Multi level marketing makes me insane. I've banned it from the office, no Avon books on the coffee table, no email blasts, no parties here, etc. When we used to go to church, we had to deal with it a lot more. For some reason, it's okay to pass out those flyers and brochures in Sunday School? No. It is not. I don't understand not understanding that the majority of business conducted in Multi level marketing is "obligatory" in that it is family and friends who are only buying the crap because they love the person selling it, not because they feel that it is their favorite way to buy mascara. Advocare is huge here, now. I cannot, simply cannot wait for it to go away.

I'm up by 4:30 but I only accomplish returning emails and reading the WSJ and local news before 6. I'm at work by 8, Sam fixes his own breakfast at the office and starts his schoolwork by 9. I am a morning person, though, and you may not be! One of my friends works evenings and home schools her kids. They are all night owls. My son loves staying over there because their schoolwork happens late, they hang out all night reading and playing music and sleep until late morning. They are accomplished, results oriented and successfully on an alternative schedule! I think sometimes sleeping late is misrepresented.

Me, too. I don't believe a retirement is in our future. Maybe a time when we don't work 27 days out of the month would be nice.

I live in a neighborhood with a subdivision that is an over 55 community (Del Webb) which is one of the fastest growing communities in the country. We share a walking trail and I happen to be a real estate agent so I get to talk to them. Most of them love it there and we love having them. They volunteer their butts off! There is an elementary school across the street from their subdivision and they read to the kids, eat lunch with them and provide food for backpacks for kids who don't have food when they go home from school.they have little golf carts and can ride them to the grocery, lots of restaurants and tons of shopping. Those old people are a crazy bunch and they do love to party. ;) their little houses are pricey and the homeowners association is crazy high but they get a lot for their money. The ones who are unhappy and tend to move are the ones who dislike all the rules or desire more privacy. I found another home for a sweet little couple who needed a shop so the husband could work on his woodwork. Who can blame them? They were pretty introverted, too, so it probably wasnt a great fit for them. I believe it is a personality thing and I think many of them are simply thinking of a good place to live when one of them dies and leaves the other alone. It is a nice thought to have a safe, active place for the one left alone. Me? I don't see myself doing it. I don't think I could handle the rules.

One more, seitan doesn't contain soy, at least it shouldn't.

Oh, tofu is better and has a friendlier texture if you freeze it overnight and thaw a day or so before you cook with it, unless you are using smooth or silken tofu and you don't freeze it first. Soft tofu is good for sauces, anything milky.

The seitan can be substituted for anything you might do with chicken, I suppose. Chop it up and add Veganaise (best thing ever created on the whole dang planet) some chopped green onion, maybe pecans and dried cranberries and you have a mock chicken salad. I think there's a recipe on my blog mywildveganways.com. Tofu is great as a scramble with salt and pepper, maybe some nutritional yeast, turmeric for color and because its darn good for you, and some Earth Balance as a scrambled egg substitute! We like sliced avocado and thinly sliced onions on top. I'm heading out for a run and am going to blast you with some recipes when I get back. :) you can do this.

We're vegan and I really don't care for protein powders. I do love real food. No dietician is necessary unless you all are endurance athletes or have special protein needs. Maybe go back to eating fish (salmon would be great) for a while and eat vegan most of the time so you simply don't have the stress. Make your own seitan as a great protein source, I just learned how to make it in my crockpot and we've been eating Reuben sandwiches all week. Of course there are zillions of opinions on lowering heart disease risk, just choose the one that makes sense to you. :) I don't think there's only one correct or most effective way, just the one that works for you now. I'm vegan, my husband has added fish back in to his diet, we make it work. :) let me know if I can help you. :)

What about something from the Man Booker Prize list? http://www.themanbookerprize.com/ It might be a great new journey into a different culture for the group. Adiche's Americanah is fabulous. Lowland by Jhumpah Lahiri would be wonderful. I'm reading a book by Ruth Ozeki now simply because her newest book is on the 2014 list and when I went to order it, I saw an older book she'd written that looked like something I'd be into now.

I am usually presentable unless it is after 8:00 pm and then I'm in pajamas. No one who knows me would visit me after 8! I work 7 days a week so, yes, I get fully freaking dressed every morning. My house? Well, we don't have bugs. We have had housekeepers but it seems to stress me out more so we clean it ourselves now. The house is currently for sales so it's staying pretty darn presentable. When my kids were young and all were at home we never had a presentable home. We had science projects and were on swim teams year round, we ate all day while we did schoolwork, had zillions of library books and 10 or 12 of our own sitting on every table... It was messy and crazy and the happiest time I can remember.

Presentable is relative

Happy birthday! I hope it is fabulous!

When I took Ambien I went a little insane. I switched to melatonin, which isn't quite as magical but helps, and now I make sure I get 1 hour of cardio, try to get a hour of hot yoga, and consume no sugar or caffeine after 1:00 pm. Most of the time I sleep like crazy. Good luck, it is hard.

:crying: I have to do something in my head to get through difficult conversations, especially when people are angry or simply crazy. I have a lot of those conversations, I manage property. While people are talking at me I imagine spitting water up into the air like a fountain and it soothes me. Now who might be crazy?

I'm a delinquent, want proof? Giving Bill Gates a run for his money. School? Escuela? Bipity bopity boo! Been there, done that. My mom's crazy. School's crazy. Why aren't you at church? Why aren't you at mass? Why aren't you at the mosque? Why aren't you at camp? Why aren't you on vacation? Why aren't you wearing blue today? I'm on strict Don't Ask, Don't Tell orders. If I told you, I would have to kill you. (start crying) (take a drink and spit water on the floor like a fountain) (start doing fake sign language like that interpreter did at the Nelson Mandela memorial) I'm in a mood, I will think of some more :glare:

I would be tempted to mow words into the front yard. Maybe our spelling list for next week? Tell them to kiss your behind.

I am a huge Jane Fonda fan. I have never seen any Jane Fonda yoga but I'm sure it's fantastic. Have you seen her Ted Talk? http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_fonda_life_s_third_act

Ive never been disappointed with the quality of anything from Title Nine. They have a lot of the Prana products, if that helps any, and I think the suit I wear all the time came from Title Nine but is Prana. It's a good suit, I'm on year 2 with it with heavy use.

Uuuuugggghhhhh!i cannot seem to get to yoga! I know it's my fault for not making it the most important think I do in a day. Work has been crazy! My personal house showed twice yesterday which meant I had to run home and clean it? : O I hosted the sales meeting yesterday, and my son's social schedule is keeping me running hither and yon. I am scheduled at 5 today. We wil see....

I enjoyed the introvert one, too. We did a series on personality differences in our sales meetings and used that talk in the meeting. It was helpful.

Kiss My Face Peaches and Cream

Not sure why I needed to hit submit so many times.

The Lisa Bu Ted Talk got me thinking about comparative reading. It sounds like a fantastic way to get into a time, era, culture, perspective, etc. interesting concept, I may try it.

The Lisa Bu Ted Talk got me thinking about comparative reading. It sounds like a fantastic way to get into a time, era, culture, perspective, etc. interesting concept, I may try it.

http://www.ted.com/talks/maysoon_zayid_i_got_99_problems_palsy_is_just_one Okay, one more I absolutely love. Have you seen "I Got 99 Problems and Palsy's Just One?"