I choose both. Although I either have a dog or cats. Never at the same time. They each have their pros and cons.

:iagree: Ozzy, baby! Ozzy!

I have a lazy susan corner cabinet between my stove and sink. I store my pots and pans in there. I am indifferent to it. It gets the job done. Sometimes a mixing bowl falls off but that is usually because I overloaded it. It would not be my first choice but it came with the house.

The after school program is probably not indicative of the school staff. When my son was in the after care program it was run by 2 elderly women and a couple of high school students. It was very much what you described. My son was being bullied and when I went to speak to the staff the answer I got was "If he tells us about we will do something." The following year I hired an after school sitter. There was no way I was returning him to that environment.

I don't know. I also don't compare them to their public school peers (well try not to). I realized that we all know different things. Who determined what the standard is? Maybe I don't like their standard or I want to use a different standard. My kids are learning. They are happy and well adjusted. Only time will tell if I have completely screwed them up for life so I try not to worry about it.

My 14 year old uses the crystal rock deodorant. http://www.thecrystal.com/rock/

Same here, but I am in NJ.

I love Disney movies. They open the door to many relevant conversations. Cinderella-victim of child abuse. Snow White-victim mentality. You can't wait around waiting for some man to save you. You need to live your life. Jasmine-overprotective parent. Mulan-The real Mulan was left to die in the snow because she was a woman. No saving China rewards for her. Belle-Woman who knows what she wants. We have had some excellent conversations over the years. As for the controversy I think it is a tempest in a teapot. Children learn what they live. As long as you are modeling the type of person you want your children to be then the princesses will be just a fairy tale.

Rainy day where I am. Would you like me to send you some?

I like my cabbage sliced up and put in a salad. I am not a fan of cooked cabbage. You could make invisible ink with it: http://www.ehow.com/how_12146139_make-invisible-ink-purple-cabbage-juice.html

Cindy was going to be the next Shirley Temple so she must have taken dance classes.

I was so excited OUAT and Revenge were back last night. No one was allowed to talk to me while I was watching. I am not sure how I feel about 666, though. It is interesting but I don't know if I will follow it.

"la la la la la la" Not listening. I am not prepared to think about Chanukah, Our standard tradition, now that the kidsa re older, is they each have a Menorah to light. One was an engagement gift when dh and I got married and the other is the Menorah from my childhood. Each year the kids alternate which Menorah they light. We go to my in-laws for one of the nights. This year I am not sure it will actually be during Chanukah as we are following when my neice will be home from college. My MIL does make the best latkes. When the kids were little we did 8 nights of gifts. Now we do one big gift and gelt on the other nights. Of course, on the first night we have jelly donuts. I don't go all out on the decorating. We have some dreidel lights that I put up on the mantel. Last year my Happy Chanukkah door hanger broke so I will be looking for a replacement.

:iagree:I have lived this. They know exactly what they are doing. There long term goals are about how much money they can grab and can they get out before the carp hits the fan.

I don't have a favorite but personality wise I definitely mesh better with one of my kids then the other. Perhaps he is viewing that as favoritism. I think what he really feels is a different level of enjoyment because the older one is just that-older and able to do stuff. Both of my kids know the dog is my favorite. I tell them all the time that he is my favorite because he is always happy to see me and he never talks back.

As the wife of a kidney cancer survivor I wanted to give you a virtual hug. It is a difficult time for all involved. I was not homeschooling at the time but it was stressful on me. The kids were little when my dh was diagnosed so I think I was the only one who felt the pressure. They just remember daddy was sick for awhile. To continue rambling, I would put family first and focus on the basics of homeschooling. Anything else is gravy. Most importantly, make sure you accept help that is offered. No need to be a martyr. Make sure you take some time for yourself to keep you balanced.

:iagree: Same here.

Leave your brother/sister be. Show your work. Scrap paper is not the enemy. It is your friend. You could have been halfway through with that if you had just started rather then whining/complaining at me.

Welcome to the club. I think they make jewelry for people like us.

My 12 year old is starting down this path. It is not pretty and I am not sure both of us will make it to the other side.

He may have psoriasis on his scalp (which my dh has) and need a stronger shampoo such as Nuetragena T-Gel shampoo. It is expensive but it works.

I've noticed it cropping up in my area over the last year or two. I am in the Northeast.

It sounds like the dog does not get out for long walks with its owners. The running and barking sound like yard aggression to me. He is warning your kids that this is his territory and he is protecting it. If the owners are not going to do anything after you have attempted to talk to them then you are left with no choice but to call the police the next time he is behaving that way.

Um, does my flicking a flashlight on and off in dh's face at 1:30 in morning to simulate how I can not sleep when he is playing a stupid video game at that hour due to the flickering monitor and clacking on keyboards while screaming at him that he is an insensitive jerk count as quality time? That moment aside, we do try to at least get a few minutes a day where we talk to each other about our day and what is going on in our lives.

If there is one thing I have taught my kids it is that reality tv is not even remotely close to reality. The shows are edited to show people as the lowest of the low. As I watch Dance Moms with my daughter (I know, horrible) we have lots of discussions about editing. How the inset face of someone eye rolling was probably not in response to what they are showing at the moment. That the editors put it there for dramatic effect.