I am sure we might have had summers like this before, but not really in my memory (and I have lived here my whole life). It is unbelievable. I am enjoying sun but I have to say, heat not so much. It is getting a bit oppressing. Yesterday I went to work for a few hours (I work casually) thinking "great, air conditioner". It was broken!! I have never been so hot in my life. I have even donned a swim suit and joined my kids in their little pool (I have never done that.) And then there's the pesky lack of sleep grumpiness I feel creeping up on me. We usually tell people we live in a "moderate, coastal climate" . . . I like moderate! :001_smile:

I think the biggest reason for flipping it is because the underneath heat cooks the dough quite quickly, from the bottom. I flipped it (according to directions) to give both surfaces a crispiness. Also when I added my toppings, which were fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil the crust didn't get soggy (actually even the left overs). When I served the pizza I also sprinkled some olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the top. You do have watch that the grill isn't too hot, to avoid charring the dough. This was a Cooking Light recipe.

We are in a heat wave, which is very unusual where I live. Actually I can't remember the last time we had a decent summer so I'm trying not to complain and enjoy it. But it's hot. In desperation I decided to try grilling a pizza, which I know is a fairly popular technique but I've been hesitant to try. Anyway, I made my dough. After it rose I rolled it out onto a piece of non stick alumium foil. Then I slid that onto my hot barbecue, closed the lid and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Then I flipped the dough over and grilled the other side a couple of minutes. Then I added topping, grilled it again for maybe 5 - 10 minutes. Unbelievably delicious crust. Way better than what I've ever achieved in the oven (and I'm a pizza pro 'cause it's my favourite food). The crust was crispy and chewy. Try it!

I am 44 and had a hysterectomy when I was 41 so I really don't know what my hormonal situation is :001_smile: (although my dh might offer his opinion :lol:).

I don't know why I would now develop this problem when I've never eaten healthier in my life. I bake and cook virtually everything from scratch. I do follow weight watchers diet (although I have been on a long, frustrating plateau) and exercise daily. The body is a strange thing!

I do drink 3 cups of coffee, which I love, each day. I only put skim milk in it. If the dr. tells me to cut caffeine . . . I'll be one sad woman! :)

In the last year, sporadically, and lately more frequently, I get this internal shaky feeling sometimes accompanied by headaches. The shakiness isn't visible externally, it's just a shaky feel I have in my torso (not in my limbs). Oh usually I feel this in the morning, not so much later in the day although today it hasn't really left me. Anyone experience similar symptoms? I have an appointment to see my dr on Thursday a.m. I have't been in 3 yrs and figured it wouldn't hurt to see him (especially annoying are the headaches).

Nine years! I can't believe how time flies. Sometimes I wish I could do things over and differently but I'm trying not to lament the "mistakes", rather learn from them and celebrate some of the successes.

So far it has always been possible, not always overly convenient (like when my niece got married in January which required a 9 hour trip on very snowy highways and we had a less than reliable vehicle at the time). It's a good way to get together with family members we might not see very often. We are a close knit family.

My Creative Zen Vision M mp3 is ancient by mp3 standards . . . 3 years old and still works beautifully and I use it virtually everyday. It's quite big though (compared to modern day mp3's :)) and so I have a tiny creative stone that I use for running. I am really happy with my Creative products.

Exercise 6 out of 7 days each week.

But it doesn't really work with my desire to drop a few pounds!! Thanks though. When my dh can join us I think we'll do this as a treat.

They're a bonus for me following the weight watchers diet. Thanks for the reminder.

Good idea. You're right the kids would love it.

That'll have to be next picnic menu. .. .we're on our way out the door! Thanks for the suggestions.

I too love PW's Asian salad. . . thanks for the reminder. And roll ups were a good idea too . . . my son will love those. Chicken pita's are indeed loved by all . . . we had those a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for your responses.

Finally this year we're actually having a summer (weather wise) and so we've been picnicking a lot. So tonight I am planning to take the kids. DH is working night shift so he won't be joining us. What can I make? We've done the hot dog thing more than I care to think about. Regular sandwiches (any ideas for something a bit more novel?), potato salad, bean salad. I want something healthy, not too time consuming and delicious. Any ideas? Thanks.

She was diagnosed about two weeks ago. My friend is making big improvements. She was in an induced coma on a ventilator 10 days ago but yesterday I heard that she is up and around. Praying the same for your family member.

I remember the years we were having our home studies done for our adoptions. I remember feeling crazy trying to anticipate what the social workers would be looking for!

I do have some expectation from the kids. They do dishes and vacuuming and sometimes bathrooms and my daughter helps with laundry. I need to start assigning the extras too. As I've been working through the house I hear myself saying to myself (sounds like I have a problem hey?) "the kids could be doing this job". And you're right. Tomorrow I'm adding to their assignments. As for cooking . . . not so much. I have a huge problem with the kitchen. I love to cook and I don't really want to relinquish these duties which is so wrong I know. I have a friend who is planning to exchange some teaching in the fall. She's going to do some home Ec (because she's way more relaxed in the kitchen than I am) and I will teach logic and English. I'm thinking once the kids have some basic instruction I'll be able to loosen up myself. (They're not completely useless in the kitchen and can poach eggs, etc.) Thanks for the suggestions and the prod to higher my expectations for the kids.

Yeah and my mom baked bread (which I do too) but without any machines, all by hand!

I do a good job as a homemaker, baking and cooking and keeping the kids clothed and bathed.:001_smile: It's just all those other things . . . fingerprints on door frames, windows (I finally removed a dirt spot on the outside of my living room window today), sorting through the file cabinet (which turned out to be a trip down memory lane because apparently it's been 10 years since I've done a major sort. I want to finish this week because next week I want to work on school preparations. Thanks for the encouragement.

I've set aside three weeks in July to catch up on all those jobs I don't get around to during the school year. I'm concentrating on the areas that bug me the most. Today I realized why my mom was able to keep a neater home than I (well besides the fact that we had a lot less "stuff" growing up). Her full time job was homemaking. Homeschooling really does detract from a clean house although I wouldn't trade it!

I just listened to an interview with the author today. I also have the book but haven't read it yet but I'm putting it on the top of my reading pile.

You've listed the important things (what about medications)? I just wanted to say I'll pray for you guys. At the end of the day, leave when they tell you to leave (just listening to the radio and hearing how many people ignore evacuation orders). Stuff is just stuff. Stay safe. (I hope I don't sound callous saying stuff is stuff. I have family in the area and I know how hard it is to leave homes with the possibility of loosing them. I'm truly sorry you're going through this.)