From what my BIL has said, they do extensive training with their men. He is a correctional officer in California and goes to fires when they are called up, with the inmate firefighters. He is on a fire now. It is dangerous work, but they train for the job throughout the year. I don't know how their training compares to other firefighting teams.

That is rather disturbing. Another side of it that could cause problems is that, from what I understand, priority is given to save structures and property where people have not evacuated (even when ordered to) so having those private firefighters around an expensive property, means that the regular firefighters will have to make that property a priority also. Which double sucks to be three blocks away, follow evac orders, and your house is gone because you followed the rules and were not a priority... My BIL works the with a group of incarcerated individuals in firefighting. He has a lot of respect and admiration for them. They volunteer for the job and they work really hard. I don't know anything about the pay, but it sounds like they enjoy the chance to give back and to be part of something good.

I agree. I hate how everything is disposable! (This is totally not on topic, but is on my mind - not trying to thread-jack!) We recently moved into military housing on base. The neighborhood is fairly new and sort of looks like a tv set from the Truman show. Our house is really cute, but you can just feel how cheap it is. It is poorly built and the flooring is especially cheap (until you move out and have to pay for any fixes). I was told that sitting on a chair at the table could rip the flooring, so "be careful". I said, it sounds like normal wear and tear will hurt the flooring, is that right?" and the girl showing me the house said "yes". and I said, then surely I cannot be held responsible if normal wear and tear hurts the flooring, and she gave me a sheet with the cost for fixing small and large areas. Hmmmm. I was at a dinner last night and the guy sitting next to me is one of the group commanders on base - he was saying that when the homes were built (about 10 years ago) the contract was for homes that would last 20 years - so they are built to last 20 years and no more. That's it. Disposable homes. Hearing that actually makes sense - we are halfway through the 20 years, apparently. He lives alone in his house and has no pets or small children and he mentioned how his flooring is falling apart. Our last home that we purchased was 35 years old and though the carpet was ugly and it didn't have an open floor plan, the house itself was solid! Sorry I don't have any suggestions on non disposable items. My son just mentioned that he needs new earbuds...

I said "sort of invented Christmas" ? To me, it feels like a lot of the Christmas traditions that we have today, originated in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries. That's all. I'm not a historian and I don't know all the much about the history or Christmas except from children's books that I read to my children - here's an article that I just found, not sure how accurate it is, but it is interesting: https://www.finedininglovers.com/stories/history-christmas-scandinavia/ The land of ice and snow, of warm-huddle-fires and reindeer, Scandinavia is as close to the Christmas idyll as one can get, and certainly more approachable and cuddly than the North Pole itself. In fact a surprising number of general Western Christmas habits owe their origins toScandinavian Christmas traditions, some of which are actually of pagan origin.

My daughter spent almost 2 years in Denmark. where Christmas is a big big deal. She said Christmas decorating began in the fall, definitely by early November but October is not too early. She loved it! It was such a big national holiday that really brought people together as the days got colder and shorter. So much Hygge! (ps please don't say hi-gee, it is pronounced more like hoo-gah and means something like cozy, but so much more!) I think the Danish or at least Scandinavians sort of invented Christmas, right? and if they say you can decorate in October then that's okay with me! (but we wait until December at our house) Halloween and Thanksgiving are not really big there, so there's nothing holding them back. The Danish have Little Christmas (Christmas Eve) and Little Little Christmas (Dec 23rd) and even 2nd Christmas (dec 26)! Nisse (Nisser = plural) are naughty little Danish elves and they were around long long before Elf on a Shelf! Oh Denmark! Makes me want to start making some little red and white heart decorations!!

I have sent food towers or baskets to my in-laws for the last 5 years or so. I order from Sams Club or Costco. They have all different options - my mil is diabetic as well, so I try to find a nut/cheese/fruit type tower. They don't acknowledge the gifts, so I'm not sure if they are good or terrible!!

