Have you been faking that mom thing, Susan? Renting kids and whatnot seems like an awful lot of trouble. :D

If it makes you feel better, I am currently having a similar struggle with one person in our inclusive (read: not secular, we welcome everyone and parents are free to offer religious-based classes) co-op. This person seems hell-bent on waxing loudly on every topic from birthing, breastfeeding, vaccinating, parenting, religion - it occurs to me the only thing she doesn't seem self-righteous about is education... huh. - as if her decisions / beliefs are the only possible ones... lovely, sweeping statements such as "parents who vaccinate their children only do it because they don't know better" and "I've had just about enough of religion, thank you very much" in response to a perfectly innocent question about whether she attends church in town. (Is there a full body cringe smiley? Can we get one?) Alas, until recently, she was also a member of the board... you can imagine how unwelcome our Christian moms who had c-sections (rather than the obviously superior homebirth choice), and choose to vaccinate their children for whatever reason may feel. My experience is that the pendulum swings. A few years ago, our conservative Christian founder had to (repeatedly) educate one person on why it would not be appropriate to open our morning with a chapel service. Now, I (a liberal, secular board member) find myself having the same conversations, but with our Christian families largely as the target of the offensive comments, and with a person who was horrified by the idea that anyone would dare suggest a chapel service. (I admit I found the context of the persistence on this topic offensive, but would have no problem with like-minded families gathering 30 minutes early to pray together... for pete's sake.) I'm hoping - and this is the basis for my own "I Have a Dream" speech, which my poor husband hears frequently - the pendulum will eventually settle in a place where "respect" comes from the assumption that everyone makes their choices based on the same available information, and with the needs of their own family in mind. Maybe then, people will feel less compelled to slam those who have a different view of things. Know what I mean? Shall we all hold our breath together?

Or, snap where they naturally break, keep the woody bottoms for stocks, etc, and toss the tops in olive oil, salt & pepper and roast them in a hot oven until the tips frizzle. (Or grill them, if you're so inclined.) I recall from Martha Stewart, way back in the day, an asparagus farmer commenting that those pencil-thin stalks people get so excited about are thin because they're not very healthy. (The plants themselves, not their nutritional value for humans)

I have both vintage Pyrex (glass lids) and newer Pyrex (with the blue plastic, vented lids). They both work well and I have chipped either (which are all stacked in the cabinet when not in use) in several years of use.

I would just accept the apology, much as I did when my husband turned on the wrong burner and cracked a clay baking dish; it was simply an accident. The silpat is probably still usable. Mine have random nicks and cuts in them. It doesn't affect their performance that I have found.

I love my Rowenta, too. (And I iron everything.) Poly/cotton blends can be a bugger to iron, especially with spray. If you spray, wipe your hand across it so the moisture isn't beading up on the surface. And you may want to try the lower setting - the sticking is also because you're essentially melting the plastic (polyester) fibers. Using the lower setting for synthetics should help with that.

Yup, absolutely. But for the deforestation, though, I'm pretty sure the landfill and water usage speaks directly to the production of the plastic packaging, not to the production of the TP itself. And people get a little funny when I suggest using cloth you launder yourself. ;) And it also blows, as evidenced by the plastic bags I often find stuck in the tops of the trees in my yard. Not only is the problem the conscious improper disposal of waste, but its tendency to blow - out of garbage cans, out of trucks, off barges, off heaps in landfills, birds pick up the bits and drop them elsewhere... It's not about a single solution. Each taking personal responsibility in how much purely disposable product we consume does cut down on some of that, though. It's a simple question to ask ourselves: Is this really necessary? And, what can I use in its place that isn't disposable?

I'm from Maine. That's still in the North, right? We would find that appallingly rude. (Her comments, not yours) I have often been mistaken for an employee in stores (note to self, carry larger purse) and have, at the absolute worst, apologized and corrected the mis-perception. If it's a store I'm familiar with, and I have the answer, I will correct the mis-perception and help. And yes, some people (more and more, it seems) are just like that.

