I think the coffee question is only something you can answer based on your value system.
My children only drink milk, water, natural fruit juice and sugar free hot chocolate. It has taken me years to work through caffinee issues (shakes form withdrawl) but I am finally down to half caff coffee in the am, caff free soda and decaf tea. I do not wish the life long weight problems from sugar/calories as well as caffinee problems on my children so I am keeping them away from it as long as I can. They will have enough time as young adults to catch up when we as parents are not around is our thoughts.

That's so cool CC...they will love it. GaMom--my guys are allowed an occassional frappacino but that has no coffee in it (there is some caffiene in the chocolate however). I do have on guy, 8, who likes to have a cup of coffee now and again but it is decaf and mostly milk....d

Ok--some of yall are big time coffee/cappachino people. So let me ask a question--do you let your children drink this stuff? i ask because a child who spent the night with my boys last night, walked in with a cup of cappachino. his mom had bought it for him. Well of course, now my kids think tht is SO cool! I don't drink any fo that kindof thing and don't know much about the effects of the cappachino. i am solely a coke girl (comes from living in Atlanta) and i am not trying to be judgemental, but my mouth hit the floor when he walked in with a large cup. Just wondering, cause now my boys want it.

oh the joys of peers.......... [img]smile.gif[/img]

That's a very cool idea d! You're so much fun. Mele Kalikimaka!!!

We got those care packages sent this past Thursday. The post office guy said packages have been making it over in about a week. Either way, I figure it gives two full weeks plus a couple of extra days for cushion to get there. I can't tell you how much fun it was for us to do this as a family project and to think about how the troops might feel when they receive them. We included a Christmas Thank You card and a copy of A Different Christmas Poem in each tin.

We are finally entering the land of playstation...this Christmas so the gifts this year will be easy to decide [img]smile.gif[/img] .

Was writing my president's column and decided to add this....thought it'd be fun to share...

Say it with me!!! Merry Christmas--
Feliz Navidad (Spanish), Joyeux Noel, Melkam Yelidet Beaal (Amharic) , I'D Miilad Said (Arabic), Colo sana wintom tiebeen (Egyptian), Zalig Kerstfeest, Vrolijk Kerstfeest (Dutch), Sal-e no mubarak (Farsi), Fröhliche Weihnachten (German), Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian), Mo'adim Lesimkha (Hebrew), Gleðileg Jól (Icelandic), Iraqi - Idah Saidan, Buon Natale (Italian), Shinnen omedeto (Japanese), Sung Tan Chuk Ha (Korean), Pax hominibus (Latin), Linksmu Kaledu (Lituanian), Eg ynskjer hermed Dykk alle ein God Jul (Norweigan/Nyorsk), De Christmas akhtar de bakhtawar (Pashtu), Wesolych Swiat i Szczesliwego (Polish), Craciun fericit s (Romanian), Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva (Russian), Suksan Wan Christmas (Thai), Natale, Natale, Oyo O Natale (Umbundu), Sinifesela Ukhisimusi (Zulu)
For these and more go to www.flw.com/merry.htm

d

Ga-It's so worth it and the kids will think you are the best. I took my oldest 2 out early to see HP and the Goblet of Fire and both theaters showing it were packed with parents doing the same thing. It was so much fun, until the ending, but I'm a sap and I cry easily.

FYI, my latest purchase was the new Mary & Carol Higgins Clark book. I think I read mysteries to see how quickly I can solve them.

I shopped at Kmart today. They had Legos buy one get one half off and lots of bed in a bags marked way down.