My DH travels quite a bit, and our situation is similar in that my mom is about 5 hours away, and she often comes to hang out when DH is gone. It's been a great experience for her to have time with the kids (and me), and I like the time we have together. She is old enough that I'm grateful for our time together and well aware that it won't be forever. I'm glad my kids really know her, and have day to day memories of her. The worst part: I miss my DH when he's gone. A lot. Not just on the kid care front, but because he's fun and I like him! It's also hard because I have chronic health issues that mean DH worries about me, and it can be difficult on a day to day basis. If you are thinking a 50 - 75% raise, then I would consider which things might make your life easier if you opt for the move. Spending a bit of the extra income on making it easier for you to do *your* job while DH does his might not be a bad idea. A weekly housekeeper would be top on my list, if you don't have one already. We did this, and it's a huge help. I still pick up before the maids come, but they do the big work. They come once a week, and I don't stress about cleaning baths, floors, changing linens, etc. The energy I would have spent on that gets spent on other stuff that has to be done. (To be totally fair, I have health issues also, so that's the primary reason for the housekeeper, but with DH traveling a lot, it's a must.) Other things that might help, if you opt for the move are probably more individual. For me, it's automating anything that we have to do, so I can spend my energy on kids and school... That means I use a grocery store that shops for me, after I place the order online, and I just pick up the bulk of the groceries (our grocery store charges $5 for this service, no matter how large the order, so it's not a huge expense). We use auto bill pay whenever we can, and anything else that we can think of to streamline the housework or day to day obligations. You might consider an exit plan, in case this doesn't work out, too. Agree to give it a set amount of time (a year, maybe?) and then reevaluate. Whatever you do, don't reevaluate the week after the kids have all had the stomach flu, and DH was out of the country, leaving you alone with projectile vomiting and your mom came to help and ended up with pneumonia, and then you came down with it and ... Yeh. That can happen. Not fun. But it does get better. :) How does your DH feel about the job offer?

Another yes! What a great surprise!

A replicator. Or the next best thing: a live-in cook.

Pumpkin Spice Latte is yummy if ordered with half syrup. I'm with Catwoman - too much syrup is icky. I should have clarified. :)

I see a pumpkin spice latte and an early night for the kids in the near future... The only time I love Starbucks is PSL season. I'm an espresso snob, and Starbucks will get me through the need, but I prefer home. Oh, and the smell of Starbucks makes me inwardly stress, that feeling that I've forgotten to study for a final or write a big paper. Yes, I got through undergrad days on Starbucks.

We got our first artificial at a wholesale florists' supplier. Any chance you have access to one? Their trees are amazingly realistic and beautiful. That one was too big for our current house, so we now have one from Balsam Hill. I asked here for advice because we no longer have access to the wholesale route. :) We have prelit, because I don't want to mess with lights. Balsam Hill trees have some sort of system so that only one bulb goes out, not the whole section, I seem to remember. They have great sales, they are super easy to put together (the 9 year old did it this year), and we've been very happy. This is year 2 for Balsam Hill.

Doritos smell like dirty feet. There, I said it.

The people I know who are in HP are very happy. As are the people in my field, which is related, but not the same. :)

I love my Freudian Slippers. Oldest DS loves Shakespearean Insult Gum - lots of fun. Also comes in BandAids, mugs and other styles. Always fun.

Yes, I would worry. Glad she showed her RA, and they called the police. Take it seriously.

:grouphug: I can't imagine what you are feeling, but want to offer support. FWIW, I think you are very kind not to discuss your feelings about this in depth with your sisters who are struggling with infertility. Even in the face of dealing with your own feelings, you are thinking of theirs. You are a good sister.

Thanks, everyone. Just having one if those days. Tried a new supposedly ok product. DS is doing fine but I have the throat tingles. Ugh. My allergies just developed in the last year - egg, spinach and shellfish. Some days I want to just skip food. I hope your hives improve, bluemongoose. Oh! We've had anaphylaxis to cats, too. So bizarre.

It's such a pain in the rear. We use Ask Dr Sears often for dosages by weight.

Wheat. Dairy. Tree Nuts. Peanuts. Sesame. Everything raw except apples, strawberries and blueberries. Cats, dogs, horses, every other animal with fur - except cows. Why cows? Every darn tree and grass. Blech. Clearly we are having an allergy day and I am feeling sorry for myself.

