This happened to one of dh's co-workers. She received a reminder letter about getting a mammogram. It had been a busy, hectic time in her life and she had forgotten. The letter reminded her, and it was a good thing. It very likely saved her life. I for one don't mind getting reminders. If it's taken care of, I toss it. If not, it'll prompt me to make an appointment. I've never felt they were an invasion of my privacy.

Good point. Dh and I had a Valentine's date - overnight at a hotel, dinner, a favorite local band and dancing. We were the first to sit down at a table and eventually three other couples joined us. We had an absolute blast. I can't even remember their names (Dan, Michelle.......), but I will remember that night for a very long time. An observer might have thought we were all old friends and found it hard to believe we had just met. Fun time.

I thought I had a friendship like that at one time, but it really wasn't. Sadly, my sister and I will never have that type of relationship. There are times when I wish I did have that one special friend, but then I remember and think maybe I'm better off without. It's really okay, though. I've got dh, and he's been a better, truer, more loyal friend that I could have ever hoped for. I do have a few friends, more than acquaintances but not real close. If we run into each other, we'll visit. We might even have a phone conversation but it wouldn't be made just for the sake of conversation but if we had a question. I get invited to their events, and I invite them to mine. It's more casual.

When all 5 were home, eating out wasn't a common occurrence. When we did, it was usually pizza or Chinese. A couple other things we did to keep costs down was never order drinks, just water, and we would share meals. Dh and I always share meals, regardless of cost. We just don't eat that much. Our girls weren't big eaters, either, and I would end up with so much left over food, that it seemed a wise thing to do. Movies were even rarer. We'd go as a family around Christmas if there was a movie that was important to us. Otherwise, we go to the $1 theater. We would make our own movie nights. Rent a movie, have popcorn and snack food, and spread out on the floor in front of the TV. Lots of fun. We did a lot of outside activities as a family and would include picnics. Also, we would make a point to take an individual girl out for a special occasion and alone time with mom or dad or both. We did have our priorities, and for those we would choose to give up eating out and movies throughout the year. For instance, we would try to take a family road trip every couple of years, attend several Shakespeare productions during the summer, take trips to local museums. I felt badly at first when I realized I wouldn't be able to give my girls everything I got (only 2 kids in my family), but I've never heard one of my children ever complain that they were deprived. In fact, they talk about how much fun they had growing up.

I don't live in the Bible belt, but a child's birthday party on Sunday morning would be very odd. Mimosas at a brunch, whether at a restaurant or someone's house, is normal. I have served alcohol at a child's birthday party: a backyard barbecue where entire families were invited. Same for graduation parties. Beer and wine for the adults, pop and punch for the kids. Same for most of the parties we get invited to. Of course, most of these people are Catholic, so no objection to having a beer, glass of wine, or mimosa. We will have mimosas at our Easter Sunday brunch.

MASH. The best ever.

Oh, I like that one. It's going in my wishlist. My dd gave me this one http://www.amazon.com/Ravensburger-Bizarre-Bookshop-Jigsaw-1000-Piece/dp/B00DBWAVYY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1455496780&sr=8-2&keywords=the+bizarre+bookshop+puzzle The Bizarre Bookshop - with emphasis on bizarre. It was fun.

I enjoyed reading Karen's thoughts on romance and jotted down a few titles. Admi), ttedly, I don't read much romance, and when I think of romance, I tend more towards Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey type romance. The past few weeks I've been reading a lot, but it's mostly a little here, a little there, and not finishing much of anything. What I did finish: Come Rain or Come Shine by Jan Karon, Lewis's Perelandra (finally), The Hidden Treasure of Glaston (YA historical fiction) Seven League Boots by Richard Halliburton, and People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry. That one kept me up all night. And several Sherlock Holmes' stories. Right now I'm working on Everybody Was So Young by Amanda Vaill and for fun (and with my dd's urging) Cart and Cwidder by Diana Wynne Jones, who has never disappointed me.

I could do the dining room table. Maybe cover it up with a table cloth if I need to hide it. I have one of those table top spinny things, a round one, that will hold a 1000 piece puzzle. I can slide it under a bed if I need to move it. My biggest worry is my granddaughter getting hold of a piece. I was working on my Christmas puzzle, and sure enough, there was one piece missing. We hunted high and low with no luck. I asked my dd to keep her eyes open in case her little one had hid a piece somewhere. She finally found it stuffed in the bottom of the diaper bag. So what do you all do with your finished puzzles. I was saving mine up with the idea that I might glue some of them. Finally, I ended up taking pictures and putting them in big ziploc bags. All those hours of work, but at least I have pictures to prove it. I love doing puzzles. It's my stress release.

How long did it take? I'm wondering where I could put one that size and leave it until it was finished. I would really enjoy that challenge.

I hate loud noises. Dh took me to a movie recently, and I was plugging my ears for a good part of it. It was so loud. I'm also old.

I've had LDS and JWs both in the last six months. Last week I had an elderly gentleman who wanted to share a Bible passage with me. They all got a polite No. I frequently see LDS missionaries out and about, but I live in an area with a large LDS population.

If you leave the peroxide in your ear for 15 min., do you lay down on your side or what so it doesn't run out?

Is this the one that you take? http://www.epic4health.com/q20dosthyco.html#.VrU_-fkrLIU

If I could get away with it, I would in a heartbeat. Those styles mean regular trips to the stylist, and I hate going to the beauty as much as I hate shopping.

I really like this one. Classy yet you could easily pull it back in a clip. Dh and I have an overnight date for Valentine's weekend, and I need to do something with this mop of hair. I think I'll take this picture.

It's not normal for my girls or for the parents, but I admit we are oddballs. When out and about, I see as many adults glued to their phones as teens. My girls don't get phones until they're driving. Until that time, there is a family TracFone they can take with them if they're out. They do spend time on their tablets chatting with friends, but out of the whole day, it's not much. I don't allow it during school hours.

I've asked to be cremated, but I could go for this. What a beautiful spot.

When my dd let split pea soup burn in my Le Crueset, I followed Bill's advice. It works quite well. My pot was badly discolored, and after several tries with baking soda and peroxide, it was almost back to normal.

Depends on the article. If he will be using it, I get his input, or more likely we might shop together for it. Honestly though, outside of cars and tools, he prefers me to handle it. The last few appliances I picked out and bought on my own. I know our budget and stay within it. I think I've become a pretty smart shopper over the years. And when it comes to curriculum, he doesn't want to hear about it. Eta: honestly he's more apt to say he needs to talk it over with his wife.

Well that's what happens why I try to read posts and think while sick and on medication. Makes much more sense now.

Ah, ok. I must have missed that.

I thought the question was whether seeing women without clothes could be damaging to a boy.

eta: totally misunderstood the question.

I really can't tell by the photos. Also, behavior would probably speak louder than just looks. I'm 55. Old. I can deal with all sorts of things. On the other hand, I have some dds who would absolutely freak out if boys (I'm thinking 8 and over) were in the women's locker room. Even though they've been raised in a home that is fairly open and liberal about nudity, they all reached an age where they became very private about their bodies. I'm sure they have the expectation that they will be around other females when they go into a women's locker room (excepting little boys), and I don't think that's an unfair expectation on their part. I don't expect a mother to send her young son into a locker room by himself, but I would think by the age of 8 or so that most boys could manage on their own. Then again, what do I know since I don't have any boys. That is based on the fact that my dds could manage by themselves at that age. Also, I wonder how comfortable a 8+ year old boy would be in a women's locker room? My dds would have been horrified at the thought of going into a men's locker room. It's an age where kids are trying to be comfortable with their bodies, and I don't want to push them into any situations before they're ready to handle it. I'm sure much of this stems from the fact that we were all raised in the US, and we know people who don't even allow co-ed swimming unless they're covered from shoulders to thighs. eta: I'm thinking of locker rooms with benches along the wall and no private changing rooms.