Are you talking about Michael Pollan's article in The New York Times? I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link to it or not, but it's called "Big Food vs. Big Insurance." I'm asking because your title reminded me of the line in the article: "The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care." Yes, I think it's a very valid concern. Unfortunately, I don't think we're anywhere close to where we need to be to take on the mammoth measures needed to overhaul our system. There's no simple fix, but it sure would be nice if it were sooner rather than later. I'm just hopeful that something good will come out of the current reform measures on the table. Baby steps, I guess.

We lived in Japan at the time. Dh had left that day to go TDY, and my mom had flown over to visit her newest grandchild for a couple of weeks. My youngest was a month old, and dc were asleep. I was online chatting with my cousin, and my mom was watching AFN (Armed Forces Network) in the living room. My cousin expressed shock about something on the news, so we signed off and I went into the living room to watch the news with my mom. Dh's TDY was cancelled and he was back home the next day. The schools were closed, and everything went to high alert on the base. I think we were glued to the TV. Where were you?

To boost ratings. People will tune in to see the new dynamics at the judges' table.

This is wonderful to hear. I'm so happy for you. :hurray:

Honestly? Starting and stopping and then trying to start again is really really really hard. Don't stop. Keep going. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. :grouphug:

Just thought I'd add more fodder for Doran's tongue-in-cheek thread. ;) Actually, I've always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon and am wondering what's stopping me. Instead of being lost at sea or falling over the railing into the deep blue ocean (is it even blue anymore?), maybe I'll lose my sense of direction or slip off the edge of a cliff. Have you been there, done that? Incredible experience or overrated? North or South Rim? Spring, summer, fall, or winter? Helicopter or airplane tour? Mule tour? Day hike? River rafting? Ranger presentations? Grand Canyon Skywalk? Phantom Ranch? Havasu Canyon? I smell a poll. But there are too many choices, so it may just be a silly one.

I haven't read all the replies, so I hope these have not already been recommended. These were books that I read when I was younger and that have stayed with me all these years. The Tiger's Woman This was my mom's book. I started out reading a lot of her books and they were the romance novels so popular then. Well, I guess they're popular now, too, but I don't read them so much anymore. She loved one of these by the same author, Celeste de Blasis, but I can't remember which one. Wild Swan is the first in a trilogy, and I think The Proud Breed is a standalone. I think her favorite is The Proud Breed, but I'm not positive. Wild Swan The Proud Breed This one is different. I remembered it for years and finally found it again after so long and re-read it. It was different than what I remembered, but I was glad to have found it again. The Mirror I also enjoyed the Mary Stewart Merlin series. Merlin Trilogy Good luck finding something just right, Baby Bear! ;)

Egads, I forgot to give my big tip for handling deployments, TDYs, or dh/dw out-of-town. Enroll dc in public school. :lol: Just kidding. Really. Our decision to enroll our oldest was made before we found out about this deployment, and we even considered not doing it because of the associated move when dh returns. I will add one thing that hasn't been mentioned here. And take this with a grain of salt, because it might work for some people and not for others. I've found that having a pet or two can actually be very comforting for dc. Okay, okay, also for myself. Of course, for some people, having a pet might be more work for you. I mean, who usually ends up feeding and taking care of the pet/s? This is true, and sometimes I gripe about the hassles involved with four-legged furry friends in the house, but I'm also very glad to have them in our family. I was surprised when a friend mentioned that you can get a waiver to the "no pets" rule in some housing rentals if you have a signed document from your doctor. I think she had PTSD and her cats were considered therapeutic and good for stress release. She also said something about the cats' purring being helpful somehow. I know some people enjoy digging in their flowers beds and/or gardens and find that soothing and therapeutic. I haven't quite figured that out yet. :)

The best thing that helps with that is putting them in a Toastmasters class. Seriously.

LOL That reminds me of one of dh's earlier deployments. I had a 5 yo and two 2 yo's. No air conditioning and it's the middle of summer in Japan (read hot and humid). I'm reading a book about Ted Bundy. Our bedrooms were on the second floor and we lived on-base, so I usually left the windows open at night to let the cool air in. When I read that book, I just couldn't do it. Even though it was unbearably hot and we were probably very safe on-base, I just couldn't do it. The windows were closed and locked every night. I hope dc have some wonderful memories of that time. The deployment I mentioned just above is the same one where dc and I got out and did a lot of sightseeing in Japan. I have pictures galore, but I think only my oldest remembers any of it. :grouphug: to you! :D I second that. :iagree: :grouphug: Thank you! :grouphug: to you!

This is awesome, you guys! Thanks so much for starting this thread, ElizabethB. I've noticed a change in our netflix queue, but I haven't used it yet as a motivator. Hmmm, thanks for the suggestion. ;) Oldest dd was just telling me the other day that routines weren't good because our brain doesn't function at full capacity when we fall into a rut. You just go through the motions. I don't know where she got that, but I thought it was interesting. Or do you think she was trying to pull one over on me? :tongue_smilie: I do have a private stash of treats but, unfortunately, I often forget where I put it. :001_huh: They all love to listen to audio CD's before bedtime. Sometimes I wonder if they'd be able to fall asleep without them. HA! Laundry! Yes, it does seem like Mt Kilimanjaro sometimes. I think a weeding out clothes day sounds good. I'll have to try the body pillow. I've noticed I'm not sleeping well, but I thought it was the cats and dogs dictating their feeding schedules. LOL @ your permission slip! No, we're not moving until next summer and it's not an international move. I think you have me confused with the navy lady who's moving to Yokusuka. Dh has been hinting that I could probably handle the TMO stuff, get our household goods packed up, and go to the new base to check out our housing options before he gets back. I think he might be suffering from sunstroke. This sounds just like us! And I would love to spend a month or so at my parents' house. We did that in April/May when dh was supposed to be TDY. Turned out it was canceled but we went anyway, and he joined us for the last couple of weeks. Okay, I just started bolding the stuff that made me laugh. Otherwise I'm cutting and pasting and quoting and seeing cross-eyed. Loved your Mike's reference. Dc were wondering if maybe I was drinking B&J sangrias a little too often these days. Dh laughed when I mentioned the idea of hiring a yard guy. He said we have three able-bodied teens to do the yard work. (They don't mind mowing the lawn, but they hate weeding the flower beds. I personally like the weed whacker. I don't think I want to dig too deeply to discover why.) So glad your dh is home and you're enjoying yourselves! :grouphug:

