I have several Fix It and Forget It cookbooks, including this one, and I LOVE them! Not everything in them is unhealthy, but if you want healthy, there is one called Fix It and Forget It Lightly: 600 Healthy Low-Fat Recipes for Your Slow Cooker and another called Fix-It and Forget-It Diabetic Cookbook: Slow-Cooker Favorites to Include Everyone.

EK got hers when she was 11 because I had to drop her off at rehearsals and other events. I loved knowing that she could get in touch with me any time. We got her a pay-as-you-go phone from Virgin Mobile for about $15 (very plain, no camera, no exterior screen) and we paid $20 every 3 months for minutes, which was the cheapest way to go and did not require a contract. She was very responsible with her phone, and after about 2 years, we got her a "regular" phone on our plan with Verizon.

We did the same when our kids were young, but now that they are older (17 & 21), we read HP together. It made for some GREAT discussions.

Interesting that so many dh's avoid pots and pans. Mine actually volunteers to wash them for me. I do the rest of the dishes and he does the pots and pans. Not every time, but frequently. He's definitely a keeper. ;)

And don't forget "bump beds" for bunk beds. :D

:iagree:

WOW! :001_huh: I truly cannot understand this type of personality. I know it's a disorder, but I have a hard time feeling sympathetic towards people who do this kind of thing. My own SIL is a lot like yours--uses illness (real or imagined--no one's sure anymore) for attention, even at the expense of her own husband and children--and I alternate between pity and disgust for the way she is. My SIL's diagnosis is Dysautonomia, but sick or not, she manipulates other people. For just one of many, many examples: SIL claims that she has constant migraines that cause her to only rarely be able to leave her bedroom because of the light & noise levels in the rest of their house. She uses a 25 watt bulb in the bedroom, and can't deal with the noise that her children (ages 5, 11, & 15) make. Yet she "homeschools" her children--and they are all at least 2 years behind academically/developmentally. She has BIL (my dh's brother) completely snowed about the kids' schooling, she tells him she's "doing things a different way", and he believes everything she says and even makes excuses for her when anyone questions what's going on, not just about the schooling, but everything else. Anyway, long story shortened some... over the holidays, she and her family went to visit extended family in another city several hours' drive away. They stayed 4 days. BUT when it came to visiting her dh's family 2 miles away (MIL & FIL & the rest of us) at our Christmas celebration a few weeks later, she "wasn't able to go", even for a couple of hours. FIL called SIL & BIL and asked if the kids could come over for a little while to visit their cousins (which SIL's kids had REALLY been joyfully anticipating), but they said no. I get so angry, but there's NOTHING I can do. SIL does see a counselor, and BIL needs to see one as well--and he knows it--but SIL has told BIL that he can NOT talk to her counselor or else she will quit going.

:iagree: That's what I'm wondering too.

I borrowed it from the library. Can I make copies of some of the sections since the book is OOP?

Which do you think is better for SAT prep? I know that RRR author also co-authored Cracking the SAT, so are the books essentially the same?

Not sure it's just a Southern thing. I see it often on the FS boards.

:grouphug: :grouphug:

Thank you so much for all the responses! It looks like Bruchko is going on my "don't miss" list. We've also read the Cameron Townsend and Nate Saint biographies recommended in MFW ECC. We were bored by Cameron Townsend, but LOVED Nate Saint! We watched End of the Spear after we read the Saint biography, and I bought a Beyond the Gates of Splendor DVD also. EK read a biography of Gladys Aylward a few years ago, and she really wants to read another one. We'll probably read Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman, and we'll also watch Inn of the Sixth Happiness. I read God's Smuggler when I was a young teen, and I've never forgotten it. I was planning to read that one with the girls, and then I found out about The Narrow Road, also by/about Brother Andrew, and I think we'll probably read one of those, but probably not both. I also bought a copy of In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham. Burnham and her husband were missionaries in the Philippines when they were taken hostage by a Muslim extremist group. From Amazon: "After a year of captivity and a violent rescue that resulted in Martin's death, the world watched Gracia Burnham return home in June 2002. In this riveting personal account, Burnham tells...about their harrowing ordeal, about how it affected their relationship with each other and with God, about the terrorists who held them, about the actions of the U.S. and Philippine governments, and about how they were affected by the prayers of thousands of Christians throughout the world." I'm still unsure about Peace Child or I Dared to Call Him Father , but if we have time, maybe we'll read one of those too.

