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LostSurprise

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Posts posted by LostSurprise

  1. Settlers can be a bit long for a 6 year old. If you like it a version like Simply Catan will shorten the play time.

     

    Try boardgamegeek.com. Lots of interesting games explained there.

     

    Favorites around our house:

     

    7 year old--

    Stone Age

    Claim It

    Factory Manager (that's probably a bit old for most kids but he likes it for some reason)

    Dominion

    Chateau Rocquefort*

    Coloretto

    Ticket to Ride*

    Chinatown

    Bohnanza*

    Clue*

     

    * works well for this age group

     

    9 year old--

    Wings of War

    Arabian Nights

     

    Also recommended:

     

    Blokus

    Pandemic

    Incan Gold

    Ubongo

    10 Days in the USA (or Europe, Asia, Africa)

    Zooloretto

  2. Inter-library loan works in systems. So who is in the system really depends on where you live. It is not nation-wide. I'm sure some cross borders...but that depends on the which libraries banded together when the local ILL was started.

     

    In Wisconsin we're broken into regions. I can order from the south-central library association, not the northern region, Milwaukee, or Illinois.

     

    However, ask about WorldCat. It's a nationwide system where you can request books that are not available in your system. I've been able to find rare books on my son's condition from universities a few states away or detailed historical texts that aren't available nearby.

     

    Remember, just because the person checks out your books does not mean they are a 'librarian.' Times are tight and many small library's can't afford the salary of a librarian (or can just afford one to manage the library). The person you spoke with may be a tech trained on the system. She wouldn't have the detail you need if the subject had never come up before. Keep asking. Or even email a librarian at your old library. One of them can tell you.

  3. Bishop's weed/ajuga/bugleweed are all the same thing.

     

    They are wonderful ground covers for shade and the varigated leaf variety is quite lovely, but they spread through their roots (rhizomes) and are difficult to contain or eradicate.

     

    I have eradicated some but it is a pain. A big pain. I tore it out by the roots, then I used hot water, then I used bleach water (not straight bleach), then I laid down cardboard and covered it with compost. It's mostly gone. The second year (last year) I pulled up a few sprigs but it looks good this year so far.

     

    I have a lot of arbor vitae bordering the yard, several oaks, and a maple. It's a shady yard. Nothing works quite as well as ajuga at the base of the trees in terms of cheap, reliable covering. (Fern, trillium, woodbine, bluebell, and bleeding heart all do well in deep shade but none of them is as hardy, cheap, or spreads as well as ajuga...it does its job well just be aware.)

  4. We are the embarrassment of the neighborhood I guess (town of 1000 people, lots of retired folks).

     

    *apparently owning a VW campervan (running, licensed) and keeping it in your driveway is illegal. We were dragged to city hall on that one. I guess no one is allowed a vehicle in their driveway unless they drive it every 10 days.

     

    *when we let the air out of the tires and drove it into the garage we had to move the garbage cans and recycling to the side of the house. Guess what we got a call about next?

     

    *apparently having your kids drop their bikes in the side yard makes your yard "look like a garbage pit" according to the city planner. Thankfully the nice police officer just kind of looked and said...'uh...looks okay to me.'

     

    *according to our back neighbor we have rats?? (seriously I think he saw a possum) in our compost pile and when I had a 3 month old sick baby I wasn't raking quickly enough. He put up a foot high chicken wire fence to keep the leaves out.

     

    *This is the real one. My husband has difficulty finishing things. Often I don't see it (unless I get out of the house) or I'd fix it. So we have things like toilet plungers in the driveway (he was bleaching them) or enormous piles of garage stuff in the yard for a few weeks because he's cleaning in there. The kids leave their nerf guns, bikes, and scooters all over the yard. We also use old dishwasher racks and unbrella ribs for plant climbers. Thankfully our backyard is surrounded by arbor vitae so I just have to check the front yard periodically in an attempt to keep us respectable.

  5. Bob Dylan

    Indigo Girls

     

    Jethro Tull

    Johnny Cash

    the Beatles

    Neil Young

    Cowboy Junkies

     

     

     

     

    Norah Jones

    The White Stripes

    Gillian Welch

     

    Van Morrison

    Dire Straits

    Derek Webb

    Sandra McCracken

    BB King

    PFR

    Sting

    Tom Waits

    Darrell Scott & Tim O'Brien (bluegrass/country)

    Thrice

     

    Sixpence None the Richer

    Steve Earle

    ELO

    Marc Cohn

    Simon & Garfunkle

    Nina Simone

    Magnolia Electric Co.

    Neko Case

     

  6. We see a nutritionist. My son is on the Ketogenic Diet for severe epilepsy. (In his case it's 4x the fat to 1x the protein + carb, no grains, no natural sweetener, no potatoes, and everything must be weighed to the tenth of a gram on a scale. Because of the amount of fat and the stringent calorie schedule, meals are miniturized. Even carbs found in lotions like sun screen have to be monitored. )

     

    It's been very hard over the last 2 years, but I have to say that the result is worth it. Even the 6 months without grains or sweets.

     

    Everyone adapts. The child adapts. You adapt. You choose things that you eat and they don't. You choose some things to never bring into the house. Tastes change.