Not even with video proof. :D I found working in a call center was great training for the type of phone call you had this morning. I honed the ability to respond to the tirade with dead silence. When the ranting person finally realized they hadn't had a response, and started saying "hello?", I would ask them if they were feeling ready for me to help them yet. In the case of your call, I would simply wait for that point, deliver my message, and wish them a good day. There's no point in trying to get a word in edgewise with someone on a rant. It just provokes them further. :grouphug: I'm sorry your day started like this. Some people are just rude.

It's disturbing, isn't it? I have no problem with durable plastics - my laptop, for instance - but the plastics made and used specifically to be disposed in the nearest landfill are really becoming an issue. Even at our natural foods buying club, when we split large bags of grains and whatnot, each share is weighed out into plastic bags, which cannot be recycled... You may be able to find some inspiration here: Life Less Plastic A quote from my TP wrapper, to illustrate (italicized is my comment): "If every household in the US replaced just one roll of 1000 sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissue with 100% recycled ones, we could save: 469,000 trees 1.2 million cubic feet of landfill space, equal to 1,700 full garbage trucks (just from the packaging) 169 million gallons of water, a year's supply for 1,300 families of four (just from the plastic processing)" If everyone became just slightly more mindful, imagine what that would turn into. Anything anyone does to be more mindful of using disposables helps. Anything. ;)

I agree (as another non Christian). I'm fine with being defined by what I'm not in this context. To further expand on one of Rosie's other points, and to answer the original question, it seems to me that, as others have pointed out, you should simply live your life. If the opportunity to get to know people outside the circles you generally travel presents itself, great. As a homeschooler, I do know people whose children attend public and private schools. I don't fear or isolate myself from families with different educational views, but I wouldn't start in on an intentional quest to meet "schoolers", either. That would be strange. ;) I hope you find the path that is right for you at this time. Peace, Angela

Exactly. I expect normal, civil behavior. On the other hand, though, I am acutely aware that, because we choose a lifestyle outside the "norm", any bad behavior will be attributed to that, fair or not. Of course, my own behavior in public is often not a stellar representation of homeschoolers. I've been asked more than once if it was a holiday (because the kids are in a store in the middle of the day/week) and I just stand there, unable to answer the question as I wrack my brain trying to figure out what day it is, then the approximate date, then whether there are any holidays around... My husband usually catches on after the pause becomes uncomfortable and supplies that we homeschool. Sigh.

You bet! I get organic, fair trade coffee for under $7 a lb at Coffee Bean Direct. Their shipping and customer service are great, as is the coffee. :001_smile: (BTW, the link is directly to their decaf flavored page)

Pretty much the same way is as eggplant. My husband makes "the best chicken tenders, EVER!" according to the children. He fries them in a big, deep frying pan, in about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil (maybe a little less, 3/8?), over medium heat. When they're golden on the bottom, he flips them. Just let the oil heat until you can drop a little of the dry material in and it starts bubbling, otherwise, it will soak up the oil when you put the pieces in. And salt them as soon as they come out, so they're seasoned but don't get that overwhelming salt flavor like if you wait until they cool. You'll do fine. It's actually difficult to mess up tenders because they cook pretty quick. Whole-piece fried chicken is an art, though. ;) And please share that recipe! I have some quinoa coming in my food order this month and am trying to think of different ways to use it... the chicken fingers sound intriguing!

If I use shampoo, I also like the Avalon Organics (though I like the Awapuhi (sp) Mango) I generally do baking soda / apple cider vinegar, though. What I've found is that it's not the baking soda that makes your hair feel heavy, it's the vinegar. I make a real effort to use very little (about a TBSP in a 24 oz cup), rinse thoroughly with water, and I use a cooled chamomile tea rinse, which makes my long, curly hair really, really shiny. I also use a little coconut oil, run through my hair while it's still wet, to get the curls going and keep the frizzies at bay. :001_smile:

Yeah, mine had the delightful stomach bug of the season. The boys both vomited for 4-5 days. Bailey felt yucky, never vomited, for about 2 days. We grown-ups were fine. I'm with Kathy that you're exhausted from caring for four (now five??) ill people in your house. And that, as things get back to normal, you're likely to fall, from being run down during everyone else's illness. At least, that's generally how it works here. If I were you, I'd start sleeping in the car. The packed bag is NOT enough of a head start. :tongue_smilie:

I sent Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies to my SIL's school bake sale. And got a marriage proposal.:D They're really, really good, make a LOT (1/2 sheet pan) and travel/keep well.

