13 Going on 30!!! LOVE IT!

Unplug things when you aren't using them. Even if you aren't using them, they are still drawing some power (television, computer, radio, curling iron, anything). If you have multiple TVs in the house, watch the smallest one and leave the others unplugged. OR, try ditching the TV for the summer and read a book or play a board game. Then you can leave all the TVs,VCRs, DVRs, etc. unplugged. It should make a big difference. We live in Vegas, so we don't have the humidity, but we have the scorching heat. Last summer we had the downstairs at 78 and the upstairs at 79. This year we have the downstairs at 79 and the upstairs at 82 during the day, bumped down to 80 at night, and then back up to 82 during the day. This ALONE (we leave things plugged in) reduced our electric bill by 80-100 dollars compared to this time last year. When we lived in GA (90 plus heat plus humidity) we kept the downstairs at 80 and the upstairs at 84. It was very hot, but it made a big difference in our bill. Keep the shades/blinds closed to keep out the heat--that helps a lot too. Hopefully this helps!!

My 2 year old, who speaks very very well, started stuttering just a few weeks ago, right when he had his first ever very high fever (104). Even after we got the fever down (turns out it was Roseolla), he still did the stuttering, his eyes looking up (not rolling like a seizure, but just looking up. People do that when they are thinking), and jutting his chin out to try and form his words. What we have done, in just the past few weeks is to smile calmly and say "Sllllllloooooooowww down. Reeeelaaaaxxxx." and then have him very slowly try to say what he was going to say. Most of the time I KNEW what he was going to say or ask for, so I would slow him down myself and have him repeat after me. He had the hardest time asking "May I have..." So he would stop, take a deep breath, and then repeat May and then I and then have after me. Then he would smile and be thrilled that he actually was able to say what he was trying to say. I am not sure why the fever triggered the onset, but we now are able to really help by slowing him down. Stuttering, from what I understand, is when your mind is going a million miles a minute, but you can't articulate yourself fast enough. So, you are trying to get it all out at once! His brain is already on "have" when his mouth is still trying to say "May", so there is a disconnect between those two processes. My youngest sister did this (she is now 11 and speaks very well now) and my parents did the same slow down process with her. Good luck!

Holy smokes! Lots of Leapfrog lovers! :) My 2 and almost 4 year old did not care for the Leapfrog Letter Factory DVD at all. (They do very much enjoy Leapfrog Math Circus, though, so go figure!) However, they absolutely LOVE Brainy Baby ABCs. http://www.amazon.com/Brainy-Baby-Introducing-Alphabet-Years/dp/B000063UYO Both of my kids are crazy about this movie--it teaches upper and lower case letters, along with their sounds.

Bump on up! Hope your daughter's symptoms aren't so mysterious anymore and you have some good news!

This is how I feel EVERY summer in the Las Vegas heat when I am not keeping up with my water intake. I pretty much have to lose all soda, coffee, juices--pretty much everything during the summer (we don't drink alcohol either) just to make sure I stay hydrated properly. Otherwise, all of those sorts of things will start happening to me. But, when I lived in a more humid climate, this was never a problem--just Las Vegas! Good luck!

We did a garage sale of our big items, and sold a good portion of them (furniture pieces, mostly). I craigslisted a queen mattress, boxspring, and rails for $50 and lots of people were interested. I am trying to consign an entertainment center, but not sure if it will go through. If not, then I will donate it to the Airman's Attic, a consignment shop on Airforce bases that takes donated goods and sells them to military folks for cheap. Most of the other stuff is going into the garbage unless it is in great condition to donate. I second the play mobile idea. Totally list it on ebay near Christmas. We did this with old G.I. Joe toys two years ago and grossed nearly $800.00 from about 10 transactions. It was fabulous.

