I think it really depends on how well managed his diabetes usually is. Is he generally good with his blood sugars and this something that just happens when you go out? I don't think it's at all unreasonable for him to indulge now and then if he is otherwise well managed. And if he isn't otherwise well managed, well eating out is not really the problem is it. My Dad was a diabetic, the diabetes didn't kill him, cancer did. He was very well managed but when we went out to dinner he did like to splurge. It was very irregular, perhaps 6 monthly. And then on his birthday and Christmas we always had pavlova which is a giant sugar hit, but it was his treat and he upped his insulin to cope. If it is a 3-4 weekly date, perhaps you could go to a splurgy type restaurant every 2nd or 3rd date, and perhaps go to more healthy places or do other activities the other times. I think I'd sit down with him and approach it from an "I'm concerned for you, how can we work this so that our dates are special and you are not tempted to eat like this as regularly."

I didn't read what he said that way at all. I read it as having your kids in school uniform would mean less nagging to buy A&F. :iagree:

New Zealander living in Australia.

Nope, string would be high on my list. I disagree that they only need short lengths though, mine like to use the whole box. J used to make a knee height spiders web between all the furniture in the living rooms.

:iagree: I am celiac and I react to oats too, it's not uncommon as the protein in them is very similar to the gluten proteins. I also react to potato sometimes. I'd definitely ditch oats and maybe see if potato has a reaction, it's usually within a very short time for me.

The other thing is that there are a lot of people importing cameras out of Hong Kong at vastly reduced prices, because even with parity with the USD, we are still paying ridiculous prices here. I'm in the market for a pro DSLR at the moment and the saving is hundreds of dollars, lots of hundreds! The warranty issues are a little more complex than for Aussie cameras and for that reason, and the fact that I can't be without my camera at all, I'm going Aussie product for the camera body, but if you are not studying or working as a photog, take a look. Many of them have some kind of special Aussie warranty arrangement.

:iagree: When I got my first DSLR, DS and I had a shoot off with the DSLR vs the point and shoot, I shot 17 photos by the time he shot one. Instant start up and no shutter lag. If your budget will allow it, I'd go for an entry level SLR or bridge camera, you will not regret it.

I discovered that I was allergic to latex when my airways started to swell blowing up balloons for our engagement party, at that point I put two and two together and realised the same thing had happened at DS's 1st birthday. I react to gloves, bandages, adhesive tape, and balloons, I've had issues with medical things at times, but that is getting better as awareness improves. I can be around balloons, but only a couple. If there are more than 5 or so balloons in a room, I start to get wheezy. If my mucous membranes are touched with latex, it's not good. I've never seen an allergist or been tested. I considered wearing a medic alert bracelet until I did a first aid course, where the trainer said that standard procedure was to treat first and then check bracelet if time. Well if I was unconcious and they treated me with latex gloves on, by the time they checked the bracelet it would be too late anyway. I'd be heading into anaphalaxis if they touched my mouth or raw flesh with the gloves. And if I have breath then I tell people. I'm very careful to have it on my hospital preadmission, and always tell the dentist, doctor, blood sucker etc every single visit. A few years ago it was a real headache, I had to leave a dentist once and drive down the road to get gloves from a pharmacy so they could treat me! I had an IV in once for antibiotics and it hurt so bad and swelled so much that I insisted they take it out and put in a new one each time for the ABs then remove it again. These days most places are well prepared. I have always found bananas a bit funny tasting, they leave the same taste in my mouth that having a balloon in the room does. But they are fine if they are very very ripe, no idea why. My biggest fear is beginning to have issues with food that was prepared with latex gloves. I think about people at factories making canned, frozen and pre-made food, and how many of them wear latex and it gives me the willies. From what I have been able to read, it was probably the multiple surgeries as a child that caused it.

:iagree: I love it! It used to be my treat when I went to the market, a packet of delicious, soft powdery sweetness. But they use wheaten cornflour for dusting :( I need to learn to make it.

About $5.32 here. We have dollar parity with the US currently, or near enough to it. So it's $1.40 a litre, give or take, and there are 3.8? litres to a gallon?

