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I despise Super WalMarts. We just got one in my city & I want it to move back to the regular sized WalMart it used to be. I went there for the 3rd time tonight & I'm only going there for diapers from now on. I bought some broccoli there a couple weeks ago & it was YELLOW within 3 days. The same kind of broccoli I bought at Shaw's over a week earlier was still just as fresh as when I bought it.

Wal-Mart's produce is old & not fresh at all. I won't be shopping there for groceries ever again. I'll stick with Shaw's without any hesitation. I'll pay a bit extra for freshness, thankyouverymuch.

Sorry, didn't mean to rant at you, but I find those over-sized stores extremely annoying. I had to search & search for a short list of items I needed. BRING BACK THE SMALLER STORE, DARNITALL! Oops, there I go again.

My step-nephew is in that unit. We're anxious for him to return, and very proud of his service to our country.

The Red Sox is the *only* thing I have in common with John Kerry ;-)

Outrageous!

Baaaaa HA HA HA HA ohhhh... bwaaaaahahahahahaaaaa!!!! What the? *snnnorrt* HAHAHAHA!!!! oooh, hoo hoo, ahhhh... HA HA HA HA HA!!!!

(sorry, I can't seem to do much else than laugh at the ignorance of this woman--or is the ignorance of the person writing the article who said she had a tattoo put on her skull? ROFLMAO!!!)

I see you already have received many replies & all sound very helpful. Personally, I was thanking God the whole time that I didn't bring my 2 younger children (ages 2 & 6) because it would've been a nightmare with both of them. As it was, my 8yo was a bit hard to keep happy at certain points, but she was old enough to appreciate being there, so it wasn't as bad as it could've been.

I would definitely go with a Pull-up for your recently potty trained kiddo, and bring an extra just in case. We could easily get to the porta-potties when we needed to, but it may be different there. In order for your older child to see, you'd have to be up on a platform like we were (basically a trailer with no sides). Otherwise, you'll be on the ground & your little one won't be able to see much.

If you need to use the bathroom, have your hubby save your spot, because it will be taken by those around you spreading out. Try to get in a spot that isn't quite so packed in with people.

As far as what to pack... I had my Mentos taken from me, so we had nothing to suck on during the whole long wait. I was on my feet for 4 hours straight. We got there at noontime. Gates opened at 12:30 & closed at 2:30. They go through everything you're carrying, so I'd pack a pocketbook with only the essentials you'll need for your little one.

You can't bring any beverages (at least you couldn't here), so don't bother with those. They should offer them freely there. At first it doesn't seem like you'll get any since everyone wants them, but the Red Cross keeps circulating them & they WILL get to you.

I hope you enjoy it even half as much as I did. Also, I hope your kids are perfect so you can fully enjoy it as well. You'll have to give us a full report on how it went! All the best to you.

Good for you! I think it's great that you were able to have fun with it. Keeping it positive is the best thing to do :-)

Yes he was & Edwards was here today (in Lewiston). The news channel I watched didn't say how many people were there, but they did say there were dozens of Bush-Cheney supporters there to chant "four more years" to them...

One thing I've come to learn about Maine lately (man, you think I'd know this already having been born & raised here) is that many of our more conservative folks are quite often crunchy granola types. It's just how Mainers are.

We care about our natural resources & we like that down-to-earth feel that Maine has. We treasure our trees & care about the environment in a natural way, not wacked out like many liberals are about it. I think it just comes from living in a clean state where we hunt, fish & have plenty of resources available to enjoy those things. We take pride in it.

I cringe when I see litter on the ground anywhere. My liberal friend in Ohio jokingly calls me a tree-hugger. The difference is, I don't put people in front of my trees or animals, I guess, but it is important for me to care for the environment so that I can appreciate & enjoy it more.

And I think that many Mainers are like me. It's the loud-mouth wackos that make us look bad.

Thanks for the ping, Laurel ;-)

Wow... definitely a lot in common. We're planning to build a post & beam house next spring. Where is your daughter & son-in-law located? I know my husband would enjoy talking to your son-in-law. How old are their kids? Mine are almost 12, 8, 6 & 2. Nick isn't blonde, is he? There was a guy standing next to me with an adolescent boy, but it probably wasn't you since you probably would've recognized me from my pictures. I had a family standing to my left with (I think) 2 boys... one was 13 because my son sat next to him & they talked a bit. The father was pretty tall--I heard his wife say he is 6'5". Anyway, there were so many people there. I was quite overwhelmed!

Me neither! They said food wasn't allowed. I didn't bring food. How on earth could one make a meal out of Mentos? Anyway, they overlooked my TicTacs & Trident gum. Apparently, I couldn't make a meal out of those... sheesh.

Very cool! We could've probably spit on each other... if we'd wanted to... which I wouldn't have, but whatever... ;-)

He sounds like a very confused little man.

Oh man... I just looked at the picture in question a bit closer. Is it possible that she's not holding a cigarette at all? It almost looks like she's just making a fist of sorts & the road is discolored in that general area & only looks like a cigabutt in her hand. Is that possible?

Exactly. Many let their emotions run the debates they're taking part in & they dismiss fact and/or scientific data because they're too busy taking things personally to debate the points made & taking them at face value.

Well, at least I know that now, so I won't be so clueless the next time, eh?

My apologies. I saw the keywords & assumed you had entered them, but apparently anyone can add them to your post. I'm new here, so I'll just blame it on my greenness ;-)

I'm kind of taken aback by the replies in this thread & even the comments from the OP. It is a risk to smoke while pregnant. Why the inflammatory comments? She may well be a Republican & not some left-winger like so many are assuming & implying. How can you possibly know either way? And, based on the many anecdotes added to this argument (which really have no bearing on proving anything), the only way to produce a healthy, intelligent human is to smoke, smoke, & smoke some more while pregnant. Sounds like many breastfeeding vs. formula feeding arguments I've heard/witnessed/taken part in. Many people take it personally when you say one is inferior to the other & they proceed to come out of the woodwork with their genius children who happen to have been formula fed. It's pretty predictable with these types of debates.

Sure thing.

We were also on one of the trailers to the left of the stage. I wonder if we were sitting/standing near you? My kids got a bit bored with it at times & ended up playing on the grass behind the trailer.