nonalcoholic drink ideas

We're off to the beach and need some ideas! [2008-07-02]
I think I have most of my bases covered, but just wanted to see if anyone had any other ideas for the trip. We're off to Ocean City MD for the fireworks - woohoo! I have 3 boys, ages 10, 7 and 5. We figure it We have a DVD player for the kids and they each have a portable video game to take. I think I have the drive down pretty well covered, but if you have anything to add, feel free. At the beach -- we borrowed boogie boards from a friend for each of them to try. I We also got some sand toys for building castles. Any other suggestions here? I'm afraid 1 or 2 won't like the boogie board thing and get bored very easily with the sand toys. We Anyone else know of anything at OC, MD that was really great for kids? Hubs and I have been there without the kids last summer, but really just enjoyed eating out and walking the boardwalk. I don We usually vacation at resort towns - like Disney and Dollywood - where there Just looking for suggestions!

Oh honey...go take a pill and have a stiff drink too... [2008-06-10]
some kids are just plain bratty and mean, bios and steps, no matter what the age. Many kids know how to manipulate the situation to their advantage, especially kids from divorce. Some of us are adult enough to see through it and make others aware. Nothing wrong with kids coming first, however, parents need to know when to reign little Tommy or Susie in and stop catering to them all the time.

Couple of ideas [2008-06-06]
If you decide to go gray and have hair color other than blond, you might want to color it an ash blond so the transition won't be so obvious. I have dark hair, and when my gray roots grow, it looks weird ... I think it looks worse than a blond with dark roots. My skin and hair is really dry (worse with age), so I only shampoo my hair once a week and, if need be, just wet it and use a styling product on it in between. Olive oil (just use cheap stuff) is a very good conditioner. Coat the hair and put plastic wrap around it for a bit. Seems to come out fine with shampoo after. I also leave regular conditioner in my hair after shampooing. Helps quite a bit. Let us know what you do. :)

Don't drink coffee, but lots of tea, but [2008-05-20]
am quitting the tea. Thank you kindly

All great ideas. Thanks so much. nm [2008-05-13]
/

Fixing a flat (soft drink, that is)....... (sm) [2008-05-13]
I do this one all the time: Ever leave half a Coke in the fridge, only to come back later and it's FLAT? I simply open up a new one and add some in with the flat stuff, and the result is actually a smoother, yet still carbonated soft drink. And then you haven't wasted half a can.

nonalcoholic drink ideas [2008-05-09]
i love iced mocha but with them being so expensive these days (and me working at home) i took a shot at my own recipe and i must say it turned out pretty good. you have to play around with how sweet, chocolately, etc you want it but basically here's how it goes: i freeze my leftover coffee in ice cube trays and then store them in a plastic baggie. you could brew fresh and do the same. add the coffee cubes with milk, sugar, and hershey's chocolate syrup to the blender. blend away until you get the consistency that you want. i'm sure it would be better if you added cream instead of milk but i make do with what i have. add whip cream and chocolate syrup on top and its pretty dang close to those you buy for $4-5 a pop. :) also, amaretto flavoring (usually found in the coffee aisle and nonalcoholic) is a good addition to regular warm coffee or to icecream and milk in the blender for an amaretto milk shake. its really yummy and a nice change. also some wineries (and grocery stores but wineries let you taste) sell bottles of sparkling grape juice or cider. some even come flavored with raspberries and have a pink blush to them. mix that with orange juice for a fake mimosa (sp?). you can also buy margarita mix without the alcohol and blend it up with ice and a little water.

Need gift ideas [2008-05-06]
My 20 yo daughter is spending a month in France for college studies and we need gift ideas for her host family, preferably something American. Any ideas?

Good ideas - I was thinking about the books [2008-05-06]
too. Running where's your Avatar?? I love that Avatar!!

Other ideas [2008-04-24]
Definitely try Lane Bryant. Also many of the nicer department stores have plus size dress sections. I found a site, www.tjformal.com and they have plus size prom dresses but depending on your age, style preference, etc. you might find something appropriate. Also I found something called VereNique Plus Size that has some beautiful gowns. Also Venus Modest has sizes up to your size that are absolutely stunning. I took your word that money was no object, some of these are upwards of $600 before alterations. No store to go to unless you happen to live in Missouri.

Thanks for the ideas. [2008-04-24]
no msg

Mothers Day gift ideas [2008-04-14]
Also try www.vermontteddybear.com -- I got one for V-day from my SO and he is darling and ordered 2 for my aunts, one who was diagnosed recently with cancer and another for her b-day -- cute little tropical girls :) and their delivery is WONDERFUL!!!!

