I've used one for about 5 years and I use a cloth pad back-up for the first 2 days. It took me quite a while to figure it out, but that was completely user error on my part ;) . I was setting it too high.

Not even in the slightest. We watched tired people waiting, and waiting, for transportation back to their onsite resort, loading up strollers, etc. We walked to our car, hopped in, and drove to our Windsor Hills Condo....or to pick up a pizza to take back to the condo ;) .

:grouphug: Hoping this will all be over soon, that your son comes home, and that his birth mom gets the help she needs.

We have always gone to the Outer Banks in the off-season, typically March-April, so we have paid $100-120/night at the Corolla Hampton Inn. Yes, you have to drive to get anywhere, but it is BEAUTIFUL and right on the ocean. The rooms have a small fridge and microwave. We stock up at the Food Lion in Corolla for light meals and snacks. We've stayed here three times. I can't wait to go back: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g49058-d250891-Reviews-Hampton_Inn_Suites_Outer_Banks_Corolla-Corolla_Outer_Banks_North_Carolina.html

We moved back to my hometown, to take over my family's business, 6 years ago. It was definitely an adjustment. I missed Target, but more than anything, I missed Trader Joe's! It's funny how your attitude changes about shopping when you live rurally. When we first moved, I took every opportunity to make a "city run" and would stock up on all the things I thought were "essentials". It wasn't too long before I didn't miss what I had previously considered essential when it ran out. I love raising the kids here. They are friends with the kids of my childhood friends---like the little sister of one of my best friends in high school telling my daughter, "Did you know your mom used to have PINK hair!?" There are hitching posts at local businesses for the Amish buggies. It's just a cozy place that the kids love to ride their bikes around. Facebook is nice, because we still keep a connection with our old friends that also live about 2 hours away. We thought we would see each other more than we have, but everyone is so busy with kids, etc. it just doesn't happen. Overall though, we have zero regrets.

LOL, I thought about this thread today because I heard that Michigan State's Spartan Stadium was being evacuated due to the threat of lightning in an approaching storm.

Count me in as weird. I was laughing!

:grouphug:

Oh, geez. She's cute!

I remember seeing one of those Dateline or 20/20 shows about lightning where a group of kids were all standing around outside taking pictures of each other because their hair was standing on end. Next thing they heard a crack and all of them were on the ground. I can't remember if anyone died from this incident, but I remember thinking, "Hello? Your hair? It never crossed your mind that the air must be electrically charged?!"

Just agreeing with everyone else that I avoid pools, water, showers, phones etc. during thunderstorms. I also never do the dishes after reading about a man that was electrocuted by lightning coming through the kitchen window and hitting the sink.

I have not used e-meals, but I have a subscription to Fresh 20. I like many of the meals, unfortunately I have a teen boy that eats FAR more than what the Fresh 20 servings allow. Sure, I could double everything, but that would end up being much more expensive for this particular meal plan. I have found a *free* alternative, that my family really likes, and is more filling for my boy: http://www.makedinnereasy.com/dinnermenus.html

Even though I read that you all cried, I didn't think I would. *sniff* I was wrong. As soon as I read the words, "he was fixated", because, oh, do I know what that's like for a boy on the spectrum, I was a goner. What a great Jedi. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less.

So, I'm not the only one. I actually like the name Peter, but when I asked dh just now, he shook his head no. It's the slang thing. Why is it the front runner if you don't love it?

My daughter is nearly 12 and she's pretty sure she is going to get a culinary degree "as soon as possible" :) . Our local CC offers a degree program and while college is always expensive, CCs are much less so! I would definitely have him check around for CCs that offer it. The way I look at it, she will ALWAYS be able to find a job with a culinary degree--it may not be a great job, at first, but she would be able to support herself until she either worked her way up or found a better position. Her goal is to work as a high-end pastry chef and eventually open her own bakery. I never had such goals at 11.

I had one of those involuntary shivers when I saw that picture!

Agreeing with everyone else, that opossums are not considered a rabies vector species (RVS) due to their low body temperature. It is not a compatible environment for rabies, so they rarely get it. They are also transient and don't typically stay in one area for long. You may be seeing more than one. In wildlife rehab training you really see how misunderstood opossums are for the *general* public, but I completely understand what AmyontheFarm is saying. It's a different situation for farmers!

I wouldn't change a thing, though at different times I thought I wanted more. I'm actually happy that didn't pan out now. I also really liked being a mom at 30. I was too flaky in my twenties ;) .

I've put up about 30 quarts of tomatoes and will be canning concord grape juice next month. We had a really good year for tomatoes, but almost everything else got taken over by weeds :( . Just couldn't keep up this year!

Yeah, I'm thinking we're talking about different sand fleas. I've seen little fleas at our beaches here on the Great Lakes. Those are irritating, jumpy, biting little fleas like the ones on dogs and cats, but smaller. The photo Mama Geek linked doesn't look like it could jump. And I think it's cute.

Oh, wow! I don't think I've ever seen them. They're actually kind of cute :) .

I had to vote 'Other'. I used to know several people who did, but I don't know if they still do. I tried it a few times in college and it makes me S-I-C-K. I always marvel at people who are able to use it for nausea :ack2: .

I think that it's probably pretty common to not remember the tick. Deer ticks are *tiny*.

My kids don't have expanders, so I don't know how much those run. Our orthodontist does a panoramic x-ray, photos, and full exam for free for the initial consultation. I think several orthodontists do this, so you may want to check around. My son has been in orthodontic care since he was 8, due to a severe cross-bite, and is just about done with phase II. He should be out of braces by the end of the year. Dd will be getting them in November. When all is said and done, between the two of them, we will have spent just over $14,000 :svengo: . It seems that most people I have talked to have paid $5-7,000 for all treatment, so I would definitely check around if that was the quote for expanders alone.

Totally normal.