I just read a kids book in which this phenomenon played a major part in the story. I thought they made it up! I must be very boring. I don't have any of these associations. Oh, it's "The Name of this Book is Secret" by Pseudonymous Bosch. Pegasus

How will I possibly line all my little trash cans if I stop accepting plastic bags when I shop?!? :confused: I grew up shopping at a warehouse grocery store. We brought our own bags/boxes, wrote the price on each item from the price on the shelf using a wax pencil, and bagged/boxed it up ourself after checking out. Anyone remember anything like that? Pegasus

DH was just referred to the DASH diet by his doctor. It's been specifically shown to help lower blood pressure but looks to be a good overall eating plan for anyone. The whole family can eat this way. Best of luck! http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf Pegasus

Wow. It really depends on the situation. When it is an open area and folks can easily switch from one line to another (say like in front of a McDonald's counter), I certainly wait for the folks already in front of me to take a newly opened register. However, in some grocery stores that essentially "channel" you into the register area, it would be extremely awkward for everyone to back up and allow the next person in line to back out and move to the new register. Also, what if you are just walking up and see a register about to open. Would you really go get in the long line at the busy register because it is "fair" that you wait or just walk up to the register about to open and consider yourself lucky? I'm most annoyed when I wait in a long line and they close the register right in front of me. I've gone so far as to set my items down right there and walk out. Pegasus

You all have good answers. I wish I could go buy a new version! I don't think this game is sold anymore, which is why working ones sell high on e-bay. It is Dark Tower by Milton Bradley. It has an electronic tower as the centerpiece of the game, turned with gears and a little motor and lit up from the inside with tiny light bulbs. Ours still works and we have all the parts, the box, the instructions, and even the extra light bulbs that came with the game. We don't really need the money, so I guess we'll keep playing for now. Maybe if the kids lose interest in it. . . Thanks, everyone. Pegasus

I saved a board game from my childhood and recently dug it out of a closet and introduced it to my children. They loved it and I was happy. Then, DH decided to see how much it was selling for on Ebay and found it selling at $100-$175. Would you sell it or let the kids have their fun? Pegasus

Yes! It is not only ok, it is great! Shared reading is a wonderful technique to get kids past reading hurdles. Another tried and true method is to read a chapter or two of a book you know she'll love and then suddenly be too busy to keep reading. She may just decide to continue on without you! You can also allow her to stay up an extra 30-minutes at night, but only if she's reading. It's amazing the things my kids will do to stay up a little later. Suddenly, even house cleaning sounds like fun! It sounds like you have good instincts. Keep up the good work! Pegasus

We have a large (75-gallon) freshwater tank and have had to clean out 3 very large clumps of anubias. The poor fish were slowly getting crowded out by the plants and didn't have any room to swim. The plants are lush and healthy. I'd hate to just throw them on the compost heap. Any ideas? We tried calling our local aquarium store to see if they wanted them but they are closed today. We'll try them again tomorrow. Just wondering if anyone else had any ideas? These plants are not cheap if you try to buy them but we'd just give them away. Thanks. Pegasus

I've seen the same. I'll usually check Amazon and Rainbow Resource and price my used curriculum 50% of the discount price. This is what I like to pay when I buy used, by the way. If it is much more than 50% of what I can buy it elsewhere, I'll just buy new. Pegasus

Thank you! It's not too late. We have several more weeks, actually, before the big event. I'll look for those products and see what I can find. I'll remember the tip about using a moisturizer as well. Pegasus

To me, a full English program would include spelling, vocabulary, grammar, literature, and writing. So, with AG and Jump In, you have grammar and writing covered. I think that is fine for any particular year. I don't do all things every year, but rotate around and make sure everything is covered over time. (I'm guessing that AG is a grammar only program. Please forgive me if I'm mistaken!) Pegasus

New ones go for about $130. Inspect a used one carefully as previous owners may have scratched/damaged the touch screen. Also, DH says that the rechargeable batteries slowly lose their ability to hold a charge so a used one may not stay charged as long as a new one (you can still play it while it is plugged in if you are near an outlet). DH just sold his DS to a friend's kid at a bargain so that he could buy one of the DS lites. He heard that they may be bringing out another model sometime in the near future that will only have one screen (rumor only among the gamers). He wanted to be sure to get a dual screen. Pegasus

That would be awesome. thank you! Pegasus

I'm afraid this doesn't make sense, unless he took it out of a Roth IRA, which can't be right since you say you'll have to pay taxes. You can withdraw your own contributions from a Roth IRA without penalty (but not the earnings). There's no such provision as having enough in your retirement that you don't have to pay the penalty (e.g., traditional IRA, 401K, 403B, etc.) I don't mean to rain on your parade but don't be shocked if you find out you owe an additional 10% on the money withdrawn come tax time next year. Pegasus

