I just ordered a dehydrator from http://www.gardensalive.com. They are running a special right now. If you sign up for their e-mail list they will send you an e-coupon for $100 off an order of $200 or more. I ordered an Excaliber using the coupon. They are also offering other discounts depending on how much you order.

Thanks. I'm thinking both right now after the feedback, especially since the strainer, which I don't have, seems to be preferred to the food mill, which I already own. Anyone else?

If I have a food mill is there any advantage to having a food strainer as well? Which do you prefer if you own both or have used both? Amazon has the Victorio strainer and the accessory set on sale and I'm deciding whether or not to get them. I already own an Oxo food mill. It seems like the food mill would be better for grinding and and mashing and maybe the strainer would be better for sauces and separating seeds from tomatoes and berries? Any feedback would be appreciated!

I'm not adhering to it either, although I don't eat/use anything that will render the spray ineffective (coffee, anything with mint). I'm actually eating pretty much the way I did before, except I've cut out the little bit of sugar I was having in my coffee,or anything high carb, which I never had much of either. I am still losing 1 to 1 1/2 lbs a day, which is more than I dared hope. I am even eating a little cheese, and the only vegie I'm cutting out is corn. I have had a little dressing on my salads too. Yes, mixing my vegies and with dressing to boot. I'm breaking every rule in the book, or at least a lot of them. Doesn't seem to make a difference. That's how I know it's the spray that's doing it. I ate this way pretty much before too, meat and vegies, and didn't lose anything.

The homeopathic versions do not contain any hcg. I tried myfitnesspal, stuck with it and lost nothing. Some people have medical issues that prevent successful weight loss through diet and exercise. I wish the normal route would work for me, but it just doesn't.

I can use it in cold beverages, no problem. In fact, one of my favorite summertime drinks is ice water with fresh lemon and stevia. The only exception is iced coffee. I tried making it with stevia once and no one, including me, could drink it. In hot drinks, no. I have tried to get used to it with herbal teas, but I just can't do it. The aftertaste is much more pronounced, IMO. I guess I could try a little lemon juice in there too? I think I'll just be sticking with raw honey in my tea. For the very few times I use sugar, like in iced or hot coffee, I use the organic sugar I get at BJs (Costco has it too). It's made from cane juice or something and has the word "whole" in it's name. It's not supposed to be as bad for you as refined white sugar.

I just started. I did the load this weekend and did the first dose Sunday night. I have lost 6 1/2 lbs in 4 days, and I've already done a little "cheating" :tongue_smilie:. I am doing a homeopathic hcg I bought through http://www.trimyouspray.com. I would say most homeopathic hcgs out there don't work, especially the ones you get at Walmart or the drugstore. I went with this one because I personally know 3 different people who used this and each one of them lost all the weight they wanted to. My best friend is one of them and I was amazed at the transformation. They are also super friendly and helpful and have their own support forums. Great customer service. I wanted to add, make sure you do the load even though some people will say it's not necessary. Follow the diet closely. Trim you spray gave me downloads which included detailed instructions and a chart of what you can eat during each phase, also detailed. I will admit though that I have already done a few no-nos (like eating zucchini and blueberries) and still lost at least a lb a day. Some people don't follow the diet at all, they just keep it low-fat and at around 500 calories. This may not work for everyone though so I would still advise you to stick to the choices they recommend. Be advised that there are also some restrictions on the type of lotions, toothpaste, etc. You can't have anything with essential oils in it because it "deactivates" the spray. This was not a biggie for me. There is an approved list of personal products that are safe to use. The spray is expensive but worth it. It took me awhile to get past the cost ($77 plus shipping for 50 days, which is 1 round). Now I am sorry I waited. I won't hesitate to order again if I need to do a second round.

Great article. I'll be passing this on. Concerning those who settled the west, I've always been confused on the issue of the land being taken from the native Americans. Who did the native Americans purchase it from? Weren't the western tribes mostly nomadic? I'm part Seneca (PA tribe), so these kinds of discussions are of interest to me.

Thanks. That's what I'll do. I never thought of contacting the credit card company.

