I do mostly conditioner only. Every couple of weeks I have to shampoo the under part of my hair (around the nape) because it gets too greasy. I think it's just because of how thick my hair is. I don't use shampoo on the crown or front, it stays too dry as it is. A few weeks ago, when my dh was in the hospital, I used shampoo on all my hair because I just felt "icky" from being at the hospital so much. It has taken 2 weeks to recover :lol: Not using a terry cloth towel helps a ton as well. I just use an old t-shirt to "plop" my hair in, and then wrap a towel over that to dry a little.

I was born and raised in the south, and we've always used maple syrup. (Actually I was probably in my 20's before I tasted REAL maple syrup, we always used Aunt Jemima.) My favorite right now is topping them with homemade cranberry sauce and drizzling a small amount of syrup over that :)

Singing to the musack at stores is also apparently a no-no. :D

I have only been privy to the cost of my own wedding, and that one was CHEAP! My family made most of the decorations and food (including the cake) and my dress was an altered used one that I bought for around $120. I think it is crazy, and that money would be MUCH better spent helping the young couple get off to a good start. My dh and I have joked (only sort of) about paying our dds to elope. We certainly will not be footing the bill for elaborate weddings.

Goodwill...seriously. Thrift stores are always the best bet when I'm trying to find jeans for my girls.

With my first, just a week or two. My twins were born 6 weeks early, so they were over a month old before I took them out I think.

Wow, I sympathize. I would look into a different heat source if at all possible with little ones. My mother grew up in a house heated that way. She got some pretty severe burns when she fell on the furnace (she was preschool age).

Honestly, I don't think you can do it all without making the people that live with you miserable. (Even if you think you aren't) My mother was a complete neat freak. Her house was spotless. We were miserable. I felt like I was always "on" and had to worry more about keeping our house clean than actually living in it. Guests weren't really comfortable either. I keep a fairly clean house, but we live here! There are messes quite regularly, and it's only REALLY clean about once a month. Food....it's often served out of whatever it was cooked in, but it's usually homemade :)

My blog and girls ages are in my siggy :) I go in spurts with the blogging though. My girls read a lot, talk online with their friends, go to a writer's club, do a lot of craft and sewing projects, cook, and just try to be lazy ;) I have one that likes art, one that likes singing, and one that loves acting...so they take outside classes for those as well. They also take up a large portion of their free time with bickering, being hormonal, and trying my patience. ;)

This scares me a little. We've been debt free for several years now. We are getting ready to move and will need to finance a house, at least for the short term. I wonder if my line of credit (that I rarely use) and my credit card (that never has a balance) will help?

Yes, I would. My 14 and 11 year olds spent nearly 24 hours at home alone recently (an emergency situation). Although it wasn't something I would have chosen to do, they did great. I would completely trust them for a few hours, no matter the time of day.

With my oldest, it was scheduled so everyone knew. And everyone AND their brother was there :glare: With the twins, our closest family was 1000 miles away. It didn't matter anyway.

I think your gifts sound adorable! The handmade gifts I got for my girls' showers are probably the only ones I still have. (a hand turned wooden "hunny pot" to go with Winnie the Pooh, a couple of quilts, etc.)

I agree 100%. That is one of the myriad of reasons we homeschool, because I know that no one teacher can do all of that with the limitations currently placed on them. I have several good friends that are PS teachers. I am so grateful they do what they do. I just know that I have the ability to give my kids something better than what they can get at school.

I'll eat wild game, but I would still want to know. Otherwise I'll wonder what is wrong with your meat :001_huh:. (Unless you are my children, who unknowingly ate goose many times because they were told it was roast "beast". If I had told them it was goose they wouldn't have touched it.)

We are looking at moving back to TN, and are going to use a moving company this time. Problem is, I have no clue who to use. Trying to find reviews online has been frustrating. One company will be rated best on one site and horrible on another. I am getting an estimate from one locally owned company that I couldn't find any BAD reviews on. Anyone have recommendations for another? Or any ones to stay away from? We have had movers twice before, but both times they were hired by dh's company and it was 11+ years ago.

Great article!

Yuck...that's too cheesy for me.

We only do evens or odds (except my oldest, I hand pick the half she has to do, leaning heavily on problems she's having trouble with) I don't make them correct every problem, but we DO go over every missed problem and make sure they know why they missed it. I like Saxon somewhat, and use it because I get it and can teach it. I do not like the endless problems. There is enough repetition between lessons that I don't feel that 30 problems each day are needed, especially in the upper levels.

Short. I can keep them clean easier, and I don't have to worry about breakage. I'm always doing some sort of project that involves dirt or art supplies...lol.

I have no idea. My sweet dh said he would like for me to put my time into my art :D If we are still financially ok, then that is what I'll do. If I need to work, then that is what I'll do...I just don't have any clue what that will look like.

I have moved 23 times in my life. I was a shy kid. I made it through ok. My oldest dd has moved with us several times, and my younger ones just once (soon to be twice) They get over it eventually. My oldest has a really hard time, but she does adjust.

Yes. We have a JRT and she thinks she is one of the kids. :glare: I do enjoy having her lay next to me on the couch, or on my lap, so she does get on the furniture. She usually seeks out a blanket though, so we have doggy smelling blankets rather than couches. The hair does drive me batty.

I know I do. If I don't have enough to do, I get bored, which turns into thinking too much, which leads to depression over things I can't control. (Issues...I know) I like staying moderately busy. However, I am also very good at putting too much on my plate and burning out. I think I'm beginning to see a happy medium, but it is hard for me. I don't think I could never just be content to just "be".