What if you made trips worth a certain number of points. Like less than 5 miles, 1 point. 5-10, 2 points, 10-20 3 points. Then you just have to note how many points instead of messing with mileage. I would find that easier. Each person pays $x per point.

We have threads sometimes about this topic- keeping kids active inside in bad weather- and I am very interested in the topic because we live in a cold climate and I have high energy kids! I saw a trampoline at a jump place the other day that was small enough to be used inside! It says ages 3-10, but my 1 yo loves it too. It feels pretty safe with the net. It's 7 feet across and not quite 7 feet tall. We put it in the basement and the kids have been loving it! Anyway, I hadn't seen this suggested before so I thought others might be interested! http://www.walmart.com/ip/7FT-My-first-trampoline/46271762

About A Boy

Sons of Anarchy is the best show ever (IMO) but it does have sex, violence, and language. Scandal is also awesome. We are in the middle of Royal Pains right now, dh likes it more than I do. It's kindof like a medical McGyver. It has this doctor that is always improvising things in emergency situations. Someone else mentioned West Wing- I also really enjoyed that.

Oh my, YES! That is so me. I can never live up to my ideals and I have a perfectionism that is crippling. I am so good at coming up with tons of awesome ideas, but I never seem to follow through on them. I don't really have a problem relating to the people in my life (people who run in the same circles) but sometimes when I find myself in a radically different group, I do feel like an alien or something. I haven't read about the personality things for many, many years- I do remember that I am an INFP, but I don't really remember what all that means. If someone has tips on following through on all the awesome ideas, I would LOVE to hear them!

I found "bean boozled" jelly bellies just before Christmas- they have several different colors and each color comes in two flavors- a good one and a disgusting one. There is a green that could be lime or lawn clippings. A black that could be licorice or skunk spray. A speckled one that could be tutti fruiti or stinky socks. I put them in the kids' stockings and said it was the closest thing I could find in the Muggle world to Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean. My 8 year old loved it, my 5 year old did NOT. She gave hers to her brother. I tried to be a good sport and got a stinky sock. It was truly disgusting. But ds had a great time with them. I found them at Five Below.

Oh, my kids have plenty of toys that dh played with as a child. I'm thinking my MIL saved everything that was ever touched by him or his brothers. We are given tubs full of the stuff, all.the.time. Clothes, sports equipment, toys, etc. These were not particularly treasured items from dh's childhood. I don't have any kids in the Tonka truck playing stage. My oldest is beyond that, my middle is a girly girl who has no interest in trucks and the baby is too little to operate these trucks- they are huge and heavy. I also found it irritating that they made all the kids participate in unwrapping them and then kept shooing away the youngest because the crane has strings they didn't want him to pull off and the fire truck has ladders that they didn't want him to break. Did I mention that they are huge? We do not have the space for these things. I realize that there is a ton of factors that influence my feelings on this and I'm fine with the idea that other people think this would be a great gift. I don't.

I post a lot. I do avoid things that I think would hurt people, but I don't over think it. My kids are still fairly little (8,5,1) so I post cute, funny things about them. Not "OMG, my child is the most brilliant child EVER" but an adorable pic of my 8 yo reading to my 1 yo. Or just cute things that they do. Sometimes I post about homeschooling - such as a pic of my kids doing work on a day when the public schools have a snow day with a caption about how we are getting our work done on snow days, so we can take beach days later. Or that we are playing a game jumping on words that we are reading. I post things along the lines of "how is it not bedtime yet?" I also share political memes that I think are important. I share articles that I think my friends will find interesting. Today, I shared NPR's article about adolescent brain development. I have unfollowed 2 people, one because her political rants were irritating me with how constant and inflammatory they were and another was a homeschool mom who posted constantly about how wonderful her life was. I have considered blocking my MIL because of the passive/aggressive comments she makes on my statuses, but so far, my friends have convinced me not to- apparently, they always read her comments and get quite a laugh. Those are the only people that I have found irritating though.

Yes. It is up to me, no one else is going to do it. And yes, I do feel like a miserable failure. Although, the kids don't really notice, they were thrilled with their gifts and that's all they really cared about. Usually, we do some Christmassy school things in December and I also have them make a present for the grandparents, but none of that happened this year. Usually we do advent themed devotions and sing carols.....also didn't happen. And I don't really have a good reason for it not happening, nothing major has happened recently. It's just that regular life is all I can handle.

My MIL had her brother dress as Santa and come by with gifts. My 5yo's eyes got wide and she whispered to me "I guess I was wrong and Santa IS real!" The same 5 yo wrote on presents from her the number 2 instead of to. I hadn't noticed when she was wrapping, but I thought it was adorable!

My MIL gave me a box of essential oils. She knows that I do not use them. It really seemed like she's trying to force me to do what she wants. She gave the kids pillowcases and Tonka trucks that their dads had when they were growing up. (So, 30 year old Tonka Trucks)

Wow. I can't imagine paying $800 for a single room! Even if it was rather large and had a private bath. I hope she is able to work it out.

I have recognized myself in so many descriptions of kids that have executive function problems. I was totally a kid who coasted all the way through school without needing to put any effort in. I've always known that and it is why I wanted to homeschool my kids- I didn't want them to be able to coast, I want them to really grasp the material. But now I am thinking that maybe in addition to not learning how to study, I have issues with general organization and living. I mean, I do okay- but I could certainly do better. I feel overwhelmed a lot when there are a lot of events going on and things like Christmas always stress me out with all of the details to keep track of. I often can only focus on one thing at a time, and as my kids get older- I need to juggle more and more balls at once. Does anyone have any suggestions of books to read that could help me improve on this?

I think it is important for kids (girls especially) to know that someone (their parents) thinks they are beautiful. I tell my daughter that she is gorgeous all the time. I also tell her that she is thoughtful, kind, and brave. But I do believe that if they believe we think they are beautiful, it will help them find themselves beautiful. As an anecdote, my parents consciously chose to not to compliment us (my sister and I) on our looks, because they wanted us to value other attributes- kindness, intelligence, etc. I didn't really notice this, but my sister did. And she's gorgeous. In high school, she was homecoming queen, etc. Now, she's one of those effortlessly gorgeous women who fit back into their size 2 jeans immediately after giving birth! But she does have self-esteem issues, possibly because of the decision my parents made. (Maybe because she is so pretty- she felt like she was getting mixed messages- other people told her she was pretty, but her parents didn't.....perhaps that discrepancy is more to blame?)

I say you can pursue a friendship with whomever you want! Anyone who would have a problem with you being friends with one of their friends is seriously childish. Now, I would make a point to include the first friend sometimes, so it doesn't seem like you're "dumping" her.

Nice chocolate!

No one knows what the dad said to the kid later. I don't usually correct my kids in public, but I do have conversations with them about things like this afterward.

How have I never heard of this?!?! A short story he wrote 30 years ago, has been edited into a children's (teen?) book. I'm wondering if anyone has it and could tell me what ages it would be good for? The reviews say both ages 12+ in one area and grades 3-5 somewhere else. It's illustrated which would make me think it was meant for slightly younger kids. I am trying to decide if I should order it for my 3rd grade boy who loves dragon stories. Maybe I should just buy it for me and give it to him in a couple of years!

We saw The Good Dinosaur. "Meh" describes it well. I wouldn't recommend it.

I think it's pretty common with the men I know. Most of the time, it is the wife that maintains the family relationships, even with the husband's side. I always know way more about what is going on with dh's family than he does. I know it's not universal- but it's true in my family and with a lot of my friends.

We read news o matic too. My ds likes it, but he's not really into current events.

My kids recently got headbanz from a relative and I was surprised by how much fun it was!

One thing that I always want to do for my kids and nieces and nephews, but never get around to- because it's easier and faster to just order something off amazon. But, if you have more time than money..... I would find activities on Pinterest that they would love to do, include all of the supplies and instructions. It could be crafty stuff or science stuff, or even cooking/baking stuff. Whatever they like to do! There are some cool ideas for making tiny robots (like hex bugs) out of electric toothbrushes. I keep meaning to do that with my kids- they would love it.

I agree with the previous posters. You absolutely did the right thing!

Could you go there and stay in one of those extended stay hotels? Then you could visit him everyday, but wouldn't have to worry about pets and such.