Liking this wasn't nearly enough. Standing ovation. :hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

This whole thread is making me sick, but this... there are just no words for the hypocrisy. Un-flippin'-believable. And I wholeheartedly agree that I don't want the girls to have to be the poster child for anything. But I think that ship has sailed. I hope some of them are brave enough to strike out and start their own lives away from the three ring circus. My heart just aches.

Oh, sweetie... :grouphug: Do yourself a favor, and just believe us all. You are a great mom. You've not done a single thing wrong. In fact, you're kind of a superhero right now! Think about the last few weeks... you gave birth to a preemie, you have a sweet little babe in NICU, you're home managing things while advocating for the little one, and you somehow managed to pull together a last minute birthday party. That's *not* a list for an awful mom, truly!! I'm pretty livid about the nursery's screw ups... but you pulled out your mama bear, gave 'em hell, and that's your job... you did it just fine. I hope baby is doing much better soon, and so glad he's made some progress! Give yourself a hug and some time to decompress, even if it's only for a few minutes. :grouphug:

Wow... horrifying. It would have upset me too. :grouphug: I'm very glad he never showed up again, but I agree that I would keep your eyes open for a few days just in case.

I have to admit, I wouldn't have pegged Ireland for the first country to make it happen, though.

Moxie... :grouphug: No, you haven't ruined him. There may be a variety of reasons he didn't write as much... maybe he wasn't used to the setting, hadn't had experience with the topic, wasn't comfortable in his surroundings. Maybe he just does write slower. He's only 9, he will catch up just fine. I'm sure there are some books of writing prompts, or maybe the Bravewriter "freewrite" idea would help... I'll leave it to others to suggest specifics, but wanted to give you a hug.

Lord, those poor girls. Paraded in the public eye all their lives, and now all this. I've never been a *fan* of the Duggars, but I've always said live and let live. Now I'm angry. :(

Oh boy. I'll jump in... let's see if I get them all. 1. Hamburger Helper. At least there's a lot of different varieties. 2. Believe it or not, the homeschooling. I hate laundry on good days. 3. Not clean the kitchen... as Lucy said, I wouldn't plan to *use* the kitchen. 4. I'll be rich. I'll travel and make new friends. :lol: 5. Drummer. And since I'm rich I'll install a bunch of soundproofing. 6. Definitely go to bed at 3 am. I'm a total night owl. 7. Ugh... this one is torture. Either one feels like selling my soul. I guess the tea and coffee... I'll drink Diet Pepsi in the mornings for my caffeine, I guess?!? 8. Back in time. 9. Processed garbage. Honestly, I have a black thumb, so if I'm growing all the food, we're starving to death!! 10. Treehouse, all the way! 11. Fly. That would be awesome! 12. Sunny 3/4 of the day. Not even a question here. And I will add, lucky number 13.... Would you rather be given an exorbitant amount of money now, with no chance to ever earn more, or a good steady (not high) salary for the rest of your life?

Is "how about I just sit on the deck with a glass of wine instead" an option?? :D

Oh, Quill. :grouphug: I'm so sorry... it's so hard to lose them. I have tears in my eyes for you and yours.

Goodness, you ladies have already been busy this week! I've been completely submerged in my books... yesterday and today, I finished the last three cozies in the Booktown series! Nice to be caught up with it, and while I still roll my eyes at the protagonist, I'll keep reading when the next book releases. As of this morning, Goodreads tells me I have read 24 books so far this year. I'm ahead of schedule for 52, but I actually set a goal for myself of 100 this year... not all of them grand literature, obviously, but I wanted to charge through some of my TBR list! Going back to finish Misquoting Jesus, then sort though my shelves to see what's next!!

Jumping in late here... This topic has been greatly on my mind lately. I haven't worked full time since DS was born, over 12 years ago. I stayed home when he was a baby/toddler, and took a part time retail job (mothers' hours mainly) when he was in preschool and early elementary. Then I stayed home again full time while we were homeschooling... my job didn't earn that much, and I didn't want to work nights and weekends if I didn't have to. This past fall, he returned to school. I deliberately didn't search for anything this year, knowing that we needed to evaluate whether he was staying there or would be returning home. We're still finalizing that decision. If he does return next year, it will likely be for good, and I will probably either look for something part time or focus on writing. (I have started a book.) When DS went back, people kept asking me what I was going to do with all my time now, and some made it clear that they really meant: go back to work, slacker! :LOL: I joked that it was my post-homeschooling vacation year, and said that I was remaining home to make the transition easier on everyone. I have a few friends with kids in school who plan to stay home forever, but there are a lot of people who firmly believe that if you're not home with kids, you'd better get your butt into a "real" job. :glare: It's been interesting to see the different thoughts on it. Although I generally share Audrey's sentiment that if you don't live here, I don't really care what you think about my plans, and you can go fly a kite. :D There are good reasons for me to return to work... padding retirement savings, mental stimulation, security, social aspects. It would have to be the right job though, something I'm interested in and would enjoy learning. I'm turning 40 this summer and will be 45 at my DS's graduation, so I do plan on launching a "second act" if you will, but I'm not yet sure what that will be. :)

