Anyone here live in the western part of Europe, especially Spain or Italy? We have one more year in our contract here in Malaysia but if we decide not to renew we have to make a decision by Thanksgiving and start applying to other schools. Two of the places we are considering are Spain and Italy (although sometimes I think we may stay here a bit longer). One of the things I need to know is the cost of living. So the big questions is, how much money, in Euros, would a family of five need to make to live comfortably in either of these two countries? Not in the lap of luxury necessarily, but comfortably, paying bills, with money left over to do fun things? That was one mistake I made coming here...not doing enough research on cost of living vs. what our salaries would be so any help you could give us as we contemplate our next move would be helpful. thanks!

I don't know about Attic Greek for kids but we are using Hey Andrew Teach Me Some Greek with our young boys and we are pleased with the results.

I know I sound like a broken record but... I had the Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy done in December and I am CURED. After 3 years of excruciating foot pain it is GONE. Look it up! You'll be glad you did.

That's not what I was saying at all. You can have all the opinions you want. My point is that most Americans look at the situation through American lenses and we want to apply solutions that are peaceful, reasonable and logical in our minds. But we think differently then the terrorists do. You cannot possibly comprehend the mindset of someone willing to strap a bomb to their chest and blow themselves up along with a bus full of innocent people. Take, for instance, the situation I mentioned earlier in regards to the use of Allah. A christian organization was translating the bible into the local language and they used the word "Allah" for the word "God"...which is what it means. The Muslims in the country responded by burning down christian churches left and right...churches that had nothing to do with the incident. They were running white people off the road because they assumed they were christian, smashing their windows and in general, terrorizing them. We were sent multiple notices from the U.S. embassy telling us not to leave our house. And if we were crazy enough to leave our house then get rid of anything that might point to you being a christian, bumper stickers, jesus fish on your car, etc. Now I can sit here and try to reason it out by saying "Geeze Louise people, it was ONE christian organization not ALL of them. At least target the right people. And Allah DOES mean God. Sure we can get into a big theological debate about whether it means the SAME god but all they were trying to do was give the locals a bible they could read in their own language. I mean, do you OWN the word Allah? No one else is allowed to utter it? And if we do you burn down our churches?" Doesn't that all sound logical? But logic does not come into play here. These are extremists who are hell-bent on burning down christian churches for some trumped up offense. These are people who CANED a woman in a public place near me for drinking a beer and who will put a Christian in jail FOR LIFE just for handing a bible to a Muslim. THAT was my point. Not that you can't have an opinion. And yes what happened on 9/11 was tragic. But terrorism is alive and well and operating on a DAILY basis over here. We as Americans can sit there and say "Why can't they just all get along?" but we cannot comprehend their mindset and our "solutions" will never work for them.

You are right. It is a whole different world over here. I, too, used to sit pontificating from my comfy chair in America, sure that what I was saying was true. But you have to live here. You have to watch them come in huge waves and protest at the AMERICAN Embassy. You have to read the stories about them burning down churches NEAR YOU because they dared to use the word Allah simply as a translation for the word "God" (which it is). You have to receive notices from the embassy telling you that if you are an American it would be best for you to stay home this weekend for your own safety. Americans get all worked up about things and we argue online and on TV. But REALLY, how many Americans are actually willing to DIE for their religion? The people here are and will in a heartbeat. You can't reason with that. It is a mindset Americans cannot comprehend and therefore anything you think you "know" about what is going on in the middle east...you are probably way off.

I hate to tell ya, but this new trend will be around for a while. It seems to be the "thing" that schools are going for...laptops for all kids, Kindles instead of books in the library, Ipods, etc. You name it. And yes, there are grants galore that schools write for that help them pay for this and this money can NOT be used to pay teachers. I am definitely a lover of technology but just throwing technology and kids and teachers without any real direction on how to use it in an instructional setting is a big fat waste of money.

Great suggestions ladies!!! THANKS!

I use Photoshop Elements 7.0. It is super easy to use. So that is a good place to start. Get the program then watch some tutorials. Although I had a few friends show me the ropes and that really helped.

