Wow. Ya just never know does ya?

Hmmm, does that mean that Tooty and Natalie are here too? Eeek! Funny, I was just thinking about "Blair" because I was rummaging through the Christmas books looking for her Advent book. We met her in real life at a Homeschool Convention once....nice lady!

Would our Tarantula (Vladd) count? It's older than the children, heck, DH had it before he had me, lol. Great pet...fascinating to watch when it's actually doing something, quiet, no mess, no fuss, eats once a month (crickets). Every couple years sheds it's skin and we get to examine it close up without the threat of being impaled. Therefore, educational. Where do I collect my $3,500? Oh, and how about fish? We had a tank full but they kept dying and I got tired of trying to figure out why so we have an empty dry tank right now, but I'd gladly work on the problem more if I could get $3,500 for each.....I think we typically have a dozen and then they have babies, half of which live. So is it how many pets on April 15? Wonder how you time the birth of fish? :lol: Sheesh....silliness aside.....instead of pets, how about giving us a little more tax break for raising all these very expensive children? My DH is working from home today and he said this may be the government way to stop the population growth....if having a pet gets you more of a tax break eventually than having children, we'd have less kids to have to build schools for..........hmmmmmmm much more subtle than China. :tongue_smilie:

Variations of this dream are very common......according to several books I've read over the years about interpreting dreams (years ago I had some very disturbing recurring dreams and really needed to know the whys): Failing a test, not being able to get to the test (i.e. can't find the classroom) means that something in your life is (or you feel it is) under scrutiny and making you uncomfortable. It's a lack of self esteem or confidence. Or you feel unprepared for a challenge, or just unprepared for what is happening or coming in your life. In other words, it's not about the test itself, it's about your not feeling ready/prepared. Another interpretation is that you feel that you are being judged in waking life and although you think that you are being unfairly judged the dream is telling you that you need to reexamine either the issue being judged, or perhaps you need to examine an aspect of your life that you are neglecting (sometimes this can be a physical or mental health issue that is being neglected). You could be feeling guilty about neglecting something in your personal or professional life. Dreams are not a forebearer of the future, they are your subconcious mind giving you clues to how you are behaving or feeling that is putting you out of balance. When you are not having dreams that you can recall in the morning it may mean that your life is closer to balance. Take it for what it is.....one segment of society who believes that they can interpret everyone's dreams and come up with a handful of common themes to tie them all into, lol. Makes some sense.....I tend to dream or at least remember my dreams a lot more when life is bumpy, and I sleep better, i.e. don't wake up from dreams or even remember dreams when life is going smoothly.

Wait, we have another celebrity.....see, when you think of these people as just "friends on the Internet" it's hard to remember that they are actually bonafide famous folk. REE DRUMMOND (aka Pioneer Woman). I sent in a suggestion that my library order her cookbook......and lo and behold they already had AND there were already 4 people ahead of me on the holds lists....and it's not even released yet! (comes out October 27). Oh, and just now when I went to verify how many people were ahead of me....yes, I'm number 5, but there are now 11 holds!! And I thought they only had one copy on-order, because I was thinking 3 weeks x 4 people it would be next year before I see this book....and now there are THREE copies. Yep...Ree is definitely a celebrity in our midst. And to think I knew her when she just had a simple little website that she posted her recipes and photos of Marlboro Man. Of course she doesn't know me from a hole in the wall, lol, but that's not important right?

They actually will let you visit and BUY, but they add a 5% surcharge (or they do in our area, but here the competition is fierce as Costco is just a few blocks away). Definitely wander through and see if the items that you use are carried by Sam's......we mostly get their meat and dairy as far as food goes......and then also the health & beauty (feminine products are 1/2 the cost of Walmart) and paper products. Those alone save us more than our business membership costs. We don't do much canned foods, so there are only a few things we get in the rest of the food section (spices, coffee, tea). Heck, just the savings for that big bag of Halloween candy makes me happy we have a membership....and I guess that makes the kids in the neighborhood happy because otherwise I'd not be handing it out if I had to pay Walmart's prices for a small bag.

My most requested recipe.

ETA I'm an idiot...I didn't read down the thread far enough. Slinking out............

