Oh, I am... :) It's just sooooo DISCOURAGING ...when you see the little children (talking 5 and 6 yo) in your own good, Bible-believing church - the children of parents who are active in the leadership -- dressed like the latest fashion model right off the runway in Paris (nothing against style, just SO GROWN UP, or covered from head to toe in cartoon characters. Maybe I'm just raw from a recent VBS experience...teaching a song that I just CRINGED at, to little kiddoes that went like this: "Jesus you're my superhero....you're better than Spongebob....Barbie....Pokemon...." on and on and on. What are we doing to our kids!?! :confused: It's just so meaningless!

I'll second the plug for Pacific brand. It is quite good especially doctored...

I think today is a posting record for me: started 3 threads! When you make purchasing decisions, consider the political policies of the companies from which you purchase? Now I don't mean going up on the web and doing a bunch of research, but.... I just found out that the manufacturer of my very, very favorite "green" cleaning products actively and vocally supports a cause that I do not. I have personally supported this company for several years -- before they become hip and mainstream, they relied upon word of mouth to do their marketing, and I was one of their first "advocates". They have been good to me: given me tons of free stuff, coupons, etc. Their products changed the way I clean! I bragged about them on my blog, and even suggested them here because they work wonderfully. I know we would never do lots of things if we examined them closely.......watch a movie due to the politics of whoever, shop at a store because of the politics of a member of their Board, buy clothing because the manufacturer relies upon child labor, etc... I'm just looking for some insight...

Thanks! I have purchased from KAF before, so they are a trusted brand. May I ask how much powder you use per recipe? How much pasta? I'm sure there are instructions, but I want to know how much to buy given my girls' fixation with "mackie & cheez"

I think this is one of the points of Mr. Whitehead's article: that even though parents want to "protect" their kids from these influences, it is nearly impossible! We did our level best to keep our girls commercial free for as long as we could. But how does that work when even in the grocery store there are "Elmo" vegetables (yes, veggies in the PRODUCE section), "Nemo" oranges, Disney princess cereal, not to mention the junk at the mall, bookstores and "weekly reader" book flyers (in schools) with so many kids' books co-branded with a movie or TV show. AAACKKK!!!! I've told so many people before, we're not into cloistering, but maybe we should be!

I thought that's what I would hear :( I definitely inherited this from my Dad. He had to give up a career as an Air Force pilot because of his sinuses. I just hope I haven't passed this "gift" along to my girls.

Ok, I've tried most of the homemade recipes here (since I've been on the boards I've seen at least 3 pleas for recipes! :) ) and STILL my kids won't eat homemade (I love it though!). I did find a boxed organic brand that we like (Simply Organic) and it's good, but to be more economical, I'd rather buy the pasta and then make the sauce. So here's my question: anyone found a good bulk cheese powder or powder mix that is relatively healthy? I'm not trying to copy Kraft, so I don't care about color...just that it is a powder. I see that Azure Standard has a cheese powder. We're members of AS co-op, but before I spend $17 on cheese powder, I'd love to know if anyone has tried it. Thanks!

:lol: I just couldn't see myself, a 38 year old woman, toting around a diaper bag with a cartoon character on it. It's my bag, not the infant's! I've "brainwashed" my girls to believe that "character toys" are junkie (they really usually are) and break really easily, and if we save our money by not buying them, we can use our money for something different and really cool. I think that my friends thought I was strange. One neighbor jokingly called me "the Ludite of 'Almost Canada, ND Air Force Base'" because I only wanted my girls to have wooden toys (no electronic ones), didn't want my girls to watch TV or even DVDs -- which they did watch in moderation but I wish they hadn't now due to scientific research -- (Grandma and Grandpa, bless their hearts, spent about $100 on the ENTIRE Baby Einstein DVD collection at Costco). One gal around the corner actually was scornful of me once because of my non-commercial toy policy...she really thought I was harming my then-ONE YEAR OLD b/c I had so few battery operated toys, and didn't want her to see Mickey, Pooh, and Disney Princesses...like I was destroying her childhood. Well, she had plenty of exposure outside of our home; our own home just isn't saturated with the junk.

