This made me wonder exactly how much I spend on a loaf of bread. My recipe calls for: Wheat salt olive oil yeast lecithin sugar gluten flour I bought 25 pounds of wheat berries for under $10. (Apparently that's cheap according to what the rest of you pay! I hope that doesn't go up!) That makes 60 cups (very approximate) of flour. I need 3 1/2 cups/recipe. So, that 25# will make 17 loaves of bread. So, the wheat is 58 cents/loaf. Salt and sugar are so minimal they're hardly worth adding into the cost. Olive oil - I use about 1 t. So, maybe 10 cents/loaf? Yeast - I think it'd be about 10 cents as well (I buy in bulk). Lecithin is maybe another 5 cents. Gluten flour. No idea. I bought a 5 # bag about 6 months ago and it's still 7/8 full. so, maybe 5 cents. Grand total per loaf is 88 cents (and I think I'm estimating high). For me to buy a loaf of bread without any of the bad stuff around me, I'd be spending at least $4/loaf. So, in my neck of the woods, it's certainly cheaper!!!

Jason Castro was AMAZING!!!!!! He sang one of my favorite songs! Kristy Lee Cook redeemed herself a bit. Carly wasn't very good, unfortunately (I like her!). Simon thought she looked good though! David Cook didn't have his best performance. Just okay. Seysha - I didn't like her much. Dh did though. David A was awesome too. Brooke was just okay. She's consistent - always happy and sweet. Michael Johns - I liked him a lot. I don't remember what the judges said though. The thing that struck me the most tonight was Paula. She had on this outfit that made her look naked when the camera panned in at all! It was SOOOOO low cut. We had a good laugh!!

In sixth grade I was the Good Witch From the West. I played various roles in unknown plays after that. In high school, I was a choir girl in South Pacific and Fiddler on the Roof. Then, I realized I'd MUCH rather be in the pit orchestra. I played in countless musicals (some professionally!) as a violinist from 10th grade on.

Our playroom is a finished basement and I LOVE it! We finished our basement in our last house and it was absolutely perfect. So, we're replicating it in our new (to us) house. All the toys fit in a closet. We are having this built around four shelves that are 24' long!! On these shelves are ALL the toys in bins. We have a TV down there with two comfy couches. We also have a dresser down there with all the costumes. Other than that, it's all open space - nearly 600 sq. ft. We're going to have it carpeted to make it softer (right now it's tiled). We just painted it a cream color so that it would be light and airy. I love that the toys can be hidden and it is just a big open space for the kids to play! Have fun decorating!!

My sister is going through this with her 21 month old. She did some research and found a few things that are supposed to help. I don't have any of her sources (I think she read some things linked from Mothering.com). She isn't home right now to ask, but off the top of my head, she mentioned vitamin D, probiotics, and a type of omega (sorry - I can't remember which one). She also mentioned someone saying that raw milk helped. I'll ask her when she gets home and post again. But, do a preliminary search on the discussion boards at Mothering. That ought to get you started.

Ummmm. . . this is a violation of a board rule, I believe. Thou shalt not post about a recipe without actually posting THE recipe!!!! :lol: Seriously - I'd love it if you have time to type it out. It used to be worth it for me to buy them. But, Trader Joe's tortillas just increased in price by over 20%. Now I want to make them!

I have a doctor who encourages vaccines, but he also respects his patient's ability to do the research and decide what is best for their family. I listen to him and which shots he feels are important and why. I go home and research them and make the decision. Usually we agree, but when we don't I get to make the final say because I am the parent. I don't think it necessarily has to be a different approach to healthcare - mutual respect and understanding can go a long way!!

I used to work for an insurance company in provider relations. The insurance company gave bonuses to doctors who followed certain "rules." If the patients in that dr's practice received vaccines on time; if the patients came in once/year for an ob exam; if the ob's c-section rates were at or below a certain rate; if the doctors didn't refer people out of network, etc, they were elegible for a bonus. Now, not all doctors really cared and would do what was best for that particular patient. My doctor at the time referred dh to a wonderful out-of-network specialist just because he was the best. I think most doctors are that way, but there are some for whom the money is important!

We just moved last October and our house is the exact same way!!! How annoying! We just put a ceiling fan in dd's bedroom and we plan to do the same in the rest of the bedrooms. Our spring list: Outdoor: pull up two trees out front paint shutters/front door hang new house numbers replace lighting out front repaint deck buy patio furniture do something with the mud pit that is our back yard plant flowers Indoor: Paint boys' room Finish updating 2 bathrooms Carpet basement Have glass block windows installed in basement Have closet built in basement Tile steps to basement Install runner on upstairs steps Re-do fireplace install new tv Yea - we're going to be really busy!!!

We did this last year. We told the kids in advance that they wouldn't be getting any presents from us for Christmas. Santa still visited and they still got gifts from other relatives, however. But, we opted to go to Disney as a big family gift. We went in January though. The kids never complained. They got enough from other people. ANd, we had a GREAT trip! I agree with the PP who said that they'll expect it every year though!! We've already booked our Disney Cruise for next January! And, the kids know there'll be no presents from us under the tree. Have fun!!

You know, I never had children who went more than 2 - 3 hours between their feedings until they started solid food. So, that sounds perfectly normal to me! :001_smile: Some kids are "snackers" and eat less, more often throughout the day. Has she always eaten this way? Or is this a change? When my kids went through a growth spurt, their nursing habits changed dramatically for about a week (like nursing every hour!), and then we were back to normal. I also have to remind myself to drink water. It isn't something that I like - at all! I keep a glass out and every time I go past the sink, I fill it and drink it. It helps if I have fresh lemon to put in it! But, I like Abbeyej's suggestion about putting what you're supposed to get in a day out as a reminder.

