Thanks for the idea. So sorry you didn't get to talk on the show. :( Pooh!

No. I don't even have to read the other responses. The kind of "friends" kids make in ps are not always the kind of "friends" I approve of. I would much rather my kids meet other homeschooled kids or kids whose parents have the same values and such as I...not kids who live in homes where the father is routinely carted off to jail for spouse abuse and the kids come to school and tell my sons about it (happened with my oldest). :( Then, you put your "behind the times" (according to peers) daughter in middle school and what is going to happen? It will be brutal. I can almost guarantee it. In middle school, fitting in is what it is all about and when you don't fit in, it can be so tough. It could change your daughter from feeling a bit "behind" to feeling like she is worthless. Not something I would risk at.all.

I just shredded it! :) YAY!!! Now, to go and erase the number from my paypal acct and my other online accts that have it saved. It is just TOO EASY to use it when all you have to do is click!

Yeah...you and me both (love to be out of the debt). 4K is chump change when you look at what we REALLY owe in the grand scheme of things... We have a LOT of income...but we have a LOT of debt...so really, we'd probably do better making 30K a year with a family of 4 and no debt than we are doing now. :(

ds5 is on week 20 once we start back (Jan 5) and ds9 will be on week 18 when we start back. :) 94 and 84 days respectively.

Okay...a bit of background. I am a homemaker. DH brings home the bacon. I have a credit card with a limit of 20K and a balance around 4K. My plan was to cancel this card, pay it off in the next 2-3 months, and be done with credit cards for the rest of my life! However, I am rethinking the decision. First off, the banks are trying their hardest to keep good paying customers with high credit scores (me) and they will tell you about anything right now. My card company told me that if I cancel a credit card before paying the balance to $0, it will negatively affect my credit score. Does anyone know if this is true??? Also, is it "smart" to have this one credit card in my name? Most things are in both my and dh's names, so do I "need" this is my name for some reason??? Or is it best to destroy all temptation and pay cash??? Advice, greatly appreciated. :)

Your dh hit the nail on the head. It is an attention getter...and it is a praise seeking method. She is being punished and wants you to stop being mad and tell her she is not stupid or awful, etc. My oldest ds did this (he is 9 now) but stopped as he got older and when it stopped working. One day he said, "I am soooo stupid" because he got in trouble over something and I looked at him, and, for shock value said, "I know!" He looked at me dumbfounded and said, "NO I AM NOT! I AM REALLY SMART!" LOL Obviously he never meant it in the first place and luckily when I called him on it, my hunch that he didn't mean it was correct.

Across the board - $750. That was $350 total for the two kids, and the rest was split among other family members we buy for. Dh and I do not buy for each other. Last year, we spent very easily over 2K. We really worked hard to cut down this year.

I have been totally well since March. What happened to me was that I had, essentially the SAME sinus infection for over a year. Every two months, my doctor would give me the SAME antibiotic for it. I was getting sick constantly. Finally, in March, I got a cough that just would not go away and en ER doc gave me an powerful antibiotic. It cleared my sinuses and I have been well ever since! My point is, if you are having back to back stuff, you may want to see a doc and make sure it is not the same issue that just didn't clearly resolve the first time.

I was amused by the Heba/Ed situation. I think Ed is a wonderful guy. I have never seen a more overbearing woman, though. It was all about "me, me me" with her. Her dh was so sweet. No wonder he was in the final and she wasn't!

Prayers for you and my condolences for the loss of your mother. It seems the world is on your sholders right now, find comfort in passing your burdens on to Him. His yoke is easy, His burden is light. God bless!

I dated a guy who did this. He was pretty bad about it too. For him, it was a way to release his emotions. He would hurt himself rather than cry or get angry. I do have to tell you that he tried twice to commit suicide as well and I really feel the emotions in the two were linked (the cutting and the suicide attempt). IO am so glad you are going to get her some help...and I am glad her school has forced the issue. Thank God. By the time I met the guy I dated, he was 19 and there was nothing anyone could "force" him to do - until it was almost too late.

Didn't notice the bow, your dh doesn't look like he is grabbing his crotch...just resting his hand there in front of it which is not weird at all, and the lighting is okay. I love the dog and how happy he/she looks. I think the pic is great! Only thing I would have done differently is mix up the white and blue shirts so you didn't have them all together...but heck, in all reality, it is a great pic...go with it! LOL

That is one amazing family to do SO MUCH GOOD in the face of such tragedy. I am so thankful for what they have done to help other missing children in this country and my heart still breaks for their loss. I am so glad they now have the closure after 27 years.

I would get her a willow tree angel. They have tons to choose from in the $10 price range (sorry, I doubled your range) and I think they are so simple and elegant and they speak volumes, IMO. You will see what I mean if you take a look at them. For instance...the Angel of Healing: The Angel of Friendship The Angel of Hope You can see more options here.

Yes, it is us rightwing nutjob homeschoolers that are ruining the world. Count me in the "not surprised" section. Blah. When I told my ex husband I wanted to homeschool, he asked if we had joined a religious cult. He was serious.

Is there any way to put her in a school that just has normal grades? I can't imagine throwing my (young) 5 year old Kindergartener in with 2nd graders that could possibly be (Oct-August birthday) 8 year olds! No way. That is just a stupid thing for a school to do, period!

I didn't even read the other posts. This is how *I* feel: The girl was still a child. Yes, she knew right from wrong, but the real question for me would be, had God called her to come to Him and had she shut the door? Had her mother never taught her about God and other than her father, had she ever known anything about God? If not, I think that God sees her as a child. I feel like God loves us and will never close the door on those who do not believe. He will keep trying, because He wants us all to live in Heaven with Him for eternity. I, with all my heart, do not believe that your niece is in hell - I believe that she and God have business to attend, but she is a child and our God is a loving and caring God. My heart hurts for your dear brother. :(

No, no, no and absolutely not. My kids are 9 and 5 and they will NEVER be home alone together...ever! LOL How is the relationship between the two. Do they fight a lot? If they do, then No. And really just no because they are young, it is after dark, and a lot can happen in 2 hours.

He could be getting sick...but so far, no signs of illness. It has been going on now for a few days...so probably just a phase. Maybe he is growing...like you said. As babies, my kids always got fussy before a growing spurt. He is definitely eating us out of house and home right now...hmmm...never thought of growing issues. Thanks!

Wow. However, I can't judge because I have an irrational fear of illness and death (hypochondria along with OCD and anxiety). All I can offer are (((hugs))) and to say that it will definitely be okay!

Ahh...all of my years of English study have prepared me for this moment. You are correct...1's, 2's. But the others are correct...it is not DVD's or CD's because those are acronyms and they do not follow the same rule. You would not say "Digital Video Disk's" unless it was possessive...so you also don't say DVD's unless it is possessive. :)

And it is frustrating me to no end. I am not sure if it is the hustle and bustle of Christmas approaching, or the fact we are taking a break from school and he is excited, but my 5 year old who is usually well-mannered and sweet has began whinning about everything, not listening, and having half hour long crying fits about literally nothing. He can't take "no" for an answer anymore and will cry and scream and throw himself on the floor no matter where we are...in public or otherwise. It is honestly the most frustrating thing I have experienced with him because it is a total personality shift. UGH! Anyone have any suggestions for this? I have tried logic, I have tried spanking, I have tried bargaining, I have tried rewarding and noticing good behavior. I am just not sure what to do next...ignore it? Please tell me it is a phase! :(

Both of my kids do this. My oldest most definitely has ADHD and his thoughts go a mile a minute. My youngest definitely does NOT have ADD or ADHD. His issue is boredom. Whatever he is thinking about is much more interesting to him than math facts or writing sentences. He is 5, though, and this is probably the reason more than anything (inmaturity).

Wow...and that definitely is a snow MAN. How neat! I do NOT like the size of that snowball he ws about to hit you with...LOL I would have had to put the camera down and RUN!