We're back!! He's fine. The doctor was AWESOME!!! It was a dr. in this practice I hadn't met yet. I am so blessed to have this group so close to my house!! Thanks everyone!

We're off to see his eye doctor! I'll update when we get home. Thanks!

Today, my ds (7) got hit in the eye with a sled that had been thrown (don't ask!). His eye was closed at the time. He said that he was seeing "colored lightning" in green and red. I had him sit and rest. His vision seems fine. He hasn't lost peripheral vision. It doesn't hurt. This was about an hour ago. I just saw him in the light and the eye that got hit is sensitive to the light. He said he is still seeing some colored spots every so often. Is this something that should be seen? Dh partially detatched his retina in high school and he said he couldn't see out of the eye. This definately seems less severe than that! So, what says the hive? Thanks!!

I'll have my choice of lamb, beef, pork, fish, omlets, dessert bar, etc, etc, etc. We're going to the Easter buffet at dh's club. Yummy!! We do it every year and they always know how to feed the kids and adults so that everyone is happy! Oh and there's live music too! And I get to come home to a clean kitchen. Happy day!!!

My dh is an Episcopal priest. He said it really depends upon the area. Where we were before now, he'd get $20 or so for a baptism. Here, he gets nothing. Really, it's considered part of his job, so I never really understood the donation in the first place! He said to go ahead and ask the parish admistrator. They are used to such questions. If you choose to go with a donation, most often, they are put in a card and handed to the priest at the event (or at the celebration afterward).

LOL! Yes, it really is a good thing!! I'm impressed! My ds was being tested at the local public school to see if he'd qualify for some special services. They asked him if the moon was in the sky. My ds said no! He said, "The sky means in the atmosphere and the moon isn't in our atmosphere." He was in first grade and the grader marked it wrong. Grrrr . .

I'm teaching myself! My dh bought me a mandolin after I tried one at a party where a friend was playing in a band. It's quite easy! Or maybe it's just because I played both the guitar and violin. It's like the guitar because it has frets, but the strings are the same notes as a violin. Anyway, it's a beautiful instrument! Enjoy.

Well darn. That was not the answer I wanted!! :D Would you just prime with a regular primer? Or is there a special kind for metal? Thanks!

We got these: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/1000-Thread-Count-Sateen-Combed-Cotton-Sheet-Set/2530874/product.html a while ago. They are definately summer sheets. They are SOOOO cool when we slide into bed. We got our winter flannels at Sam's Club. We've had them for 5 years now and they're still going! Weren't you asking about a sleep number bed a while back? Did you choose one? If so, how do you like it? We need a new bed too.

We're working on dd's bedroom now. I got a ceiling fan off of freecycle (yeah me!), but it's really ugly. I've taken off the blades and I'm spray painting them pink (they look SO cute!). I'm also going to replace the globes with something in pink gingham. Now, my question - the main fixture (that holds the motor) of the fan is brass. I really don't like brass! Can I spray paint it white? There are openings to the motor and I'm not sure I'll do damage to it or not. What do you think?

Yup - what they said. This ran through our family too. The cough lasts forever! But, if you want some piece of mind - call your doctor and see what he/she has to say. I know I feel better if other people have had the same thing so I know approximately how long it will last.

Cottage cheese with pineapples sunflower seeds Popcorn or a handful of nuts

Awww . . . I'm so sorry! I pray that the surgery goes smoothly and that recovery is easy. This could be a blessing in disguise. Your ds is there to help you when you're in pain. But, I understand the disappointment of missing out on that quality time with him. ((hugs)) Update if you can.

I eat 2 scrambled eggs, a bowl of oatmeal with flax seeds and a little sugar and milk. I eat a big breakfast!!

We use a natural brand from our health food store. I'm sorry I can't remember the brand right now! I'd go look, but I'm nursing the baby and she wouldn't be so happy!! LOL

Congratulations!!!! I'm so happy for you and glad everything went so well.

Amen to that!!! How little was your guy? I worry about something like Pediasure because it's so processed. I wonder if adding our own homemade "super" shake would work though - maybe add some cream in it for fat with fruit and veggies. I used to do this daily, but it's been so cold! Thanks for the idea though!!

What is it that you need to take with you? I'm wondering if two small three ring binders would work well so you could personalize it for yourself. Figure out exactly what you want out of a planner and then make it. The smaller one could be for you to travel with (calendar, shopping lists, etc) and the larger one could be your budgeting, homeschooling, etc one. Motivated Moms - when I do this religiously I don't really need to do a deep spring cleaning. It lists SO many chores (no menus) - changing filters on furnace, cutting fingernails, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, etc.

