Thanks! We're going on a cruise soon too and I need a few new things. (Any chance you're leaving out of Miami on the Getaway on 1/3/15????)

Dh's family has this. In their case, it's hemochromatosis. It's genetic and quite easy to control. Is this for you?

How pathetic am I? I usually pay the extra for overnight because I just can't wait. Patience is not a strong point of mine.

My son got his scores today. He was very pleased. He's an rower and being recruited by quite a few Division I schools. They've told him they'd like him to have a certain (high, IMO) score and he was 10 points shy. He will take it again, but his times for rowing are quite a bit faster than they have to be. So, maybe they'll be okay with the 10 point difference.

LOL! Start saving now! I should probably add that my kids are all VERY active. Two of them row twice a day six days a week and Meg is a gymnast and works out 18 hours a week. The 18 yo does weightlifting and runs. So, that adds to the caloric intake, I'm sure!!!

In addition to our meals, my kids have snacked since Friday on: Six pounds of yogurt Three boxes of granola (eaten on the yogurt) One pound of peanut butter Six loaves of bread Six pounds of chicken (I keep frozen tenderloins for them to cook up as a snack) Two pounds of hummus Six pounds of carrots Three bags of corn chips a HUGE thing of guacamole Five pounds of potatoes LOTS of rice (I keep a huge pot cooked in the fridge) 2.5 pounds of cottage cheese 2 pounds of cheese (mostly cooked as grilled cheese) 2 pounds of salsa 6 pounds of apples 5 pounds of clementies 3 pounds of pears a bunch of bananas This was in THREE DAYS people!!! THREE days. This is in addition to fairly large meals: eggs, bacon, toast, oatmeal, potatoes for breakfast (The older two really eat ALL of this) leftovers for lunch (If there are any) Meat (last night I cooked 4 pounds of chicken and sausage in a jambalaya and there was not much leftover), starch, salad, and another type of veggie for dinner.

Oh DUH!!! How can I forget Be our Guest!!!! It is one of our new favorites!

Boma California Grill O'Hana Bongo's Wolfgang Puck Dh and I are split, but I really like Coral Reef. Dh is just "meh" Whispering Canyon for the experience, the food is ok What about the dinner shows? Hoop-De-Do is hilarious! And we liked the hula show too. I know there are more, but I can't think of them right now. Enjoy!!! Do you want counter service places too?

I didn't see your post a couple weeks ago. But, is this new? Or has she always had anxiety? Because if this is a new thing, please look up PANDAS. The all-day crying panic attack sounds so much like my daughter after she got PANDAS. ((hugs)) to you. I'm so sorry you and your daughter are going through this.

We just had an in-house meet last weekend. Dd's coach wanted anyone who is moving up to score at least a 32 at this point. (Two months until first official meet.) Meg had no problem with it, so she's officially a level 4. She's 8. She currently struggles with bars. She can't do her kip straight-armed yet. She'll get it though. Nicole - all of our girls skip level 5, but they move straight into 6. We have an Xcel program at our gym, but it's used mostly for older girls just starting out or those who want a smaller committment. I wish we were going to FL this year! We are doing a TON of traveling with Meg this year. Las Vegas, Kalahari (Ohio), New York, and a bunch of MI meets. Her state meet is in Traverse City, MI, which will require another hotel. This is getting really expensive, really fast!!!

My son said the same thing. He came home talking about how easy it was! He says he thinks he got a perfect math score. And, there were only a couple questions overall he thinks he MIGHT have missed. We'll see.

Curlformers!!! Check amazon. She would need your help, but they make ringlet curls without heat.

Did you try the Benadryl? If that works and reduces the swelling, you can be pretty sure it's an allergy.

A neighbor gave me Clary Sage to help with my heavy cycle a couple months ago. For the first time in YEARS, I had a light cycle. I've had one ever since. Except when we went away and I didn't take the oil with me. It was heavy again. Since then, I've dabbled in oils. I bought a Young Living starter kit and we are LOVING it. The kids have been enjoying certain scents and I swear my daughter was getting sick and thieves kept it at bay. I'll put something in the diffuser and not tell the kids what it's for. My depressed, Eeyore kid? He loves the oil called Joy. My anxious kid? He loves the one called Peace and Calming. They did NOT know the names before they loved it. I'm using Frankensence on my face at night. It helps with wrinkles!!!! I swear I don't sell the stuff. These are just things I've seen happen in the last couple months.

