Ours is named "Irwin." But, I always forget and call him "Giles." :p

We're loving it. I'm just happy to have a show that we can all sit down and watch together! I'm also not seeing how it could go past one season. But, I'd love it if they would do that, and do it WELL, rather than drag things out for 3 or 4 miserable seasons. (and if they do that, we certainly won't be watching...) We're also watching TerraNova. It's been years since we've actually watched anything currently on TV, so it's a novelty for the kids ("Hey, Terra Nova is on tonight, Mom! Don't forget!"). lol We all like Once Upon a Time better, but we have hopes for Terra Nova to find its footing. :D

ok- had to come back to this thread because I forgot my total, all-time favorite: The proposal scene from Emma. Jonny Lee Miller & Romola Garai are gorgeous together.

:iagree: (with North & South a super-close second... and a bonus that it doesn't have the annoying 80s techo-track music in the background, lol)

*snort* Yeah. Okay. To each her own. :001_rolleyes: I'm too busy not taking my job seriously to care.... :smilielol5: ----- To the OP: My kids have gotten up on their own for years. When they were younger, they had a mental list of what they could, and couldn't do, without asking mom. They are self-sufficient and I'm extremely proud of that fact. Now that they're older (and it's been this way for at least 2 years now) they start on their school work. Their routine is: they get up, brush teeth, wash up, get breakfast, brush teeth again (lol), start school work. There are some subjects that are repetitive (geography, spelling, handwriting) that they don't need me to explain - other subjects we discuss the night before. It did take training (just walking them through the routine several times)... but it wasn't difficult. One of mine is a natural early bird, the others get up around 7:30 when their alarms go off. They hit the pavement running and get things started.

:iagree: What IS the deal with the whole "signature red envelope" thing? I don't care if the envelope is puce green if it brings me a DVD in good condition (which, ironically, our last two DVDs have not been :glare:). Reed Hastings - September is not a good month for his mouth: http://blog.netflix.com/2010/09/apologies.html (this, after they introduced streaming to the Canadian customers with different pricing structure from the US, and made comments about Americans being "too self absorbed" to notice...)

ok, the Scarlet color is Red. Red-red. I don't have the paprika, but I think it's more of an orangey-red? The only "negative" I'd suggest as far as having the Shamrock with the Scarlet/Paprika is that you run the risk of your table looking a bit Christmas-y if you happen to grab mostly red-and-green plates. Peacock is probably my favorite color of them all. :D

Check here: http://www.megachina.com/

I first, freeze the rice. Learned that the hard way. :glare: And, rinse.

*I'M* tempted on the white set you linked to! Wonder if it's as heavy as the Fiestaware. Wondering where Mikasa is made... I don't mind the Corelle, but it's just... not as pretty as the Fiesta. When the kids set the table, they use the Corelle. when *I* set the table, it's the Fiestaware. I will admit, though, that the rainbow of colors I own has caused some mental "anguish." Kids arguing over who gets the much-favored orange plate. My not liking the darker plate (I always try to give myself the yellow plate....:D). Wanting to set the table for guests with a matching place setting for everyone, then remembering that I broke the orange bowl, or the green luncheon plate... (they DO hold up well, but me flat-out dropping it on a very hard tile floor... well... it's just not a fair contest)... I've many times wished I'd just settled on a color and been done with it. Which is why the white set is calling my name at this moment. FWIW, we use the brown Corelle coffee mugs that came with those sets instead of the Fiestaware coffee mugs. Everyone here liked to *look* at the F.W. mugs, but they didn't like drinking from them. Here's an all-white Mikasa stoneware set... http://www.amazon.com/Mikasa-Countryside-45-Piece-Dinnerware-Service/dp/B000I5OTYK/ref=pd_luc_sbs_02_03_t_lh

We have Fiestaware and I love it. Ours has held up beautifully and it's SO pretty to look at! But... it's heavy & the kids do the dishes. So, I bought a couple sets of Corelle also and we use those more often (but they don't make me as happy to look at as the Fiestaware, lol). As for the scratches and such - use Bar Keepers Friend. It is a.ma.zing & dishes look brand new.

I'm a lefty who cuts with my right hand. So is my son. But, not because we were forced to use "normal" scissors - but it's just what comes natural to us (I was "forced" to use lefty scissors in school for kindy and first grade - it was a disaster and caused a LOT of frustration not having the correct tools to work with). But - if the kid cuts with his left hand, get the boy some scissors he can use! If he had two left feet, you wouldn't buy him a left-and-a-right-shoe, right? Give him tools he can learn how to use properly. Buy him a second pair to keep @ church, if he uses scissors there. Just tie a little thread of yarn on the handle so he'll know they're his. Easy peasy. http://www.amazon.com/Maped-Reflex-Scissors-Left-Handed-476510/dp/B002K962SI/ref=pd_sbs_op_2 http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-94507097-Offset-Handle-Scissors/dp/B00006IFN8/ref=sr_1_8?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1315843907&sr=1-8

