I'm sorry he was behaving that way. At least you were able to use it as a teachable moment.

I feed out dog a combination of raw and dry food (I use Holistic Select dry food). Our local poultry farm supplies me with raw dog food at a decent price. Perhaps that is an option you can explore with a local butcher.

All my friends laugh because the other day I told them I was counting down to menopause. Based on my age and when my mother completed menopause I figure I have roughly 120 periods to go. I will be holding a big party when I am done with this pia perimenopause.

I would not worry too much at this point. I tested my kids this year and when the results came dh was less then thrilled. He felt they should have been high in everything. I pointed out to him that their scores (which were average to high) was with zero test prep and following our own curriculum vs. what the school was doing. Then I told him I would be happy to teach the test next year so they can score better. At that point he realized how he was being a little off base since one of our homeschooling goals is to raise children who can think, not just regurgitate facts for a test.

Not to derail the thread, but that is just horrible. Your poor dh. Did his siblings get presents? Your dh sounds like a thoughtful and generous man in spite of his father's cruelty.

It is selfish to not share with close friends and family but it is not cruel. The person with the terminal illness is still a competent human being capable of making their own decisions-good and bad. It is equally selfish for us to want them to tell us. My father kept it a secret. I was angry, frustrated, and a host of other uncharitable thoughts when I found out. With time I was able to see that my desire to know sooner was all about me and what I wanted. I was making his cancer about me and my wants and needs. It wasn't about me and what I wanted. It was about what my father wanted. And that was to live as many of his last days as possible without his family and friends worrying about him, without staring at him with sadness and pity. It was about him living his life. Like I said earlier, I respect that but I certainly didn't like it.

I can only share my experience. I have had some friends where if I did not do the inviting nothing happens. It becomes very tiring to always be the one to make things happen. When I evaluated what I was getting out of those friendships either I was getting a decent return on my investment or I was not. The ones where I was not I let go. Some people are just not initiators but that does not make them bad friends.

That is exactly what my father did. He did not tell anyone he was sick until he could no longer hide it. He didn't want us to worry. He wanted everyone to go on enjoying their life. He wanted to go on enjoying his life. He lived his life the way he wanted to. I respect that. I can't say I liked it but it was not my decision to make.

When I buy Mallowmars I get 2 boxes. One I hide in the car until I am all alone. Then I take that box and remove the Mallowmars and wrap them in tinfoil. Then I stick it in the back of the freezer. No one ever opens something wrapped in tinfoil in the freezer. Then I get to enjoy a cookie when I am all alone. So nice.

We take our dog on vacation with us. Family visits-he gets boarded. I would never dream of asking anyone if it is okay if I bring my dog. It is one thing if our host volunteers with a "Please bring your dog" but I would never ask nor just show up with him. To me, that is incredibly rude.

Chicken soup with oodles of noodles. Tomato soup with oyster crackers and half a grilled cheese sandwich. Mac and cheese I grew up on Long Island.

I am so sorry for your loss. I know how difficult it is to lose a beloved pet.

Hoot.

I have no problem shaking hands. It is a social nicety and it does not last long. I do, however, hate (and I can not stress enough how much hate) when people I just met hug and/or kiss me on the cheek. That is a huge violation of my personal space.

I test mine because I want to know if their are areas that I need to work on in the upcoming year to keep them inline with their peers if they have to reenter public school. I think the test is more for me then as an accurate guage of their abilities.

Travel, travel, and more travel. Perhaps spending large blocks of time in other states and countries soaking up local culture.

I would also start investigating food storage. If you can buy some bulk grains you will be able to make your baked goods from your pantry

I can not believe my secret shame has not been mentioned yet. Deuce Bigelow, Male Gigolo I have to say, some of the movies listed I do not think fall into the bad/cheesy category (at least not by my standards)

I think it is a wonderful and thoughtful gift.

Art is all about Geometry. Then I showed my kids The Rose Window at Notre Dame. Without math they never would have been able to create it. Without the right math skills there are many things that would not be created well.

I am all for evites for general parties and showers but when it comes to a big life altering event I like a nice invite in the mail. However, that is me. I am seeing an increase in email for responses instead of a response card. Personally, I don't like that at all for the simple reason that I like to use the response cards to arrange seating. Sure I can do it on the computer but it is not the same as a large piece of paper with cards arranged on it.

I know I shouldn't feel like a slacker, but everyone else always seems to be doing so much more then me. I know in my head our workload if fine for us. Every once in awhile those natural insecurities creep in. Thank you for giving me a reality check.

Now I feel like a slacker. My 5th grader averages about 3 hours per day. A typical day includes: Math Grammar History/Science (rotates) Spanish Geography Critical Thinking/Logic Vocabulary Independent reading and reading assignments are done throughout the day.

I see nothing wrong with 10 minutes of test prep a day using practice materials. Teaching them some tools (such as reading the answers first and then reading the paragraph so you know what you are looking for) and having them be familiar with the testing procedure. I gave my kids a standardized this past year and I kind of blindsided them with it. I told them when the tests arrived they would be taking it in a couple of days. Then I told them there was going to be stuff on the test that they may not know because we have not covered it yet and that it was okay. After that I let them know the test was for me. I needed to know what areas I was weak in teaching so we could work on them the following year. Both of my kids did fine. My dh thought their tests scores were not high enough. I told him that these were their scores with zero test prep and if he would like I could teach the test next year and get their scores higher. He declined that offer.

Well, that explains why some of them managed to escape. It worked without the dawn but perhaps it will work better with it. Hopefully, it will be a while before I get another infestation.