OH! My! :lol::lol::lol: Thanks for sharing. Jo

Apparently, it is revolving around a 3 yr old girl living on a hill on the island of Oahu. :glare: She will grow out of it....she will grow out of it....she will grow out of it.... All together now! All my school planning seems to be revolving around how to keep said child busy and non-intrusive during school this year. Perhaps "center of the universe" isn't the correct astronomical description. Perhaps some sort of vortex or black hole that sucks in all the energy around it would be more appropriate. Can I get an' "AMEN" Jo

I don't know if it is the right decision for your family, but if our family were in the same situation I would tell my MIL, "as much as I would love you to be here the change in schedule gives us only enough time to say our good-byes as a family. The children really need that last 24 hrs to truly *be* with their father and I think it would be best to have that day reserved for them." Since your MIL has seen him recently she *should* understand. If it makes you and him feel better, have him make a nice good-bye phone call thanking her for letting him spend his final hours with the kids. You are not selfish. I struggle with these decisions on both ends of deployments- I want him all to myself before he leaves and when he gets home. I recognize your struggle. Jo

This would be me. Jo

Hip hip hooray! Virtual squeezes and baby head sniffing all the way from Hawaii---- Jo

Ummmmm.... Then I suck every morning as the school buses roll down the street and my kids are still eating cereal (if they are up) prepping for the rigorous demands of bike riding, rip sticking, bionicle building, and maybe, just maybe a half hour of reading sometime in the afternoon. But I will have you know that I am almost done putting pictures up. Moving is hard! I tried to start the kids off with some minor assignments, but the clutter in the house made me crazy and the kids needed me at their side to reinstitute proper work methods...if you know what I mean. You don't suck. At least I *refuse* to believe what you are going through is anything other than perfectly normal for a recently relocated, military spouse, homeschooling mother. ;) Jo Btw- Pm me about where you got housing. I didn't know you were going to move so soon.

Not the biggest John Edwards fan here. Can't say that I've ever mentioned his name in any sort of complimentary fashion. However, I found myself oddly impressed at his admission of guilt today- his use of the words, "egocentric" and "narcissitic" to describe himself were refreshing. In his line of work it is like the beginning of a Politicians Anonymous meeting- "Hi, my name is Senator Smith...I'm egocentric and narcisstic..." I'm in the everyone sins camp. I am not particularly shocked at Edward's actions. But regardless, it is heartbreaking for any family to endure the pain and suffering of that confession (which happened back in 2006 between the couple) much less have people opine about it endlessly on the news. I would have additional thoughts on the matter if he was still in any sort of position of governmental representation, but he isn't. Jo

I need some perspective. My 3.73 yod is making me crazy. She waits all day long until we put on a night time diaper. No matter what incentive, no matter how on-the-verge she is when we put her on the potty, nothing works. I logically know it will happen in time, but I am getting quite frustrated with her. Sooooooooooo, Lets hear it. Who nearly sold their preschooler to the gypsies due to potty training issues?

Officially Sept 1, but who knows? I'm not ready. :D Jo

We will watch, we will look up the countries on the map, we will discuss any geopolitical matters of note- especially the problems with communism, we will eat popcorn and praise the hard work of the atheletes. Nothing special, very informal, lots of discussion. Jo

:glare: I mean...I'm really happy for you! Really. :glare: I'm just playin' You have every right to brag. ***And*** you have motivated me to pull that book off the shelf and start plugging away again. I love autobiographies, so I think I'll start there. Seriously, even during this busy time for me I still manage my reading snippets. Thanks for the push. Big congrats from me! Jo

I used to take this much more personally. I don't know your MIL but I figured out (much too late) that when my parents or my FIL would make a comment like you mention it generally had to do with either them thinking that we were somehow "burdening" ourselves and they didn't want us to suffer- so in a backhanded kind of way they were concerned about us and it was out of love that they worry. Or when they say something about "handling" kids and I just know it has much more with them personally not being up to the task and they are projecting. Some people would lose their minds with four kids so they obviously think you would too. Understanding where they come from helps me not to take it personally...as much. As for what I would say? Hmmmmm. I generally laugh and say, "I know we are crazy aren't we? But we just love children and we didn't feel done with our family just yet." That is a paraphrase of the many, many responses I've given out. I also think it is okay to acknowledge that having a largish family is hard sometimes, but so are most jobs that are rewarding. Congrats on your future adoption! Jo

How about Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac or a book of quotes. I have a small book that has bits of wit and wisdom from Ben Franklin that cracks me up. Or George Washington's Rules of Civility. Those are just a couple that popped into my mind....

