My normal limit is $10. But that's because most of the stuff for under $5 I don't like. >.> Specially in NC where everything was chalked up in price compared to here anyway. So like barbies that are $5 here were $8 there at least.

But I also keep doubles of things my kids get and give them out to friends. >.> Or things that I just plain don't want. Like this play doh set that my baby daddies got for the kids after owen was born. I had a burning dislike for play doh since it caused my carpet to essentially become rainbow. :/ So I saved that...and wrapped it up for the next birthday party they went to! it was like a $20 play doh thing, so it was really nice...I just hate play doh!

I think I might try Moondough or something. I'd need to get something without wheat. e_e;

Moondough? I've never heard of it...

Kiddos first day of school today! I'll be posting pictures on facebook later!

Ohhh pictures

I've heard of moondough... I wonder if you can make it.... I don't know what it's texture is though.....

I love playdough but the boys only get to play with it under STRICT supervision... >.> I make my own koolaid Playdough I have JUGS of it in a storage container in my office... The nasty stuff is goop (I make that also)... Think Gak from our childhood lol... Fun stuff but it is made with Elmers white glue and liquid starch... D: we used it with the toddlers in the daycare and OMG 9/10 of them put it in their hair or on their shirt... WHAT POSSESSES THEM TO DO THAT???? Sean and Michael have never done it with the two buckets I have at home :P

I don't think I could make gluten-free playdoh, as it's the gluten proteins that make it so nice. xD I could try it with xanthan gum and see..

Not sure what moondough is made of. I should go look!

Well you can buy glutton free flour I can't see why you couldn't make glutton free playdough O_o

Have you baked with gluten-free flour? If so, you'd know why. XD

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I went and checked reviews, and as I suspected, it's dry and crumbly. When you don't have gluten, you don't get that nice elasticity. When baking, if not done with the appropriate mix of flours with a binder, it falls apart. Sometimes egg isn't enough, and xanthan or guar gum, or gelatin, or pectin is needed.

Like if you make bread by hand, you know how you can pull and knead it? It doesn't work the same with gf stuff. It's a delicate dance to get something tasty. It took us years to figure out something that was GOOD to eat, not just "eh, it'll pass".

Still can't find what Moondough is made of, but I checked two sites and it had 2-3 star reviews out of 5 with the same complaints. ;_; Disappointing..

I bought a lot of Moon sand.... Moon dough is suppose to be less messy but from the looks of it, (reading reviews by mommy blogger) it makes the same mess as mood sand does... but that should mean it is made the same way basically play sand cornstarch and water... I was looking more for the How to make it portion of it all... But so far no luck..... Did find that it is wheat and glutton free though :P

I have never made anything glutton free... But playdough isn't as complex as baking either... TONS of salt and flour and some water... (I know there are other ingredient but I can't remember them ><; )

I agree--making playdoh is easy. It was one of my fondest childhood memories. It just wouldn't be as simple doing it gluten-free. I almost want to do it, and record it, to show you the disaster that would result. :XD

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I'm gonna try something cornstarch + other once Terra gets out of the "I'm eating everything" phase. There's one I found with cream of tartar added, which I hadn't thought of!

cornstarch and water is one of my favorite toys.... >.> mostly cause it is sooo weird how it mixes.... I've found that they don't outgrow the putting stuff in their mouth stage... Michael still puts stuff in his mouth he KNOWS doesn't go there.... My sister in 19 and she chews on staples and paper clips >.>;; lol I start giving the kids playdough at like 6 months to a year... When they have most of their basic motor control at least... I have pictures of Sean in his high chair with shaving cream and playdough I just watched him really carefully... lol... Anytime it LOOKED like he was going to put it in his mouth I pushed his hands back down...

Why does it have to be glutton free?

I lol'd at the paper clips and staples thing. :XD

It has to be gluten-free because we're both gluten intolerant.

But does that mean you can't touch it or can't eat it?

You lol cause you don't pay her dental bills lol... It makes my mom BATTY!

I could touch a loaf of bread, but I'd get sick if I ate it. When you play with playdoh, it gets under the fingernails, and even a little causes an upset stomach. Babies and hands in the mouths and all that. Same thing with residue, like cutting boards or wooden spoons that particles collect on. That's more for the epic sensitive though!

It's not the same as Celiac disease. I can eat a slice of pizza without throwing up, for example, but I will get bad stomach cramps, brain fog, body aches and a bunch of other garbage. We'll sometimes eat out, but the house is kept gluten-free. We're used to it and aren't deprived now. :XD It sucked in the beginning.

I guess I am really weird then... I am terribly lactose intolerant... It goes beyond well beyond a stomach ache but at the same time I don't vomit or anything so I don't know....But I still eat it/ drink it.... At least 5 items a day contain some kind of dairy... lol.... T

Dairy bothers me, too. I try to limit it, and for the most part I do. If I eat a lot of it I will have swelling under the skin, painful like hives but under the flesh.

