Woohoo! Here's to a smooth labor and delivery! :cheers2: <- that's root beer

Yes, these. I was idealistic in my early 20s, became cynical in my late 20s - early 30s, and have swung back around to my ideals with a firm grip of reality in my late 30s - 40. Now, I'm more concerned with living my ideals in my life than how the world at large is living up to them. I've traded idealism and cynicism for pragmatism. :lol: Ain't that the truth! I am starting to think anyone who wants to be president/pope/X top leader is suspect just because he wants the job. (Some are, some aren't in reality, but I do feel like each needs to be evaluated on that point.)

Hey! I have the same cabinets and sink! (we went with the morgue sprayer faucet and invisible pulls, though) We've had ours for 4 years and I like them very much. They've held up really well. No complaints at all.

I wouldn't take a muscle relaxer for that. I would take an anti-inflammatory - naproxen (Aleve), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin). You can take more than the labeling instructions of those, too. The prescribed dose of naproxen I took when I was a teenager with knee issues was 500mg, and the prescribed dose of ibuprofen back in the day was 800-1200mg. (Tylenol is completely different, not anti-inflammatory and can damage liver and kidneys) Cold is good, to keep the swelling at bay. Later, you would want heat to soothe and help with the actual healing. Hamstring pulls stink. As bipeds, we really use those guys a lot! You may need to hold the offended leg up to bend until it mends. That way, you're not pulling against it.

We were part of a co-op for six years, four of which I was a board member. We never asked ages, just grade levels so we could get an idea of how many classes we needed to offer for each grade group - e.g. 1-2, 4-6, 7th and up. Many classes were offered for overlapping grades, too, so a first grader might have a selection between a K-1 and a 1-3 class any given period. The parents would select based on where their particular first grader was academically in relation to the skills in each, or their child's interest. Last year, we made the decision not to continue. We realized we were filling a need of the co-op more than the co-op was filling a need for us. There was a lot of pressure to stay, and friends were really upset about our decision, but it was the best one for us. We homeschool because our decisions put our family and the needs of our children first. It seemed absurd to keep up an activity that put us second in the name of homeschooling.

This is me, too. My dad can figure out pretty much anything. I didn't grow up with the idea that I should wonder whether I could do something, just how best to go about it. The internet has helped out a lot with that. So does talking to my dad. My husband, on the other hand, has had to learn that mindset. His parents hire someone to fix anything, or half rig it. Last year he learned to mill our clapboards (we have tongue and groove with a cove that is apparently no longer made by anyone) and I think that's when he finally got it. So, probably homeschooling is just an extension of that for me, and being home most of the time (instead of me working a more than full time job that keeps me away from home 14 hrs a day, plus working here in the evening) both provides the time to DIY and necessitates it.

We have a water conserving showerhead with a "pause" (dribble) feature. I turn it to dribble after I wash/rinse my hair, and it provides enough to wet my scrubby cloth and rise the razor while I shave my legs. Then I turn it back to full steam and rinse the conditioner and my body. I have really thick hair that was thigh length (now shoulder) and have no trouble wetting / rinsing with our showerhead. I voted I don't turn off the tap, but I have a water conserving showerhead. Eta: I do leave the water running a bit while I brush my teeth, but just until it gets warm so I can wash my face after. Edited again to add: I totally covet the Athena adjustable flush handle. I ran into a convenience store on a road trip last week to use the facilities and they had picture instructions posted on the wall. I thought it was crazy until I saw that they have the industrial version and it was instructions to pull the handle up for liquid waste, push down for solid. I was so excited I had to run out and report to my husband!

This is obviously dated. They forgot the whole section where at least a dozen people derail into a melee (or is it a kerfuffle?) over the relative safety of various types of lightbulbs and government conspiracy to unconstituionally control our personal lighting liberties.

My husband (the Irish firefighter) really, REALLY liked Aidan. I am not a "top ten for the past 5 years" kind of name girl... I won that standoff when we finally agreed on a name for boy twin B and it was Quinn. We just couldn't name our boys Aidan Quinn. :lol:

Yup. At that phase in our lives (15 yo, 4 yo, two 6 mos olds) I shot for something approaching compliance with health and nutrition standards. Sanity and household operation were way far down on the list... Maybe not on it at all. If they were, I'd lost the list anyway so I wouldn't have known. It is a phase. It will change. You always do the best you can. As phases/life seasons change, your "best" changes, too. :grouphug:

:iagree: I am the child of non-religious liberals. There was no shortage of learning to be an upstanding human being. I tend to view substance use as amoral activities that can lead to immoral behaviors, and my children learn about them in the context of health - physical, emotional, social - not as absolute right/wrong. Same with lying, stealing, killing. I believe those things are absolutely wrong (particularly killing), but I can allow that there are situations when any of them could be the right-est choice one has.