Wow, this thread has really taken off! I am so glad I asked you all what you think. From the time it took me to put my kids down, relax with my husband before he headed to bed, and do some dishes, you all have really provided TONS of information! First, I will be sure to pass this info onto my friend, just in case she runs across any problems and wants to look into other brands/types. I actually chatted with my husband for a little about it (Yes, I did! We have a very open and talk about everything relationship) and we both think that it might be worth at least giving a try. I am actually 6 months pregnant with our 3rd, but once everything heals back up, I might give it a shot just to see what I think. It really did seem a bit gross when I first heard about it from my friend, just a few hours ago, but after thinking about it and reading about your experiences, and so far not hearing anything remotely bad about it, the idea has grown on me. Any ideas as to why this isn't more popular of a thing? Why wouldn't this take over the whole tampon/pad industry?

They are trying to sell the product, though, hehee, so while I do trust what they are saying, I also take into account that they want me to buy their product. But, I think it is great to know you haven't had problems in your time using it! My friend has only used it for one month, so she doesn't have a lot of time behind her belt.

My daugher is turning 4 in a month, and we just started using LHFHG. She really loves it and I think we made a great choice. Unlike LHTH, it include places for you to insert your own handwriting, phonics, and math programs, so you can pick what, if any, of thse you want to include. Some of the history stuff (Little Pilgrims) is a bit difficult for my daughter to really grasp, but we read it slowly, talk about the chapters a lot, and don't give ourselves a time limit. Other parts are really simple for her and she loves the games that are included in the science sections. Hope this helps!

So, my friend just started using the Diva Cup. www.divacup.com I have never heard anything about it before! After looking on the internet a bit, it seems like something that people are turning to when it is that time of the month. The whole concept seemed extra gross to me at first, because you are essentially carting around a sloshing cup of lady goo, until you dumb it out and reinsert. Then it seems like you would spill it all over the place when you are trying to take it out--it just seems extra messy. It is touted as this very natural approach to mentral management, but it would seem to me that the most natural approach is just letting it flow out like it is supposed to? Maybe? The more I read about it, the more enticing it is and the less grossed out I am about it. My other major MAJOR concern is bacteria--I don't use tampons and just sort of suck up the week to having to change pads throughout the day, with the whole idea that everything should be flowing completely out of my body. With the cup, you are carrying it around with you and I really am a bit nervous about bacteria growth, infection, etc. both with the pooled "blood" and the frequent in and out of a reusable (re: non-sterile) cup. Thoughts? Experiences?

Thank you again for such great responses! You are right in that it FEELS like we need to do the read alouds at a higher level than that which she can read by herself, but you have all shown me that that isn't the case. It sounds like there are a whole lot of picture books that I didn't even know about that we need look into! It seems when we just go browsing at the library, we come across a lot of junk books, but I will sit down tonight with the lists you have given me (I got the Read Aloud Handbook from the library to look through tonight too) and see what sorts of things we can find. Yay for being a first time mom to a 4 year old and getting some great advice from those of you who have been there, done that, and have the T-shirt!!

My daughter threw herself against the fireplace surround, head first, yesterday. She passed out and got a bloody nose, though it was all very short lived (she held her breath and passed out--something that she has done before when she gets the wind knocked out of her, something hurts badly, etc). I called 911, they came on over, and they were SO very nice and said that they are only concerned with head injuries if the injury knocks them out in an instant (not the holding breath thing), there is vomiting afterwards, if the bloody nose was a much bigger bloody nose, and most importantly if the child is not acting normal (lethargic, confused, etc.) I was told to keep an eye on her to see if any of these symptoms developed. If for any reason we wanted to take her in, to just call them back and they would zip her over and the standard procedure is to do a CAT scan. They never mentioned a fever, but someone on here might know more about that. If you do choose to go in, expect a CAT scan!

We have always talked about having more kids, and having them close together. With this 3rd pregnancy I am in, we put it off for a bit longer then planned because I felt overwhelmed with my kids. My husband finally convinced me that it was okay to be pregnant because it takes a whole 9 months of brewing, which would give my kids that much more time to grow up. Now I am sitting at 6 months pregnant and wishing that we got pregnant a bit sooner--while I didn't seem ready at the time, it seems like everything has shifted for the better and now I am just bored, waiting for the baby to be here. (Not really bored, but bored compared to the overwhelmed feeling I had just this time last year) If you are a bit nervous because of your higher risks, perhaps you can adopt?

