Backing up everything shared here. DH and I married when I was 18 and he was 21. He was on a student visa, from a somewhat patriarchal culture, limited English proficient, and I had only completed 1 semester of college. Obviously, my parents tried to dissuade me, mainly for financial and education reasons (they loved him). I was head over heels and couldn't be reasoned with, so we married and my parents let us live with them until we both finished college. I definitely was blind-sided by small, every-day assumptions and customs that we didn't share, and we had to determine how we would function as a couple regardless of how our FOO did things. We grew together and integrated the best of both cultures into our family, but not without raised tempers. It also helped that I met him at a time of spiritual exploration, and chose to convert before we had even discussed marriage. Having the same worldview and goals in life trump most cultural issues. I definitely would counsel someone considering and intercultural marriage to discuss important issues, but that counsel might better come from a neutral party who has BTDT rather than parents. ETA: For those who can't see my sig, that was nearly 24 years and 3 dc ago. We believe our meeting was destiny.

My grandparents (and great-grandparents) were all called Grampa and Grammy Lastname when I was growing up. DH is from a different cultural and language background (ILs still live overseas), so they have their own terms that my kids use. So, my parents have always simply been Grampa and Grammy (shortened to Gram as they've gotten older) since they don't need to be distinguished by their last name. Two of my grandparents remarried. My step grandfather was Italian and called Papa by his bio grandkids, so I did the same. My step grandmother married my grandfather in her 50s, never had any children of her own, and went by her first name. Funny thing, I had two living grandparents when my kids were small (still have a grandfather). Somehow they became Old Gram and Old Grampa. Some outsiders seemed shocked and dismayed at the apparent disrespect, but they both embraced the titles as terms of endearment. My 89 year old grandfather is still called Old Grampa by my teens. Can't argue with facts 😉.

The link just brings me to the main history.ca site, with no mention of Pompeii. Would love to see it, though :)

I have an old-style jiggle top pressure cooker. I use it to steam tough meat, to make broth from bones, and pea soup. That's about it. Stews always seem to stick and burn on the bottom, and veggies cook so fast, I'm not interested in waiting for the pressure to build, only to cook carrots for 3 minutes, release pressure, add potatoes, wait for pressure to build again, cook 3 min. etc. I also thought it would be great for cooking beans, especially if I forgot to soak in advance. I add oil as suggested to reduce foaming. One time, the valve under the jiggle top kept getting clogged, and I was so afraid it would blow. I continually cleared the valve by poking a toothpick down the opening, but I would reclog almost immediately. My SIL was severely burned as a child when a pressure cooker exploded, so I am very wary and no longer do beans in there. Do the electric cookers solve any of these issues (sticking, burning, foaming, long waits for pressure build and release) ?

I have heard that the oils from our skin trap stink in fabric, and that synthetic fibers hold onto the oils more than natural ones. So, oils and therefore stink are more likely to linger in synthetics. I have been adding a tiny squirt of blue Dawn dish liquid to every load for a couple of years, and it does help. It sudses a lot, so be sure it's a very tiny squirt. Also, I have found that vinegar in the rinse (in place of fabric softener) also helps. Hard water can be a factor, so if that is the case where you live, momoftimmy's suggestions should help with that. I don't have great ideas for non-washables, other than agreeing with baking soda, and possibly spraying and wiping the surface with a mixture of vinegar and water. Of course, a baking soda and vinegar combo is very powerful as well.

