to find something to do I can do bills right there. I personally hate organizing where everything is "put away" you know, in a box with a lid on it, put high on a shelf. I like things within reach at a moment's notice. My compromise was to buy (mostly at garage sales) items that hide our stuff in plain sight.

Have you thought about a laser treatment? I have had a couple for rosacea and brown blotchy skin. The treatment was $175. I got more results from the first treatment of laser than years of using the creams and ointments that guaranteed results. The first treatment pulled a bunch of the brown spots off completely, red veins on my nose were gone. Some spots that I thought were slight wrinkles around my lips flaked off and disappeared and the red on my face was reduced by half. The brown patches started coming up (and out) within a few hours. After a week, the results were truly noticeable. I tried every cream in the book for my splotchy skin and spent a ton. The laser changed everything! Now, I know the results depend on how intense the treatment. I think some centers go easy on you so you have to come back for retreatments. If you ask around maybe you can find one that gives you your money's worth. I go every 18 months now to fix any browns that have popped up and to keep the rosacea at bay.

or get into your car through an open window when you don't know it and drive with you to the bank and wait to show themselves only after you have stopped at the teller window.

Seal your grout very well before you do anything else.

I agree with you about the g'ment needing to stay out. The last folks in the US who know anything about the family farm is the very East US Urban Centric G'ment Admnistration. I'm not surprised by how many posters to this assume that this is being misinterpreted and that we are obviously misreading this, this administration only cares about our welfare and they must have their reasons to put their thumb on every industry. Where I live, we hear about this bill everyday on the radio during the Ag program. The original bill showed obvious ignorance as to how farms and ranches work. They, the G-men, are trying to tweak it, though in its current form it will transform 4H and FFA to the point where they may not be able to exist. Once again the g'ment is trying to nannyfy every industry. Life is dangerous, but kids who grow up around animals and equipment aren't stupid. My son got to work some at a local dairy, doing odd stuff. This was arranged through FFA.He's only 15. If this passes, he won't get that opportunity to shovel crap that every kids deserves to get. To those who think they have to defend every policy coming out of Washington for political reasons, I think its okay to say, "I love Obama but this bill is crap." I don't think that is being disloyal. Find the bill in its intact form, read it and laugh at the fact that the city mouse is trying to write legislation for the country mouse.

I fenced in college and I wish there was a fencing club close by for my kids. It is a NCAA sport and there are scholarships available for girls and boys. Ebay always has a nice selection of equipment and this company triplette.com has starter packages for the beginning fencer. In most classes or clubs that share equipment, there may be a lot of taking off the the lames, the metal thread jackets. I remember hating to share those because by the time they got to me they were sweaty. I can say that there is a nice fencing culture and once you get to college, students that didn't quite fit in with the football or volleyball crowd can find a respected athletic place in fencing.

What you said! We love houseguests, and the more the merrier. It doesn't happen often enough in our book! One of the kid's rooms has a queen bed and we always put guests in there. They can put their kids around them or we can move kids around the house on couches or floors. We do put away special toys, precious items, and breakables, if kids are coming.

I'm with you. Our insurance is $700 per month. The last time we purchased it, it was $525. Our new insurance is worse, with a high deductible, high copay, higher emergency room visit and Walgreens won't take it for prescriptions. I had to call around to find a pharmacy who will take it. With $4 gas on top of it, we are so financially maxed out. I would also like to hear from someone who is benefitting from this.

I do not see how criminal charges would be helpful in any way, except to pad the wallet of the lawyers having to defend the family members. I've never seen litigation or the criminal justice system bring the dead back to life.

