DS is 12; I think he learned to tie somewhere around 9yo, but even now, it's not easy for him. He keeps his sneakers' shoelaces tied, and slides the shoes on and off without ever untying them. DD1 learned to tie her shoes when she was barely 4yo. A friend in preschool taught her. DD2, who is 7...er, I don't think she's ever even tried to tie her shoes! Most of her shoes have not had laces, so it just hasn't come up. I guess I'll put that on the list of things to do soon.

Oh my - have you seen today's Daily Puppy? She is absolutely darling! She's a mix, though - might be hard to find another like her, but goodness, even my dh saw her picture and commented on how adorable she is. I've heard good things about Corgis, but I don't know much about them. I had a Bichon/Poodle mix and he was a great little dog; he did very well with my kids, even when they were tiny. OTOH, I would hesitate to recommend a Cocker - I'm sure there are Cockers who are good with children, but mine was terrified of them, and started growling once my toddlers were mobile. I rehomed her to a home without children. If you are concerned, you might consider contacting a specific breed rescue. Ask them if they have any adults whose temperaments have been evaluated and determined to be compatible with a household with young children.

I'm sure I'm the only person for whom this would matter, but with two children whose names start with vowels, I'd want a third name that also started with a vowel. I love the Oliver/Olivia suggestions, though Olivia may be too popular for the OP. Also, Owen Alan/Allen Adam Elias (but perhaps too close to Eliot) Otis Orson Eden Arwen Alexia India Evelyn Eleanor Iris Opal We had a hard time deciding on dd2's name. I was really pulling for Evelyn or Lydia, but dh did not warm to those names. Finally - and I was kidding, really - I tossed out Bridget, and he loved it. And then I realized that I loved it, too, especially the name's history and meaning. I think we finally agreed on her name when I was around 35-36 weeks pregnant, so I know exactly what you're going through right now. (Except that we had a boy's name picked out from when I was pregnant with my first dd - Benjamin. And when it was clear that there would be no Benjamin, dh started calling my camera Ben. That camera's replacement is Ben2. :))

Ya know, for myself, reading that is better than reading all of the myriad posts here and elsewhere encouraging everyone when they're having a down day. What a wonderful son you've raised - a testament, no doubt, to his mom's wise decisions. :) So sweet! I'm so glad you shared that!

My second baby was transverse from 20 weeks until the night before she was born (via scheduled c-section @ 39 weeks). Oddly, I was especially afraid of cord issues during my entire pregnancy, but the doctors told me there was no way to know (via u/s) if the cord was around her neck. It was. I'm glad I had a c-section, even though I wish it had not been necessary. I'm not sure what RSD is (is it this?), but I'm sorry that a CS will complicate things. I hope you get some clarity and peace of mind on what needs to happen, and that baby's arrival brings only joy and celebration. (I had something wrong with my shoulder & neck; it happened after I fell asleep without a pillow on a cross-country flight. I was in intense pain - not relieved by chiropractic care, acupuncture, or a plethora of pain medication - for three months until I was t-boned at a fairly high speed, during which my car was totaled. I was not only okay [so was the other driver], but the impact "fixed" my shoulder and neck problem. Bit expensive, considering that we had to buy a new car and all, but I understand how hard it is to deal with chronic pain, even if my experience only lasted three months.)

:iagree: I understand that there are many good, well-intentioned parents who let their child(ren) snack on unpaid food, but technically, if they have not paid for the food, it is not theirs to eat. It's not comparable to a restaurant, because it's not a restaurant. I also understand that well-intentioned but distracted parents might truly accidentally forget to pay for something, but even those small amounts eventually add up, and it is unreasonable to expect that stores can continue to ignore those losses. Since the parents offered to pay for the sandwiches, it seems like the store could have accepted their offer and (perhaps gently but directly?) reminded them that food taken out of the store (or consumed within the store) is theft, whether the theft is intentional or otherwise. The onus is on the parents to ensure that they pay for their items before leaving; it shouldn't be on the store to establish intent. I did/do not allow my children to snack on food while we shopped unless I'd already paid for it. Really, it's not that difficult to do - to pay for it before shopping, or to bring food from home. And if I didn't have time to pay for it beforehand, then I told my children that they'd have to wait until we checked out. It's not the store's fault if my child gets hungry while I'm there, or even if *I* get hungry while I'm there. I agree. But then, it would have been so much easier if, knowing that the sandwiches were going to be eaten right away, the father had paid for the sandwiches (even if he had to go up front to the cashiers) as soon as the sandwiches were handed to them.

