Grandparents (born in 1910s and 1920s): theology professor/hospital chaplain and nurse; minister and housewife (who majored in theatre in college). Great-grandparents (born 1880s-1890s): tailor and housewife; minister and housewife; dairy farmer and housewife; railroad engineer and housewife. The dairy farmer and his wife's family were the only farming families among my ancestors. He ran his own farm until the Depression. After he lost the farm, he still was a dairy farmer, but for a large corporation. His wife's family, who had run the farm next door (this was in eastern Kansas), went to southern California during the depression and bought a citrus orchard.

I grew up in a white-collar home, though we were lower-middle class surrounded by upper-middle class. My father (a doctor) left before I was born and my mother didn't want to move, so we struggled financially. My parents and grandparents all had post-baccalaureate educations. Education was extremely important and there was an environment that nurtured that, even without much money. No one in my husband's family has even attended college before him. DH got a technical degree and works a blue-collar job making more now than my university professor mother does. But, the culture of education is just not there. He wants the kids to do well and to go to college. But, I can't explain it. He just doesn't know how to foster an educationally rich environment. I'm not saying one way is better than the other. But, they are very different and make life difficult when the two collide. Edited for auto correct error

Yes it's up to me. I decorate. I choose. I buy. I wrap. I place. I bake. I cook. I clean. I attempt to keep the peace between DH and DS. DH has two jobs: buy the tree (which was supposed to be done the day after Thanksgiving, but happened less than two weeks ago after much nagging), and with the children wrap the gifts I bought for myself three weeks ago (he had to get them out of bed Christmas Eve to do it because after I nagged him about it once again, he said they'd do it after they opened presents Christmas Day, and I said that was unacceptable). I would love perfection, but all I'm aiming for are happy memories so my kids don't grow up hating the day.

I did this when it first came out. I've lived my whole life in central South Carolina. My parents were both from Boston. It gave me three cities in California.

The big hits here were Lego Dimensions for the boys and a baby doll and stroller for the girl.

We didn't but my uncle did. He had an orange one and a red one.

Exactly what Garga said.

Not at all. Though, when I was young, I would have. I wanted to be a US senator when I was young. Now, there's no way I would do that I especially have no desire to be famous for the sake of fame.

I ordered something from Amazon on Dec 1. The next day, I got shipping confirmation. When it still hasn't come the day after it was supposed to arrive and the tracking showed no movement at all, I emailed. They said that the item was not in stock (even though the page said it was when I bought it and now at that point it was saying in stock but may require 1-2 days) and they would upgrade my shipping to one day and I would be at the top of the list to get it when they got it in on the 11th. On the 11th it listed as in stock for a few hours, then the in stock but 1-2 days thing, then out of stock. Then I emailed again and was told it still hasn't come in, they'd give me a free month of prime, and as soon as it came in, I'd get it. Since then, it keeps going through the same process and when out of stock listing various dates when it will be back in stock. Yesterday, it was saying the 28th, so I finally sent them a request to cancel it and paid more at Target to get it. Today, it's listed as in stock from a third party at 3x the price. Amazon still hasn't replied to my last email requesting cancellation. I'm not impressed.

I can't recommend this one of Hans Christian Andersen since we haven't gotten it, but this is the one on my wish list: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0385189516/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_3?colid=3H28P5RBGU72F&coliid=I2AWGWZLEBT0HG

I got my 10yo this one and he loves it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1607103133/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1450664122&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=grimms+complete+fairy+tales&dpPl=1&dpID=51WgrlJnCmL&ref=plSrch

My middle child especially is always told how gorgeous he is and it embarrasses him. It's usually not just an offhand comment but the person goes into detail about his beautiful hair, or the color of his skin, or the shape and color of his eyes. It gets awkward for me too, especially when they say things in front of him like "how could you ever say no to him," etc. As if being attractive is the ticket to getting to do what you want in life. My other two get told how cute they are, and that doesn't bother me or them. It's more the manner, delivery, and detail of the comments for my middle that gets strange.

I have the Sonlight P ones also. I don't so much mind the thinner one--I think that the 20th Century one--but the really huge one I really don't care for. I think that's the Harper Collins Treasury. It was really too unwieldy to be comfortable with when snuggled up reading aloud.

Hmm, I was under the impression that the mockery of British teeth had to do with our American obsession with having perfectly aligned teeth, not the number of cavities one had had filled or teeth missing. I thought it was about our middle- and upper-class propensity to slap braces on kids for anything less than perfection.

My babies have always been way too distracted to NIP as infants. I have asked to use a private room to nurse at parties at people's houses twice. I did not ask for a specific room or to lay the baby down. I've been offered to do so at family members' houses, but my babies only sleep at home or in the car apparently.

No. Never. Not at any company he's ever worked for.

I figure I'll email at midnight tonight if I'm up and perhaps call in the afternoon since it's Friday. I'm so tired of worrying about this package!

On 11/29, I placed a large Lego order from their online shop. I made two smaller orders the same day. On 12/02, all three had tracking information sent to FedEx and the two smaller orders began moving (they arrived three days later). On 12/05, I emailed Lego to inquire about the larger package as it still hasn't begun moving according to the tracking. On 12/06, it arrived at its first FedEx location, three states away from me. On 12/07, they replied to my email saying that the box was now moving and would be here By the 12th. On 12/12, I emailed again to say that it hadn't moved since it supposedly arrived at FedEx and it certainly didn't arrive that day. I never got a reply, but... On 12/14, it appeared at a FexEx location one state away from me and with a new arrival date of 12/17. On 12/15, it left there, shipment information was sent to the USPS, and it was in transit to the USPS in my city. It never said the USPS got it, and my other packages delivered in the same manner have all said that the same day it was listed as in transit to my local USPS. The mail has come and gone today. It obviously wasn't there. I don't even know who to contact at this point. This was THE big gift of Christmas and I'm concerned it's not coming.

I answered no, based on thinking about living in the urban center of a large city with three kids. I'd be fine with the suburbs. And pre-kids, I would have loved it. I think even with one, I'd be fine.

I was totally going to start a thread like this in the morning. I feel like so much was lost between my grandmother (housewife) to my mom (divorced working woman) to me. And I don't feel like I'm passing along what little knowledge I do have in this arena to my kids.

I'm really surprised to learn that the rules differ on this. I never knew it was illegal some places to pull into the intersection and wait to be able to turn left. It seems like you'd never be able to turn left at some intersections with that rule.

I'm having issues with several different companies this month, Amazon included. Two out of maybe dozen orders from them that were Prime and listed as in stock have not shipped a week later. One, they listed as shipped and the day after it was scheduled and didn't arrive, I contacted them and found out it was out of stock!?!? The other was supposed to arrive today and I got an email this morning that it would be next Thursday. I ordered from the Lego shop Thanksgiving weekend and still haven't received my package. I contacted them after a week when it hadn't shipped. They shipped it the next day and replied the day after that they'd shipped it. But nothing has happened on the tracking at all and it's supposedly supposed to be here tomorrow. I ordered in stock items from Joann's last weekend and nothing at all has happened with that. None of these are the fault of the shipping companies (well, maybe the second half of the Lego problem, or maybe they just created a label and haven't shipped it still). For goodness' sakes, I've gotten an order shipped free from China faster than from these companies!

Ha! I'd begun to think I had imagined this many years ago. The summer I learned to drive we were visiting my grandparents in Boston and it was very disorienting.

You were right.

This is what I was going to say. We saw Peanuts and it was cute and all, but not anything special.