I voted cotton which is spot on most of the time. I roll out of bed and into an exercise bra and keep my loose pajama bottoms on to jump around for 45 minutes doing yoga. Easy and simple.

I just got my 3rd tattoo last month. I find that most shops these days are really well regulated. Just make sure the person tattooing is gloved and your needles are new. This has never been an issue for me. About what you want to get. I personally don't like names. My dh and I just celebrated our 15th year together and I got the little boy and girl from the front of our wedding invitation tattooed on my ankle. It symbolizes our life and love together but it's not his name. Remember that over time tattoos will be less defined. The ink will gradually be absorbed. So the tattoo I got 13 years ago is not as defined as it was (it still looks really, really good though!). So if you want something small, make sure it's simple, otherwise it will just look like a blob in 15 years. Nobody wants that! Overall, the pain is nothing. They heal relatively quickly and I love being able to "paint my walls" a bit. I'm already planning my next. But I have to wait my turn. My dh is next in line! Have fun!

My dad has had dry mouth for years because of his medication and chews gum or sucks lifesavers. Gum works better. HTH

May the force be with you! I just finished my boys' rooms but I don't have the crew you have! Applause for the effort!

I assume going back to sleep isn't an option? ;o) I do an hour of yoga and have a bowl of oatmeal and remember all the things in my life that are good at the moment, even if the list includes, I'm able to open my eyes and I have all of my fingers. :o)

I like this one too. Playing a game and cutting the cake makes the present openning go by faster. My ds was 1 week old and came to his own shower. He was 4 weeks early. I had missed my work shower that week so my friend brought all those gifts too. I was tired, newly nursing, sleep deprived and too overwhelmed to appreciate the over 100 wrapped gifts I had. (I worked in a very big government office). I felt guilty for being so tired and wish I had the courage at the time to just say, "I'm tired now, I'll open the rest at home." But I muscled through and collapsed in tears and exhaustion later. That's my story and since then have tried to make the showers I have hosted fit into a shorter time frame and this is one way I have pulled it off.

We're starting 8/25 this year by coincidence only. We usually school year round taking periodic breaks.

Me! Ha! Just kidding! Rocks and fossils, I would say. My boys, even the biggest one, bring them home all the time. I have buckets of them! We have some beautiful geodes and trilobyte fossils. They're dang old! I also have some inherited bits of furniture, a hope chest, a desk and a small stand we've always called a cigar stand that are a couple hundred years old. Oh and old books too.

I love SOTW! We're cycling back to year one this year. We did skip 4 last year because my 8yo is very advanced educationally but not emotionally and I felt he couldn't handle that much war and sadness. So our history was based on amazing people of the last century and we left out the worst historical details. This is what it looks like when I'm in SOTW full swing. Thursday before I plan the next 2 weeks of activities and readings. I check our library's website for available books from the extra readings. Friday before is library day. The "good" library is a bit of a drive so that's why we do every other week. Monday I read the first section while ds does the coloring page. We do the map work and answer questions. Tuesday we do a fun project and extra reading. Wednesday - read the second section, answer questions. Thursday- another fun project and extra reading. Friday is our catch up day if we need it. Of course, it may not look like this every week because we may have less reading or activities. History is not my little guy's most favorite subject that's why I break it down into 4 short days. I love Charlotte's idea of rereading the sections. I may give that a try this year. HTH

Cool! I never would have guessed! Next time I won't toss those sour grapes. Thanks!

I just scraped our kitchen popcorn off last month. What a mess! Then we couldn't get the right texture up so I figured I'd buy a paint additive texture. It turned out okay but a part of the ceiling was already orange peel texture and now it doesn't blend well. I gave up after the third gallon of textured paint. Good luck! And woe to the people who thought acoustic (the real name for the popcorn stuff) was a great idea!

Some beautiful sailing ships? I really like the compass idea too. You can also tea stain some maps to look older. Can we do history at your house, too? Have fun!