Congratulations on your new little one! When we had our 4th baby, we had a neighbor who would say "I can't believe HOW many kids you have!" and "you have sooooo many kids, I just can't believe it" and "your family is sooooooo BIG!" She would say something to me and point it out to others around me every time I saw her. I saw her several times a week because there was a neighborhood park where our older kids played together, plus our husbands worked together (military) so I would see her around the neighborhood and at any work function. She would sort of shake her head and make sure that anyone else around us knew just how many many children I had.... I sort of shook it off - but it eventually started to bother me since she had THREE kids of her own. I mean, 4 kids is a lot of kids when you have 1 kid, but when you have 3 kids, one more is hardly earth shattering, you know? Anyway, people are weird. And rude! For a while there I did feel like I had my own entourage while shopping at the grocery store. But they all grew up so fast and next year I will just have one at home - I wish I had about 2 more kids... Enjoy your new baby and your HUGE family ?

We have a grinder and have used it for making sausage and ground meat. It is awesome! We have used it for game meats, but making sausage is similar with any kind of meat. Meat can get bound up in the grinder, so we freeze meat into "ice cube" size chunks and freeze them on baking sheets, then when they are frozen solid, we bag them up. That makes it easy to pull out a few bags to grind at a time to make burger or sausage. We bought a "collar" for our grinder that you freeze, then strap around the grinder to keep the working parts nice and cold... You can find bags for bagging up ground meat at sporting goods or farm stores. It's handy to bag breakfast sausage or burger in one pound bags. It's probably not any better than using ziplock bags, but I like pulling out a white one pound bag of ground elk from the freezer - it just feels more professional or something ? We also use a vacuum bag thing for freezing/storing sausage links. The first year we did this, we bought sausage making kits from Cabelas to try different flavors, etc. We tried several different varieties for summer sausage, italian sausage, kielbasa, etc. That made it really easy, as they came with the casings, flavor mix, etc. We have since ordered casings from a local butcher (and online) and have made our own recipes for flavoring sausages, to avoid some odd ingredients in those store bought mixes. There is a local grocery store that sells pork fat for adding in to sausages. I'm sure it's not necessary, but it does make it yummy! Smoking the sausages in our smoker adds a whole 'nother layer of awesomeness!

I thought I was a pretty good baker until I started watching that show! I had no idea there were so many different things out there to bake, just so many interesting things that are not in my usual grocery store bakery, you know? No idea what a pudding is. I also thought a biscuit was a cookie, but then this season they talked about a biscuit being baked twice?? I can't remember. I like the new lady, I don't totally love the two new introducers, but I still love the show!

We moved this summer into a house roughly half the size of our previous home. I no longer have a dedicated office, and currently the printer is sitting on the ground by the dining table! I was going to stash it in a closet or down on a storage shelf in the basement, but we just need it too much. I'm not exactly sure what to do with it - it prints, scans, and supposedly faxes, but I have never used that function. My current plan is to buy a small desk for the printer to sit on and to store all of the little odds and ends that go with our laptop (adaptors, thumb drives, extra paper, etc) which are currently sitting on the cute wooden high chair that is only used when we have visitors with babies come over for dinner... other office odds and ends like colored paper and markers and stapler are on a shelf in the linen closet. There's a basic little desk on samsclub.com that I am considering ordering. I really don't need more furniture, but I have to have something for the printer to sit on - it truly cannot stay on the ground!! I think I can tuck the desk behind the couch as almost a couch table (that's a thing, right?) We move a lot (military). At our previous home (x2) we didn't have an office, but had a china cabinet in the dining room that had plenty of room for the printer and paper and markers and envelopes and all of the office like junk, all hidden behind the pretty doors. I sold that when we moved (why? it was actually awesome!) I have an armoire I have used to house office things in the past, but my son is using it as his dresser.... That's the thing with moving, each house has its own needs!!

I love Conference!! Our RS started an 8 week B of M read last Sunday - they gave us a cute chart that tracks out the reading at 11 pages a day, and will finish before Christmas... I didn't start yet, but I guess I will get it going tomorrow. I hadn't thought of WTM as social media. But I guess you are right. Dang it!! But I also really appreciated the "and other media" addition to the fast. I have spent way too much time watching netflix to help me sleep, as my dh is deployed and I'm not sleeping well, then I keep watching it as I don't have that much to do... I think I will focus on reading (etc) rather than movies over the next 10 days. That change will be good for me. So excited for 2 hour church!!

