I agree with the previous posters. We are using SOTW1 w/7th, 4th and 1st, so we are using Kingfisher, Usborne IL Encyclopedia and Usborne Encyclopedia of World History. If I didn't have the 7th grader in the mix, I would drop Kingfisher. ~Staci

You're welcome! Glad that made sense. If you are anxious and want to get an idea of where you are at, you could use this estimator offered by Turbo Tax. :) ~Staci

I am not sure that I fully understand your question, but... What he claims at work on his W-4 doesn't change the amount of tax that is ultimately owed. Your tax liability is your tax liability whether the money is deducted from his paycheck or paid on April 15th. The W-4 worksheet is pretty accurate and I would recommend filling that out to figure out what number of exemptions he should claim at work. The exemption amount for each person claimed is $3,500 for 2008. Sounds like you will have 11 exemptions (you, dh, and 9 children), which comes to $38,500. That amount will be deducted from his gross earnings. Other deductions (mortgage interest, charitable contributions, property tax, etc.) will further reduce the amount of taxable income. Depending on income level, you may also be eligible for some child tax credit $$$ as well. Any money that was taken out of his paycheck will be subtracted from the amount of tax owed, and then once any relevant taxes are added in, you will either end up with a refund or will have an additional amount to pay. I don't know if this is helping or making it more confusing, but the bottom line is that the advantage of having the money taken out of the paycheck is so that you don't have a large tax liability come tax time. If you are receiving large refunds each year, then you can increase the number of exemptions claimed at work to reduce the amount of money taken out each paycheck and increase the amount of take-home pay. If you end up owing each year, you should reduce the number of exemptions so that a bit more will be taken out of each check. HTH! ~Staci

Hey, if you decide to get rid of that press, LMK, lol! I do make tortillas and have been looking to get one. ;)

:iagree: There is some controversy right now over A and D, and the whole cod liver oil thing. All very confusing if you ask me. As far as getting just D without the A, I have been using Carlson's Vitamin D Drops and I love them! I have definitely noticed a difference since taking them. Very reasonably priced, too. ~Staci

I wouldn't push, especially if he feels he's not ready. My dh wasn't in any hurry to get his license. He biked just about everywhere, which I think is great for multiple reasons. He did end up getting it at 17. I am seriously considering having my kids wait until past 16 anyway. I believe that there are a lot of 16 yos that are not ready for driving. ~Staci

I just got a Blackberry and it is very nice. My sis got an i-Phone and loves it, but she is a total Apple devotee, so no surprise there. Totally depends on your use. I think I would be fine with a qwerty phone and the basic $15 plan. We have a really good discount through my sister's employer, so we went ahead with a smartphone. I've used sister's phone once or twice and the touch screen was kind of nice and seemed very easy to use. I am not in a place to spend that kind of money on a phone right now. Texting on the Blackberry is very easy. I am sure there are a ton of features I am not utilizing yet, but it still is nice to be connected. My dh never thought he'd use his as anything more than a phone, but he has quickly realized just how wrong he was. He didn't think my dad would use his either (they work together), but they are both using them quite a bit. It is great for them to be able to respond to client emails while out in the field. Side note for all of you AT & T users: be sure to check with AT & T to see if you qualify for any discounts on your plan (based on school/employer). My sis, who works for a local university, didn't have a clue that there were discounts available. Her frugal sis (that's me ;)) encouraged her to check into it, and now we have a very nice discount on our family plan. Check here! Sorry for the rambling! HTH! ~Staci

OK, so I am not a Bosch owner, but . . . Have you ever tried Marilyn's Famous Whole Wheat Bread Recipe? She has instructions for hand kneading, Bosch and Zojirushi. I knead the dough in my bread machine and then bake in the oven. We love this recipe! ~Staci

My dh works in the real estate home inspection business for my dad. Since things are down in the RE industry, their business is down too. Fortunately, they are getting some business from RE investors buying foreclosures in addition to the standard inspections they get. It's been tough because my dad wants to pay dh as much as he can so he can support me and his grandkids, but my dad needs an income too. We are doing okay so far and have been selling some things on eBay and CL to make some extra cash. Tough times for many indeed! ~Staci

:iagree: I've never tried the apple (have heard of it, though), but the bread works like a charm. Some sort of moisture transfer I guess, as the bread gets hard but the cookies stay soft.

Wow! Thanks for the quick replies. :) I am familiar with some of these titles, but now I'll have to start googling! Keep 'em coming! I'll probably splurge on a few soon and then create a list for when garage sale season starts.