Mine are exactly 6 years apart each...12, 6 and an infant. I love the age span!!!!!

Someone here once mentioned they keep a jar full of things for kids to do when they say "I'm bored". We are not even a full week into summer break and the boys are already driving me BONKERS. The problem is we live in an apartment (as do most of the people on this island) so no backyard to kick them out into. And due to no sidewalks and crazy traffic there is no bike riding option either. We do have a pool. So being stuck inside most of the time is a problem. We do plan to walk and swim each day but other than that it is inside most of the day. So about that boredom jar...... HELP!

Thanks ladies! I have bookmarked all those sites! Any more out there I should know about?

To quote Dennis Miller: "Other than the bombs they have strapped to their chests, I have no idea what makes those people tick. They have obviously decided to steer INTO the crazy skid."

I did it. I bit the bullet, installed Photoshop Elements 7.0 and started messing around with digital scrapping. and I LOVE IT!!!!! So here is where you come in. Can we do a thread with the BEST of the BEST in digital scrapping? the BEST tutorials designers websites stores idea places blogs tricks and tips the BEST of the BEST of everything digi-scrap!!! You can click on my blog to see my first attempts as long as your PROMISE not to laugh! I'm a novice but I am willing to glean all the info I can from you ladies. I'M SO EXCITED!!

I am so bummed. This is the first year we missed it. :(

These are great suggestions ladies! I am making a list. I am intrigued by the idea of Settlers of Catan. I wonder if my 6yo could do it (or maybe teamed up with one of us)? We like strategy games like that. hmmm.....

What's interesting to me is that I just received an alert notice from the U.S. embassy here in Malaysia for Americans to be extra cautious as there are huge Muslim demonstrations against Israel planned for this weekend. :confused:

I need ideas. I have 12yo and a 6yo. Both boys, both like to play board games. The problem is finding games for all of us to play. The 6yo is a good reader. But still, games like Scrabble are out. I am so sick of UNO. Monopoly is boring. What kind of games can we play that we will all enjoy?

We LOVE going to the movie theater! We go about once a month as long as there is something we want to see. We love the hustle-bustle, the popcorn, the big screen, everything!

The only extra-curricular type thing I did was cheerleading and that was free and through the school. But not many of my friends did anything other than school-sponsored clubs or sports either. It just wasn't the norm. I had one friend who took dance lessons but that was about it.

We saw it at the theater in 3D and we loved it. "You used to be much more much-ier. You've lost your much-ness!"

My son went through the exact same thing and I got him a t-shirt that says: You laugh because I am different I laugh because you are all the SAME! And his other favorite t-shirt... "Some Day I'll be Your Boss" :D My two pieces of advice for him: 1. Do NOT change who you are to fit in with them 2. Do NOT put up with their abuse either. Fire back and put them in their place.

Yup. We got rid of just about everything when we moved here. My 12yo is down to an xbox, books and he loves to build and paint models. My 6yo only uses art supplies, legos, wooden blocks, and dress-up clothes. Pretty much everything else is a waste of money.

I so rarely do this but I have to say I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU JOANNE. :D "Longevity" is not a reason to stay married. And we do not know that they haven't tried...we don't know what has been going on behind the scenes...and yes, people CAN find true love at 60 years old. My FIL met and married his wife at age 61 and has been very happily married for the last 13 years. Why do we find it so easy to judge other people's marriages?

1. Always wear shoes with good arch support and cushioned heels...even inside your home 2. you can get steroid injections from a podiatrist 3. the only thing that cured me after battling it for several years was Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy. It is a MIRACLE.

HOLY SMOKES!! You ladies are amazing...I just woke up, checked the thread and was knocked over by all the advice here. Now I need to print it out and make out a plan. I am thinking right off the bat I need: - a juicer - retinol - an exercise plan...maybe swimming laps and walking/jogging? - drink more water - stay out of the sun (difficult since I live about 6 inches from the sun's surface!) - try to get 7 hours of sleep (I currently average about 5) All of the rest of this awesome advice I need to read through about 10 more times. I didn't know there was a controversy over mammograms!