[Will you please pray for my DH? some CC]

Will do! :thumbup:

[Paypal not working?]

I just tried it and it worked for me. :)

[Would welcome prayers and good thoughts tomorrow. Br**st surgeon consult at 3:45.]

Prayers and good thoughts coming your way. :grouphug:

[We had a shocker today.]

Thanks for the update. I'll keep them in my prayers.

[I feel a bit silly but I'm really upset about this financial mishap]

I don't blame you for being upset about the sale - I would be too. I agree with the others. Don't buy it now, wait until you've moved. Definitely check Craigslist. My SIL got a gorgeous leather sectional very reasonably. You might also want to see if there are any furniture consignment stores in your area. We got a pair of nice, like-new sofas from a consignment store - they had come out of a model home, and they were way cheaper than buying new.

 

If you do buy new, definitely try to negotiate a lower price. Ask for a discount since you're buying both the sofa and loveseat, and paying cash. It almost always works.

[I'd love some Classic movie suggestions for my kids (& me)...]

Another vote for Cheaper by the Dozen (original) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

 

Castle in the Sky

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

My Neighbor Totoro

Kiki's Delivery Service

Whisper of the Heart

The Cat Returns

 

Any of the Muppet movies

 

Animal Crackers

[How supportive of homeschooling is your dh?]

I'm quite distressed right now, so please bear with me.

 

Dh and I have always said we would homeschool. Even when I was pg with #1 it was implied that this is what we would do. And yes, I say "we" because dh agreed to and continues to want to be involved. He actively takes part in selecting curriculum and gives me his opinion whenever I ask. He will sit through hours of discussion on curriculum without complaining and even give me his take on things. He has driven for hours to take me to a homeschooling store and looked through books with me. In fact, he has bookmarked sites on the internet that he thinks I may find useful for school. He has taken on teaching art to our dc and has even done science with them.- using curriculum that I've chosen. He really is fabulous.

 

Here's the clincher. I'm recently learning, (or perhaps I'm just admitting to myself??) that rather than being supportive of *homeschooling* dh is supportive of *me*. Not a bad thing, but it has caught me off guard. Here I am, stressed out beyond belief. Moving houses, dealing with an extremely mischievous 2yo, a baby that never stops crying and refuses to sleep more than 1/2hr at a time at night and trying to put together my curriculum for next year. I'm so frustrated that I've thrown up my hands in utter frustration and amongst the tears, stated that we should just put dd in school next year. I don't *want* this, I'm just. so. stressed. out. So, what does my dh do? He supports me. He tells me it's not necessarily a bad idea, we're stressed, this move is very hard on so many levels etc. That school isn't the worse thing for her.

 

Ok. He loves me. Clearly, I see that. Yes, it melts my heart. But, where's my homeschooling advocate when I need him? Where's the shoulder to cry on who will pat my back and tell me that it'll be okay. That I *can* do this and that homeschooling really is the best thing for *our* family. He feels this way when I do, but he's so easily swayed, kwim? He really is ALL for homeschooling and brags about me and what I do to his friends. Why can't he just say "NO. Woman, you must homeschool." :lol::lol::lol:

 

Oh. Someone please bring me some perspective.

 

 

Your dh is just being practical - nothing wrong with that :) And it's great that he supports you. My dh is exactly the same. He thinks it's great that I homeschool the kids, he's happy with what they're learning, and he'll defend homeschooling to anybody that attacks it - BUT he'd have no problem sending the kids to public school if I couldn't homeschool. I asked him one time what would happen if I died - would he still try to see that kids are homeschooled. He was like - no way, I'd send them to public school so quick - the last thing I need to do is homeschool if I just lost my spouse. That kind of shook me up a bit too.

 

Anyway, if you're happy enough with the way things are - and I know it's hard with a toddler and a baby - I'd just keep moving forward, do what you can, know that it will get easier with time, and come here or to your IRL homeschool buddies for support. :grouphug:

[Do you fast?]

I didn't see that this has been addressed too recently so...

 

If you do fast, I'm curious as to the type of fast -- full fast versus partial, duration of fast, regularly or occasionally, etc. I'd also love to hear your whether you felt it was beneficial and how. Thanks!

 

Are you asking from a religious point of view or a health point of view?

[We had a shocker today.]

Oh, the poor man! I hope he's all right. Praying for the family. Keep us posted.

[Poll: What color washer & dryer would you buy?]

I'm with the others - I would pick a fun color - but if that's not an option then I would get bisque or white. I'd stay away from black or stainless steel.

[Are pregnant women allowed an occassional ridiculous splurge?]

