Zelda, you slay me!! :D On my DVR: Chuck Heroes House Pushing Daisies Lost Life Life on Mars My Own Worst Enemy The Mentalist The Office Trading Spaces Fringe (for now... haven't caught up since episode 3, 'cause I think it's kinda weird) The Starter Wife (I just caught a few episodes and thought I'd check out a few more... kind of a guilty pleasure) BTW... not sure any of these shows are worthwhile. I should probably be reading a book instead!!

Never started: Art, French, and Typing. Maybe there's still hope... later this year... I have a great art book (Lamb's Book of Art or something like that), but haven't found the French program I want to use. I'm never off the computer enough to let DS practice typing. :blush: Not dropped but having a hard time working it in: EftRU. I've really got to get back on it. Everything else seems to be working out... so far.

Oh, yeah! I forgot about that show! I do record it, as well. I really get a kick out of it, and the dialogue, and the whole style of that show. I have GOT to stop recording so many programs, though. I don't have enough time to watch them all, even though I can get through 4 programs in three hours, thanks to the DVR (skipping commercials sure saves a LOT of time!).

Here's one thing I suggest, if you really think you cannot possibly pull yourself out of this without help. Go to Consumer Credit Counseling Services, or CCCS. There is another credit consolidation agency that uses those same initials (CCCS), but they are NOT the people you want to go to. Be sure you go ONLY to Consumer Credit Counseling Services. Dave Ramsey does not advocate using a credit consolidation service, but says if you must, this is the one to use. Long before we met DR, we used CCCS, and it saved us. They have the clout to work with creditors that you don't have. Start there, before you go to a bankruptcy lawyer.

Ditto. Like Scarlett, my biggest reason for advising the OP to explore all other options first is that bankruptcy doesn't necessarily relieve the financial burden; sometimes, it just prolongs it. Also, even after bankruptcy, credit card sharks will sometimes "sell" your bad debt to collectors, who will continue to HOUND you mercilessly to "pay off" debt that a bankruptcy judge has already written off. Watch the documentary "Maxed Out" to see what I'm talking about. :iagree:

- I love to read aloud to my kids, and usually don't give them enough turns reading out loud themselves. I like to do different "voices" and accents. - I haven't put pictures in an album for nearly 14 years. I have about that many U-Haul boxes filled with pictures and mementos just waiting to be placed in a photo album, and thousands and thousands more in digital format on my computer that haven't been printed out yet. - My almost-11 year old DS thinks he's adopted because there are no photo albums with his photo in them. :blush: - I paid $2000 this summer to have Ontrack Data Recovery restore my hard drive that crashed, the one with all those digital photos I hadn't yet printed. I now have them backed up on two separate hard drives, and online. - I am a conservative Christ-follower, but I do not homeschool for religious reasons. (I just didn't like the school in our new location.) - I am pro-life, and I am against the death penalty in most cases (heinous crimes against children are another matter). - I am an old-earth creationist. (Ducking and running.) - I am a military wife who has been fortunate enough to live in some fabulous places over the past 20 years, including S. Korea, Germany, and my favorite place, Turkey. - We don't do copywork. - I've only been homeschooling since March of last year, but have already turned into a curriculum junkie. - I love to do gourmet cooking, but rarely do anymore. However, I have never made a lasagna (except a frozen one from Stouffer's) and have never baked a loaf of bread except in a bread machine, which I sold at a garage sale 10 years ago and really wish I hadn't. (The machine, not the baked bread.) - I am a messy married to a neat freak. He's rubbed off on me over the years, and I've found that clutter now drives me crazy, but I'm still not as organized as I want to be, so when it overwhelms me, I just throw it in a drawer or closet. The living space is neat, but don't open the cabinets or closet doors, if you visit me! :blush: - I love to move. We've been here for 2.5 years, and I have seriously itchy feet, and am ready to move on. Sadly, I think we're stuck for another couple years until DD graduates high school... so I will probably go through a major redecorating project this coming summer to make the house feel new and different. - I love adventure.

So, we have a DVR that came with our Dish Network package. It's going to be the ruin of me. I can now record every show I've ever had even a passing moment's interest in... and then spend hours and hours watching them, and getting nothing else done. Which I did. Tonight. Since I couldn't get on the boards. :001_huh: Anyway... Those of you who fry your brain on the occasional -- or not so occasional :blush: -- night time TV programs, which new shows this season have you watched and enjoyed? Here's my list of new shows I've watched (for 2-3 episodes, so far): The Mentalist -- entertaining. Lead actor is certainly easy on the eyes. :blushing: I don't know if I'll keep recording it, but it's a good show. Fringe -- weird, strange, and the characters do not seem to react at all like I think they should to the things going on around them. I stopped recording this after the 3rd episode, although I got a kick out of the old doctor. I felt like the rest of the acting was ... lame. Life on Mars -- kinda reminds me of the now-canceled Journeyman, which I liked. So far, I am liking this show, and want to see how it all pans out. Like Fringe, it's an unusual set-up, but I think the main character reacts logically to the circumstances in which he's found himself. My Own Worst Enemy -- another unusual set-up, with characters (mainly the lead character) reacting pretty much how I'd expect them to react to their bizarre situation. Not sure I'll be able to keep watching it, though, as the government spy thriller types aren't really my thing. What are your favorite new shows this fall? Other shows I enjoy watching (returning programs): Heroes -- this is one I ALWAYS record. I confess, I even go to the site and read the graphic novels. House -- ditto Life -- Good show that premiered last season, and I'm glad they renewed. But, interestingly, I have not yet watched any of the episodes from this season that I've recorded. I wanted to see how the storyline played out (cop falsely accused of murder, sent to prison for several years, now exonerated and back on the force, trying to find the real killer), but it's one of those "take it or leave it" shows for me. Chuck -- I am still recording episodes, but I'm not sure I can keep this on my list. Time is precious, and I'm not sure this show is worth it. Lost -- Of course, not on right now. :glare: When will it return, does anyone know? The Office -- the only 30-minute sitcom I must watch. Every week. Do not call when The Office is on. (That's what she said!) What are your favorite returning shows this fall?

I second that. Also, check out Dave Ramsey's site, which has tons of great information. http://www.daveramsey.com/ When you get there, click on the yellow box near the top where it says, "New Here?" That will get you started. Bankruptcy CAN be avoided. I strongly urge you to read up on Dave Ramsey's financial planning advice. He's not the end-all-be-all, and other financial advisers offer similar advice, but it's a place to start. I wish I had more time to type up a response, but one thing you do is this. Make a monthly budget. Determine how much income you have coming in in an average month. Take care of your "four walls" first -- determine how much money is needed to pay your: 1. rent/mortgage (and insurance) 2. groceries 3. basic utilities (the essentials -- electric, water, gas, phone -- not the nice-to-haves like satellite TV or cell phones) 4. transportation (car payment*, fuel, insurance) 5. clothing (kids grow, it's a fact of life - set aside some money every month for this) Also set aside a small amount of "blow" money each month, like $50 or something, because chances are you're going to "blow it" at least once or twice, or just need to get out and do something for yourself, like get a manicure. Setting aside a reasonable amount of money each month for these things makes sticking to an otherwise strict budget much easier, and is more realistic. When you've eliminated all "extras" (like dining out, cell phones, going to movies, etc.), see what's left. For example, let's say that, after paying all these essential bills and setting aside some blow money, you have $700 left. Now, you have creditors to pay - Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Home Depot, whatever. You have to divide up the $700 between each of these creditors. First, add up the TOTAL OWED for each account. Let's say it's like this: Visa = $9000 MC = $2000 Home Depot = $600 Discover = $3400 TOTAL OWED = $15,000 OK, then you determine what percentage of the total owed is owed to each creditor. In this example: Visa = 60% MC = 13% Home Depot = 4% Discover = 23% So, 60% of your $700 ($420) goes to Visa, 13% ($91) goes to MC, etc. What happens if that figure is LESS than the minimum payment owed? Then, you write a letter to the creditor. You lay out your bare bones budget, tell them that their debt represents 13% of your overall debt, and of the $700 available monthly cash, 13% = $91, and that's all you'll be able to send for awhile. Dave has examples of letters you can write in his books. If extra cash happens to be freed up in a month (for example, your heating bill wasn't as high as you thought, etc.), send it to the card with the SMALLEST BALANCE first - in this case, Home Depot -- until that card is paid off. Then, the amount you were sending to Home Depot goes to the next smallest debt -- in this case, MasterCard. And so on. Forget about interest rates. Go smallest debt to largest debt. You'll gain traction faster that way, and it will give you the momentum you need to keep going. Check out Dave Ramsey's books from the library: The Total Money Makeover and Financial Peace. Good luck, and :grouphug:. *You may need to sell the car and buy a beater, if your car payment is excessive. If you have multiple vehicles, determine if you can get by with just one for awhile. If you have "toys" like a motorcycle or boat, sell them.

