I don't. But my dh does. He's doing low carb, so he limits his sugars. He will eat any kind of berry though. He also limits certain veggies (carrots, for instance, are higher in carbs). Good luck!! I've been able to lose 15 pounds just by limiting my serving sizes and working out daily. I'm not willing to give up my favorite foods!!

Yes. We do like some of you do - stock up on spring toys - bubbles, sidewalk chalk, etc. One year we did matching monogrammed beach towels with bathing suits. Another year we bought them their baseball equipment (catchers equipment, new mitts, bags, etc). Stuff we'd buy anyway usually. This year we may get them a basketball hoop. No candy in the baskets!! We get enough of that at church on Easter morning and at the brunch we attend that day.

I've been exercizing every day. I do one of the Walk Away the Pounds Videos for 30 minutes. I also just added a strength training video. I do 20 minutes of those rotating between abs and lower body. Some days I feel really good and I'll do all three, but that's maybe once/week. So, daily, I work out at least 50 minutes. Some days 1 hour and 15 minutes. I'm finding that the more I do, the more I want to do. I can see where this can get addictive!! :D

We just got back from Disney and had a great time, but it wasn't really relaxing! I would think London would be amazing, but again, I would think it would be stressful with the ages of your kids. What kind of thing are you looking for? Do you want to cook? Rent a house? Or go somewhere full service? I recently decided that I was going to budget for a true vacation every year. I do not want to cook and I don't want to get in my car. This year we did Disney for 10 days. Next year we opted for the Disney Cruise. I think next year will be more relaxing. Have you checked into a Disney Cruise? We decided to go with them because we won't have to worry about the content of the shows and any entertainment. The older kids can walk around by themselves on the ship. There is entertainment for the other kids too. It just seemed so relaxing. We're also looking into the Adventures By Disney (are you noticing a theme here? LOL). They have trips all over the country and some overseas as well. (We're saving for one in Rome - the kids get to go to gladiator training. Mom and dad get a full tour of the Colleseum. Mom and dad go wine tasting while kids go gelato tasting! Of course, much of the tour you're together though.) Disney just knows how to cater to ALL ages so well. We're sticking with them for a while. I've also been tempted by those full service family resorts. I think Sandals has a few. They just look so relaxing!! Good luck with your decision!!! I LOVE vacation planning.

I would try calling Land's End. I LOVE their suits and they fit my very long torso really well. They have some really nice suits this season - I just got their catalog yesterday.

Ditto.

Oh my. I'm so sorry for the overwhelming grief you must be feeling. I'll pray for you newly-enlarged family.

okay - I need suggestions about my eyebrows. Mine are so light they can hardly be seen. From the sounds of it, maybe I should be counting my blessings! :D ANyway, what color do you use if you pencil it in? I think anything brown or black would be SOOOO obvious on my pale face. Maybe I'll ask the next time I get my hair cut.

Just curious - What are the requirements of a private school teacher? I thought they didn't have to be certified teachers. Do they even have to have degrees in the subjects they teach? Oh - and Colleen - what would you do?

I just have a sec - We bought a pub style table for our kitchen. I think they're really nice - kinda' less formal than our dining room. Anyway, ours is two toned - the top of the table matches the floor and the legs match our cabinets. That was not on purpose, but it looks really nice! My dd2 has on occasion climbed on one of the chairs and tipped it over on herself. Luckily she wasn't hurt badly, but we do have to watch her very carefully with this set. We have a booster seat that buckles her in when we eat just so she doesn't fall. Have fun choosing!!

That sounds like so much fun!! So, with all these snow threads, where ISN"T it snowing tonight??? We're expecting another 6 inches on top of the 7 we got on Mon night (Mon it was 50 degrees here!). My kids are sick of it!! We've had over 70 inches of snow this year - average is 33!!

I would not homeschool illegally. But, I would probably go through whatever hoops necessary to be able to legally teach my kids at home. I mean, even if they do come out with some sort of legislation like this, there'll have to be a grace period where current homeschooling parents can get certified, I'd imagine. I'd do it. If the demands on my time to get these credentials were just too high, or the cost prohibitive, I think dh and I would have to reconsider our commitment to homeschooling. I'd rather be a really involved mom of a ps student than a stressed out one who doesn't have time to be involved in her kids' lives! But, like most of you, I'll be fighting any legislation on this to the end!

