Yes, I got it from a cassette tape of old Disney songs. Never saw the movie, though. I had always wanted to know what it was from, but it was pre-internet and no adults knew. When I was an adult and wanted to sing it to my baby I was able to look it up.

I thought it was easier to bundle up winter babies to keep them comfy, as opposed to my summer baby, who overheated easily and couldn't tolerate our baby carrier because of it. I live in an area with milder winters, and I loved snuggling babies in a carrier while watching the older kids play.

Carcasonne, Forbidden Island, Love Letters (card game).

Mine is from the English folk song Lavender's Blue, or Lavender's Green. I grew up on the Burl Ives version (though there are many, many versions, some cheekier than others). I always wanted a marriage like that and I did indeed get married in a lavender dress, and we treat each other like a king and queen. You can find it on youtube. I sing it to my kids all the time, but with the lyrics they used in the 2015 Cinderella. FTR, when I was googling I came across a homeschool blog called Lavender's Blue. That isn't me; no relation.

We'd have just been cooped up in the house for a solid 6 weeks if we followed the sibling rule! Since they're in B&M school, we just follow school policy. Stay home for vomiting, fever, green nose or other funky discharge, severe sore throat, malaise. You can go back when you're symptom-free for 24 hours. If I were still homeschooling, I think we'd all be at home, since I'd be the primary caregiver of the sick kid, unless it were a drop-off activity. I also keep in mind that different kids react to different viruses in different ways. One of my kids will vomit for anything. Sometimes it's the beginning of a true tummy bug, but usually it's because she has a minor cold, she's scared, she woke up too suddenly, or she's coughing or slightly choking. I keep an eye on her and plan accordingly.

Screwy reviews are a major reason why I'm not renewing Prime this year. I am sick to death of going over reviews with a fine tooth comb to figure out if they're legit or not.

We were there for F&W a few couple ago, mainly because it was the most convenient time to travel, though we do enjoy food and wine too. Actually, I think every time we've been to Disney there's been a special event going on in EPCOT - F&W, Flower and Garden, Festival of the Arts - so we've gotten used to wandering around and trying food from the carts. DH and I love that kind of thing, but it got more difficult once the kids weren't stroller age anymore and started having opinions about what one ought to do at Disney. Sounds like that won't be a problem for you on this trip, though I hear you about crowds. But the last time I was at EPCOT was the Saturday before Christmas, probably one of the busiest days of the year, after major holidays. And it was surprisingly fine. EPCOT can absorb a lot of people, especially if you're there more for the food and drinks than the rides. I like the EasyWDW blog for reviews. Very thorough, perhaps a bit too bitingly sarcastic...but sometimes you need a change of pace from everything being super duper Magical, kwim? I hope you have a great time!

I spend too much money on craft supplies I live in NC I'm drinking a cosmo right now.

Yesterday I did so much housework that I didn't sit down until DH came home at 5. I was beat! It must count for something. A lot of it was up and down the stairs, up and down the steep backyard hill, lugging stuff around the garage, dashing inside to check on dinner, dashing back out to keep an eye on the youngers.

I do remember you talking about it! So glad it was found!

I am happy with my life. Sure, there are things I wish I had done differently, and there are some minor tweaks that would make life a little more comfortable. But on the whole I'm satisfied. I'd actually be pretty sad if my life were totally different than it is now. DH was recently given the option to relocate to a nicer and more exciting place. We seriously thought about it - it sounded like so much fun to start over, and in some ways the new city would be a better fit (it's a place that we sometimes go on weekends when we want to do something fun). But a comparable house over there costs 50% more (he wouldn't get paid more), so I'd need to either get a job or settle for a lesser house. Each of our kids has a best friend they'd need to leave behind. His company's culture at that location is not as family-friendly, and we'd live too far away for DH to come home for lunch like he normally does here. It made us think about how much we have, and commit to things we'd felt a little meh about.

Health is a minor perk to homeschooling. I say minor because illness still goes on in homeschool groups and other places outside the house. Recently, I (the one who's anal about handwashing and hygiene, not my kids who lick handrails and get coughed on) was the one who brought a really nasty virus into the home. You just never know. And they'll be exposed to stuff eventually. Our first year of preschool was really bad. Someone was always sick because they had less previous exposure. Sleep is king at our house, and my kids do get enough of it, but it's at the expense of other stuff. We only have 4 hours between the time school gets out and bed time. That's not much when we have to play (see below), get home, do homework, eat dinner, have some family time, bathe, etc. It feels so rushed, but I've just accepted that it's only four busy evenings a week that we have to get through. Nutrition is slightly worse with all the snacks, special treats, reward candy, lunches that they'll actually eat, etc. When we homeschooled, we had so much more outside play time. We usually did it in the mornings when it's cooler and because this area gets lots of afternoon thunderstorms. When school started we just kind of maintained that play in the morning, rest in the afternoon schedule - except we weren't playing in the morning because they were in school. Kiddo gained a good bit of weight, which isn't all bad because usually he gains weight and then the weight suddenly turns into height, but still. I had to make physical activity happen, it didn't just happen through the course of our day anymore. I park a couple blocks away at pickup time, and we go to playgrounds for an hour or two, if it's at all possible. I'm hoping to get him into a school sport, too. I think a non-school sport would be too difficult to work into our schedule and still get to bed at a decent time.