Famous people...yep, every once in a while she posts here...and hey, she also advertises her newest products here, but I don't think I've ever seen her bash the competition (but sometimes her very polite reviews don't help them either, lol)....yes, folks I'm talking about the UBER famous Susan Bauer. After that who else could we possibly need! ConnieB....or am I? :lol:

:grouphug:

If what is lacking in her living situation is emotional it's not going to improve if you plant ideas in her head that she should (or is) unhappy with her living situation. I would say that if anything you should strive to be the emotional support that she needs....and eventually she will come to the conclusion on her own where she wants to be. She may not be able to put into words WHY she feels better at your house, but when your emotional needs aren't being met you just know it....and then when they are met, you know that as well. Again, maybe not the whys, just that this person makes you feel better to be around, etc etc. If you try to manipulate her feelings, especially into feeling negative about a situation that as far as she knows she has no control over, you will only be hurting her emotionally. And obviously that's the last thing you want to do. Show her by example that your home is a safe haven for her, that while there are rules there is also an abundance of love and security even when she breaks the rules or screws up. Unconditional love. When she feels that from you she will know it is a positive place. If she feels that she can't tell you about something because you'll just badmouth Grandma, she'll clam up and not feel that she can talk to you about some things. That's not meeting anyone's emotional needs to have to be careful what you say to someone....that's why so many of us consider our husbands to be our best friends, because we know we can say anything and not be judged nor put down or made to feel negative or hopeless. I count on his unconditional love and understanding even when he disagrees with me, as much as count on air to breath.

Pasta is always cheap, easy and quick...and there are GF pastas. Canned sauce of course since you don't have all day to make it fresh, but our store carries some decent organic choices for those times I don't cook it. Pair it with a green salad....or if the kids won't do salad, how about a veggie tray with some dip. Dip can be bought ready made or easily whipped up with some yogurt (or sour cream) and spices. It's a great one to put the kids to doing while you boil the pasta and heat the sauce. Or, if you have time for a little longer work, chicken/veggie stir fry. I prefer doing it with fresh ingredients, but you can find ready mix of veggies in the frozen section, add some chicken and dinner in about 20 minutes. Or take out, lol.

JC Penney is the only store that I've ever found CAK comforters...we don't use bed skirts, so sorry can't tell you if they have bed skirts. Also, you can find a much larger selection online: http://www.blanketwarehouse.com/calking.htm http://www.jcpenney.com/products/C053105.jsp http://www.preciousbedding.com/california-king-bedskirts-c-53.html http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Bedskirts/California-King,/size,/11248/subcat.html http://www.linensontheweb.com/NoFrame/Products/Luxury-California-King-Bedskirts1.html

I guess I'll have to go back and listen more carefully (right now the kids and friends are in the room and very noisy, lol), because I missed that I guess. Are they saying they knew before the balloon even went up that this was going to happen? That's criminal, in the same way that the family knew. But if it's that the media played into the ego of the family and blew the story up into more dramatic than it should have been, well, sadly, that's normal news for some of these stations.

Ok, what I took that sentence to mean (and I'm still listening to and reading this link) was that for the past 2 weeks the media and the family were planning this.....THAT is what I would be want the media person arrested for.....not for the media doing their normal over-blown job. It would be the advance knowledge that it was going to happen that would be criminal, not just feeding this family's ego after the fact. In fact, in some ways it's the media's insatiable attention that brought the truth to light.....had the media simply reported that the kid was found safe and moved on we'd have never known....it was the family going on all these TV shows that opened that box. Of course, that's also very typical.....many criminals are eventually caught because of their own inability to just let it be......how many murderers were turned in by someone that they bragged about it to who had the decency to call the police. Or, like happened here, have retold the story so many times and their ego keeps pumping them up to where they start slipping and forgetting the story that they are supposed to be telling. Police procedures are very good at getting people to talk in interviews.....in this case they let the media do it for them first.....and then I'll wager that in that several hour long interview with the Dad at the Sheriff's office they continued their "we believe you" stance and let Dad spin a bigger and bigger web of lies. People watching the dozens of different news clips were already catching the Dad in some questionable details.....things that normally you could let go until the bigger question starts you going back and rewatching those previous stories and seeing the discrepancy in a brighter light. Dad would have gotten away with it all had he simply asked the media to give his family some privacy to be with his son and go through the emotions of finding him safe. That's what most people do after a missing child is found....not give interviews, lol. Me....I'd need an hour or two of just holding that child close before I could even begin to speak clearly. As it was unfolding and they didn't find the boy in the balloon and discussion was that he may have fallen out just the image of that horrific death for anyone, but especially for a small child, made me need to get a hug from my kids. To some extent that's the reaction I typically have when I hear about a child being hurt or missing....I want reassurance that my kids are ok. This is a very sad situation for those boys....no one should have to watch their parents being arrested (which actually they haven't even had to watch yet, but will tomorrow or Tuesday) and having all the lies play out so publicly. But, it could also be the turning point in their young lives to learning about honesty, as it sure doesn't sound like they've learned much about it previously.