That list looks pretty good. Ours also use leather conditioner on the furniture and remove the couch cushions and vacuum underneath thoroughly (we negotiated this from the start due to pet allergies). They clean the sliding glass door and the glass in our front door/storm door, and all glass in the house (not windows but framed pics and mirrors). Carry the dirty linens to the wash after changing linens. They may do a few other things not on the list, I'm not sure. After an initial deep clean they seem to alternate rooms for deep cleaning. To be fair, we have housekeepers due to my chronic health issues - so DH did most of the negotiating and arranging what they do. He manages them, I just reap the benefits. DH is my hero. :blush: We use a company, not an individual - because they are insured, etc, and because they take care of filing the taxes, etc, and making sure everything is legal. You might want to check with your accountant re: tax issues with hiring an individual.

That is hysterical!

I would not go either. In addition to the above comments, I would think about your kids and the type of memories you want to create for them. We have the opportunity to spend the holidays with a very distant family each year, and have decided that spending holidays with relative strangers (who are not very friendly) is not the memory we want our kids to have. Maybe you can invite your in laws over on Christmas Eve, or to do something different. And come up with a way to make Christmas at your house super special. It might just be the memory that your kids cherish. I may be in the minority here, but I don't think the holidays are a great time for healing deep rifts. It sounds nice, but I haven't seen it happen often - and there are plenty of rifts in my family. Holidays are a time when people are stressed out, sadly, and not looking past their immediate family's needs. (I realize that sounds cynical, but in your BIL's case, I think it applies, from his actions already.)

Congratulations!

Anyone have a great gluten free Christmas cookie recipe? I'd really like to do some sugar cookies, but haven't found a recipe that rolls well. Gingerbread would be a bonus, too! We like to use King Arthur flours and mixes, due to other allergies (cross contamination concerns), and we are dairy free, but can substitute as needed for recipes.

Love Breyer. Have you checked out Hearthsong.com? They have a great section for horse-loving little girls, I'm sure there would be something age appropriate. They usually have good quality toys. ETA: here's a link: http://www.hearthsong.com/i-love-horses/i-love-horses.htm I know the guy who makes the recycled tire swings, we used to do shows together. He is a sweetheart. Seeing his swing just brought back lots of fond memories. We always seemed to be next door neighbors!

Tap, I think that's a good choice. The boyfriend part of the situation would have muddied the waters anyway.

Thanks, Kathy. That is what I had thought. But then this thread got my hopes up. :)

Yes, a DH stocking stuffer thread would be good! DH's stocking has a set of massage oils (with a promise that they'll be used); tickets to a family event he'll like; iphone accessories (some camera lenses and other things) and some other items. I thought I'd finished but now think I'll need a few more items. Kids are easier. :) We've got lots of the above ideas included, too!

Aquatic turtle? We have 2 red-eared sliders and a mississippi map turtle. They were given to us by a well meaning grandparent, but oh my. They take a lot of work, and they need a lot more space than one would think. They live long, get big, and they cannot be released later, as that would be cruel - they can't fend for themselves. Here's a good site with lots of info: http://www.redearslider.com/index.html The site above will give info on tank size, etc. Invest in the best filter you can - turtles need heftier filtration than fish. I would skip the substrate, personally, as it just adds to the cleaning duties, and I think I may have read that some turtles eat it (not healthy). They need a good basking area and a splash proof heat lamp. DS loves our turtles. DH and I have sort of a love/not-hate relationship with them. They are adorable - they do turtle yoga as they bask, and they form the cutest "turtle towers" while basking. We love feeding them treats (oh! watch their food intake carefully, an overweight turtle is not healthy!) ... They are fun to watch swim... The downsides for us are the size of the tank - it's grown and grown, and finding a space for it is hard. The expense of set up, buying new filters as we learned more about care (and realized a better filter would equal less cleaning time for us), filter changes, general cleaning - no one enjoys cleaning a dirty turtle tank. Ideally, we'll someday have an outdoor pond and transition them. Ours are now the size of salad plates and still growing at 4 years old. Don't believe anyone who tells you that they only grow as big as is reasonable for their tank - that's a myth. :001_rolleyes: ETA: don't forget to find a vet in your area who will treat turtles. They can need care sometimes.

Really? How cool. Can you tell me how? I'm clueless, apparently. And does this mean we can listen to audiobooks? What about audiobooks that light up the word being read at the same time? I thought that was only available on the Fire, but we're getting DS a Paperwhite. That would be a bonus, but I won't get my hopes up!