Ooh that sounds cool. Okay I'm really tempted to go order it now but I just ordered several books from Amazon that I'm still waiting for and I'm afraid my husband is going to want to put me into a 12-step program if I order more!

I've never read that one, but indeed, I do know how hard that is! Try reading almost any of the "Pigeon" books by Mo Willems. Hysterical! (Look for them in the children's picture book section next time you're at your library)!

Going to see Bret Michaels hehe. So are you disgusted with me, jealous of me, or laughing at me? :) lol. (I'm not missing Thanksgiving dinner though, we're going to eat, and not go to the venue until around 7 PM). I'm going with three friends and possibly one of my sisters-in-law (not sure if she ever ended up getting her ticket). And the 13 lbs I've lost so far? I might gain it back in candied sweet potatoes and alcohol that day. :D

Well, I have no idea, but it's a good sign that someone gave you FIRSTHAND information in her favor, right? I would say it's definitely worth a shot!

My daughter loves when I read aloud to her while she eats her breakfast. That's usually how we start our day :) Sometimes we read some more before bed, sometimes we don't. And sometimes we just find odd moments during the day. But almost always at breakfast!

Ooh I remember really liking that one (and feeling really spooked by that one, too!) when I was a kid!

I ended up having mine removed. They said that you could have spotting and more frequent periods for the first 9 months or something like that, but that after that, a lot of women tended to have lighter and/or less frequent periods. Well, I don't remember how long that initial constant 'spotting' lasted for me, but it was WAY longer than nine months. Then, when that finally did stop, it was true that I got LIGHTER periods- but they came MORE often. I was getting them every two weeks. I finally had enough and just had it removed. I will say it was never physically uncomfortable though (other than the initial insertion which was only a temporary and mild discomfort).

pumpkin pie -although I love a good pumpkin roll with that yummy cream cheese filling even more than I love pumpkin pie- well, wait, maybe not MORE... I love them equally, but differently...like the way you love your kids, you know?....

I want to read that. I never have, and I LOVED the movie. I actually just checked yesterday to see if my library had it so I could reserve it- and they don't have it! I'll order it from Interlibrary Loan at some point! But I guess I'll wait, we're still working our way through the Little House series for fun, we're reading Witch of Blackbird Pond for school together, my daughter is reading I Am Regina for school independently, and she's reading some A to Z Mysteries book for library book club so another one at this point would be overkill lol.

Play along :) The last book I read aloud to my 4 y/o was: The Butter Battle Book, by Dr. Seuss The last book I read aloud to my 10 y/o was: On The Banks Of Plum Creek (we're in the middle of reading it). (We're also in the middle of "The Witch of Blackbird Pond"- the Little House series is for fun, The Witch of Blackbird Pond is for school). What was the last (or current) read aloud in your house?

How strange that Nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude! ~Emily Dickinson, letter to Mrs. J.S. Cooper, 1880 Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~Kahlil Gibran The poetry of the earth is never dead. ~John Keats The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. ~Author Unknown I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars. ~Walt Whitman Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~John Muir Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~Lao Tzu I believe in God, only I spell it Nature. ~Frank Lloyd Wright, quoted, 14 August 1966 Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. ~Rachel Carson I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. ~John Burroughs The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. ~e.e. cummings

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

I agree with this. A 7 month old really doesn't NEED solids. I waited til 6 months to even TRY to introduce any solids to my son and he just wasn't interested either, so I didn't bother. He waited until he was about 9 months old to show an interest, and then it was in real table food, not baby food. We never did the baby food/baby cereal thing. I'd just drop it altogether for a month or two and then try again with some table foods and see how it goes.

Yes, I'd call the other mom and say "I just wanted to let you know that I will be running out for a few minutes to drop so and so off at such and such, but if you need youngest to head home, feel free as oldest is here to watch him."

Yes, I do ask my kids to help clean up. And I would absolutely tell kids who were playing here that it is time to start cleaning up when i knew they were due to leave soon. Or if they are neighborhood kids who were about to walk out on their own, I'd say casually "oh, can you just help put those things away quick before you go" and they will.

Wow, I'd feel pretty ticked off about that! I can see going either way with this- pointing out to her how you feel if you need to clear the air- or letting it go, if you feel it would just cause drama you don't want to cause considering you want to salvage the relationship and you feel she's a good friend in other ways. But I would absolutely never, ever help her with finances in any way again.

Thanks, Pauline! Alexa is not doing a WTM type program- we're using Oak Meadow which is Waldorf-inspired in the early years and more age/grade appropriate by now, but still more creative/hands on than classical, for sure (not a lot of busywork, no work sheets, not textbookish, done in three hours a day or less). Yet, when she took a CAT test last year ("for fun" and because I was really curious to see how it would go after more than a year of relaxed homeschooling with a curriculum like OM, she did fine and scored right where she was supposed to). So maybe that will be the case this year too. She's a good reader and I think she'll do fine on the language arts portion. She's not what I'd call overly strong with math but not horrible either- we switched to TT this year which so many people say is a year or so behind other curricula so not sure what's going to happen with the math portion of things, if things will be on it that we just didn't cover yet this year, but we'll see how it goes. I was probably worrying too much. I don't think she'll do awful or anything. I think I'll just get the test, let her take it, and like you said, I always have the option of re-testing. But I probably won't need to! And thank you everyone else for your continued input, feedback and suggestions! I appreciate them!

Good for you, Jennifer!! That's awesome! And here I was feeling excited that while at the track a few days ago, I jogged a VERY short distance lol.

:) It is so sweet how excited you guys got with me. Now stop it, you're making me tear up again lol. (the thank you note is a good idea, I'll ask Melissa if she'd like to write one tonight and give it to her friend to pass on to her sister tomorrow).

I love the tile floor in my kitchen (except for when I walk in there barefoot on a cold day... brr!) I don't know that I'd want it in other rooms of the house though. I've got tile in the kitchen and the half bath which is right off of the kitchen, hardwood in the computer room/den and carpet in the living room/stairs/halls/bedrooms. The upstairs bathroom is still nasty old linoleum though, I wouldn't mind doing tile in there one of these days!

Well, in our case it would be Hanukkah gifts and what usually happens is my husband finds great deals online and orders cool things for the kids on his own. Then he'll tell ME what he ordered for them. And then I'll tell him if there are certain things I hoped to get for them or that they wanted and either he'll look online, or we'll go shopping together, or I'll go shopping on my own at some point to get the last of the things I want to get for them. (I usually do the 8 presents per kid thing, and they get to open one on each of the 8 nights of Hanukkah). ETA: Oh and if I end up going on my own to get the last few things, no, I don't consult him first, I just pick them out.

Pamela, Oh I'm sorry to read about the bad news. But I am glad to read that each seems to be accompanied by either good news, or at least hopeful news. I hope that they are able to rid your bil of the other tumor they found and glad they think they can. I can't imagine what you are going through with your own health but glad that you seem hopeful and have a direction to go in- good luck with that osteo, I hope he ends up being what you are looking for! I never heard of the hcg diet but good luck with your weight loss program! I know that if I am losing weight, I'll feel happier overall, knowing I'm doing something healthy for myself. I can't even IMAGINE losing 11 lbs in a week though lol. It's taken me like 7 weeks to lose 13 lbs so far!

Aww that is precious. I'm so glad!

There's a board game called "Make A Pie" which is "a simple game of fractions." Probably good for your kids ages. http://www.amazon.com/Make-Pie-21-Simple-Game-Fractions/dp/B0018P322O

Other: mildly amused and good-humored about it.