<donning my Captain Obvious bloomers> Why don't you sell them plus shipping? I've never purchased anything from a private person (or even Amazon marketplace) without shipping being additional...

Yes, like in vacwm. Oh, wait... Heehee. Yes, when I was in school in the 70s, it was a-e-i-o-u and sometimes y and w. I was not aware this was controversial.

He's just "on the cutting edge of what society needs"? Seriously? And, yes, in some states adultery is still illegal. In MD it's a misdemeanor and, I'm pretty sure, the only way to get a divorce in 30 days rather than the mandatory year of legal separation.

Yup. Regular sugar, every time. The exception is that my husband prefers stevi in his coffee. On the very rare occasions I or he kids drink soda, it's Maine Root. (I absolutely love their Ginger brew - crazy spicy!) I do appreciate xylitol mouth rinses and add it to my anti-plague throat spray, though. It starves bacteria and makes mucous membranes slippery.

MD doesn't have mandatory testing; you choose whether to opt in or out of standardized testing. You have the choice of being reviewed by the county reviewer (the personality of whom, as indicated, is variable by county, but the *requirements* are state level and the law states explicitly that individual jurisdictions may not add any), or an umbrella group. The groups (being religious organizations by definition) each define their own requirements and review process. For county reviews, you are required to show evidence of "regular and thorough" instruction in the subjects generally taught at grade level. You provide this through a portfolio of work samples. If you review with the county, you file a notice of intent the first year, then let them know you're continuing before the beginning of each school year by letter or email. If you go with an umbrella, they do the annual notification for you. I will note that I have some bias here because I direct an inclusive umbrella group. However, many of my friends review through their counties here on the eastern shore, and they don't have any problems.

Our Y has classes specifically gear toward parents & kids - family strength training (boot camp style), family cycling, and Zumbatomic (which is really a kid Zumba class that some of the parent go to as well). My husband and I usually trade off our serious workout times unless I'm training him. We did family lacrosse drills after supper. Last year, we all trained for a 5K together. I sometimes take them into an empty studio at the Y and do body weight strength training - push ups, squats, walking lunges, abs, jumping jacks, that sort of thing.

I've sobbed my way through the book and a couple rounds of theater. Truly amazing. Truly, I think it is the only novel I've ever read a page at a time because I was crying so hard in parts I literally couldn't read.

Ooh! Speaking of videos, knittinghelp.com has basic to "advanced" (it's all pretty much knit or purl, "advanced" is relative) videos. Casting on to kitchner grafting. And, yes, I would also recommend a midgrade wool to begin. Wool is the standard, in my world. But if you want machine washable and inexpensive, Plymouth Encore is pretty equivalent, knitting feel wise. Lion is... Blech. (I try to temper my snobbery for the sake of beginning knitter's ;) )

You are a kind hearted woman. I couldn't sleep at night (or blink comfortably) with a weeping angel about the house. :D

Sure thing. Always happy to lure newbies over to the wooly side. :D These are the needles I was talking about. http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/Pony/ChildrensKnittingNeedles.asp You may also want to check out knitpicks.com as they probably have kids' needles and have very reasonably priced yarn.

You can get needles anywhere - craft stores, Joann. For littler hands, you probably want to use shorter straight needles (come in pairs, have a pointy end and an end with a stop) or even circular needles (connected by a cord). You don't want small diameter needles, though. They take more fine dexterity to use, the stitches are smaller, etc. There are usually kids' needles with kitties or whatever as the stop. They're shorter than standard and the stops are color coded for turning your work. Usually, your local yarn store (LYS) is a good resource for classes and whatnot, but they may (or may not) be pricier than the craft store. One more thing: have the kids start with a yarn that has some give; either wool or acrylic (or a blend) in a worsted weight. Cottons and fancy yarns are difficult to knit with. Cotton is very non stretchy and can be physically challenging, fancies make it difficult to see stitches and may also be too stiff. Oh and make sure everyone knows that "frogging" (rip-it, rip-it) is a part of every knitter's process, not just beginners. It makes me feel better, after 30+ years, to read about the Yarn Harlot's woolen catastrophes. It can be really frustrating for beginners, though.

