I have a needle/ sharp things phobic child, and I've always just left them. If it gets infected, it's easy to get out (gross, but easy), but most just work themselves out. Same child got glass in his heel, the podiatrist actually left it! He said digging around for something so hard to find could damage more than do good. He had worked on a lot of shrapnel in feet in his time (military doc) so I trust him. 4 years later, still there, it has scar tissue around it visible on X-ray but no problems.

I had a car named Gunda (your have to imagine the umlaut) after a west german speed skater. The real Gunda was faster than the car, though, a spiffy blue tempo passed to me from ky grandmother, who is neither German nor a speed skater. Other than that, I'm a vegan, so my bacon love is unrequited.

Can we say that word here? Well, I did. I'd insert a blushing smiley but...

I hope you went and had a wonderful time! (I can't hug you because I haven't figured out how to get the smiley, so imagine it, please!) I've worked part time and home schooled, and am getting ready to do so again. There isn't anything else I've found that has hours I can work, opposite dh, except retail and waitressing, and those jobs are HARD. Especially this time of year. And then dh works late and I have to call in...so work is not being done very well...and I'm tired and have to get ready for work and forget science....so school is not getting done very well...and every weekend I work so housecleaning, shopping, meal prep is sporadic...so household stuff isn't done very ...and I haven't got time to just hang out with my kids and I'm not there for their activities at night and too busy to see dh....so family isn't done very well...and basically I'm busy, tired, and everything I do is half assed. So yeah- I know how you feel, and please imagine the hugging smiley from me! We do what we gotta do, but take the good stuff when you can and go in your jammies if you must- just go! Make merry and have some fun, because I know you (we?) deserve it!

My house is always clean! I suspect my family might list that under "bad side" though. I can pick up languages very easily, something I didn't discover until in my 20s and living overseas. That is awfully handy! I don't know why, really, I'm hardly a genius, but the ease with which I learn languages downright awesome. Dh calls me rain man.

Whose? Who's? Whatever.

Get thee to bed with that baby! She won't still be there when she's 11, I know because mine only stayed until age 9, lol. If people give you grief, feel free to trot me out as a horrible story- "well, the baby sleeps with us because its easier, but I know this lady who's son slept with them until age 9!" and they will all agree that a baby sleeping with mum and dad so they can get some sleep is not nearly as terrible as a 9year old boy. (he's 11 now, still doesn't sleep, but does it in his own room.)

Wow, smokers! My people!! Actually I am currently not smoking, but have no delusions it will last. No one in my real life knows I smoke- seriously, no one but my family. I carry febreeze and a coat in the car and wear the coat when I smoke and febreeze my hair and chew gum. When I quit a few years ago my mom posted something on Facebook about it (poor mom, ever my cheerleader...and I always let her down) I had quite a few friends message me in surprise saying I must have just picked up that terrible habit. Um, no, I smoked the whole time. I'm just sneaky like that. I am also an atheist, a democrat and a vegan. Which I don't find to be related, but when I meet people who find one to be repulsive, the other two are usually also looked down upon. Experience has taught me not to advertise any of these things. And I nursed my youngest to age 4. Now you know all my deep, dark secrets!

The later the ultrasound, the less reliable it is. My "big" baby was a certain 42 weeker (dates were in stone due to hubby's being home just 1 daynthat month, lol) and instead of the 10 pounder they predicted she was 7. My on time baby with fuzzy dates was measuring big too- and was 5 pounds and found to be actually 4 weeks premature when born (dates were really, really fuzzy, lol). in both cases they were giving me these estimates and due dates based on ultrasounds done at 16 weeks or more, changing them often, trying to get me to induce with number 1, etc. The dates and sizes changed pretty much every time I had an ultrasound, basically. It's not an exact science. If you know dates, I'd just go with yours- I was truly clueless when it could have been with number two ( I had wonky periods, we weren't trying, I didn't get to a dr until 18 weeksish) so I pretty much had to go with whatever they could guesstimate.

I only have 2, but I often have 2-4 other kids with me as they are sibling group friends with my two. Normally the set with 4, and the way they are sized, they appear to be stair steps and all related, ie, my kids. People say such rude things- its shocking! First, 6 isn't all that many anyway- I can see commenting in surprise to 9-10, but 6? I am probably not qualified to really answer, since I only really have two, but to the really rude one old man in the commissary (do you know what causes that- soooo RUDE!) I leaned in close, lowered my voice, looked suggestive and breathed..."oh...yyyeeesss". My older son who was 12 at the time about died, but it was so worth it. All the kids save the youngest knew what "what causes that" meant, and the question is just so incredibly rude! So I vote for that, lol. It was pretty effective- I never saw an old guy move so fast!

Halal meat is pretty easy to get if you are in any major metro area.

My youngest started swim team when we lived in the deep south, at 4. Did fine, pretty great actually for 4, lol. We moved, and he did summer swim with his brother at 7. Then he got involved with gymnastics, but we moved to a place with a short winter swim season (8weeks) and the hours were set so he could do both. Except, it was winter and temps were in the teens. Indoor of course warmer, but the water wasn't warm enough for a kid with no body fat. He shivered and turned blue within 20 minutes of practice- every day. After 4 practices, I pulled him out, it just was too cold for him! The coach was frustrated (he's an athletic kid who even with rarely swimming was one of the best in his age group for the team) and insisted he'd get used to it, but he was done. Plus, he didn't want to risk getting sick for gym. we tried again the next year, same thing. Some kids just get too cold.