Anyone successfully gotten over a chronic sinus infection without antibiotics? I've had off and on sinus infections since February, and my own Doc has decided to not put me on antibiotics any longer (my stomach was SOOOO messed up). She did put me on Flonase to help deal with the allergies which seem to trigger them. It has helped somewhat, but I'm still miserable. I'm currently rinsing 3x a day with my neti pot (salt/soda and 1 drop of tea tree oil per my Dr.'s suggestion). I've been evaluated for milk allergy (negative) and I'm not gluten intolerant. I just have really small sinus passages (confirmed by x-ray and MRI years ago). Any other suggestions?

Absolutely! I was talking to the mother of one of my dd5's friends -- they met at church. We were talking about TV, movies, appropriateness, etc. She actually told me (and I think believed it), "I let her watch lots of stuff...the bad language, s*x (etc...) go right over her head anyway." I just love this sweet little girl, and her Mom is nice, but *wrong*. I would love to just sit her down and have a loooong talk with her. Parents so easily give into what their kids want -- to keep them "happy" and quiet.

:iagree: Amen! We're going through this with our dd5 as well. I think part of it is the age. We too are Christians and we as such, have to just realize that the heart is selfish, and therefore, teach to the heart of the matter.

Sounds wonderful! Have a great time! Will you have a place to stow your stuff, or will you be carrying your personal items with you? (hat, maps, snacks, water, light rain jacket, etc.) Do you have a comfortable daypack/shoulder bag? Check out REI's travel section (and then compare prices with Zappos!) for day bags. I like skirts for travel btw...those kind that are all wrinkly that you store all scrunched up are great!

Just thought I'd share this link to an insightful commentary by John Whitehead of the Rutherford Institute, " The Hostile Takeover of Childhood". I have read the Juliet Schor book he references, and it absolutely changed our view of TV, childhood, etc. Our biggest battle against commercialism has been centered around Disney Princesses. I think we have struck a balance, and so far it is working for us. We allow the movies, they can have coloring books with princesses, but no more clothing, food, toys, etc... (so what do I have as my avatar? a cartoon character...go figure) (Also, if you see my blog, you'll notice dd5 is wearing a princess shirt -- don't call me a hypocrite! it was a "pre" no Disney Princess clothing purchase...she's going to wear it until it is in shreds, I'm sure because she knows it is the last!) And related to this subject, a while back there was a post about the organization Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood-- I'll give this group another plug :) Additionally, all of you "gone-cable-free-ers", I think we're joining your ranks today! (If I can get the courage and the TIME set aside to call C*x and listen to their multi-leveled attempts at keeping us plugged in...)

We love Specialized brand. I would suggest that you check out Mom and Pop bike shops instead of the big box sports stores. They are often very willing to wheel and deal (especially these days). If you live in or near a college town, check out the shops near the university, as they often sell used bikes, as well. With Trek and Specialized (as well as other good brands) you will notice a definite difference in the quality of the frame material, joint welds, and components (brakes, shifters, etc.) over the brands available at stores such as Sports Authority, Dicks, Target and WalMart. These independent shops are usually very good at repairs as well. We recently bought a Specialized for our daughter for her birthday (we bought big because she is very tall for her age and continuing to grow; we jumped a size at the salesman's recommendation). It was last year's color so it was on sale, and they also gave us a military discount. It ended up being within $20 of a mass-produced lesser quality model from the local big box "sports" stores or Walmart. As mentioned in other posts, pawn shops are great. Do you have a Play It Again Sports in your area? Also great. We just went through a BIG bike purchase for my dh (he commutes) to replace his wrecked bike (he was hit by a car in October and his bike was totaled). It is definitely worth it to look online. He built his bike from the frame up, and bought most of his components online. Performance Bike is a reputable chain, and have online sales as well. They price match, too. You might want to try a bike out in a store, then look online. He saved hundreds by taking the time to price shop. (You can see his beautiful new bike on my blog. Listen for the trumpet fanfare sounding as you load the page...at least he says he hears them every time he goes out into the garage to gaze at his new love. :lol:) Have fun!

I have encounters from time to time with a group of moms who are very clicquie (is that a word? well you know what I mean, I think -- clickee). They intentionally have talked about their social plans in front of me and not included me -- multiple times. I'm not a weirdo, I'm socially involved, I have a good sense of humor, etc. And this happens at church. Go figure. For example, I went to a social event at church, and sat down (by myself -- the room was empty at the time). This group of moms all came in, smiled at me, but then sat down on the opposite side of the room all together. I moved to the other side (why did I do this...? insecure?). One gal said, "oh, I wondered why you were sitting all alone over there..." Huh????? But then turned right back around and continued talking with the rest of ladies. I got up and moved to a spot next to another sitter-aloner lady and had a great conversation. :) I think some people just never graduate from high school in some ways. I'm very thankful for my mature friends. I think in some ways it is simply immaturity.