Time of death: 7:00 am

Well, I decided to hold off on a cruise until dh's mid-tour leave. I think I'd enjoy it more if he could be there with us. I found out that you can get a military discount if your spouse is deployed, but only for one cabin. Every little bit helps, right? (That's on Carnival. I don't know about the other cruise lines.) I'd never been interested in a cruise because I thought I'd prefer to get out on our own for all the sight-seeing I love to do. Plus I thought I'd feel trapped on a boat. But I kept hearing people taking this cruise or that cruise and wondered 1) how they could afford it, and 2) what the huge draw was. So I started checking into it and realized why they're becoming so popular. They can be so much cheaper than a regular vacation. Since we can drive to Galveston, I don't have to worry about airfare. I never realized how much was included in the cost of a cruise. It covers transportation to and from several destinations, all meals and snacks (drinks beyond water, iced tea, and coffee typically cost more), all lodging (your stateroom/cabin), and all the entertainment onboard the ship. Because the cruise price is effectively all-inclusive, it takes away the need to reserve hotels, find places to eat and activities to pass the time, and arrange transportation to and from different places. Believe me, after having planned and organized many of our vacations, this sounds like heaven to me. Having all kinds of things to do on the ship sounds lovely, too. I may have to be dragged off the boat for the on-shore excursions. Any tips or advice from been there, done that cruise fans? P.S. AmeliaJade and Terrie, thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it.

In Cold Blood I'm not sure about the age recommendation for that book though.

Darn, I read that most nests die out before winter. I'm also wondering if I should leave these wasps alone because their nest looks like that of the paper wasp, i.e., open nest with exposed cells. I've read that paper wasps aren't as aggressive as the yellowjacket, don't swarm, and are excellent insect predators. Yeah, what she said. Yes, I'd planned to get a wasp spray and I was reading how I should do it at night while being completely covered. I'm trying to decide whether or not to leave them alone now though, because I think they're paper wasps and not yellowjackets. Oh, yes, that's just what I need. An audience to watch my comedy of errors. To bee or not to bee. ;) Channeling Rambo. Check. A potato cannon? That actually sounds like fun. A new way to make french fries and mashed potatoes? Oh, no, not bad dreams. Just think of a beautiful field of flowers and the birds, bees, and butterflies all buzzing, bustling and bumbling along. I thought about it, but then I decided I'd rather spend the money on something else. So I told myself to quit whining and just do it. I still haven't done it yet. I take it you've done this before. So once I bite the bullet and do it, it'll become easier? That is fascinating, and I'm glad everything went swimmingly for you. I think I'll pass. :) Wonder how much they charge?

Mmmm, love tofu. Especially in stir fry. But sukiyaki is also good.

I thought for sure the hive would commiserate with me. But, no, you just jab me with your stingers. ;) Nah, I'll do it. I just don't wanna. It's the phobia in me.

Just spray them with a little pixie dust and send them to never neverland.

Yokosuka? Awesome! Congratulations, and I hope you love it there as much as we did. We sold our cars before pcs'ing to Japan. We bought a used van and a used car when we got there, one from an off-base local dealer and the other from a departing service member on-base. It was no trouble selling the car when we left, and we took our van with us to England because it fit perfectly with driving on the left side of the road. We didn't live in the towers, because we had three kids (four by the time we left) and wanted the yard space. Plenty of people lived in the towers and liked them just fine. There are playgrounds near the towers, so there's plenty of play area. We just wanted our own yard for a dog. I'm not sure they have four bedrooms in the towers anyway. Most of the families I knew that lived in towers only had one or two children. No, wait, there was one family that had three girls. Or was it four? I can't remember now. We used the DoDDs schools because we didn't start homeschooling until after we moved to England. But we knew several families that homeschooled in Japan, so it's not difficult. Because of the smaller community at an overseas base, the schools might have a small town atmosphere. However, DoDDs schools have many of the same problems as public schools. It's a bit different because of the size though. Best wishes to you!

Normally I would, but he's not here. Yes, I think I'll be using a spray. Although I wish I could use one of those jet spray hoses from those do-it-yourself carwashes. I could even do a little Karate Kid mojo: WASP ON! WASP OFF!

Can't I just pretend they're not there and they'll go away?

Mamagistra, I've never seen that kind before. But I did find out that he likes these best: Thanks, Sebastian, I didn't even know about that site. Thanks for sharing! I wrote to them, and I'll see what AAFES says. Thanks for the suggestions. Can't hurt to try. :)

Chocolate soft-serve ice cream in a cone or a butterscotch milkshake Or enough money to buy Ouidad products whenever I want

Check tripadvisor.com There are usually some good ideas and tips there. Have fun!