That you can, in fact, buy clothes on a budget. (Why I haven't done this before, who knows..but handing them an amount of cash and them getting to keep whatever was left over made them MUCH more frugal in clothing purchases) That the DMV is never fun, even when you are excited about getting your permit.

Chili spaghetti.

One of my girls had a strawberry on her tongue. I swear it is probably the only way we kept them straight. There were times that we would pry open mouths to make sure! But after a while, little things begin to really stand out. One of my girls had hair that wouldn't lay down at all, so in photos I always look for the one with crazy hair. One has an ear that does not have a curl in the cartilage at the top. Once they began to talk, however, it was very obvious who was who since one had a speech impediment and the other did not. Even after speech therapy, their accents are different most of the time. I cannot tell any of the THREE of my girls apart on the phone though. And apparently they all sound like me..lol.

I use the Hershey recipe AK-Mom posted above, except I sub gluten free flour mix for the regular flour. They always come out great.

My daughters and two nieces. The twins are the 2nd and 3rd from the left, my oldest is in the Mickey shirt. The niece on the left is the one that everyone thinks is a triplet or quad.

Mine insist they don't look alike. They do. One has a slightly longer face, and the other is a fraction of an inch taller. One of mine really dislikes being a twin. She hates that they seem to share friends. She is not nearly as outgoing as her twin, and feels like everyone likes her sister better. She seeks out activities that do not involve her sister. That said, they do share some of their closest friends. I've never seen them actually fight over friends. They don't really like the attention being a twin gets them either. Although, sometimes it is even worse for us. My oldest looks a lot like them, as does my niece. They are all tall too. We can't enter a room unnoticed. They all look like they are the same age, so I often get asked if they are quads or triplets, depending on who is with me.

Every single person in this house has a different morning routine..lol. Dh is up before the crack of dawn most mornings. (He doesn't sleep well) He works from home, so he just wears whatever. I usually sleep for another hour or so after he gets up. I usually get dressed (kind of...whatever is laying around) and have a cup of coffee before I even want to speak to anyone. I'm up and showered by 6:30 on days I have school at college though. One daughter sets an alarm to be up by 7 or 7:30. She just doesn't like to start the day any later. She often reads in bed for a bit, but stays in her PJs all day unless we are going somewhere. She often has schoolwork done before lunch. One daughter usually wakes up on her own by 8 or 9. She also reads in bed for a short while and then eats something. She starts slower though, and often waits until 10 or so to begin schoolwork. Also a PJ wearing kid. My oldest would frequently sleep until someone woke her up, whether that was at 8AM or 2PM. I usually would make her get up by 9:30 on school days. However, with college and work, she now keeps her own schedule. She the only one of us that has to leave the house regularly right now, so she is usually dressed before leaving her room. As you may guess, we aren't breakfast eaters.

I think this would apply to girls AND boys. Anyway, we didn't teach anything about it, good or bad. They've been well taught about sex in general, but I have just left that one up to them. A rather personal thing, IMO.

Crispy, I have an honest question and am not trying to pot stir. Do you read the Bible with your son? Do you censor it? Because sex, adultery, foreskins, breasts, homosexuality, murder, rape and incest are all in there. How do you keep those notions from your son? These are not just problems in the modern world.

We did Biology, *insert alternative science here*, Chemistry, *alternative science*. The alternative science classes followed the girls' interests. One did Marine Biology after Biology, one did a very in depth Forensic Science after Biology, and one did Anatomy/Physiology after Biology. My oldest did not take a 4th science, she's going into a German major. One of my 15 year olds will likely do Physics after Chemistry. Not sure what route the other 15 year old will do yet, but likely Physics or Food Science. I personally found that the math foundation is needed more for Chemistry and Physics than Biology. We skipped over the Physical Science for high school.

Different strokes for different folks. My kids have internet access and have for several years. I don't monitor their every move. They didn't have smart phones, but they do have ipods that do everything a phone does and computers. Honestly? They mostly watch people eat stupid things on YouTube. To me, it is like anything else. There are bad things in this world. Rather than shelter them from that fact, and give them un-needed fear, I've taught them how to navigate it and how to avoid the dark alleys. To assume that parents that allow their kids access to the internet, or give them smart phones, are ignorant of what is out there and/or just don't care, is very presumptuous.

My daughter did Geometry with him a couple of years ago. He was extremely helpful, and called to speak with us personally a few times when she was struggling. We ended up not using him again, but only because the online class format just wasn't working for my dd. She had math struggles every year, and just needed more mom help and a flexible schedule. I would recommend his classes though.

Try oil?

I wouldn't for myself or my daughter. BC pills have horrible side effects for me, and I'd be afraid of what effects they might have on my teen. I had very heavy break through bleeding on them, was crazy moody, and extremely prone to yeast infections while on them. This was for every brand I ever tried AND the Depo-provera shot. I'd be afraid of something happening while on a cruise ship.

My oldest also has mild scoliosis, not diagnosed until she was 15. No treatment, and the doctor wasn't concerned, other than noting that she may have slightly more trouble with back pain as she ages. She also tip-toe walked and walked on the tops of her feet a lot at a smaller child.

I worried a lot about that when we moved from Texas back to TN (TN has some roaches, but not the monster ones TX has, and we rarely see them.) Anyway, I taped up all the boxes well as soon as I packed them, and we didn't bring any with us.

Well, my dh is a good man and there are no abuse issues, so I generally just stay out of it. Stepping in would just tick him off, and cause friction between us. As I've told my girls...I still have to live with that man when you all move out. If it were over something I strongly disagreed with, then I'd speak up. Usually, it is just a matter of grumpy attitudes on both parts when they butt heads. (which isn't often)

Kirkland's from Costco. She eats the Salmon and Sweet Potato.

Now I'm reading everyone's titles...I never paid attention! lol

I would do the mucinex first and see if there isn't major improvement in a day or so. (says the lady who just did the very mucinex/flonase cocktail you mention about 10 minutes ago)

91% for our local high school. That number doesn't reflect high school success, IMO. I know that a child that has failed multiple classes can still make it up with a few weeks of summer school and worksheet packets and graduate on time. (as happened with a relative) Average ACT 25 (doesn't say how many actually take it though...I know it isn't nearly 100%) Free Lunch eligible 51% Reading proficiency 61% Math proficiency 60%

Ugh...I hate those mornings! Hope the meds kick in soon. I'm having a gut-issue morning that kept me up half the night (pain). A kid needs to be at the dentist at 8AM though, so I am up :glare:

Senior year is not a good year to do this under the best of circumstances. I would have her finish where she is, visit as much as possible, and have her come live with you the summer after graduation. Is there even a remote possibility of early graduation at her current school?

I've looked at other carriers and the data plans and such were a bit cheaper. However, we've been with them for so long, that when I can upgrade to an iPhone for 99 cents, it kind of evens out. We have 5 people on our plan...it is crazy.

Another long-time Verizon user here. They are somewhat more expensive, but here in the hills I can at least rely on service.