Re: what English courses I purchased I have an aspiring writer DD (who is a home school school senior this year) living upstairs in her garret :tongue_smilie:, so I purchased Writing Creative Non Fiction and Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft. My intent is for these to be used primarily for enrichment and/or enlightenment purposes vice a stand alone curriculum. Happy shopping! Jen

Wow! Just wow! The sale is still in effect as of two minutes ago :tongue_smilie: AND if you opt to purchase the downloads and/or immediate streaming vice receiving physical DVD's, not only are they less expensive to begin with, then the retailmenot.com coupon codes (that d.g. so graciously informed us about) DO WORK!!! The coupon code for $30 off of a $45 purchase is W9E3 and the code for $20 off of a $35 purchase is HE4A. If purchasing more than one course, and you purchase them as separate transactions, the coupon codes will deduct from each and every transaction!:001_smile: I purchased a Night Sky course for $19.95, several Algebra courses for #39.95 each, and several English courses for $29.95 each. The immediate streaming option indicates that any purchase made via download will ALWAYS be available for instant access via thegreatcourses.com website. Wow! Just wow! And a huge "thank you" to both Perry and d.g. :party: HTH, Jen

One month ago, I was looking for a blender for the same purpose (making smoothies and milkshakes) and my anemic little Hamilton Beach just wasn't cutting it anymore...not that it ever really did! I considered the Vitamix, but I really didn't want to spend that kind of money strictly for a smoothie maker. After reading the strong recommendation by Rosy on another "blender thread," I purchased the Ninja Professional 900 Watt at Wal Mart for either $89 or $99. It is utterly amazing! It will turn full size ice cubes into snow cone like crystals or snow-like powder in approximately ten seconds or less. Once the ice has been crushed, we add in lots of frozen fruits and everything mixes beautifully and the end product is very smooth and creamy. One of my daughters uses it for green smoothies and it does a wonderful job of pureeing the green veggies as well. We simply love this blender and couldn't be happier with our purchase.:001_smile: HTH, Jen

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: This board has been the collective recipient of your words, and your wisdom, and your occasional wry humor for more than a decade. We are all so fortunate to have crossed paths with you. I shall be forever grateful for almost everything that you have written and shared over the years. Your candor and honesty is unparalleled. We are all fortunate to have shared your insights, and your sorrows, and every so often, your victories. Do you remember the board euphoria that spread like wildfire when you married Adrian? There was cheering in the streets that night. Your tribute was heartfelt and heartwrenching. I simply cannot fathom just how many collective hearts and minds are absolutely aching with you tonight. We love you and we are here. May God give you strength and peace to cope with yet another unimaginable burden. Jen

1. Ebay (they have some listed right now) 2. Google 3. Yahoo Good luck and let us know if you are still looking... Jen

:grouphug::grouphug:SO MUCH!:grouphug::grouphug: Off to mash the button now.....:party:

Do Tell! Pretty Please.........:tongue_smilie: Thanks, Jen

absolutely hilarious!:lol::lol: Made my day! Enjoy tonight...if you are awake :tongue_smilie: Jen

jamesavery.com They have very nice charms and excellent customer service. Jen

http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/ It is a lovely blog. Jen

:grouphug:Lisa:grouphug: This has to be such a bittersweet season of the liturgical year for you and yours. Try to be kind to yourself and keep a close eye on it. Yes, it can be (in my experience) completely normal, as long as you don't allow yourself to lose too much weight and you don't have any to lose in the first place.:001_smile: I thought of something as I read your recent post pertaining to your pending travel/summer vacation plans. Call me in the next day or two. I might have an interesting suggestion for you guys. You remian in our prayers... Jen

You just wait until that beautiful little lady of yours is just a smidge older... She will be your Christmas Tradition buddy! :001_smile: You will read, and reflect, and anticipate, and bake, and watch movies, and throughly immerse yourselves in the season. Here at my house, we call it "Girl Club!":grouphug:

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Prayers Definitely! Now for some perspective... I'm a NICU nurse (PRN these days) and hopefully it will be comforting if you consider the NICU in a slightly different light. IMHO, in many cases, being a patient in the NICU is a lot like receiving some private tutoring as a student. You have the almost exclusive attention of someone who is specifically trained to deal with whatever bought you a ticket into the NICU in the first place. :001_smile: That is a good thing! The nurse to patient ratio in the NICU ranges from 1:1 for very fragile kiddos, to 1:2 for most post op patients or just "busy" (medically speaking) kiddos, to 1: 3 or 4 for just about everyone else. Even a 1:4 ratio allows for very close nurse/patient monitoring and that translates into quickly identifying an issue sooner rather than later. That is also a good thing! From what you know so far, this sounds like a fairly straight forward issue. Generally NICU x-rays are available for viewing almost immediately and while they are sent to radiology, they are also available to be read by the in house neonatologists right in the unit. You should have some more info very soon. :grouphug: Jen

Another Zo lover here too!