I want us to start playing more games together as a family. We have a game closet with a decent number of games, but I would like to add a few more. Tell me what your favorites are. Our kids range from 12 down to 3. Educational games are great, but I am interested in those that are not necessarily in that category as well. TIA!

That does seem awfully quick! Is there a troubleshooting guide. We just got a now coffeemaker and the manual recommends cleaning mineral deposits about every three months or so.

The kids have chores and we are gradually adding more to what they have to help with. We just need to get better with a consistent schedule. Table cleanup and dishes after dinner are pretty consistent. The big boys have to straighten their room each night before bed and the oldest 3 make their beds daily. One thing that helps a lot with laundry is sorting bins in the basement. The oldest two alternate taking the hamper down daily and sorting. We have a whites bin and a towels bin and the other stuff gets sorted by bedroom. DS1 and DS2 in one bin, DD and DS3 in another, and mom and dad's together. The two oldest (12 and 9) do ALL of the kid laundry one day each week, from start to finish. They don't know it yet, but I am about to have them start doing the whites and towels, since they do such a great job. ;) I really need to do better with the meal planning and cooking. We rarely eat out and cook mainly from scratch. I would do much better with a plan. We don't mind leftovers, so I think I really need to work on bigger batch cooking. Love reading what everyone else is doing! ~Staci

I'd eat out about once a week if the budget allowed, but it doesn't. We were doing about 2 times per month, but now that the income is down, it's less. We eat out on the budget plan (was $50/month for a family of 6), so that means virtually no sit-down. Pizza or Chinese are/were our most popular two choices that we can do on the cheap. Maybe once a month right now, or maybe even less. ~Staci

Depends on what we're talking about, but here's what my first thought was . . . 100 and I'm 37.

Since you mentioned a banana bread recipe specifically . . . I have substituted 100% WW for all-purp in my banana bread recipe and it turns out great. I read somewhere online that you should pack the soft wheat flour like you do brown sugar for this very reason. I recently made my first quick bread with fresh milled wheat and forgot to do this. Let's just say the results were off quite a bit. :001_huh: Kids still ate it, though! ;) We are loving our Nutrimill! Hope you enjoy your grain mill, too!

Just a note on the Radian . . . I haven't owned one, although I likely will if we have another dc, but have read a lot about them. The Radian 65 and Radian 80 are the same shell and have the same harness slot heights. So, if you have children that are on the lighter side, you would probably be fine with the Radian 65, which is less expensive. From what I have read, most kids outgrow the Radians by height before they do by weight. Now I did just read here that the R80 is approved to use above the top slots up to a certain weight limit, as long as the ears are below the top of the seat back. Anyway, just thought that might help with $$$ since you need to buy three. :)

We have had our Corelle in winter white forever. We got the first ones about 15 years ago, and have added on as we got married and had kids. I don't think they'll ever get rid of the basic white, so we can always add on or replace as needed. They are super lightweight and very durable. I think we've only broken 2-3 dishes in all that time. We have very limited cabinet space and these take up very little space. They are great for the kids because of the weight and durability as well. There's my advertisement for Corelle! :tongue_smilie: ~Staci

That's what I was thinking. I would bet on it being holiday related.

I don't have an answer for you, but just wanted to say that I just baked three mini loaves with her recipe (don't have a decent regular loaf pan yet) and they are cooling on my counter as I type this. It was my first time using her recipe and my first time using fresh milled flour to bake bread. It smells WONDERFUL! :001_smile: Hope someone can answer your question. I used my very basic bread machine to knead mine. ~Staci *I just looked in my KitchenAid book and it says to never exceed speed 2 when using the dough hook, so I guess I'd try 1 or 2, or maybe start with 1 and then go up to 2 for the majority.

As much as I love a great deal, I don't like crowds! I also like sleep. :D Just not for me. I'll continue to find my good deals elsewhere. ~Staci

Thanks! Good to know. :) I just tried to order some, and the color I wanted is out of stock. Guess my decision was made for me. :tongue_smilie: ~Staci

Maggie's socks are on sale through Frontier this month and I am considering splurging on a few pair for me. Can anyone tell me about their experience with these and if they are worth the price? I know $8.03 is not a huge amount for a tri-pack of socks, but it is more than I normally pay. I am guessing they are probably very comfy, but do they last a good long while? Thanks! Staci

I was just coming to post the same thing! Everybody may get cancellation notices tomorrow, but worth a shot for a great seat. :)