Gift Ideas [2008-04-12]
You can check out my web site www.marykay.com/kabrown7117.

I just knew you all here would have some great ideas! sm [2008-04-12]
Thank you to everyone who responded. The poster who suggested a manicure and pedicure had the perfect suggestion because she LOVES getting those. I never would have thought of that myself because I am not good at ideas for gifts at all. Yep, I am going with that idea! Happy Mother

mother's day ideas [2008-04-12]
If you could afford it, I think getting her a gift certificate for a massage and maybe a pedicure/manicure would be nice (hey, treat yourself too while you That would give you a nice girls' day out and let her know how much you appreciate her.

Yea, some people dont like different ideas. Want [2008-04-11]
x

Looking for ideas for Mother's Day gift for a wonderful friend - sm [2008-04-11]
She is not my mother (she is old enough to be), but she is such a wonderful friend I wanted to let her know how special she is. Is it even appropriate to give her a gift on Mother She is a very young and vibrant 65. I know someone can help point me in the right direction! Thank you so much!

no ideas but [2008-04-11]
I don't have any ideas on what to get her - other than maybe take her out to eat somewhere nice? flowers or a plant maybe?? But I think she will be happy and touched that you want to do something special for her. .

ideas... [2008-04-11]
Those flowers made out of fruit or cookies are really nice, and did you try Hallmark? There is one by me that has tons of little gifts that say the most beautiful things.

Love canned tomatoes!. Here are some ideas. [2008-03-30]
Put some frozen bean and cheese burritos in cassarole, pour tomatoes (doesnt matter if they are any flavor or not) over them, add cheese on top and bake at 350 til hot and cheese melted and brown. Or mix with chicken broth, chicken, cumin, pepper flakes (optional), other fave spices and make mexican chicken soup. Top with strips of toasted tortillas. Cook shredded chicken in tomatoes with fave mexican spices and serve on tortillas for mexican chicken rolls. Again, doesnt matter if called Italian tomatoes, will work with anything.

Vacation ideas [2008-03-11]
Am looking for somewhere not real expensive but interesting, with either malls or shopping areas, for my daughter and myself to travel to on vacation, distance does not really matter - have been to Mall of America and the Sawgrass Mills in Florida, looking for something similiar, - any suggestions would be appreciated.

just throwing some ideas out there [2008-02-20]
will she be undergoing any sort of treatment that could possibly cause alopecia? how about some bandanas? what about some nice bath oils, lotions, maybe a gift certificate for a massage or manicure?

Okay, trying to think of other ideas for you - sm [2008-02-15]
Tell him all that you love about him but how sad it makes you when he does this, that, and the other. Spell it out to him. Men need VERY specific instructions sometimes. Try to keep it short and to the point. Sometimes they just think everything is fine and keep doing the same thing over and over. Maybe someone else has other ideas?? :-)

Ideas and recipes all sound good... [2008-02-15]
Now I have to make up my mind which to try tonight! That is a nice dilemma to have.

Does either one drink in excess? [2008-01-29]
If so go with the other. lol

We're off to the beach and need some ideas! [2008-07-02]
I think I have most of my bases covered, but just wanted to see if anyone had any other ideas for the trip. We're off to Ocean City MD for the fireworks - woohoo! I have 3 boys, ages 10, 7 and 5. We figure it We have a DVD player for the kids and they each have a portable video game to take. I think I have the drive down pretty well covered, but if you have anything to add, feel free. At the beach -- we borrowed boogie boards from a friend for each of them to try. I We also got some sand toys for building castles. Any other suggestions here? I'm afraid 1 or 2 won't like the boogie board thing and get bored very easily with the sand toys. We Anyone else know of anything at OC, MD that was really great for kids? Hubs and I have been there without the kids last summer, but really just enjoyed eating out and walking the boardwalk. I don We usually vacation at resort towns - like Disney and Dollywood - where there Just looking for suggestions!

How exactly is your daughter going [2008-07-01]
What does your child need money for? You say itback to normal. Dragging her through court will not help her overcome her fear of dogs. Instead, you should be concentrating your efforts on having the dog impounded. Soon you will be known as the neighbor quick to sue. You I I got the impression from your original post. You said very little about the emotional details of the situation. You primarily discussed the money aspect of it. If I I just didn You even mentioned you watch People These shows put ideas into people My kids play baseball. They get hit with baseballs all the time when they Do I have the right to sue the parents of that child who hit them? How would that help them?

