I do not "get" introverts. I'm happiest surrounded by friends, family and the company of others. Fresh cut flowers in each room are my personal guilty pleasure. If your child is having a tantrum in a public place, please do those around you a favor and remove them or address the situation. I can't stand it when parents allow children to scream as they carry on with their shopping as though nothing is happening. I believe spanking is child abuse. Nothing you can say will change my mind. I was never baptized and have no religious affiliation, yet I delight in all of the trimmings, decorations and parties of the holidays. I let my daughter wear bikinis and don't understand those that find it "wrong". We're all naked under our cloths. I cringe when I hear parents using cutesy terms to describe body parts or bodily functions to their children. They have a correct name, please use them.

We live in a high cost of living area, so take this with a grain of salt, but the starting pay for a live-in nanny around here is about $600 a week. Nannies with experience or degrees in the education field often fetch a higher pay.

Corolle and American Girl Bity Baby's are both great choices!

Our personal shopper at American Girl sent us a free shipping code that is good through November 26th. (with $100 purchase) code: 179699 Happy Shopping!

Halloween themed is completely appropriate. :) The children have a school wide Halloween costume parade for the parents, then they break off into their individual classrooms for a party that is about an hour long.

Hello, Our new principal has declared that all parties are now food-free for the elementary schools due to allergies, so we have to come up with a few fun activities to fill the space of the traditional Halloween goodie buffet that the children all look forward to. i am looking for fun craft ideas and games suitable for a classroom of gifted 3-6th graders. Any and all ideas appreciated!

That would not fly here. I'm not sure if it's my upbringing or what, but I find roughhousing with one's children to be amateurish and disrespectful of personal boundaries. If children want to play that way amongst themselves, I still think it's odd and is better left for the field in an athletic sort of way. It's probably just the uptight New England in me though. In your own home, as long as you're happy that's all that matters. If it was done in my home though, I'd politely ask you to stop. Edit: Verbally though, you may question if you stopped in on a debate team by accident. We will all play devil's advocate just to get to you to delve further into your own position.

She's here and is as cute as a button! We are all absolutely head over heels in love with our new fuzzy family member. It's looking like Happy is sticking for a name.

Thank you so much everyone for all of these wonderful suggestions! We pick her up Wednesday night, and it feels like the anticipation of Christmas Eve as a child. I am having so much fun researching name meanings, and these suggestions all fit perfectly. We stumbled on a town in Newfoundland named Happy-Adventure ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Adventure ) that may have been named after a pirate ship, so Happy is still a front runner too. I'm sure once we see her it will make the naming so much easier, but at least now we have a wonderful list to pick from! Thank you again!

Eek, she's coming next week and we still don't have a name picked out. We live on an island and we love to travel to warm destinations, but are really stumped on nautical or tropical names fitting for a huge dog. If you have any suggestions at all, I'd love to hear them! So far the front runners are: Happy Sula (pronounced soo-la meaning little she-bear) Sadie Maya She's here! Updated picture in post #24.

I highly recommend this book, http://www.amazon.com/Youre-Smarter-Than-Think-Intelligences/dp/1575421135/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378320574&sr=1-6&keywords=multiple+intelligences It is written for children (my daughter read it in first grade when she was getting a little snotty about others not keeping up academically) and explains with checklists all of the different ways someone can be gifted (word smart, people smart, picture smart, etc.) It is especially helpful to show academically gifted children that other children are gifted too, just in different ways. It also offers suggestion to the kids on how to improve areas that they may be weaker in. I think it is a fabulous read, especially because your girls are so close in age but seem to vary greatly in different activities. Our local library has a copy, so you may want to check to see if yours does also.

Could you hire a mother's helper for the mornings? Maybe there is a local teen or neighbor that might be willing to work for the summer months. Personally, I don't think leaving a 9 year old and a 6 year old to their own devices 5 days a week would make anyone happy. I'd be too worried to do a good job, and they would suffer from lack of supervision. It would really be best to find an alternative care-taker.

What a wonderful post! Speaking as a hippy-dippy parent, we always look for the good in everyone and everything. Around here there is no, "It would have better if you'd done XYZ, just... wow, you are are working so wonderfully hard! You'll reach the goal of XYZ any day now!" I'm not sure if it's just a personality trait (Pollyanna optimist here!) or how much we really do work hard at appreciating the little things in life. Either way, I try to live each day with as light of a footprint as possible. Both on the earth itself and on others. I know that my words and my actions carry so much weight, so I do try to think before I speak. (I know how hard this is, but it is really worth it in the long run!) Personally, we start each day in meditation, reflecting on how wonderful of a life we live. Realizing just what wonderful people you are surrounded by on a daily basis and how special of a bond you all share should be a great reminder of how special you need to treat those that you cherish. Finding your inner peace and your calm, even during the worst of times can really translate into a calm and loving environment for not only your children but for your family and guests as well. Best wishes on your self-discovery. You really are worth it!

