Thanks for posting! We're currently researching too. We're debating between another trip to Disney or a cruise. Dh and I took a Royal Caribbean Cruise on our Honeymoon and LOVED it!! We're currently looking at RC or Carnival (trying to find out if that "party" atmosphere really is that bad! We can afford a much longer trip on Carnival.). My parents took an Alaskan Cruise on Cruise West last summer and loved it too. They're currently planning their next trip with them. But, that's a first class cruise line and VERY pricey. Have fun planning!!

Congratulations!!! My family has a large age-space like yours will. I was almost 19 when my sister was born. I wasn't even living at home anymore! It's so much fun having a sis so much younger! All of the siblings still baby her and she's 18.

My ds did this too. He is now 7 1/2 and he's outgrown it. I had no idea he was doing it either. His brothers were good enough to tease him mercilessly, so he had great motivation for stopping the habit!!

Congratulations!!!;)

Very, very cool!!! Congratulations!!!

60 during the day, 56 at night. It's weird. We just moved into a VERY well-insulated house. 60 in this house feels comfortable to me (in a sweater and slippers). In our old 1920s not-very-well-insulated house, I had to keep it at 68 and it felt MUCH colder than 60 does in my new house.

This is so sweet Nan!!! I love your blog. It's interesting what you say about third children - my third is exactly as you describe yours.

Same here! And, now that my kids are older, THEY bring their sheets down to the washer, put them in, switch them to the dryer and actually make their own beds back up when they're done!! Gotta' love child labor. LOL :) And, making bread can be just as easy! Get a bread machine!!! Honestly, I grind the wheat (2 minutes), throw in the ingredients (2 minutes), push the buttons and in a couple hours, I have my loaf of bread. The clean-up takes about 3 minutes to wash the dishes. So, total time is about 10 minutes (leaving a couple minutes for set-up.) Actually, I've taught my oldest to do it too! See? More child labor!

I do what a lot of others here do - find ways to save out of what we've got. That means clipping coupons, selling things we have and don't need on line, making thoughtful purchases, etc. So far it has served us well!

I'm in!! I currently weigh 175. I'm 5'10" and really want to get down to 150 by the end of the summer. That's the weight where my clothes fit best. My goal for this week is to work out 5 days (30 - 45 min), and watch my portions. I am going to start running when it's not so darn cold (-1 this morning). My goal is to run/walk the Disney 1/2 Marathon next January. I used to run distance in hs/college. Jean - Congratulations on your weight loss!!! What has kept you going?

I'm Jennifer. My kids are: Sam (11 - 6th), Andrew (10 - 4th), William (7 - 1st), and Meg (2 next week). We started homeschooling when Sam was 5 and we knew he wasn't ready for school socially or emotionally, but was academically ready. I thought I'd do it for one year! Ha! Sam has since been diagnosed with Asperger's and I'm certain that having him home has made him the neat kid he is today. I'm married to Steve, an Episcopal priest. We've been married 13 years now.

Every week. But, I do love going to the hotel and having them change my sheets every day. They're just so crisp!

Hands down - Whole Foods For the Whole Family. Not sure it it had been mentioned yet as I didn't read all the responses. But, everything I've made out of it has been delicious!

There we go!!!!! ;):rolleyes::D:o

So, when exactly does one become a larvae?! :(

Maybe this time????? LOL:p

Trying again . . . :)

Shamelessly trying to up my post count so I, too, can join the larvae!

I had my fourth child at home. I loved having her at home and being able to recover in the same bed in which I delivered her. I had three other births that were natural, but I did have a bleeding complication with each. So, it was important for me to find a midwife who carried meds. I also don't think I would've tried a homebirth if I hadn't been near a hospital (two minutes). But, that's just my own comfort level. What it came down to for me was that basically, my midwives would be bringing a birth center (all the equipment) to my house without my having to travel to the birth center. I ended up having a major bleed, but it was easily handled in my house. Do you you have a Birth Network in your area? (Do a search) They are a wonderful source of information. They have the names of doctors, midwives, childbirth educations, doulas, etc. so that you can make an educated decision about your birth. Ask your friends who have had the homebirths. Are the midwives more hands on or hands off? Do they have a particular religious affiliation? Decide what's important to you and your dh. Make appointments with them and talk with them at length. Make sure both you and your dh are comfortable with him/her. Take your time with the process. Most midwives will take you late in your pregnancy as long as you've been seeing someone and having regular prenatal care. What a fun time and a fun decision! I think we're done, so this was my last and it really was the perfect birth!!

Melissa - If you think you might want to add the dining plan, please call Disney!! They are just so wonderful about allergies. If there isn't anything on the menu that your kids can eat, they will make something special. My youngest has peanut/tree nut allergies and there were many nights where he couldn't have the dessert. They made him other things and made him feel special. The chef came out and talked with us at every meal and usually sat next to our allergic child and talked directly to him. It was wonderful!! It was the same at the counter service places. We asked about allergies, and they'd bring out the chef. We did find it was easier if we waited until odd times to eat as it did take a few extra minutes to call the chef out. I had heard how wonderful Disney was about allergies and that was the major reason we had for choosing them. They were wonderful!!! Have fun!

Yes, the dining plan did change. We went ahead with the Deluxe plan because we like our appetizers. But, it was WAYYYY too much food. I felt so bad wasting so much each day. Next time we'll get the basic plan and just eat breakfast in our room. We ate at many places where the gratuity was included (dinner shows, which count as two dinners) and counter service places. So, our bill on check out wasn't too bad. Oh - and we were winners in the Year of A Million Dreams thing!! Our first day there, we got Mickey hats handed to us. So, it wasn't a fast pass or a night in the Cinderella castle, but, hey, we were winners!!! LOL So, Karen - where do you like staying best? We're trying to decide which resort to stay in!!

We just returned from Disney yesterday!! The others seemed to have answered your questions about the meal plan and where to stay. We LOVED having the meal plan. Yes, it was a big expense, but it took ALL the worry about food out of our day. I did make reservations for the more popular restaurants (and I'm glad we did - they were some of the BEST nights we had there!), but it was wonderful to be able to eat when we were hungry and not worry about how much it cost. We stayed at Port Orleans because they have a room that sleeps 5 (well, we technically had 6, but one is under 3, so she still doesn't count!). It was cheaper than the discount resorts because at those, we'd need two roooms. We LOVED this resort. It was like staying at a summer camp - it was wooded and you'd walk through the woods and over bridges to get to the dining hall/restaurant and the bus stops. We went seven years ago and stayed off property at a condo where we cooked all of our own meals. It was definately cheaper and we had more space. But, I really had a much better experience staying on property and truly "experiencing" Disney. We're currently planning our trip for next January!! (Before the baby turns 3 and we have to pay for her!! LOL) Enjoy!

Aha! There it is! I did something right!! Now, I'll try to up my number of posts so I can be a larvae too!!

Now, where is my signature???

It's so much easier to find what I'm looking for! I really like being able to see who everyone is in their signature. Now, I need to figure out how to get my picture small enough. Thank you to everyone who had anything to do with this!