Aside from not being able to store food, this sounds like such a wonderful way to live! Can I come live with you for a while? I'd love to try your way of living. I promise not to eat much!:)

We have done this. We had a 5-2-1-0 summer last year (a campaign that advocates 5 fruits/veggies/day, 2 hours or less of screen time, 1 hour of exercise and 0 sugary drinks) and it was great for all. http://www.beahealthyhero.org/Home/Learn/5210/tabid/91/Default.aspx We slid a little when the cold weather came and sometimes don't get the "5" in, but it was helpful. I still think we have a long way to go, though. I also think part of the problem may be that her best friend's mom is very strict with her family's eating, with good reason. They have color and preservative sensitivities. She feels that they are so limited as to what they can eat and often sees the kids from that family having to refuse treats at co-op or eat something different, brought from home. (Personally, I think the treats at co-op could be much healthier, but they aren't given every week, just for special occasions.) Sometimes she'll roll her eyes at me and say, "Mom, you sound just like Mrs. __________". To which I say, "Thank you!"

VERY interesting! Dh and I were just talking about our vacation (just returned home last week). We both agreed that it was enjoyable shopping every other day for fresh foods instead of how it is at home, where we try to get everything we'll need for two weeks at a time. We ate so much better while on vacation for the exact reason you talked about above. Hmmm....simplicity might be part of the solution! It really appeals to me.

It was interesting that our ped mentioned pushing extra butter and ice cream.:confused: Your approach seemed the best to us, too. Ben has a weird appetite - sometimes very hungry and at other times, very little appetite. I often think that if I listened to my own hunger signals like he does, I might not have had a weight problem. Dh is convinced it will all equal itself out and that we shouldn't worry about it. How many formerly thin children grew up to be normal weight adults? Many, I'm sure. In fact, at my high school reunion, many of them were overweight (especially the guys)! That was a surprise. I like your idea of allowing him to graze on healthy foods throughout the day. Perhaps I can implement that with dd as well. I am going to make an effort this week to have cut up cantaloupe (dd loves it) and clean cut up veggies in the refrigerator at all times. Sometimes it's the prep work that gets me - I know, lame excuse. :tongue_smilie: Baby steps...

That's what the doctor said after she showed me how she's doing based on the growth chart, which shows she is right on target. I really want to save her from the pains of being overweight by instilling good eating habits. We have always had healthy food available, but I haven't been as vigilant as I perhaps should have been. I also don't want food to be a big source of contention either.

I am quite grown up. I probably would have been someone who was not comfortable in the situation the OP described. Not sure how that would make me immature.:confused:

:iagree: That is what dh has been saying as well. The problem is that ds13 is very underweight. The doctor said she would like him to have something before bed at night if he is hungry, which he is about 50% of the time. It is so hard to let one have a snack and not the other! What would I say? "No, you may not have a snack but your brother can because he's so skinny." (Implication being that she is...not.) :tongue_smilie: The doctor actually suggested that he have ice cream every night. We knew that would not be a great idea for the pocketbook or for the rest of us (!), so we allow him to have a peanut butter sandwich or cereal with whole milk when he chooses a snack at night. He eats better than she does at suppertime, btw. I am finding the girl/body image thing to be rather tricky. My boys didn't have issues, but dd certainly has potential to have an issue if it isn't handled the right way. Aaack!! I am really feeling the weight of responsibility with this one!

See, I think this might be the problem. They are set in their ways already - more than I was at 44! I serve a variety of meals. Some examples: -Today we had shish kabobs with beef and veggies (pineapple, too) and brown rice. (They were so good!) Anna ate what she liked off the kabob, which was the beef and the pineapple - no onion, pepper, mushrooms, zucchini. -Lots of beans and _______ dishes -Mediterranean veggie wraps with goat cheese on flat bread (will only eat the bread and maybe a couple bites of veggies) -gyros/souvlaki (again, she'll eat the beef and the bread) -Greek penne w/ chicken (includes feta cheese and tomatoes which she hates, but I give her plain pasta and plain chicken) -pasta pomodoro -Black beans and rice -Manti (Turkish "tortellini") -etc. She has an okay attitude. Of course, she is disappointed when it is something she doesn't like, but usually she'll sit at the table and pick at the food she has to take while being part of family conversation. Oh, and I do make other things, too, so she is not deprived of pizza or meatloaf completely. I am also trying to get the kids to see that having fruit for dessert is a wonderful thing! I don't get why dh and my palates have adjusted beautifully to this and the kids' haven't. What could be better than juicy watermelon after a meal? We do have a "treat" dessert once on the weekend. We haven't always had dessert after every supper, btw. It's just that when we do now, I want it to be fruit. I so wish we had done this years ago. I will admit to being a bit nervous about her weight. She is very short and definitely has been filling out in the past year. She is not overweight, but she is becoming quite curvy and has a bit of a belly developing. I am overweight and can see her love of not-so-good food leading her to the same situation I am in. We've talked about it, but I don't want to push the "I don't want you to get fat" idea on her. I emphasize how important it is to eat healthy foods to fuel your body. We've studied it in science as well. I am rambling so will stop now. Thanks for your thoughts!

I will copy and paste my camping list below. I'm sure there will be a lot of overlap with others, but maybe the combination of all these lists will turn out to be The Ultimate Camping Checklist EVER! :001_smile: This is for tent camping. We have a separate list for pop-up camping, but the two lists are very similar. Tent/under-tent tarp & extra tent stakes Hammer Air mattress Twin sheets Sleeping bags Butane stick lighters Tent light Blue sleep pads Air mattress Pump Water bottles Squeeze breeze fan Lanterns Puzzles/crayons/books/playing cards/games, etc. Flashlights Matches Fire toaster Extra blanket Duct tape Camp chairs Coffee maker dish drainer Sewing kit Bug spray Sunscreen Ziplock bags Grocery bags Extra shoes Extra socks Sandals Batteries Radio CD player/ipods Marshmallow toasters Scissors Clothesline Clothespins Plastic tablecloth/clamps Basin Sponge(s)/Handiwipes/dish clothes/dish towels Dish detergent Fishing gear Camp stove (incl. Attachment) Propane Cooking utensils Cookware Mini broom and dustpan Trash bags Kleenex Paper towels Bath towels/hand towels Soap/shampoo hand sanitizer Reading material for Mom and Dad Camera/video cam dog food/bowls/leash/tie out First aid kit (Neosporin, Bandaids, anti-itch cream, etc.) prescriptions water shoes for shower

When I was young, I had that problem occasionally. It was usually due to a combination of not bathing for a day or more and not wiping well enough. This always happened when I was in a busy situation like a sleepover or camping, usually when I was having fun and just couldn't be bothered to worry about things like that! Hopefully it will be something as simple as that for your dd.

I have been gradually changing the way we eat around here since my husband came back from Turkey last year and raved about the Mediterranean diet. I looked into it, and it is such a healthy way to eat and for the most part, the food they eat is all food that I love. However, my two youngers (dd especially) do not enjoy many of the meals I now make. Part of it is, of course, my fault for cooking the way I did for so long. I had always cooked meals mainly from scratch, but I definitely leaned toward comfort food (creamy macaroni and cheese, meat and potatoes, lots of pasta). I thought the kids would eventually adjust (it has been 10 months), but dd still eats a minimal amount, then is hungry later and needs a bowl of cereal or toast before bed. She asks before that but I usually don't let her because I am still annoyed that she didn't eat her supper! Dd is 11 and going through a growth spurt. I guess my question is would you require her to eat a good portion at supper, even if she didn't like what was being served or respect her preferences and keep on the way it is now? I do not want to make food an issue between us, but I would love to see her want to eat healthier and give up the constant desire for comfort food. (For a special treat for her last week, I made hot turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes. White bread, deli turkey, gravy, white potatoes, corn...you get the idea. My goodness, she was over the moon with happiness - positively giddy! It was very funny how many hugs and kisses I got after that meal.) For those who have changed their eating habits, especially at the main meal, how long did it take for your kids to get on board (assuming they did)? If they did not adjust, how did you handle it?

I wonder why he couldn't have waited until he got in the car. It seems that it would have been safer to do it sitting down (and maybe there would have been a sanitizing wipe or Purell in there to clean the knife before cutting food. : ) Also, as a customer who did not know your son, I would have been nervous to have my kids around a young person with an open knife. While your son is probably very responsible and has been taught how to use a knife safely, other people wouldn't have known that.

I put a book in a large ziplock container with kitty litter for two weeks, then put it outside on the deck to air out for a while. It really worked! This was a book I purchased on ebay - the one time I forgot to ask if it was from a non-smoking environment. grrrr... It smelled so strongly of smoke that I could smell it before I opened the package. I thought it was ruined, but the litter/fresh air did the trick!

Why should you eat liver? :confused: When I think of what function the liver performs and add the fact that I don't like the taste anyway (or at least from what I remember...it has been many years since I've tasted it), I'd say I have a great excuse not to eat liver!

:iagree:Please have it checked...soon.

I wasn't sure if Lands End was fade resistant, so I didn't check. I will, though. Thanks! I will look into those products, too. His shirts are looking kind of off from frequent washing. It would be nice not to have to buy new ones every few months.

