I do it, but don't really plan heavily for it. I just try to get into the habit of doubling some of my meals and freezing the extra. For example, it is just as easy to make 2 pans of lasagna as it is to make one. Or HUGE pot of soup instead of a half pot. Most things I will cook then freeze, but some I do not. Right now, in my freezer I have: Lasagna Mexican Lasagna Chili 3 Quiches (these I just fill the pie crust and freeze. Then you can just put them in the oven frozen and cook them through then) Black Bean Soup Next payday I'll probably stock up on meat again and make a few double batches of stuff again.

Ok, I went and got it off the shelf and looked through it, since it has been so long. I may drag it back out for the kids to play... There are "labs" to do with every day objects, and activities. Lab: Take an object, hold it straight out in front of you and let it drop. What natural force have you just demonstrated? Activity: "get everyone wearing braces to smile. Now go for an inspection! See any food in there?....." Questions like: Is broccoli: a root, a stem or a flower? What does a baboon do if it gets thirsty: lick the dew off its fur or get another baboon to pee in its mouth? The most annoying thing is stretching the slime (which comes with it) to mark your progress on the game board. We've long lost the slime, and if I remember correctly it was a pain to use anyway. I think it can be easily done with other game markers.

We have it. It's ok. We played it a few times, and now it has sat on top of the bookshelf for a year or two. It wasn't as exciting as we had hoped :lol: Oh, and I would say it is educational AND silly.

9/4 $9 for an unplanned purchase of underwear :lol: 9/5 $0 so far, with $0 planned.

Do you have a crawl-space or basement? If you do, I would check there first. Also, check the walls around any wet areas (i.e. anywhere water pipes are) If any feel soft or spongy, there could be a leak. Look for discoloration on the walls or ceiling. Sometimes mildew can be temporarily covered up with primer and paint, but it will usually start seeping through if it wasn't treated properly. Get down and sniff any carpet. You can also lift the carpet and look for stains. If it has a smell or stains, pull it and the pad out. Wash the windows with bleach and water. Believe it or not, I have wiped black mildew off windows that only looked slightly dirty. ETA: Also look in the attic with a light. Check for old or new leaks and mold or mildew on the rafters or sheathing. You could also hire someone to come in and check your ductwork.

9/2 $0 9/3 $0 However, today dd informed me that she has ONE pair of underwear. ONE! So....I need to go buy undies for her. (thanks to our dog!) I am already amazed at how often unplanned purchases come up in our household. :glare:

I think that regardless of whether you sue or not, I would seek this route if possible. Less trauma and pain for your dd now and in the future. FWIW, I'm missing that exact tooth (never had it) and my teeth grew together enough that people do not notice unless I point it out.

Ribs, baked beans, cheesy potatoes, coleslaw, macaroni, and homemade ice cream. Dinner with the inlaws.

:lol::lol::lol: These are great! This morning, Apryl is rocking the retro style in her sporty, vintage, ring neck Tee that declares that she is THE Pinball Legend. This vintage Tee was aged in a 15 year process that produces just the right amount of pilling AND has strategically placed bleach accents. Paired with this Tee is a sleek pair of cut off stretch jeans, folded just so at the knee. These jeans have also gone through a multi-year aging process AND have that "worn for days" look. Her bare feet also have the aged look from carefully groomed callouses, and artfully chipped grey nail polish. To cap off this ensemble, Apryl has worked with the area humidity to produce the "big hair" look without the aid of gels or hairspray. Quite a feat indeed!

BTW..I'm sad. We will have to wait until season 7 comes out on Netflix. Is it available to watch any where online?

Yep. Every time the doctor dies, he regenerates into a new doctor. He also gets younger each time. The Season 1 that you are watching is the 9th I think. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Doctor_Who_serials The 10th Doctor drew me in..lol.

It grows on you, it really does. Although, my dh just doesn't get it. Perhaps because he's the only one in this house that hasn't developed a fan girl crush on either the 10th or the 11th doctor ;)

My dd tested allergic at 4, but had never had any reaction at all. (despite eating it nearly daily) We took her off for about a year, but with a doctor's ok, we let her have it again. Fast forward to age 14. Her allergy/asthma was getting worse so we had her retested. Peanuts came up as one of the highest food allergens on her blood test. Her allergist advised us to completely remove it. Now that she has been off of it for a while, she feels weird whenever she smells it. I don't know how much is mental, but we don't chance it. The doc said it could go from no reaction to anaphalactic with no warning.

I didn't post my actual goal either. It is mostly to spend less than we make this month. I'm so bad about spending every last dime each payday. I really need to start putting some back. So my goals for September and beyond... Little to no eating out. (after this payday, I'll make exceptions for dh and I to have a date night ;)) Carefully planning my grocery shopping so I don't make multiple trips (I always spend more than I intend when I just run out to buy something I need) No book or magazine purchases for a while. No crazy Christmas shopping. Minimize driving around. Gas is too expensive! Minimize my "ooh shiny" buying (you know, that stuff you buy on impulse :lol:) Spend $200 or less a week on groceries. (this is the worst for me! I spend SO much on food!!)