Be completely certain of the answer to this question... Have you had a tetanus shot within the past 10 years? If so, then you don't need one for this incident. If not, then I would definitely go to see your Dr. and let them know what happened. I will venture to say that you will receive one! Jen

Long time NICU nurse here (who has worked very PRN as my daughters were in their high school years) and your comments are so familiar to me. One of the hardest things for NICU parents to do mentally is to transition from parenting a gravely ill neonate to parenting what equates often times to a normal newborn by the time of discharge. Shedding the "cluster your care/minimal stim" mentality and adopting the, "I can hold my baby whenever I want to" world view is not an easy thing to do once you have been conditioned (for the health of the babe) to do otherwise. IMHO, some hospitals do a better job than others at facilitating this transition and I firmly believe that the longer your NICU stay, the more challenging the transition becomes. In my experience, even though every family desperately wants "just to go home", suddenly being given complete responsiblity for what formerly was a very ill infant is a daunting emotional task to take on (and multiply that exponentially for NICU twins!) I am in no way saying that it isn't possible, but in reality, bonding in the NICU is challenging on a good day and all but impossible on others. As you well know, there are times when NOBODY (including the staff) wants to touch or disturb the baby unless it is absolutely medically required. Now fastforward to discharge and it is hard to cross that emotional barrier when all you have heard is, "Let them rest..." This transition will take time, but I heartily agree with all of the PP's advice regarding touching, holding, and loving on them until things settle into a more normal family dynamic. Pamela H. in Texas had some fabulous suggestions! The most difficult part of obtaining help is to first admit to yourself that you may need some...and you are wisely seeking advice from a huge fountain of information. Possibly some face to face counseling would be of tremendous benefit as well. Be kind to yourself! :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Jen

and they absolutely adore it! They are older now ...two college age and one a high school Jr. and they have grown up right along with the young wizard and it has been so much fun to watch. Pottermore, (what I have seen of it) is dazzling in the graphics arena. It is beautiful, interactive, and personalized (you take a quiz and then are objectively sorted into your own houses, likewise, you a take a quiz and go to Olivander's to be fitted for a wand etc) It truly feels as though you are immersed in the world. Cool, very cool indeed!:001_smile:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146556 HTH, Jen

Didn't you guys just retire? Call Pensacola NAS and check into their beach cottage rentals! They are absolutely fabulous and right on the water. http://naspensacola-mwr.com/leisure/oakgrove.htm You could go pick up some fresh seafood at Joe Patti's and take it back to the cottage to grill while watching the sunset. :001_smile: http://joepattis.com/ HTH, Jen

Bravo! Too funny for words... :lol:

My DD #2 is also a Spring '12 freshman admit and I am in the midst of having a "Do Over" on all of the dumb things we did when DD#1 went off to college to share an apartment dorm two years ago! Hopefully, this time we will come closer to getting it right. I figure that by the time DD #3 heads off to school in the Fall of '13, my system will be close to perfect...just in time for me to run out of kiddos! 1. Is your DD going to be sharing the apartment with roommates? If so, then clear communication between the roommates BEFORE Move In Day helps to prevent duplication of certain kitchen equiptment such as microwaves, coffeemakers, toaster ovens, toasters. Just sayin.:tongue_smilie: Also, they need to decide whether or not dishes, glassware, silverware, utensils, and cookware are going to be considered separate or community property. This definitely impacts how much you need to send. I will spare you all the gory roommate stories, (but we have amazing photos) about a pair of female roommates who refused to do any of their own dishes EVER and simply waited until they had exhausted all of their dishes and my daughter's dishes as well. They simply waited her out each and every time for an entire year. . . and that was just the tip of the iceburg!:001_huh: 2. Depending on your budget and your desire for quality, stores like Good Will, Salvation Army, and even yard sales (if you tend to frequent them) are an excellent and economical resource when it comes to stocking a college kitchen. I just picked up 10 white dinner plates for DD #2 that are microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe for $5.90. Works for me! In our experience, not all roommates are inclined to take proper care of expensive cookware that might happen to belong to someone else. So from here on out, the economy mentality will prevail! 3. Don't send anything that you would be heartbroken to lose. Sentimental items really don't do well in communal living arrangements. Items tend to get broken or just wander away all on their own... 4. Re: knives. I would send a chef's knife, a paring knife, and a serrated bread knife, as well as a sturdy pair of kitchen shears. IMHO,those four items will probably cover the vast majority of a college student's culinary needs. Cooks Illustrated magazine fairly recently recommended some rather inexpensive knives as Best Buys. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment/results.asp?docid=32210 5. Occasionally I freeze meals to take to DD#1 when I am go to visit her. She loves the convenience of having a homemade stash of favorites such as chicken enchiladillas, lasagna, or whatever close at hand. 6. Re: other items to send. It all depends on what and how much your DD is planning on cooking. My DD #1 is an RA and she bakes things on a regular basis to take down to the RA office, so for her, baking supplies were on the Necessities List. On the other hand, my DD #2 needs to figure out how to turn on the oven! Good luck. Jen

Lisa, :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: You (and the troops) have been in our daily thoughts and prayers. I continue to be in awe of your faith and your strength. I'll PM you. Jen

CONGRATULATIONS!:party: She is beautiful!

Critterfixer... who always seems to give rational, well thought out, and sensitive advice. Good luck and :grouphug:.

About a year and a half ago, I posted two replies to Molly (MJN) in response to her vegetarian meal ideas request. I haven't forgotten her, nor the many helpful replies in that thread. My family is not strictly vegetarian, but I incorporate many of these meals on a regular basis. If you use whole wheat flour to make pizza dough, then even pizza becomes a healthy food choice--dependinng on your toppings of course Walking is free and fairly gentle on the body.:001_smile: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146556 HTH, Jen