Threw this (Pinto Bean Bonanza) in the crockpot this a.m. and had a great, cheap, filling dinner tonight! Added some brown rice and corn bread. Leftovers will go into tortillas for burritos on Wednesday. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Pinto-Bean-Bonanza/Detail.aspx

My ds needs black t-shirts that will not fade. I ordered from L.L. Bean, but the mens small were too big and they don't make boys large enough. Sooo, does anyone know of a brand that will not fade in a true mens small? Thank you!:001_smile:

You may be on to something! Our family is short. Dh is 5'5" and I am 5'2", so you can imagine my kids are not very tall! They did participate in some sports, but I wouldn't consider them super active. It makes sense that a kid who is 6'2 would eat a lot more than one who is 5'4. Now that I think about it, my oldest is also my tallest at 5'9, and he eats a ton more than his brothers (still nothing like what has been described above, though). I still can't imagine the grocery bills of these tall, super active kids! For once, I am thankful for short genes.:)

That depends on whether he/she has a great editing team! I would definitely be wary and would want to see the curriculum to peruse before purchasing. I do know people who are terrible at spelling/punctuation that are very intelligent, though. Bottom line, though, yes, it does matter to me, and I would be very cautious.

Well, I think that being friendly to someone can be misinterpreted. My dh is a very friendly person. (Yes, it can be annoying to me, although nobody else seems to have a problem with it.) I sometimes will quietly remind him to tone it down a bit so his hyper-friendliness does not give a woman the wrong impression. He is in the public eye very often, and I am often tagging along as he meets and greets. People do not always know who I am, and I sometimes see a woman's face as he's talking to them - oooh, giggle, giggle...BLEH! Do they think he's flirting? Who knows - he can be charming, something that is just him, not something he turns on or off. So I guess what I'm saying is that it depends on perception. While I know dh doesn't intend to flirt (of this I am sure, as I am with him most of the time), I suspect he has given the wrong impression on occasion. ETA: I want to clarify that he does not touch women (except to shake hands when necessary) in any way, nor does he actually say flirty things. He is just so darned friendly, smiley, animated...gee this doesn't seem so bad now that I type it out. Maybe I'm the one with the problem?!

I have two sons in college. Both were homeschooled from K-12. Really, they could have gone any number of places! The application process was obviously a bit more complicated than it would be if they had been in school, but I kept good records of grades, accomplishments, community service, etc., so it wasn't terrible. My oldest is finishing his junior year at a small Christian college and ds#2 is finishing his freshman year at a local college (which has a great reputation, we just happen to live 1/2 hour away). Both boys received nice scholarships based on academics. #1 had to attend a weekend of testing to compete for his scholarship, but they also awarded him the standard "we want you to come here soooo bad" scholarship. ;) Btw, I wouldn't consider son #2 to have been an A student in high school, and his transcript reflected that. He also received average scores on the SAT. He was, however, able to write a decent essay for applications, had a lot of community service experience, and was good in an interview. We did not have any problems with the boys getting into college having been home schooled. Fwiw, I have a very large circle of home schooling friends, and I am hard pressed to think of any whose kids didn't get into college. Some colleges are now actively recruiting home schooled students, as they find them to be more responsible and good representatives of their institutions. (This was from the mouth of an admissions representative.) Do not fret!:001_smile:

This article talks about what the lip reader interpreted and also has some very nice photos. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/04/29/royal-wedding-prince-william-marries-kate-middleton-and-tells-her-at-the-altar-you-look-beautiful-115875-23094876/

Wow! A whole pizza between the two of them is:svengo:...amazing (that would feed five of us with a salad thrown in - 3 adults, 2 kids)! I also think three sandwiches is a LOT of food for one person! I'm so surprised to see that all posters before me have had such big eaters. I have three boys (2 almost adults and 1 13-yr old) and while I thought they had big appetites, I guess they did not! Wondering how you all afford these big eaters. :huh: Good luck to all of you raising super hungry boys!

They gave it to you because they were so appreciative of the care you took with their pet. Honestly, this is a mere fraction of what they would have paid to have their dogs and cats boarded or have a professional come in to take care of them. Our kennel charges $30/day per dog. I don't know how much cats are (don't have any), but let's say $15. Say they have two dogs and two cats - they'd be looking at approximately $630 for a week, even more if they had someone come in to do it. I definitely think you should keep the gift card! If you return it, they possibly wouldn't ask you to do it again because they might feel like they were taking advantage of your kindness. If it were me, that's how I'd feel. Enjoy your gift card - and your wine!:001_smile: