Look up bento boxes online. Even if you don't actually pack her lunch that way you will get lots of new ideas

This sounds extremely frustrating. It must be a computer glitch or something. I would try to contact someone higher up the food chain, this wouldn't be a normal customer service issue.

I use old burp rags on the kids so their noses don't get sore. I use soft Puffs or Kleenex but rarely get colds.

Weird. Were you able to text him? My husband's phone is also his work phone. When I really need him, I email him at his work address. Sometimes he silences his phone while in meetings and forgets to turn it back on. The emails buzz differently so it gets his attention.

90% of the time we have oatmeal. I do quick oats in the microwave, then stir in some frozen fruit and applesauce. It's boring but cheap, quick, and filling. I can't say the kids just love it, but they do eat it. Other times we have toast, pumpkin or banana bread, waffles, or pancakes. For a special treat, cinnamon rolls. I just learned how to make them ahead of time here: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2010/12/10/freeze-cinnamon-buns-in-20-minutes/, I haven't done it yet, but it looks like a great idea. My kids have recently started requesting cereal. I don't think it's very filling but at least they can get it mostly themselves.

This is my preference. I don't really like it when I go places and there is something delicious for the adults and then just hot dogs or mac & cheese for the kids. My kids will of course choose those, but they would have eaten the other, usually healthier food just fine. One of mine would generally prefer whatever the adults have. I know that some parents prefer the "kid" food for their kids, so this is a good compromise.

I used to think blue jays were the most beautiful bird until I really got a chance to observe them, they are kind of mean and I don't like the sound they make at all. I think the bird I saw this morning is a type of junco, there were several playing in the backyard. Hopefully they will be back in the morning. Here is a neat sight for identifying birds: http://www.whatbird.com/Expert/Expert.aspx

It's been awhile but I remember thinking the movie was so slow and boring. I felt like the book was really good. I do think you got the gist of the story though. The relationships were much more developed in the book.

Oh and Amira just reminded me of the hummingbird that was stuck in our garage last spring. That's the only one I've ever seen here but my grandma used to have a lot in Texas.

I'm a birding wannabe, I'm still learning and really need someone more experienced to help me identify some of the birds. This morning I saw some cardinals, starlings, and chickadees. There was also a new grayish bird I didn't recognize. We have a great horned owl that frequently visits. I heard but didn't see a screech owl in the past couple months. We also get lots of robins, bluejays, crows, red winged black birds, sparrows, and morning doves. This past summer I saw an indigo bunting. There are red tailed hawks, finches, and a great blue heron that live in the neighborhood. Last spring a couple Canada geese had a nest on a nearby pond too, that was fun to observe.

For books I read myself and read alouds I use Goodreads. I created a shelf called read alouds and another for the grade. For books my son reads, he has a paper log. I have to remind him to fill it out but it is a record.

I think the food court incident in Kentucky was a CO2 container for soda exploding. The mall was evacuated but I don't think there was a fight.

My 2 year old announced his mouth hurt and then puked all over my husband and the couch. 10 minutes later he was fine. The kids accidently found out what my husband's present was last week. I told him it would be a miracle if he didn't find out before Christmas. I pulled it out from under the tree for him to open this morning when my two year old blurted out, "it's your coffee pot Dada!" At least we made it to Christmas :).

I would call and ask. This will vary a lot depending on how much competition they have in your area. If she just wants weights and cardio equipment one of the basic gyms (Fitness 19, Snap Fitness) may be pretty affordable. If she is wanting to take classes a more expensive gym may be better. She may qualify for a special student rate if she is still in college or recently graduated too.

Another vote for A. My kids are about the same ages as yours, my youngest is 2 though. My oldest is in 1st grade now and the way our day looks has changed many times in the past two years. I have had good luck doing about 10-15 minutes of work at the table right after breakfast, then reading with all 3 kids (usually picture books the younger two would like), before going upstairs for seat work. That time with the younger two seems to help feed their attention needs before I focus on my oldest for a bit. My 4 year old will sometimes sit at the table with us, but for the most part she and her youngest brother play. Sometimes we have to delay school until rest time because they are just too distracting.

My oldest received a train table for his 2nd birthday. He did take it apart some and did have some frustration fixing the tracks but now at 7, he enjoys making his own tracks. He also will occasionally remove all the tracks and use the table for his hotwheels or Legos. My current 2 year old has never tried to take the tracks apart. I originally wanted to glue our tracks down but looking back I'm glad we didn't. I think the idea of screwing them in from the bottom could work quite well though.

Abby Jane is beautiful. If that's what you want to go with, do it. *I have a niece who is just Abby and one that is Abigail and goes by Abby.

$1.99 in my town, nearby town is $2.19. Our gas tax will go down 4 cents January 1.

We moved 2 years ago to a small town (8k) from a small city of about 300k, we are still 10 minutes away from "the city". I like that my kids can play in the yard or ride their bikes around the block. The librarians (all of them) know us by name and let us check out more books than our limit. No waiting at the dmv and if you forget the right paper, they give you grace. Health dept. isn't a scary place if you need a quick flu shot. The doctors actually spend time with you during appointments and the pharmacy can remember said doctor always takes Thursdays off so makes phone calls right away instead of waiting. Neighbors take care of each other's pets and trash when out of town. If you leave and forget to close the garage door, someone will close it or let you know. Politicians actually knock on your door and talk to you when running for election (ok this is a blessing and a curse :)). The farmer who owns the land behind us will stop his mowing so my kids can see the tractor. Restaurants are quaint and you are a regular even if you aren't really a regular. People have a vested interest in their community.

My grandma and mom both made each of us kids a giant draw string bag. All of our presents were in the bag unwrapped. It was awesome. This works better if you tend to do last minute shopping. I heard tale of siblings peeking ahead of time but I always liked to be surprised.

Boy (7)- green Girl (4) -pink, purple, brown

My budget appreciated it when I moved 30 minutes away, I used to be 5 minutes. It was very hard on the budget.

I think brown shoes would be fine with jeans. If it's with black or gray slacks (I sound like my grandma) then you need black shoes.

Following, I need something different this year.

I'm sorry. :(