Hmm...so I watched it, and didn't like what I saw at all, but I really didn't like what I heard. The guy was over the top with the 'beating' for sure. His language was exceptionally offensive. I kind of feel like the mom really was trying to save her from the wrath of her father by taking the belt to do it herself. It was a skewed way of doing it, to be sure, but that really is what it seemed like to me. 16 is WAAAYYYY too old for any sort of physical punishment for anything - especially something as stupid as a game on the computer. ?! I have to admit, I can't understand why there was a camera rolling in the first place. ? Like, what is the daughter trying to prove by recording this and then releasing it on youtube? It kind of smacks of setting the dad up to me - not that I find him to be innocent, but there are better ways to go about this. Is there a trial going on or something? If so, let him get charged with what he has done from personal testimony from the girl and her mom... I guess I just think that if this is the girl on the video who released it, what good reason does she have? Revenge? I don't know, the whole thing seems weird to me...

Based on what I know about pregnancy, HCG levels really mean almost nothing, as far as the number itself goes. It's the doubling that matters.

Nope. I don't think it is a bad thing if people do, though. In general, common names just aren't my preference.

I'm thankful for healthy, independent children.

We could never, ever, ever go no 'poo here. I've tried spacing out how often I wash my hair, etc, and like a PP said, it didn't work. At all. As of right now, the kids all just take a bath or shower a few times a week. Usually my rule is Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, but depending on activity and such we don't always follow a super strict schedule. But I notice DD's hair getting a little oily on bath day - if we miss I definitely notice. No one else probably would, but I just think it's not very...idk the word I'm looking for...good for it, I guess? I can only imagine if I either didn't shampoo at all or only did it once a week or something, it would be pretty gross. And I can't imagine not having baby shampoo. Babies aren't born spic and span, after all... :D And they sweat. That's the biggest thing with my kids, even when they were younger. They sweat. They NEED to get clean. With soap. I don't care whether or not they smell like whatever soap it is, but I don't want them smelling like sweat. Yuck.

Ok, question: What does CSA mean? :) Thanks everyone for the replies! I find the whole thing very interesting. I hadn't considered looking around local - I know we have some farmers at our church. Some do milk, eggs, and shares of cows (is that what it's called? lol) and some do vegetables and produce, etc. My mil has given me eggs but the thought of eggs straight from the chicken freaks me out a little. Do I need to do anything to them before I cook them or use them? Idk, I guess I just feel like I should disinfect somehow!! :lol: As far as milk goes, is that something that is worth getting not from the store? Is it safe? I know I probably sound like a total nutjob, but I'm so serious, this is all so new to me! :D My last question is, what health benefits have you personally seen in going organic? I just ask out of curiosity. There are some things that I'm wondering if we would clear up a little by changing what we have in our home. I don't know if I would switch just for that reason, or be disappointed if it didn't make a difference, but I'm just curious what can be positively affected, health wise. Thanks!!

I absolutely love Christmas, but I don't like Christmas music. So I don't listen to it by choice. At all. Except I do put some on when we decorate the tree the day after Thanksgiving - its a tradition. Other than that, no. :)

I use the Bare Escentuals mineral powder foundation. That's the only makeup I really splurge on - I usually get it on ebay for between $20-25. I use it because it works well with my skin. For a long time (since I was a teenager) I was using Neutrogena everything - cleanser, moisturizer, foundation - and about a year and a half ago my skin was just drying out too much from all of it and I figured it was time to change my regimen, since I'm not a teenager anymore! :) I use a really random combo of face products - Cetaphil cleanser in the shower in the morning, DHC Deep Cleansing Oil at night, Clinique even better moisturizer before makeup (well, right now I'm using Cetaphil moisturizer to try it out), and the Bare Escentuals foundation. But its what works for me! :)