     

    Also remember that it's temporary. If it doesn't work they'll take you off the diet. If it does work, does it matter what kind of sacrifice it is right now? Find someone to grumble to, take a day off and have a forbidden dinner with a friend, and do the best you can.

     

    :grouphug: Just remember there are more of us out there. I feel for you and your daughter.I hope the diet helps.

  7. Wonderful children's museum downtown. http://www.buildingforkids.org/index.php

     

    Wild Air http://www.wild-air.com/

     

    We usually hit those two, Half Price books, Goodwill (the one across from Wild Air has a great book section), and Hu-hot for a fun day.

     

    It looks like the Paper Discover Center http://www.paperdiscoverycenter.org/

    or the Houdini Exhibit would be fun. I'm putting those on my list for next time.

  8. In my opinion, you both overreacted.

     

    As a mother of 4 boys I think she greatly overreacted. But different people have different experiences, fears, and perspectives (would it make a difference if her son is being physically bullied at school or if she just got out of an abusive marriage or if her son has a physical problem?). It is not abnormal for a woman to react strongly when she views a possible injury to her child. It may be mistaken but it's not crazy.

     

    You, as the mother of a child who injured another (and as I explain to my boys injuries are often inside, so we can't ever judge that someone isn't hurt..we often have to take their word for it) overreacted and ignored your responsibility to apologize and make a connection with this woman simply because you didn't approve of the way she did something.

     

    In a situation where more than one person errs, the easiest thing is to apologize first. Admit all wrong done by yourself (or in this case have your child apologize). THEN you can move on and try to negotiate a better way to deal with the situation.

     

    Quite possibly if you had done this it may have softened her enough for her to think about her error. Instead you both reacted before empathizing.

  9. My heart-felt condolences.

     

    If this was me, my first thought would have been "why is my 9 year old so upset? Is there something about the way I am raising them or about their personality which is so inflexible that we can't celebrate the birthday a day early or a day later? Do they understand what death means? Do they know Gramma? Are they upset about her death and its coming out this way?"

     

    I'm all for celebrating my children and I do, but each of them realizes that sometimes other things happen. Life is not scheduled for our individual enjoyement. We work around things. When my youngest had his first seizure I had to miss my oldest son's birthday party to take the little one to have his first EEG done. That meant my oldest missed out on having the kind of party he wanted because I had the van. He was disappointed but not upset.

     

    Again, this is me. If I had any good memories about my grandmother I would move (not eliminate) the child's birthday festivities and be available for that one-time-only situation.

  10. We have an English Springer Spaniel and we have him trimmed (short hair, not shaved) once or twice a year. Usually in the early Summer. We just did it a few weeks ago and he looks funny, but he's spends a lot less time licking and being assaulted with a brush.

     

    I wouldn't want to see his skin, but it does make him more comfortable and eliminates any mats he gets on his ears (even with daily brushing spaniels get their ears in their food and water constantly...they will mat).

     

    In between cuts by a professional dh trims the long hair on his legs when he gets into burrs (every month or so in the summer and fall).

     

    We did not have him trimmed the first 2 years we had him, and I would say he seems a lot happier in the summer. He's more active, less inclined to do a lot of hard panting and hide out.

  11. I second Garden Web. They have pages for Northern and Canadian gardening.

     

    I live in zone 4, so a lot of things I do would still work where you live.

     

    These plants are easy:

     

    potatoes (regular, not sweet)

    beans

    peas

    lettuce

    spinach

    many herbs

     

    Other than beans, the rest of those do well in cold weather. They can be planted fairly early as long as there is no frost at night. Beans need warmer weather but are very easy to seed and grow just about anywhere. Most of these can also be seeded directly into the ground.

     

    Tomatoes are also fairly easy, but they need a lot of sun. Until you learn more about your zone I would recommend buying plants to get a head start. You can also grow them in containers and move them in and out of the house if it seems like your growing season is too short.

  12. I don't have a regular day because my schedule changes but I have a few ideas.

     

    Mix up a big batch of bread dough (hamburger buns, rolls, etc) the night before baking day. Let it sit out a few hours to rise and then refrigerate. The next day let it warm for an hour or so, form, do the final rise, and bake. This way you shorten your time over the day and also get the more complex flavor that comes from the overnight cold storage.

     

    While you're waiting for the bread to warm and rise you can mix up your other baked goods and start them. The oven will be warm for the increased heat needed for the bread.

     

    This way it doesn't take all day (just a little time one evening and a morning of work).

  13. I'd say somewhere in the 2000-3000 range. I haven't bothered to count the children's and the adult books are over 2000.

     

    I have 1 spare book shelf (boxed), and I do periodic purges. If we moved I'd do a big purge and try to get down to 1500 or so.

     

    When I married my youngest brother shook my husband's hand and said "thank goodness, now I don't have to move her anymore!"

  14. If you make bread often, save a bit of dough from each mixing and add it to the next one. Just keep in in the fridge in between.

     

    Complexity of taste comes from time and the break down of the flour by the yeast.

     

    If you just want more flavor, try the beer. I don't think it could hurt. Also think of what you could add to it...what kind of flavor are you looking for? Seeds, grains, spices...all could be added for more (other than wheat) flavor.

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