This. You'll probably wind up at one anyway for follow-up care. Might as well just start there. They're the experts, you'll do a lot less waiting around, and they're a lot less germy!

I get the thrift store thing too. I love a deal, especially with kids who are hard on clothes and grow at alarming rates, but man...sometimes it's not worth it. The worst was when I was 8 months pregnant with my last kid. I wanted to buy the older kids a play kitchen, to have something new and fun to do while I took care of the new baby. Couldn't find any free online, so I went to Once Upon a Child (where I do shop occasionally). I was so emotionally sick I almost threw up. I guess the hormones took my normal thrift store feeling of being crushed and made it unbearable. In the end I decided to shell out for a new one. OTOH, one of my favorite cheap dates is to wander around antique stores with DH. I only get that feeling in the stalls where things are obviously more personal. Blankets, dresses, wigs, baby dolls. But I could look at old china, crystal, silver, and chandeliers all day.

I'd try to split it, (because 30 grand is a lot for a vacation), but if I couldn't I'd do the vacation.

My kids get along best when they have a common goal. A couple weeks ago they spied a large-ish box and slowly destroyed it over the course of a half hour. I believe the game involved aliens. I was able to sneak away and read in bed! Sometimes I'll start making a fort, and when they see how cool it's going to be, they take over. Sometimes I send them into the attic or under-eave storage to find something. Slightly dark and creepy, the attic involves heights, you wind up with something cool if you get over your fear...what's not to love? Changes of scenery are always good. Move to a different room, get outside and go for a walk. If you want everyone to come with you, the best way is to make it "Mommy's special alone-time walk." Within a week you'll have a crowd! LOL. Well, it works on my kids, at least. And obviously when the kids are young you need to do this when a responsible person is home. And I try, at the end of the day, to spend a little one-on-one time with each kid. It's not easy on the days when everyone is home, and every last nerve is screaming "Mommy is done for the day!" but I put on a smile and just enjoy each kid for who they are. They love this. I love it too.

At home we have it with a nice little salad. Once at a restaurant I got french onion soup and ordered mashed potato cakes a la carte. They were so yummy together. But it wouldn't have worked if the cakes hadn't been nicely crisped, and seasoned to stand up to the soup. I don't know how to make these at home. My experiments come out blobby.

I've had TMJ with my jaw locking up in the past. Recently with my virus it's been acting up again (not locking, just hurting and threatening to lock), especially if I have to sleep with my mouth open because I can't breathe through my nose. It's calming down already. Hope yours does too! If I'm worried it's going to lock, and I have to open my mouth, I kind of quickly thrust my head forward as I open my jaw. This seems to keep it on the right path, not the "locking up" path. YMMV, don't try this at home kids, and all the rest. Seriously, I have zero idea if this is good advice, but it works for me when things are getting wonky.

Nursing kids through a virus, possibly the flu, like I have been for the last week. DH and I were supposed to have our Valentine's date for lunch today, while the kids were in school. He was a few minutes from home when I got the call to pick up the next victim. It's okay, though. They're too tired to even be crabby. Beats the heck out of the vomiting bug they had a few weeks ago.

I made quiche today, I'm craving red lentil soup, and DH made mushroom risotto yesterday. We have some illness going around and no one feels like meat right now.

Me, but I always ask his opinion. He's good at pointing out things I hadn't considered, and vice versa. Usually for him it's an issue of function. Are those curtains too sheer for that room, or are the kids going to destroy that knick-knack just by walking past it. I'm the one who thinks of beauty, dimensions, color, comfort. We choose larger items like furniture together. Usually it's very easy.

I have friends who adopted and know adoptees in my wider social circle. I can't think of any cases in the family except a cousin who might have adopted her step-son. DH's aunt nearly gave her baby up for adoption, but chose to keep her before it was finalized.

I thought of bad non-GPS one. DH and I were staying with my aunt and uncle, who live in a major city with lots of highways and business loops to navigate. We casually mentioned to each other that we should figure out our route home (not expecting help). Uncle launches into this really complicated "Go south on US X, not Business X, then hop onto I Whatever East, take that to the bridge and immediately get onto US Z West, immediately, it's easy to miss, then you're going to want I Whichever North, stay on that for two miles then take this weird little side road to...." It was way more complicated that the route we'd taken to their house. When we finally got our atlas out, we realized that he was was trying to keep us off the toll roads. Which is nice, but it was like $3 in tolls and he wanted us to go 45 minutes out of our way in terrible traffic on complicated roads.

Google Directions wanted us to go on a road that hadn't been built yet. We were trying to get to our local IKEA for the first time, and it took us on this weird convoluted back way through sketchy areas, and sure enough, there was IKEA. The back of IKEA. On the other side of a huge valley! Rather than staying on the highway for a couple more miles and getting off at IKEA Blvd, as we soon learned. There actually is a road there now. We took it last year on our way home when traffic on the highway was at a standstill.

I'll do some sort of dessert - maybe chocolate fondue. Homemade pizza used to be our traditional Valentines meal, but we've been having it nearly every week recently, so it won't be that special. DH and I will probably have a nice dinner after the kids go to bed. Last year I got a beeswax candle kit for the kids, the kind you roll up. That was a huge hit! I'll probably do it again this year, especially since they'll have the next day off from school. Crafts are always a good idea on a non-school day.