When my husband retires from the Air Force, even our youngest should be pretty close to graduating college. That will leave us without a whole lot of obligations... I imagine we will both need and want to work after he retires, but this thread is making me think it would be brilliant to travel for a year or so before we get stuck back into a mortgage and the other things that tie you to a place.

It's Friday!! I'm going to exercise right now (and I mean it) then I'll come back and add to my list... I did it! Yay for Fitness Blender!! (just a short 25 min workout, perfect for a cold rainy day!) Next up: quick bathroom wipedown - done shower - done fold clothes - done put away clothes - done wash sheets - in the dryer shopping - done commissary - done get son's bedroom ready for company roast in - done

Oh boy! That really is frustrating!!

This does not solve the problem, but I wonder if it would work to attach the account to someone who has been and is planning to be with the organization for a really long time, so it doesn't have to change every year or two? In my experience as someone who moves all the time, there seem to be people who stick around forever in youth sports, long after their kids are grown, etc. My thought is that if you think you will just be involved this year as treasurer, then change again, the organization should have someone else on the account - the president or founder or board member who will be there forever. Is that a possibility? I just hate for you to do all the work and then move on from the org and that person has to figure it out again next year. Just a thought!

I think it's wonderful that he is interested in a program. I hope that you are able to convince him to get started with it asap (January!) I attended a career counseling seminar for at risk teens and I loved the suggestions that she gave to the awesome kids (with many many challenges) that I worked with. She said, just get started! She said many kids get stuck trying to figure out their dream job or career, but in the real world, most people start somewhere. And along the way they learn more about themselves and what they like and what they are good at... which can lead to job changes and more education. But the most important thing is to get started! Try it out! He is so blessed to have your home as a safety net. He can do the training and start a job and see how it goes. If it's not his dream job and he needs to make a change, you will be there for him in the future!! That is huge!! You and your husband and wonderful parents and a wonderful support to him, but don't let him wait around until next fall - if his wheels are turning, give him that push to keep him going now!!

I read this post and wanted to respond earlier but I can't seem to log in on my phone. And today is the first time I've sat at the computer since reading your post!! My husband is active duty Air Force and is currently deployed for a year long assignment in the middle east. 1/4th of the way done!! He is working mainly with an incredible group of National Guard guys and he thinks they are awesome and responsible and wonderful in every way! I just wanted to reach out in friendship to say you are not alone. It's a lonely year, and most people really just don't know what to say about my husband being gone this year. His assignment is not in connection with any of the other deployments going on in our base community, where in the past he has deployed with friends and I had that camaraderie of the spouse group. It feels like our (non military) community has forgotten that there is still a war on. I have found that actually, no one says anything, offensive or otherwise - they just don't. I'd almost rather hear something concerning than nothing at all... I attended a speech by a wife of a Vietnam POW and left nearly having a panic attack. I really loved hearing her story, but it hit way way too close to home and I wish I hadn't gone. Be gentle with yourself and be careful what you read and listen to!! I think that's the closest thing to your concerns that I have felt. For the most part people don't ask at all, and if they do ask how he's doing, you know they just want to hear that everything is great.... Things seem safer in many many ways than his earlier deployments, but in other ways, things seem sort of on edge out there. My husband is stationed somewhere pretty safe, but he travels around to see his guys and hearing about that is a little concerning, but it also makes me feel so proud of him. He has had a chance to do a lot of traveling around and I've been feeling such a mix of emotions - somehow jealous that I am missing out on such an incredible journey - I'm the one who loves traveling, he hates it! And also I feel so bad that he is missing out on all of the boring wonderful things here at home. He recently traveled to Egypt and it reminded me of a children's book that I read to my kids when they were little - Toot and Puddle by Holly Hobbie. It's about two little pigs - one travels around the world on a great adventure while the other stays home having adventures of his own. I pulled it out and read it to my teenagers and it made us all cry!! Do find it for your kids - it is a sweet story of being apart and sharing in each other's adventure! All the best to you and your sweet little ones. PM me if you want to chat more!