Have been working on this for 3-4 years. Am miserable failure. :bored: I'm much happier staying up until 2-3 am and waking up at 8-9 than I am going to bed at 11 and waking up at 6 or 7. That early morning sunshine really gets on my nerves, regardless of how "much" sleep I've had. :glare: Plus, I am a natural introvert, who is surrounded by people All. Day. Long. (granted, people I love completely and cherish thoroughly). And when I don't have a few hours all alone, I get a bit cranky. To get the alone time in the morning, I would have to wake up at 4:30 and make breakfast and chit-chat with dh when he gets up at 5am. I don't want to chit-chat at 5 am, and neither does he. But, we'd both feel obligated. :laugh: Morning-Child is up between 6 and 6:30 every morning & she'd talk my ear off, having me all to herself every morning. And I wouldn't have the heart to tell her to Just Be Quiet and Pretend I Am Not Here. :blush: So. Have officially given up said goal & feel nothing but relief. Am training kids to be on "normal people" schedule instead of their mother's insane one. Have two night owls out of the 3, but they manage to get to sleep by 11 and drag themselves out of bed by 7:30. Will work this year to get them to sleep earlier and have them wake up by 7 am, because I know they're going to be fighting this night owl gene for the rest of their lives, and it's better if they kick it now. :lol: edited to add: My kids get school started by 8am, on their own (Morning-Child gets a head start). They know what to do...

stiff? We just received a tin of it today (first time I've ever seen it) and I can't even scrape it out of the tin without a ton of effort. I pulled one piece off, and when I put it back with the rest of it, it just sits there (I'd assumed it would be more flubber-like). Not sure if I should send it back for a replacement, or if this is just how it is & I need to make sure to not buy any more. :confused: (This is the Hypercolor Chameleon, if that makes any difference) :bigear:

The Tecnu is amazing. Unfortunately, it works best if you use it immediately after exposure. We have one child who is highly allergic and here are the things I've learned in the meantime: * the poison ivy doesn't "spread." What happens is - some areas get more of the oil than others. So, it first shows up on her elbow... then a couple hours later, it's WORSE on her elbow.... then, hours later, it's on her wrist. Then, the next morning - it's on her face! Then on her knee!! .... so, we assume it's "spreading" but it's just that certain areas were less exposed and thus take longer for the rash to make its appearance. Once we understood this, my child's life improved dramatically. Originally, we tried to keep her away from siblings/friends - we kept the "bad" areas bandaged or covered so they wouldn't spread... she was miserable. Now, we just let her skin be. She's still itchy, etc... but not miserable because we're keeping her all covered and "protected." * Wash anything she wore, wash her bedding, clean her seat in the car, etc. The oils could still be lingering on those areas, thus giving her new rash areas. hope she's better soon!

Go STEELERS!!!! :D It's the most wonderful time.... of the year.... :grouphug:

:iagree: I have never understood all the hoopla, myself. Two out of my three are righties and it was just not *that* hard to wrap my brain around. lol

Wow - I thought I remembered that book well, but I have zero memories of a naked man being anywhere near the text. lol Planning to have my 13 yo read it later this year.

Overall, we LOVED it. The scenes with Snape's memories... oh my gosh. Tore my heart out. :sad: The awkward hug between Voldy & Draco was hilarious (I'm thinking that was Voldy's first hug... ever... which was sad.) The kids thought that happy/jubilant/victorious Voldy was waaaay scarier than "scary" Voldy. :blink: Things I missed: 1) Neville's Big Moment. I know he had "other" big moments, but I LOVED how, in the book, Harry told Neville what to do. In the end, Ron & Hermione were completely spent... and it was Neville who had that last little bit of oomph, did what needed doing, and revitalized everyone through that act (as opposed to Harry's weird flop from Hagrid's arms). I'd have preferred Nagini being offed sooner, rather than the drawn-out "chase" scene they added. 2) Harry letting Voldy know that Snape was Dumbledore's man all along. IIRC, in the movie, Voldy died without knowing/hearing that Snape had deceived him and bettered him all along. I wish we'd seen that glimmer of realization before he was confettied (what WAS it with all the bad guys being puffed into black confetti when they were killed?). I actually can't remember HOW Voldy died (I was busy trying to pre-determine if I needed to cover my youngest's eyes for that scene, so I sort of missed comprehending it at 2 am, lol) It was different than the book, right? Because last I looked at the screen, Harry had both wands - - so did Harry Avada Kedavra him in the end?

We saw it in 3-D last night - When we go see it again, we'll see it in 2-D, without a second thought. Probably won't notice much difference either (except we won't have to deal with the annoying glasses, lol). (the 3D effects are nothing like Avatar, for instance.)

Slight sidetrack: My Grandma met my mom first - they worked at the same place (a huge factory - Grandma worked in the cafeteria area and my mom worked elsewhere) and Grandma thought my mom was just about the sweetest "girl" she had ever met in her life. She wanted to introduce mom to her 3rd (and favorite) son because she thought they would be *perfect* together. He'd just met his soon-to-be-wife (they divorced after ~10 years)... so Grandma tried to wait it out. When she realized that wasn't gonna happen - she "arranged" for my dad to "happen to" bump into my mom (Dad also worked at the factory, but in a different area from Grandma and Mom). Dad had just gotten out of a relationship with someone that Grandma hated... Two years or so later, they were married. ♥ Grandma STILL adores my mom (as she should - my mom is awesome, lol).

I *think* it's supposed to be in theaters this spring - like March, I think? I'm going to hand my oldest the series about 6 weeks before the movie comes out so she can read, and re-read, the series before we go see the film together. I cannot wait (although, I am more than a little bit afraid of them really screwing it up... :001_huh: )

My parents wouldn't have chosen my husband, but they are soooooooooo glad that I did. They love him like he was their own now. :001_wub: His parents no-way, no-how would've picked me. And I am okay with that. :tongue_smilie:

:iagree:

Realllly?!?!? Wow. I had no idea. We have been overly-thank-you'ing for years apparently. (minus when the kids were really little and I was too flipping tired to manage to remember thank-you notes, haha!)