A lot depends on your daughter, not just you - sm [2008-06-30]
Is she sensible? There are not many 16-y/o that have not tried drinking or smoking, it is all part of trying new things,etc. and it will happen whether you like it or not. You have to learn to trust her to make smart decisions and to make her own mistakes but obviously to guide her and make sure she doesndate had MadDog, nasty stuff, and I got obliterated as I did not realize what that crud would do to me. Lucky for me my dad was out of the country at the time. My punishment was being forced to go to school with a horrible hangover (though I puked my guts out in my friendscares). I actually went and got on the pill while still a virgin so when it did happen I would be protected. --- is your daughter that sensible and with some common sense? I did a lot of stupid things along with the smart things I doing, just got lucky and came out of it okay. At 16 you want to experiment and have fun. All my friend and I were A/B students, 1 smoked and did all sorts of drugs. I would drink and smoke pot now and them (1 x a week or so), and again parents NEVER knew it. I remember one time my dad picked me up at school after play practice (was helping out with set design), I was stoned, had been slipped angel dust and had been hallucinating about an hour or two prior, was still pretty high. He wanted me to drive home for practice (I was 16), I turned him down because I was very tired.....he never knew, I crawled into bed the minute I got home. I was very, very good at hiding it from my parents, how they didn't smell it on me I never knew, unless they just ignored it. My best friend smoked and they new that so I guess that helped cover it up a bit. Despite all this I was very anti-drug (anything but pot) as I had seen too many people messed up on coke, crank, LSD, etc. I was furious with my BF's brother as he was the one who slipped me the angel dust, I got lucky as nothing bad happened to me. He is dead now, ended up addicted to coke, then alcohol, got hepatitis, car-jacked 3 cars for drug money, and ended up in prison with a 20 year sentence, got out after 8 years in 2006, then got addicted to painkillers, they found him dead in his apartment, killed by mixing alcohol and painkillers. This just happened about 8 months ago. He was only 42. Very sad as he was a smart guy but had many, many problems and never got his life together. Obviously this does not happen to everyone who does drugs, it all depends on the person and their upbringing. His sister (one of my BFs) is a successful therapist, drinks but quit smoking several years ago, never got into hard drugs like her brother. ---sorry for the rambling, but don't go overboard and lock her up, that will just make her go in the opposite direction. Obviously you need to set limits, etc, and try to know where she is and who she is with, and set punishments if you catch her doing it and let her know what those punishments will be, whether it is grounding for a month, or no cell phone, no TV, no driving, whatever, be firm and stick to it. I know that my brothers and I all did stuff, most of which we got away with, but it was shear luck and stupidity when I look back at it. Not all kids are so lucky. I hope you daughter is one of the lucky ones.

Thank you for the advice. sm [2008-06-30]
My daughter is an overall good kid, has always been an A/B student in honors and high honors. She has kept her grades up and is involved in environmental clubs, humanitarian clubs and is a do gooder overall all. I'm just in shock having learned that she has been drinking for 2 years. She tells me that she is glad now she does not have to hide it anymore and says she hated lying to me, but was afraid of what I would do if I found out, obviously. I want to punish her but I don't want to push her the other way where she will rebel more and do worse things. I guess this is my reality check. I need to come to terms with the fact that kids her age will drink and I think I can almost deal with that if I can somehow make a deal with her that she will not get drunk and obviously drive when she has been drinking. I have an even bigger problem with the cigarettes and I just can't stand the thought of her smoking. She tells me she has not done any drugs. I want to believe her, but at this point I am also very hurt and feel that she has broken the trust I had in her by lying to me all this time. This is one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through. Sigh.