I agree with all of this completely. Moreover, it seems as though everyone's responses are focused on how YOU the OP can read and fix and change things, both actions and perspectives. While these are good ideas, I really really think that this isn't something that falls all on you. You are only half of the equation. Your husband needs to understand why you weren't interested in making lunches. He needs to embrace that as much as you need to embrace his desire to have you make them for him. I agree with the poster who said that a marriage is 100/100, not 50/50. You both need to give 100%--if you are both giving 100% of yourself, it means that all you are doing is for the other person. You are giving your whole self to that other person, even at your own expense (and you will find that perhaps what God is laying on you is not to be SUBMISSIVE, but to give of your whole self and be happy doing it). If he does the same thing, both of your needs will be met. You happily make the lunch, and genuinely mean it. He knows you aren't thrilled about it, but you do it anyway and it gives it THAT much more meaning. Now you are both fulfilled. One sort of example: Often, at night time after my husband has gone to bed, there are dishes in the sink that should be done before I turn in for the night. I could leave them there, but then who else will do it? My husband. If I don't do it, he will have to. Do I want him to have to do it? No, not all. I don't want to have my decision shoulder a burdon on him. So I do the dishes, even though it is one of my least favorite chores. Then I get a call the next day from my husband telling me, all on his own, thank you for doing those dishes! What can I pick up for you on the way home so that you don't have to go out today? And on his way home, he also stops at Keva Juice for a tasty treat for me. How thoughtful! When you are in a disagreement, you BOTH need to understand that you are on the same team and you aren't arguing with each other, you are discussing a topic to come to a resolution together. Both of you are one one team and the problem at hand is the other team. My biggest thing is, you both need to think like this. Having just you take on this "submissive" role will not solve anything.

Thank you all so much for your replies and great suggestions. I guess we were/are having a hard time because my daughter can read the Magic Tree House books, The Little, The Borrowers, etc. to us. When we try to read those books aloud to her, she get a bit peeved because SHE wants to read them to us. So, we went for what we thought was the next step up in classic literature, hoping that she would pick out the words she knew and who knows how she is processing the rest, but she seems bored by them, hahaha. We still do the pictures books during the day, and I suppose we might have her still read the chapter books to us also, but I am not sure about the more advanced reading aloud at night. I will look through the lists you have suggested--I am sure I will find something that falls inbetween beginningish chapter books and the hard core classics we have been using. But, maybe she is getting something from the more difficult reading even though she has no idea how to articulate herself. My son, on the other hand, is so happy to listen to anything anyone wants to read! So much easier...hahaha.

We looked at this book called Make Van Gogh's Bed. It is a board book with little pieces of fabric and sparkles and such. It has lots of paintings from a variety of artists and it is very fun to see the kids memorize the paintings and their artists by playing with the little manipulatives in the book. http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Art-Make-Van-Goghs/dp/1402735677

My almost 4 year old daughter can read quite well and she enjoys reading most anything she can to me, my husband, and even her brother. She seems to understand a good portion of what she is reading, especially in the easier books. We do this kind of reading off and on throughout the day. Right before bed time, all of us go into one room, and either me or my husband will read a chapter out of a longer chapter book. We recently finished Alice in Wonderland and we have just startd Peter Pan, for example. It seems that whenever my husband and I read aloud, my eldest doesn't pay attention at all and there is absolutely no way she can begin to tell us what she heard. She daydreams or plays with her fingers and we might as well be the teacher in Charlie Brown (wah wah wahhh wah wahhhh). So, my question I guess is that if there is a reason to even continue reading these kinds of books aloud, or should be just be reading the level 1 and 2 picture type books aloud to our kids? I am happy to keep reading the stories at night time, but in all honesty it is a bit frustrating when I ask my daughter even very simple questions or to tell me anything she remembers, and she has no idea what I am talking about.