Ok, I haven't read everything at the link yet, but in the main story I'm not seeing where the media was a part of the lies? Honestly, if that's the case, then I think the MEDIA folks better be arrested as well! THEIR part in such a thing would be almost worse to me....I know better than to trust the media, but there is a part of us all that want to believe them and this just makes me want to never watch the news again.

[/url] Well, the Sheriff has finally come to the conclusion that it was a hoax.....I know last night he said he was filing charges, but still couldn't quite say the word hoax.....now he finally has. About time. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_balloon_boy And they are going all out in their recommendations for charges: He said he expected to recommend charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, making a false report to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. Some of the most serious charges each carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Child Protective Services is investigating the children's "well being". Even though the children were a part of the lie, no charges are being filed against them because of their age. I'm glad about that, as I think it's obvious to everyone who watched Falcon barf on TV twice that HE is already feeling guilty about his part it in, but like a "good son" he did what he was told. I just hope that these boys gets some guidance about how to choose between doing what's right and doing what an adult tells you to do. A VERY difficult concept for children to handle....heck, even some adults have trouble with the "what's right vs. what your boss tells you". I also hope that Falcon gets some help for even more emotions he's going to have to deal with over the next many months as he watches his parents go through the legal system and all because of his comment. I'm sure that's not going to be easy to handle for someone so young, and it's going to take a lot of help for him to understand that the fault for the parents going to jail is on the parents, not on a little boy for telling the truth (or slipping the truth out accidently). I see a very mixed up kid if this isn't handled correctly. Also a bit worried about the other two boys....I totally understand that they lied because they were told to do so by their parents.....but the fact that they did not even react when Falcon slipped up was brought up many times as pointing to it NOT being a lie.....and now of course that gets turned around to the thought that these boys are so GOOD or at least so COMFORTABLE at lying that they don't react when someone screws up and their lie is exposed. Another thing that I read was that the police were called to the house sometime last year for a domestic dispute....the wife had a slight injury but refused to press charges so everything was dropped (sadly very common in abuse cases). Makes you wonder if part of the reason the kids lied so easily was fear. Shudder. Well, this story is going to be widespread for a long time....I hope that it plays out better for the children than my skeptical brain is jumping to conclusions. Ok...and how many of us are also sighing with relief that this family didn't homeschool? I know with their rather offbeat lifestyle there was questions early on about it, and of course we all worry when the homeschool card is played, lol. :001_huh: The sad part was that this dad seemed to be teaching his kids a lot of science after school, normally a great thing and something sorely lacking in the average public school family.....it's all the other stuff he was teaching that was the bad part.

No, no, no, that's Carly Simon. :tongue_smilie:

Well, it'd have to be lots of money, lol, but...I'd travel to everywhere around the world that we've studied....and then hit the places we haven't! On a more realistic....probably piano, art, Latin lessons THen I'd find a philospher to talk with the kids on a level I can't even fathom, lol.

Is this book appropriate for a mystery loving just-barely teenager? ETA: Yes, I do know the story revolves around Richard III and whether he killed his nephews, so obviously a bit gruesome....but is it too much for a teen? We have already studied Richard III so they know of the story, and we've seen the Shakespeare play.

Have you seen this: http://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/tv.tvguide.com/tlc-turned-down-heene-family-reality-show-pitch-20091016 Apparently the family pitched an idea for a "reality" show on their lives but was turned down a few months ago. Hmmmm, perhaps if they were in the news then they'd be more appealing to the TV folks? After all Jon & Kate is now cancelled, lol....the airwaves need another wacky family to fill in. The sad thing is that some station somewhere is gonna think they're gold because of the publicity (think octo mom) regardless of whether it's for the right reasons. Ugh.....there are few enough decent shows to watch.

How about charcoal briquets?

Very true....perhaps the Sheriff knew this family well enough to know that they'll be hitting all the major news shows and media and they're just bidding their time to wait for the family to hang themselves, lol. As always the timing of these things move so swiftly that it's hard to judge it from this side of the TV, lol. It was obvious that the Sheriff had a reason for "agreeing" with the family and you may have hit the nail on the head here. Let the family do their own hanging. I just watched that video again and my heart still aches for that little boy.....his guilt must be huge.

I respectfully disagree with your reasoning.....I most certainly couldn't afford to pay for a police department to be out searching for my lost child (not even considering the costs for the FAA, National Guard, etc)....but I would never hesitate to call the police to potentially save my child's life....I'll figure out the finances later. Honestly, I doubt that finances would even enter my thought process if my child were missing....my attention would be on getting help finding them. I feel the same way about medical....I would never in a million years withhold medical care because I couldn't afford it.....save my child (or my husabnd, or even myself) and then I'll figure out how to pay for it. They don't make you pay for a rescue that isn't needed if it's just a mistake, they don't even make you pay when it's because you had poor judgment, otherwise the idiots who climb our local mountains with a single bottle of water in 100+ degree weather and have to be rescued/air lifted out would all be very poor right now.....or the idiots who try to drive across rushing washes in a storm and get their vehicle stuck would have to pay for the rescue teams that risk THEIR live to save you. But they don't.......it's the lie part that makes you financially liable. As for convicting this family on the statement of one little boy, no, that's not right either.....but if you watch all the different statements made by the Dad you'll see that he changes significant parts of his story. Liars tend to have a hard time keeping their stories straight. I don't know that the police will have enough solid evidence to prove it in a court of law....but the public eyes have seen a lot of conflicting stories. No I don't believe that the public always has the whole story....but we have enough pieces of VIDEO which prove damaging to the family's version of the story. Print stories are different because you can blame bad/distorted reporting, but video where Dad says he was inside when the balloon went up, and then later he wasn't....ummm, so which was it? And several other little things that by themselves may not be any big deal......but added together they make very heavy circumstantial evidence. Again, not necessarily enough to convict crimimally because circumstantial evidence is weighed different in a criminal case, but it's not looking good outside a criminal case. That family is just lucky that none of the rescuers were injured....because in a civil case, that circumstantial evidence would very likely be enough for a personal injury case against the family due to fraud. (Think OJ Simpson.....not enough to criminally convict him, but the civil conviction was much easier to prove and win).

I definitely think they should be paying for the "rescue" fees. Our local police and fire department will charge the parents if their kids make repeated 911 calls as pranks......this "rescue" was obviously much larger in scope and the cost to the taxpayers is going to be extremely high. So, yeah, if they lied they should pay. I have mixed feelings about the kids.....yes, the father certainly is a poor example of a parent for three young boys, but if you took away all the kids from all the parents who have made a lot of bad judgments or choices, well, we wouldn't have enough land to build enough orphanages. It made me feel the need for a "bucket" watching that poor boy vomit over his obvious guilt about his part in the lie. But even more sickening was watching, and then listening when the camera finally moved back to Meredith was the Dad only looking a little uncomfortable about the boy vomiting beside him, but kept going with the interview and then his comment about "take him away". Sorry, but I'd have told Meredith I had to stop right now, go take care of the boy and then come back. Instead Dad is now in the limelight and talking a mile a minute, certainly outwardly not showing much concern about his son. Relishing his limelight actually. Then later when the same topic arises, was it a lie....the kid gets sick again. Hmmmm, it shouldn't take a detective to figure out that something's not right. I'm amazed that the Sheriff seems to be beliving them still.....unless that is so that they can appear sympathic towards the family until they can get the Dad in for more questioning. But I'm not quite understanding why that questioning didn't happen last night....no reason to be putting it off and letting Dad come up with more lame excuses. I don't get the logic, even considering a 6 year olds logic, about the boy showing his hiding place to reporters as being "the show" the kid was talking about. I do however think that the law should be enforced for the fraud that has happened. If the parents don't have a criminal history this could result in just fines and probation.....if either have criminal history there is a possibility of jail time. That's not going to do the kids any good to have one or both parents in jail, but then again, letting the parents get away with such a trick isn't going to be positive for impressionable young boys. It sounds like this family isn't your most upstanding as it is, letting them get away with such a thing is going to leave the boys to believe that if you are clever enough.......