Sympathy cards only. It's not a formal policy or anything, I would just never think to do it for other kinds of life events and I think it's kind of a waste of paper. My extended family is very email-based. :)

Nice! I had a friend in high school who's maiden name was something like: Ellen Fitzpatrick Kerry Then she got married to a David Fitzpatrick. So now her name is: Ellen Fitzpatrick Kerry Fitzpatrick. :)

We have hardwood throughout. When we bought the house, there was industrial carpeting in the kitchen and bathroom. Carpeting. Oh, so gross. We just tore it out within the last month. There was beutiful hardwood under the kitchen carpet, and we put down vinyl in the bathroom. About kitchens hardwood floors, I'm not concerned about damage because 1) it has a thick layer of polyurethane which protects from liquids and scratches, and 2) if there is any damage, it's easy to sand and refinish.

It's totally your call, of course, on whether you get one for her (and the whole family), but something to keep in mind: I'm not by any means a clean-freak, but it drives me CRAZY that the cats walk all over our kitchen counters and I can't stop them. I can't leave any food out on the counter, even for a second, because they hop right up there. I like them (love them, even), but we won't be getting another cat once these two are no longer. Cat attrition. Everyone's tolerance for that kind of thing is different, so just something to think about. I do agree that a cuddly cat on the sofa is a thing of joy.

:D

Yes! Whew... DS15 and I have this conversation all the time. He insists that the calculator doesn't care about order of operations, but then it gives him wrong answers if he types the numbers in without regard for them.

I got mine (a flannel one) at LL Bean and, while it seemed expensive at the time, I bought it in 1992, and it just now is getting some tears in it. It was a good investment. :) When I was a child, my mom made me a Scandinavian style duvet cover out of sheets: two flat sheets, sewn together for the cover, then it was attached at the foot to a fitted sheet. My covers never got untucked, and it kept everything much neater for longer.

My sister, cousins, and I all went to the Concordia camps for years. We did the two-week camps when we were young and then the month-long, high-school credit camps once we were in high school. We all attended the Norwegian camp and I also attended German. I loved it and learned a tremendous amount. You still do the swimming, canoeing, etc., but also have a couple of language classes per day, along with immersion activities and homework. I'd send my kids in a heartbeat if I had the money.

My kids all told me Santa wasn't real by the time they were 5. I've never said he was real, but didn't disabuse them of the idea either. I'm sure it's harmless; I'm just not comfortable treating fiction as reality. They have always gotten presents from us, their grandparents, and Santa. They all eventually came to me with some version of "If magic isn't real, then neither is Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, etc." DD also noticed that Santa and I have the same handwriting. They still get a couple of presents under the tree from Santa, but they know it's us.

I get this too. http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/qa-why-this-strong-smell-of-ammonia/2029.html

I was raised, and still am, an atheist. We have celebrated and will continue to celebrate Christmas. We enjoy our family traditions: trees, presents, family, and Scandinavian decorations and food (because of our heritage). We listen to the beautiful music and talk about the various winter holiday stories from different cultures. We talk about how some of these traditions were around long before Christianity. Intellectually, I'd rather be celebrating Solstice, but emotionally and traditionally, we're a Christmas family. If we didn't celebrate Christmas, we wouldn't be able to do the things that the vast majority of our culture is oriented around for three months of the year. "Sorry, honey, I know it seems like 'the whole world' celebrates Christmas, but you can't. It's yet another way you don't fit in." Because they're secular, they're already set cast as outsiders by the other kids; we don't need to add to it. I have it under my control to ensure that they have this thing in common with our community. So we do it, and we enjoy it, and we wear silly Rudolph antlers, and listen to Bing Crosby, and put Santa hats on the dogs, and we wish everyone we meet peace and joy in the season. :)

I did that once. Very pregnant, crying baby in the back seat, totally frazzled. When the cops came to our house at 11pm that night, when I was in bed, I was sure I'd paid. Me: "But I KNOW I paid at the pump! I have the receipt here somewhere." Cop, on the phone with the gas station: "She says she paid at the pump." Pause, and then back to me: "They don't have pay at the pump." Me: "Ooohhh." I'd initially thought the gas station had pay-at-the-pump but when I pulled out my debit card, I saw they didn't. I put the card back in my pocket, planning to get the baby out and pay after I'd filled up, filled up the car, and promptly drove off. If pressed, I hope I could have relied on the security camera showing that I'd pulled out my card and looked seriously confused for a minute because I couldn't figure out how to pay. They were nice about it and let DH come and pay for it, but I could see it going the other way.

I just get dressed in the way I would normally to go out to run errands. Actual pants (not PJs), a t-shirt, brushed hair and teeth, and sandals (I don't wear lace-up shoes). I'm not a make-up person anyway, so that's as "to the nines" as I get. If I'm going to use something that bleaches or stains, I put on my grubby work clothes, but am still fully dressed. I see Flylady's point, but for me, I don't do it so that I'll be motivated to work, but because I hate people coming to the door in the afternoon and feeling ridiculous for looking like I just rolled out of bed. Or having to delay to get dressed if I want to go to the store for something. I do make one change to her plan. On days that I plan to work out, I get dressed immediately into my workout clothes and I'm not allowed to change out of them until I've actually done it, even if I'm not planning to workout until the afternoon or evening. TMI: This helps motivate me to actually get it done because my running bra, while effective, isn't super comfy for just wearing around the house.

My theory is that the states are small enough that you can wander around between them with little difficulty. As a child, I lived in CT, but went skiing and camping in VT and ME, took long weekends in MA, and had friends in RI and NH. Practically speaking, I consider update NY to be a part of the block (summers in the Adirondacks are amazing).

Plain yogurt. Weird, I know, but so good. The kids and Dh like butter and maple syrup.

Paper mache for years to come. :)

I grew up in Connecticut, but "home" is really the whole New England region. Love all of it. If we could move, I'd do it. Family, friends, familiar landscape. We live in North Carolina, which is only home in that we've been here for a while and have no immediate plans to leave. I like lots of things about it, and dislike just a few, but there isn't an emotional attachment.

I'm so sorry for this. So painful... Is it an option to just stay home and decline the invitation? When we're having a difficult year, sometimes we just tell all family that we're going to stick close to home and do the holidays with just us and the kids. You could make some sort of volunteer commitment for yourself during that time so that you can honestly say that you simply can't go, and DH can go without you if he wants, or even better, he can stay home with you. Or plan a family vacation and take the holidays on the road. It could be an opportunity to incorporate some of the family traditions that you grew up with, to honor your parents and remember them in a positive way. I hope you're able to work it out in a way that feels right for you. You are allowed to have these feelings and you are allowed to run your life in the way that is best for you. You need not sacrifice yourself to soothe other people's unreasonable expectations.

One of my cousins is an ASL interpreter. She's self-employed and has a contract with a staffing agency that gives her assignments in hospitals, court cases, prisons, universities, plays and concerts, etc. She loves her work. I believe she got certified at Towson State in Maryland? Maybe?

I agree with 6pack, and would also add that a wind layer can make things much more comfortable. I like to wear multiple thin layers, rather than any bulky layers.

I voted no, but it makes me chuckle to think about what that conversation would have been like. My dad probably would have liked it, but in a how-funny-and-have-you-even-MET-my-daughter kind of way. :) I do fall in the women-are-not-property camp, but as with most everything else, to each their own. If you think it's sweet or necessary for your own relationship, I'm happy to agree with you. :)

I'm not good with presents, but Dh tells me that last year I hit the nail on the head -- took his car to get the maintenance done (which he can never find time to do himself) and get it detailed, and bought new rubbery floormats to replace the coffee-stained carpet ones. He spends a lot of his workday in his car, so he really appreciated it. :)

If you need any recommendations for places to go or eat, just let me know. That's where I am. :)

3RingCircus, this isn't true. You're good. :)

There's an active forum for people who homeschool secularly here. It has members who are secular and who are from various liberal religious POVs. It might suit.