:iagree:

Wonderful news! I've been praying for you all today... so glad that the experience was good and the news was reassuring. Take care, and let us know how she's feeling.

Just to be different... There is also a "living history" museum near the actual Yorktown site that is quite good--Yorktown Victory Center--that shows life during the revolutionary war, they shoot cannons, you can explore the soldier's tents, etc, plus a wonderful museum. Similar to the Jamestown center, but focusing on a different time period--run by the same people. http://www.historyisfun.org/ The man who was the "surgeon" was great and very informative. The battlefield museum itself isn't big... though I spent a whole day with my 6yo son on the Yorktown driving tour, following the tide of the battle, driving from site to site and walking the parapets, etc. But you have to really like historical site stuff to go for that... I think my son inherited it from me, I got if from my dad.

Hmmm... doesn't bother me. I like to know in advance what is for dinner, so as long as it's asked informationally, that's fine. Now, if whining follows, not so good.

I agree. I've been following you posts and praying for you guys all day... I think anything with headache and dizzyness for an extended period is time to "overreact". I think an MRI on an un-sedated child will be almost impossible. I'd head for the children's hospital, sooner rather than later. Take care and let us know!

That was just.... so so so sad. I am totally blown away by the number of teachers who think it is great. Yuck yuck yuck.

Thanks all! It's 6 am, and I'm up for my 3 1/2 hour drive down to San Diego to meet with a realtor. Deep breaths. I used several suggestions last night, and ended up deep breathing, sipping cammomile tea while watching Lost and then a funny show under a snuggly blanket with a heating pad on my feet while my dh kept the positive affirmations going... I'm prepped. I think I can do today. One day at a time! But I'm coming back to this list when I get home tonight after a long day and 7 hours on the road! Lots of time to pray...

And they have to be things I would actually DO. :glare: Life is overwhelming right now: new church, big move, challenging kids, financial setbacks, dealing with grief... what else can I think of... one of my best friends is doing chemotherapy, I'm already worried about missing our social network when we move, packing, finding a home, paying bills... just the whole economic situation and the world seems kind of down. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Anyhow, I'm feeling so overwhelmed and stressed. I pray a lot. Oh, and I eat. But I'm too sluggish to attempt any really strenuous stress relief programs, and way too busy. I may be able to fit in a walk, but a trip to the gym ain't gonna happen, IYWIM. The best idea I had today was to peruse some funny blogs. Just laughing hard for half an hour or so left me feeling somewhat better. I took a long hot shower; and had a few minutes of peace while my dh supervised our boys. But do you have any tried and true simple stress busters? I'm getting desperate here.

I think that rather than trying to "correct" his style, it is more important in the long run that he master the ability to write in other styles. My own personal writing faux pas is beginning propositional statements with the phrase "I think..." As one teacher noted in the margins, "We know you think it, you are writing the paper. Stop qualifying your arguments." But I still do it all the time in informal settings (note the truly unplanned beginning to this paragraph). Addressing the reader is a legitimate stylistic choice that may be appropriate in many settings. For example, I'm a pastor--I address the "reader" all the time in my sermons, and have a similar style when I write devotions/articles/etc. However, I also can write a decent research paper. The trick is learning when to use various styles. If he's a natural writer, I might say "This is wonderful! Now, how might you write it if it was a formal research paper? Or a fictional story? Or a letter to a friend?" Let's think about that, shall we? ;) :auto: <--- my 5 year old insists that I need to insert the smiley face driving a car. So here it is! :lurk5: <--- he likes this one too.

:iagree: I consider myself to be straightforward and a truth-teller. But I also strive to be kind. Challenging people to change can be a positive thing, when done lovingly and privately. But there is rarely an excuse for public rudeness, except to achieve what is really a sinful sense of self-righteous gratification. In my experience many people who consider themselves "blunt" are described privately by others as being "mean". Sometimes there truly is mental illness or psychological disability that cause this kind of feeling-blindness. And all of us may wound unintentionally at times. But some people are just habitually obnoxious, and while I may love them in the Christian sense as people, I don't choose to spend my free time with them. Speak the truth in love. But if it isn't loving to speak it, then keep silent when needed. There are many many threads I avoid for just this reason. :001_smile:

I said "it depends". I guess it's all in context, right? I think of myself as being fairly close to my dad. We don't live close to each other, but we talk on the phone frequently and have a good time together when we visit. I'm happy to have dinner with my dad alone, spend time with him, etc... but I personally wouldn't want to interact with him as my surrogate romantic partner. I can't imagine he'd enjoy that either--I think we'd both feel uncomfortable. Years ago (I was in college) my dad and I attended a family funeral in a distant state. We shared a hotel room and neither of us thought anything of it until the desk clerk asked "Do you want one bed, or two?" Suddenly we both got the question, and simultaneously said "TWO!"

"The average pillow payout is now $1.88, down from $2.09 last year, according to a recent survey by DeCare Dental, a Minnesota-based benefits management company." I've been giving $5 per tooth, but I only have 2 kids. What do you pay out, or does the tooth fairy not make visits to your home?