I:iagree: I think our men have a particularly tough road to travel right now. Women seem to have all the power and men these days get no respect, are always the boobs in family movies, are supposed to be getlemanly, but not chauvinistic, supportive but not critical. They must avoid pornography even though the world says its not harmful, find a job, pay the bills, stay fit, provide for their children, be an attentive father, magnify their callings, wash the dishes, and not die, all without coffee or alcohol. The ones that can check off half of this list, have my respect. The fact that my DH gets up at 5:45 every morning to take my son to seminaary, in the snow and freezing weather, makes up for alot. We generally do not watch conference all at once, as we tend to fall asleep. The calming voices and music are just too powerful. We record all of the sessions and then watch them for FHE over the next few weeks. We made the YW conference last week, but we had people in town so we missed the Priesthood session Sat and didn't view any of them on Sat or Sun. After reading these comments, I'll listen more attentively to the ones mentioned. Thought we would do one for FHE tonight but our FHE was put off until tomorrow night (NCAA MENS B-Ball championship tonight, my DH said that would be a perfect FHE activity. Ummm no! Plus, the 1940 census came out today....:lol:

No, that's not the entire story, that's where the reporting ended. We do not know what happened next with any certainty because its not being reported. Did Z hang up with the Dispatcher? It seems so because we would have the recording of the dispatcher hearing the altercation. When exactly did the police turn up? We don't know. Were the witnesses part of the Grand Jury investigation? We don't know yet. Z says he returned to his car after speaking with the dispatcher. Did he? Are there witnesses to this. We don't know. Were there words exchanged between Z and T? We don't know, because WE are not part of the process. We don't necessarily get to know. Plus, folks here keep saying he was chasing after him with a gun. Please, he had a conceal carry permit and yes, he was armed. If Z had been "stalking" him with a gun out in the open then Trayvon would have either fled or said something about it to the woman on the phone. "he's got a gun!" I suspect that if T knew Z was armed then he would have taken off quickly and not have gotten into the fight in the first place. Why isn't Z allowed to patrol his own neighborhood? Is there some law that they are citing that I haven't seen yet. What concerns me the most is how so many big names have already condemned without the facts. So many awful threats have been thrown out there that can never be taken back. It sounds like that no matter what evidence comes out, both sides are so entrenched in being right that this can not possible end well. Opinions have already been solidified. We all know how hard it is to go back and say "Ooops, I was wrong?" Especially when one has committed their whole reputation to something. So, I just see the Sharptons and Spike Lees put themselves out there with half the facts to the point that they can never take any of it back without looking foolish, so they won't ever say "oops" no matter what. They can't. That makes the climate even worse. On the other side, we see a guilt ridden man, who says he is devistated. He may know that it was all one big mistake that he can never take it back. His family is ruined and his life is ruined. And not matter what facts come out there will be a faction of people that will find him guilty no matter what. They will want him dead. This media frenzy has been dishonest...and for the last five days, as spectators, we've been played.

I'm posting because I'm surprised by the postings, it seems that everyone is getting their news from the same place and its days old. A few semi-facts (because you have to be wary) that I've picked up by avoiding just CNN or just Fox. What I have found in print and on the TV from Florida sources. The mother admitted Trayvon was suspended for marijuana evidence in his backpack. That was why he was spending time with his father. The photos the media are showing of Trayvon are when he was as young as ten. It appears that newer photos show him having a number of gold teeth and a gang tattoo? This may be why news agencies are showing older photos as to not cause undo discrimination based on his appearance. They are reporting that he was as tall as 6'2 and 200 lbs. A big man and a good football player. Zimmerman was much shorter. There are also photos of Trayvon flashing gang signs, the finger and other things that I can't believe, but don't want to go see for myself. I can't even post his twitter handle here. Zimmerman had a broken nose and injury to the back of his head where he says Trayvon was beating it against the ground or pavement. This goes along with what the witness saw. Spike Lee is repeatedly tweeting Zimmerman's address for those that want to seek revenge. I see a possible lawsuit here for the Zimmerman family. There are reports that Trayvon was a bully at school. Prone to pick fights. Those kids may be called as witnesses. A close black friend of Zimmerman's is saying that this is a media circus and that Zimmerman is being railroaded and that Zim and his wife tutor black children. (how and to what extent is unknown) Zimmerman had called police 46 +- times for suspicious activity. I don't see how this shows him as a vigilante. He didn't handle 46 suspicious people, he handed over 46 people to the police. There are reports of other 911 calls concerning this incident. We won't know what is in them until they are made public. Hopefully, they will shed more light for either side. Another witness came forward today on the side of Trayvon, though apparently, she did not report it to the police. Still unclear. So, though I was dumbfounded by this story a few days ago, I knew to wait for the facts to come out. I am not one to assume that the police are inept and we all have to be a little suspicious when the media reports the death of a 17 year old yet shows a photo of a little boy. They were trying to force the story in their direction. I believe it originally went to a Grand Jury. A Grand Jury is made up of people who are asking the same questions as you and me. There's a bounty on Zimmerman's head by the Black Panther Party. We'll see if this is pursued by the FBI or DOJ. The phone conversation of the girlfriend could possibly be retrieved if it has not been lost. I am under the understanding that phone calls are recorded and saved for quality assurance purposes. However, they are only held for a few hours, so it may already be gone. I can see how Trayvon thinks he's being stalked by someone. Zimmerman thinks of him as suspicious. They both become alarmed. Perhaps words are spoken. There's a fight. Zimmerman is out manned, perhaps not used to street fighting which they say Trayvon was. Trayvon probably didn't intend to kill Zimmerman he was just tougher, Zimmerman didn't know he wasn't going to be killed, and used the only weapon he could. I can see many scenarios playing out here. All of them misunderstandings and not knowing what was going through the other guy's head. All of them tragic. Oh, by the way, Fox News, the actual News shows and not the Opinion shows (like O'reilly and Hannity) has consistently been shown to be the most "fair and balanced" news source by many if not all independent, non partisan media research group. The actual news shows, I repeat, the news shows. Go to CNN right now and compare what they are reporting to what other news sources are reporting. They are a full day or so behind. Too bad, I used to enjoy CNN. Does anyone remember "Bonfire of the Vanities?" The book, not the movie. The book has an angle very much like this story. I think folks need to take a deep breath and step away from the TV and not demonize any side since we are all dealing with half the facts from both sides.

