When we were engaged, DH suggested adding a rice cooker to our registry. I thought, "why? Can't I just use the stove?" And, if I am being truthful, voiced those same thoughts. But, to keep him happy, I added the rice cooker to the registry. Someone gifted it to us...and I am so eternally grateful to that person (and yes, to DH as well, for he was right). It makes my life so much easier, knowing I can get the rice started midafternoon and not think about it again until dinnertime, when it will be warm and perfectly cooked! When that original rice cooker died, I bought another ASAP. Welcome to the dark side, OP.

Praying for you and your sweet baby.

But...you can eat cattails! As for the OP, I'd live in lighthouse for a short period of time. (Actually, my kids and I just read a picture book about a lighthouse. And yes, I did think, "boy...this would be fun for a week" while reading it.) I also voted for the converted barn option, which shouldn't surprise anyone based on my screen name.

Well, isn't he sweet! Welcome to the world, little one!

The sellers were willing to pay above market because that's what they offered, now FHA isn't willing to loan them the amount they offered, that's their problem not yours. You're not talking about holding to your price, you're giving them something with your counter, that's fine if you feel like it. But don't think it's a sure thing even if you drop to the appraisal and still pay closing costs. Has the inspection been done already? They think they can get into a house with FHA qualifications (0-10% down?) in a buyers market? that's a pretty ambitious of them, but it's not your problem if they aren't qualified to buy your house.

"be generous with your bacon!" " a mixture of lard and butter is good" and rabbits are almost edible also. I wish I knew what do about rabbits. You can try to fence the things you don't want destroyed, but then you get a snow drift in March and they'll eat it above the fence.

This happened to me when our second kid was less than 2 months old (so way younger than you!). I bent down to pick up a towel I had dropped and I was instantly in excruciating pain. If my parents hadn't been here, I have no clue what I would have done at that moment. (DH was home but outside). As you said, it was rolling over and going from standing to sitting or vice versa that were awful. So what helped? Doing absolutely nothing. I stayed in bed on or the couch as much as possible. (Tricky with an 18 month old and NB, but I did my best.) If I had to move, if DH was around he basically moved me. I also invested in a very nice back brace. I can't actually remember how long recovery took. Well, months later I was still dealing with manageable, but lingering pain. I finally decided to see a chiropractor. I'd never been to one before. But there was immense immediate improvement. I am sorry this happened to you. I hope you improve quickly!

We need a new fake tree. We've needed it for...a while now. I never can seem to bite the bullet, because I can't find one that I really love and is unlit. I absolutely do not want prelit. This one might make my list of possibilities. If anyone else has a favorite, please post a link!

Is that $7.20 NZ dollar or American? Even if it's $4.50 American, that's high considering NZ's dairy industry. Anything under $2 in the US is extremely competitively priced, but profitable for large scale sellers. Most of the prices that are lower are loss leaders in my opinion. The hundredweight price has been roughly $16 this year, $12/hundredweight is roughly $1 gallon, and farmers get some bonuses on top of that price, add trucking, pasteurization, bottling, trucking and more trucking, $2 seems cheap. I'm thinking whole or 2%. 1% or skim, the price could be a bit lower because the cream is worth more than the milk, and has been skimmed off. Interesting article from Cato, about what you'd expect. The milk policy is in line with other food security policy. Do they realize that wool is subsidized for national security reasons? Would they prefer milk fluctuate between $1-$10? That would be the price I'd expect with a free market policy.

I voted maybe, solely because my oldest is only 9, so I have no idea what I'd actually do. I mean, DS isn't ready to stay home alone yet. But I wanted to say that were I your sister or SIL, I'd want you to ask if he could stay. So while asking feels huge to you, perhaps it wouldn't also feel that way to them. Also, congrats on the anniversary! A foliage trip sounds like a lovely way to celebrate.

When the child recognizes the letter sounds, I move on to oral blending. We play a lot of "say it fast" and "say it slow." I ask things like "if the first sound in top changes to the sound of h, what would it be?" When a child can do that easily, I start having him or her read a few CVC words written in all capitals on our white boards (or off a computer screen) each day. Soon we move on to Progressive Phonics and OPGTR. As for what age each of those steps happens? That's too child-specific to say. So I'll say that learning letter sounds would hopefully begin as a toddler/preschool kid in a fun/game/active way.

