I like Alton Brown's steel cut oats recipe, though I don't use the buttermilk. I like to add a little cardamom to the oats while they cook, then topping the individual bowls with dried pears, dried cranberries, a few pecans and a drizzle of maple syrup. Yum! For white chili, I like Cooking Light's White Chicken Chili. (Also, their Enchiladas Verdes are the bomb!)

I don't know what that is... should I be concerned? Could Heidi be lurking under my couch?!?! :001_huh:

:lol: The story of my life. ( and my husband is having a similar conversation with one of the 4 year olds as I type. BAHAHAHA!!)

If it's really narrow elastic (and I'm assuming it would be) you can also use a large-eye darning or tapestry needle. The blunt kind that you weave in ends with when knitting. I hate when I get caught up in pressed-back seams with the elastic. So annoying.

Yep, us too. And the discussion of inadequate potties on the news last night just clinched it for us. :eek:

Also, can we discuss how this can't actually occur? (Emphasis mine, obviously) Serious cleaning and decluttering may make the house presentable in 3-4 days, but hours? That's not serious.

I draw the line at Devo hats. :D

:lol: That has been my experience; things from Australia to the states, 3-5 days... Canada? At least a month. I wonder what kind of wacky customs stuff we have going on at the northern border, of all places.

Uh-huh. States regulate how insurance companies do business with their residents. From the MD Insurance Code: However, if even if the notice to cancel was sent on the day the premium was due, it would be at least 10 days before cancellation could actually happen. (This is a point that appears to be lost on our former agent, who is actually licensed here.) No, they do not. But proper agents do. (again, we will use our former agent as an example of what not to do - we have not been insured by the major company he represents for three years and, in fact, have a complaint pending with the state insurance commissioner, yet we occasionally get post cards from his office "reminding" us that a premium is late. No date written, no date mailed, no information at all. :glare: He is very efficient, that one.)

Oh, dear. :svengo:I can't even imagine being more of a handful than my twins... they unionize against you! What does he like to do? I mean, besides wrecking the house? Does he like large movement type activities or would he be happy banging on stuff? I'm trying to remember how I kept mine occupied when they were that age... it's only been a few years, and I have no idea. I think I'm blocking the whole experience.

:iagree: Uh-huh. And then I'm also going to need to know the following: Who is coming? Is it my mother who once got on my case for not having cleaned up the dog vomit that hit the floor at the same time she hit the driveway, before she came in? :willy_nilly: Or is it friends with kids, who don't really care what the house looks like, and who (the kids) will probably help re-trash it anyway? Also, is anyone going to want to eat with utensils or pee? That may take extra time. Is this variety of company the sort that will feel weird about sitting on the couch with the pile of laundry? Will they appreciate the books being everywhere, so they can leaf through at their leisure? I think I need more information.

Um... 3 1/2 years. I just had to replace the battery last month, when the kids left the door open with the keys in the ignition while we were at a friend's house. Totally, un-jump-start-able flat. Not a bad life span for a battery that came with the car and suffered who knows how much draining while it was on the lot.

I was not suggesting "nuisance" language be part of it - good grief, can you imagine the nightmare that would cause? (Well, clealy you can, but still, it would be staggering) Buuuuuuut.... nuisance is pretty much the purpose for these ordinances, since abuse/neglect can be addressed no matter how many animals one person has in whatever area. And I'm sitting in my kitchen, noting that the house next door has approximately three times the square footage of yard space that we do... and would it be appropriate for them to have, say, 8 dogs when we would, theoretically be limited to 4? (Taking out the "parenting" factors, of course) Probably not, just because of the in-town setting. Know what I mean? On the other hand, you really can't legislate "appropriate" any more than you can manners or good taste, so... I'd hate to be the one working on this. You are a much better woman than I, Charlie Brown.

I am not a fan of HSLDA - HOWEVER... I believe what is happening in their group listings is not their unwillingness to list secular and inclusive groups. I believe what is happening is that they list member groups (which is entirely reasonable) and many secular and inclusive groups have made a conscious decision to not endorse or provide group membership in HSLDA (also entirely reasonable). I don't personally see that as inaccurate listing or shunning of inclusive groups. Know what I mean? (otherwise, I take exception to a great many of their other activities, homeschooling-related and not, and their claim to represent ALL homeschoolers)

Depends on your state laws as to how they have to handle cancellation. In MD, they can't cancel you without sending a separate notice with a date and time of the pending cancellation, 30 days in the future. So, yes, a couple of days isn't generally an issue, but I would call the main 800 number for the company and let them know that payment has been sent. You should be able to do that at any time, rather than calling your agent's office during normal business hours.