We have a plain wooden table which we use placemats on and wipe between meals. The placemats get washed when they have dirty marks. Table cloths are for when we have company and want to go real fancy.

I have Paprika Recipe Manager. I like the fact that it can import recipes from many popular website and I can enter my own. Then I can add my recipes to my meal plan and it puts the ingredients in the shopping list. I have to say though that the shopping list is not great.

:iagree: Especially the bolded. All of my kids have done the god thing at various times. I just go with the flow, answer the questions. All of them currently state that they are athiests but that may change.

I couldn't work it out either. We don't own guns, we don't use guns. My relatives use guns on their farms but at that stage the kids were not exposed. I don't like to watch violence on TV, so they weren't exposed to any adult gun containing programs. J was a very sensitive child who got upset at The Ugly Duckling, so I carefully monitored what he watched, but still he made guns out of fingers and sticks. The only thing I can think of is cartoons, and of course toy guns at their friends houses.

:iagree: Nerfs are such fun!! :iagree: Yep, for me the clincher to allowing toy guns in the house was realising that when my children went to friends houses who were allowed toy guns, my children played obsessively with them while the children of the house weren't that interested. I was creating an alluring mystery instead of encouraging anti-violence. From that realisation, we allowed them in the house and they very quickly lost their allure, the kids hardly touched them. We are recent Nerf converts, I only discovered them a year ago. Such fun!

I've been trying to wrap my brain around what models of Nikon and Canon line up. I found an interesting fact which would impact on my decision on an entry level DSLR, so I'll share it. Hopefully it's all correct, but I'm sure others will fill in the bits that I have got wrong. Canon cameras all have the auto focus motor in the body, so the lenses are totally backward and forward compatible with higher and lower models (until you get to full frame cameras which are a bit of a different beast again and slightly more complex) My kind of vague understanding is that Nikon entry level cameras do not have the AF motor in the body but in the lens, this means that the lenses are not compatible with higher level cameras and vv. Potentially this is not really too much of an issue as you are not likely to really want to put an entry level lens on a better camera anyway, but if you may start to want to buy better lenses before upgrading your camera, it could be an issue. Hopefully someone can clarify exactly how it works. I also agree with Fairymom that a 50mm 1.8 lens is a great purchase for not much $$ Mine pretty much lives on my camera.

Can someone explain why the OP would need a lawyer? I don't understand how testifying in court (if required) would need a lawyer.

It varies from year to year and child to child. I voted $126-175 but in fact it can be less or more than that depending on what they want or need.

Yes, they were very grateful. They brought us a bottle of wine which was very kind.

Crisis averted! Lucky's owner just called. They'll be here any minute to collect him. Phew!

Pity the Aussie law makers have their ears and eyes closed to such statistics. They are hell bent on making life as hard as possible for homebirthers.

Could you prepare a special meal, have the kids wait tables and then arrange some candles, music and wine for after they are in bed. Get the kids to help you celebrate your special day and hopefully they will be amenable to going to bed nicely for you.

DS and I were driving home from Scouts tonight when we came across a wee dog running about on a busy road. We stopped and with another man, managed to catch it. Lucky has a collar with numbers, but his owners are not answering their phones, we think that he was probably frightened by fireworks that evening. I've left messages and texts on both numbers on his collar. Our boxer puppy, Lola, is friendly and exuberant and rather too much for the stinky wee fluff ball, Lucky, who bares his teeth every time she comes near. We can't have them near each other as there will be tears. The issue is that it is 10.30pm and bedtime. Lola sleeps downstairs, lucky seems to want to be near me, but he STINKS and DH has decreed that he is not to sleep in our room. It's a warm night, temp shouldn't drop below 60F, is it safe to tie him up outside? We can't let him off as we have a pond he could drown in. If the owners have not called tomorrow, we will deliver him to the city animal shelter. Lastly, we are newish dog owners and completely unsure how to introduce them in such a way that Lucky will not try to go Lola.

We use a plastic idea dish with a small amount of butter in it, it's uncovered but kept in a drawer, for easy access and no flies or dogs can get at it.

:iagree: that sums it up for me. :iagree: Thanks to both of you for presenting "our" case in such a well thought out and polite way.