[How about a baby boy name thread?]

I'm partial to Brendan, but people do seem to think you really mean Brandon or Brayden.

[Celebrating unusual holidays]

Hobbit Day - Sept. 22

 

April 3rd is Fish Fingers and Custard Day, and Nov 23 is Doctor Who Day.

[Are there any common foods that you can not stand the smell of?]

Neither is human food exactly, but both the smell of play-doh and dry dog food make me gag. Sadly my children have tried to eat both, at one time or another...

[using promo codes for six flags found online..feel bad]

Was it on one of those coupon code sites? If so, I wouldn't feel weird using it.

[Can your 4 year old...]

DS (almost 4) can summarize the day and draw identifiable pictures. DD (2) can summarize, but I can't tell what she's drawn just by looking at it. DS is a chatterbox and it rubbed off on DD, I guess. I remember my brother having trouble with the whole concept of yesterday/today/tomorrow, though. To him, yesterday meant any time in the past, and tomorrow was any time in the future. So there's definitely a pretty wide range at that age.

[Chapter books for 6 year old at 3 to 4th grade reading level]

He might like some of Carolyn Haywood's books. It's been years since I read them, but I think Penny is about 6 years old. If he doesn't mind stories where the main character is a girl, I really enjoyed her books about Betsy.

[Cyclists...a few questions for you]

Cruiser bikes generally have the handle bars positioned so that you sit upright when you ride. That's what I use for riding on the bike trail (converted railway line) near my house, and I haven't had any problems with my back/arms. It sounds like extending the handle bar shaft on your bike would do the same thing.

 

I didn't get any special clothing for riding, beyond a pair of $5 shorts from Old Navy. If they're in the wash, I'll wear jeans or a sundress or whatever. I'm not trying to set any speed records, though - I just like getting some fresh air for an hour or so without small children climbing all over me.

[Easy to implement Preschool ideas?]

Pipe cleaners and beads are a big hit at my house. Not sure how they're priced on Oriental Trading vs. a craft store/dollar store, but might be worth checking out.

[Easy to implement Preschool ideas?]

I don't know if giving him glue would be more trouble than it's worth, but maybe gluing tissue paper/pasta/pompoms to jars or paper plates or something? Or sorting little things by color into ice cube trays using tongs or chopsticks?

[Easy to implement Preschool ideas?]

I'd check Pinterest. I've seen posts on how to make your own play-doh, and crafts/projects/games people have put together with stuff from the dollar store. If he's very active but would be willing to sit at the table with the rest of you, something like clay or play-doh might keep his attention better than coloring pages?

[Low priced grocery store coffee recommendations? Not having much luck on my own...]

The Berkley & Jensen coffee at BJ's isn't bad. I get New England Coffee Company's blueberry coffee when I can find it on sale for $4 or so at Shoprite or Target.

[What planner are you using for this fall?]

I have The Well Planned Day planner. Like the other posters, I'm not crazy about the pre-printed subjects - I'd rather have it divided into time slots. It's pretty, and I was lucky to win it through one of their Facebook contests, but I don't think I'd pay for it next year. For what I need, I'd be fine with one of those teacher lesson planner/grade books from Staples for half the price.

[Did you have a minor in college?]

I never heard of them being required at my university, but they were fairly common. Everyone was required to take 9 credits each of Theology and Philosophy, and you needed only needed 18 credits for a minor in either one. A lot of people just used 3 of their electives to get the minor to throw on their resume.