That is also posted by those who disagree with the HRC stance on Transgender issues.

The majority will not be changed by allowing marriage equality, you still have every right to marry and live in a traditional christian household. The only way the majority would be hurt is if all marriage was made illegal, since if one group can't have it, nobody can.

There is no correlation between the wish of a handicapped person in a wheelchair wishing to be a pilot and an adult gay couple wishing to be a family with all the legal benefits that go along with it. Equal rights doesn't mean we all grow up to be president, it means we all have equal protection and legal liberties under the law.

Separate but equal does not work, it just doesn't. I was with my husband for 5 years before we married, we lived together, parented together, called each other husband and wife. But we weren't married, it wasn't the same, and it left a place unfilled in my heart. So we made it official, we took that idea to the next step and in front of those we loved said vows that we fully meant. Marriage is important, it symbolizes a deep life long commitment to another person. Just because the institution is broken in our society, doesn't mean others who are different from ourselves don't also see the huge value in the tradition.

Yes, life is hard, we all carry pain in our own journey. But as a nation founded on equal rights, separation of church and state, and the idea that the majority should not pass laws which restrict the rights of a minority, should not pass laws which restrict the civil liberties of others, and/or cause them more pain in their life.

I can assure you that many Gay couples also very much want to be parents, their heartache and anguish is every bit as strong as hetero couples in this regard, which is a big reason why legal marriage is so important, it would protect the right of more families to adopt and raise children in loving stable homes.

My husband and I cannot reproduce, ever, and won't be able to. My parents could not reproduce, ever. And yet both are very real marriages in which children are fiercely loved. I'm also not asking about noble christlike intentions, but rather the kind of love that makes you want to live for someone.

But do you love them, truly love them as you do your spouse, or your kids? What if you did? What if they were your best friend, your son, your brother. I bet then you wouldn't care deeply and fervently that they be afforded the same benefits and protections under the law that any other adult married couple receives. Also, separate but equal was an abysmal failure, have we as a nation forgotten that?

I do actually support polygamy rights for consenting adults, if for no other reason than if it was legal it would come out in the open somewhat and maybe that would help protect young vulnerable girls in bad situations. I am possesive of my husband, and wouldn't want to share him....other than that I can totally see how having another wife around the house would be totally useful and cool. In so many ways :coolgleamA:

Just a quick statement before I duck to dodge incoming kilts and cupcakes...... Most of us who support marriage equality do strongly support the idea of a traditional family as well. We find marriage to be such a valuable institution in so many ways that we are willing to stand up, stomp our feet, wave signs, march, petition, and more. Simply be cause we do support families....we just don't think it matters one whit about the bits and pieces under someones clothes. It has nothing to do with breaking down an honored tradition, but rather seeing its value so strongly that we understand why it is so important that non-heteronormative couples have the right to partake.

It is people letting it be known they support equal rights. The SCOTUS is dealing with Prop 8.

What about a baked potato bar with tons of toppings? Each person could pick and choose what they wanted and was safe to eat, I might do a taco bar this weekend for much the same reason! You could make tacos quite mild, but still flavorful, and have a meat filling and/or a bean filling.

I have found lots of recipes calling for coconut cream as a sub, but sadly we all have a serious hate for coconut, unless it is attached to shrimp and fried. I have used the Almond milk to make a creamy pasta sauce with parmesian, wondra, and butter. It turned out just fine, and no one complained. I shouldn't eat the parmesian either, but it doesn't have lactose so it avoids the worst of the dairy issue at our house. I might try a dry run of the Green bean casserole tomorrow night. I don't need things creamy all the time either, but for holiday's it would be nice to have some stuff we can all eat and not feel deprived. Plus, if I can have some go to recipes for comfort foods it will help me stick with this.......... looking in the mirror also helps, since my Cystic Acne is about 99% cleared since drastically cutting back on dairy. I do miss cheese, a lot, and still eat some, :o I just take it easy and save it for a treat, and then try to judge wisely how much I can have before a reaction starts.

I saw some cute little roast beef and asparagus lettuce wraps on pinterest, I think you could easily sub out hummus for the cheese and they would be delicious, and you could eat them! I am considering making some for next weekend.

My mom really wants French Toast Casserole on Sunday, but my immediate family, including myself won't be able to eat it as written because it has 3 cups of milk, and 2 cups of half and half (which I would use 4 cups milk and 1 cup cream for anyway) I know that subbing Almond milk for the regular milk won't be a problem, but how do I adjust for the cream.......extra fat in the form of butter or coconut oil, an extra egg? I am wondering too because I was considering Green Bean casserole, I assume I can just use plain unsweetened almond milk, corn starch, and finely chopped mushrooms for the base, and then sprinkle with Rice Chex if I want to make it gluten free? Also, has anyone ever made homemade Almond milk ice cream in an ice cream maker? We found a brand we love, but it is super expensive for a pint, which lasts about 5 minutes!

