Isn't it great so many places are giving away/selling cheap the tote bags? I like the recycled soda bottle ones, altho' I'm still partial to sturdy canvas. (A friend of mine made a good 10 bags out of a painters drop cloth. Talk about cheap!) I don't have a picture of them, but last year I found $1 totes at Garden World in all sorts of hideously bright colors. I got three for a friend in eye-gashingly garish yellow, and painted the symbol for radioactive material on the side. You don't overlook them very easily! I still get plastic bags ocassionally, if I forget, or if I have ice cream or chicken. (Baggers are pretty well trained to automatically wrap chicken in a plastic bag no matter what else you've got.) I also use them for kitchen garbage and to clean out the litter boxes, so I figure I get at least one more use out of them. But I've definetly pared down my consumption of them. Someone mentioned on one of these forums that the standard practice in Europe is to charge shoppers for plastic bags -- that might be the fastest way to encourage people to bring their own!

Whether to go down to counter height with the opening: Are you tidy? Do you leave things around the sink and will it bother you to see the backs of the things you leave around the sink from the other room? If you want to have a bit a screening around the sink I would leave it and you can create a countertop ledge/bar area at the higher level, the seating would have to be bar stools, not counter stools. If you don't want any screening of the sink from the other room, open it down to counter height.

Urinary Tract Infections: UTIs occur much more frequently in girls, particularly those around the age of toilet teaching, because a girl's urethra is shorter and closer to the anus. Uncircumcised boys younger than 1 year also have a slightly higher risk of developing a UTI. Other risk factors for developing a UTI include: * an abnormality in the structure or function of the urinary tract (for example, a malformed kidney or a blockage somewhere along the tract of normal urine flow) * an abnormal backward flow (reflux) of urine from the bladder up the ureters and toward the kidneys. This condition, known as vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), is present at birth, and about 30% to 50% of children with a UTI are found to have it. * poor toilet and hygiene habits * the use of bubble baths or soaps that irritate the urethra * family history of UTIs Yeast Infections: In most cases, yeast infections can be prevented by keeping the vaginal area clean and dry. Jock Itch: jock itch can usually be treated with over-the-counter antifungal creams and sprays.When using one of these, kids should: * Wash and then dry the area using a clean towel. * Apply the antifungal cream, powder, or spray as directed on the label. * Change clothing, especially the underwear, every day. * Continue this treatment for 2 weeks, even if symptoms disappear, to prevent the infection from recurring. There are lots of adverse effects of poor hygiene, besides dying. Even though many of these are not 'caused' by not bathing, it can worsen a problem that is already there if you don't properly clean. (besides having a stinky kid) There are many other conditions that can be prevented (or part of treatment is )by keeping clean. If parents of a newborn or infant didn't bathe their child, they would be neglectful parents. As kids get older, they get dirtier and teaching them good hygiene is the parent's responsibility. Skipping a day is probably not a big deal, but several days can be. Especially school aged kids that are in contact with other kids that pass along more germs. Who would let their kid go days without brushing teeth? or washing hands after using the toilet?

that's one way to look at it. It sounds worse the way you describe it... He/we borrowed money to pay off credit cards... which consolidated everything to one lower payment a month so then he figured he could afford a motorcycle payment. After I said we can't afford it, he got together with his parents & they discussed how it would save money on gas and all the pluses... he could get to work & home faster. Then his parents made me feel like a heel for wanting to deprive their son of having his own motorcycle... after all, he works so hard. His brother has one & soon after DH got his, FIL bought one... they said to go riding together, which hasn't happened yet. He justifies it because he works 40+ hours at his job, works at our business on his days off & in the evening, maintains the 6 acres during Spring & Summer. He does work hard, but I disagreed, his parents butted in (with his invitation of course) so when they complain he hasn't made his payment (on the debt consolidation), I ignore it or tell them how much he loves riding his bike... when it's not raining or cold. He doesn't miss the motorcycle payment though. No, it doesn't escape me that he is willing to buy what he wants & tell his daughter we can't afford it when she WANTS something. He does pay for the health insurance but I pay all the co-pays and other things because he puts his entire check toward the bills, including paying his parents back for the debt consolidation loan... and it was mostly HIS pre-me debt. He did sell his truck because it was only driven a few times a year & we wanted to get rid of that payment when the economy tanked. If she needs something, he will make sure she gets it. But, he'll take it out of our bill paying account & then tell me he needs me to cover some of the bills that he usually covers. It still comes out of my pocket... but it is really OUR pocket. I buy those things because it was what I did as a mother for my own kids... he thinks some of it is unnecessary ~ the extra's like school pictures, yearbooks & fundraisers, not the health care. He also doesn't like shopping & doesn't have patience... he used to go into the store knowing her current size & buy a few cheap outfits at a department store... sometimes the SAME outfit in different colors. That was when she was 5-6. She's now 11 & he would do the same.. he took her shopping for school clothes & dragged me along. It was a nightmare for me because he is so impatient & they argued over what she could get. (wanting low rise skinny jeans) plus she was upset that nothing fit her. Then he about had a heart attack at the register... until I told him that the last time I took her shopping, it was at least twice that much. AS for the update on MIL: We went to dinner at the restaurant last night & left baby at home with my DD. MIL sat furthest away from her parents (across from me) & SD between us at the end of the table. She interrogated... er, conversed with SD about life at our house & life at her mother's house.... anything to avoid her own parents, who seemed miserable. Then, MIL had planned us to come to her house tomorrow evening but I had plans so she moved it up to tonight. DH went straight from work. I took SD & my DS stayed at my house with the baby. By the time I got there, they actually had tried to cancel the whole thing... DH was upset that I didn't bring the baby because THEY WANT TO SEE THE BABY! So, I asked him WHO is making such a big deal about the baby being there? HIS MOM of course. I told him that first of all, the baby is not really related to anyone... he's a step-great great grandson at best. I doubt they really want to spend the night fawning over him as much as MIL wanted to see if I let SD play with him at HER house. Secondly, he wants the attention of the room. When people are talking, he tries to get in on it & gets noisy. I asked hi do we really want the evening to be about DGS or DH's grandparents & Aunt? So, since SD is having trouble in school (all F's & D's), I had her bring her homework. She took it out & MIL spent the entire time (along with MIL's sister) helping SD with her homework... focusing the entire evening on SD. I think that's the way it should be... SD is their granddaughter & SHE is the one that needs attention & help, not DGS ~ who would have demanded the attention & SD would have been ignored. MIL hardly said two words to me.. trying to remain pleasant for show but she was probably pissed at me. Oh well, I told DH that after what MIL did at the luau & the way she has been on me about SD playing with the baby, I am not putting the baby in the middle of that mess. He was sleeping at home anyways.