I can't answer the dye question but is it possible that he is just drinking a lot more than he is used to? Just a thought since the kool-aid would be considered a real treat. DD8 has had a couple UTIs and yes, we usually notice something is wrong when she starts having accidents. But, it starts happening every day or even a couple times a day. Stop the kool-aid and give it a couple days. If he continues to have accidents, have him checked for UTI. Pegasus

My first thought is that all these precious boys are going to be awesome fathers! Pegasus

I guess it depends on your goals. I wanted a place where my DD could have fun while learning dance. It is not her goal or mine to pursue professional dancing so the serious dance studios scared me off. I also asked around and got lots and lots of recommendations (e-mail loops are great for this). The same name came up over and over again. We toured and attended their open house day, met some of the instructors, etc. This has been DD8's first year of dance but so far, she is loving it and I have no reason to regret our choice. Good luck! Pegasus

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'm thinking that we need to go ahead and buy a few things so we have time to practice. I really WISH I could dump this particular chore on DH. His eyes went blank and disbelieving when he read the part about dancers are NOT to wear underwear under their costumes. :001_huh: Pegasus

Sahamamama, Try not to take it personally. This style of communication is full of potential for misunderstandings. One time, I was absolutely blasted for a post in which I stated that meals of tuna and egg smelled strongly. Someone decided that I was insulting people who were trying to lose weight with a low carb diet and were very highly offended. I posted a brief "sorry if you were offended" and let it go. Chin up! Pegasus

We do the same thing about skipping names. We chose Sequential Spelling because the idea of focusing on patterns just made the most sense to me. My oldest DD self-taught herself to read so she was purely sight reading. Her spelling was atrocious. I also loved the idea of the child never getting a spelling word wrong because it is corrected as you go with SS. It's been a wonderful program for my perfectionist DD. Pegasus

Ack! Instructions just came today from DD8's dance class for the year-end recital. Here's the part that has me freaking out: Make-up: The dancers need to wear make-up for the dress rehearsal and performance. Stage lighting washes out the skin. Make-up should consist of base, powder, natural shades of eye shadow, mascara, lots of blush, and RED lipstick. Normally, I'm against little girls wearing make-up but I'm not opposed to stage make-up for performances (although the instructions seem a bit extreme, that's a LOT of make-up). I don't wear make-up and haven't the slightest clue on what to buy or how to apply it. Please help! DD has sensitive skin and we use a dye and scent free laundry detergent for her as well as very mild soaps, etc. I don't want to spend a fortune for make-up that will be worn once a year. Any tips on if I can skip any of the make-up suggested (base AND powder?!?). Many thanks. Clueless Pegasus

Thanks for all the support! :grouphug: It turns out not to be as expensive as I feared. It was a back-side window. I must admit that I don't get the human egg reference. I can't even imagine. :001_huh: I don't get to read the boards as much as I used to! Pegasus

DH mowed the yard for the first time this season. He hadn't been working for 15 minutes when the mower threw a rock. . .right through the neighbor's car window. We immediately informed him, helped sweep and vacuum up the glass, and told him we would pay for the repair. He was very understanding but I could tell that he was frustrated because he had to leave shortly to go to work. We tried to offer him the use of one of our cars but he ended up calling his son who lives locally to come and drive him. I'd MUCH rather the rock have broken one of our windows. Pegasus

I was intrigued by your post in the "Is this fair" topic about going large, deep, or fast and wanted to explore it further. DD11 just gobbled up information and materials and raced ahead. Now, however, just as you described, she's at a point where she is using materials and textbooks that just aren't fun anymore. She used to LOVE history and LOVE science and now, due to the materials we are using (more advanced textbooks) she is not happy with either. If the material is easy for her, she is bored, but the more advanced material is denser text and just not fun. So, what now? I like the idea of going large, letting her experience things outside of textbooks and schoolwork, even setting some of the academics aside for a while and letting her interest re-kindle as she matures a bit. Maybe go back to checking out stacks of library books on various topics and just have them available. This used to work so well when she was younger but I've become way too focused on making "progress" with formal curriculum and textbooks. Thank you for giving me lots to think about. Pegasus

I didn't plan it this way but as I was planning for next year, I've noticed that the amount of work I expect from my DC seems to "step-up" every 3 years. We are quite relaxed K-2 and then in third grade, have a more regular set of expectations. The amount of work stays fairly level for 3-5 and then there is another step-up for sixth grade. I expect it to be fairly level for 6-8 and then another step-up for high school. So, do you have a more gradual increase year by year or step-up expectations at certain times? Pegasus