Dawn, we also tie completion of the Eagle to driving privileges...it's kind of a rite of passage in our family! We are scouters...partly because our church encourages it, partly because dh recognizes all that he gained on his journey to Eagle and because we want to provide that type of leadership education to our boys. Ds15 is a typical teenager and would love to not have to work hard at anything that isn't fun. :D. That doesn't mean we are going to DO his project for him though. Just because we tie an incentive to it doesn't mean it negates all of the worthy skills and experiences he will gain during the process. It's the process that is the most important to us...with guidance by capable leaders and step-by-step.

Thanks for the info!

So Dominique was adopted from Romania? Or her parents kept her but gave away their disabled baby? Wow....

:iagree: I was so impressed with her tonight! What a darling girl...

I also had the choice made for me when I had to have a hysterectomy a little over a year ago...after almost bleeding to death during a 'heavy' period. Talk about a roller coaster! It has been emotional for me...and I really have had to allow myself to grieve over it. just the thought of getting rid of baby items or knowing I'd never feel a babe move inside me again or never being able to nurse again... It does seem to be getting better. A few things that have helped me: --"borrowing" a friend's baby at church or volunteering to hold a baby while mama takes a nap or goes for groceries --looking at things I might be able to do now that I couldn't with little ones (putting a positive spin on things...) --an antidepressant has actually helped me get my emotions under control, but I have also been dealing with depression and energy issues --putting together photo albums of my babies --enjoying the moment instead of thinking of each thing as my last...I really had to put that out of my mind. It's helped me to cherish the moments rather than worry the time away A quote I saw on interest that really spoke to me...and supposedly attributed to Dr. Seuss (but I've never verified): "Don't be sad that it is over...smile because it happened!"

Awesome! It gave me a taste of how incredibly stressful it must be as a parent! I loved the dad at the end! I bet they knew they were being taped...since they had a mic.

Wow...amazing. Beautiful girl! Thanks for sharing!

I refuse to go to Carl's, Jr...a few years back they had some terrible commercials on. I was watching TV with my kids, early evening, and this commercial came using the song "I like big butts and I cannot lie," but it was in the classroom and they were talking about the teachers. I was just shocked at the way they sexualized it and couldn't believe it was on during family programming. I sent an email to complain and promised I would never eat there again. (Although, to be honest, I can't even remember a time I ever did eat there!) I'm sure they took off that commercial just because of my complaints. :D That's the only boycotting I've done...

Love this idea! Thanks for sharing...

Maybe you could use the funds to purchase a few curriculum items and start a materials lending library? To be housed in the cabinet, perhaps within the same church?

I wish I was your neighbor!

Be sure to post the prices clearly...it drives me crazy when I go to a garage sale without prices marked. I seriously just walk away. I'm not gonna search around through everything and then seek out the homeowner and wait while she figures out how much to charge. I will usually buy kids clothes at .50-1.00, unless it is a name-brand outfit or dress and then will go a little higher. Adult clothes are the hardest to sell it seems--I always laugh when people are trying to sell them for more than a dollar or two.

I was able to find shorts and a tankini at http://www.kohls.com--might be worth a look. As far as being overweight...I gained some with each pregnancy that I've never lost either. I know I could improve my body if I were more careful about eating and exercising...sigh. I don't let myself get too down about it...I figure my belly is my battle scar for doing some pretty miraculous work! The kids are worth it, right?!? But it would be nice to have enough energy to keep up with them!

Dd4 gets these kinds of nosebleeds and my pediatrician just recently recommended the Vaseline thing, too.

I love to cook ground beef and then freeze it...but dh refuses to eat it if i do that. He really, really, really dislikes the taste! I'd recommend trying a few small batches and see how you/your family likes it before you do a whole bunch!

I loved her hair, too...but was I the only waiting the entire time for her to pin it up out of her face?!? :D

What a fun thread! Dh keeps wondering what im laughing at! I can't even count all of the posts that sound just like me! So maybe we should embrace our weirdnesses and just let them all hang out all the time. :D I can't sleep with my feet covered--they have to be hanging out without anything touching them, even if it is freezing cold. I finger spell (sign language) while I watch TV, especially commercials or street signs while in the car. I havent really used my ASL since college classes (18 years), so it's not like I need to practice. I need to end my dinner with the perfect bite. I always eat the thing I like the least first, but the rest of the meal needs to be evenly spaced out so I end up with one last bite of everything. Then I eat those in order from least to most yummy. My bread slices have to match...and I always make my sandwiches from inside slices of the loaf (although I don't mind giving the kids the other stuff...someone has to eat it up, right?)

Totally agree with giving up on the top sheet. I like the idea of the folded blanket at the foot of the bed! What about having several fitted sheets that you put on at a time...then to "change" the sheets, you just pull off the top one and put it in the laundry. So if you have four sheets, you only put the sheets on one out of four times. (This is assuming wetting the bed is not an issue, of course...just dirty sheets from dirty-playful kids.)

Last year when we went to Yellowstone, dh thought I was crazy packing up all of our food & taking it with us instead of just going to the grocery store in West Yellowstone. (We were staying at a cabin, so did have refrigeration) After we got there, he went to the store to buy something he had forgotten...and he changed his tune about my crazy packing ahead. The prices were outrageous! Just a caution in case you decide to buy things there...you may want to stop ahead a few towns. :)

I'd like to recommend the book, "Do Hard Things," by Alex and Brett Harris. http://www.amazon.com/Do-Hard-Things-Rebellion-Expectations/dp/1601421125/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340291082&sr=8-1&keywords=do+hard+things My ds14 is reading that this summer and we are discussing it together. It is written by two home-schooled young men. There is a definite Christian bend to it, fyi. The authors basically talk about how there is an issue with teenagers in our society not being expected to do hard things...and what a difference it makes to push yourself rather than fall into the entitlement trap.

I love the Piano Adventures books by Faber. I play (somewhat) and teach my kids (somewhat) using their books. I love that their website has videos of *how* to teach the lessons--that has been so helpful for me! Also, they have a great forum for piano teachers that I have gleaned a lot of great info from. http://pianoadventures.com/guide/contents.html

Thank you for sharing!

I'm the Bear den leader in my ward and we have a boy who isn't LDS in our den. We gladly welcome him! I would add that we do include things that may be considered 'churchy' at times, although this boy's mom is aware and we try to be sensitive to that so he doesn't feel awkward or uncomfortable. For example, we always start our meetings with a prayer, but usually call on this boy to say the pledge or scout oath instead of the prayer.

We also use Piano Adventures. The most helpful thing for me is that on their we site, they have videos showing how to teach the lessons. This is incredibly helpful for someone who may be teaching their own kids but not necessarily be a piano teacher. The link is pianoadventures.com/guide/contents.HTML

I just bought a cute set at gymboree that was on a great sale. Rash guard, shorts, and tankini.