First, I'll clarify that I'm in Canada and I realize that the plans that I could sign up for (Rogers, Bell, Fido, Telus) don't exist in the States (maybe Rogers???). Anyway... I came from a pre-paid plan where call display and voicemail was included. I recently signed up with Fido, not realizing that ANY plan I went with included voicemail and call display. So at the moment I've got a free month to try it out. I was surfing the web and saw that I can do visual voicemail on my phone. Is this another special service I have to pay for, or should I be able to do it on my own for free? Is there any way to get around not having to pay for voicemail and call display, but have it? I must note that I'm actually canceling out of my data plan so I'll just be a regular phone user (not including when I'm at home -- which is a lot of the time -- and I'm using my Wifi). Finally, is there a site out there for quick tips to help me get to know my phone more easily or do you have any tricks you've learned that you'd like to pass on??? Thanks!

Heather, I just got an iPhone this week and I know what you mean about the apps! I have read these kind of posts before, so I started a Word file and saved peoples' suggestions. Do you want me to email you the file and you can go through it on your own? There are some repeats, as some people like the same games for their kids (or whatever), but it's been worthwhile and very helpful! Caralyn

I think overall the board is divided...Android and iPhone users love what they have! So I guess I can't go wrong with whatever I choose!!! :)

LOL too cute! SpyCar...thanks for the info. :)

Well the thing is this...my phone is old and the Smartphone technology is so new to me I can't figure it out quick enough in the store to know what I want and what I don't want. Is that pathetic? I'm relying on the salepeople, whom I think is biased, and the WTM board to give me the info I'm looking for! I'd need to really sit down for a couple hours with each kind of phone to know what I want and figure out how they work! Even with your post...I get the jist of what you're saying, but what does an "intuitive interface" actually mean???? :confused: :D ETA: Dh just explained what you meant by intuitive...so his interpretation was if you were going to do something in the phone, Apple's set it up to think like you'd think, thus it's intuitive (and why, tell me, are husbands not programmed like that????? lol).

So many great answers/opinions! :) We have an iMac, so an iPhone seems the obvious choice (especially if my dh has a say), but you know, those salespeople are pushing the Samsung...must be a commission thing! :)

I can't tell if the salesmen at the couple different stores I've been to get a higher commission for selling the Samsung, but I went into both stores to get prices for the phone and plans for the iPhone and both stores were telling me to go with an Android...the Samsung one. Yes, it's a bigger screen and it looks a little more vibrant...but is it the way to go? Will I regret not just going with the iPhone (which, btw, is $10 cheaper!)?

:grouphug:

It's not the fact that they're selling oatmeal, it's the WAY they did it...the commercial treated us like we're completely stupid...that's what bugged me so much.

It IS...it treats all of us like we're stupid! Fine to market oatmeal, but there's a million other ways to do it. I get it if a family, say, is traveling and want to stop for a quick light bite to eat...but at a cottage? And the men are bringing in the raft? Pathetic!!!!!

First off, they're obviously at a cottage in late fall. No smart man is going to bring in his dock/raft thing in the freezing cold...he would have done it way sooner. Secondly, again, they're at the cottage. No smart woman is going to drive WAY into town to buy oatmeal for $1.99 a piece for their man -- it's not like a Timmy's is a couple of minutes away. Thirdly, it's stinkin' oatmeal. It takes a minute to make and cents to buy. If you have to go into town to buy it, go to the grocery store and get it cheaper. Finally, if the men really needed nourishment, make them eggs and toast. They need the protein and carbs from being in the freezing cold water.

Since you've already eliminated the shoes as a problem, my running coach would then say.... Often times knee pain is a result of tight hips. Get those hips, glutes, and hamstrings stretched out VERY well after you runs and maybe it'll make a difference the next day when you run. There are lots of stretches you can do if you google it. HTH! Keep running!

Huh, it's funny that you say you can't play with just two...I love playing with just one of my children. :)

Nothing works wonderful. I think if you get Zovirax (prescription) on it when it first tingles it comes out smaller (but then it's hard for a kid to know that feeling, and you have to have the Zovirax with you). When mine and dh's comes out, we swab on some Camphor Spirit (can burn) and then Zovirax. We keep doing this until it's full-blown, and then it just has to run its course. Drag for your dd. My youngest started getting cold sores after he had chicken pox (same thing happened to me). :grouphug:

How about watching it after dinner? :D

Thanks for the encouraging words, EVERYONE! It's been a tough go of it and I'm weary.

Those that are close to me -- my sister and friend -- know what's going on (my sister is part of the story). My friend told his mom bits of the story, so that put her feelings of me being a "horrible person" to rest. I think what I struggle with most, more than the slander, is knowing that I need to completely cut off the relationship. I think Cindergretta put it best...what she felt in disengaging completely is how I'm feeling...it's a hard thing, especially since we're conditioned from birth that family comes first. I don't want her to continue to talk to them on the phone, though, because of how manipulative she can be.