Yes, he knows it all, although there isn't much to know, really. Except for my weight. Ahem. :001_huh:

Thanks! Received your PM; will respond in a few minutes. :) Thanks. I hope you're able to find a solution that works for you, too! Gosh - twice?! Ouch! I was wondering if we should go to the credit union/mortgage company anyway, but now I think perhaps I should meet with a lawyer first. I guess I have some information to gather this weekend. I do feel guilty, though. Or rather, I see both sides of this issue with sparkling clarity; it's a lot more complicated than just stating that buyers who seek strategic defaults are morally wrong. There has been a whole lot of wrong happening, and not that any individual buyer is completely blameless, but buyers didn't create this mess without a whole lot of help from the mortgage and securities industry. Wow, that was fast! And discouraging. I'm sorry that you and so many others have BTDT already. I mean, it's helpful to those of us who are just now dealing with this, but still...this is tough stuff. Oh, that's awful - all this time paying on the note and still, it could come to your losing the house anyway?! I should be giving you a :grouphug:! The credit hit is especially painful, I know. That's a pretty good deterrent, when this sort of thing can be avoided. I don't see how we can avoid ours unless we stay here, and I'm not going to stay here. There is a part of me that is just so angry about the sewer company - too long of a story to write out, but the foundation of it was based on defrauding customers and the current head of the company continues to rack up violations (they currently have $3M+ in fines accruing). :banghead: My thanks to each of you for your responses - here and via PM. I suppose we'll come through it eventually, but I do so dread the next several months...

No, we've not tried to place it on the market because we were not sure if or when the offers would come through. They both just did - this week. (One is actually a counter from dh's current division in an effort to keep him.) I don't know how we'd expect to sell it - even if it were to sell at market value, we'd be short by ~$130,000 plus realtor's commission. You're right, though - it sounds like we need to consult a RE attorney. We'd be game to list it, but we won't be able to maintain payments on it, which make it virtually impossible to buy. We'd thought that dh's company would offer rent differential assistance, which would have given us that option, but it seems that they've removed that from the relo offers. It would be so tempting to do a DIL, but as with all of the options, there are implications that could be problematic. Of course, reneging on a mortgage should come with some implications - I get that - but we would love to honor our commitment if that were an option. The only way to meet that obligation is to stay here, and that's not happening. Sewer fees are going up 2-4x the current cost, roads are likely going to cost $7K per property owner to repair, etc. The neighborhood is declining, and it's already on just about every realtor's black list. So I have heard. :( In fact, in the past few days, I've talked to a surprising number of folks who tried to get the bank to agree to a short sale, but in the end, the bank pursued foreclosure. We financed through a credit union, so I think the options may be even more limited than a bank. I'm going to ask around for recommendations for a real estate attorney - it seems like the wisest next step. Thanks for sharing that; it gives me hope that at least dh's clearance can be safely preserved. Ours isn't a McMansion - the lots in our community are mostly all build-your-own, with a few spec homes that are similar. Our house is about 12 years old, and too small for us, really, but if that were the only problem - if we loved the neighborhood and the area, and if dh's job could be done here as easily as other (non-California) locations, we'd just stay here and keep paying. As it is, it's rather like a perfect storm of events that combine to give us few options. While talking with a friend tonight (about the roads and sewer problems), she said that this whole area will be a ghost town soon if it continues. And she's right.

We are in a bit of a bind, and I am trying to find answers/options for our situation. I've been doing research, too, but it's not so easy to distill all of the information to what just applies to our situation. We currently live in a small town in central California. Our home is worth just over half of what we paid in 2007; we are more than $100,000 under water regarding the LTV of our home/mortgage. We also live in the one tract in our entire community where the roads are semi-private, and as there is no money to fix them, the potholes are really, really awful. (UPS may stop delivering here after Christmas.) Even worse, we are among ~160 residences who are customers of a small, private sewer company; we currently pay ~$60/month, and the sewer company wants to raise the rates to ~$130/month next year, $200/month in 2013, and nearly $270/month in 2014. Not surprisingly, the renters are preparing to leave, and many of the homeowners have announced that they a) will refuse to pay the increase, and b) are willing to lose their homes because of this. Even if we could find a renter who would move here (high sewer rates + bad roads + criminal activity = not so appealing, I think), the rent would probably around $800-1000 LESS than our monthly mortgage payment. We have never made a late payment, and our credit is impeccable. DH has a security clearance where creditworthiness is a consideration, though he has been told that as long as the security department knows everything that's happening, it should not be a problem. DH has been offered two jobs within his company - one in Florida, and the other in Georgia. Both are aware that we are hoping to pursue a short sale; I do not know how a foreclosure would affect this. We both desperately want to move back east; staying here is nearly unbearable. We have had increased criminal activity in the last few months, but mostly, we just want to leave California. DH spoke with the credit union who holds our mortgage; they informed him that they won't be able to talk about a short sale until we are six months behind on our mortgage. We can pay our mortgage now, but not if we are also paying a similar amount for rent in another location. I know this is a sensitive subject, and I know that there are many folks who believe that what I'm suggesting above is morally wrong. I understand that, but I'm not looking to debate. What I'm hoping is that if there is anyone here who has been in or is familiar with a similar situation, that they might PM (or share here, I suppose) me with advice on where I can seek more specific advice. I know the WTM forum is pretty amazing, but I'm hoping that there is a financial/real estate website somewhere online from which I can glean useful information. Also, I've read that it's helpful to speak to a lawyer - if anyone has done so for this type of scenario, what type/experience should I look for? Thanks, Natalie

I'm so glad your pup is doing okay, but now I know never to buy Gorilla Glue. :ohmy: I thought it was bad when my pup ate 1.5 lbs of raw chicken last week. I guess I should be thankful!

Dd, age 7, has a Girl Scout Halloween party to attend this evening, but she has a hip hop dance class immediately before that, so she will be wearing black leggings and a black top there. She wants to go to the party as a hip hop dancer. Any ideas on quick and easy ways to make her black clothing look hip hoppish enough? I did a search on it, and the images I saw didn't really involve black/black clothing. Some of the pictures involved carrying a boom box, but we've traded ours in for iPods and such, so I don't think that's an option. (She wants to be a wolf for Halloween. I haven't figured that one out, either, but maybe she'll change her mind if we can pull off the hip hop dancer thing. :tongue_smilie:)

I've been wanting one of those for quite awhile! I will definitely buy one if the house we move to has a proper space for it. For now, we have one of these - a "Seville Classics 3-Tier Iron Shoe Utility Rack", which I like well enough, but I wish I didn't have to see the shoes. I also wish my children knew how to put them ON the rack - seems they only ever manage to put them near it, which is almost inevitably followed by our Golden Retriever pup dispersing them throughout the house. (He won't bother the shoes if they're on the rack - the rack apparently has magical shoe protection properties, or something.)

We have an iPad1 and an iPad2; other than the camera (which dd doesn't use very much, surprisingly), the only noticeable difference is the size/weight - the 2 is lighter and thinner. There are a few apps requiring the camera that will not be available to the iPad1. As far as using them, though, they both seem perfectly fine - I can't really tell the difference other than the camera and the size.

When my ds was a baby, we called him Bubby Fusskins and Buckaroo; later, dh called him Teeny Man until ds got big enough to object - at least to the "teeny" part.:lol: For awhile, he wanted to be called Bat Man, but he denies that ever happened. He denies he was a baby, actually, even though I have photographic evidence to prove otherwise. Now, he's likely to be called J, or sometimes Dude. Ds's friends apparently all call each other "Person", and at TKD, ds is called Turbo. When dd1 was younger, dh called her Doobie; I'm afraid I couldn't join him in that nickname effort. Other nicknames for her include Miss M, MollyWollyDoodle, Molly Bear, Moy (courtesy of ds, who could not pronounce his L's) and one other one I just cannot remember right now. I'm so ashamed. Dd2 (age 7) is still called Itty Bitty, Ittiest, and Bittiest, though she's finally broken the 40 lbs barrier and outgrown her size 4 clothing so we might need to find something else soon. We also used to call her Budgie and Budget (MIL started that one); she's still sometimes called Bridgie. Generic/not kid-specific nicknames include Bug/Love Bug/Bugalug/Snugglebug, Peanut, Pumpkin, Sparky, Spanky, Snort (this one and Doobie might cause some to think we partake of certain chemical substances; alas, we do not - we're just not very careful or creative with our nicknames, I reckon), Love, Snoodle, Doodle/Doodlebop, Monkey, PopTart, Tater Tot, and Punky.

My son was like that for quite awhile, and his hair is not really cooperative at any length, so I can appreciate your comment that it's not a flattering style for him. I let it go except when he had a gymnastics competition (he needed to have the hair trimmed so he could see, at least!); he quit after two years of competitions. Once he started Tae Kwon Do, at each test, his instructor teased him (rather mercilessly) enough that I finally told ds that he needed to get it cut, or put it in a pony tail. :ack2: He gets hair cuts fairly regularly now; I use a picture he selected online. (Pony tail isn't a big deal - he has a male friend with [beautiful wavy red!] hair half-way down his back, and even his TKD instructor's hair is always in a pony tail, because his hair is close to waist-length. DS just doesn't want one for himself, I guess.) Were it not for those two situations, though, I did start to insist that it be cleaned more frequently and that he needed to keep it brushed. When he was closer to 11, we talked about perceptions that, right or wrong, people have when they see certain things like an unkempt appearance. I won't say he dresses to please :glare: but at least his hair isn't so bad now.

Late one night, I took out some organic, free range chicken breasts and laid them on counter to thaw overnight, intending to put 'em in the crockpot first thing in the morning. I woke up and discovered shredded styrofoam everywhere, but I assumed my darling pup had found an empty egg carton (we save them to use with the eggs from our chickens). An hour or so later, I remembered that I'd wanted to start the crockpot early, and looked around the kitchen, a little confused because I just KNEW I'd put it on the counter somewhere... Yep. A pound and a half of organic, free range, partially thawed chicken...no wonder my pooch wasn't hungry for his breakfast! (Mind you, he still ate it, but not with the gusto he usually displays!) He's incorrigible, he is - he apparently can nudge the step stool over to another part of the kitchen. :confused::glare::lol: But look at how adorable he is (he's my avatar picture)! Gah! Now, if I nee to leave food out *at all*, even if it's just being left while I leave the kitchen for a minute or two, I put it into the microwave. Of course, I also have to remember to put away the sponge - he loves those, too, but he has NEVER tried to take any of this stuff while we're watching... :sneaky2:

Are you close to the bride? I mean, do you know her well enough to call her a friend (before the wedding)? That scene has not ever been something I've enjoyed, and I wouldn't have wanted to do it 20 years ago, either; I certainly wouldn't want to do it now. If it were me, I'd just ask her about it. Nicely, and with a good deal of humor, but for myself, I know I wouldn't have minded someone not coming to that...but then, I wouldn't have wanted and did not have a bachelorette party, so maybe that colors my response. If you think she'd be hurt or offended, I'd go with the alternative - drive myself to Denver and excuse yourself early-ish. Last resort - if I thought she would be hurt by my not coming or joining on the bus, I'd go. And I'd pretend it was great fun. It would take every ounce of effort for my extremely introverted self to do that, but I would.

Brilliant! :lol:

:lol::lol::lol: Maybe the story isn't funny (I wouldn't want bikers fighting over coming to the local Starbucks where I go), but really, how can one not laugh at that statement? ...though I prefer the salted caramel mocha frap, myself. :tongue_smilie:

That was the first one to come to mind for me, too. I also agree with many of the others mentioned in this thread. One not mentioned is Old Coyote. Oh...:crying::crying::crying:

Oh, that's interesting - I'd heard of the umbrella option, but I didn't realize how it differed from what Sandra in FL explained. Although the idea of having PS options is initially appealing, I've done the charter school route here in CA, and I really disliked the amount of involvement and oversight they required. Halcyon, I'll be sending you a PM. Thanks, everyone! :D

Yes, this. My lab/husky(/maybe GSD) mix came to us when she was 10 months old; we adopted her through a local rescue when we saw her at a Petsmart. At age 15 months, she had an episode where she could not walk; after several vet visits, including x-rays to a specialist, we were told that she had severe hip dysplasia and moderate stifle joint disease. She's about 7 now; her stifle joint problem is now also severe and the disks are slipping in her back. She still gets around, but you can tell that even with medication, she's in pain. When we were looking for a Golden Retriever, I contacted GR rescues but because there were none in my county, I could not adopt from them as they all required home visits. I went to see an AKC puppy and was appalled that such a sad little creature was technically papered by the AKC: at 8-weeks old, she was so fat that she could not walk, and she was the saddest little pup - no eye contact, wouldn't come to anyone, etc. She needed to be seen by a vet, IMO, but the breeder assured me she'd snap out of it once we brought her home. Breeder said that she had been wormed three times, so she shouldn't have been full of parasites. However, what she hadn't told me on the phone was that the pup's parents were a father and daughter. The breeder kept them all in a dirty little building, and she had a fenced-off area (about 1/4 of an acre) where she kept 14 Golden Retrievers. Clearly, it was a business to her. We left without the pup. Eventually, the one we brought home - well, he's not papered, but he's wonderful. He and his littermates, while not allowed in the house, were kept in an immaculately clean (and essentially empty) garage. They were all playful, but the one we brought home was the one who was calmest and so sweet, and who then crawled into my son's lap and went to sleep. It was a good indicator - he is a very calm dog, and as someone mentioned, he has a soft mouth and was never nippy as a puppy. When my friend was searching for a breeder, most of those she saw were in better shape than the above, but oddly, most of them seemed unhealthy. She finally found a fantastic breeder who only bred her dogs once every 18 months, the pups were kept in her house, and you just knew that the breeder was responsible and caring. My goodness, but the pup my friend brought home was/is gorgeous! She came with a price tag, though - IIRC, the pup was $1500. We also had a backyard breeder situation across the street from where I live. If you choose to go with a breeder, go to their home and see where the puppies are kept. That neighbor charged $1000 for her Maltese puppies, but the mom was fed Ol' Roy and the animals were solely a money-making operation for her. If I had had the option to adopt from a breed rescue, I would have been happy to adopt an adult. That just was not an option for me because of where I live.

Bill, so you use/d Miquon? I've heard of people who use it together with Singapore, but that seems daunting. ...although maybe that's because I have three kids, and I'm disorganized. Really, I don't need to look. But I probably will. :glare::lol:

No blue eyes here (except mine); dh is half-Japanese, and all three of our children have brown eyes. Neither of us know of any relatives who have red hair, either, so dd's hair color was the most unexpected of all. DH hoped that at least one of his children would have blue eyes, but I think he's accepted that that's not going to happen. :lol: Like angela in ohio, I agree that but my middle child seems to struggle the most with ...things: being a little sister, being a big sister, finding her own niche... She's very artistic, but loves animals and wants to be a wildlife biologist. Mind you, she doesn't want to study biology - she just wants to grab a notebook, head out into the field, and take notes. :tongue_smilie: