My girl is 6 and in PS. We've had some 'girl drama' so far, mostly about who is playing with who today, but not the outright meanness and deceptiveness you describe. I would wonder if the culture at that particular school makes such behavior accepted and if it might get worse as they get older.

A physical therapist can do/teach exercises to relax the jaw.

I think several divorces I know of came about because one spouse went through a change of some kind. They felt that they were not the person they used to be, and the spouse also felt that they were so different that it was as if they had married a different person. I don't know why people go through changes like that. Maybe stress, problems that have been suppressed in the person's psyche for many years suddenly surfacing, the advent of severe mental illness, might cause something like that, but I don't know why some people change seemingly suddenly and the rest of us evolve over time. I guess sometimes it is voluntary, like choosing to change in a direction away from the spouse because of a lack of commitment to the marriage, and sometimes these things are out of the person's control.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! Just to add, the floors are hardwood (we ripped out the ancient carpet when we moved in) and we painted all the walls. The mattresses & pillows are encased in supposedly allergy-proof covers. I mop the floor with the Bona stuff, and dust with Trader Joe's cleaner.

Ordinary extraordinary ordinary, haha! How far can we go with this? As for Bob Marley, I have read this and I believe it, but I think there are those out there who either don't believe it or think that it wasn't his free choice. I feel bound to say that, in honesty.

My DS 8 has asthma. He is on a lot of meds which keep him from wheezing, and I keep his room very dust-free. The problem is, that when DD and I are in his room, we have started coughing and sneezing! We don't have asthma. I don't think it affects DS because he is so souped up on all his meds, but I want to solve this situation before it does affect him! Can you give me any suggestions for improvement? 1. His room: It gets vacuumed and mopped regularly and all surfaces get dusted. He doesn't have much clutter since Legos get swept up and put away regularly. Just a few stuffed animals that get washed every so often. Under his bed are plastic containers with all his Legos, these containers get removed and I clean under the bed regularly. One wicker basket with toys and 2 canvas boxes with Legos. His mattresses and pillows have allergy-proof covers. Note: it's bunkbeds.The heating system has a filter which gets changed regularly. Bureau and wall shelves and windowsill get dusted. Venetian blinds get dusted. 2. his closet: has clothes hanging and shelves for extra blankets, sheets. 3. storage area at the back of his closet. This is a triangular-shaped area under the stairs. When we moved in it was plywood floor and drywall walls, and some empty spaces leading to inside the walls. I covered the floor with tile from Lowe's, not leaving any plywood exposed. I painted all the drywall. I put that spray stuff in all the cracks to seal them. I put duct tape over areas that couldn't be covered any other way. In this storage area are: plastic covered box with flattened Lego cardboard boxes, open cardboard boxes with 1. school papers 2. Lego building guides 3. cardboard cutout animals. Can you see anything that could be improved? I wonder if I ought to give the walls of the storage area another coat of paint. I do try to clean it all regularly, but I have just have done another deep clean and it hasn't seemed to help. I have all his sheets & blankets & stuffed animals going through the wash right now with hot water. Thank you all!!

Yes, what is an Ordinary? Is it the same as the Papal Nuncio?

This happened to me, years ago, but just one side-- I was freaked out, so I called a relative who is a neurologist-- he said take some Motrin and see if it will go away. It went away & never came back. He said nerves get irritated sometimes and it is not a big deal. So you could try Motrin while you are waiting, but I would still go in, because if it doesn't go away it could be serious.

Just to change the subject for a moment... it is very sad when someone divorces. But the person at that moment may be feeling better than they have for a long time. They may have been suffering a lot without anyone knowing, and now that it has happened, and it is finally over, it is not as bad as what they were going through. They might feel relieved and even have times of happiness and hope. Even if the divorce was not their own idea. They might have been too ashamed to tell anyone how bad things were, and now that it is public knowledge, they feel that it is not as bad as they expected, having everyone know. Best wishes for your friends.

This is a really important point. Thanks for pointing it out.

I feel uncomfortable with this situation because he agreed just to up and leave, seemingly so easily. I hope he is not keeping some thoughts of getting back at her or hurting someone or damaging something.

Mommaduck, you belong to a LOT of social groups!

DS8 wants me to recommend you find a way to glue or stick them together. :)

I think the pictures refer to archetypes that recur throughout human history in art and literature. In that sense they might be interesting academically, but I would not at all see them as comparable to icons, which are very specific.

Oh my, I had no idea anybody noticed my posts particularly. :) And I apologize if my non-Catholic chimings in took the thread in a different direction-- sometimes I think we are similar enough that what happens over here in the EO can also be relevant there, and vice versa, and probably they look pretty much the same to someone outside of either... Anyway, is he going to be Francis or Francisco? I heard Francisco but then I suppose that was in Latin? And why are Jesuits black? Inquiring minds...

White smoke. Yes, I wonder what it means for us Orthodox? Maybe we should be on the lookout for an American Patriarch? Or perhaps a new universal Council is brewing?

Congratulations! Many years!

Our priest was offered a gift of a BMW from a kind parishioner who owns a car dealership. Priest refused. Parishioner said, I could get you an older secondhand model. Priest said he could not be seen driving a BMW, even if he took a hammer to it first and made it look really dented & old & junky. Parishioner said but BMW is a reliable car so it would need less repairs and save money in the long haul. Priest said no, thank you, you are very kind but I can not be seen driving a BMW of any stripe! So priest drives a second hand American van which has been recalled 5 times and caught fire once and exuded smoke twice. I'm not sure if this story is relevant but maybe it shows some of the issues of everyday life for clergy.

I think both married and celibate priests can have good advice to offer.

Yes! I need a T shirt that says this: IT'S WHEREVER YOU LEFT IT!

Just to correct some misconceptions about clergy marriage in the EO: No, EO priests do not have to be married. They CAN marry, but they must do so before they are ordained. After ordination, no marrying is allowed. You can imagine, this creates some stress on the seminarians who are single and do not feel a call to celibacy but have not met the right lady yet. Priests and Deacons can not marry after they are ordained. Subdeacons, however, can. That is why sometimes seminarians are ordained subdeacon, so they can start participating in the subdeacon role in the services, but they are still free to marry.

I think some of us can have a civil conversation about it, and some can't. ;) Now I'm speaking as someone in an anomalous position, because I am a former Catholic, yet I am well-disposed toward the RCC. Like many of us, I was brought up in the 1970s and the catechism was abysmal. I had no idea what the faith was about. None at all. At our church there were 2 priests who were later shown to have severe problems (not p*dophila, but owning illegal weapons, and drug addiction). Monsignor was the one who bravely turned them in. Anyway, that is why the mass seemed so dull-- those folks were just trying to make it through the day. :( I left at age 18 and spent a long time exploring evangelical churches before I landed in the EO 18 years ago, and I am quite happy where I am. ( So I will just admire from a distance.) Ironically it was only from outside that I began to appreciate the RCC. And, I truly believe that if I had received good teaching, I would have stayed RC, and I wouldn't have looked for anything else, and I wouldn't be writing to you right now, because I would have gone out to join Mother Teresa. :) Here's what I love about it: Tradition, Strong doctrine, appreciation for the scope of Christians in history (saints & martyrs), stability, Devotion to Pro-Life issues, charitable works and agencies (hospitals, schools, Catholic Charities), monasticism. Here's what I think can improve: Teaching and catechism, because there are Catholics who would say, like my grandmother, who went to church every week of her life: "I'm a Catholic but I don't believe in God" and this seems quite normal to them. And, accountability for priests' behavior. [i've seen EO priests receive consequences for much more minor behavior than I've read about occurring-though I'm not claiming EO is perfect in this regard either.] I also am happy to see some movement toward relationships with the EO and other Christians. I'm not always partial to Catholic architecture in the U.S. either. (sorry!)

popealarm??? :D

We donated, not banked.

For DD here's what I did: I had a good cry, prayed, and then took castor oil. It was at 40 wks 6 days when my BP had started to go up and I was due to be evaluated for it. This worked like a charm, but I was already 3 cms when I started, so I don't know if it would work if the cx was still closed. Weak contractions started within 20 minutes, then went away so i could go to sleep that night, then woke me up in the middle of the nite & I had maybe 5 hours of real labor. I didn't mind being in the bathroom at home feeling the effects of the castor oil, it didn't bother me personally. I don't remember the dose I took though. Good luck! Hope you have a beautiful delivery, however it happens!