We have it! I haven't finished the whole thing, but my dh has been reading it aloud. I find it hilarious. I don't know that I'll be rereading it often as I do P&P without zombies, but it's a hoot. I think two things make it more enjoyable: 1. I know P&P almost word-for-word, it also uses frequent quotations from other Austen works... so it "sounds" like Austen. 2. I know that Zombies are just... funny. Violent, yes. But funny. If you don't get that, not sure you'll like it. It's the amazing contrast of regency + zombies that just makes it splendiferous. To get yourself in the mood, you can download "RE: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton and sing along. One of the greatest filk songs ever. Or, just be like my boys (including by dh) who walked all the way to the store the other day with arms outstretched mumbling... "Brains...brains....". I was the vegetarian zombie, so I said "Grains.... grains....". :001_smile:

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Nope, I didn't either. I love my Kindle SOOOOO much. But I'd just replace it if it broke--after a year, there will probably be an even more aweome one, right?

We are terribly far behind... We began the school year by moving (THAT set us back a month), the holidays hit, we had houseguests--several different sets--for close to 6 weeks, then my brother died, and now we have another move to complete by June. I've given up on having everything neatly "done" before next fall. We'll do what we can, and move on. I'm pretty sure my kids will survive... but I'd love a year of boring stability. :glare:

It isn't really made to come off... but it will, and it will go back on as well. At least, my boys have pried off lots of hair, and none has broken yet! YMMV!

Good luck Jessica. It has been nice having you as a virtual friend. Blessings in the future! --Kay

We were at Costco today, and as my dh was helping our ds 7 with condiments on his hot dog, another man was at the same counter with his aproximately 9 yo son. The man turned around suddenly and accidentally tripped the little boy. When the boy fell, the dad started yelling angrily at him, telling him he was an "Idiot!" It doesn't really sound like much when I type it out, but it was... disturbing. There was so much vitriol and anger. The little boy picked himself up, was very apologetic, and seemed really eager to please his dad. I know that people have different parenting styles. I lose my temper with my kids sometimes. But does anyone really think that publicly calling your child an idiot is OK? I had to practically hold my dh back from confronting the guy, and he is not easily pissed off. My first thought was abuse. I mean, if you'll talk to your child like that in public, what might you do in private? I know I don't know the whole story or anything. But it's left me feeling bad all day, so my answer has been prayer. So... would you ever comment on something like this if the person was a stranger? Or just stay far away?

Well... I got my period when I was 9. Mom handed me a couple of huge pads and that was it.:001_huh: I hated the ginormous pads, and even though my cycle wasn't regular for a couple of years... it was a pain. What I really wish is that my mom had talked to me about using tampons and walked me through it. My mom was NOT interested in talking about "that sort of thing". I finally got up the courage to try them on my own when I was about 13 or so. Let's just say that the learning curve was steep, even with the little booklet. :blink: It would have been sooooo wonderful if mom had been more informative. Even if she still started me with pads, a discussion about tampons, using them as a virgin, etc would have been the most helpful thing ever.

You can try to "snake" it... a toilet snake isn't that expensive. I've had this work for a couple of lodged toys, but we also have had to hire a plumber to unseat the toilet and pull out the Playschool Toucan. I'm glad my boys are out of that age, now!

OK... I walked to the store is in the past, but it isn't completed. You are describing a time as it is happening... Think of it this way: While I walked to the store (simple past) I turned into a bug. This happened in the past, but you are describing it as it happened. Things in your description are happening simultaneously. So they may be past, but they are not "complete" in that sense. You couldn't say "While I have walked to the store, I turned into a bug." You can't use "while" in this case to indicate simpuatenous action at all... it's over. I have walked to the store. Complete. See? The same can be used to distinguish between the past progressive-- I was walking (While I was walking, I turned into a bug. ....) This works. During your walk you became a bug! and the past progressive perfect... I had been walking (While I had been walking, I turned into a bug. -- at least not "while" in the sense of "during". Doesn't make sense.) But you could talk about somthing after the completed action "I had been walking for three hours, when I turned into a bug." The three hours is over. Done. Now you are a bug!

San Diego would be great... since we're moving down there. But I'll settle for Los Angeles and driving!

Lol! I feel the same way!

I think your original question is about the difference between perfect and simple tenses. Here's my colloquial understanding--my examples are all past tense, but there are simple, perfect, progressive in all three--past, present and future. Anyone else? The simple tense... I walked to the store. The perfect tense is used for completed action... I have walked to the store (many times; alone; etc.) The progressive is used when you are telling as it happened, often describing other things that happened simultaneously... I was walking to the store (when I was hit by a meteorite; and got lost; etc.) The perfect progressive is used to tell something that both started and ended in the past, before another event... I had been walking to the store (but decided to take the bus; before I was abducted by faeries; etc). Ugh... so much of this is instinctive. Trying to describe it makes my head hurt!