Gross! I might try a cobbler though before I chuck them. Betty Crocker cookbook is the one I usually use. I had a whole container of sour grapes one time from Costco. Boy, was I bummed and there isn't a grape cobbler that I know of! :o)

Yup, paper plates most days. The kiddos also have their own water bottle/cup for the day so I don't have a dozen cups to wash at the end of the day. I also look for recipes that have the least amount of pans/dishes. I love casseroles and crock pots!

Yikes! I hate to say it, but I don't even respond to them. I completely ignore those type of solicitors without even a head nod. I also just close the door if they come to my home. I've learned you can't argue with some people. May seem rude, but it works. The ones that really drive me crazy are the missionaries in the public parks. I don't really have an out, ya know? I'm not heading in the store, or out, I can't just shut the door. I usually just say, "Can't talk right now, my son needs my attention." Sorry you had to deal with this!

My darling man is a construction superintendent building apartments. Great thread! Such diversity!

Like others here, my mantra is "He's just 8". It helps that my dh and I are constantly reminding each other (although I usually roll my eyes or he does that funny grunt thing). Like Laura said, I let him work ahead but we go slower or take more breaks. Also, I remind him when he gets frustrated that he will have X amount of years before he'll be responsible for knowing this information so if it's too much, there's no harm in coming back to it later. This particularly helps because he's stubborn and insecure at the same time. So he doesn't want to "give up" yet he really does need to slow down or take a break. HTH

OY!!! Not yet! :o)

As I type this my very intense 8 yo is sitting at the kitchen table writing lines because he threw a water bottle at my head full intending on doing me harm. He's had a bad day. I'm trying not to catch his bad day! I called his dad and we agreed on a punishment. Of course, for the first time in over 3 years, I swatted his butt and now I feel aweful about it. Violence can't be stopped with violence. But frankly, it really scared me. So he lost video games for today and maybe even tomorrow and we're working on some of the biggies: courtesy, respect, integrity, kindness. (And I apologized for spanking him-personally I just think he's too big). I'll definitely look into these books. I don't think he has anger issues, per se. This is the first time this has happened as far as I can remember but I don't want it going any further than this. Thanks for that little vent. I needed that!

All 4 of us in my family take Zyrtec (generic now). We take it before bed here. That's what the Dr. recommended back when it was available only by perscription.

My friend had identical twin boys at 45. No fertility treatments. She was soooo happy! She married late in life and was trying to have just one baby (wishing for more) and got 2!

Hang in there! It gets easier. It took me a good 6 months to get into the swing of homeschooling. Now I'm adding my 5yo officially this fall so that will shake things up! I like the challenge and we too love our school at home. Nothing like those pajama days!

Another vote for using it as long as it smells and feels right.

Um, can I say all of the above, except the prunes! Also, BK chicken fries and chocolate shakes. Wait those are healthy right? Milk? Right? :o)

Las Vegas is a bizarre place to live, just right for us! I've been here for 25 of my 37 years. It's a transient town for one so big. We have lots of military and we have dreamers that come here thinking they'll make it big either gambling or in business, only to go bust and high-tail it out of town. With that said, getting to know people is hard. It's hard to really like a new friend and learn that they're moving in a month or a year. It's sometimes hard on my kids. We have lived on a cul-de-sac with only 11 houses on it for 9 years now. We know almost all of our neighbors by first names. I have a midwest attitude. I wave and say hello. I give banana bread and cookies at Christmas. If you're new, you get a plate of cookies and a welcome to the neighborhood. There's always an uncertainty with people around here though. I just don't really trust them. The poor ladies next door are terrified even of my little boys (3 generations of women, the youngest being 50-ish). But they have asked for help when they needed it. That's a good thing. I rely on friends and relatives not neighbors. If I'm short a cup of sugar, we either go to the store or make something else. :o) That's life here. Friendly, but at arm's length. Personal space is a biggy here, literally and figuratively. I've noticed even my relatives in Illinois stand very close to each other. I've been out here too long. My personal space is one arm length. Huge by most standards. I'm interested to see other peoples' posts. Great thread!