I checked on the web site and it is now permanent; your number remains on the Do Not Call registry unless you remove it. These were not political calls. I have tried to ask Cardmember Services to put me on their DNC list but each time, they immediately hang up the phone. They keep calling from different phone numbers. I did register an online complaint but who knows if that will do any good?

We have been registered with the Do Not Call registry for years. During the past two weeks, we have been getting several calls EVERY DAY from telemarketers. Most often they are from "Cardmember Services" wanting to "help" you lower your interest rate. These people constantly change their phone number so you never know who it might be. We have our own business and get calls from other area codes so I don't want to just ignore the phone. Yesterday we got a call from someone wanting to buy our timeshare. Huh? We have never even owned a timeshare. Today it was a recording of someone offering dental insurance. Is there ANY WAY to stop these people??? I did check to make sure we are still registered, and we are.

It never occurred to us to buy wedding gifts for each other, other than our rings.

Yes, most likely he has done his before. I found out that my former tenants were scamming other people. They put the gas in her boyfriend's name at our place, and at the next place they put it in her name. The gas company called me, trying to track them down. A couple days ago a collections agency called our house asking for the boyfriend. So...I think it's all catching up to them. Do credit checks and background checks. It's definitely worth the money!

Don't worry! It will all be over soon. It may be more than a couple of days, but shouldn't be weeks, though I don't know your state's laws. Once you have been through this, you will see it wasn't a big deal and not worth excess worry. Was your PM company doing credit and background checks? That will weed out a lot of people you wouldn't want living in your rentals.

You probably CAN have them turned off! In our case, the tenant never did put the water in her name. My dh reminded her a couple of times, and was going to give her a week to do that until he had the water shut off, but we ended up evicting her.

We just went through this for the first time a few months ago. I also used a lawyer. Good friends of ours have an eviction service, so we went through them. I felt more confident because they knew all the stuff we needed to do legally. It depends upon the laws of your state. I had to tape a three-day notice on their door, which was basically "pay or leave". Sometimes people will just move out, but this person decided to fight it so we both had to go before a judge. It bought her a little time but she was out in about ten days. I was very nervous since it was my first time, but it wasn't a big deal. The worst part for us was seeing how they had trashed the place. I hope that does not happen to you, but the sooner you get the tenant out, the better.

How wonderful! I'm glad you found your necklace. My dh's wedding ring has been missing for a couple of months. I need to declutter our bedroom and closet, and I'm hoping it's there somewhere. He usually takes it off at night. Now you've inspired me!

OK, thanks! I will check Southwest and some of the sites like travelocity, and the individual airlines.

Congratulations! Beautiful pictures.

bumping

Dd who is finishing up her junior year in college has a summer job in another state, halfway acrosst the country, so would prefer to fly. Where is the best place to get an inexpensive flight? Someone told me once to call airlines direct. Do you agree?

Chicken chili w/ white beans, black beans, and red beans! I call it calico chili instead of white chili. Garnished with diced avocado, corn chips, extra cheese. Yum.

I love that book, and Honey for a Child's Heart! Gladys Hunt also wrote Read for Your Life (for teens...I have that one) and Honey for a Teen's Heart, which I have not read. I don't know how that one differs from Read for Your Life. We've always read to our kids, and we love it. I made a point to read to any little nap takers right before nap time. Usually I snuggled in bed with them. I read to the olders right before lunch for years and years. Now with just two (6th grade and 10th grade) read aloud time varies. I recently read them Helen Keller's autobiography, which was a quick read but fascinating. Then I read Tuck Everlasting to my 6th grader. It gave us much to ponder.

Just tell them you are in human resource management specializing in chaos control.

One thing my very active youngest boy loved was a rice box, a large flat rubbermaid box filled with uncooked rice. Add measuring cups, cars, animals, etc. He would play in that thing for an hour! My two rules were: don't eat it, and don't throw it. Otherwise it gets put away. I did toddler activity bags, and he also had a box full of "school toys" that he only played with during school time. I also made a feely box for my little kids...a cardboard box with holes big enough to put their hands into. You put things in the box for them to feel, and they try to guess what it is. Cotton balls, socks, keys, toy cars, etc. They do grow up FAST, though it doesn't seem like it when you're in the middle of toddler chaos. I miss having little ones around!

Wow, he's only 4. Relax. We have seven and only one learned to read that early. The others learned at 5 or 6, except one late bloomer. I think the idea of doing a few 10-to-15 minute sessions with him is a good one. Your older son could do something in the same room. Handwriting practice? Art project? Silent reading? Then while you are working with your older boy, the little guy can be working near you. My little ones were always in the same room during homeschool time, unless they were napping. They loved being where the action was, and actually learned an amazing amount just by overhearing what older siblings were learning. You said you were worried that your younger boy was being "ignored". But remember, you will be able to give him much more one-on-one time than a teacher with a room full of students. I vote for at least trying homeschooling. If it doesn't work out, school is still an option.

We have seven kids and my husband likes to tell people that "my wife has never worked a day in her life." :lol: Our kids are mostly grown...only two still homeschooling. Back when they were little, and the youngest two not even born, we were friends with one couple who were horrified when we began homeschooling. The husband even told me, "Homeschooling is stupid. They need to be in school. They need to have friends and sleep overs and stuff like that." I just told him, "You're entitled to your opinion." That was almost twenty years ago. Our kids have been involved in TONS of things...church activities, sports (LOTS of sports!), Scouts, music lessons, co-op classes, homeschooling teen group, and YES, lots of sleep overs and play dates. Two of my girls are very outgoing and have more social activities than I did, and I was in school! I think people have this idea of you and your kids huddled around a kitchen table with a stack of books, and closed curtains. The miles racked up on my car tell a completely different story, and more importantly, so do the happy faces of my children. Our oldest is a sister in a religious order (we're Catholic), one son is in the military, one working full time, two in college...and so many people have told me we have wonderful children. It's not because we're supermom and superdad. It's the grace of God and the opportunity to experience the blessings of family in a more intense way through homeschooling. I wouldn't have missed it for anything. (And for the record, I do NOT look down my nose at parents whose kids are in school.) Hang in there!!! Sometimes it takes a few years for the naysayers to come around, and even if they don't, it doesn't matter that much. Hold your children close and teach them well, for in a little while they'll be grown. Then maybe you can get a real job. :lol:

Thought of another option. Have you considered swanstone? I've seen swanstone sinks in kitchens, and also swanstone sinks & countertops in bathrooms. The people I know who have it, love it. I don't know how expensive it is though.

We are looking at remodeling our kitchen, too. Granite is not cheap, but it has come down in price. Have you looked at quartz? I think it is pretty durable but less $$ than granite. Friends of ours are getting quartz because (they said) it is easier to take care of than granite. Have you considered stainless steel? That might not be the look you're going for, but it would be durable I would think. We went to a free class at Lowe's (I think Home Depot has them, too) all about different kinds of cabinets and countertops. Might be worth checking out.

All of our kids participated in community sports when they were little, and three of them chose to continue into high school, on homeschool teams. Our 16yo daughter plays volleyball, basketball, and soccer every year. Summer is the only season when she's not playing. She could play softball, but chooses not to; it's just not her sport. So YES, there are homeschool options. We've been to regional and national basketball tournaments with homeschool teams from many other states. Just ask around! Find homeschooling organizations in Alabama and ask them.

Relatives of ours were raising money for their son to go to NYC with his choir to sing at some special function. They did work to raise money, but also sent out letters to us, to everyone they could think of, even doctors, orthodontists, etc. I thought it was kind of tacky.

This is a weird scenario. The dad feels he should teach his son to be self-sufficient by not paying for his college education, but it is okay for him to take handouts from other people??? I don't get it. Traveling abroad is absolutely worth it, but I do not understand the mentality here. I probably would not contribute.

Beautiful pattern! That's crochet, right? I do both knitting and crocheting and love both though I tend to knit more. What pattern/stitch did you use?

I am like that, too. I want to see the good in people. People CAN change, but for now, the toxic behavior is continuing. I would distance myself from it, and if in the future the person claimed to have changed, I would have to see very clear evidence of that to believe it. Don't let the toxic stuff ruin your life or your family's.