Hello- My 5 yo DD is currently in private Christian Pre-K (long story...) but will be homeschooled exclusively in the fall for Kinder. (We made a financial commitment to the small Christian school where she attends. It would not be honorable to pull her out early, especially when the economy is so tough right now and they are struggling as it is.) She is doing really well in all subjects except writing. She really, really struggles. Part of the problem is she needed glasses, and this was not diagnosed until 1 month ago. (It was a big hairball trying to get a referral out of TriCare for an eye exam, even though we have known she needed vision correction for quite a while now.) She is finally recognizing her letters, but just has no hand-eye coordination for writing. Curiously, she has been very strong since she was 3 in coloring within lines of quite advanced coloring books (such as Dover). I am going to have to start at ground-zero in writing with her. Any curriculum suggestions for correcting her problem? BTW, we are working on phonetic reading in earnest at home (TYCTR in 100 EZ), so she is finally recognizing letters/sounds. Thanks!

Does a bag of Starbuck's coffee count as processed?! :tongue_smilie:Gotta have my cuppa Joe every morning or else it's not pretty. We're about 80% there, slowly evacuating the pantry of processed stuff. I do plan on a small stash of "emergency" stuff, aka Mommy-is-so-wiped-out-that-I-can't-come-up-with-anything-for-dinner-so-we're-having-this-C*stco-frozen-ravioli... Otherwise I: bake my own bread and pastry products (have for 3 years now) make my own sauces make my own soups down to two boxes of the dreaded blue box of Mac n Cheese (aren't there whole threads about this? :lol:) we're going to plant some veggies and herbs this weekend (hey, what can I say? we live in Almost Mexico) only fresh or frozen veggies Pop our own popcorn in olive oil --this was a huge money saver for us: bought a microwave popper on eBay for $9, and buy bulk popcorn for $1 a pound. Yummmmmmmm. Some things that just by nature are more cost-effective, expedient or make more sense for us to buy processed: good tortilla chips good cereal/granola good peanut butter (Costco's organic is really good) cheese dried pasta We don't do anything with HFCS, we only use olive oil or canola oil. I use a Misto filled with canola instead of Pam (a little thing, but man it has saved us a lot of money with all of the baking I do!)

...To the tune of the whistling song from "Bridge over the River Kwai"... :D:D:D Comet, it makes your mouth turn green. Comet, it tastes like gasoline. Comet, it makes you v*mit. So drink some Comet, and v*mit, today. ...and I went to a Christian school all 12 years-- learned in first grade on the bus.

I just found this recipe by Peter Reinhart on Monday -- I've made it twice already. The first loaf was gone in a day! I have pictures of it on my blog (see below) and here's the link to the recipe itself (you can also link to the recipe on my blog post). This recipe does require a bit of planning -- you have to soak portions of the flour the night before, but it is just so worth it! Regarding slicing, invest in a good knife. I've had my Henckels bread knife for 13 years. Click here to view the pictures on my blog (and you can get to the recipe from there too). Click here to go to the Reinhart recipe.

Thanks!!!!

I PMd waxwing, but haven't heard back. I can't find PlaidDad... I will with waxwing's permission!

We have two adults, 2 small children. DH doesn't eat sandwiches, but loves artisan-style crusty loaves. Girls like grilled cheese but mostly toast. I bake sandwich style twice a week: 1 loaf each on Monday and again usually on Friday. I switch between whole wheat (white/wheat mix), oatmeal bread and 100% whole wheat (now that I've found a great recipe from Peter Reinhart!). I do focaccia at least once every two weeks. I do no-knead style about 1+ times a week. (go to my blog and you'll find the link to various bread baking sites... breadtopia.com is a super great resource. I don't really do multi-purpose recipes (1 kind of dough making lots of different stuff). I just like the variety of different kinds too much. I also do cinnamon rolls about once a month on Fridays for Saturday morning using Alton Brown's overnight recipe (foodnetwork.com)...super easy and really, really, really good. I guess I bake a lot! It has become such a part of my routine that I didn't really think about it until I typed it out! The girls really like to help and it's kind of therapeutic for me, too. I have a stand mixer and end up doing about 50% hand kneading now...seems to make a better loaf because not as much flour gets added in when you can feel the texture with your hands. Everyone says I'm too verbose! Sorry!

Just looked it up...how much do you use? The package is 8 oz dry...I would assume about 2 ounces at the most...?

I had to pull the, "Not one more question sweetheart" out today. The question that was the last straw: "What time of day and what day of the week will we be moving when we move in a year and a half?" She's 5.