My dh, who hates coconut, can smell it a mile away. I just don't even try to use it in anything he's going to eat any more. The rest of us love it though, and use it whenever we get a chance. This has to be our favorite use: http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/recipe_ChocolateBark.htm

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: I know how that feels all too well. Take a long shower with lots of crying. Seems to help me some days. Then there are days I just have to warn everyone off and be a grumpy/weepy hermit.

Apple butter and pear honey?

Our payday was the 31st, so I counted that as part of September on our budget. It didn't start off so great...:lol: I did our bills and had about $450 left for the next two weeks for groceries, gas and misc. Then the lady from a jewelry party I went to last week called to tell me my debit card had expired (oops) and got the right date for it. Thing is, I had forgotten about it altogether and didn't count that $100 in my budget. So now...$350. Then, I walk outside and our cat had yakked up a furball that was wormy. :001_huh: So...I call the vet and they say I can just pick up a dewormer, if I know how much she weighs. I go find her papers from her last vet visit and realize that her rabies vax expired on 8-12. Have to take her in, and there goes another $60. Now I'm down to $290. Then, my dh goes to look at a tractor (which is budgeted for out of our housebuilding money) and takes his dad and uncle with him. While he's out, he fills up his truck with gas (which only happens once in a blue moon since he works from home and doesn't drive it much). $65 for gas, and $14 for dinner at Wendy's. (In his defense, I hadn't told him about no spend Sept. yet, nor that we were tight this week...because he never goes anywhere!! lol.) Now I'm at $211. Then, I remember that we are supposed to make the homemade ice cream for dinner with the inlaws on Monday. I had to go get whipping cream and half & half for that. $12!! um....$199. I spent $50 on groceries. I'm hoping it will last the week. (I have a lot of stuff in our freezer/pantry) $149. I know that I will have to fill up the van at least once more before next payday. That's about $65. $84 left until 9/14. Here's hoping that nothing else comes up!!

The Dallas aquarium isn't bad. Just be forewarned...it's more like an indoor zoo. I was surprised at how many animals vs. fish there were. Still a neat stop.

Love reading about teens doing well :) My dd's accomplishment doesn't seem like much, but I was proud :D Her idea of exercise is walking across the room to pick up a book. She exercise-phobic like her mom ;) Anyway, she began a fencing class 2 weeks ago. Yesterday was the first real class. They worked them HARD. Ran laps, walked laps backwards, ran through techniques, etc. She came out of class looking like she'd been through a marathon. Utterly exhausted. She also had to use her inhaler during class. Her response? I am NOT quitting, and I am going to start doing laps at home :D

Kind. My oldest dd was incredibly blessed with being kind. She is the sweetest, kindest person I have ever met. (and she was just born that way...her dad and I really cannot take any credit for it) It has touched the lives of many more people than any level of intelligence I've seen. (FWIW, she's fairly smart too, but that is not her most noticable trait)

Yep...I'm on the obese end. I do need to lose about 40lbs. Stress has been unkind to me the past year :glare: However, if I ever got down to what they consider the healthy range...I would look sick. I think my dry bones weigh more than that :lol: Seriously though, I'm a big girl. "Sturdy" as my dh puts it. I have a big frame. So, although I know I have a lot of weight to lose, it would be unhealthy for me to shoot for a BMI below 24. It just wouldn't happen without some serious muscle loss.

I agree that your kids are young. The only sleepovers my kids had at that age were my nieces. It was always a battle to get them to go to sleep. We didn't have non-related friends sleep over until age 10 or so. Now the only rule is...keep it down to a dull roar after the parents go to bed. :tongue_smilie:

Yes, I have heard this a lot, especially in the area we live in now. It is partly ignorance and partly things they have been told that are incorrect.

I know that there is a Murphy's Law just special for house building right? Our property is family property...been in the family for years. Dh's aunt WAS going to build there and had some permits pulled, etc. They decided to build somewhere else. We have all the documents from their permits. They had a guy come out and "test" for where the septic and drainfield could go, and it was submitted to the county. Turns out that he never actually did the testing, just had submitted his approval for a small section of the property, that would also require pumping waste up-hill :confused:. (which was not clearly marked on the plot map) Long story short: the county counts that as the gospel truth, even though the guy FROM the county could plainly see that the soil on the property was not what was marked on the map. So now, we have to pay $$$ to get all that re-drawn and tested because, well, the paper has to be more correct than what you can see with your own eyes. Gotta love bureaucracy :lol: