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SunD

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Everything posted by SunD

  1. Right, I'm trying hard not to be judge-y because their behavior is so far outside my "normal" ... but maybe it is totally fine! That's why I wanted to post about it here. I don't really know how many men. Two frequently, sometimes together but usually not. If there's a brother or boyfriend, those would be it. Sometimes they come twice in the same day. Others I've only seen once or twice. I'd say at least two cars per day, sometimes spending the night or staying a long time but usually just an hour or so. Never at the same time. There's also one woman who visits.
  2. Okay, a few answers. No, our dog is not chained outside. He has never been. I walk him on an actual leash, as in, it is in my hand at all times. The kid gets close to tell me these outrageous stories, dancing around and yelling about a foot out of Dog's reach, and then pulls the gun when Dog barks. Or he will ride his bike slowly back and forth, making barking or meowing noises, and yell back when Dog starts to bark at him. Dog loves to play with most kids ... this one, he does not like. I saw plenty of aggressive dogs when I worked for the SPCA in a former life, and my dog is not aggressive. The only risk factor against him is having been born male, but he is neutered. I do know that she's an adult and can have whatever visitors she likes, whenever they want to come. I enjoy being an adult too. :tongue_smilie: But this is outside of my experience. When I was growing up, we lived on the corner (so anyone going down the street had to pass our house) and didn't really know our neighbors (so had no clue which cars might be friends/relatives/etc). Living here there have been literally no cars that I do not recognize unless someone is lost. That's why I'm asking this here ... maybe the visitors are normal? There are two frequent ones, sometimes together in the same car, but usually not. They might come at 6 am or at 11 pm, or anytime between, sometimes twice in the same day. Others I've only seen once or twice. They all drive very fast and none of them wave (which is weird in these parts). I don't know if they come and go after I'm asleep. Sometimes people "visit" when she isn't even home. :confused:
  3. Okay, I know I am totally spoiled in regards to our neighborhood, at least the way it used to be. Everyone in this neighborhood is related to my DH. So the other houses are home to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. My kids play freely with the other kids and in their homes/yards. Lots of our outside toys (Power Wheels, swings, etc) are "community property" and bought with the intention of all the kids sharing and caring for the stuff. Someone purchased a lot down the street (we tried to buy it, but were vastly outbid) and put a mobile home on it, then slapped up a For Rent sign. It sat empty for a while. A single mom and her two sons moved in two weeks ago. I don't even know where to start with the issues. Different men (not relatives) visit the place at all hours, driving WAY too fast down a residential street with a posted speed limit of 15 mph and kids who are used to crossing the street to visit auntie or grandma. They even show up when I know she's not home. :confused: The younger boy (4?) deliberately crashes his bike into things/runs over stuff (and then wants to ride our bikes/scooters/Power Wheels), screeches and does sound effects constantly (I know boys do this, but my nephews do it as part of play, not literally nonstop while doing unrelated things or mid-conversation), flails on the ground, hits himself and others, and steals little things from our garden/yard (a pinwheel, a decorated rock). The older one (9?) carries around a very loud toy pop gun and threatens our dog (in our yard), saying things like "Shut up or I'll shoot you! I'm going to shoot your dog because he won't shut up!" He also makes up stories. I can tell he's lying, but he insists that the events actually happened. My DH works away from home. I do not have the time or energy to correct/watch these kids. Plus now I have the issue of protecting our things! I've been disconnecting the Power Wheels batteries when we go inside, but when we're out he'll run up and jump on one before I can stop him. Keeping him off our bikes and scooters is also a chore when we have them out. It sounds really mean to single him out and say he can't ride when all the other kids can, so I feel bad about doing it. :glare: And I don't want to have to carry ten bikes/scooters/etc into the shed every time we go inside. I do not like the older one at all. If I'm outside, I want to watch/play with my kids/the baby, not listen to his wild stories or protect my dog from him. The dog is on a leash. The kid will stand just out of reach and taunt him, making him bark, and then brandish the toy gun. I have firmly told him that my dog can do as he likes in his own yard, and to leave if he doesn't like the barking. He ignores me and launches into a story about how a pit bull stole him when he was a baby and the cops had to hunt it down in the forest and it bit them, and blah blah blah. :001_huh: The mom says the older one has severe ADHD, but that doesn't strike me as right. The younger one, yes, but the older one? I don't know what his issues are aside from habitual lying and meanness. She observed our "neighborhood rules" while they were moving their things in, and has embraced them wholeheartedly, which is why they're in my yard without her. If another adult is outside, your kids are welcome to go play. So she sees me ... and the boys come running! All the other kids are welcome to play with us/our stuff, so it seems wrong to say hers can't. To be perfectly honest, I'm not going to knock on her door to discuss the issue with her, because I would have to bring the baby and I have no flipping idea who is inside! Maybe if she ever comes out again. I really only see her when she calls them in, or when she drives by on her way to work. I'm even open to flaming. She's a single mom, which I know has got to be hard. I have a difficult time with DH being away for work, so her burden must be even worse. The kids obviously have some issues, but having ADHD is not their/her fault. Half of me is indignant and the other half feels mightily uncharitable and intolerant. Please set me straight.
  4. A question worth asking. My mom didn't ask if I wanted to shave until the end of 8th grade! Sure, I could have just *done* it, but where would I have gotten a razor? We didn't share a bathroom, so I guess I would have had to sneak into her master suite to "steal" one. I didn't go to the store without her, so there was no buying my own, and I was not about to bring it up and get shot down, or worse, invite a discussion about my changing body! Also, I remember being more uncomfortable with the in-between state than actually with the fact that my body was changing. I was fine with changing, but I would have felt better about it if I had woken up looking womanly one day. During the obvious changing phase, I felt like a little girl who was faking it and thought it was supremely humiliating to be walking around in a training bra when I had no real bOOks to speak of. I felt like I either needed to hide it (hoodies!) or fake it (push-up water bra!). So, the issue with the fit of clothing might resolve itself as she changes more.
  5. Blue Plate mayo. Hellmann's is nearly as disgusting as Miracle Whip, in a different way.
  6. Maybe she really likes it and it makes her happy? That is odd. I might set up an experiment. Maybe give her just an ounce or so and see if it has the same effect as an entire cup. I mean, if she takes one sip and then starts acting loopy, then maybe milk just makes her happy. If not, bump up the amount every day until it does affect her. See if things that contain milk also make her act that way. Yes, my kids are test subjects. :lol:
  7. I absolutely second ktgrok's suggestion of More Milk Two. It helped me nurse through two pregnancies. My first DD wouldn't have weaned even if I had been bone dry, but I really wanted her to get the benefits of my milk for as long as possible. The second cut down on nursing dramatically very soon after I got pregnant, which worried me since she was extremely petite and still under a year old. The first time around I tried oatmeal, drinking more water, then reading that too much water is bad and cutting back, then all sorts of different individual things. Finally I ordered some More Milk Two from Amazon (for the fast shipping; you can also get it from the maker, Motherlove Herbal Company). I had milk again before the end of the first day. The second time, I just ordered it as soon as I found out I was pregnant. It really helped and it wouldn't hurt to have some on hand. Both times my supply dried up very suddenly ... it wasn't like a gradual decline that the baby could adjust to. One morning it just wasn't there. But neither of my girls had to have any sort of supplementation aside from the solid food I was already feeding/planning to feed them.
  8. I think Owen would be an excellent choice. My suggestions for a middle name would depend on your last name. How many syllables are in your last name? If it's long (3+ syllables), I would suggest a one-syllable middle name might sound best. Owen James Owen Jude Owen Luke Owen Miles If your last name is short (1 syllable), I would pick a longer middle name. Owen Alexander Owen Dominic Owen Gabriel Owen Theodore If your last name is also two syllables, lots of people seem to enjoy the steady rhythm created by 2-2-2 names, especially for boys. Most popular boys' names fit that, so you could just look around and consider dad's first and middle names, plus grandpa's, great-grandpa's, uncle's, masculine version of yours, etc if there are no other options jumping out at you.
  9. About 6 hours ago, I clicked the Book Now button. Should I start counting down now? Okay, I will ... we're going to Disney World in 170 days!
  10. Thanks, Minniewannabe! :lol: This brings up more questions! First, DH would not care if the burgers were warmed and the pizza was greasy, as long as there was enough of it. He has a super fast metabolism. I, on the other hand, don't care for really-super-high-class-fine-dining, but the food needs to be fresh. I would much rather have a freshly-made large ham and cheese sandwich than a re-warmed burger. KWIM? I don't think we'll be doing many upscale places considering the small children will be there. Does that sound do-able? Second, how old does a child need to be for this care thing? And most important, what happens if you say "Pass the ketchup"?
  11. Thank you, Pixie! If she could read, she would be dragging me to Florida right now. :tongue_smilie:
  12. We're near the mouth of the river, south of NO. I did notice the free dining in September. That's why I'm wondering whether we'll wish we had the Deluxe ... the free Basic sounds good to me, but maybe the portions are tiny, I have no idea. So what do I do? I ask the Hive, of course! :D
  13. DH would like to go to Disney World. He went once as a child, when he won a couple thousand dollars on a scratch-off lottery ticket. (Yep, they start gambling young in his family!) He remembers enjoying it very much, but not really anything specific. He was about 6 or 7. I went once, too, and was not impressed. I was maybe 11 (?) and very insulted that my dad lied about my age to get the child ticket price. We waited in line all day, the food was not impressive (warmed burgers at a 50s-themed budget place and then some very expensive greasy pizza), we didn't get any souvenirs, and it rained that night. Honestly, I was too old for the Magic Kingdom (read: I thought I was too old for the Magic Kingdom). I would have loved Epcot, I think. But to my parents, the Magic Kingdom IS Disney World. The more I read about it here, the more I think we should at least try Disney. But I did have a negative experience and that is keeping me from just doing it! If I go now, it will NOT just be Magic Kingdom for a day. I'm looking at 6 days, mid-September, Wilderness Lodge, Basic Dining Plan. I've read all about cheap condos with kitchens and such here, but I do not cook or clean on vacation! Is Basic fine or will we wish we had the Deluxe? DH eats a lot. Hot and humid is fine, we're from southeast Louisiana. My oldest might remember it, the middle girl would be really into the whole thing being "real", and the baby would be a new walker and not nursing every 3 hours anymore. I know the Hive can't predict whether we'd like it, but ... would we like it? :tongue_smilie: Also, is touringplans.com something you use/recommend? We would want to see Magic Kingdom for the girls, Epcot for me, maybe Hollywood Studios or whatever it's called for DH, Animal Kingdom for everybody! I guess I also need to know about dining reservations, right? IMPORTANT EDIT! This will probably seem silly, but it might actually make a difference in the decision. I know she's not a huge character like Mickey or the princesses, BUT has anyone ever seen Marie? A white cat with a pink bow? I think middle DD's heart would just about burst if she actually MET Marie. If no one sees this I might have to start a new thread to ask about a person in a cat costume ....
  14. That thing complained about the big dark for about a week before the batteries died. :D
  15. I really feel like a total night owl now. My kids just went to bed at 9:00! They'll wake up around 9 am. Middle DD will take a nap, about 2 - 4 pm. They can go to bed whenever they get tired (so if they're rubbing their eyes at 7, I put them to bed). My bedtime (about now!) is the end point when you have to get in bed.
  16. Yes, I have had lice and felt them! I was 12. My sister got them at a sleepover, passed them to me (thanks, mom, for making me share my clothes because "she's the same size anyway" ... I digress), and we could.not.get.rid.of.them. We ended up setting off bug bombs in the house, then my dad went in and bagged everything possible, even rugs and stuff. Then he dipped our heads in diesel. No, we're not normally that trashy. We were desperate! My grandpa swore it would work, and it did. My mom did comb us daily for a long time, which is probably what actually did it, but there's no way there was a conscious bug in our hair after that experience. But there's always a bright side, right? We at least got a good family story. My sister had a Furby Baby that got bagged, and Dad didn't think about turning it off before he shoved it in with the other toys. So sis's first night in her bag-filled room, she woke up hearing something calling to her, in that high-pitched, halting voice. "Mama! Me ... scared! Big ... dark! Where ... light?"
  17. If you recommend a book, I consider it a must-have. This might show up in someone's Easter basket! (Am I the only weird, mean mom who puts BOOKS in Easter baskets?)
  18. I won some regional spelling bees in elementary/middle school, but I am a terrible verbal speller. I have to "write" the word in my mind and then "read" it. I could definitely understand children who weren't motivated, didn't study, or just plain aren't verbal-oriented, to be out in the first round. Even in a lot of the bigger bees, tons of kids are out in the first and second rounds. It might be due to nerves, simple mistakes, or mis-speaking even though they knew the correct spelling. Then the smaller group might go several rounds without losing anyone, until they get to some harder words.
  19. I was also going to say Google. Type in "Battle of Hastings" and hit enter. You usually don't even have to click on any of the results. So you don't have to click away and search it, ladies ... 1066. :tongue_smilie:
  20. My DD has a burning desire to learn all there is to know about "outer space and stars". I need some quick recommendations! What are your favorite space books and videos for K/1? We've watched the Magic School Bus episode "Lost in Space" (solar system) and all the appropriate videos I can find on YouTube. Our library had very little. She would love books, DVDs, online links, and even workbooks.
  21. I also found this collection for $1.99. It includes famous works of Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Grieg, and Debussy. Running time 10 hours 42 minutes. And I see each of them has a collection of their own, in the Customers Also Bought section.
  22. I have bought some, because my DD is eager to read "real books" and she values book ownership very highly. I think we have 8 little first-level Step-Into-Reading books. I got them all from Amazon, new, but using the 4-for-3 deal they each cost $3. Our library has some, but with two more coming up (and them being in the destroyer stage currently), I figured it was worth the investment. I also have all of the Little Bear stories, and I'll get Frog and Toad, the Frances books, and maybe a few Amelia Bedelia when she's ready for those. (Soon! Yikes!)
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