I have tried quite a few very nice homemade Mac & Cheese recipes, both baked and creamy-style, and my kids just won't eat any of them! I've done the fancy roux thing, the basic mix the cheese into milk thing and more... I just want to kick the blue box habit. Funny thing is, they eat very healthily otherwise, but like many kids, they have this thing about that blue box. To their credit however, I have convinced them :sneaky2: that it is normal to put nonfat plain yogurt in instead of milk, so they at least are used to a tangy flavor, and get that good yogurt into them. Any ideas for a recipe that uses natural cheese (not Velveeta or processed) and kind of mimicks Kraft?

No big life changes, just a Daddy who is working a ton :( and sister who is now doing a tiny bit of homeschooling on days she isn't at Pre-K. Total side note, but YAY! Only two more months of classroom school! I wonder if she is jealous of the attention?). I'll watch for a UTI, too. Thanks!

That is very helpful and encouraging, actually! I refuse to buy ANYMORE pullups (I never liked them anyway). Overnight I just do the two-sheet with rubber sheets underneath so I can go into her bedroom in a fog and take off the top set and she's good to go. She's in two layers overnight: one pair of those AWESOME Hanna Andersson training underwear and then a "Bumkins" training pant with nylon on the outside, and really thick training underwear inside. Funny thing is she wets less overnight than she does during the day!

My dd 3 year old has been potty trained (daytime) about 3 months now, with hardly one accident. All of a sudden she is rarely making it, even at home. She goes into the bathroom and does #1 right next to the toilet. She never has an accident with #2. Yesterday she had an accident at Sunday School (arghhh! if she keeps doing it she'll have to go back into the 2 year old class!) Is this common? Any suggestions?

Just thought of another one, and it may seem obvious to a military family, but go to the Commissary, BX, and shop online with AAFES (or at least check). You would be surprised how many military friends I talk to who won't shop on Base :confused:, especially the Commissary, because it is "too busy, inconvenient, irritating, frustrating," etc... We shop for the majority of our basics there. Base-by-base, the quality of the meat and produce can be iffy, so we usually get fresh stuff at local markets. Speaking of military perks, we always ask if a restaurant, store, museum offers a military discount. Often it is not posted and it is offered. One of the local Safeway grocery stores here in Almost Mexico offers a flat 10% discount. Buy bulk yeast at Costco -- Red Star at the local Kroger (Fry's) was almost $8 a jar at one time, and a huge vacuum packed brick of yeast at Costco was about $3. I'm not to the point where I do bulk cooking (for the month, etc.) but when I do have leftovers, instead of putting them in the fridge for the next day (which NEVER happens) I stick them in the freezer using our vacuum sealer to pull out on a night when I'm too tired to cook, or when darling husband is working late. So far, they haven't been wasted...

Jean's Everyday Bread For my Bosch mixer Warm to 115 to 125 degrees (I microwave for 6 min.) 6 cups water 1/2-cup rolled oats 1/3-cup oil 1/3-cup honey In mixer bowl put: 6 cups home-ground whole-wheat flour 3 tablespoons instant yeast (I use SAF Yeast—you may need 4 T if not SAF) 1/4-cup wheat gluten Warmed water mixture above Jean, have you ever successfully cut down the size of this recipe, for example, to fit in a standard 5-6 cup KitchenAid mixer without burning out the motor!? (Ooooh, I would love a Bosch someday! :D It would make sense considering I make 3 - 4 loaves of bread a week for my family! You're right bread making is a HUGE money saver.)

Come to think of it, I used to give both of my girls calcium supplements as they didn't tolerate milk well (not an allergy per se), and I have just SPACED it lately! I remember when I was little, my pediatrician made me put a pile of marbles on the floor, and moved them with my toes to a new pile, and back again...I bet that was a trick to get my mind off of the pain! :tongue_smilie: Thanks for the calcium suggestion, warm rice packs, and the others as well. My mom-in-law (her grandma) has RA. Is RA hereditary?

My 5 yo has been waking up complaining that her ankles hurt. I remember having growing pains in my feet, but never my ankles. If it is growing pains, any suggestions to alleviate the pain without just dosing her up with Tylenol or Ibuprofin?

Convince the working spouse to ride their bike to work. When he's doing the bike thing, my hubby's car gets driven about 2x a month max. Oh, don't buy a new car, either. Keep that paid-for car until it drops dead. (We love our paid-for Corolla! :auto:)

I'm a Method girl all the way...their "Le Scrub" -- got red pepper stains out of my white Corian sink that headache-inducing SoftS*rub couldn't get out. The scrubby part is finely ground marble. The scent is a lovely eucalyptus mint. Their dishwashing soap (liquid for hand washing) is really, really good. Huge bubbles, no irritation, and does the job really well. While the pink grapefruit scent is really lovely, the unscented ("Go Naked") is actually my favorite...it's naturally sweet-smelling just from their ingredients. I haven't found a clunker Method item yet... T*rget puts it on sale quite often for great prices.

