Mom or mommy or dad or daddy.

I saute some onions and garlic in olive oil. Then add the eggplant (peeled and cubed). Add a little broth or water and a can of tomatoes and a dash of cumin. Let it cook until the eggplant is soft - around 30 minutes. I love this over rice and chicken. Just yesterday I made this to put over pork chops, so it's very versatile!

We're in the exact same situation. We took a trip in January and I knew it may be our last as a family and it's HARD!!!! ((((hugs))))

I wear it because I think I look better with it. Period. I'm more confident when I'm put together (and to me, that's nice clothing and makeup) and people treat me differently.

Really? This is typical? We've not had this experience and we've had AAA for the last 10 years, at least. They usually arrive within 10 minutes or so. One time, we had to wait an hour. But we were in a safe area. I'm so sorry your son had to deal with that.

I try to dress nicely every day. That means nice clothes (no sweats), hair done, and usually makeup. I do it because I feel good when I do. But, I know dh appreciates it. I like it when he tries to look nice too.

Dh did ours last week. It says the money will be in our checking account on the 10th! Woohoo! We are going to use it to pay state and city taxes and to replenish our savings account. We might need some of it to pay off the cc this month - we have car insurance on both cars, home insurance, and a $1600 payment for my kids to row for the spring.

My husband LOVES his job. Absolutely loves it. There are some days that are harder than others (and some years that are harder than others!), but overall he picked the right profession!

Dd is there 15 hours at new L3. Our L4s are there 19!

I'm just curious. How many hours a week is she there now?

I'm going to be watching this thread. My dd (she's only 8!) has been asking to shave her legs. So far, I've put her off. But, she's a gymnast and she has VERY long and thick leg hair. I'm considering it.

PS Was anyone else at Circle of Stars this weekend???? Meg's group went on Friday. And, her next meet, she'll move up an age group, so I don't expect she'll keep up with this kind of placing all season!

Congrats t your dd! It's so fun to see their hard work pay off! Our gym just moved a bunch of girls up to the new level 6 so they could move up to optionals. We've opted to keep dd back due to the hours she'd be training. She JUST turned 8 and at the gym 15 hours a week. If she moves up, they'd want her 20. ((hugs)) I'm so sorry. Can you ask the gym if they can work something out? One of our moms cleans the gym for tuition. Maybe an option? Congrats to your dd!!! My dd just had her second meet. First place beam, fifth place vault, second place floor, and third place bars. 2nd AA!!!!

What??? None of that is appropriate and I can't see any of it happening at our gym. So, is your dd not coompeting this year? Or did you switch gyms?

Windsor Hills really is as great as it looks! The pool/club area is amazing. They bring in live entertainment quite often, which adds to the vacation "feel". They have a movie theater and will play what you want them to. The grounds are impecably kept. The playgrounds are fun - lots of climbing structures, life size chess board, merry-go-round, etc, etc, etc. We have done both on-property and Windsor Hills. They are different vacations. When we stay on property, we always get free dining. So, that vacation is truly care-free. No car, no cooking, etc. But, there isn't much space at ALL in the rooms and doing laundry is much harder. Off-property there is room to spread out. We usually stay longer to have a few off days from the parks to enjoy the property. But, I end up doing some of the cooking (or all of it if we are trying to make it a cheap trip!). And, you would need a car to get to the parks. But, every park is VERY easy to get to by car and faster than the bus service (except Magic Kingdom). Laundry is right there in the unit, so it's easy to pack light. There is NO catch, I swear. I usually contact an owner individually. Sometimes they'll give you a better rate than on their website. Or, they will waive the cleaning fee. This is where we stay: www.bestcondostay.com Gary, the owner is very easy to work with. It's just a condo - so not a full house. But, it's 1400 sq. ft. It's very close to the pool (some of the houses you'd have to drive). We've paid as little as $70/night there. I think our January and September stays have been the cheapest. (I read somewhere that the pool will be closed in September for renovations - so you might want to be aware of that!)