I agree with pp. Asking for a 7 yo to work independently is...a lot. FWIW, my just turned 9 yo still does 99% of his work with my at elbow. Some things (cursive and copywork) I can get him started and putter around the kitchen (we do written subjects at our kitchen table). But if I give him a math problem, I need to be right there. Also, all of mine do better when they are the only kid in the room. If they aren't the kid I am working with, they go play. My only suggestion is that all of my HS kids do better working with our visual timer. They know that when it goes off, they get a break even if they are in the middle of a lesson. And if they wrap up a lesson with only a couple minutes to spare, I let them break early and make the timer ring themselves. (Who'd have thought that'd be an incentive to get work done?) As pp have said, I'd work on decluttering and making sure you have a rhythm to your days for your older kids. That's what's been helpful each time we've added a kid (we have 4). They like knowing what's coming next, even if I did/do have to pause the rhythm for taking care of baby/toddler. Most helpful though has been giving myself/us grace and remembering that this is a season of life that will soon pass. GL finding what works for you and yours and congrats on the soon-to-be addition to the family!

Well, I haven't bought it yet, but this book get great reviews. (Yes, it's Catholic.) Holy Heroes also has some stuff on the Works of Mercy, which you mentioned. Or read Tell Me the Story of Jesus (this one isn't specifically Catholic). This one has nice illustrations.

Well, a family we are very close to is expecting #9 later this year. And we are fairly close to a couple families from our church with 8. (Is there where I mention all of these families are Catholic?) Oh wait, a high school babysitter we use is from a family of 9 or 10 I believe and they aren't Catholic.

I recently sent our 2.5 yo out of town with DH for a few days because I just couldn't nurse any more. He still wanted to nurse constantly and I just couldn't take it. And I wasn't having any success in getting him to not nurse often/stop asking. So I forced it by sending him OOT. He's been back almost a week, and he still asks multiple times a day. But before he went, my putting him off/refusing would result in a massive meltdown from him. Now he's totally cool with it. And yet, I am still sad. So...hugs. Also, he's sort of potty-trained at home. He doesn't wear diaper and makes it to the toilet the vast majority of the time. But out and about is another story. I have to really pay attention to making sure he goes to avoid accidents. DH was astounded by this on his trip. "It's like he can't remember using the toilet when not at home. He had accidents all.the.time!" My response was something along the lines of, "Oops. Did I forget to warn you about that?" I hear you on sleeping through the night though. Actually, I'd settle for giving up his night-owl ways (I am so not a night-owl).

Well, my just turned 9 yo has never completed a 4 year cycle. If I'm being completely honest, he's only completed a year of ancients and of US history. But he's had a lot of random other history covered. To the point that other people have commented on it when he sees/hears something and mentions something related. So while his study of history has at this point been disjointed, we are meeting my goal of getting him to enjoy history. I hereby give you permission to just study whatever you want for history for the next year. Whether that means studying the history of boats for a month and then changing to the Aztecs or the Oregon Trail or whatever. Take the time to do a year of history that you/your child truly enjoys.

Well, given that my oldest is only 9, I'd certainly change something. Whether that means we would take an unexpected trip (educational or not), an unexpected break, change some resources, or tweak our rhythm would depend. While I'd wouldn't toss anything right away, I'd certainly put things in storage. FWIW, I switch things out of our morning time box...a lot. I'd absolutely skip to a history period you think will be more enjoyable. Not knowing more details of your situation, I'd probably start with a short break from school and taking a trip (even an unexpected visit to a local museum good work). Heck, even just spending a long time in the library choosing a ton of books could work. (Bring them all home. and then have a school day where all you do is read library books and follow rabbit trails using documentaries and such.) I'd use some of the break to think through whether more change is necessary. Realistically, I'd prioritize areas to change things up. (That is, which areas do you dread the most?) And then I'd go from there. I'm sorry you are feeling this way. I hope my jumbled thoughts provide at least commiseration (because I've certainly been in a similar place).

TOB is based on a series of Wednesday audiences given by Pope St. John Paul II. I think reading the original lectures is eye-opening in ways other things about it aren't. However, West's book is good (and probably less intimidating).

Huh. Once again, the Hive taught me something. Today I learned some people think raccoons are cute. The only way I'd have used raccoons and cute in the same sentence is to say something like: Raccoons are cuter than opossums. (Because holy heck, opossums have ugly, nasty tails. So raccoons edge them out in cuteness by a smidge.)

