Family of seven: $3200 if we don't include DH's cell phone, which is his primary work number. If we include that it's $6600/yr. Wow, that's a lot of money!

Wow, it's true. Nutella really does go on anything!:lol: Maybe we should have a Nutella forum? Bet it might even make a perfect food like steak taste better. You do realize that many of us will be trying this?

I would tell my girls to either confront the issue as loudly as possible. Threaten to reverse the bully roles, if necessary. Otherwise accept the bullying. If you don't want to be a victim, stop rolling over to play dead. Confront and don't take cr@p from anyone. I was bullied a lot as a kid, but stood up to the biggest, toughest kids (including boys 5 years older than me) b/c nobody can possibly know more about my life than me. Their threats, pushing, opinions, etc were irrelevant. I knew, though, that it could possibly progress to a physical level. In order to stop being bullied, I was prepared to fight the battle to the end. I have taught my kids the same thing. They better never bully anyone, ever. But don't you DARE allow anyone to ever bully you (my DCs) ever.

Hope you enjoy your time watching DD. We have to stand behind our words, but not every battle has to be won. Sounds like she's an independent thinker. If it were me, I'd leave this issue up to the coach, but discuss it privately later with DD. We want our children to be obedient, but sometimes what we think it best, isn't always in the best interest of our children. Should DD really be forced to wear clothing too small, or to dress differently than her peers because of something out of her control? IDK, but probably wouldn't make this a battle that I would choose. (fwiw, I understand b/c my girls are required to wear their warm-ups with particular team tee prior to a meet. They act as if the coaches and I are asking them to commit fashion suicide.)

I mostly ignore it. However, I did have to discourage DD (then 6 y/o) from yelling "I love Joey" out the car window as we drove past his house. :001_rolleyes: I told her little girls don't want to share those feelings yet. She told me they do, too. argh As you will encourage courting instead of dating, you may want to address it from a young age. It would be a real ego blow to a boy who wants to ask out a girl, and find out as a teenager that he won't be allowed. Form his dating opinions now so there will be no surprises later.

February in Texas is unpredictable. Spring begins on Valentine's Day, at least in my mind. It can easily be 80' for a week and then plummet to freezing temps. I adore working outside in this weather. Kids want to be outside all day. Tempted to blow off school and make it up in August, when temps "plummet" to a chilly 90'F. ;) Break out the bikini and grab a bit of sunshine! (Just keep the parka close by...just in case.)

Tivo is the BEST DVR available, bar none. We've had multiple brands of DVRs and nothing comes close to Tivo. It's the Mercedes of recorders! We don't have one anymore, but often wished we did. Truly, nothing at all can compare!!!

Check out Rick Steves books. He also does packaged tours. We've used his resources to plan our trips to Europe. http://www.ricksteves.com

Good points. Human interest stories are not news. It sells b/c we read it. News IMO is current events which shape our lives: politics, religion, finance, etc. If it's on CNN it's partly news. If it's on E!, it's mindless.

:lol::lol::lol: ITA. Ignorance creates chaos. It's our responsibility to teach our children to be educated on the issues, not just the politics ensued in the issues. My children are often more aware of politics and the history behind certain issues than fellow adults. It's just sinful to not be informed--regardless of viewpoints. Too bad we can't have restrictions on our voter registration cards: if you aren't informed, you have only limited voting rights. (jk--but a fun thought to ponder)

DD, 9, got in trouble at gymnastics for talking. She had an additional 220 pushups to her workout. :lol: DS,12, had to run for additional 30 minutes at soccer b/c his teammate was late. Be careful with the physical punishment. My dad soured me to running, as it was his punitive punishment of choice. It was great at the time (from his perspective), but caused me to associate running with negative consequences. Other than that little issue...HOORAH! LOL

We hire professionals for almost everything. And I always assume they're spinning the truth for profit. ALWAYS, always, always. Whether it's a bold faced lie or skewed belief system due to employment. I do my research before a decision, then we reconsiders each point. Why would we ever put our financial trust in someone who has a profit motive? They might be my BFF, but they're protecting their interests like we are SUPPOSED to protect our own.

No, it's a bygone era. DH & I have both owned stick shift, but not sure any cars are even made without standard anymore. Definitely not mandatory here. If they obtain a stick shift vehicle, we will teach them.