So, my Speed Queen was delivered yesterday as planned. So far, I love it! I did 3 large loads, 1 medium and 1 small. Everything smelled very fresh and clean. I especially noticed my guys' socks and the dish towels, which always have lingering smells to them, didn't smell like anything! I have been using Charlie's Soap since I started cloth diapering 5 years ago, which leaves no residue and no scent other than "clean", but it hasn't been working as well lately. I thought it was probably my old washer's fault, and the Speed Queen has proven that to be true. I think Speed Queen and Charlie's will be a winning combo. The biggest change I've noticed, though, is my drying time has been cut by 1/3! (same old dryer). Either the Speed Queen gets a lot more water out in the spin, or my old washer was so far gone that it wasn't spinning out well and I hadn't noticed. Either way, I dried a large load of towels and a huge load of colors on the "efficiency" setting, and they were both dry as a bone! Again, this is with my 17 year old Whirlpool dryer, so the only change was the new washer. I keep coming up with things to wash just to keep playing with the Speed Queen. I think I'm more excited about this washer than I was about getting a newer car! I am somewhat of a laundry queen, though. The rest of the house could be falling down around me (usually is), but I'm always on top of my laundry and love folding fresh, clean loads. So much fun! (dc think I'm nuts :)

It's the top loader. The front loader is much more expensive, and I don't like not being able to open the door mid-cycle, or having to worry about a broken door seal causing a leak. Good old-fashioned top loader, agitator, knob-controlled washer!

The glowing reviews for Speed Queen washers that I've read on this board had just about convinced me that, when the time came, I would be replacing my 17 year old Whirlpool with a Speed Queen. Due to the cost, though, I was hoping that day would come later rather than sooner. I've been feeling that the agitator hasn't been agitating like it should for a while, but my Whirlpool still cleans pretty well, and I definitely didn't want to trade it in for a new HE washer. Well, a couple of weeks ago, of course just a few hours before out of town guests arrived, I decided to throw in a load of sheets to be sure they were all clean. I discovered that my trusty Whirlpool was no longer agitating nor spinning. I had to wring the water out by hand. I researched possible causes and repair videos and urged dh to open up the washer and see if it could be saved. Busy, tired, and burned out on several recent repairs around the house, he was not interested in trying to save a 17 year old washer that might well break again in the near future. I still hesitated regarding the cost, so I did a bunch of research, read tons of reviews and watched several YouTube videos of 20, 30, 40 and even 50 year old Speed Queens still going strong. Today dh and I marched into a local appliance shop, ordered up a Speed Queen, and it's being delivered tomorrow! I'll update when I've had a chance to do a few loads. Can't wait!

Welcome! I am not in your shoes yet, but am looking ahead and will be there in a few years. My dc are 18, 15 and 4. We have a tight group of homeschooling families which provides a social outlet and friendships for the olders and I. When my 15yo graduates, this group will be done homeschooling, and I'll have to start looking for friends all over again with my youngest. I'm trying to be proactive and chat with the younger moms at her activities, but I can't help but doubt that such an ideal group of pals will spontaneously gel like this one did. Sigh. This board is a wonderful outlet and support, though. Hope you enjoy it!

We are usually offered 2 or 3 windows: 8-12 noon, 1-5pm, and sometimes evening hours. We always choose 1-5pm, because it is often close to 11am by the time everyone in the house is up, dressed and finished breakfast. We are all busy in the evening, so the afternoon is the safest time. We would have to want the item reeeeeeally badly to agree to an early AM delivery. I might be up, but it would disturb everyone else and ruin the day.

Watching one of Gattegno's videos was what pushed me to take the leap into trying Cuisenaire rods. We used a free intro booklet and some Education Unboxed videos to get started, then moved on to Miquon. It looks like the Gattegno books go far beyond Miquon's 3rd grade. Any idea how to compare or line-up the two programs? Suggestions for combining? Argh, yet another great resource putting a monkey wrench into my planning sequence!

Being in the US, I was not aware of the color difference. My best guess is someone thought we poor incompetent Americans might mix up the pinks with the reds. While choking on Kinder Eggs. [emoji34]

Dd4 and I were playing around with word families. I was thinking of -ap words: cap, tap, map, snap...pausing for dd to think of an example of her own, she exclaims, "ap!, like, an app! Yes, dear. Like an app. Duh, mom.