brainchild.com www.worksheetplace.com http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu Hogback press Daily language Lessons grammargirl We always prepare for standardized testing and we look forward to them. Depending on your state, you can find print materials prepping them for that particular test. We get the books every year. They have practice pretests so you can detect areas that need more help. Oh, and we google the TAKS tests from Texas. They are good at posting previous years practices and tests. We print them out and work on them. I would say that writing is the most difficult because if they have to write paragraphs or essays then you don't know what they are looking for. Though we usually test advanced in writing, this year we made a special push to do well in writing. I didn't see what state you are from so I do not know if you only have to take the CAT or your state affiliated test.

Mama Sheep, you are awesome!:lurk5: Thanks!

These might be what you are looking for. Built in adjustable underwire bra with slightly padded cups. I love these and when they go on sale I buy new colors. They come in cotton or microfiber. They are very comfortable and I don't bra straps showing since its built in. http://www.normthompson.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=7588 You order your bra size. I always order a size bigger because I don't like my camis to squeeze me like a girdle.

If you are getting real stain grade garage doors then I would try to find a way to stain them to compliment my home. What a luxurious item! I would check google images for homes with stained garage doors and see if you can find some ideas. You can always add a stained front door to match, in the future!

Our PS schools here allow the homeschoolers to participate in all team sports and band. We have to pay the same fee as anyone else on the team. I haven't heard any complaints. My daughter is treated the same as anyone else. The hardest part is driving her there for practice when all of the other kids are already there. I should point out that our schools in my little town are excellent and child centric. I just can't see the argument against having homeschoolers participate. They should have to try out like everyone else but if they make it... what's the problem? I'll try to think this through more to understand.

Ditto, then they either moved into my bed or a brother or sisters bed.

Firstly, I wonder what part of the story we aren't getting. Second, I wonder if this has to to with "Child Rights". I mention this because with one of our health insurances or maybe is was with our clinic tied to our insurance, they had to get permission from my son (who was 12) at the time to discuss his medical stuff with me. What? I didn't have the right to know everything. That was in Denver. Could this be part of that new trend in child rights?

They need to stay out of my kid's lunch bag. I couldn't afford the $2.55 for my five children's lunches, so, unless they would pick up the tab for my children's lunches, its none of their concern. I would pull my child from the school in a second. I am so lucky that we live rural and our schools aren't overly concerned with trends written about in "Today's Principal" and "The Micromanaging School Administrator" magazines.