Oh I hear you Cindy!! I'm right there with you. *sigh* Add a newish baby who keeps crying to be held and a troublesome 2yo to the mix for me. I am counting down the minutes until dh walks through that door today. *double sigh*

LOL!! This really hit home for me. It's the ending of most school projects around here! :lol:

Has anybody on these boards used Mortgage Cycling to pay off your mortgage faster? What are your thoughts on this? Dh and I have been talking a lot lately about what we can do to improve our financial situation. I don't know a lot about this and was hoping someone on these boards has some knowledge they would like to share. TIA

This is what I use. Ozone is supposedly 50% more effective than bleach. Plus, after 15 minutes it turns back into regular water again. I use the bowl to wash all my fruits and veggies in and the sprayer to clean down counter tops and taps. Actually I use the sprayer for just about everything. We've had this for almost 2 years now and have found it to be really effective. Both dh and I really like it. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about it at all.

Is this the site you're looking for? HTH!

My ds who just turned 2 has a fairly extensive vocabulary for his age and has great articulation skills. His speech is very clear and understandable, even to complete strangers. He recently learned the song and lyrics to "Happy Birthday" He also still nurses to sleep for his naps. He calls this "Nappie Nursie" and will often come take my hand and take me upstairs when it's Nappie Nursie time. Well, lately, on our walk up the stairs he's been singing: "Nappy Nursie to me, Nappie Nursie to me! Nappie Nursie Nappy Nursie...." all to the tune of Happy Birthday. It just melts my heart!! And he's really good at holding the tune!

I would like to know what other WTM'ers do for vocabulary. Are you happy just exposing them to lots of stories and quality read alouds?? Do you use Wordly Wise 3000 or a similar program?? I'm :bigear: for suggestions!

Yup... DH!!! :lol::lol: Sorry. I guess I'm not helping. I despise the weight of our vacuum too, so DH does the stairs for me.

Thanks! I actually had remembered, and was waiting for Monday. I was just going to log off and head to bed when I read your post and looked up at my clock to realize Hey! It IS Monday. Uh oh.... :lol:

Thank you Jessica!

DUH! I feel so foolish! I read this as meaning, This is for me (to use with my kids). I was thinking it was an odd comment, as who else would be teaching your kids? :001_huh: lol. Total 'duh' moment. Well that was embarrassing. :leaving:

Congratulations Kendra!! I missed the announcement in the other post, but I'm really happy to hear about your new arrival. What a blessing for you and your family! I just checked out your blog... He's absolutely ADORABLE!!! Awww. I want another one now too! (and mine's only 10wks old)

:iagree: FWIW, Doran, I agree with your original post. I love that my kids want to show their love and appreciation for me, but I really find it unnecessary for them to spend their money on me. Especially on, um... little trinkets. I've been trying to encourage the children to give me/daddy/grandpa/grandma etc. the gift of their time. This year, they went out with daddy to a local nature area and put together 2 lovely bouquets of dried wild flowers. They were a bit odd, I have to admit (being dead and all) but I just LOVED the thought and care that went along with the gift. The best part was the enthusiasm they showed when they told me about each flower they selected and why it was important to them. That was the best gift of all. So never mind that it was my idea that they do this (they don't know but I told DH what to do). It was really sweet, they loved it, and money was not spent needlessly! Your children are older, so something like what mine did likely would not apply. But, I have been trying to teach my children that gifts aren't all material things, but also the talents that God has given each of us. To me, that could be something as simple as playing or singing a song that they put together. Don't get me wrong, we do give gifts around here- I just try to discourage material goods for occasions like Mothers/Fathers Day. I really don't think that that's what these days should be about. I guess that I didn't really answer your question though, did I?

I try to price things at what *I* would *like* to pay for them. Try to look at your items like you have never seen them before. What would *you* consider to be a *great* deal/find at a garage sale *you* attend? It can be hard at times to look at our belongings objectively and price them accordingly. There's nothing that bothers me more than going to a garage sale and every. last. item. and trinket is WAY over priced b/c the owner applied the sentimental value they attached to the item rather than what it was really worth. If I want to pay such high prices for stuff, I'd go buy it new. It really does depend on the item though & how badly you want to get rid of your stuff. An item like a baby swing could MAYBE be priced at 1/3 the cost of new (at most, and only if you can still buy it in a store) while a backpack (that is in almost new condition) should likely be priced around $1, regardless of the new cost. Clear as mud? HTH a bit anyways.

I haven't quite gotten to my bird study. I got a bit side-tracked but plan to start it next month. One of the books we'll be using is The Boy Who Drew Birds by Jacqueline Davies It's on the NOEO book list for Biology I. They also pair up the above book with this.