I just opened this thread to post the exact same message!! :tongue_smilie: Funny!

:lol: Oh. my. goodness. That had me literally laughing out loud!! We just "rescued" a hamster from the horrors of living with two college boys (my DS being one) who thought it would be cool to own a pet, but didn't really want to have to clean the cage, etc. :glare: I swore I'd never own a rodent, but this cute lil' thing has managed to tug on my heart strings. If she ever escaped her cage, however, she wouldn't last long. Our American Bulldog has been eying her as a tasty treat since we brought her home. :001_huh:

I definitely consider it a job, and even more so, now that I'm also homeschooling another child along with my son, as a ministry to that family. I don't get paid for it. But, I love this job. I think that I've found a new calling. My son will go back to PS in high school, and I think I will go get my teaching certification. I worked full time for most of the past 15 years. I did not homeschool my other children, although they begged me to, at various times. I regret that now, but both are doing well, in spite of the fact that I simply was not there for them as much as I have been for my youngest. Circumstances changed and allowed me to be home to homeschool. I treat it as my job. We are one of those families who starts at a set time each morning (partly because we have someone else from outside joining us), and that works well for both my son and me. We like schedules. We are somewhat relaxed within those schedules, though. Sometimes I decide the order of events for the day, because I know a Bible lesson will be more meaningful after that day's history lesson, for example. I have a list of things we want to accomplish in a week, but if what I plan for Monday gets pushed to Tuesday, I'm not too overly stressed about it. OK, that's not true. I do get stressed about it... but I TRY not to. :tongue_smilie: I tend to be a perfectionist and obsessive about it -- but most of the pressure is internal, not external. So, yes, I see it -- and treat it -- as I would a job. Perhaps to the detriment of my child... but I hope not. I think he still loves learning, and that's the important thing, right?

When a simple "yes" will suffice, then, absolutely, why say more? :D

Same here, and I'm 41. In fact, I made a doctor appointment (coming up in Nov.) to discuss various issues, including this one. I was experiencing symptoms similar to IBS and even a peptic ulcer, but could NOT figure out what triggered the pain from episode to episode. Greasy Mexican food did, but greasy hamburgers did not, for example. I wish it were just bloating. Mine is accompanied by painful gas, nausea, and and cramping that eventually leads to the passing of very loose stools, after a brief period of constipation. TMI, eh? :001_smile: Anyway, I thought I had reduced the food triggers that brought this all on, until a few weeks ago, when I had a large bowl of ice cream, and in a short time, was experiencing all these common IBS-like symptoms. I put two-and-two together, thought about other triggers, like Mexican food -- and realized it was probably the CHEESE, not the grease, that brought the pain. I didn't think you could develop lactose intolerance later in life, but according to WebMD, you can. The symptoms all fit me, too. So, I'm pretty sure I've figured out what my problem is -- but I'm still checking with the doctor, just in case it is something more serious. (And, in the meantime, reducing my dairy intake.)

Confession: I had to google "Pax Romana" -- I knew it, but couldn't have been sure I would have correctly explained it. Thankfully, I was definitely on the right track, and I knew all the other terms/events you were discussing ... so I don't feel too dumb. :) I have to admit, though, that I'm learning sooooo much more now, because I am homeschooling, and the information is even more exciting to me as I finally see the pieces and parts that I learned in my public school education finally coming together.

Yes, it did turn out all right. But, it was scary there, for awhile, because I didn't see how in the world all the repairs on the house were going to be completed for less than our coverage. Just an FYI, since I see you have a teenager who will be driving soon... make sure your auto insurance coverage for your teen covers property damage, and that you set it to a fairly high limit.

Yep. My DD15, learning how to drive, drove into our neighbor's house this summer. :ohmy: :blushing: It's a long story, but one with a (relatively) happy ending -- no one was hurt inside the house (they weren't even home) or inside the car (although air bags deployed and the car was totaled), and insurance covered all repairs, 100% (the entire front of the house had to be re-bricked, among other things) ... but we did give the neighbors an additional $1000 as an apology "gift" to cover incidentals.