I don't get colors, or tastes, but I do have strong associations with certain places, or objects, or groups of objects. It is almost like they have a personality, but not quite that defined. When I was picking pain colors for our new house I had 12 blobs of color ranging from cream to big bird, but most of them were only ever so slightly different shades of yellow. Some of them felt friendly, some felt harsh, some felt snobby....it makes no sense really, but I ended up going with the one that felt cheerful but not hyper. :)

I was going to say synethesia too, or maybe she is just an artistic soul, who sees the world a bit differently. :thumbup1:

I have been happy with almost everything at Aldi so far, especially their prices! It really is much cheaper than SuperWalmart in our area. The neighborhood market near me is HORRIBLE! Last time I went to Aldi, I got 5 of their big bags full of pantry staples, produce, and some halfway healthier packaged snacks, I spent 130 bucks. It was a cart full of food The only thing I haven't like from Aldi is their meat, too much added solution, and it is the one thing that seems to not be a good deal. Oh and the Angel soft toilet paper, it was name brand, but the 3 of us went through a big package in about 2 weeks, that is not normal!! I also really love their Hummus, and their fresh alsa, comparable to fancy stuff from whole foods, but really well priced.

We have been doing the same thing, but I was letting him keep each chart for two weeks. It seems to be really helping, and it means math doesn't take nearly as long!

I have been doing my shopping there and at Aldi. I really like Sprouts for produce and meat, and use Aldi for snacks pantry items and cheese. I also pick up whatever produce is on special at Aldi, like 49 cent pineapples, or 25 cent avocados!

I buy mine at jcpenney's. I prefer Lands end too, but their selection hasn't been so great in my size top the last few years. Nearly every suit sold at Penney's is separate though.

I wake up in the middle of the night to tinkle almost every night, and if I stumble in, and my butt hits cold porcelein, or god forbid water I end up yelling and shocked and it scares the dogs. I KNOW I should look first, but I don't, it is the middle of the night, and the toilet is in the same place all the time, so ya, in our house, lid up seat down. On the original topic though, I think for boys as well as girls, basic household cleaning and upkeep, minor repairs, and the same in the yard. How to pump gas. How to tell if something is really a good price or not. How to prepare several basic meals, follow a recipe and adjust it to taste. How to read a ruler and tape measure. How to be kind, and compassionate without being run over. How to build a fire, basic outdoor survival, what to do in case of emergencies. There are so many things, but really just basic life skills and common sense type things, plus the ability to find further information, and how to hire a good professional when needed!

But even the overweight kids can be totally malnourished on a nutrient poor diet. It isn't really about calories for me as it is making sure there are enough vitamins and minerals and amino acids to create a healthy body. I don't worry about healthy fats like Coconut, or grass fed butter, and if DH/DS will eat Broccoli by the mixing bowl full because it has a little bit of Mayo and 3 pieces of bacon per said bowl full, then I so be it, he is eating Broccoli, tons of it, even the purple kind!! The motto at our house is Eat food, Not too much. Mostly plants. I forget who said it, but seriously it is that simple. I also try to source ethically when I can and avoid some big nasties like soy, canola, HFCS, and red food coloring. We are also mostly dairy free because it causes cystic acne for me, and DH is lactose intolerant.

I certainly don't spend 5 hours a day making food, but we are a small family also. I try to prep all at once, so Im not chopping and stuff every night, I also make big batches of stuff I know we will eat on all week like various salads. I try to think ahead when cooking, so that last nights extra grilled veggies and the chicken I threw on with the steaks will become tomorrow nights fajitas. I also worked in restaurants for years, so I work fast, and efficient and have good knife skills :coolgleamA: Making my pancakes the way I did took maybe 10 minutes to look up a recipe, and an extra 10 minutes to pull everything out of my pantry and measure a few extra ingredients. But to be honest, I didn't really follow a recipe, I just cooked the oats lightly to soften them, added 2 eggs, and alternated splashes of flour and almond milk until I had enough and it was the right consistency. Stirred in 2 TSP of yeast, the vanilla and spices, and off I went while it sat in a warm place until I had some bubbling going on. I then found an over ripe banana and realized I had frozen blueberries.

I think tonight's dinner at our house pretty summed up how we approach food. Ds isn't home, and we are having pancakes. My mom would have made pancakes by adding water or maybe milk to a mix, rubbing soy or canola oil on the griddle and topping them with that awful fake maple syrup stuff. I made our pancakes using a package of whole grain mixed quick cook cereal, wheat, and organic white flour, a dash of wheat gluten, some real vanilla, local eggs, almond milk, and cinnamon. Then I cooked blueberries and bananas into them. We will top them with almond and/or peanut butter and some real maple syrup. Sure they are both pancakes, and not the healthiest most balanced meal around, but one is basically nothing but processed crap and HFCS, and the other is FOOD! I don't obsess over everything being perfect for us to eat, but I spend a lot of time planning, learning, cooking, shopping, and prepping for food.