I stalk cruise prices and jump when I find a good one. That cruise was the second week in January last year. We have booked all sorts of rooms on cruises. My favorite by far is two connecting balcony rooms, but it is more expensive. That cheap cruise was two interior rooms. Our last cruise (a couple weeks ago), we booked a balcony room with an interior room across the hall. I get the balcony and the kids get the interior! Works great! We've never done a suite. We have a credit card that gives us cash back. I put EVERYTHING on that card and end up cashing out before a vacation. I usually earn back about $1000 a year.

My dd just turned 8 and still wears a size 6 or 7 and weighs 42 pounds. She wears a size 10 shoe. She's tiny! She prefers to wear stretch pants and long shirts or sweaters in the winter. Ugg style boots with mis-matched socks underneath. Summer - usually a skirt with bike shorts underneath so she can flip. We can't find shorts that are comfy enough for her. She had one pair last summer that she wore a lot with tank tops. Flip flops on the feet. Every day.

Specific recommendations include Windsor Hills in Orlando. That would give you LOTS of options as far as entertainment. We've also stayed on Anna Maria Island in Florida. Absolutely gorgeous beaches. Clearwater beach is fun too. Lots of things to keep you busy there. I'm not helping, am I? We really like FL! We also cruise as a family. If you go during off times, they can be fairly inexpensive. We went on one last year for $2400 for our family of 6 for six nights on Royal Caribbean. All the entertainment and food are taken care of for you.

We rent out a condo or house. We drive there to save flight money. We cook most of our own meals while there. We spend our money on the condo and entertainment. Next year we are going to try an all-suites hotel in Myrtle Beach. We'll see how we like that!

Definitely try out whatever medication you decide to take on the ship before you leave. Just make sure it doesn't make you drowsy or loopy. And, I've read to start taking it the day before you get on the ship. Hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised and not need any! My family has been on a number of cruises and only one of us got mildly seasck on one of them. (We had 20 foot waves that day.) He took Bonine that the doctor was handing out and was fine.

I'm bumping this because my daughter had her first meet yesterday and she ROCKED it!!!! Floor: First place (9.55) Beam: Second place (8.4 - Hello? The beam scores were ALL low. They only gave out one above a 9 all day) Vault: Third place (8.8 - it's her nemesis!) Bars: Second place (9.35) AA: 36.125 FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!!!

DS1: 8 pounds 8 ounces DS2: 8 pounds 14 ounces DS3: 10 pounds 2 ounces DD4: 8 pounds, 10 ounces So, dd was in the middle of her non-giant brothers. I was SO relieved she was smaller than ds3! It's weird, but my boys were always VERY tall. They are currently all over 6 foot. Dd was and still is TINY for her age.

Yes. I would. And, I have. When we travel, my 17, 16, and 13 yo are able to walk around the hotel/resort/cruise without us, so I see no reason not to let them stay in the room by themselves. I've left each in charge of their little sister in a hotel room too. Hmmmm . . . . reading over responses, I realized we've never really talked about fire. Must do that.

How old is your ds? At a certain age/maturity, I'd take his opinion into consideration when making the decision. If it's a really young child I'd also give the diet a chance. If it is really hard, I'd consider the drug. (And I could see where this would get difficult - I have a son who has been allergic to nuts for as long as he can remember. Now that he's a teen, he keeps taking chances. He's driving me nuts. If there were a drug that could help him, I'd do it because it could possibly save his life.)

This is EXACTLY what I take to the parks with me! LOL We still take a stroller for my little one who gets tired easily after a day at the parks. A backpack gets ponchos, trading pins, autograph books, water, medication (I just bring in Advil and Benadryl), and chapstick. If it is chilly, I'll carry a hat and gloves for each person in the backpack. If it's rainy, I'll occasionally carry an extra pair of socks too. I HATE wet feet! I use a fanny pack (I know, I know!) to carry my phone and ID. I don't like to carry my phone in my pocket, so a fanny pack it is!