Yes. I took my dd3 to the Urgent Care about 3 months ago for a backache and fever (it was a UTI). They did a strep test as well, which was positive. Then they swabbed my throat...the only symptom I had had was fatigue. I was positive as well.

My 5 yo must have very nimble fingers because she has caught a variety of "pets" this summer without any special tools...just her little fingers and a gladware container :) We did buy a cheapie bug jar from Target, as she caught a caterpillar who is currently in the chrysalis stage. The jar is safely up on a higher bookshelf. You can see the pix on our blog listed below-- shameless plug as I've got this strange compelling need to see my ticker go above 6,000 :)

We were selected to complete the "American Community Survey" which is somehow required by law, and apparently some sort of "pre-census" (correct me anyone if I am wrong about that). How is a "pre-census" the census? I completed it on behalf of our family, and they must not have liked some of my answers, because we got follow-up calls. We have caller ID so I just ignored the phone! I thought the questions asked were WAY too personal: how much do we spend on utilities, how many hours do we commute, HOW do we commute (bike, car, rail, etc), how many kids do we have in school, how many hours a week do we work, how much did we pay for our home, how much do we pay for insurance on our home, on and on and on... and they asked the names of all living in the home, children included. If you wish, convince me as to why the government needs to know so much about our personal lives? Have I gotten political here?

My Dad used to call me Snickelfritz, too :) ok, I had better stop posting quotes on this site...it's just such a cute thread!

Creative! We were in Almost Canada ND before our PCS to Almost Mexico AZ. (We really LOVED ND.)

:iagree: I'm prone to "overtyping" when I am in a certain mood....

I'm married to an air force JAG officer. I should've said "wife" but "sp" is spouse. I created the name for ebay about 6 years ago, and I wasn't too creative...but it has stuck and I'm too old to challenge my memory to remember something different! :tongue_smilie: The avatar is just because I luuuuuv Charlie & Lola. I used to have my family picture up there, but it was so small it was silly...the fam pic is still on my profile page.

He was at our door yesterday too! I politely declined...I can't blame him though -- it's a tough economy. Just trying to make a decent buck. The best fish we have ever eaten outside of Seattle was sold out of a high-cube truck. The owner drove spent his time selling mainly on military-bases around the pacific northwest and into the northern plains and mountain states. He picked up his stock from the fishing vessels in Alaska where the fillets were flash-frozen on-board. He then drove it down through Canada and sold at the various military bases in Washington, Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. The halibut was supremo...

I will definitely pray for you right now! Back in early 2006 my almost 1-year old thumbed me in the eye the night before my dh was leaving for a week long TDY (business trip) across the country. I remember dh was downstairs answering the door as the Pizza Hut guy was delivering dinner, and I was upstairs changing Ingrid's diaper -- when JAB went her thumb into my eye! I can say that the pain of that scratch was worse than the pain of either of c-sections! The ER couldn't do anything (the ER didn't have an ophthalmologist on-call...I had to wait until Monday to see an eye doc). They just gave me a pirate patch which actually was counter-productive I learned (that is still in my kids' dress-ups drawer.) The pain was pretty severe for several weeks. I just remember living in darkness that week...wonderful friends from the Base (I'm SO thankful we were on Base then...) came over and took care of Ingrid while I recouped. It was snowy and bright outside -- we lived in Almost Canada, North Dakota at the time...wind, cold, dry and snow-bright. Bad combo. The thing that I would recommend (unless your ophthalmologist tells you otherwise) is just keep it lubricated like crazy -- I used the Refresh PM brand ointment at night, and the Refresh drops multiple times a day -- you can get them at Target, Walgreens, CVS, etc... If I didn't use the ointment at night for the whole following year, I would wake up in the middle of the night in pain. Even last year if it was really dry or windy, I would feel the old gritty feeling coming back. But finally 4 years later, I finally had an eye exam with no more evidence of "loose corneal cells" found. I guess the tear is finally healed.

A dab of pure tea tree oil has helped me...