Laymani.com. I was really impressed With them!

PS. Just wait until you have to turn the stupid thing! I nearly had a panic attack! The stupid key got caught and I couldn't get it out of the spacer. Ugh. It will get easier I hope!

Do you know where the band is? My son just had this last week (he got his spacer yesterday). He was able to get the band back in by using dental floss. He had watched how they got them into his mouth and copied that. Ds had one fall out the night before he had the spacer put in and those two teeth were definitely tighter than the others when he got the spacer put in. So, I'd say definitely try to get it back in or call and find out what the ortho says!

How far are you willing to travel? My brother and his wife just adopted an adorable boxer from a breeder in Ohio. I can get the name if you want.

These!!!! My very picky daughter absolutely loves these recipes!!!

Make sure the person drawing the blood has a lot of experience with kids. It will make it go a lot faster. I still have a teen boy who FAINTS when he has to have blood drawn. It's a true phobia for him.

A couple thoughts - Definitely look at Port Orleans Riverside. Sleeps five and we were quite comfortable with our two teen boys and 8 yo girl in the room. Of course, we weren't there often. Being that you are there for such a long time, I'd definitely price out a DVC rental with paying for dining vs. POR with free dining. There is laundry at POR. I know others chimed in about the DVC places. Know that you can do it at POR too! Just not in your unit. Traveling on Disney transport - You need a system. You need a stroller that folds easily. You need a bag or bags that can be easily grabbed from the stroller and carried. You don't want a bunch of STUFF in the bottom of the stroller as you'll have to fold it to get on a bus. We usually carry a bag in the back of the stroller with rain gear, sunscreen, mittens/hats (time of year dependent), and my son's medication. When you get to the bus station at night, we grab the bag, get the kid out of the stroller (usually asleep) and fold the stroller. Easy peasy. Less is more. Food. Our Disney obsession started because of our son's food allergies. We were amazed that we could eat out for ALL our meals and take a true vacation. There may be a learning curve for you if you get the dining plan, but you'll quickly learn what works for you and your kids and the chefs will accommodate. It sounds silly, but the food and dining is a MAJOR reason we go to Disney so often. (And, we've branched out to the cruises too!) Be Our Guest was wonderful!!! we got lucky and scored dinner reservations a week before our trip last year. ABSOLUTELY amazing!!!! Go. I would definitely just get the 10 days over the 8. It's not that much more expensive and it allows you more freedom - especially considering your kids' ages. It might be easier to rent/buy a MacLaren umbrella stroller. Get two. They fold up to nothing. A double stroller is HUGE at the end of the night when you have to fold it up and get on a bus. It might be easier to have two smaller ones. Christmas party - I've also read that it's not as good as the Halloween party. We just did the Halloween party a couple weeks ago and it was truly amazing. I've never done the Christmas party. But, it does require you stay up late to enjoy. We had to prep our daughter to get her to stay up for it!!! She was a trooper and rode Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain about 10x between 11:30 and 12:30 am!!! Love that kid!

Add one more person to your list. Ds was hit by a car last year while out cycling. Yes. Ds carries ID and always will when out exercising. All my kids will.

We've been impressed too. Our local one is really fast. Compare that to an hour wait at the pediatrician. :( CVS is now our go-to in case of illness.

Yup! When we were on RCCL a couple years ago, we could bring two bottles per stateroom (I think!). Disney allows unlimited. Our RCCL ship did not have laundry. But, we could send some out if necessary. It was expensive!! So, you'll probably want to bring a few extra things. Do a lot of mix and match and plan to re-wear things. I've never done Alaska, but my parents did and they brought everything from hot weather gear to very cold weather gear and they needed it all!!!

http://cruiseadvice.org/RoyalCaribbean/DressCode.aspx