No, the kids do not have tv's in their rooms. My sister and I had them in our rooms growing up and in some ways I think it had a negative impact on our family dynamic. We were in our own rooms doing our own thing and if it wasn't for the fact that my parents forbid us from having phones in our rooms we would never come out. My kids are older and now have their laptops in their rooms but doors must be open when they are using them. No game system in their rooms, either, for the same reason as television. My children do like to point out that dh and I have a tv in our bedroom and I tell them they can make that decision for themselves when they are living on their own. TV/video games are a family affair and we usually do it together.

Personally, no, I am not bothered by dogs in restaurants, stores, or any other space as long as they are well behaved. However, as a society, we have rules about where it is acceptable to bring a dog (that is not a service dog) and I abide by them and I expect the people around me to do so as well. It is unfortunate that so many people treat their pup as an accessory instead of a living animal and expect to be able to bring their pet wherever they are going.

What it means is "we are throwing a formal affair. However, we are aware that you might not own a tux or evening gown and it may be a financial burden for you to rent/buy one therefore If you are a man and have a tux wear it. If you are a woman and have an evening gown wear it. If you don't then men wear a suit and tie and women wear a cocktail dress." If you are a person who generally does not wear dresses/skirts then dressy slacks and blouse (and some blingly jewlery if you have it) are appropriate attire.

I have an eeyore. I feel like I am always saying to my 14 year old "Be a tigger, not an eeyore." Like the OP, my initial response tends to lean towards white hot rage. Much to my horror I just went off on him yesterday when he was totally unappreciative of dinner. He asked what was for dinner and he responded with "I don't like that" (which was not true). He just did it at the wrong moment. I totally went off on him that when someone takes time out of their day to provide a nice, hot meal for them the correct response is "Thank you for dinner." This post is timely for me. Today I have renewed my goal of just modeling appropriate responses vs. modeling with a tirade about what an ingrate he can be.

Whether or not I would be offended would depend on the family member. Feeling offended is probably more my issue then their issue. If you like the name and that is the name you want for your child then use it.

It saddens me that nothing has changed in the public school system for the better since I made the decision to homeschool 4 years ago. I admire his willingness to go public with his reasons for leaving. He seems like he would be a great teacher and I hope another more open minded school snaps him up. One of my SIL is a teacher (now the reading specialist) and she tells anyone who is thinking of going into teaching not to do it. That this is a terrible time to be a classroom teacher. In spite of the fact that you have no say in curriculum choices and policies you get blamed for everything by the parents and the school. Of course, 2 sentences later she is telling me that I should put my kids back in school, but that is another discussion.

I don't think I would enjoy this diet as a lifestyle, but to answer your jicama question...It is a root vegetable and it is delicious and it should not cost you a $100 per pound. It is usually fairly reasonably priced. I love jicama raw in a salad.

Most of the time I read to escape reality and fluff fits that bill quite nicely.

I do make my kids periodically retry foods that they have previously stated they do not like. Palletes change. In general, the rule is, if you do not want to eat what is being served you can go have some cereal or a yogurt. I make myself retry yogurt every once in awhile because it is good for me and I should like it.

As an adult I have learned to appreciate that youth really is wasted on the young.

It depends on the age and maturity of the child and how well I know the family. We don't allow them that often because I don't feel they are a necessary part of life and I don't like how cranky my kids are the next day but my kids do enjoy them.

Because Sheldon is awesome.

I agree, builders standard. I don't think they look cheap but they are certainly easy enough to change. My dog can open doors with that kind of knob. Not my favorite for that reason.

:iagree: Although I do think that all the tinkering we have done with our food source and the pesticides used when I was a kid have contributed to the increases in peanut allergies, autoimmune disorders, gluten intolerances, etc. But, if I am hungryI am not going to turn it away.

My sister has had psoriasis all of her life. She does best when she eliminates all dairy from her diet (which she is never long term successful with-we love our cheese). Reducing stress also helps. Plus, she swears by swimming in the ocean. She said a saltwater bath at home is not the same and exposure to sunlight helps the flair ups. She had a sun lamp when we were growing up.

I say sell it. Clearly you don't enjoy it so you are better off selling it and getting something you do like.

I have done the archeaology dig-and it is a huge hit. Other games my kids have enjoyed: Pass the orange-you need enough kids to form 2 teams and player one holds the orange under his/her chin and player 2 has to grab it with their chin. Stomp on the balloon- everyone ties a balloon to their ankle and the kids stomp on them. Last one with an unpopped balloon wins. Whip Cream eating contest-Put an m & m in the bottom of a mini pie tin. Fill with whip cream. Hands behind backs. First kid to find the m & m wins. Fear Factor Taste Test

I would find it irksome but having been part of a few potlucks in my time it does make it easier when people sign up for different categories. I stopped participating because people were being very miserly with what they were bringing. It upped my frustration level and my expenses trying to make up for those who were not bringing enough.

Fireflyz Serenity Captain Mal

No one in our family suffers from a gluten problem/celiac/autoimmune disease so we have no plans to go gluten free. If someone did develop an issue I would ditch the wheat and not look back. I also stay away from GMO wheat when purchasing my wheat berries.

I have never used them but their tactics remind me of amway from back in the day.

I use them for muffins all the time without a problem. However, blueberry muffins always seem to stick to them.

Whole foods I buy at costco: Cheese, meats, quinoa, nuts, and olive oil. Fruit and veggies are hit or miss.

I have not skipped any cycles yet but my mood swings are horrible. It is like an out of body experience. I can see myself being a nut but I am unable to stop it. The kids actually refer to me as the momster that week.

Started cracking the whip at 10am after 2 hours of niceness.