Punky color is the brand. I've had better results with this brand than Manic Panic. My natural hair color is dark brown/black and with Manic Panic it simply looks darker - not purple. It doesn't last overly long, maybe two weeks in lessening degrees. It washes out a bit each wash and I don't bleach first (bleaching strips the follicle). It will last much longer if you bleach first. You have to wear gloves, jelly your neck and forehead, protect the area where you will be dyeing. Don't wear gloves and you'll have smucker's grape jelly hands for days. I'm OK with the wash out as if I have to go into the office (I have a corporate job but work remotely), I can wash, wash, wash and you'll only notice it's purple if the light catches it a certain way. I don't dye it this color all the time but every now and then I give myself permission to act younger than my age (people 40 and over living in 'respectable' suburbs should not dye their hair purple).

:iagree: Yup. Before I HSed I loved spending time at a "local" (20 minutes away) stable, riding. I don't have time for that right now but that's OK, soon enough the girl will have moved on and I'll have more than enough time, after work, to be "me." I do enjoy spending time with family, friends and beautifying my home but those are shared joys.

Punky color plum. ;)

Thanks for all the tips! I'm now considering this tour: http://www.insightvacations.com/us/index.php?brochure_set_id=2764617&brochure_id=2715200&region_tour_id=480696 My main concern is how to pack for such an excursion. Seems we'll be here there and everywhere and then in a small room on the ship. We have 2 large pullman suitcases that worked well for another overseas trip but I'm not sure they make sense here. Over-thinking as always - please save me from myself! ;)

DD, then 6, received a plastic pony in a party grab bag. She named it Bucephalus. At her age I probably would have named it Midnight or something like that. ;)

Ha! Us too! Isn't it a relief? :)

Me three!

It really depends on the version and the child. I think the unabridged, classic version would be quite a stretch given the vocabulary but a children's version such as Great Illustrated Classics would be OK. We read the unabridged version in 4th grade, (DD would read first and then I would read aloud) tied it into geography and DD was assigned weekly vocabulary words. We also found the activity book helpful. It must have been the right approach as DD LOVES this book.

Ha! Yes, read that too. In 6th grade (11) I believe. That gem was in the school library in the "special section" that you were allowed to choose from when you entered 6th grade. (Forever, Clan of the Cave Bear and Flowers in the Attic were not.) It freaked me out as I recall which was probably the intent. Drug education in that day consisted of scaring the carp out of kids to keep them away from drugs. I was convinced that high school would be full of pushers which was not the case at all.

Girl - Annwyn Boy - Connor

:iagree: I also read Forever (Judy Blume) in 7th grade (12). I guess my Mom thought if it was a Judy Blume book it was OK. Quite the education which I suppose wasn't all bad as I was completely clueless about all things s*x given that Mom's response was always "you'll learn about it in school." :glare:

I believe we went to the same place. Biting my tongue. :D

Ha! We must have gone at the same time. Very, very cold this December. We did it 'all' including the broom ride which I should have skipped. Not for me.

We love Rick Steves too. Definitely going to check out what he says as well. That school trip sounds awesome. Maybe you could hide in the suitcase. ;)

Good tips - thank you! I hadn't even thought about not being able to flush. I will definitely plan to pack doggie do bags if we go. DD will be very relieved regarding the food. I completely forgot about gyros - duh! Your tip about only spending a day or two in Athens and then cruising. I'm a little nervous about cruising as I don't enjoy boating unless the water is VERY calm (no heaving although a slight rock is OK). I don't want to spend my vacation sea sick. Can you comment on that? Of course sea conditions vary and so may my experience.... The rooms on the boat where they reasonable for three people? I don't want to feel like a sardine (again mileage varies but I'm sure the boats are very similar). The trip I was considering was mainland trip. We can only spend 8 days max on a tour and one day extra in the beginning to just relax and have our bodies adjust to the time difference. So doing it all is not an option. If you had to choose between Athens, Crete, Kusadasi, Mykonos, Patmos and Santorini OR Athens, Delphi, Meteora, Nauplia, Olympia and Thermopylae which would you choose and why? TIA. :)

Sure is! :001_smile:

We're thinking about a field trip/family vacation to Greece. Globus has a tour - Classical Greece that looks interesting and we'd book a pre-night to become acclimated to the time difference. We're studying Ancients this year so a tour such as this would be timely. Not to mention Greece sounds very, very nice as 35 degree weather persists and everything is drab, drab, drab. I'd love some warm and bright blue and white.... DD is 12 and she traveled to Europe three years ago so I know she can handle a tour. She was quite a trooper - dealing with the time change and the demands of the tour better than her Mom did (I caught a cold two days into the trip and the Italian version of Dayquil is v-e-r-y strong). DH was fine as always. Bully for him. :glare: I was floored by the cost of airfare. $1,500 rt from EWR (NY)? Yikes! I thought perhaps it was the early June departure but moving the departure to April or September wasn't much better. I'm interested in any tips or interesting anecdotes the Hive feels like sharing. DD is mostly concerned with what she will eat. :lol: I'm trying to think of kid friendly fare that one would find in Greece (dessert doesn't count). Spanakopita is the only thing that springs to mind. Clearly I'm in the early stages of consideration and should get myself a travel book for Greece. I will but am also interested in "real" accounts. DH was worried about safety but I don't think that's an issue in Greece right now outside of the usual pick pockets. Am I missing something? Thanks in advance. :001_smile:

I have a Vitamix and love it. I've made soup (hot from the friction but not boiling hot), ice cream (akin to soft serve) and ground horse radish to name a few. I was interested in the HM but I googled it, read the reviews and decided that it was not for me due to reliability issues. As far as I can see the Vitamix, on the other hand, is above reproach.

We decide but then again I'm not sold on (most/some) kids choosing their college majors and colleges at 16 without parental guidance/supervision. I certainly wasn't mature enough nor informed enough to make the right choices and the adults in my life were of the 'whatever you decide, honey as long as you achieve' sort. Less than helpful. I eventually got back on track but I floated for a l-o-n-g time and had to claw my way up the ladder. I would save my child from that if I could although ultimately as she ages I'm more in an advisory rather than a dictatorial position. Bummer. ;)

Frankly I think that's nuts and as a taxpayer I would NOT be happy. Unless, of course, said taxpayer is the owner of an electric vehicle and then you're getting a free ride - or at least a significantly subsidized one.

Hmm, considering it costs to generate electricity and the library is typically funded by tax payers this would seem to be another socially-minded program. (I didn't use the ist word). There is a cost associated with kwh. You should pay for what you use.

:iagree:

Ack!!

In that sentence 'here' is the predicate adjective. See: http://www.yourdictionary.com/grammar/adjectives/what-is-a-predicate-adjective.html You'll see the similar example - Our children are here. Although really it's a predicate ADVERB.

:grouphug: Losing a pet is so hard, my sympathies. I strongly recommend memory boards and the book Dog Heaven and a good, long cry. Hang in there.