Oh, this is an old thread, but certainly relevant given we are nearing the start of the traditional new school year! My 3 year old, turning 4 in August, recently started with a K curriculum this year. We have the intent of starting 1st ish type things next year when she turns 5. We realize we are starting early, but is is all very self-driven on her part. Last night she read us the first chapter of the first book in the Magic Treehouse series and asked what gripped means when the boy climbs the ladder, so she can read, but doesn't always GET what she is reading, KWIM? Her education will probably be a very big mishmash of different grade levels, which is a HUGE reason why we are choosing to homeschool. We are doing Little Hearts for His Glory with Horizons 1 math, so it seems we COULD start 1st grade now if we wanted, but the history and science aspects of LHFHG are right on par with her learning levels and there is no way we will be doing SOTW until she is in no kidding real first grade age. She will be all sorts of mixed grade levels1 All of this is to say, you probably will know when you want to start because you child is going to seem ready to start. If you start too early, you will know because your child will be bored, frustrated, struggling, etc. If you start "too late" (which I am not sure you can really do), your child will zip right through the lessons to the point where he/she is being challenged, and you will be right where you need to be. So in the end, my thoughts are: No worries! It will all work itself out no matter when you start. :)

Costco has some great bookcases that you can pick up in the store. They are 4 feet wide and very very sturdy. We have the shelves loaded with hardbacks and they are holding up fine.

We just order daily geography by Evan Moor. While it seems like "school work", it is so much fun because it is all about learning to read maps and navigation and stuff like that.

I LOVED LOVED The Source! The book is from the viewpoint of a Jewish archaeologist who finds, along with his counterparts of various religions, different artifacts from each layer of earth they are digging. Obviously, the older the artifact, the deeper it is in their dig site. Most chapters tell a story about each artifact and how it came to be in that very spot, starting with the oldest and working up through modern times. I am very much a Christian, but found this book fascinating. The end focus of the book, in my opinion, is on Judaism, but also very much gets into how Christianity and Islam branched from Judaism. It is really awesome to read the particular chapter that discusses people coming to Christ from Judaism. I can see how you might be a bit turned off by the beginning of the book, as they discuss Ba'al and El and many of the other religions that existed at the same time as early Judaism. It is a difficult read, and quite explicit--lots and lots of tears were shed as I buried my face in the book for hours. But I do think it is VERY important to realize the significance of Michener discussing Judaism from the perspective of these other religions. Ba'al and El are mentioned several times in the Old Testament, but the stories that we read are from the Judaism/Christian perspective. Michener presents some ideas of what it was like to NOT be Jewish at the time, how those people lived, what they were taught, how they viewed Jewish folks, and how the groups interacted. I do believe the beginning of the book in which Michener presents the first people coming to live in groups, without language, without God (and come to know pick your unnamed at the time higher existence), could come in conflict with those read the Bible literally. It seems to fit in more with an evolutionary approach, as humans develop basic relationships, standardized speech, etc. But, I do believe this is the only chapter that takes this leap outside of events that are documented in the Bible. Anyway, those are my two second thoughts on the book. I highly recommend it! It is deep, detailed, very long read, but very well worth it!

and the person spends their whole life believing this false impression (and acting differenly because of it), does God clear up the false impression when they die (re: you spent your whole life missing out on a relationship with this person because you believed X when in fact X wasn't the case at all, but you failed to see that)? Or do they go their entire life believing the picture they have painted for themselves and die without the truth ever being revealed to them?

This is just like us and several of the situations that I have been in (except my parents and in-laws are on the otherside of the country!) I have two different votes: 1.) Do as you suggested and start a babysitting group, preferably at the meeting location, so that other moms can bring their kids to play also. My friend and I were just talking about how a) many people don't take the initiative to do these things. They figure that if it isn't happening already, it is probably for a reason, when the real reason is because no one has done it yet! b) There are many girl scouts, homeschooled teens, or teens who are members of the church who would be happy to volunteer to provide babysitting services for church events such as this. My friend said that she and her sister did it once a week when they were homeschooled way back when. 2.) Take your kids with you, have them sit with their books to read, and enjoy your group. If all goes well, the skeptical women will see that there was no reason for them to worry and perhaps you will give someone else the courage to do the same with their children. In the end, I think it is ridiculous that so many people expect moms to hire a baby sitter for them to go to women's groups. I certainly do not blame you for a second for not wanting to hire someone for you to attend this group. There is always another solution that will not rock anyone's boat. Good luck!

I second Ikea if you have one nearby!