Thank you. I have seen these, but wasn't sure how they worked. I do use the My K-Cup that came with the brewer, but I also want to keep some prepackaged K-Cups on hand.

Thanks to everyone who responded. Just wanted to be clear that I am looking for a bold-tasting FLAVORED decaf coffee. (My favorite is hazelnut.) I'll go edit my original post, if I still can.

We have all of these & I wanted to do them as read-alouds this year (one of the girls is doing MFW ECC), but I don't think we'll have time for all of them because there are some other books I want us to read together as well. So... which of these did your dd's enjoy the most (teen dd's especially)? If possible, could you rank them in order from most enjoyable to least enjoyable? THANK YOU!

Good advice!

Not too long ago, someone here asked, "What does Asperger's look like in a 5 year old?", and your ds is near that age, so I am reposting my previous response. The Aspies I know tend to be very immature; they just don't get social interaction, and they had/have toddler-like meltdowns well into their school-age years. They're often highly intelligent, although they may have learning disabilities that hinder their academic progress. Chris in VA mentioned difficulty with transitions; this is really common. For example, one boy I know would have complete meltdowns when it came time to go home after a playdate. He also had the sensory issues she mentioned as well. One thing (among many) that stands out in my mind is that he could not tolerate the feel of crayons. He also had irrational fears; one thing I remember is that he was terrified of clowns. He would obsess over certain types of toys or television shows, and would talk about them incessantly: he loved LEGO and some kids' program that I can't even remember right now. My BIL & SIL's children all have Asperger's, and one thing I notice about them is that they are extremely literal. For example, if you ask, "What do you do if you cut your finger?" most kids would say, "Put a bandaid on it" (or something similar), but an Aspie might say, "Bleed." Here are a couple of actual examples involving my nephews: When the oldest was a little guy, his dad picked him up from daycare one afternoon. SIL had to work that night, and BIL asked dn1, "What do you want to do for supper?" Dn1 promptly responded, "Eat." BIL thought dn was being witty; in reality, he was just being literal, as Aspies usually are. Recently, the youngest (6yo) was riding in the car with FIL, and FIL went a different route from the usual way home. When he turned onto a familiar street, FIL said to dn3, "You know where you are now, don't you?" Dn3 promptly responded, "Yes, I'm in the back seat." This time, it was FIL who thought this was a witty response.

I think the intent is to hold the attention of parents when they take their kids to the movies; otherwise, the parents probably wouldn't be as inclined to go. I think the lewd humor also makes a kiddie movie more appealing to some teens who want to go just for laughs. EK's favorite movie ever is Toy Story, which she first saw when she was 2. She's 17 now, and just the other day when we were watching Toy Story, she commented, "There were so many things in this movie that just went right over my head when I was little." For example, Woody called Buzz "Mr. Light Beer" at one point. And there are other examples that I can't remember right off the top of my head.

:iagree: Dh had something like this several years ago; the doctor described it as a "blister" or cyst on his eardrum. He was referred to an ENT and had a minor in-office surgical procedure. I was invited to observe; the doctor used a tiny camera that projected a real-time image on a television screen. He used a tiny suction instrument to open the cyst and remove the fluid inside it. Dh said it wasn't painful at all, except that the instrument was LOUD.

:iagree:

:iagree: I'm also in GA, and I agree that it was too easy back when I got my license. EK (17yodd) is not interested in driving, but dh & I are insisting because we're ready for her to be able to drive herself to her rehearsals and to meet friends at the mall. She has taken and passed (made an A) the "book" part of driver education--at our insistence--but has very little driving experience. Since she is 17, she wasn't technically required to take driver education, but we get a discount on our car insurance because of her having taken it.

:iagree:

Thanks!

Most kids around here get their learner's permits as soon as they turn 15 and their licenses as soon as they turn 16. ER got his learner's permit a few weeks after his 15th birthday and his driver's license 4 months after he turned 16. EK was (is) much less eager to drive than her brother was, and she got her learner's permit (at dh's insistence) a few days before her 16th birthday, and she has not gotten her driver's license yet (she turned 17 in October). I want her to get her license this spring because I want her to be able to drive herself to rehearsals and to meet her friends at the mall instead of having me take her everywhere and then come back to pick her up.