I found, through a particularly painful personal experience, that looking at the person with empathy and trying to understand his internal struggle with whatever damage there is to his heart/psyche/soul due to past experiences brought me a long way to... Extending grace? Mercy? Lovingkindness? Whatever you want to call it. The acts are not excused. There was immense anger and a lot of healing work. Now though, surprisingly, there is love and understanding, and sadness at how he came to commit the acts. Wherever you start, it is not necessarily where you will remain. I wish you all peace in this journey, whatever place you feel called to.

I started with a more often than not 14 day cycle (all normal characteristics of my cycle intact - ie not spotting) after my boys were born. No indications that this was a perimenopausal thing - 34 when it started and I just turned 40 with bloodwork that indicates nothing other than I am an ovulating woman at some point in my cycle. With a whole host of other stuff that was chalked up to "normal under the circumstances" (postpartum, nurslings, twin sleep deprivation) that continued and worsened until recently, I have now discovered that it's probably been a thyroid issue all along. :-( Now on thyroid supplementation, it seems to be back on schedule. And I am also not a shedding, shivering zombie.

I agree with the position that the onus is on the phone owner to decide what alerts happen at what hour. I use mine as my alarm clock since it resides on my nightstand for emergency calls from work. With my Blackberry, "bedside mode" only left the ringer active between 11pm and 6am. I haven't figured out my iPhone's similar widget yet, but if we were awakened by text and email alerts, that would be a high priority.

I have a Krups and really like it. Sounds like I need the Ben & Jerry's book. /-)

I just have no board acceptable words for that.

That's the one I use, but with desiccated coconut instead of the wheat germ so it's GF. I usually substitue brown rice syrup for half the honey, too, to make them less honey tasting... Hugely popular wherever I take them. (my favorite version is cashew and dried cherry)

Same. Except March. We lived together for 2 years before we got married. What's up with the snubbing of Canadian weddings? I don't understand why one's wedding in ANY country wouldn't be recognized here. Thats sooooo bizarre.

Nope. Our lab mix was rescued from the side of the road during hurricane Floyd and could not care less about storms. Unless it's raining on her. Then, she is highly offended.

As a 30+ year knitter, I bow down to your greatness.

I've always found the oats to be more reliable than the fenugreek, but that may just be me. Just plain fenugreek capsules are what you're looking for. I wonder, though, if this is just a regular stage of a wiggly toddler. Of course, since you're not being fully, er, "drained", it could be resulting in decreased supply. Also, thyroid issues & various medications (decongestants) can impact supply... Have you contacted your local LC or LLL leader?

Yep. Safari says the server can't be found. Hopefully it's just a DNS glitch & will be righted soon. Meanwhile can you google "old fashioned education <list name>" and click the "cached" option? It won't have awesome formatting, but should have the info.

Me, too. Also, Lotus (decaf green with lotus blossom). I like their chai (or Numi golden chai) in winter. For medicinal purposes, if I'm not making my own herbal blend, I like the Yogi teas - Bedtime for sleeplessness, Active Body (or maybe it's now Muscle Recovery... They changed the name and I'm in the car so can't check which name is current) for muscle relaxation, etc.

Tie it back together. Unfortunately, you can't spit felt cotton or silk, but both of those make a nice secure knot. If you can't tie the ends, you can stitch them together or use some washable glue to stick them. Sigh. Snags stink.

My kids often have yogurt, fruit and some sort of "other" like homemade granola bars. Hummus, pita, veggies. Black bean nachos. Mac & cheese. Leftovers from the last couple nights. I have poached chicken breasts in the fridge for sandwiches... Lots of options are quick, easy, and not processed. (mine get pretty excited when they have almond butter & jam; it's a rarity)