About 3 weeks ago I ordered homeopathic HCG from a seller in OK. They shipped on the 4th with delivery due on the 6th. I still have not received the order. The USPS tracking shows it went from OK to PA and back again twice. The last date on the tracking is the 15th and shows it is at the OK post office but doesn't show it being returned to the seller, so it's either sitting at the post office or it is lost. The problem is the seller says they will not give me a refund until they receive the package. I'm guessing they don't believe me even though the tracking clearly shows it was never delivered to me and is sitting at their post office. What can I do? I have a chunk of money sitting on my credit card. I think since they are the seller/sender they are responsible. I have posted numerous messages on their help desk and they haven't responded for over a week now, the last message being that they would credit my account when they receive the product back. I know a few other people who have dealt with this company and not had any problems. Should I just chalk this up to experience and let it go? I will for sure let my friends who have been using this know what has happened.

Thank you for reminding us. We can never forget.

I actually agree with the statement. A healthy, intact marriage where both parents are strongly committed to each other, and relate to each other in a loving, respectful, and supportive way is not only a great example, but it gives children a sense of permanence and security, a "safe place", if you will, even after their parents have passed on. There is nothing else in this life that can take the place of that. This in turn gives children the confidence they need to go out into the world some day. Also, children from a troubled marriage tend to take those issues with them and it colors everything they do, including their own marriages. I don't agree that all of us have dysfunctional marriages. We all have problems, but that's not the same thing as dysfunction, IMHO. No offense, but your parents did not appear to have a strong marriage (just going by the little bit you posted about them), despite what they said to you, and the fact that they stayed together. Many people in a dysfunctional marriage stay together for life and that alone is not an indicator of the healthiness of the marriage. I hope I didn't offend you as that certainly was not my intent. :)

The brand of yeast doesn't matter, but the type does. Are you using "instant" (also labeled "bread machine") yeast? I believe all the major brands make it. This is not the same as the kind you buy in the strips, including the quick rise. http://www.amazon.com/Saf-Yeast-Instant-Yeast-16-oz/dp/B0001CXUHW/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1338819519&sr=1-1 Make sure you use exactly what the recipe calls for. Also, did you use a recipe designed for the bread machine? They differ from regular bread recipes. Wait for the dough to dry and break if off the heating elements, then wipe them down with a dry-damp cloth and let them dry before using. You may have to vacuum out the crumbs from the bottom of the machine as well.

We did this for 5 years and absolutely loved it. It's the best of both worlds, or at least it was for us. The first year was in a cooperative school and the next four were in a classical Christian school operating on a university schedule, 3 half days there 2 at home. In middle school in went to 3 full days. In both schools, they did the "main" teaching and reinforcement was done at home in lesson form (they provided a schedule/list of assignments), and there was regular homework as well. In the cooperative school for 4th grade we had to buy the books. The classical school (5th-8th) was a regular school and books were part of tuition. I liked that ds got the best parts of "regular" school with classmates, field trips, class parties, play/gym time and special stuff like history and science fairs, yet he also had the best parts of homeschooling. He got plenty of mom/dad time, extra attention where he needed it, flexibility in our scheduling on home days, school in pjs if he wanted, etc. Mom and dad are by necessity still very involved and in tune with what is going on day to day. There will also be more communication with the teacher than you would normally have, again by necessity. I liked being much more atuned to what was going on because problems were dealt with immediately and not allowed to grow. Curriculum choice wasn't an issue for us in 5th-8th because they used the Veritas Press curriculum which is exactly what we would have used. Every school is different. Make sure you understand exactly what the school will be responsible for and what your responsibilities will be in detail. Make sure you are clear on the rules, etc. If they have been doing this for awhile they will probably have their act down, a good thing for you.

I choose worship God, but in fact it is the first 3, and I would add obedience in there as well.

