Oh my! :lol: Thank you. You have no idea what that term means in our family. ;) Thanks for your advice. Jo

You got it Dayle! Stay safe dear. Jo

This is exactly what we have. The corners just seem a little dinked. Nothing major, but noticeable. I did call the landlord as soon as the termites showed up. He seems pretty laid back...but the way things are going for me these days I just want to be prepared. Thanks for your input. jo

Our dog is an outside dog- he's huge and it was the arrangement for us to be to rent. So no markings--:D Question: Do you expect the home to be professionally cleaned by the tenant before moving out? The house is quite clean. But I haven't done a lot of furniture moving in our 5 months here. Honestly, I'm not sure our landlords have a policy- this house is usually a vacation rental so I think they factor that into the price. I will certainly have it as spit spot as possible- but how deep under the beds and behind couches am I expected to go?;) What is your expectation? Thanks.

? We've never rented before this house. What are we responsible for fixing? There are some touch up paint areas and our the back covered porch (smallish) could use a repaint- we have a dog, they have red dirt. :) There is also a veg/fruit drawer in the fridge that I think we cracked. Do I have to replace it, or can they just take the replacement cost out of our deposit? Thanks. Jo

The funny thing is, I returned 42 books all in fine condition. This was one of 2 adult books. *I* must have looked like the irresponsible one. Jo

"Ma'am this book has water damage on some of it's pages" "yes, it was like that when I picked it up" "um....no, this looks recent. We are going to have to charge you." [silence, blink, blink] :001_huh: Where does the conversation go from there? I really don't know. I didn't...you did...I didn't...etc. I did make the librarian stand there and wait while I went through every page of the books I was checking out. I made him note every mark and tear. He wasn't pleased, but I'm not going to be their cash cow. I guess they have to get money somehow. :glare: Jo

I am SO there with you! This is a constant problem for our family. But I blame it on the cheap, not-so-cheap, construction of these electronics. I don't like paying $30 for "disposable"!! Grrrrrrr. I have considered investing in quality- perhaps BOSE or the like- but I'm not willing to spend that on something in my kids reach. I have no advice, I'm just sympathizing with ya'. ;) Jo

Thinking, thinking, thinking.... He's a putz- an unelightened putz. but then, I'm in no mood to mince words today. Jo

Herbed cream cheese pinwheels are supposed to be made at least a day ahead...two days wouldn't hurt, would it? Jo

[hanging head...waiting for virtual hand slap for not refilling] TIA Jo

Yes, this child is highly sensitive- which is a gift in many ways. I've written down the book. I think reading up on the issue will help a lot. Thanks. Jo

Lori, You are freakin' me out. I think the latest bout started with Doritos. I'm not imagining it. You're my hero.

Lori! This is exactly my child. Any sort of change in diet coupled with excitement- which it often accompanies- just aggravates the situation. Thanks for your input. May I also ask how your family dealt with the situation? It just seems to make all celebrations a bummer, ya know? Jo

Thanks. I wish I knew how to derail this stomach reaction. It's tough to teach coping techniques when this happens even for happy days. KWIM? I'm still frustrated. Once this child's stomach gets off kilter, it takes a while to recover. [sigh] Jo

Who else has this or a child with this? I have a child that gets nauseous over any sort of excitement, anticipation, dread, etc. Good or bad. This child has thrown up on their birthday for years- because they are so happy, excited, and we usually do something unusual. They also worry. Not constantly, but a lot. They don't like new things- roller coasters or movies, it doesn't matter. Honestly, I'm starting to get annoyed. I know it's unreasonable for me to be so, but that is why I'm asking if this is more common than I know. Jo

At this moment I'm reading Foxes Book of Martyrs...in very small doses. First it is amazing the courage it took to be a Christian in some eras- I ask myself, "would I be that brave?" constantly. Secondly I think that the sheer creativity of evil invented to torture these people for their faith is astounding. Truly I don't know how they came up with their torture techniques. I timidly suggest it for Christians and Non-Christians. There is a lot to say about history, paganism, etc. The Church of Christ doesn't have a perfect track record but golly, compared to the witch trials we hear so much about- it doesn't hold a candle. I say "timidly" because it is a tough read- gruesome, and probably offensive to those who claim a faith-line with Roman paganism. It isn't the only book I can think of, but it is fresh in my mind and this post has been interesting. Jo