This is part of the bigger picture, actually. We had to have the police come in and help her out of a sticky situation and the one cop told her three times that she shouldn't have been in that situation in the first place and even told her that sometimes the parent becomes like the child and the child like the parent. She took that as very arrogant (the cop was our age) and twisted his words around six months later (as well as twisting our words around). She says we treat her disrespectfully, dishonouring, like a child, etc, etc, etc. It'd be too hard to get into the whole story now, but you've hit the nail on the head, as other posters have with how she acts.

If you guys only knew the whole story, too. I thought I was at least giving her something, even when she deserved nothing...and now even that she's screwed up. Funny thing is, she's now creating her own reality as I want her completely out of our lives. I'm so tired of her destruction.

So to you and other posters...what would you call someone that's lying about you...is it a form of abuse...or psychological manipulation?

Nothing has changed with her. Yes, I've not been in her life for five months, but she's the same. We've been dealing with this for a long time, it's just that now her behaviour has crossed over and has affected us because we've had to put ourselves out there and get her out of a tough situation. As far as the "bad personality" goes, that's a quote from our family doctor that I called 12 years ago, before she was diagnosed with bipolar, when I asked him if he thought she had bipolar. "No," he says, "she's just got a bad personality." I'm not sure if she's got borderline personality disorder -- I'm familiar with it. I guess there are many, many personality disorders...maybe she's got one of them. :confused:

LOL, so you feel my pain!!!!!!! :D

Well, I'm trying to be a little discreet so as not to be disrespectful but I'll give a little more information.... It's my mom, and the issue is that based on extreme circumstances last year, and continuing through this year, I put restrictions on when she can see my kids as she's put my kids in situations that were unsafe (though she wouldn't admit that she's done that)....so she can come here but they're not going out alone with her or to her home (basically supervised visits here). In the last five months she's chosen not to come see them -- my sister says she's "grieved" not being able to see the kids any more -- and more recently called twice to talk to them, telling them she misses them (which is a bunch of crap, because there's no reason to miss them since she IS allowed to see them). From my very good friends, who's mom is friends with my mom, I hear that Mom's said that I'm keeping the kids from her and not allowing them to see her. The mom of my friends was saying how horrible I was and it was so terrible I was keeping the kids from my mom, etc. So now I'm trying to sort out my feelings on what Mom's been saying about me behind my back...the continued lies and misconstruing the truth is very mentally taxing. To boot, I feel like she's using my kids to continue to play mental games with me. I refuse to put my kids in the middle, but am having a hard time cutting off all ties between her and the kids, though I really want to. (You know, I AM trying to be a good daughter despite what's going on.)

I have someone in my life that has caused a lot of upheaval. Her discretion is poor, her memory is poor. She has bipolar but I *thought*, based on my observation, that it was under control with meds (I've seen when it's not under control, so I thought I knew when it's bad). This person put herself in a very dangerous position, which my dh and I saved her from (this person very likely would have been physically or financially harmed because of...because of what? Uh the bipolar? The lack of discretion and memory???). Fast forward through many difficult details (sorry!)... It turns out that this person isn't in my life any more but I hear that she's telling lies about me and about why we're not in each other's lives. So what is this called? Is this a form of abuse? Is it just an unbalanced person? Can it be that she's balanced (which in the case of her bipolar, I think she IS actually very level) but it's just a *really bad personality*??? Or maybe her bipolar meds (lithium) is killing her brain? I ask this because I'm trying to figure it out for my peace. This certainly isn't physical abuse, but can it be called another form? I'm just not sure! This person has torn apart my peace for over a year and it's been very, very difficult to deal with. I'm editing to add a little more information based on what one poster was asking to help explain: Well, I'm trying to be a little discreet so as not to be disrespectful but I'll give a little more information.... It's my mom, and the issue is that based on extreme circumstances last year, and continuing through this year, I put restrictions on when she can see my kids as she's put my kids in situations that were unsafe (though she wouldn't admit that she's done that)....so she can come here but they're not going out alone with her or to her home (basically supervised visits here). In the last five months she's chosen not to come see them -- my sister says she's "grieved" not being able to see the kids any more -- and more recently called twice to talk to them, telling them she misses them (which is a bunch of crap, because there's no reason to miss them since she IS allowed to see them). From my very good friends, who's mom is friends with my mom, I hear that Mom's said that I'm keeping the kids from her and not allowing them to see her. The mom of my friends was saying how horrible I was and it was so terrible I was keeping the kids from my mom, etc. So now I'm trying to sort out my feelings on what Mom's been saying about me behind my back...the continued lies and misconstruing the truth is very mentally taxing. To boot, I feel like she's using my kids to continue to play mental games with me. I refuse to put my kids in the middle, but am having a hard time cutting off all ties between her and the kids, though I really want to. (You know, I AM trying to be a good daughter despite what's going on.)

Ok, so it seems that you're all doing something similar...I'll have to do this, too. I have a binder with recipes kept similar to Dawn, but it was done 13 years ago, and all the recipes are muddled up. Since then I've put about 20 recipes into each page protector (so it's acting like a bag to carry it), and now I've got 50(?) loose pages at the front of my binder...ugh, not good! Thanks!