Count me in!!! I've got some major decluttering to do.

I think this is probably the best solution. From what you're describing, this dog would take a lot of consistent, intensive monitoring. Finding another placement would be better for you all. A long time age we had a dog that bit a friend of our child. We knew the dog was unpredictable so we put it in a back bathroom and instructed the children NOT to open the door. Well...the friend opened the door and the dog rushed him and bit him. It was very scary and we were lucky these friends didn't sue us. The damage was a bruise and small cut that healed but it could have been much worse. I promptly took that dog to vet for behavior analysis. The vet did some testing and told me to put him down. I was crushed and asked about re-homing the dog and the vet told me that based on his testing, the dog was a huge liability and 'unhappy/neurotic' (he was an abused rescue we adopted). This was the 2nd time he had tried to bite a child...this time he succeeded. It broke our hearts. I'm sorry you and your family are having probs with this dog. :(

Beautiful pictures. It was a wonderful gift you were able to give them. So sad what happened. :(

My answer: don't mess with his Karma. Your father lived his life the way he wanted with apparently no regard for how your needs were met. He needs to live with the consequences. There is no way that in addition to what is already on your plate you are expected to take care of him....uh just...no. There are services available for him to pursue. What you can do for him is to make it very clear to him that he is responsible for his own care so that he has no illusions that he can someday descend on your family and disrupt your life further. I'm a little grumpy when it comes to flakey relatives...since I have some of those too.

Like the others said, take this very seriously! This dog sounds very unpredictable. Between the other pet issues and now this growling, it sounds like he is very dominant and that needs to be nipped in the bud. I think a trip to a good vet who has experience in behavior issues is a must and again, I'd strongly consider a shock collar in case you need immediate correction or intervention. In all honesty, this dog is sounding scary to me.

:lurk5: I'm hoping someone else has info on this too. It is a fantastic discount with HSBC so I have put in a bid. I did some research on the net and from what I can see it has a good track record and has been around awhile for the school systems. It is a popular program for the schools. It looks quite good.

I know some folks may not agree with this but we found that a shock collar worked to train our Golden to respect the cats. She was dangerously out of control and knew that she could bully the cats before we could reach her. Our cats are very mellow and one is a senior so we felt they were in danger. It was either remove the dog or try the collar (we had exhausted other training avenues). It took about 3 buzzes and she never went after the cats again and since she wasn't charging them, the cats began to approach her. Slowly they accepted each other and now they get along great. The collar administers a mild shock so the dog is corrected immediately. It also keeps the dog from associating correction with the human. It is a discomfort associated with misbehavior toward the cats...not that the human caught her in the act.

BS in Business Admin. I used it for awhile until dd#1 was born.

We got the 'quieter' Boggle. We love Boggle but the noise when you shake it is LOUD. So this new version is supposedly more quiet. It hasn't arrived yet so we're excited to get this soon. We got for Christmas: Thanks to WTM for all the suggestions!!! ;) Name That Country 10 Days in Europe 10 Days in USA Underground Dutch Blitz Bananagrams Quiddler

I loved that book! If you liked Devil in the White City, you should check out Thunderstruck also by Erik Larson. Thunderstruck is a parallel story about Marconi (wireless) and Dr. Crippen (murderer). It is absorbing. Just as good as Devil in the White City.

:hurray::hurray::hurray: I'm so glad your furbaby is home!!! I kept hoping he would return home. Don't you wish he could talk and tell you where he has been!

I'd totally eat it. Just be sure to do the thermometer test when it is done. :)

That is so messed up! What a crummy thing to do to those employees! I can understand a business going out of business but there are honorable ways to prepare employees for the event. IMO the company owners need to be investigated for fraudulent activity associated with those bouncing payroll checks.

Sounds to me like they got what you were saying but may have been a little shamed by it, so the the father in particular is being snarky.

Scary...I never would have thought twice about a man in the women's undie section. I probably would have assumed they were buying for a wife or something. I never would have assumed anything perverted. :(

I use wordpress for my cake decorating blog. It is super easy to use!