Well, now it's my turn to tell my story...(Beware..this is long) [2008-06-29]
Well, I just don I was 26 years old when I met and married my husband. It will be14 years ago this August. I was a platinum blond, Swedish, 26-year-old, voluptuous virgin waiting for my prince to come. I had never dated because I was too fearful and shy. My mother always told me that my prince was coming. She just didnthe prince of darkness. It has been a nightmare, although he says it has been great with only a few bumps along the way. He is abusive in every way including verbally, mentally, emotionally, some physical although very little (not an excuse, just telling it the way it is), what I feel is sexual abuse with me but not the children,but the worst by far is his financial abuse. He has told me many, many times, Who do you think YOU are? What do you think...that you I can find a dozen more women like you. I have three children, now ages 14, 13, and 11. 14-year-old has ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder. My husbandis just like this although he has never been diagnosed and never would be because in his own words, I am perfect just like God made me. There is nothing wrong with me. The problem here is you. My credit is down the toilet. Credit score is about 500. His is 800. Through the years, when the children were babies I had to feed them dry cereal with a cup of water because he wouldn One very hot night in the summer, I had to feed them generic hot dogs and pink beans, which were some kind of bean that slithered out of the can in a gelatinous material. The kids werewere dry heaving at the table. One day when I was about 8 months pregnant with my last child, he came up to me and said, Well, I I said what He said (very matter of fact), I I won If you want something, get off your f______fat a__ and get a job. I had a 6-month-old and a 1 1/2-year-old and 8 months pregnant with the third one. What!! Get a job!! Are you crazy?? He said, Oh well. Famous last words. That is all I ever hear. He has ripped out phone lines, denied us food and clothing. We have two cars. He used to hide the car I would drive around the neighborhood so I couldn He would even take the carseats. One time when I was pregnant, I had no money so my girlfriend needed a babysitter a few hours a week. She lives in Connecticut, which is about 45 minutes from my home. She could only pay $45 a week but I would drive up there four days a week to watch those kids just to get that measly $45. One day when I was leaving to go, I wanted $2 for an ice cream cone (I was pregnant at the time and that was my thing during that pregnancy). I asked him for $2 and he said no. I reached into his wallet and took $2 anyway. So he came after me. I took out the butcher knife but he ran outside to get to the car first so I couldn I put away the knife and ran out the back door to try to get to the car first but he got there before me. I reached in to try to grab the car keys out of the ignition when he rolled the window up as hard as he could. I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I thought he was going to break my arm. I was able to backhand him and he unrolled the window. A little while later I ran to the neighbors to call the police because he ripped the phone lines out. I was there for about 15-20 minutes calling the police, family, and my friends to come and help. When I got back to the house, he had taken both cars (hid one in the neighborhood) and went to work. He left my 9-month-old and 1 1/2-year-old children all by themselves (and at the time I lived on a very busy street where cars would drive by at 50 mph). When I walked in, they were sitting on the living room floor screaming at the top of their lungs. The next morning I was in the shower and I lifted up my arms to wash my hair when out of the corner of my eye I saw something on the underside of my arm. It was a jet black bruise about four to five inches long by about two inches wide. It was literally jet black. I was stunned. When I called the police, I told them what was going on with his abuse. I told them I was pregnant with two little ones at home. I told them I had no food. I told them and showed them the bruise and I told them I wanted to press assault charges. They said, He did that to you? I said yes. I said, I want him arrested for assault. I told them where he worked. They turned around and told me that because the incident happened the day before that there was nothing they would do and that they weren They told me to just let him lie low for a while. This happened in 1996. We are not talking the 50s here. This was just before they handed me a pamphlet on battered women and battered women The pamphlet said there does not have to be any sign of physical abuse. If you are in a situation where you simply fear for your safety, the person can be arrested. And I am sitting there pregnant with ahuge, jet black bruise underneath my arm from where he rolled my arm up in the window. This is just a few tidbits of the life I have had with him. There have been some good times and good vacations but mostly bad. We have fought so bad for years and years that I know the toll it has taken on the kids. The guilt I have is insurmountable. If he buys groceries, I have to pay him back. If he pays the phone bill, I have to pay him back. If he buys me anything or gives me a $10 or $20 bill, I have to pay him back. Most of the time, I am not allowed to go into a store with him. I went with him once to Wal-Mart and I put a $2 box of sweetener into the carriage. That was it. I am now not allowed to go into a store with him. He screams at us that he pays the rent, therefore, it is his house and we have to learn to live the way he wants us to and we should be catering to him. If we don He has told me for years that he is a king and that the house is his castle and that he has allowed us to live with him because he is kind, loving, and gracious. He will only buy oneChristmas gift for his kids and no stocking stuffers or tape or wrapping paper or anything like that.I have to do that with what I get paid to do MT work. He doesn When they were little, I would tell him that the children needed some cool clothes for summer. He would take their little pants and cut them off and