Tess - I had the same experience when we first got ours... and every time since. It never stops reminding us how disgusting we are. I've had mine (the Animal) for 6 years and love it. I've had nothing break, other than the hose developing a permanent kink when my eldest decided to vacuum down the stairs and the whole thing came tumbling down. As far as I can tell from the Dyson parts page, everything is replaceable. I replaced the kinked hose (after 4 years) and was surprised to see that you could, essentially, rebuild a Dyson from the parts page if something bad happened. I've also had no problem with the attachments, other than small people liking to remove them and wander off. You don't need to (at least on mine) remove the wand from the hose to dust the baseboards. Just release the handle (as if you were going to pull out the wand) flip the little cover right behind the handle up, and stick the attachment you want on it. Even the bare floor attachment can be attached there... though it's rare, I would think, that anyone would want to vacuum a whole bare floor with the wand still in the hose, and upside-down. But, hey, I don't judge. :D

Take her to the clinic and ask the nurse for a "hat". They're like a potty chair catch-bowl, they sit under the lid, inside the bowl - used to measure output in ambulatory patients. (If you gave birth in a hospital, there was probably one in your toilet.) If she's anxious about going at the clinic, you can probably buy one in a drug store. Then, just pour the, uh, "output" into the collection cup. :001_smile:

I think - and this is only my opinion - that diagramming is more helpful than simply labeling the parts of speech because it demonstrates the relationships of the words to one another in the context of the sentence, which are not always obvious. (For instance, in that sentence, "obvious" would describe "relationships", and thus caused me to go back and change my verb "is" to "are") It helps with clarity of thought when constructing more complex sentences. I'm not sure how you would make the switch. Our grammar program teaches diagramming as soon as the parts of speech are learned.

Me, too! (I will also not be getting rid of my wool, but I do actually knit, so..) We have, literally, spent the entire month of March decluttering so that my dad can visit (he arrives this evening). Our poor garbage men must be so confused - we usually have, maybe, one partially full can out there, but we have presented them with four overflowing cans every week recently. I should make them some muffins or something. IT. FEELS. GREAT! Suddenly, our space feels like it really was intended for human occupation, my bedroom (but for the giant laundry pile we're working through) is nicely arranged and peaceful, the guest room is lovely and functional, and the kids can actually PLAY in the their playroom! YAY! And, now, I can re-start Motivated Moms and not have to skip half the chores because I can't do them without dealing with all the "stuff" first! :party:

Ditto. I have had acetone work marginally in some cases, though. Alas, dry-erase marker is not the same as lipstick, sharpie or any other manner of regular horrific staining agents. It is a unique beast.

These Lemon Bars are my absolute favorite (other than Barefoot Contessa Outrageous Brownies) for tea and company, and often requested.

I haven't read all the replies, but I agree wholeheartedly. We generally avoid medications, but steroids for poison ivy on the face, particularly involving the eye, are standard and we'd be right on that. A secondary infection of the eye area - peri-ocular cellulitis - could be very serious and masked by the poison ivy rash itself. As a medication-averse, herbalist mom, I would make exactly the same choice.:001_smile:

Yup, me too. And I like the smell of skunk, as Parrothead said, at a distance. And I'm also very visual, with a photographic memory. The only weird effects I've ever experienced is scent-triggered migraines. Anything that tends to fill a room - certain perfumes, bleach, flea dip - used to trigger them. I haven't had a migraine in a number of years now, but I do make my husband (who does not posses the Bat Nose) go around looking for the source of the burning wood smell fairly regularly. Nightly, in fact, when there were rampaging brush fires a few states away last summer. (In my defense, DC was apparently inundated with people calling 911 to report fires then, too, so I wasn't the only one.) No special needs, though, other than being a little high-maintenance in the sniffing department. :D