Kathy, you're brave... I'm not sure I still have a 7th grade boy in my head to tap into, LOL!! (Although I do live with one if that counts.) Hope everyone is feeling better soon... it's never fun to be under the weather, but I always find it harder at this time of year when you just want to get out and about! I have been continuing to plow through cozy mysteries. When I'm in a series of them, I tend to barely finish one and pick the next one right up, so I've upped my numbers considerably this week!! Still reading the Booktown Mysteries and I'm now on Sentenced to Death. I like the stories, but have determined I *really* don't care for the protagonist. She is prim and self righteous, takes offense to everything, and constantly oversteps bounds. I keep reading for the other characters, and in the hopes that she will show some growth.

Wow. Perhaps I was happier living under my rock... I'd never heard this and I can't believe it actually happens on a regular basis. I mean, there are always idiots out there, but... wow. I'm glad she called this out. It's not okay on *any* level. :ohmy:

I don't know yet, but this thread is giving me a lot to think about. I've been out of the full time workforce for 12 years now (I did part time retail work for a few years in there). So I would need to very purposefully relaunch... I'm not going to fall into a situation where someone is dying to hire me, LOL!! Right now things hinge a bit on whether DS goes back to school in the fall, or returns home. If home that obviously delays things longer. If he stays in school at this point, then the homeschooling door will likely close, and I will start figuring out what steps I need to take. I will only be 45 at his high school graduation, so as mentioned above, that's a lot of years left and I can't imagine not wanting *something*... although I'm not sure I see myself in a traditional full time office role either.

Oh, Nan. :grouphug: I'm so sorry. Blessings and comfort to you and your clan. I'm on a cozy mystery kick. Barreling through the Booktown Mysteries series by Lorna Barrett, starting book 3. I read the first few a couple years back, so re-reading those and then adding the more current titles.

She sounds truly lovely!! Hope DS is feeling better soon!!

I once watched my son being his city boy self, meandering along in the backyard with his iPod in hand... and thought about how I like being outdoorsy only in that I enjoy drinking wine on the deck... And I told DH, "If the zombie apocalypse comes, you'll be on your own soon."

Kareni, thank you for this! I wasn't the one who asked, but I spent a few minutes browsing this site, and I think it will provide a wealth of ideas!!

Hello, and happy Mothers' Day!! :) I don't really remember being read to much, but I know that my parents and grandparents did read to me a great deal. I read very early on my own, and I was sort of an "I do it myself!" type, so I probably kicked them out of the role at some point. :LOL: Gave up on Ready Player One. It had promise, but as much as I liked the 80's references, I'm just not a video game girl and for some reason I couldn't stay with it. Oh well. Starting some brain candy: How to Murder a Millionaire by Nancy Martin. It's the first in a cozy mystery series.

She's absolutely lovely... the hair is so intricately done, it's beautiful!! Congrats to you, mom, and to your daughter and her new hubby. May they be blessed with many years of happiness!! :001_wub:

Also checking for an update!! Oh, and one piece of advice: not sure if your yard is already fenced, but either have a sturdy fence or keep your beagle leashed or tied if she's out. Ours would run off at the slightest interesting scent or sound, and did. not. listen. to save his life. Our vet told us never to try an invisible fence, that he'd never met a beagle who respected it. :LOL:

I've used tampons pretty much every cycle since my second or third one (barring the time after childbirth). Some days a pad for back up. Never tried a cup and don't really have a desire to. I can't recall having a tampon leak unless it was full.... strange how everyone has such different experiences with them! Several comments on the thread have inspired me to research perimenopause symptoms. That explains a lot... :LOL:

I hope it works out! She is a doll!! DH and I got a beagle when we were first married. He, along with his yellow lab companion, have since passed on to Doggie Heaven. Our beagle was adorable, incorrigible, sassy, too smart for his own good, and an absolute walking garbage disposal, and we loved every minute of it. :) They're really like no other. My allergies have gotten so bad that we will likely not have another, but we have very fond memories. :001_wub:

Oh, Rose. :grouphug: No, that's not fair and has to be very stressful. Hopefully you can spend at least a little pocket of time this weekend with your girls and just focus on one another. Stacia, great news about FIL!! Keep us posted. Friends out east, please stay safe! And anyone in the Oklahoma and surrounding areas disrupted by the storms this week?? Such crazy weather patterns all around. I'm still reading the same two books, haven't made much progress this week.