If a teacher were to talk about their Christian faith in a public school setting I'm pretty sure they would be opening themselves up to a lawsuit by a parent(s) and possible dismissal. We had all 3 of our dc in public school for a few years. Youngest ds was there for grades 1-3 and older 2 went for high school. One of their teachers was our pastors wife, school in a conservative area, and she was not allowed to say anything about her faith. However several, and I do mean several, of the other teachers spoke out against religion in general and Christianity in particular all the time like it was accepted fact. Ridicule and demeaning comments were common. It was one of the factors in us pulling youngest ds out after 3rd grade and putting him a Christian co-op and eventually Christian school. We wanted him to have a Biblical world view and not be made to feel like an ignorant freak because he believed in the Bible. It's extremely important for young children who are just starting their walk of faith to be able to talk to all of the adults in their life, or at least most of them, about their journey, especially someone they are spending 6-7 hours a day with 5 days a week. Our older two have only in the past few years realized what had happened to them in high school. The indoctrination they received there caused many problems in our family. Wanting to fit in with their peers and not be ridiculed in front of them factored in too.

:iagree:

I lived in east TN for many years and never bothered to plant directly in the soil. Even trying to amend it didn't work for me. CountryGirl2 is correct; the clay soil is just too heavy and nutrient-deficient. I finally just went to raised beds. I did the soil mixture in Square Foot Gardening, but you could just use the bagged soil you get a Lowe's, and mix in additional compost/fertilizer to renew the soil the next year. There would be no need to replace it totally every year. If your garden is very large, you may be able to get it delivered instead of buying the large bags and it would probably be more cost effective. I am in a situation right now where I live in a place with excellent natural soil, but we are temporarily in a rental where I can't have a garden, so I am doing the container gardening thing. I did this last year and used the Miracle-Grow with the fertilizer already in it and my vegetables did great! I had tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, cucumbers and beans. Everything grew really well and no fertilizing all summer!

For those of you who cut sugar out of your diet, did that include fruit, or only certain fruits? Can someone explain what a "paleo" diet is? If you have done "fit for life", is it possible to follow the diet if you don't like beans?

:iagree:

If you are allowed to see a specialist without a referral I would say yes. Ask around though and get some recommendations.

Dawn, you can have hypothyroidism for years before it shows up in your bloodwork. My dr told me I had textbook symptoms but since my levels were normal (high-normal actually), he wouldn't treat me. Then I changed states and my dr. said they are learning to go by the symptoms instead of just the levels. I have been on meds for 5 years now and am just now getting the hardly-any-hair growing thing. I guess I need to have my levels checked again. Ask your dr if they will let you try a low-dose of Synthroid. They may want to you try the generic, but be warned it doesn't work for many of us. I would insist on the Synthroid. My dr said it is one of the few meds they don't recommend a generic for because the generic can deviate a tiny bit from one prescription to the next and in thyroid meds that can make a lot of difference. If you are hypothyroid and you do get meds for it you will be amazed at how much better you feel. The symptoms creep up so slowly, over years, and you don't realize how badly you have been feeling until you aren't feeling that way anymore. Hope you can get the help you need.

A "judgmental slob"? Wow. Nice.

I am not unappreciative of what moms with careers outside of the home do. After my mom was widowed, she worked full time plus took in typing for college students (yes, I am dating myself here), on weekends. I also know what it's like on the other side of it, and just wanted something different for my family.

I get the odd looks and silence too when I tell people I am a SAHM, especially since my oldest ds is 18 and a senior, even from some at my very conservative church. I cannot afford the latest fashions either. Most of the time it is jeans and sneakers and (nice) casual shirts. I have been called a throw-back too. Truth is, I am happy at home. I am able to put home-cooked meals on the table, keep up on my house, (mostly :tongue_smilie:), garden and can, and I spend time volunteering at school and church. I am available for emergencies and dh, who has a very stressful job and puts in long hours, likes coming home to dinner on the table, clean clothes in the closest, and a calm, fairly orderly home. He tells me often how much he appreciates what I do. I am there when my ds comes home from school. He tells me all the time how nice it is not to have to come home to an empty house. If I happen to be out he calls me to ask where I am and when I will be home :). I was a daycare/latchkey kid for many years and always swore I would live in a tent if I had to if it meant I could be home with my kids. I'm sorry you have gotten so many angry, negative comments. :confused: I'm sure I'll probably get a few aimed in my direction as well. So be it.