I agree his love of country, the law, and fair government were portrayed well. My main problem with the series was the bleakness! The grey, the melancholy, his miserable side without much balance of hope and joy (until the brief scene before his death). And speaking of death....sheesh! I don't mind a little, but they spent so. much. time. on these events. The first disc I watched with the children, and the reality of the difficulties of establishing a US government were wonderful. How did you feel about Abigail's character? She seemed a bit flat, stoic, and reserved to me. Perhaps I'm resistant to early nineteenth century New Englandism. ;)

I just finished the third disc last night. What a joyless, angry, bitter, grotesque creature they made John Adams. It was hard to look at him at times. Never in real life have I met someone as ugly as they made him. I have read McCullough's John Adams, the letters between Abigail and John Adams, and quite a few, but not all, of the letters between Jefferson and Adams. He was cantankerous to be sure, but I think HBO's portrayal was a miss. And as fine as the acting was (who was that actor that played Ben Franklin?- he cracks me up), I think the series was painful to watch past the first disc. What are your impressions? Jo

I'm glad I waited to read all the responses when I was away from my children. More than one had me in tears. Thanks so much for all the kind words and wishes. For those who were concerned- my mum has arrived to help out until the baby arrives. That is an incredible blessing. Again, I truly appreciate all the support. Jo

I know there are many military wives on this board, and we all go through this. After all these years, it doesn't get any easier. I think it gets harder. The kids are doing well considering. I would love your support, prayers etc. that I can get the house fully unpacked, school up and running, a reasonable routine in place, and do it all in these last few weeks before the baby is born. I know it is possible, but it seems a little daunting at the moment. Thanks everyone. Jo ps- Some may consider this posting unwise for security reasons, but our housing area is protected by big, honkin' marines bored to tears and just itching for some criminal to dare cause trouble. Hee,hee. That, the huge dog, and my Lifelock account make me feel secure enough to post. :D

I remember people having opinions as to Tahitian versus Bourbon.... Preference? Does it matter? Jo

Bingo! That is the company I used before. Yippee. Thanks Sarah.

It's time for me to order. It has been awhile since, but last time I used a store on Amazon marketplace. Can someone share their good deal? Thanks. Jo

Bump.

Ya know... Tattooing can be fairly uncomfortable too. ;) I'm sorry for your pain. I hope it heals quickly. That area can be extremely painful- it's all that silly breathing that interferes. Jo

I want to set up routine maintenance for the house we just rented out in VA. The company that installed them was great! We loved them. But I just got off the phone and I'm shocked by the cost of a yearly maintenance plan. We have two large units with those big honkin air filters that only need to be changed every 6 months. They charge $530/yr for two full services including the filter change and free diagnostics at any time. It's expensive right? I know somebody has a dh that does A/C but I can't remember who it was. Or maybe somebody has a service plan that can give me some perspective. I would appreciate it. Jo

Bump. This is concerning. Jo

I am so sorry. It is so hard isn't it? I could have written the same thing. Our Alaskan Malamute recently took a sudden turn for the worse. It happened in a two week span that his hips really started to get wobbly and he was having trouble with some bowel stuff. It turns out for us that it isn't hip dysplasia or arthritis it is spinal cord compression- or neurological degeneration. It is getting worse slowly. Not that he seems to be in pain, and we have him on daily Rimadyl to keep him comfortable if he does have any unassociated joint pain. About the decision? I am in the boat with you. I just don't know. He isn't himself anymore, but he doesn't seem to be bad enough yet. :confused::confused::confused: I always thought he would get sick or his organs would shut down and it would be obvious. Wrong. I'm so sorry about Zeus. It won't be easy no matter what. Jo