I'm not sure if you are OK with egg protein, but if so one of our favorites is Jay Robb egg white protein powder. It is gluten free, fat free, no artificial colors or flavors, and it actually tastes great too! Although it comes in many different flavors, we prefer the vanilla so that we can add fresh fruit, coca powder, etc. to customize each shake to our mood that morning or day. http://www.jayrobb.c...ein-vanilla.asp Edit: It does contain the warning: This product is produced in a factory that may contain soy, wheat, dairy.... we have never had any type of reaction, but each family makes their own decisions about such warning labels.

I believe in love. Love for myself and love for others. Honestly, I really don't want to hear someone say "I'll pray for you." It has no meaning to me,(and I do understand you intend it to be taken in a kind way). I'd rather you say something along the lines of "I wish you the best." or "What can I do to help?" The act of praying to me says that you care about making yourself look good, and it has no real affect on the outcome (my own personal opinion) of a situation. I do believe that nature is amazing, and I love a great sunset! But I really can see the science of it all. I believe that people, those here on Earth, have a wonderful ability to love, support and care for each other. In my eyes, that's enough. I don't need an imaginary friend to hold my hand or guide me. I am a strong human being that can make my own decisions... sometimes with the help of some really great friends!

I honestly don't even think it is always a conscience thought. How many times have I heard "God bless you" when I sneeze in public? I don't believe that there is a higher power/ god/ deity, etc but the person certainly didn't ask me my religious preference before they spoke. It's an automatic response for some people. Although I don't take a great offense, imagine if I said to a believer that sneezed, may the tooth-fairy bless you. To me they are booth just as ridiculous. It's really no different than the Jehovah Witnesses who come to our neighborhood to spread their word... you're doing the exact same thing but on a more frequent basis (even if it's not intentional). I do realize that they mean no harm, but it's just as offensive. I keep my beliefs to myself unless asked, and I'd love it if believers would as well. Live and let live.

I am baffled by these posts lately. Why is is that when someone posts on a public forum asking for advice, if the advice or opinion of the other posters does not align with the author's viewpoint, they pack their bags and delete the conversation. What type of role model is this for the poor son... if you don't like what others are saying, just leave rather than sticking up for yourself?

What a list! One thing I didn't see listed, but you probably already have is a cake knife. Hopefully you will be able to relax and enjoy the day.

As long as it's plain greek yogurt, then it's just the milk sugar. That's why dairy is typically a no-go on most low carb diets. I have found that Fage has the least amount of sugar (at least from the options around here). I too get sick of just eggs, and really need to have a different texture every now and then.

I love the idea of surprising them with a little bit of magic for their first trip! As I'm sure you probably know, the Disney Florist can put together a cute little gift bag with assorted items as well. Depending on the travel/ park schedule of your neighbors, a cake or cupcakes may melt in the room before they get a chance to appreciate them. Or they may feel obligated to tip if they are in the room during delivery. Just a thought. http://www.disneyflorist.com/?source=header

Umm... when you come right out and ask for someone's opinion, there's no reason to get snotty when you don't like what you hear. While I personally don't agree with much of anything Ann Coulter says or does, she certainly is a well educated, beautiful woman whose height of 6' makes this petite grandmother jealous at times. Maybe you could find a positive in there somewhere?

We love our zuca bags! They are so wonderfully constructed, stack well because of the durable frame, and you can customize the inserts to match your outfit (especially important when you have fashionista dd).

Me and my dd9 on vacation. We both have long hair that doesn't cooperate after a long day in the ocean, so please pardon the wash and air dry look we have going on.

We love balloon drums! You can make them with any recyclable container. http://www.balloondrums.com/

Although you can't book it on the main page, you can book 6 to a room through the ticket reservation site: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/buy/ Our favorite is the Grand Californian signature and artisan suites. They are fairly roomy, and they'd certainly accommodate a larger family. They offer 2, 3 and 4 bedroom options depending on your preference. Otherwise, two standard rooms may be a cheaper option. Have fun! The 'no more than 5 to a regular room' is a fire code regulation due to the small square footage of the standard rooms. Unfortunately Disney has no legal way to get around it.