:grouphug: I've had just enough struggle with insomnia to really empathize with your struggles, and I don't have the pain to deal with on top of that! I say, don't worry about what societal norms declare, do what works best for you and for your body. (spoken by a confirmed Night Owl!)

:iagree: I've stayed on Disney property and off property, and I agree with the above. Also, we wasted so much time when we stayed on property waiting for the Disney Transportation "Perk" bus. By the time we waited for it to arrive, then waited while it stopped at the other resorts, we were sometimes 45 minutes waiting to get to the park!!!! If you stay off-site, you park, take a tram to the front gate, and you're in! I'm not seeing much of a benefit of staying on-site.

Oh, no!!! Praying!!!!:crying:

We did this too! I can't remember the name of it, but we got this idea when my Dad and I went to some kind of father-daughter thing. It was like scouting but it was called something different. Anyway, our family of 5 girls NEEDED a talking stick to keep it from being total caos!

Oooooo! That got me TOTALLY in the mood to watch those movies! But I didn't recognize several of them. Could you be kind enough to list the movies? I know the PP mentioned Mr. Darcy (Hmmmm...is that Pride & Prejudice?) Which version of these movies, too. Now all I need is some popcorn!:lurk5:

My husband and I have this problem. I grew up in a home where conversation is lively and changes hands often. He was the talker in a very small family. He gets irritated if I "interupt" him. But what he means is that he doesn't want to merely finish a sentence, he wants to finish the equivilant of a long essay!!! I get irritated because to me that is an audience rather than a conversation.

I have to agree with some of the PPs. Sometimes you have to demonstrate to your kids how to stand up for yourself when someone is being manipulative or emotionally abusive. This is an important lesson too. But I am torn. I also see the need to sometimes suck it up for the cause (the kids). I guess I'd prefer a compromise. Stay at a different hotel and meet them only from time to time. That way there are only moments in the vacation that are difficult, rather than being all or nothing.

:iagree: I think this is a very good point. It does sound like she is someone who wants to take the easiest way out. I really think you need to be prepared for this if you go with her on vacation. Is it too late to get a different hotel? That way you at least have some space from her. I do have to say, though. I would have a VERY hard time forgiving my mother if she called CPS on me. Sure, the kids education is very important. But they need me as a mom even more. I would want my mom to confront me directly about it and keep confronting me. I would be horrified if she got the government involved and threatened my family in that way. Your sister should have forgiven her and been there for her AND FOR YOU when your mom was sick. I don't excuse that, at all! But, I do see why she was so hurt and angry as well....

I'm going to Disney in 3 more weeks too!!! You must be going for Homeschooling Days! We are so excited!

I don't know, maybe this is bad advice, but can't you just say "no"? I mean, it is your vacation. You NEED a vacation. You NEED that refreshment. If reconciliation is needed between you and your sister, it can happen at a different time, in different circumstances.

Ok. I'm up. But I'm not happy about it. Pout. Pout. Ugg! Not a fan of this early morning stuff. My eyes and my mind feel foggy. *sigh* I'll get some tea or something like that to drink, and it will slowly feel better. But I did go to sleep close to my goal time. So maybe tonight I'll do even better. How did you all do? What time did you end up going to sleep? Good morning, all! :001_smile:

:lol: Ok. I'm going to try for real! I'll check back in though if I get up there and end up just staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. This happens to me a lot! Hopefully I won't be back til the morning! :001_smile:

Ahhh!!! Yes! I can!!! Then I'm not really breaking my rule, am I??? After all, I didn't say I'd go to sleep by midnight......just that I'd go to bed! I like the way you think, Helena! ;)

Ok. It's midnight. (actually 7 after). Do I be a good girl and go to bed right now, or do I watch another episode of White Collar. Hmmmm......decisions, decisions!

It's almost 11:40 now. Pout. I really don't want only 20 more minutes of this delicious, precious quiet time! I just wrote in another thread how my kids talk my ears off! No one is talking to me now. Do I really only have 20 minutes left?.......

Wow! I feel your pain! ALL of my kids love to talk! DD12 and DS9 talk without taking a breath! Then, when they are gone, and my youngest finally gets her turn......here it goes again. Seriously! My ears start bleeding after awhile. The bad part is, I've started only half listening. I really try to stay focused, but it gets hard sometimes. I worry that they will notice this and misread it. I want them to know that they are valued and interesting. I want them to always feel like they can talk to me.

Night-Night Gailmegan! 1 down, how many more to go? :D

Ok...it's 10:43ish here. It will be fun/funny to see who goes to bed at what time tonight! I'll check in with you later. I'm nowhere NEAR ready yet!

:lol::lol: Me too!

Oh gosh! I am SOOOO with you! I'm glad I'm not alone. I just told myself that tonight I HAVE to go to bed no later than midnight and get up by 7:00. I know, from past experience, that our day goes sooo much better when we get an early start. I get so much more done before lunch than after lunch. I know midnight still sounds late, but it's early for me. It will be hard for me to give up that extra time of peace and quiet. I LOVE the quiet time I get after everyone goes to bed. I'm in there with you! Let's see how we do!

:crying: My prayers are with you all. My sister is in Austin. I'm praying hard about those fires. So sorry to hear how this has stolen something so precious from you. :grouphug:

Perfect! :D

Thanks to all!!! You have each helped me get better clarity on this! I feel comfortable now with the idea of throwing most of this away. *whew!* I think it is a cool idea to just pick out a few samples and put it into a thin folder. That way, I have it not only for the state, but also for memories sake. Ok. Now to ditch the rest! With the Hive's blessing. Can I count that as my legal expert source when I need to? :D Seriously, thanks for taking time to help me! I was drowning in a sea of old paper! :tongue_smilie:

Ah! The one person here on these forums that would know what meeting I am talking about ---just HAPPENS to read this thread. Yikes! Busted! :tongue_smilie: No, E said that if it were her, she would keep the records for every. single. year. The difference is the kind of records she keeps. She keeps a narrative type record. Therefore it neatly fits into a spiral notebook. Much easier to keep only one notebook each year. While this makes it easier for storage, I find this makes it more time-consuming during the year. It is much easier for me to just stick a worksheet in a drawer, than to take time to write out what we accomplished that day. When I was trying the narrative approach, I found myself putting it off. Then, a week or more would go by, and I'd be scrambling to remember what we did.

Darn! Just when I was feeling safe to toss it! You are RIGHT! I am in a state (Kentucky) with vague requirements. I also don't know how much proof they would need if it came to that. But, :confused:........I really don't want to keep everything. I guess I'll try to find out if there is any case law, like you said.