Oh. My. Word. I LOVE Thornton's toffee. Where did you order it from?

 

And needless to say, the answer to your question is Absolutely!

[Need prayer for sick husband and why I haven't been around.......]

Oh, goodness, I'm sorry to hear this, Joanne. Praying that he recovers quickly! Keep us posted.

[Body of Cary, NC mom was found - see inside]

Very sad. I'm so sorry for her family.

[Read aloud suggestions for K world cultures]

I have a nice book called Faraway Places by Catherine Blakemore - it lists approximately 900 picture books for 3 to 8 year olds, broken down by country. You might see if your library has it.

[Poll: Do you have a world map on your wall?]

I voted Other. Ours is on my bedroom wall since we usually do our history and geography reading in there.

[Can I have some prayer right now please?]

Praying! :grouphug:

[What is your position in the birth order of your siblings?]

I'm the oldest of three girls. I'm 4 years old than the middle sister and 13 years older than the youngest. And, yes, we have the same parents.

 

My middle sister has one preschooler and I'm sure that will be her only child and she will NEVER homeschool. My youngest sister is unmarried and definitely does not want kids.

 

My dh is the 2nd of 6 kids.

[My horse was killed this morning.]

Oh, my, Karen, how awful. I'm so sorry. :angelsad2: Sending you big hugs.

[What should I do with my Pork Chops?]

My favorite way is to bread the pork chops with flour, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper and then brown them for a minute in a little oil in a skillet. Then I put them in the crockpot and pour a can of chicken rice soup over them and cook for a few hours. They're really tasty this way.

[Another grocery prices frustration vent...]

Warning, may be TMI for some people!

 

Well, I'm not sure if you want to hear this suggestion, but you can use cloth wipes (also known as family wipes). I actually switched to cloth wipes not too long ago, and they're a great improvement over TP. I only use them for #1, not #2, although you could use them for both. Even just using them for #1 cuts way back on the amount of TP you have to buy.

 

I made them myself out of 4" squares of flannel and fleece sewn together. After using I just wash them with the other laundry in hot water with detergent and Oxy-Clean, and an extra rinse with vinegar. It doesn't really create any extra loads since I just throw them in with my other clothes.

 

Cloth wipes are much softer than TP and also you can get them wet with a little water first if you like, and they don't disintegrate like TP does.

 

I've been using cloth pads for years for my periods, and love them - also I figure people use cloth diapers for babies, so why not cloth wipes for the bathroom?

 

You can google more info - do a search for "family wipes" if you want to find out more.

[S/O from Colleen's thread...gratitude and jealousy]

Excellent thread!

 

I am jealous of other people's large houses. I'm also jealous of people who can afford extras for their kids, like camp and dance lessons. However, I know that our financial situation is due to a lot of stupid decisions on my part in the past, so I don't have any reason to complain or look for pity.

 

I'm jealous of people who still have living parents and grandparents. I'm jealous of families whose in-laws actually enjoy spending time with their grandchildren and doing things with them.

 

I'm a little jealous of moms who have jobs. I loved having my part-time job, but it interfered with our lives too much, so dh made me give it up.

 

What I'm grateful for: My dh's job. He has an excellent, secure job with a good salary and very good benefits, and I'm beyond thankful for it. Of course, I'm grateful for dh, too, and the fact that even though I weigh as much as a moose, he's still attracted to me.

 

My faith and my awesome little church. I'm also grateful that my conversion to a different religion didn't cause problems between me and dh.

 

My friends. I don't have a lot of friends but the ones I have are the best.

 

My children. I have 4 terrific kids, all healthy, cute, and more or less intelligent :)

 

My haves totally outweigh my have-nots, but it's great to see this all down in black and white, and see what other people wish for and are thankful for.

[Can we talk tattoos? Have any? What of?]

I don't have one but I would like one. My agreement with dh is that if I lose weight I can get one :) I'm thinking of "Love God, Love Thy Neighbor" on my wrist or ankle.

[Our baby is with Christ today...]

I'm very sorry, Sandra, for the loss of your little one :angelsad2:

[Dilemma: would you pay all, part or nothing of this ER bill?]

The parents should pay, not you. Accidents do happen and parents should expect that there will be some medical bills to pay during the growing years. I can think of at least twice when my dc have been injured while playing at my in-laws, where they needed medical treatment, but I never would have asked my in-laws to pay.

[Yeah, that's me--under the smoke...]

It's awful, isn't it? The poor kids have been trapped inside the house all week, except for a couple of excursions to other indoor places. I feel badly for all the firefighters, too - they must be exhausted. Praying for some rain here!