then take their turtleneck shirts and cut off the turtle neck and cut off the sleeves and say, There you go. There Or he would just tell me, Go ask your sister to buy them some clothes. He has threatened to kill me and the children if I leave. He has told me that he would kill me and the children before I would ever see child support. He has a sex fettish where he wants it all the time, every day multiple times in a day if he could get it (not that he does, mind you. I stopped that crazy crap a long time ago), and I am just supposed to stop all that I am doing and fulfill his needs (even though sex for me offers virtually nothing other than soreness,swelling, and boredom and has always been like this). If I don I am very overweight, I smoke like a chimney, my credit is destroyed, I don I have less now 14 years later than I did before I married him. At least before I married him I had my own very nice car and some clothes. I don My clothes are tattered, stained, and worn. And...I had dreams of what my life was going to be like when I got married. But it certainly was not a life like this. My kids are older now and they are seeing their father for who he is. He blames me and tells me it is all the bad stuff I am telling the children. I keep telling him it is what they have seen for 14 years. They beg me to divorce him. My youngest, who is 11, was diagnosed last year with severe ulcerative colitis. He has had a flare now for the past six weeks with at least ten bouts of diarrhea with blood every day. He talks about depression a lot and always asking me what it is. When I got the call last year from his pediatrician telling me to take him to the hospital for a possible blood transfusion (this was when we got his diagnosis), Ialmost fell on the floor from fear. I called my husband at work to tell him he needed to come home. He said, I can I have to work. He said, Don His red blood cell count had dropped to 7.2 froma normal of 12 because of his bleeding. He came to the hospital when he got out of work. He showed up at 6:00 p.m. We went outside and talked for a bit and then about 20 minutes after he showed up, he said, Well, I have to go home to eat and shower. I When I got angry, he said Hey, I I need to rest. Besides, there We still didn I didn I was scared to death. But he had to go home to eat and shower and rest!!!! I think that was the beginning of the end for me. I once read something on these boards that someone posted saying Marriage is not supposed to be a good deal for one and misery for the other. That is what my life has been. My marriage was a great deal for him...kids that he never has to pay for (I mean nothing...not school projects and believe me there are a ton of them, not clothes, not shoes, notebooks, backpacks, nothing), free sex, and a wife that he doesn I believe in my soul that my marriage was a good business deal for him. If you knew my husband, you would laugh at that statement because he is extremely uneducated and talks like a mentally retarded person. People in the past have actually asked me if he was mentally retarded. He thinks that if my son would drink lots and lots of water, that that will cure his ulcerative colitis and makes fun of me and insults me and everyone else. Itell him he is a moron and he doesn His abusive mother made them drink nothing but water. She would not buy them anything or strive for a better life. They lived in a nightmare life. So now he gets very angry when we woncure everything. He tells us that he is trying to show us how to live right but we just won He tells this to other people too including our landlord. He has the most disgusting habits. He picks scabs and eats them, he has eczema and psoriasis so he is one huge flake, which he enjoys picking off chunks and dropping them in a pile on the floor, he passes unbearable gas (like every two or three minutes that has such a horrid stench it makes all of us nauseous) and then flips out if we spray a room spray. He will actually grab the can and scream that this is his house and we are all just disgusting to live with and just impossible to live with. He just had a fight with my 12-year-old daughter tonight because he was passing tons and tons of gas and she sprayed a room spray. He got up in her face screaming at the top of his lungs at 11:00 at night that this is his house. He will pass gas all he wants and that he won She was crying and begging me to divorce him. She kept saying, You said it would be better for the family if you stayed married to him but it It won Well, I could go on and on. It has been 14 years of this but I think you get the picture. I have no money. I don I have a son who is going to need ongoing frequent medical care and I am afraid he will cancel the insurance if I do anything to get rid of him. I have a great fear for our safety. He has major problems with having to give up his money so to haveto pay child support will send him over the edge. He is a pathological liar so you can He told me, I would never allow anyone to judge me like that. You can tell the judge to kiss my balls. He seems to expect the absolute highest standards from the children and I but he doesn Never has and never will but will shove it down my throat when he doesn Well, any advice. I really am looking for legal advice for anyone else who has been through this. I know I need to get rid of him...for the kids sake. They need to see that life is not like this and not all men do this and that you don My daughter, who just turned 13, says to me she hates men with a passion. I told my niece that I felt like I was dying. I never, never, never, never leave my house except to go to Dunkin Donuts up the street to get a coffee. I haven And that is three hours probably once every two months. I am lonely, isolated, and ragingly angry. I want to go back to school but when I talk about that, he poo poos it saying I should go back in five or ten years or 15 years when my bills are paid and I can afford it. HELLO????? I am going to be 43 in October. Maybe I should just wait to go back to school until I Well you get the picture. If you By the way, when I bring up any of his abuse to him, he tells me I don Funny, he always remembers every time I swear at him though. Has never forgotten a single time.