I know the title sounds a little snarky, but that really is what I'm wondering. In a not snarky way. :D We read all these things that talk about how bad all these different products are for us, but the fact of the matter is - or at least I think it is - that for the majority of people, it is about affordability. I'm not just talking about cosmetics and the like here - though that is part of it. But even with food. We live in a rural area with a WalMart, a horribly stocked Kroger, and a very overpriced Food Lion. So I go to WM. I buy groceries there, I buy toiletries there (with the exception of my foundation and cleanser, which I get off of ebay, about $50 2-3 times a year total), and I buy household items there. WM doesn't have a big selection of organic products. What they do offer is more expensive than the stuff I buy. I have no interest in driving an hour to a Whole Foods or Trader Joes for grocery shopping - I have no interest in driving from grocery store to grocery store to find things. I am a one stop shopper. I wouldn't mind groceries one place, household items/toiletries another, but here that is out of the question anyway because we have no options. I guess what I'm wondering is, if you try to be 'organic', how do you do it? How much do you spend trying to be organic? (If you don't mind my asking). I'll admit that I spend about $100-$150 per week at WM - food, toiletries, etc. What I've seen of organic products, there is no way that would be possible. Would it?

:iagree: Totally not being snarky here - really? I didn't know that. It kind of weirds me out, honestly, to think that I wouldn't need soap... of course, I don't have any babies anymore, but at the time... wait, you do use shampoo still though, right? Because their hair has to be washed, right? :001_huh: :iagree: This is me, as well. I can't imagine ever just using water to wash anything... :iagree: Very well put. I never even knew there was a website like that. I don't know if I want to bother looking at it or not... I'm such a skeptic! :lol:

I don't think it would be tacky. Of course, we are giving DS7 the Nintendo DS that DH currently owns but never plays. For us, the fact is that he wouldn't get one otherwise.

I didn't think it was all that surprising. :) The outlet malls around here open at midnight. I think it sounds like fun - the outlet mall, not Target. I don't really care for Target.

This

I haven't worked out since I did day 1 of couch to 5k almost 2 weeks ago (where's that hiding smilie?) But I'm reading this because it's motivational... :D

People. And issues having to do with people. It was such a nice thing being at a big family function all weekend and away from...people. And feeling like we could just have fun and talk to family and stuff and no one had an agenda. :)

So I bought the boys little disposable cameras to take with us to Atlanta, and thought I'd have them make little trip books when we got home as their art project this week. Then I get to the aquarium and my battery on my camera dies (again. It ALWAYS does this to me.) so I run to the gift shop and pay 14.99 :svengo: for the same little disposable camera I bought the boys 2/7.99. But whatever, I wanted to get the pictures in there because it was REALLY nice and I wanted to have pictures to remember it with! So I take all 3 cameras to get them developed last night at CVS - the only place in town that will do it in less than a week. I go ahead and get cds because I figured they'll be pretty cheap anyway, and that way I can put them on the computer with my other pics. I go pick them up today - THEY. ARE. CRAP. Apparently disposable cameras suck even more than they did in the past - used to be, you could atleast get some ok pictures out of them. ALL of them are dark, blurry, and look horrible. Mine only got 10 pics, DS7's 16 and DS5's 18. Out of 27. So. Totally. P*ssed. :mad: On top of that, the total for those pics + cds = $36!!! What the heck??!! The cds were 3.49 each. And even for my 10 pics, it was 7.19 or something. I'm SO upset! I want my money back! So between not having ANY pictures from the aquarium, I'm out $36 for NOTHING. I'm so mad. Seriously. :glare: I should have just bought them real cameras. In fact, that's probably what I'll do before we go anywhere again. And myself an extra battery. I'm so devastated. :(

:lol: I love that explanation. And I'm totally stoked about the season premiere. Back at the end of summer when I looked up when all my shows would start (yep, I'm a dork! :D ) I was so bummed it wouldn't be til November! (bc of Bones' real life pregnancy) But yeah, it snuck up on me, and I saw previews for it last week. So excited for the 3rd! :D

I hate the Bratz dolls. They look like hookers to me lol... :iagree: :iagree: Funny how it works, isn't it? :lol: Just from the two negative comments quoted in the article, I thought they showed that the naysayers were kind of silly, really... Barbies are for children not adults [and] they should not be dressed like they are teenagers or adults. Tattoos are tacky and should not be exposed to kids. What? Tattoos should not be exposed to kids? Hide that butterfly tattoo on your foot! Or the flower on your ankle! It's hideous! It's terrible! What a crock. Grrrrreeeeeeeat now kids in grade school and younger will be bugging their parents for tattoos and their parents will oblige . ...and if their parents are that stupid, to LET their grade school and younger kid get a tattoo...if that's even legal... well, we won't even go there. I personally am neither here nor there about the doll, whatever. Why do so many not like barbies? :001_huh:

Well, we did a fast at the beginning of the year during which we ate a (basically) vegan diet. Only maybe a little stricter. We only did it for 21 days. At the end of the time, I felt the best I have in a really long time. I felt healthy, and when I started introducing my regular junk food back in (ice cream, snack-type foods in particular) they made me sick and they made me feel disgusting. I realized at that point that I had, prior to the fast, gotten used to that feeling to a lesser extent. (I wasn't sick every day, for example, just from eating ice cream :lol: ) Over time, I got used to it again. I personally don't mind the vegan idea other than I don't know how I'd live without cheese, ice cream, and sour cream (I seriously love sour cream - mmm, dip...) for the rest of my life. ;) The rest of my family, however, disagrees with going vegan at all! :lol: DH made it through the 21 days and had eggs, pancakes, and bacon for breakfast the next day. :D No, he didn't get sick. Go figure.

The bank account thing isn't unfamiliar to me. I went to college at 17 and had to have my grandma's name on the account in order to have a checking account. So I think that's been around for awhile (at least for 11 years lol). I'm thinking by 'student' checking, they mean college student. (Which are usually 18+)

That is really cute! I don't know if my hair is long enough, though... I could always see if DH would let me commandeer an old sock and try it! :)

Thanks. Honestly, DH's family is exceptionally nice, so I doubt they care one way or another what I look like. :tongue_smilie: Some of them are 'always' (you know, the few times I see them :D ) really put together and neat, and some aren't, and it varies day by day. I don't even know how to do my makeup differently, so that'll stay the usual. And I wouldn't act any different...I just don't want to look like a frazzled, tired, frumpy mom. That is a stigma I've always tried to stay far from. :) I think my post definitely sounds pretty terrible. I think it's all just coming to a head, so to speak - I've been wearing my glasses, which I feel VERY awkward teenager in (most likely because the last time I wore them, they were a different style, and I was 14 and I WAS an awkward teenager! :D ) since the end of August because of the eye ulcer and infection, and had convinced myself I could do glasses most of the time... then I see pictures of myself with contacts and think I look so much better (grass is always greener, kwim?) so I ordered them but they didn't get here on time. :glare: The makeup thing was well, whatever. I can cover up breakouts, mostly, and no one ever notices them but me. And I got my regular makeup to replace the other stuff, so that will help. My hair, I really should get re done but I don't feel like spending the $40 when there are other things I need to spend the money on. I've wanted to lose weight for awhile and haven't had the motivation. My clothes - well, we all get bored with our clothes. I tend to buy clothes too big because I size them to what I consider myself in my head, or I try them on but don't take time to see how they really look, just end up grabbing whatever because it's on sale. I am really happy that I'm going to go clothes shopping soon - I know I'll be getting a gift card for my birthday (Nov 8), which won't be much but should get me some new pants, at least. And IF DH gets a Christmas bonus (hoping hoping hoping) we don't need to do anything with it, so he and I want to go clothes shopping. Both of us are limited in our clothing selection - it just seems so frivolous to spend money on clothes for us when the kids need clothes (and the kids have really nice ones!), pictures need to be taken, trips are being taken, we want to do fun things together, etc. So we always get pushed to the bottom of the list, so to speak. Then I get DH stuff and not me, so mine is in the worst state. :) (Plus, he wears a uniform all day, so it saves on wear and tear on his clothes). Anyway, thank you for your honest words. :) I think I perpetuated my feeling by getting up this morning and putting on yoga pants and a t shirt (I never wear t shirts!) and throwing my hair in a ponytail, no makeup. Kinda just makes me feel like all those things I don't want to be, kwim? I don't want to be a fashionista, just want to feel like I have some way to look nice sometimes. I don't think I hate myself. I just greatly dislike the way I look. ;)

Thanks for all the ideas. I really appreciate it. And seriously, your compliments are making me teary. :) I really appreciate it.

I'm not sure I want to try curls. Then again, I could try it - almost anything would be better than the mess it is if I do nothing. ;)

1: no one but medical staff. I had a c/s and the epidural/spinal didn't work, so they had to put me under general anesthesia. 2: DH 3: DH All mine were c/s, but it would have just been him in any case. For all 3, my grandparents were waiting in the room for me to come back. Well, actually, for the first 2 they were. For the 3rd, they were in the waiting room, because they had the boys.