I took my 13 year old niece shopping a few weeks ago, at target. Oh my, we laughed until we cried because the sizes are soooo ridiculous! This is the first year she has been in womens sizes, not kids, and welcome to the wacky world of womens clothes, sweetie! A 5 in a pair of jeans was skin tight, wouldn't go past her knees...a 4 was huge. A skirt in a 7 was great, a skirt in a 3 was falling off. It made no sense whatsoever. It's like they just arbitrarily slap a number on the pants and out they go! And don't get me started on the low cut tops...she has cleavage,,but at 13 is certainly not wanting to show it off! But except for turtlenecks, everything is low, and requires layers...do they do that to sell more clothes? What about when the layering tanks are too low, too- layering layer tanks?! Aaaaaaahahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

I only what not to get- the old navy kind! I bought some for my niece, and within a week the backs were all crumpled down and yucky looking. Thankfully she is 6 and not into brands, but as am knock off goes, skip old navy!

Crystal- your suggestions are fab! Thank you! Now I'm thinking he could do the keystone course, and I could add to it, with things like your suggestions to beef up the "science" part so it could be accepted as a science. I know there is open course neuroscience stuff out there, and have a good background in anatomy and biology...lots to think on! Unfortunately he will have to wait a bit and finish bio and chem first I think, but it could work. I love home schooling!

I love sleepovers, and I am so happy we are having the first sleepover since moving with new friends tomorrow! My kids first (non grandparent) sleepover was at 5 (oldest) and 2 (youngest). My oldest came home at midnight, my youngest stayed all night and had pancakes the next morning! It was neighbors. We have a few friends who won't allow sleepovers, and it's fine. But they also don't allow things like Harry potter and pop music and email, so the friendships are a bit stilted since at 14, my son is into those things like most kids. Mostly, I feel sorry for the kids- not for the sleepovers so much, but for the general atmosphere of control and fear they live with. Not that everyone who doesn't like sleepovers is like that- just in our experience, they go together. I'd just be aware of the atmosphere you are creating (your kids are very young yet) and consider that- don't color their childhood with your fears.

My 11 year old insists they ought to be taken out of the periodic table because they "don't count". I think he just dislikes chemistry and is being contrary, but I can see his point. I will have to watch this thread for evidence to prove he should have to remember them, lol.

Ds wants to take a psycho.ogy course- he has a fascination with mental illness (which is not as weird as that sounds, I swear). We use keystone for quite a bit, and they have psych and ap psych, but under social sciences. His history plate is full for high school, he doesn't need another and I can't think of anything I would want to substitute, since to me, psych is much more a science. But- could it be? Would a college accept it as a year of science? Since he is not sciencey at all in the traditional sense, this would be a great science for him to take as he is actually, you know, interested. But is psychology really not considered a science?

My son (14) read it this year, we are doing American history. He really enjoyed it, it was very thought provoking. We also visited the National American Indian Museum in DC. (I forget it's proper title- history of the American Indian? ) anyway, they have a display very similar to the sentiments in the book- that culture was progressing totally separate from Asia and Europe, that great civilizations rose and fell in the Americas. I think it would be fine for your 8th grader, my son really enjoyed it.

My oldest Ds is finding geometry a breeze thanks to earlier Saxon use, so he is doing Tablet class algebra 1 to fill in holes, and review stuff he didn't quite get. It's cheap, he likes the explanations, though it doesn't go as deep as his algebra class did so he'll have to review some stuff via Khan academy maybe- but most of that is stuff that is usually covered in Algebra 2, so maybe not. Ds is very motivated to finish his 4 years of high school math asap because he hates math, so that helps motivate him so it's not onerous doing both!

Not me- after picking Ds up from music theory at 8:30 we pretty much imploded- older Ds threw up, younger Ds burst into tears and declared his head is throbbing. So much for school work, band, and the big dinner I had planned. Looks like it's chicken soup on the couch. I should probably use today to get stuff done, but I'm feeling sort of off myself...and willing my stomach to stop hurting! Emergency naps all around and hopefully we can still salvage the week!

Because the Mirena has hormones, I can't do it. It's the hormones that give the side effects, not the device itself. I've had a copper iud for 10 years, wonderfully simple with heavier periods as the only side effect! I just went in to talk about removing it (I was getting worried it would expire or something at the 10 year mark) and the obgyn said the ten year thing is a general rule, it's okay to leave it longer. So now it's staying until dh gets the v next spring. For some people, the heavier periods on the copper iud are awful, but for me since I had crime scene periods anyway (sorry about the tmi) it was just more of the same so no biggie. It's probably the exact same price as a Mirena, but lasts longer and is hormone free, so you may want to look into it.

Oh man, I'm vegan, and never ate much like that when I wasn't but...I am TOTALLY craving tuna casserole now!

Very large dogs don't live very long, so at 7 your St Bernard is quite elderly. I'm trying to be gentle, and I understand finances, but dogs come with medical needs and if you can't afford to attend to any, you probably ought not have a dog. The dog is in pain, but there are many medications that can help. Glucosamine, fish oil, they can help, but a prescription med like rymadyl (can't spell that) will be much more effective. He deserves at least a cursory vet visit. I think Tramadol can be purchased very cheap now via walmart pharmacies, and rymadyl (am anti-inflammatory for arthritis) has a generic version finally but it is still expensive- my dog takes it. It is unfair to punish the dogs behavior if his medical needs are being ignored- he is an animal, and cannot medically take care of himself, that is your job.

We letterbox, I like the creative and sluethy side. We've been doing it about 10 years now, all over the us and even in a few foreign countries!