Sorry. We're right there with you. My dh has been looking for a job for almost 4 months.

Ranger Rick has been having some really good subscription prices. I just renewed at two years for $20. I would buy directly from the company.

:lol: This made me remember the year one of our pastors did a music video. He rides a Harley and he dressed as a tough looking reindeer (leather jacket, red nose and antlers) and filmed himself riding around the church parking lot. Someone from our church came out the door dressed as an old lady with a cane who gets run over by the Harley riding reindeer and that silly song is playing in the background. They substituted stuffed clothes for grandma in one scene. "Grandma" doesn't die and is shown at the end looking a little beat up, but shaking her fists at the reindeer. I was suffering from severe depression that year and I still laughed until tears came down my face. As far as I know, nobody complained about it and most people thought it was hilarious and all in good fun. In your case, I think you were just upset by your still recent loss.

:lol: I can't stop giggling.

My oldest son chose one of those $50,000 a year schools over the state university right down the street. The school gives him huge grants and he gets a Pell Grant and a good paying Work-Study job. He still will graduate with tens of thousands of student loans, but because of his school's reputation and his field of study, they have almost 100% job placement before graduation. He's getting an excellent education and he's very happy there.

It's a clever song, but it's an inappropriate time and place. Please tell me this wasn't a school holiday concert that families would attend.

:lol: There's a visual that made me laugh.

Our church has frequent pleas for items to be donated for different projects: Food pantry for outreach, food for church members, new household items for people leaving the homeless shelter (sheets, blankets, small appliances, cleaning supplies, toiletries), used furniture and clothing, new winter accessories like hats and gloves, monetary donations for a sponsored child, bookbags filled with school supplies, money to buy mattresses for children coming out of foster care, plastic eggs and candy for Easter outreach projects, food and decorations for VBS, items for children in the area to "buy" for their parent's Christmas presents and probably plenty of others that I can't remember right now. There is no pressure and there are plenty of well off people in our church who enjoy supporting the many projects. My one big issue with all these outreach projects is that they are almost all directed to one neighborhood near the church that has Section 8 housing. Not all the families in the neighborhood are poor and I know of many people in the city who are more in need of help than those in that particular neighborhood, but they aren't in the immediate area and aren't invited to all the giveaways.

I'm not a Bronco's fan, but...GO TEBOW!

What a great idea! I'm sure all the 4-H members will like them.

We have 6 indoor cats and 3 litter boxes. We use Tidy Cats multiple cat clumping litter.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: I'm literally crying from laughing so hard.

Daily?:lol: My son isn't a big communicator anyway, but it's good if I hear from him more than once a month.

My 5 year old dd is on a multi-age dance team that is having a gift exchange. They drew names and she ended up with a 13 year old girl! My older children are all boys and my 5 year old can't really help me pick a gift for a 13 year old. It's been a LONG time since I was that age and I was a tomboy anyway. I don't like gift cards because it seems like just handing over money. Do you have any ideas? A sparkly lotion from Bath and Body? A bunch of cute/fun socks? Slippers? Dance T-shirts? Are any of those kinds of things your 13 yo dd might like?

I disagree. We have taken in several strays that were outdoors for a long time. One of them was 5 years old (according to the vet) when we moved and decided to take him with us and make him an indoor cat. He is now 19 years old and hasn't been outside in many years and he doesn't mind a bit. I used to declaw my cats, but one cat was in so much pain that I found out more about it and will never do it again. Also, I *really* dislike when people let their cats run around outside. Not only do they usually end up flat on the road, but I get other people's cats in my garage and chasing birds at my birdfeeder.:glare: I have 6 cats and they all stay indoors. I love cats, and I feel bad about chasing off all the cats that show up at my house.

I think the tree guy may be feeling bad that his crew did an unacceptable job for people he considers good customers and friends. He may have decided that he would rather "eat the cost" than lose your relationship, both professional and personal. If you feel you should pay something but he won't give you a bill, maybe you could just send a check for half the cost with a note saying you feel obligated to pay for the work done.

:crying: How sad.

I've had multiple second trimester miscarriages and it's heartbreaking no matter how many children you have.

Yes, it's much tighter. Dh lost his job and he's found some temporary work here and there, but we no longer have a stable income or any health insurance. I haven't even bought Christmas presents for my husband or children yet because it's no fun at all when you're worried about money.

We're on day 73, but our state requires 900 hours. There are so many things that I could count as educational hours that making 900 hours is easy.

I was 20 and dh was 25 when we got married. We had dated for ten months on the day of our wedding. We celebrate our 27th anniversary next month.

I don't think so. I'm planning to get some for my 9 yo son this year.

Southern Ocean!

You said you plan to get it, but I'd like to add another vote for buying it for him. I don't see anything wrong with a pirate doll (or a girl one if that's what he wanted). I was a tomboy and often wanted toys that would've have been considered "boy toys". I got a baseball "pitch back" once and I was so happy that I cried...in front of all my friends. I know that boys have a harder time with liking girly things, but there's nothing girly about a pirate!

:iagree:I've had four kids in public school. They *introduce* things earlier, but I don't think many of the kids really *learned* it. For example, kindergarten journaling is often just drawing pictures and trying to write a few words. In first grade they are expected to start writing sentences and paragraphs which is difficult for kids who haven't been taught spelling or writing technique. I'm impressed that teachers can even read what most of them are trying to say! Division may be introduced in third grade, but many of the students are still drawing pictures to figure out multiplication problems. Science and history were a joke in my younger son's school because everything was about teaching enough reading and math to do well on the standardized tests.