In the category of "expensive, but worth it", I just bought a Laken insulated bottle. It's huge (.7 liter), has a wide mouth to it is easy to clean, a looped screw top so you can hold it with your finger or carabiner it. Being aluminum with a double wall and 7 mm insulating polyethylene, with ice it keeps water cool for hours, even here in Really Hot Almost Mexico, AZ. I got it at the local independent outdoorsy REI-style store.

....and I thought I was the only one with children who wouldn't play! I moaned about this for YEARS to my husband, friends, mother, etc... I would research and buy beautiful, fun, meaningful toys (meaningful in MY mind, that is!) and they sat unused. Until now... Now that the girls are both over the age of 3 they play with each other more and more. They haul out their dolly stuff, parade around in dressups, pull out the pop-up play tent in the living room and build forts. We have decided not to set aside a special playroom so that toys don't become a pile under which we are crushed! We keep all of the girls' toys in their shared bedroom, and keep puzzles and library books in our most-used common area, the family-room/kitchen/bar eating area along with coloring stuff. I can now finally actually walk around the kitchen without fear of tripping over one of them. They still love to be with me (I'm slowly understanding this is really, truly a blessing, not something to frustrate me, now that it is starting to disappear!), but that now is usually in the form of sitting at the bar while I cook watching, jabbering, coloring. It's pleasant. They still do protest when I start cleaning, though. "Mommy, are you cleaning UHGEEEENNNN????" I've started to bring them into that process too now. ...but I still have to lock the bathroom door! :lol:

Sure. My question is in blue and their reply is in red. (You can see the fractured english in the reply :blushing: ) I am weighing the purchase of a bambinoLUK for my 5 (barely) and 3 (in late December) year old girls. Does it matter which book set I purchase, or are they designed to be used in order, 1, then 2, then 3? Best regards, Stephanie Dear Stephanie, Thank you for your interest in our LUK products. We will recommend you to start with bambinoLUK system for both of your girls. If your older daughter become more suitable for advanced levels, then you could consider miniLUK (12-tile) system at a later time. Each collection set (set1, 2 and 3) is consist of various intellectual development training subjects, including visual, concentration, critical thinking skills and math for examples. In general set 1 is easily then set 2, and set 3 is more advanced but they are all in the range suitable for children age 3 to 5. It is also worthy to mention that we will have new packages for those workbooks released soon in March. The workbooks are the same but the new packages are divided/packed by different intellectual development subjects, for example "Visual Perception 1" (two workbooks), "Concentration"(two workbooks).... You might would like to take a look at the new packages first when it is available in March before you decide. Hope this information is helpful. If you have question please do not hesitate to contact us. Best Regards, Support Beyond123 LLC www.beyond123.com

I e-mailed the manufacturer yesterday (beyond123.com) and received an answer back within a couple of hours (my question was well answered, but the Rep used some pretty strange grammar -- I think it came right from Germany). Apparently they are coming out with some new books (modules) in a few weeks. I think I'm going to go ahead and get it. BTW, SFSOM, the macaroni in the tub thing isn't that strange -- my best friend up in Nearly Canada, ND had a small kiddie pool in her basement filled with feed corn. It was SO MUCH FUN for the kids to play in when it was -40 plus wind chill outside! Very easy to clean up, too. And thanks for the encouragement to go outside of the box...I tend to be very Type A and must follow the rules (say that in a monotone robot voice) :D.

I just turned 40 this year (woo hoo -- I made it through 40 years!) and had two under 4 when I turned 40. They keep us young. My first was born when I was 36, my second when I was 38. They are 22 months apart. I had one miscarriage before Ingrid (my oldest) and one between Ingrid and Ilsa, when Ingrid was only 4 months old (I naively believed my doc when he told me that breastfeeding was a natural form of birth control). Of course given my age, some fears did settle in regarding health issues for both myself and my babies, but all turned out healthy for both babies, and relatively healthy for me (just some contraction issues, that probably had nothing to do with my age). On the "you" front, try to stay physically fit (if you are able to do so per your doc). I was not a superwoman at all, but I did make time to hit the pool and do some laps at least a couple of times a week. It made such a difference, both for my sanity (being alone! there were days when my 1 1/2 year old was driving me nuts!), and from the natural endorphin rush from exercise. God bless you as you make your decision.