I'm wondering the same. I only use my card with the credit option (never the pin)... Our credit union hasn't made mention of fees for debit, though. We switched banks this spring because BoA kept charging us monthly fees on our premium checking account due to "computer glitches". (Of course, they only refund them if people call and the refund only goes through at the end of the statement period so you have to be right on top of it then or you get to wait another month for the correction.) We would move our mortgage from them, but we only have 8 years left. I don't want to refinance again. :glare:

That's just a sign that it just hasn't clicked yet. It will. My 3 youngest have always been homeschooled. The reading has been my greatest source stress. At the beginning of the summer, my six year olds were still doing that same thing. It clicked around the end of July. Now they read chapter books. Their sister did the same, though younger. Weirdly, for the boys, it clicked with the "ampersand game". My husband said something about the "and symbol" and I corrected that it is called an ampersand. Once it had a name, they would spot them from the car and call them. There are soooooo many in random signage, though, we had to make the rule that they had to read the words on either side if they wanted to call them... Et voila! Suddenly, everyone can remember letter sounds, dipthongs, you name it. :lol:

Aw, bummer. I'd probably frog it, then, or just knit a new one. :(

He should stick to his guest list. I've gotten emails from mutual friends assuming I was going to someone's birthday party... We're not close, I wasn't invited, nor was I shocked or upset not to be. I realize it can be embarrassing to feel as though you're sending the "you're not special enough to make the cut" message, but I think most people understand that, with limited space, the family and oldest, dearest friends are going to be the limit.

Ooh, that's gorgeous. I know who I'm pm-ing when I get ready to tackle mine! I've been knitting a bit - 3 pairs of mittens, a lace scarf, and two cowls that are on needles right now - I never think to photograph them. Bugger. Amey: felt them a bit, if they're wool. Rosie: a) you can knit hats flat and seam them and b) you are only ever knitting with two needles in the round. The others just hang there dumbly until you (literally) get around to them. I'm knitting one cowl flat, with a provisional cast on that will be grafted at the end... I don't think I've used straight needles for 20 years. It's weird.

That sounds cool. (I'm not on Google+, though, so have no ideas)

One of the group instructors for homeschool PE at the Y pulled me aside to ask what "salve magister" meant, 'cause that's how my six year olds greeted him. I had to teach him "salve discipuli" so he can feel like he can hang. :lol: I love that, reading a list of the 100 greatest fictional characters of all time, they were excited about Beowulf, Odysseus, and Sherlock Holmes in addition to the superheroes.

Um... Can you copy and paste the content you want to print to a Word document and get it that way? I would try uninstalling the print driver and reinstalling (reboot between). But make sure you can get a copy of the driver from the HP website first. Eta: ok there's a knowledge base article about this at Microsoft.

Ooh, yum! thanks for the new item in the rotation!

Yes, when I had a teenager, she would have eaten either soup. My not teens yet crew - 7 & 10 - would also eat soup. They would soup for two reasons: first, we eat soup. Also, they have also grown up with the etiquette clause that you eat what you are served, graciously, even if you are fairly certain it is disgusting and may kill you (barring life threatening food allergies). Eta: I "had" a teenager because she is now 22, not because we sold or misplaced her.

:lol: so, so true!

Yes. It also has trouble with plural possessives like boys'. And God forbid I ever become i-l-l because that is also corrected to the contraction and I would probably be incapacitated enough to not be able to fight it.

Mine weaned at 3 1/2. I'm generally of the demand feeding camp, but with them I took the "if one guy's hungry, everybody eats" tack. Otherwise, I literally wouldn't have slept their first year or so. After the newborn period, I could nurse them on a bench at the mall without causing a scene. :D

My seven year olds got Star Wars Legos last week for their birthday. Last year, they went fly-fishing with their Pepe and caught their dinner... I guess you can't get them that (though my dad would be happy to have another crew to teach). They're hard to shop for. They play with sticks. (mine love perler beads.... Hours and hours of crafty fun)