It's not quite the same as having water in your nose while your head is submerged. Your head is tilted over, almost upside down. You continue to breathe through your mouth while you're rinsing. (Note: I assume a more bent over position while rinsing than the one demonstrated, though I might not need to) Angela (who also wigs out when completely submerged in water, but that may be because her brilliant mother took her to see Jaws when she was 5)

It's not really filling your nose with water - it just runs through. :D Seriously, my 7 year old goes for the neti pot when her nose is runny or dusty, and my 4 year olds use it with my help. I believe it might be time to pull up our big-girl panties and rinse the yuck out of our heads. (At least, that's what I told my husband yesterday.)

Even if it isn't from the same carrier, if it (and the broken one) has a SIM card, you can put the card from the broken one into your old one and it will just work. You won't have to have the carrier activate it again. (The phone's identity and carrier coding resides on the SIM in this case, so the any phone you stick it in will become - as far as the network is concerned - your husband's phone.) However, it will depend on how long your old one has been lying about in a drawer. If it's been too long, you might have to get a new battery for it - and then you might as well get a new phone.

I second that. My 7 year old makes the beds in the kids' room, feeds the pets, and does a general pick-up daily (the 4 year olds help with these). I also pick a chore a day off the weekly list (her favorite is doing the toilets) for her / them. Older kids should be able to pull off any of them, and you could assign each of them a color to check off their completed chore, so you can easily track who is doing what.

I don't know what this means. It seems perfectly reasonable for someone whose child is weaning - particularly someone who intends to follow child-led weaning - to look at articles when it appears that is what is happening before they intend. I'm not trying to slap you or anything, just not understanding how Amber would not be the "target audience" from her blog entry. I remember reading that article when my 13 month old weaned, literally with a "no. no, t'anks" and dismissive wave over her shoulder, and came away with the same feeling: if my child weaned before the "standard", it was purely due to something I had done "wrong" and was secretly "encouraging" weaning. Except... yeah, none of their list applied. I fed on demand, had lost exactly one pound from her birth until that point, hadn't introduced solids before that magical age of six months (I think it was later), and wasn't taking any medications... in short there was nothing new in our routine except Bailey's lack of desire. On the other hand, the boys weaned at 3 1/2. They also did not follow the prescribed trajectory, just seemed, over the course of a few days, to forget how. I think their articles are normally very informative and helpful, particularly for new moms and moms having problems. And I think this article would be helpful for moms reaching that year mark and planning to continue, but maybe having pressure to wean or start BC or start a diet... For those whose kids do wean earlier than "prescribed", though, it feels accusatory. They could do a better job in stressing that every child is different and not all will follow that model, even though it's common. Know what I mean?

Hee, hee. "Contraband bonus dog" :lol: (You are a good person, risking your clean record to save her. ) Peek - perhaps it would be easier to define in terms of proximity to neighbors, rather than square footage of land? It's difficult to figure what's appropriate, in terms of care, etc., in terms of land area, but limiting based on potential nuisance may be easier. I mean, it is probably more meaningful how close your house is to the crazy cat lady than how much land she owns.

Yep, that's what's going on here, too. ETA: I added "set up coffee" to the daily task list, and replaced clipping coupons with cleaning humidifiers on the weekly.

I've had good luck on Amazon Marketplace, as both a buyer and a seller. When we have contacted sellers about missing packages, they have sent replacements immediately (and then, weeks later, the original arrived). I only sell our stuff as stash-busting, so I wouldn't be able to do that, but I always send packages first-class, with delivery confirmation. It's always less than the flat shipping fee (including my envelope) and, frankly, *I* hate waiting for things to come media mail, so I try not to afflict others. But, yes, they should refund your money. It's the "cost of doing business". I just try to hedge my bets when shipping.:D

Yes They are a Christian organization, who lobby on behalf of conservative Christian values, while claiming to represent the interests of all homeschoolers. (Which would be fine except for that part about homeschoolers not being all conservative or all Christian, much less both, nor do all conservative Christians - homeschooling or not - feel the same about any given issue) Their political action is not confined to educational topics.

Not to bash HSLDA, but they are NOT on retainer. They absolutely exercise their prerogative to not represent members legally, which I know has been devastating to some longtime members who found themselves in need of legal representation. To my knowledge, HSLDA lawyers are also members of the bar in every state and they often refer to a locally licensed attorney, just as NHELD. I've looked into NHELD on more than one occasion and haven't found anything other than specific educational interest (i.e. they take no position on same-sex marriage; it's not related to homeschooling). If I felt compelled to join a political action group, I would not feel uncomfortable in associating myself there.