But, I will still take the risk sometimes. >.> Stupid I know, but hey. My stomach STILL hurts from pizza we ate last night. Beyond a normal ache like you say, but eh. The baby isn't handling dairy well either. She'll tug her ears, rub her face and eyes, and have booger issues. She only does it when she eats dairy, so we're limiting her, too. Sometimes I make her a cheese omelet for breakfast, but we have a coconut based yogurt she eats, and I'm going to try her on a coconut based "milk" instead of cow's milk. It's fortified with the same stuff that's in dairy milk, so we'll see. I plan on breastfeeding a while yet, at least until she self weans.

lol chi. Gets out of the put everything in your mouth stage. Just yesterday I took a button and two pennies away from Sakura. >.< She knows better! She even tells the other two not to do it...so why does she?? xD

I've turned over a new leaf and decided that today is going to be awesome. No more depressed mellie. I've got some shopping to do, a little cleaning to take care of, some phone calls to make and a work out to do. I've got...2 hours and then a little under an hour. It's going to be AWESOME. because I said so and that's what matters.

And I'm starting to plan a trip for Scott to come out here for the twins birthday. So even if we don't have approval by then, there is still a light at the end of this tunnel because I'll get to see my hubby. <3 hubby.

Okay, gets SOMEWHAT out of the, "I must eat everything for everything is food!" phase. :p

Yay Mellie!! ^__^

GO MELLIE GO!!!

I am doing something similar... We have one bill we can't pay, and we can't pay the half that we have in any way either... So we are holding on to it but we bought a couple of dollars worth of stuff to finish projects we have half finished around the house... It is amazing what $10 can do for my mood when I can finish things and not have them cluttering everything in the house. Today I've got a lot of cleaning to do. So I am hoping laying Sean down at 2:30-3 PM (had to move his nap over the school bull crap) will give me some peace to get it done!

I just got a bill from the hospital for something insurance didn't cover. O_o I'm not going to sweat it, as I have to leave for class soon. I'll just call in the morning. If it's for the cancer test, I imagine we can get it covered by free care. I deem that "medically necessary", all things considered.

I hate that screenings and stuff that aren't covered by insurances... I can think of only a few things that aren't "medically necessary" those things shouldn't be covered my insurance... But preventative or cautionary procedures should always be covered... >.> Like prenatal care... In Colorado, it is IMPOSSIBLE to buy private insurance that covers it... I haven't found ONE offer for prenatal care... NOT ONE... Not even the astronomically priced ones that cost more then our mortgage a month.... I think that is so dang ridiculous... A lot of feminine preventative care isn't covered either! The gaurdisil shot (that I started in February) isn't covered by most....? I know I am low risk... But you never know what is going to happen in the future... And I am high risk in the fact that my mother had precancer in her cervix! So yeah... I'll take the preventative measures... Darn skippy... Breast cancer is also a BIG thing in my family... BOTH of my aunts have had it. Not huge because they caught it early and the lump was simply removed. But my mom said they should be screening me for it starting this last year... 25.... They told me I don't have to screen for it until I am 40... Both aunts were diagnosed before that... But medicaid won't cover that prescreening so early at least that was what I was told... REALLY? BAH... /rant sorry...

My sister had very bad cervical cancer. Scary stuff..

I had precancerous cells, and they were removed. I had to have it re-excised because discoloration had returned. :( So that's the bill.

I know someone that sounds like she has cervical cancer. I don't want to pry farther then I already have so I just assume that is what she has. She is really scared about it. Cancer is scary, and not something to be taken lightly IMO

100% agreement!

I feel totally guilty right now... I have no idea what happened between the boys upstairs while I was doing dishes all I know is that Sean started crying for like the 30th time today. And I lost it and sent them both to bed... Then when Michael tried to tattle that Sean was out of bed I SCREAMED at him.... Because he was tattling on his brother for something HE himself was doing....

Mommy didn't sleep well and I've been trying to stay positive but they acted up in the store (not near as bad as it could have been so I let it slide) then they got home and Michael REFUSES to put in cartoons for some reason when they watch a movie... Even if I rule NOTHING but cartoons... And Sean won't watch a movie so he gets destructive.... It sooooo should not take me ALL DAY to do 3 loads of dishes....! Granted this is more dishes then I normally have but I've been doing them since 11 and it is going on 3! I should have been done a long time ago but I've been trying to keep the peace all day *sobs*

I decided I am going to take a nice quiet break and Paint Ellies name for her room after I finish the second load which is ALMOST DONE! and wait for Dillon to call... I snapped at him over an email for the nonstop emails as well :(

Jazzy needs big fluffy slippers and love. Lots and lots of love. O.o I hope the painting went well. (:

I didn't do the cleaning or the phone calls today. My mom gave me $20 and made me run around going to produce sales all over the city. So that when I was done I had $10 (these were pretty darn ridiculously awesome produce sales after all, 7# of tomatoes for .99!) but my day was completely shot. Then I had to pick her up from one school, take her to the bank, take her to the district office, and then get the kids not 20 minutes later. I guess that just means I have stuff to do tomorrow, and I'll get a break from stuff for today. Except dishes, I do have to wash some of those...lol.
I also need to start planning a menu again. Because I hate asking what we're doing for dinner becuase she gets made at me for using ingredients she saved for something else...yet won't tell me what she wants done for dinner until a while after I want dinner finished. Yesterday we ate at like 7:30 and I'd been asking what she wanted me to fix since 5:30. /annoyed. My kids are supposed to go to bed at 8/8:30. But they didn't finish eating until after 8, then bathtime for all 3 and brushing teeth...they didn't go to bed until after 9. And she wonders why I get annoyed...