Congratulations! She's wonderful!

This was my first thought too! (said with much kindness) I am a believer in prayer. As others have said, praying to God is to be WITH him, to realize his infinite grace in our lives, to know his love, and to allow ourselves to surrender to him and his will for our lives. Prayer, to me, is deeper than "I can't find my keys". Instead, it's recognizing that we are not in control, discussing it with God, asking him to fix us for his glory, and knowing that he will always do what is in our best interest despite the horrible situation(s) we may currently be facing. It takes immense faith in the unknown to do this, but God will give it to us if we ask in ways that are appropriate for each and every one of us, and those ways will be different for every person. Years ago, I struggled mightily with the concept of God and all the questions and inconsistencies in which *I* could not reconcile. Once I surrendered to him, he began to show me in ways that *I* could handle. I cannot imagine a world without him now. God is good always even if bad things happen because we live in a sinful world.

Congratulations x 2! Cannot wait to see the baby pictures in February! :001_smile:

Yes, we avoid Costco on the weekends at all costs as well. My sister has worked for them for 10 years in a variety of positions (she's a pharmacy tech now), and even she would dread the weekends because of the crazy people who come out on Saturday and Sunday. Costco is also notorious for understaffing to save labor costs, so the long lines are part of their "plan" in some warehouses even though it makes for terrible customer service. She's worked in 2 different states - one that was staffed well and one that allowed LONG lines to form and the staff to work their tails off to try and keep up with the volume. I don't know that I would shop there if it wasn't for the free membership I get through her.

What about a pair of Clarks or shoes from LL Bean? I also wear Danskos with warm socks, and I have 2 pairs of Clarks shoes that are great!

Charlotte, NC. Plenty of mixed race couples here. Traffic is minimal (definitely compared to where you are currently living). Housing costs and taxes are low. The homeschool community is vibrant and growing, and our hs laws are easy to work with. There are many IT places in the area and Microsoft is building a location nearby as well (if that is of interest). We have similar weather to northern Georgia.

Oh my goodness! Too early for snow! I'm amazed at all of you who live in snow country. While it's pretty and fine to have in Dec. and Jan., that's enough for me. :)

I answered that I don't have a relationship with my father, so dh did not ask him. However, he did ask my mother before proposing to me which I think is just as admirable, not because I am property to him, but he did it because he respected my mom and wanted her blessing for us.

Sorry things are rough right now, but they do get better... take things one moment at a time, one day at a time, or even one second at a time if you need to. :grouphug:

We adore Dr. Seuss here, and I don't think I could pick just one favorite.

Yes, this is a big deal, and you have a right to feel upset by his actions. He is manipulating the situation and being unkind. Sending you :grouphug: and agreeing with others that you need to begin documenting things.

Signed it, and I've passed it on to others. Thanks for posting this!

My boys wake up at different times because they both require different amounts of sleep. My youngest wakes up around 7, and he usually comes to my bed to cuddle, watch a PBS show, and/or have me read to him. My oldest gets up between 7:30-8:00, sometimes later if he was up late the night before (he doesn't sleep past 9 though). He's the one I school the most, so once he's up, he gets about 30 minutes of play time with his brother, breakfast, and then he gets dressed/brushes teeth. In between all this or before the boys get up, I'm showering or getting myself dressed/ready for the day. We usually start school between 9 & 10 each day (depending upon wake-up time). Although our mornings aren't structured, once we start school, the day becomes structured and we follow the same routine in terms of time for lunch, snacks, and breaks. Extracurricular activities and/or playdates come after schoolwork has been completed. Our actual school day can end as early as 11:30 or 12 if ds is focused and he wants to get to taekwondo or a playdate, or it can end as late as 5:30 PM which happened the other day - that was not fun for any of us - those days are not the norm, thankfully.

I have never lived overseas, but I would really love to! I can't get dh on board though.

Hello! What's for breakfast? Homemade chocolate-chip muffins with orange juice What's for lunch? Peanut butter and jelly with sliced apples for the boys, a strawberry yogurt smoothie for me. Going anywhere today? We were supposed to go to a local farm and corn maze for a field trip, but one of my boys has a bad cold that dusty farm air would not help since he's so stuffy already. As the day progresses, my throat is becoming sore :(. What's on your mind today? I've been thinking about Steve Jobs and his impact that dates back to bringing Apple computers into schools. These computers revolutionized the way some students learned, and they led to the education of many children who have since gone on to do amazing things with computers/software/programming/etc because his impact inspired them as children. It's making me wonder what my children will grow up to be and what I am doing now or utilizing in their schooling that may be inspiring them.

Yes, definitely.

I'm sorry you are feeling this way, Tina. :grouphug: Another encouraging word for you to see your doctor. I dealt with ppd after the birth of both of my children. It's dreadful, and it magnifies everything you are going through. Please see your doctor to help get that under control first, so the other things will be more manageable. :grouphug:

Lifting her and all affected up right now!

She is precious! I adore cats and would have 10 if dh would let me!

I'm sorry, Peela. Thinking of you at this time. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Yay for you for going! I NEED to get my butt to a class like that, but I am an excellent excuse maker as to why I "can't" go. Way to go!!!!

Fried bologna is good (although I haven't had it in YEARS). My mom always served it with mashed potatoes and corn when I was little.

:iagree:

I could eat pizza more than once every week! You can create so many different kinds, flavors, combinations! I know that is not your purpose, but I'm just telling you why I voted with your first option. :D

I learned by watching my mom, my grandmothers, and my aunt. Sometimes I would help them, but I didn't like "formal" lessons with them. In my family, you spend a lot of time in the kitchen chatting while cooking, so over time, I absorbed a lot. My mom always thought I was never going to be able to cook since I never liked being "taught". She loves how she can now see that I paid attention the entire time. Watching Food Network has also helped in terms of knife skills, pairing certain foods/flavors, and with baking skills.