My girls love Scratch! They were introduced to it by taking a technology class at the local science museum. :thumbup:

Rich Chocolate Cake With Cannoli Cream Filling CAKE:
 3/4 cup butter 4 eggs
 2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
 4oz melted semisweet or dark chocolate (65% cacao or more)
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 2 cups sugar
 2 teaspoons vanilla
 1 cup milk
 1 cup heavy cream Directions: Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease bottoms of two 8×8x2-inch square or 9×1-1/2-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with waxed paper. Grease and lightly flour bottoms and sides of pans. Or, grease one 13×9x2-inch baking pan. Set pan(s) aside. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder; and salt; set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until well combined (3 to 4 minutes). Scrape sides of bowl; continue beating on medium speed for 2 minutes more. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition (about 1 minute total). Beat in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beating on low speed just until combined after each addition. Beat on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more. Spread batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes for 8-inch pans and 13×9x2-inch pan, 30 to 35 minutes for 9-inch pans, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cake layers from pans. Peel off waxed paper. Cool thoroughly on racks. Or, place 13×9x2-inch cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly. FILLING: 2 Pkgs. (8oz. each) Cream cheese, softened
 1 15 oz. carton Ricotta cheese
 1 C. Powdered sugar
 1 t. Vanilla
 1/2 t. Almond extract
 1 16 oz jar Maraschino cherries
 1 C. Miniature chocolate chips DIRECTIONS In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and Ricotta until combined. Add powdered sugar and extracts. Drain cherries well, reserving 1 t. cherry juice.
Chop cherries. Stir chopped cherries, chocolate chips and reserved juice into Ricotta mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour until spreadable. Level layers, fill and stack. Cake is covered with chocolate ganache—Melted together in double boiler or microwave, 12 ozs chocolate, 2 c heavy cream, cooled and poured on cake. Makes 12 to 16 servings

I love her site. I've learned some really great baking tips from her. The tutorials and pictures are some of the best I've seen. It doesn't matter to me how much she has or is making. I'm just happy to be able to learn from her site. It is obvious that she is working hard at what she does. I'm hoping to get her book when I get a chance too. :)

This is an uncomfortable call. I personally am struggling with the potential that F's behavior could escalate. I was wondering about his motives for separating the boys. Unfortunately, talking to the parents doesn't mean they will do something. Maybe they've been talked to before? What if he hurts a child and everyone is asked why nobody consulted the police? His behavior is a lot more than pushing a little playmate or stealing some lunch money. While those are bad behaviors, they aren't on the same level as dragging a knife across a face. That is scary stuff. If this was an adult there would be no question that the police would be called. I'd hate to have to do it but there should be a record of this so that the child/parents can get some counseling. Too many times we read in the news about a child doing something horrible and we hear interviews with neighbors, family etc who say things that make you shake your head and wonder why authorities weren't consulted earlier. I'm glad your son is ok but it could have been tragic. I weigh in on urging at least a call to the police to talk to someone to see what they recommend. :(

No contact with now x-sister. She has personality disorders. She is toxic and even severely limiting contact wasn't working so we recently have gone completely no contact. In her case, any response would just encourage more of her abuse. Even ignoring her prompts abuse. I don't feel any regret because she has done damaging and unforgivable things to the family. I have contact with my brother and try to help him make good choices if he has to deal with her. Going no contact has been a relief and just knowing we're completely out of her reach is a wonderful feeling! :)

Our Borders Bookstore has a great Manga section that also features candy and the special 'marble' soda bottles that are all the rage in Japan. You could go to a Japanese restaurant for lunch or dinner. A craft would be fun too like origami or make a Zen garden. We made a small Zen garden in our yard when we studied Japan. The following is a great learning website: http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/index.html Also check out the sugar candy sculpture video: This is Miyuki and she is only one of 3 people who do these candy sculptures. She learned it from her grandfather. We were lucky enough to see her a few times in Disney's EPCOT. It is amazing what she can do!

:grouphug:

Sending lot of :grouphug:

AHHHHHH....So you're the one who gave out the Play Doh that ended up ground into the carpet, eaten by the dog and that I found traces of 2 days later in the cat litter box! :glare::lol: