Nice!

:grouphug:

Heartbreaking. No one stops to tell newlyweds that marriage is work, and our entire society is geared towards pushing kids away from parents.

:iagree:Welcome!

:iagree: A Hive euphemism that keeps discussions on that topic from coming up in Google searches.

:grouphug:

I have the same thing, but not with all colds. Sometimes I manage to get just the lighter range of symptoms, but other times I get a really bad inflammatory response that turns a head cold into the whole swollen joints and lymph nodes thing. Ick. I have some autoimmune issues, and there is just no knowing what will trigger the more distressing symptoms. Keeping my iron and vitamin D levels high enough definitely seems to help overall -- have you had your levels checked lately?

Congrats!

:grouphug:

Same here. We could probably eat for a month on what we have on hand, but it would be a very boring menu. We eat a ton of fresh fruits and veggies, so going too far past planned shopping means totally changing how I structure our snacks and meals.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Congrats!

:grouphug:

:grouphug:

Finished last week: # 75. French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure. I ignored this book when it first came out because I figured it was a diet book, which didn't interest me. Then it was mentioned so many times in Bringing Up Bebe that I had to give it a try -- and was pleasantly surprised. It is part diet book/part cookbook/part personal musings on cultural differences. I have to admit, I enjoy reading about food, and it turns out that I actually already eat like a French woman.... I apparently just need to drink a lot more wine than I currently do.:lol: I also reread parts of The Core as a sort of teacher in-service before jumping back into the school routine this week.

The house I grew up in was built in 1863, and had a small outbuilding that had been the "summer kitchen." I think the concept is pretty similar to grilling so that the house doesn't heat up. The house next door had a cold cellar -- a great hiding place for us when we were kids! We do not have ac...... and I honestly don't want it, although DH would probably be happier if we got a window unit or two. I do a lot of what has been mentioned in other posts in regards to keeping crossbreezes going, keeping the blinds down during the day and the windows wide open at night. I keep cooking to a minimum and do it all early in the morning. I do as much housework and yardwork as possible before noon. It's 94 degrees here (and climbing), and DS and I have been out working in the garden, and DD is out riding her bike right now...... I think that it doesn't phase us because we are used to it, but that DH has more of a problem after spending the day in an office with ac.

My favorite for children the ages of yours are the Paddington books read by Stephen Fry.

:party: I felt the same way when we got our new one a few months ago. I just kept going back into the bathroom to marvel at how shiny it was. And Dh didn't even laugh, he knew how much it bugged me to work away at the old one and never end up with it looking clean.

Wait, if you just learned this, how did you know whether your glue bottles were closed tightly all your life? :confused: :lol::lol::lol: I can still hear my elementary school art teacher imparting this bit of wisdom -- frequently and loudly.

Welcome!

:party:

I'm really not sure what will work from a legal standpoint in your state. What we did was begin kindergarten at age 4, which is legal here, although you usually only see it in cases where districts have policies to admit gifted kids early (districts set their own admission dates here. state law has limits on what those dates can be). We don't report here until the child turns eight, which means that my summer birthday kiddos first get reported to the district as they start 4th grade.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Congrats!