Our last home had clear glass shower doors. The dryer sheets worked surprisingly well - I would grab a few, get two of them damp, and scrub away at the glass. My shower-glass cleaning routine would rotate through dryer sheets, magic eraser, window cleaner, and rain-ex. I much prefer frosted glass.

The problem with retail is working at night. With kids in school, my afternoons are busy with me driving kids here and there, attending concerts, games, etc. I just can't work at night and it's hard to find a morning only retail. I am also home alone while kids are at school. I worked part time last year at almost the perfect job: 8am-1pm, working in an area I feel strongly about, etc. But for a variety of reasons (we moved, my husband deployed, I had a minor medical issue and they were not flexible about hours and time off, etc. Plus when I filed our taxes last year, I found that my part time income was taxed in such a way that I almost made zero money for my work!) I am not working there this year, and I'm enjoying not having to get out the door early! I also know that "go volunteer" sounds so simple but it actually hard to do! And my job was as a volunteer coordinator!! haha! I spent yesterday researching goal setting apps, as sitting around watching netflix all day is probably not healthy... I downloaded one and set up some basic things (read, exercise, make my bed. So far, so good!) The thing is, I feel like I should be over the moon excited about all this time I have. It should feel like a gift, right? Like I should have those life dreams and be going after them, but I'm having a hard time doing anything. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I don't have any solutions, but I'm right there with you!

I know it's wrong, but I feel sad that he isn't the person we all thought he was. I don't feel good about it at all. No happy dance over here. I loved his show as a child. He spoke at my husband's graduation and he was incredible. It is sad. Sickening and terrible for the women that he raped. But also sad for his family. Horrible that he felt that he was somehow above the law. Yes, he should have gone to prison years ago, but I still think it's sad that someone who seemed like such a good person could also have such dark secrets.

Double Dubs - rolls right off your tongue! When I was a Weight Watchers girl, I always put WW on my calendar. I think it's easy to write and remember. I feel like they have been in financial trouble for a long time. I'm not sure that a name change will help, but I like the program and hope they stick around. (should consider re-joining, but...)

Can you re-stretch the carpet? That would help it last longer and look nicer! I'd wait to figure out what I want in there for flooring for a year or two - no rush. To echo everyone else, keep the green, ditch the red. I really like the yellow. Such a cute house!!

? needs to try

Our local tech school requires every new student to take a placement exam. It is very basic, but it is required for all new or transfer students. I have a friend who is a counselor there and they really work hard to help place each student in a job at graduation - they track the employment rates and they do an amazing job at helping more than 90% find jobs in their field. You can usually google the name of the tech school and their "Placement Report" or something like that to see their employment placement rates overall and divided up by all of the different programs. Your son can also visit with the counselor to find out placement rates. The tech school is a great place to start to ask some questions. Also, since your son has been out of school for over a year, he could also receive help through your local government employment office. They have some great programs for young adults to help with job counseling and possibly education expenses for programs just like he is looking at.

It is awkward. I go to my son's violin lesson. He still wants me to come in with him, though he's at a point that he really doesn't need me there. With previous instructors, I was needed to make a list of items to practice, but this instructor doesn't work the same way. He does occasionally make comments toward me, but just as conversation, not practice points. So I sit there, for an hour, in a very small space and uncomfortable chair. Initially I sat with my notebook and tried to pay attention, but had a couple close calls with falling asleep. Now I bring the violin notebook, along with my calendar and my phone. I use the time to update my calendar, then I just spend time reading on my phone. I sort of listen and keep the violin notebook handy in case there's something I need to record (rarely). I sometimes feel like I'm being rude, but I can't just sit there and do nothing, it's also not my lesson and I don't want the instructor to waste our lesson time with stories of orchestra past... If I could wait in my car, I would. Since I can't, I hope I give a vibe of there, but occupied (but not rude?) Good luck! I feel your pain!