Thanks, Jean. We'll be thinking of her.

My 10yo read Theodosia when she was 7. That was before Percy Jackson or 39 Clues... If you didn't find those wonky, I doubt there would be anything objectionable with that series. (but I am not the best at deciding what other people find objectionable so...)

I ALWAYS. We should switch up. :D

Good thinking, Faith! I keep checking in to see if she's come back yet. And sending good thoughts.

And that controversy is fairly recent. Like, mid-20th century recent. It's interesting to me how adamant people can be about every hold needing their own room, even. My kids all sleep in the same room, though the 10yo is ready for a space without her brothers in it (they lobbied to share a room with bunk beds). My parents both shared beds with siblings... It's just funny how relatively new ways become the ONLY way.

I think it is different wherever you are. I know in Maine, the standard is running water and a stainless sink of a certain dimension (at least for herbal products). For the same sort of things a friend in Mass has a "farmstand" license. Here, the rules are different, more difficult to negotiate in a home kitchen. She should check with her county.

Yup. That's it. When you get to a certain level of expertise in your field, you can be as eccentric as you like. Until then, scope out the surroundings and dress to fit in.

Yes, me too! Any news? {nailbiting}

I think the general belief is that the question hasn't been answered yet.

I found my dog licking a rather confused looking mouse on the steps once. I think she thought he was a baby, since we'd fostered a couple of tiny kittens before and she is the mama of everything small that comes into the house (including human babies). Poor mouse. I put him outside.

I avoid aggressively hostile people. I don't have the energy to deal with them, then debrief from the whole thing later. And I'm not particularly nice about it. My, uh, "filter" slips in these situations and I find myself saying things like "you're exhausting. I'm going for a walk," or "do not speak in front of my children. We teach them NOT to be bigots." I am less than a hit at family gatherings so, guess what? I don't have to suffer through them any more. Win-win.

this makes me ponder - not about your children at all, just in general: as childhood obesity becomes more and more prevalent, how will that skew that curve? My guys are built like my dad - 5'6", 150# of lean muscle - and are always at the bottom of the charts anyway, and then add that they were breastfed (charts are not infant feeding specific) and twins (generally smaller than the larger pool of singletons)... Nobody has ever been particularly alarmed because they remain on the same trajectory but, wow, if the charts were updated today, I doubt they'd even be on them!

Mine are outside running, jumping, climbing, riding bikes, tossing balls, etc just about all afternoon, every afternoon. They only get directed exercise during lacrosse season or if we're training for something else (ie a family 5K). 10yo daughter may get 30 minutes screen time for school a day. Maybe. They may or may not watch a documentary together once a week, or a movie. They're all skinny, but have well defined muscles.

Love! the ginger cat cookies! (can't eat 'em anymore, though) We get staples there: tongol tuna is cheaper and better quality than the national brands. TJ's is one of few places I can find frozen shrimp without TSP (deck cleaner, not food). Their organic bananas are cheaper than at Whole Foods, and not plastic wrapped like in some places. Joe-Joes (Oreos) are a huge hit with the kids and husband - much better than other "off brand" or more natural alternatives.

No. And I'll do you one better: my kids are finishing up their school work. ;)

Three of my four coslept as infant/toddlers, leaving our bed at about 3 1/2. The boys have never slept alone; they share a double bed still. With twin nurslings, I would have gotten less sleep than the razor's edge of sanity amount I did get if they had slep elsewhere but, now that they're bigger, it's really nice to be able to lie in bed and watch tv or read before sleep. Now, I'm looking forward to them understanding that our bedroom is not public domain. I love them and spend the vast majority of my waking life with them but I want my own space. Like Impish said, it's what works for any given family. I've never really thought too much about forming an opinion on how the different options work for other families.

Yeah, this is what I was thinking. I had a member visiting from another Y yesterday who was around 9 or 10. She signed the log sheet with first name only, block print. I would assume - just because it's the norm - that she goes to school. We don't have Patriot Act stuff factoring in, but I didn't even think about it being out of the ordinary. I sometimes spell my last name wrong. It's my maiden name. And I'm 40. :001_huh:

Our '05 is the only vehicle my husband has driven regularly since I've known him that hasn't needed a transmission replaced. :-)

Yes, closing the doors is nice. Also note how conveniently located the booze is, for "those" days. :lol: (one can also note how we are not much on cocktails by the weird, mismatched quality of the booze collection. ;) ) Really, your timing was excellent. We were in the midst of a huge declutter (the dining/school room being the worst of it) and as soon as you posted, I knew I had an answer.

I'm an only, married a first born. He is very laid back, though, so I still get to be in charge. :D

Thanks, Dawn! It's been in place for a week and is FABULOUS!

We called the police the other night when there were fireworks being launched over the roof of the house across the street... 1. Airborn fireworks are illegal. 2. They are disturbing the peace. 3. The reason for #1 is because the whole town is essentially living in 100+ year old kindling, aka Victorian era farm houses. It is a public safety issue. Sorry, you don't get to keep me up all night or burn my house to the ground for fun.

What I find helpful is to remind myself that parenting (and life in general) is about doing your absolute best, and always looking for ways to do better. Our "best" changes with our abilities and circumstances, and some times is better than others, but the heart we put into it doesn't. I think it's a valuable understanding for kids to have, too. As for a child trying to bully me into changing my mind, well, that's just a guarantee of a no answer to the next request. And if they resent me for the deprivation they've suffered... well, they can grow up to be better, more clever parents than they had and figure out how to go beyond their abilities/means to satisfy their own children's desires.

Just beautiful!

There is absolutely NO WAY I would send one of my boys (6 3/4) on a Disney cruise and not the other. Yes, when they're older they will choose which activities they want to do and I realize they may differ in their tastes. At almost seven, though, they are most definitely a unit and I can't imagine telling one of them that he'll have his turn in two years! They have a hard time coming to terms with two weeks. In 7yo terms, two years is "never".