Oh how sweet!! You must be enjoying the same weather we did today. It was 70 here for the first time all year! Everyone was outside running and walking dogs or riding bikes. I LOVE the way I feel after spending a day in the wind and sun!

This is a good point. I really respect any decision that people make for their family as long as it is well-researched. I also appreciate Alice's post!

Wow. This is a little personal. I never told you that YOU annoyed me. I said that it was the attitude I had a problem with. I am not upset with the differing opinion. Yes, the comment about WalMart got under my skin. It felt like you were stating that, because my kids aren't up to date with their vaccines (they will be - just on a different schedule than most), that you felt they should be isolated. Like they were a danger to society. That really felt like a sock in the gut to me. Sounds like I misread you, and I'm sorry for that. But, as far as my child in the waiting room near another child who has had his or her vaccines, I guess I don't see the logic.

Seriously?? I mean, if your children are vaccinated, then do you REALLY need to worry about my unvaccinated child sitting near yours? If you truly trust the vaccine (and I'm assuming you do because you got them for your children), then, where's the risk? Attitudes like this really make me upset. For the record, we delay vaccines because my first is on the autism spectrum and I believe he was harmed by his vaccines.

This is mine too!! We use the recipes in here for everything - like all those cream of mushroom soups and Bisquik type recipes. I LOVE their vegetarian selections too.

Wow!! That's one big boy! How much does he weigh? You could pass along his hand-me-downs to my petite dd! At 26 months, she's still wearing mostly 12 or 18 month clothing. She only weighs 21 pounds though. Tiny!

I don't have much to add, but if you get to Mackinac Island, go to the Butterfly House. It is very nice! If you can swing it, stay a night at the Grand Hotel. It is a truly wonderful experience. We go every other year in October (when the rates are cheaper!). It takes me a day or two to unwind and truly be able to relax and enjoy the slower pace of the island. The service at the Grand is wonderful. Prices include a HUGE breakfast and a 5 course dinner (with dancing and a live band). Take a tour of the island on a horse drawn carraige and then rent bikes and tour it yourselves. Plus all the other things the people above have mentioned! You'll have a great time!

Wow! That sounds very promising! I'll keep her in my prayers.

I've never noticed a smell from my Kleen Kanteens. We chose those over the other "green" water bottles because they're stainless steel and not aluminum.

YES!!!! I used to drive 45 minutes regularly to go to a TJs!!! I now do my regular grocery shopping at TJs as one opened 2 miles from my house! But, I always make sure to buy: WINE!! whole wheat wraps pita bread organic peanut butter organic jellies milk yogurt eggs nuts organic chips frozen thai meals (any of them really!) frozen veggies and fruit for smoothies (yum!) salsa coffee tea I'm just starting to try some of their signature products - the prepared stuff. I haven't had anything there that I haven't liked yet! You'll LOVE it!!! One of my favorite things is that they empty your cart for you. That's one of the hardest things for me to do when I go to the other grocery store because I've usually got the baby with me. Oh - and they give the kids balloons and fruit leathers!!

Dh uses these. He has two DVDs and you alternate them. One is cardio (5 minutes of yoga, 41 minutes workout, plus 6 minute ab workout). The other is a sculpt DVD and it's 38 minutes. It includes dumbells (or elastic band), squats, and pushups. He finds them challenging and has had to work up to actually doing the entire dvd. The workout is intense. You work your way up on them by deciding how heavy the weights and how many reps to do. I decided that I didn't need anything quite that difficult, so he's on his own on these!! I use the Leslie Sansome Walk Away the Pounds (I've been doing the 4 mile walk daily!) and a balance ball workout that is sculpting. I think it's great that you and your dh want to do this together though!! It's a great example for your kids!!

This is what I was thinking too. If you want to try cloth diapers, they are initially an investment, but then they pay for themselves. I bought $200 worth of diapers for my first and they lasted two babies. With my third, I bought some new ones and probably spent a total of $100. With my fourth (and only girl - so I needed some of the new cute girly pink ones!), I spent about another $200. That's $500 total for 4 kids! Pretty good! Sleepers are cheap (try second hand stores!). $10 maybe! Sling - I made one out of $4 worth of fabric for my sister. If you have a sewing machine - try it! Very easy and affordable. The only thing I would add is a car seat. I chose to get a really nice one for $150. But, you can get them much cheaper! We found that a high chair wasn't needed. We just bought a booster (with a belt) for our table for $30. I got lots of things as gifts - swing, bouncy seat, exersauser, etc. So, those were cheap! But, you can get those types of things free off freecycle. Now that my kids are older, they are costing more. But, dh is making a lot more money than he was when we first started having kids! We still buy many of their clothes second hand and save money where we can. But, I don't think that having kids has to be very expensive at all!!

Awwww. Thank you so much for thinking of us. Dd has a bad headache when the Advil wears off, but she's back to acting very normal (after meds take effect!). Ds is fine. He and I had a talk last night about how accidents happen and I reiterated the fact that we don't blame him. Dh told him how proud he was of him and his relationship with dd. I think he walked away feeling really good. He seems completely normal today. Thank you so much for asking. You don't know how much that means to me!!! I'd give you more rep, but I can't!!!

I buy wild rice from my food coop in bulk (think, 25 pounds!!). Is there a food coop you could join? Or a health food store near you?