I've had mixed feelings about bailing out families who made really poor choices. Why should we and our children/grandchildren pay for someone else's greed to keep up with the proverbial Joneses? This story takes the cake: DH talked to a man in CA who owns two homes, both purchased in the housing bubble. This is a well dressed, articulate, well-to-do man who has a 790 FICA score. He now owes hundreds of thousands more on his homes than he can make by selling them. He lost his job and will relocate. New company won't buy homes. So he's filing for bankruptcy because he doesn't want to pay those mortgages. WHAT??? Lenders were at fault for taking jumbo loans that they could barely afford when the economy was good. Few people put any more down. When there is little personal funding at stake, there's little to actually lose. We qualified for an obscene amount of money. We used only half on the first home; and 1/3 of available credit on our current home. Ooopsys and "what ifs" always happen. Things break, age, and need replacing. That needs to be taken into consideration. Negative amortization loans were the closest thing to the banks working hand-in-hand with Satan. It's horrible. But they helped people buy homes they never should have purchased because they couldn't afford it. Now our responsible families, children, and grandchildren will be cleaning up an ineffective industry's mess, and the mess of millions of greedy Americans who want more than they can afford. I really hope Cafferty (CNN) is right. Maybe this will readjust our American dream and lower our expectations to what is realistically attainable. It's not our "father's America anymore".

This is hysterical! Have to remember these acronyms.

I agree that a sick person should not go to someone else's home. We would never do that. However, I will not cease a normal life because of a cold, allergies, or even bronchitis in our family. You can't expect someone to be housebound "just in case". I definitely see that I'm on the the other side of the sickness spectrum on this topic.

I ask them to head to their rooms between 8:30-9:30, depending how tired I am. They can play or read quietly as late as they wish, or until they gather together and begin to make noise. I've found that the more freedom they have regarding bedtime, the more sleep they actually get. It helps that they're cognizant of growth spurts and decide they need additional sleep.

The best part of my day has come from SWB's mini-diatribes. :lol: Much like children like to bicker and banter despite our maternal displeasure, we sometimes feel compelled to follow their rebellious examples! ...SWB, if you want a chuckle, as I'm typing this I noticed my DD,9, riding her BIKE through the house. Mind you, this is the same darling that broke her toe yesterday playing soccer in the house. And, no, it is not allowed! HAVE MERCY!!! (Political duke 'em fests would be an improvement over the day thus far.) Have a java on us~~Cheers!

ROFL I don't know, but I'm game if someone sets up an appropriate board to discuss politics. We just might add a few years to Susan's life! ;)

The iPhone is the greatest thing since sliced bread! DH & I each have one. His company pays for his service. Mine runs just under $90/mo with taxes. Only extra is unlimited texting. It is a limited talk plan with loads of weekend and evening minutes. Could never use that many. Unlimited data plan which is amazing quality and speed, and my favorite--unlimited texting. DH & I are having a love affair with our phones! :lol:

Not being a native Texan, I'm not fond of most of the smaller towns, San Angelo included. It takes a special, laid-back person to appreciate it. It's way too small, hick-town for my taste. (DH had an opportunity to relo there, but I really hated it. Lubbock was the big city, and after living there for 6 years couldn't wait to leave the panhandle and central Texas.) What do you want from your next home/town? Is it to be near family? Low cost of living? Cultural activities? Fast or slow paced lifestyle? Access to airport? That would help in your decision. The only places I would consider would be areas of Chicago, IL; Atlanta, Ga, Raleigh, NC, or Austin, TX. Basically similar cost of living,demographics, education, and cultural environments to where we currently live.

I'm not familiar with the book you've mentioned, but your post is a riot! I initially understood the post. The edit, though, made it really funny!:lol: Good luck finding the exercises. Philosophy is a good thing. Even on Ash Wednesday. ;)

I had it as a result of anesthesia. It went away in 3-4 days, but couldn't even hear simple conversations. It was horrible. I hope your antibiotics work quickly and ou can return tonormal soon. Get well! :grouphug:

I don't believe it's an automatic divorce, but would require a long of rebuilding of trust--maybe even years. Something that happened years ago is long in the past. We learn, grow, and hopefully don't make the same mistake twice. No, we would not be divorce-bound if DH wined and dined his former love. (Thank heavens he doesn't have any noteworthy former girlfriends, though!)

Are you still proposing the Seven Flags Over Texas? (POP QUIZ: Can you name all Six Flags?!)