Need advice on 16 year old daughter. SM [2008-06-29]
I just found out that my 16 1/2 year old daughter has been drinking and smoking and has been lying to me about this. I found out and confronted her and she came clean stating that she drinks, but has never been drunk, will just have enough to where she is happy and also smokes 3 to 4 cigarettes a month, she says. I have now lost complete trust in her because she has been lying to me all this time stating that she did not drink or smoke and neither did her friends, etc, etc. She has always been a good girl (or at least I thought so) and is an honor student. She just got her driver's license in May. The first thing that I have decided to do is to not let her drive for a while. This is my first experience with this and I need advice and guidance on what the appropriate punishment is. Please help.

I would lay down the law now s/m [2008-06-29]
I was a goodie-goodie, too, or so my mom thought. I was an honor student (actually graduated second in my class), ran with a pretty good crowd, never did drugs. I did, however, try alcohol (wanting to fit in with some of the wilder crew) and cigarettes. The cigarette thing didn My mom noticed the smell on me almost immediately and told me if she ever caught me smoking, she would make me eat a pack of cigarettes. At the time, I took her pretty seriously; though, looking back now, I doubt she would have actually made me eat it. As for the alcohol, tried that once, too, in high school. Fortunately, I didnbeer and since that I chose not to drink. I was heavily involved in SADD and I think that weighed in a lot for me. My biggest area of concern for my parents was the whole dating/sex thing. I had a steady boyfriend for my sophomore and junior year and ended up taking it to that level. When I finally told my mom about it, she freaked, as did my dad. I was grounded for 6 months and she kept her word. I went no where with my friends. Eventually, I was allowed to date again, my senior year, but not with that guy. Putting us on hold for 6 months seemed to do the trick. I realized he didn The guy I dated throughout my senior year was good enough to wait for me, and I ended up marrying him several years later (after college). 13 years and still going, so far so good! So, be strict with your daughter, but be fair and consistent. She needs to know there are limits and that if she chooses to continue with these actions, there will be adverse consequences. After all these years, I'm glad my mom did what she did or I probably would have ended up pregnant before I graduated high school and who knows what kind of life I would have had then.

Looking for help on where to start [2008-06-28]
over. I I would prefer to live in warmer climate year round. Any ideas, sugesstions would be appreciated. This has been a long time coming and I Thanks for your feedback. Please fee free to Email me if you would prefer.

I agree with you. [2008-06-18]
When I got married it was my first but hubs second. My sister threw me a card shower but stated because I have my own home I donneed things but a mass or greeting cards in the mail box would be nice. I live in a different state now from most of my family. I found that my family and friends were nice and sent cards, some gift cards, a few gifts just when I happened to see them next time, or a phonecall. My husbandcard shower and it had something clever about showering us with good thoughts and wishes.

What are you doing on the weekends [2008-06-12]
Luckily, our library is close by and so is the movie store (although still spending money there) and a school is three streets away so we take frequent bike rides up there and let the kids play on the playground. Still, though - it I already spend 120.00 a week in gas just getting to my job so the thought of using even a gallon of gas on the weekends just makes me cringe!

I posted earlier today asking for some suggestions to relieve severe s/m [2008-06-10]
hot flashes. Tonight I am doing a search for cures and came acrossa site that swears by apple cider vinegar. There are many posts on this site stating this has been a miracle for not only hot flashes but many other conditions. Now my question. . . How do you drink vinegar in water every day? I am terrible about any liquid medicines, etc. with a bad taste. Anyone use ACV? I wish there was a better way to ingest it. Thanks!

She's right....... a little behind the scenes coaching [2008-06-05]
I gave my husband little bits he could use with our daughter when she was little, basically because his dad was not nice to his sisters at all and my husband loved his little girl but didnstuff. He might really be open to hearing some suggestion without EVER letting him know the diary business...he might inadvertantly let the cat out of the bag. Heideas about how to talk or things he can do with his daughter. My daughter adores her dad...she's now 25 years old. He was always a pushover for her and still is. His little girl!