That doesn't make any sense to me either. You can't feel any more frustrated than I did when I asked our local Walmart where to find beach shovels and toys. Response: "I'm sorry, those are seasonal items" :001_huh: It's Hawaii. It's an island. Year round warmth. Tourist location. :blink: The bigger the store, the smaller the common sense. ;) Jo

We just left Quantico! Stafford actually. This was an air force facility but often other services reserve the pavillions for large command functions. Strangely, I have always found the Marines more "gentlemanly". You are right about the Quantico pass gate- there is nothing like looking up in the woods and seeing a sniper watching the line of incoming cars (my kids loved that!). That base is unique. As for acting more helpless...for a split second I thought about it. But I was tired, gritty, and dagummit if he didn't just push my buttons. I ususally have much better people skills than I'm portraying.;) Jo

I'm glad you replied. They are fun stories, honestly. I just feel I somehow indicted an entire military community and I was sorry I didn't clarify it was one, most likely ego tripping, MP that applied the law over-zealously. Please don't think I was singling anyone other than myself out for blame. Jo

:blushing: I think this post took the wrong turn. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that this guy was an MP- it could have easily been the local city cop. My point was the complete lack of common sense when applying the law- spirit of the law versus letter of the law. Who was the bigger violator? The mom loading boogie boards into the back of her suburban while trying to keep her youngsters away from the frolicking drunk marines? Or the obvious blatant abuse of a handicap permit? I realize the MP doesn't have the authority to question the big, strapping, kayak lifting, "handicapped" man on his permit, but does he really need to molest the obviously pregnant lady with the naked baby and exhausted children? But, after reading everyone's responses I feel the need to come to the defense of MPs in general- they aren't all like this guy- I've seen great generosity in their ranks as well. Btw, this fellow was surprisingly in his late thirties or early forties. Not a "punk" newbie with a gun. ;) Where has chivalry gone?

Said snarkily by yours truly to the military police officer telling me I need to move out of the fire lane....at the beach. Because of all that risk of fire... I had already been at the beach for 5 hours with six children by myself. I had pulled up to a water spicket to wash down my butt-naked baby before diapering and placing in her carseat. And even though there were nearly 200 marines surrounding me having some sort of festival- at least half of which were inebriated- this guy seemed to think the fire lane violation (actually only half my suburban was in the firelane) was a HIGH priority. Because again, the fire potential in the bathroom facility- the only facility in the area- was enough to shout at me to move immediately. "I'm trying to work with you ma'm"-----:glare::glare:. "Yeah [eye roll] I can see that." So here is my question to you. Am I expecting too much? I was half way into the fire lane. It is true. I was absolutely breaking the law. And this officer had a right to ask me to move- but must chivalry be left at the door? Is there no wiggle room in the application? Was I more wrong than the guy next to me who pulled up his big honkin' truck into a conveniently located parking spot, put up a handicap sign on his mirror, hopped out and proceeded to get his kayak off the roof? Where is the justice? Jo

Oh Heather. I'm so sorry. You are such a great mom already, I was so thrilled that you were having another. But despite the loss, you are *still* a great mom, and your family is blessed by you. Hugs from me.

One more thing....promise.;) I won't say I entirely understand Mr. King's intentions during that speech. But what I do know is he's wrong. The uneducated have plenty of options- gangs (dh has testimony that this has been an option for his sailors), drugs, dead end jobs of all sorts. I'm surprised he couldn't think of any other options. :glare: He seems like a fairly creative fella.

Okay, I'll throw this out. I have the opportunity to watch what my un/poorly educated neighbors have chosen to do- they mow lawns, surf, put up some fences, surf some more, and generally scour the island and neighboring islands for hourly work. They may not be illiterate, I really don't know. They are nice, generally hard working people- but their options are limited. At any given time they could walk down to a recruiters office, get steady work and benefits, but they don't. And they struggle in many ways. My point is, I consider it a mark of intelligence and drive that those who have limited options because of their schooling choose to enter the military. They are ambitious enough to do something to better themselves. My dh is adding that he works with many young men who did join the military to get on track, get an education, and better themselves. Nothing stupid about that.... Jo