Hmmmmm. . . . I think I'd do a stir fry with all your veggies and serve it over pasta. Do you have any garlic or soy sauce you could cook the meat/veggies in? Or - just cook the meat and have a lot of side dishes - a salad, broccoli, sweet potato french fries. Gotta go get a baby down for a nap

On average, probably about 50miles/month. But, if we drive to my parent's house or on a vacation it'll be more. We do that about four times/year. I've had my car for 89 months and it has 86000 miles on it. That averages 966/month. BUT, that includes multiple trips to FL, AZ (twice!), CA, ME, PA, DC, VA, etc. On one of those trips alone we put 6500 on the car!!

I've made up my own. It's a simple binder. Inside it I have post it notes sticking out with labels: Budget, homeschooling, spring cleaning list, To Do list, Master to do list for house. Budget list: I keep it with our budget for the year. I'll update it as necessary. Homsechooling list: This is where I keep my notes and plans for the years to come. If I see a good post, I'll print it off and stick it in my notebook. Spring Cleaning List: I have a master list of every room in my house with every thing that needs to be done for spring cleaning. I go through it every Lent so by Easter I have a clean house! To Do List: I list things as I think of them here. Most of the time my notebook is open to this page. Master To Do List: All the projects we want to finish on our new house. Things from this list get shifted to the "To Do" list as we decide to tackle a project. I use a BIG calendar for every day use. That tells me what activities we have for the day. I need to incorporate my daily cleaning list and grocery shopping/meal planning list into my notebook. I have a Motivated Moms type of planner that I made myself. I printed off the MM planner and personalized it for myself. Good luck on your quest!! Even though I have this planner, I don't think being organized necessarily is a result of having it. It helps, but it's more of a state of mind.

Oh my goodness!! That is just awful! I'm so sorry. She must be having such conflicting feelings. I mean, she feel in love with this guy, so how could he do this too her? What was he thinking doing that on vacation? ((hugs)) I'll help you dig his grave if you'd like. . .;)

Thank you everyone!!! (Sorry for the delay in posting - we had guests all weekend!) I too wish they'd throw away the charts. Dd is very active and talks up a storm. She doesn't seem to have any allergies (no dark circles, behavior issues, etc). And, she eats a LOT!! Maybe she just has a high metabolism. Abbey - you are right - I do have an older ds with a peanut/tree nut allergy. So, I'm not giving her nuts. She does love sunflower seeds though! Thank you for the information about shifting my finger back to the 50% to check that way. I'm off to do that right now. She's 10% for height - so a bit bigger. She's always been small, but she's definately dropping in everything - she has been since birth though. I also KWIM about getting sick of their clothes!!! Meg has an outfit that she's been able to wear since she was under one year. She'll still be able to wear it next year too (it's one of those Hanna Andersson outfits with the cuffs). I'm getting so sick of it!!! Anyway, thank you all so much for sharing your stories!!! I feel better!

My 2 yo dd has officially dropped beneath the growth charts in weight (She just hit 21 pounds and she's 25 months old.). She dropped significantly in height (33") and head circ as well, but she's still on the chart. My doc doesn't seem too concerned. We're to try to have her eat more fatty foods (healthy ones) and come back in for a weight check in 6 weeks. My dd is perfectly healthy (hardly ever gets sick), climbs, runs, talks (talks so others can understand her!), etc. Our doc did mention an endocrinologist, but said that in all of his years of practice in sending kids over, he's never seen a problem. I'm comfortable with waiting, but I need to hear stories from other parents who have small children who end up being okay. Dh and I and our other kids are all tall. None of us followed the same curve that dd is. (This is what concerns me the most - if any of the rest of us were small, I wouldn't worry.) Also, ideas for snacks that have lots of calories and fat? She eats pretty well - yogurt, cheese, meats, tuna, fish, rice, potatoes, eggs, fruit, etc. She eats three good meals/day and snacks quite often inbetween. She didn't have any sugar before her 2nd birthday, when she had some cake. But, we don't offer sugar snacks at home at all. I'll be adding olive oil to nearly everything, but I need more ideas!! TIA!!!

How did it taste? We were invited to a dinner where buffalo (bison) meat was served. I was disgusted at first. But, as it was the main dish, I took some. I was STARVING, so I actually ate it. And, it was really good!!! We now eat mostly bison instead of ground beef. We were given some venison once too. I couldn't eat it. I didn't like it though. What did your kids think? If they liked it, I wouldn't let it go to waste!! Serve it to them when you have a salad. Or, even better, plan to go out with a friend that night! :D