I don't know if they are old, but here are a few... [2008-05-28]
Eliminate ear mites. All it takes is a few drops of Wesson Corn Oil in your cat COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana>Kills fleas instantly...Dawn Dishwashing Liquid does the trick. Add a few drops to your dog COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana>Rainy day cure for dog odor: Next time your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh.Did you know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately-without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional pain relievers?Did you know that Colgate Toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns?Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana>Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 tab lespoon horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles.Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-even though the product was never been advertised for this use.Honey remedy for skin blemishes... cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight.Listerine therapy for toenail fungus:Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine Mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.Easy eyeglass protection... to prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear Nail Polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer... if menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana>Smart splinter remover: Just pour a drop of Elmer COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana>Hunt COLOR: #3333cc; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana>Balm for broken blisters... to disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine,a powerful antiseptic.Vinegar to heal bruises... soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.Quaker Oats for fast pain relief... it's not for breakfast any more! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.

Calling all cat lovers - I'm at my wit's end [2008-05-28]
To make a long story short I need some expertise. My male cat was a sprayer before we got him fixed way back when. Then he decided to pee in our dining room and we took up the rug and put in a wood floor (this was quite a few years ago - cat is 11). Then he proceeded to pee in all the corners of the family room. We just had wood floor put on there and all has been well. Until about a week ago, he decided to pee again on the dining room wood floor, no where else, but he still uses his litter box. I had cleaned it with vinegar and it seemed like the smell went away and I thought all was well until I again caught him peeing on the wood floor in the same area more than once. My husbandhas had it(hedestroyed a lot of things already from when we first got him). He is ready to take himaway somewhere. I donMy husband doused the area with vinegar again. Anyone have any ideas? Anything that will keep him away, or any other tricks to get he smell out. Any help would be appreciated. Tonight will not be a very happy night.

Let me tell you about my old neighbors.. [2008-05-19]
Sorry itin regularly. My neighbors across the street moved in 2-1/2 years ago, drove a Cadillac Escalade, worked at Wal-Mart. Got to know them a bit. Found out they bought their house for cash because the father won a few hundred thousand in the the lottery. FOund out they did drugs and kept my distance. Hubby lost job so they got a new hobby, breeding pit bulls. Nothing like seeing a yard full ofpit bullsevery few months. Animal control put a stop to that as did the owner of the female pit bull dog, whose dog they stole to breed. Last year in January traded Cadillac in for brand new mustang which someone crashed into a wall 3 weeks later, had no insurance on it and that was their downfall from there. Totaled mustang stayed in front yard up on blocks for 6 months or more before they sold it for 2000. COde enforcement came and went with them. They like to drink A LOT and play rap music..boom boom boom until 3, 4, sometimes 5 in the morning. Wife doesnt work or does work until she quits, gets fired. Convicted of welfare fraud, found this out by searching for convicted felons/child abusers/sex predators in my neighborhood one day. The couple like tofight daily, police called constantly. They also liked to dodrugs and soon a family of 2 adults 3 kids turned into tons ofpeople hanging out daily and/or moving in. It was really niceto see anotherperson moving in to their house walking on the sidewalk towards their house carrying their garbage bag full of clothes/stuff.Rap music started playing loudly from 10 a.m. on, cars stopping in their driveway and driving off as fast as they stopped. Cops now becoming aware of what is going and watching the drug dealers. A few busted, sent to jail but out of jail as fast as they go in. The week before lastThanksgiving theirelectric was turned off because they were caught stealing it and then the water soon followed.Both companies had to put locks on it because they kept trying to turn them back on.They kept stealing our water, we think. Somehow our hoses outsidewould get turned on at night and we would find them on in the morning. After 2-3 weeks with no electric I called child neglect hotline as I think it is neglect, turns out it is not but the state gives them a generator that they run for 12 hours a day. Love the sound a generator makes but a lot less aggravating than rap music.End of March, one of their great new roomies was arrested for murder but we all know he didnt do it, he was framed, he's a good boy, he wouldnt do that (what every person says when arrested for a serious crime) Then May 5, 2008,the greatest day EVER. They had to move out.Itasking me where Kevin went. I tell them to try the local jail.

What do you think a kid would do this? [2008-05-18]
Agirl whogoes to school with my kids (she is 16 years old)sits in class, shakes her head over a piece of paper, licks her finger,picks up her dandruff from the paper with her wet finger, then eats it. This is not just a rumor -- both of my kids have seen this with their own eyes. The girl knows the other kids are watching her, but she does it anyway. We have known this girl for 4 to 5 years and she and my daughter used to be very good friends. They are now at a different school (the other was a private Christian school with a tiny class) and she is starting this bizarre behavior. She has always been a little odd, but very kind and very thoughtful and a truly gifted artist. I I donbut it might be too late!I I can Any ideas on the root of this behavior?

