After you've followed the above advice to see if it's still active, toss it in the freezer! Yeast can be stored in the fridge or freezer for years past its expiration date.

I was thinking Sarum, too. I read it a few months ago and really enjoyed it.

And mine were the entire length of my period. Now I don't get them at all. I was just sharing what many women have found to be a huge benefit of the menstrual cups. I can see what you mean when talking about the disposable cups (what are they called? Instead?) But the Diva is made of silicone and lasts an average of 10 years. How is that going to have more of an effect on the environment than the large number of tampons a women would use throughout her menstruating years? Particularly since tampons are made with conventionally grown cotton, which is terrible for the environment.

Another vote for the Diva Cup! That thing is amazing. I don't get menstrual cramps anymore since I stopped using conventional pads and tampons, and from reading at other message boards it sounds like that is a common occurrence for women who switch to cloth pads and/or the Diva/Keeper/Moon Cups.

We woke up to snow this morning. But we haven't had any 80 degree days here in NY yet. I think our warmest day has been around 60 degrees. It is a bummer to go from wearing just a sweatshirt to play outside to having to bundle up with gloves and hats and boots. I have a feeling we'll just stay inside today. :)

I love this Boilermaker Tailgate Chili recipe from AllRecipes.com. Just have your beans soaked and cooked beforehand. We get local grassfed beef for a really great price, so I just use beef and skip the sausage. And I don't use as much meat as the recipe calls for, because 3 lbs for 10 servings seems extremely excesssive. Also, you can omit the bacon bits and beer without ruining the flavor. Now I want chili instead of stir fry for dinner!

Haha. I meant I wasn't going to respond to the actual comments, not that I wasn't going to reply to the thread at all.

Ugh, mono is the worst! I had it as a teenager and I had so little energy that I had to crawl to the bathroom for two weeks. I had to sleep on the couch because I didn't have the energy to climb the stairs. It took at least 6 months for me to get back to normal. I am so glad it happened after soccer season was over, because I would have had to quit the team. My mom was working 3pm-11pm at the time, so when she left for work my little brother would just be getting home to help take care of me. He cooked me soups and brought me drinks....and then he grew up to be a chef in a fancy restaurant. I tell him that his career path is all due to my bout with mono! :)

I obviously have a different parenting style than most of you, so I'm not going to even bother to reply to the comments directed at me. We'll just all end up hating each other.

Another vote for Starfall! It's such a wonderful site!

My 5.5 year old is the same way. But I don't know if he would give in and wipe himself if I refused to do it. I think he would sit on the potty and cry. I can't do that to him, so I still wipe his butt. We're already using wet wipes, but I've considered making him some soft velour wipes that are nice and big so there's less chance of him getting anything nasty on his hands. My 3 year old, however, loves to try to do it on his own.....even when it takes 1/4 of the roll of tp to get clean. *sigh*

Nevermind. I found it on the info at ebookstore.sony.com. Unfortunately, by the time mine ships to me the offer will have expired, but it does look like many of those books are the ones I can get free through Google eBooks and Project Gutenberg, right?

Where did you buy it from? I was planning to purchase one but after seeing your post I think I need to do it before the 31st so I can get 100 free books! I don't see anything about free titles on the Sony site, or anywhere else I look (like Amazon), though. Thank you! Jessica