Exactly. If the only consequence is Mom wringing her hands and groaning, why should they change their behavior? And this will not get better as time goes by. Believe me, it will take an enormous amount of stress off your shoulders to be very matter of fact about their vandalism and lack of respect. Stop looking at it emotionally. Tell them if they destroy something, THEY WILL WORK TO REPLACE IT. They're getting something out of this, take that gratification away.

No. My mother believes that everything I do is wrong, so why help her out in any way? :) I do confide in my godmother, though. She is a very good friend and loves the kids like they are her own.

I did a modified version of extreme couponing with the Grocery Game (google it) a few months ago. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. The VAST majority of coupons, I would say on average 95%, were for pure junk. And I'm not a food purist. We're talking just absolute junk that I would buy simply because I could get it for a huge discount, sometimes even free. However, we don't eat that stuff. And I found that the coupons that are talked about in extreme couponing are junk, for the most part. Not for feeding a family on a relatively good diet of good food. You can get just as good deals eating healthily by following your local store's coupons. Rarely, if ever, do coupons come out in the Sunday papers that are for anything but junk and processed food.

When was this EVER a real friendship? This person has insulted you, treated you and your husband like dirt, and humiliated you in public, all in the name of his religion. He is not a godly man, he is not someone you want around you AT ALL. I'm shocked that this is even something to be considered. Why on EARTH would you willingly invite such poison back into your life? :confused:

I have a special needs son. If he is able to work at a grocery store when he is old enough, it will be hard for me to stay away because I will be so proud of him. That being said, I think I should start contributing to a special "Get Mommy Out of Jail" fund, because if someone treated my son that way they would be having my fist in places they had never before experienced. :glare:

Folks - here is a nicely organized list of websites related to the earthquake, including how to help, message boards for those effected, etc. Helpful websites for Japan earthquake information

Many, MANY of our friends we used to do things with are now divorced, or moved away. We never go out by ourselves, in fact, I don't think we've had more than five actual dates in more than 10 years. We have a special needs child so we can't trust any babysitters and every time we're out socially (church, for example) he takes up all of my attention so I don't make friends very easily. My husband is VERY extroverted, and I am not, so I actually encourage him to do things without me, since we can't both go to these things anyway. It works.

Thank you, I will do that!

thank you everyone! We are on an IEP, and I'm wondering if we should bother to go to our IEP meeting next month. We're not planning on taking advantage of any of the services, such as they are, and he only gets twenty minutes of speech therapy a week anyway, so that's a complete loss. Anyone have experience dealing with an IEP and homeschooling? Do we have to keep getting him evaluated through the school district, or do the laws regarding testing in Oregon (which are only every three years) apply to him?

Hey yall - So after six months of movies everyday, absolutely no learning whatsoever, and teacher/student bullying, we are pulling out our special needs kid this week. We are in Oregon, and as far as I know after reading all the various statutes,all I need to do is write a letter of intent to the ESD. However, I'm a bit confused on whether or not we need to continue with his IEP. We don't plan on accessing the middle school for any more services, but we might in high school. Do I include the fact that he is on an IEP in the letter, or.....something else? The wording in the law content is a bit ambiguous. Thanks!

Voted!

Yes. I was wondering if there were any of us out there! My mom calls me every week to tell me everything that her two wonderful sons (my brothers) have done. She makes sure that I know that they have NOT moved away, and that they are at her beck and call and take care of her whenever she needs them to do anything. She also makes sure that their accomplishments are always outshadowing anything I do; for example, my youngest brother is graduating from college this year. She is throwing a huge three day party for him, complete with hotel reservations, dinners, etc. I graduated this year as well, and I got a Congratulations card after my godmother (who I consider my real mom) called her and said she should at least do something to commemorate the fact that I graduated. It's really sick, but it's the way things have always been, and this (among many other things) is why I avoid my mother.:tongue_smilie:

thanks Linda! I'll do that. :001_smile:

Anyone ever done anything with these guys? http://www.classicalconversations.com/ The program looks fantastic. I have a friend who will be doing it next year with her two girls. Basically, you meet once a week and use much of the same curriculum that is in in TWTM; they use SWB's history books as their history curriculum. I'm thinking about doing this with my 10 year old next year. Thoughts? Experiences?

Anyone else getting the scene from Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan in their heads right now? You know, THAT CERTAIN SCENE that I can't watch with my eyes open? Yeah, probably shouldn't have opened this thread. :lol:

Nothing to add, but watching this thread since we're in the exact same situation. :bigear:

This is exactly why we ended firing our accountants and doing our taxes ourselves. They refused to take even minimal deductions, like medical expenses, because there was that big "possible audit" flag they always kept bringing up. Unless you are really, really complicated, tax-wise, there's nothing that you need an accountant for as far as taxes are concerned.

THANK YOU for posting this. We have a special needs child in the school district right now and we're pulling him out because of many things; bullying by other special needs kids, no instruction most days, full length movies EVERY SINGLE DAY, etc. It's a glorified babysitting service. I've been fighting for the most basic services for years and have been completely ignored; I guess they'll stop ignoring me when I pull him out and they lose all that lovely special education money.:tongue_smilie:

Yep, I've got a published book out. It's at most libraries, Barnes and Noble, etc. A lot of universities and libraries use it as part of their curriculum, it really needs to be updated but my publisher won't do it right now. :tongue_smilie:

All that site, and others like it, are doing is rounding up all the information that you've already got online. Nothing sinister about it, but it is a good reminder that the Interwebs is actually *not* the most private of spaces. :)

Haven't read any of the other replies, but seeing as adoption costs massive money that we don't have, and someone offered me a baby out of the blue, with little to no cost, I would jump on it.

Working on a crocheted blanket for my oldest, third of three. Then I've got a fantastically complicated Christmas stocking I'll be cross-stitching all year for my middle kiddo (third of three). I also paint, do scrapbooking, and paper crafts!

I don't think there's any "tactful" way to say something about other people's choices that they have made for their lives that are obviously THEIR choices for THEIR kids, especially since we have also made OUR choices for OUR kids, and it's THEIR choice if they want to have a certain size of house or or go to work. I find this kind of thought process utterly unappealing and somewhat judgmental. Just because someone works outside the home doesn't mean they are less of a parent.

This might be just where I'm at geographically, but around here it's considered gauche to enjoy being around your kids. You are expected to whine and carry on about how awful parenting is and how you can't get through the day without at least a couple glasses of wine. It took me a long time to figure out this mentality and I just avoid those people.

What in the world does your mother do that she makes that much? Please forgive my boldness, but my jaw dropped. Literally.