I aplogize for any misunderstanding - [2008-05-13]
but I am very content and happy with my life. I enjoy saving money and finding alternatives. I also enjoy helping others, supporting others, and sharing ideas.

Dog Question... [2008-05-13]
We have a 5-month old Basset puppy. From the time we got him we noticed he occasionally drags his back legs when getting up. Once he's up, he's fine. But if he's sitting or lying down, when he gets up, he sort of drags his rear legs/bottom half for a couple of seconds before he gets up. We mentioned it to the vets 3 times. Each time they examined him and said there was nothing wrong and that the puppy was just lazy. He's still doing the dragging thing, but now he also seems to favor his right rear leg, very slightly. If you weren't looking for it, you wouldn't even notice it. Got any ideas what it could be? He's getting neutered next month, and I'm going to email the vet a cell phone video of the puppy dragging his rear legs, cause he won't do it at the vet's office. When he goes to get neutered, the vet can look at him plus the video before the surgery.

Fixing a flat (soft drink, that is)....... (sm) [2008-05-13]
I do this one all the time: Ever leave half a Coke in the fridge, only to come back later and it's FLAT? I simply open up a new one and add some in with the flat stuff, and the result is actually a smoother, yet still carbonated soft drink. And then you haven't wasted half a can.

I need recipes for pretty, fruity, fun drinks [2008-05-09]
or coffee drinks. My sons, their dates, and two other couples of coming to our house tonight after the senior prom. They plan to play Dance, Dance Revolution and watch movies on the big screen. Of course, they asked me about it only an hour ago! I'm happy to have the kids over, but wish I had a little time to plan. I will stay up when they are here and will make them breakfast. I have one of those waffle makers that you see at hotel breakfast buffets, so they will have waffles and other breakfast goodies, but I thought it would be fun to serve them some pretty drinks in some of my fancy glasses that I never use. Nonalcoholic, of course! I think I'd like to make up two pitchers, something fruit-based and something coffee-based. Does anyone have any good recipes?

nonalcoholic drink ideas [2008-05-09]
i love iced mocha but with them being so expensive these days (and me working at home) i took a shot at my own recipe and i must say it turned out pretty good. you have to play around with how sweet, chocolately, etc you want it but basically here's how it goes: i freeze my leftover coffee in ice cube trays and then store them in a plastic baggie. you could brew fresh and do the same. add the coffee cubes with milk, sugar, and hershey's chocolate syrup to the blender. blend away until you get the consistency that you want. i'm sure it would be better if you added cream instead of milk but i make do with what i have. add whip cream and chocolate syrup on top and its pretty dang close to those you buy for $4-5 a pop. :) also, amaretto flavoring (usually found in the coffee aisle and nonalcoholic) is a good addition to regular warm coffee or to icecream and milk in the blender for an amaretto milk shake. its really yummy and a nice change. also some wineries (and grocery stores but wineries let you taste) sell bottles of sparkling grape juice or cider. some even come flavored with raspberries and have a pink blush to them. mix that with orange juice for a fake mimosa (sp?). you can also buy margarita mix without the alcohol and blend it up with ice and a little water.

Need gift ideas [2008-05-06]
My 20 yo daughter is spending a month in France for college studies and we need gift ideas for her host family, preferably something American. Any ideas?

military appreciation?? [2008-05-06]
I the subject is military appreciation. I can't think of anything they do for us other than fight for our country/rights and help out in times of need (such as in Katrina) anybody have any ideas?

What was one of the most embarrassing moments for you? I'll go first SM [2008-05-05]
Picture it. . . . First date. Distinguished man, very refined. He took me to an indoor soccer game and when we were walking up all the levels of stairs to get to our seats I tripped, big time and went straight for a guy sitting in an aisle seat. It was likethe poor spectator had the red cape and I was the bull. Just to show you how neat the date was. . He went at intermission to get us a drink. When he was coming up the stairs I saw him grin. The next thing I knew he purposely tripped and everyone clapped andHOWLED! YOUR TURN!

My son would only eat hot dogs when he was little, not hamburgers.. sm [2008-04-23]
When I tried to get him to try a hamburger, he always said, I drink the MILK from cows, I don't EAT them! Now he's 21 and loves burgers.