We average two per week... and then sometimes go for a few weeks without doing any. This thread reminds me... I've got to get back into it, again.

So... just to clarify ... (for myself... because I have WP's QAW IG, bought only it, not the whole package deal, and would like to sell it when we're finished with the year)... On their IG guide they say, "We do not allow resales." It does not say, "We ask (or prefer or request) that you do no resell our IG." They emphatically state: No Resales. But... technically, they cannot state that, because it is not legal? Or, rather, they can state it, but they have no legal leg to stand on, and it cannot legally be enforced? (Ethically, whether I should sell or not based on their request is a discussion for another time.) :D

Yes, I admit, they bother me. And I have a fairly uncommon name - Cecily (which no one ever seems to be able to pronounce or spell correctly). I'm not as bothered by foreign spellings for common names (like using Gaelic to spell Cayleigh/Kaylee), but I do find myself getting irritated by "made up" names. My sister recently forwarded to me an email about an unusual name someone had run across, and how upset the mother of the child would get if people didn't pronounce it correctly. How would YOU pronounce this: Le-a Like you would the name Leah? or Lee? No! the angry mother said. It's Ledasha! That's right. The "dash" is not silent. :001_huh:

Anyone do this? Successfully? My homeschooling is very much one-on-one with my son; so there is no way I could work during the day. I also seem to be spending inordinate amounts of time getting ready every week for homeschooling. That's just my obsessive, perfectionist personality. But, finances are a little tight right now, and I am toying with the idea of taking a part-time job during the holiday season to earn a little Christmas gift money. Has anyone else done this? Do you regret it? How do you balance your time? Any tips from those who've BTDT are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

:001_huh:

My son's financial aid office told us EdAmerica is going out of business. They won't be loaning money to students, no matter what degree they are pursuing.

I'm sorry to hear that! Interestingly, we just found out this week that my son's university never received the disbursement of his Federal Stafford Loan for this semester, and they want their money NOW. It took a lot of digging... but it turns out the lender WENT OUT OF BUSINESS this summer before paying out the loans! Gee, wouldn't you think we'd have gotten a letter or notice or something?! So, we are scrambling to apply for a loan from someone else, although I'm afraid it might be too late.

What about MSNBC, Huffington Post, Salon, DailyKos, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The New Yorker, ad nauseum? Please. There are far more liberal / left-leaning publications, news sites, and opinion writers than there are right-leaning. As for studying past elections, nope. I'll confess, I'm not a poli-sci major, and I don't spend enormous amounts of time comparing (in a scholarly way) the 2008 election to the elections in the 60s or 70s. I'm only comparing it to the elections in which I've been old enough to vote (1988 and later), and stating the way I see it. It's my analysis, not a formal analysis (which would be difficult to complete, no matter how objective you tried to be, because much of this is subjective). Of course, that's both the beauty and the harsh reality of it all, isn't it -- that each of us views events through our own lens of understanding and with our own perspective.

No one has implied it was Obama trying to dig up dirt on Joe the Plumber. It is all about the media, and their rabid response to anything that makes Obama look bad. The point most people are making, in response to the OP, is that: 1. The media seems far more interested in vetting this guy than they do in vetting some of Obama's not-so-past acquaintances. 2. The media seems far more interested in trying to examine why Joe asked the questions (was he plant?!) than in examining why Obama gave the response he did. There is no way Joe the Plumber could have "forced" that response from Obama, or "tricked" him into saying it, even if Joe were a "plant" paid to be there by John McCain himself. That has to be evident to anyone with a brain. Also, if he were a plant, there's no way McCain would have invoked his name in the debates as the symbol for "every man" -- he (McCain) would have to know that Joe's "true identity" would be revealed. So, in spite of this overwhlemingly obvious scenario, the press has gone after Joe in a manner unprecendented in past elections. It's unnerving, to say the least. An acquaintance of mine wrote this, and I thought it was well-stated: It is egregious, because the press never, ever does that kind of "digging" on people who publicly oppose McCain. The media's behavior this election cycle has been nothing short of scandalous. Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner has been covered to death, even dubbed a "-gate." But somehow Biden's son being given a lucrative job by MBNA while Biden was working hard to make sure legislation that would line MBNA's pockets passed is really not at all interesting. Completely insignificant. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along, move along. That's just one example. I've never seen anything approaching this level of bias in my life.