Of course, I would have it checked by her regular doctor. I had something similar happen after an injection (pain, tingling, numbness, but no lump). I also feared permanent nerve damage, so I Googled. Apparently my symptoms could have been caused by the injection, but usually go away within a month. It did take a long time, like several weeks, but the symptoms did slowly subside and eventually went away. Still, something should be done to address the incompetence of those working at that clinic. Perhaps a workman's comp claim?

I wore my mom's class ring until I got my own (we graduated from the same high school 20 years apart) . I don't remember how long I wore mine, but ds wore it when he was age 5-7 or so (when his fingers were the same size as mine) . Dd tried it on from time to time, but it's the traditional "clunky" style, so not her. I would probably still wear it once in a while, but somehow moisture got under the stone and made it cloudy, so it isn't so pretty anymore and I haven't bothered to look into having it repaired. Both my mom's and mine are in our safety deposit box for safe keeping. I wish I had thought to get a college ring, since my school played a huge role in my life and has since closed, so it is impossible to get one now. Ds had no interest in a ring, but dd wanted one. I bought it for her when she entered 9th grade so she would have at least 4 years to enjoy it. She doesn't like the look of gold, so she got silver, and it was only around $100. I'm sure hers will be an heirloom as well.

I did the free trial of Homeschool Planet. It sounded good, but wasn't fully functional on a tablet. I don't have my own computer, and it would be too much of a hassle to borrow one of my kids' computers to input all of my info. I looked into a homeschool planner app called Homeschool Helper, but it wasn't clear if it would be easy to bump lessons ahead due to illness, etc., like in Homeschool Planet, and didn't want to spend $5 to find out. Are any of these programs fully mobile functional?

Nope. It was technically part of my driving test (26 years ago!), but my parking was tested on a quiet residential street with a car in front of the space, but not behind, so I passed. I may have parallel parked a handful of times in my youth, if the space was large and I was in a pinch, but not for a couple of decades, certainly not since kids. For most of my life it hasn't been necessary. 8 years ago we moved to a suburb of a major metro area. There is no parallel parking in my town, but if I need to go into the city for something, I either take the bus, ride with someone else, or plan to park and pay for underground or lot parking. That's it. I would never even consider parallel parking. It's just one skill I don't have, and wouldn't attempt, period. I prefer to know and accept my limits than to risk damaging property. ETA: I am legally blind in my left eye, so I do believe that has something to do with my depth perception.

Quebec. For better or worse, it's its own little world.

When I began homeschooling, I never considered joining HSLDA. I saw no reason, I followed the law, period, no brainer. I also do not agree with their ideology or politics. I moved to another state with different laws, I educated myself, followed them, still didn't join HSLDA. Then I moved to an area that is like no man's land for homeschoolers. The laws are fuzzy, schools can use intimidation and unfair testing to force kids into school, parents I know personally have had CPS files opened on them simply due to homeschooling. These issues are rare if you know how to skirt the system, but the fear is always there, and unfortunately, very real. HSLDA provides advice for dealing with, and intervenes when necessary, with school officials and CPS. They have written official letters confirming our homeschooling status on numerous occasions when such a document was absolutely vital. It is a sour pill to swallow, but I have come to view HSLDA membership as a necessary evil since I moved here. Those of you who have no fear of being forced to put your kids in school, even daycare in some cases, should count your blessings.

In case anyone is interested, I have a couple of SuperDuper products for sale in the classifieds. 500 Prefixes, Suffixes and Stems cards https://m.superduperinc.com/ProductItem_sdm.aspx?pid=FD88 500 Prefixes, Suffixes and Stems workbook https://m.superduperinc.com/ProductItem_sdm.aspx?pid=BK364 Word Joggers card games for word retrieval and semantics https://m.superduperinc.com/ProductItem_sdm.aspx?pid=TPX21401 I'm taking offers :)

Definitely had strings on my mittens, looped through my coat sleeves so I wouldn't lose them. Never saw, heard of or used bread bags. I had snow boots, and never thought about it, but they must have been good ones. I walked to school, but not that far and always through plowed areas. I wasn't one who enjoyed playing outside, I don't recall recess in the winter, but I'm probably just blocking out the memories :) I honestly never thought about the importance of quality snow boots until I had kids. My dad would see them barefoot in the house and ask for socks or slippers for them. Every fall, he and my mom would buy expensive winter boots for my kids as birthday presents. I always thought they were being silly, indulgent grandparents to buy them the "best" boots. My mom later told me that my dad's parents could never afford good boots, maybe not even any boots at all, and he always froze in the winter. He was determined his kid and grandkids would be warm. Since I always had quality winter wear, I never realized how important it was. Experience definitely shapes one's perspective. ETA: As an adult, I haven't owned snow boots in at least 20 years. I have 7 year old Merrell's moc shoes (ankle height). Sometimes I don't bother with socks. They're usually fine. Of course I don't play in the snow and mostly walk where it's plowed, but I have shoveled in them. I just don't find snow boots necessary for myself. Sorry, Dad.

I hope she'll be a great new addition to your family. Just a word of caution: We cared for a stray last summer. He kept meowing at our door for about a week in June, wouldn't go away, so we started feeding him. We posted photos on Craigslist and scoured photos on a pet find website, but couldn't find any ads for missing cats and while I got a few replies to my ad, none were the owner. He was very sweet, gentle and loveable. He lived on our deck for 5 months, roaming but always returning for meals and to sleep. In October, as cold weather approached, we finally decided we would need to take him in and adopt him. I took him to the vet for his shots and flea treatment, and he started sleeping in our living room. Less than a week later, he ran into our front yard chasing a squirrel, and was seen by his owner. His owner who lived 4 doors down. Apparently they had posted on Facebook, which I don't have. They also looked at photos on the pet find site, but didn't bother to post their own. I probably should have knocked on doors, but this is a huge neighborhood and had no idea where to start. I wasn't even thinking he could have come from their direction. Since he came around "move out" time, I figured he got left behind when someone moved out. Fortunately we had put a collar on him so they knew to come tell us they were taking him back. They had photos of him throughout his life span to prove he was theirs. They said they would reimburse me for the $260 vet bill, but I still haven't seen any $$ 10 months later. My kids and I still miss our kitty terribly as we grew very attached. We feel good that we cared for him so well and helped him survive until his owners found him, but it still hurts. Hope your story has a happy ending :)

Got it! Thanks so much!

We haven't had a "real" vacation since we've been married (almost 24 years). Even our "honeymoon" was one night in the hotel where the reception was held, in my hometown. Part of that is because dh's family lives overseas, so any vacation budget we may have had went to visiting them. So while we have done our fair share of international travel, it hasn't been to a destination of choice, and staying with a zillion inlaws (no matter how sweet) is not a real vacation. Any travel within the US is always visiting family or close friends. I haven't flown domestically since I was 14. I am blessed that my parents still live in my beloved, picturesque and relaxing hometown, so visiting them for a weekend every couple of months, getting out of the house and away from responsibilities feels like a mini vacation. When the kids were little, my parents had a very nice camper and we would camp with them for a week or two in the summer, but without dh. We dream of being able to take the dc to Disney someday (I went every spring break growing up), but I have no idea when we'll be able to afford that. ETA: I forgot dh and I went to a religious conference in Toronto in 2004. We drove, and dBIL let us use his miles for the hotel. It was the weekend of the Thailand tsunami. We also spent a couple of nights in a hotel (just dh and I) while looking for a rental when we relocated in 2007. Dh has had a handful of interviews this year, 3 hours away. Each time he takes one of us with him (a big dc or me). It's not a destination city, but it does involve one night in a hotel and meals on the expense account.

In your position, I would be following dh around the house, ranting and raving, repeating everything you just wrote, but in a very exasperated, very loud voice. Repeat. After the first 90 min. delay, I would add in accusations of a lack of respect for my time, our family's need for transportation, and begin threatening expensive actions to get our needs met, like taxis, until he can find time to make us a priority. Your dh is very lucky you are venting here and not at him. I would be losing.my.mind.