I thought of something else. When I start morning time, I don't require them to be on the couch. So when it's time/I'm ready, I sing our gathering song and sit down and begin. I act as though I don't care if they are there or not. And somehow they all end up there with me, with no whining or complaining. Sometimes a couple will keep building with legos or whatever during prayer or the first picture book. But doesn't last long around here. They all end up on the couch with me pretty quickly. Also, I don't think much would get done around here if I had them all at the table during table time. It goes much better for us if only the one I am currently working with is at the table and the others are elsewhere. Sometimes it goes okay if two kids are there, but any more and things go downhill very quickly. I just haven't figured out the secret to having everybody there at once and making progress (so you aren't alone). They are so young that they all need me right there so it doesn't go well if they are all there at once. I hope you are able to find something that helps!

I have a 9, 7, almost 6, and a 2.5 yo. Here is our routine. We start with morning time (prayer, sci or history RA, chapter book RA, some picture books, etc...) Then comes breakfast. After breakfast we brush teeth etc...for anyone who hasn't done so. Then we either go for a walk or do reading/phonics and speech. The kids I am not working with play or read whatever they want. (Well, soon the 9 yo will use this as assigned reading time.) Depending on the weather, we may switch the order (reading and speech before a walk). I've discovered that the walk is crucial to table time going well for us. If we haven't had a walk, table time will be...not good. We do reading/phonics and speech in our living room on our couch or the floor. For table time, I call a kid (usually going oldest to youngest, sometimes vice versa). They do language arts and math for table time. I have a visual timer. When a child comes they work for 15 minutes. They can choose the order of work (spelling, other written language stuff, handwriting, maths). When the timer goes off, I switch to another kid. When they are done with all subjects, they are done. Obviously, the 9 yo needs more 15 min work sessions than the almost 6 yo. Again, the kids I am not working with do whatever they want. We break for lunch whenever it seems right. They don't get tablet/TV time until their work is done. Anyone being too loud for people doing school are banished to another room. I can't claim this is perfect (it's not). But they know the things that are expected of them. Do they whine sometimes? Yes. But...they know that I'll start the timer again if they whine too much/waste too much time. So it's longer before their next break. And, of course, losing tablet time would be tragic, so they don't push too much (usually). Also, the visual timer has been a game changer. They love knowing they get a break when it goes off, even if in the middle of something. Then we just pick up right there the next time they sit down. And often they now choose to finish a lesson rather than come back to the same thing.

I assume you know to hang towels and jeans "single layer", like from the end so they're spread out rather than doubled up. Otherwise, it's humidity, breeze, sunshine and how well the clothes are spun out. That's where front loaders usually do a better job. Another thing to try is putting the clothes up in the afternoon and taking them down the next afternoon/evening. Really shouldn't be needed if you have halfway decent drying weather.

The winged carpenter ants are young females that swarm. They mature and leave at the same time, going off to each found their own colonies. You'll need to look up the difference between carpenter ant females and winged termites, not too hard to tell them apart with pics. They like wet rotted wood, most likely you're framing is wet in the spot you see the sawdust. That has to be dried out to keep them away.

Prefinished isn't bad to install. Definitely use air nailers. If this is 3/4" then the stand up hammer type air nailer. If it's not prefinished, then the sanding and finishing is more work. I like to use oil based polyurethane, it stinks. You can use water based polyurethane, it cures fast, is harder, but brittle and scratches, wears terribly in my opinion. Same thing with the prefinished flooring I've seen, it wears terribly. Oil based poly scratches, but it has to be a bad scratch to get to the wood, it dents, but doesn't crack and shatter the finish as easily as a harder finish. Unfinished wood will need to be trimmed and culled to get a good result, unless you get much better stuff than I've seen. Look at every piece, lay out a few rows, check each piece for fit before nailing it. Be prepared to use a drum/belt sander, you might get away with using a random orbit sander only, but don't count on it.

In our house, second grade is really simple. Read something (phonics or fluency practice), write something, and do something math-y. Everything else is gravy. We don't use a formal science or history. They are covered during morning time. I don't have a set schedule for morning time readings. I try to loosely read something historical and something science-y twice a week. But some weeks are heavy on history. Others are heavy on science. I'll even admit that this is more or less what third grade looks like around here. It's just the amount that changes. So I'd say to choose something for phonics/reading, math, and a handwriting (could also be copywork, if child is ready). Get in the habit of doing those. Then add in any extras from WTM or that work for your family.