I do. I put on makeup (Bare Minerals - foundation, blush, mascara and a little liner, lip cream), dry my hair, and dress well (I think!). Not too much fancy - nice khakis or brown pants with a sweater in the winter. I can't wait for capri and cute spring skirt season!! My motivation is how I feel. I'm more productive when I'm put together.

Whoa!!! You're expecting?! I guess I missed that announcement! Congratulations!!!! No idea on the science. We use Noeo and Apologia and they're both fairly hands on.

Last week it snowed twice here. 3 - 4 inches each time. Then last Monday it was 50 degrees. Mon night we got 7 inches of snow. We're expecting another 4 - 8 tonight (I think, they keep changing it!). I'm SOOOOO ready NOT to have snow on the ground! Enjoy your blizzard!

Wow! What a relief heh? Congratulations! Enjoy a glass of Mikes tonight as a celebration!

Hey! Welcome. I'm also in the metro-Detroit area!! We have a coop near us that was wonderful, but my high-needs firstborn really didn't do well there. So, we're not involved in anything with other homeschoolers. We've found it helpful to get involved in other activities for the kids. I come here for support! (Oh - I also call my mom every other day or so!! She's a great supporter of homeschooling!)

Asia Danny Luke Totally forgot the other girl. Sorry!!!

I have one like this. He's 7 1/2 and my allergy boy. We only offer healthy foods, yet he chooses not to eat. And, he never complains! FWIW, he doesn't yet weigh 60 pounds (I think he's about 56 pounds) and he's still in a booster seat in the car!! We opted not to make it a big deal. He must sit with us at the dinner table and eat his veggies (he does like those!) and anything else he likes (usually a pasta or bread). If he is hungry after dinner, he is welcome to help himself to yogurt or a piece of fruit. Those are the two snacks I always have available. BUT, he must make it himself and he must clean up after himself. (This is the rule with ANY snack in our house.) Good luck! I do know the struggle!!

Holy Cow!!! LOL I love how organized she is. But, is this in her family room? I just can't imagine a room like that being in such a public "space" in my house! But, I wouldn't mind adding on near the bedrooms!!

It's been two years since I was pregnant, but I had great luck at Land's End. I think they sell larger sizes too. Congratulations, by the way!!

I would take a look at a program like Sonlight or My Father's World. They have so many subjects spelled out for you throughout the year. We use Sonlight as our history spine. They spell out all reading for history, bible, read alouds, readers and a couple other things I'm not remembering right now! Then, you pick you other subjects - math, grammar, writing. Those types of subjects are just a pick up and go type of thing. Just do the next lesson in the book! I chose a science program that has a schedule all spelled out for me too. So, we pick it up and do the next thing on the schedule. I think it's all about finding the right programs with schedules already laid out. That way, you really can just pick it up and "do the next thing!" I think I'd go insane trying to plan all my own schedules for the year! Good luck!!

Hey!! You can freeze yogurt??? I didn't know that! Anyway, we also have an upright freezer and it is FULL most of the time. I use it to stock up on sale items - meat, cheese, milk, veggies, etc. Next year I hope to pick my own blueberries to freeze. KIN - I wonder if we have some of the same sources for chicken? My dad gets organic chicken from an Amish farmer in MI for $5/chicken. He buys 75 at a time and splits it up among all of our siblings. It is wonderful for when we have guests. I can freeze the meals and get them out later.

Definately look through the sale racks at Ann Taylor Loft. Do you have an outlet mall near you? My sister just went to one and got a gorgeous dress for $6! She also got a number of really nice sweaters for under $10. We have an ATL five minutes from my house. She gets a lot of my money! LOL I also like Talbots and Brooks Brothers. (Again, shopping only their sale racks!) When I decided to invest in nice clothes, I went to Brooks Brothers and asked their salesman to help me find outfits. He was wonderful!! If you go to one of the nicer stores, you can get some great customer service. On line I've found nice stuff at JJill and Garnet Hill (sales!!). Have fun shopping!

This is what they do here too (though not AYSO). I LOVE that! We have my 7 yo do this during the season and then take a once-weekly soccer skills class during the off season. It's enough for him and he's really improving!