[Whew! FAFSA's finished...]

I completed the FAFSA yesterday. Husband is self-employed and I have not completed the 2008 bookkeeping or tax return. Thus, I used our 2007 financial data as an estimate.

[Who has the right of way? (driving ?)]

I almost t-boned a small car on my way through an intersection this afternoon! We were both waiting for traffic to pass, I was going straight, she had her left blinker on. We both went, I slammed on my brakes as she turned in front of me and then proceeded to flip me off and yell something I'm glad my dc (also in the van) couldn't make out. Had I not been driving a 15-passenger van I would have done a u-turn and followed her! Who was right/wrong? I'd always thought that straight had precedence over turning vehicles - am I wrong? I am so angry more at her reaction than the fact that I was almost in an accident.

 

What would be the point of following the offending driver? To do what? To yell back at her? To display an obscene gesture? To pull off side of road for a verbal or physical altercation or worse?

 

Here at certain intersections during busy times, it is expected that a couple cars will hang left as their light turns. For the most part, people overlook one or two or even three left-hangers in the spirit of cooperation. It helps move the traffic along.

 

If you are angry enough to follow an erratic raging driver, the end result could be dangerous for all involved. Check into Zen Driving to find peace behind the wheel and to learn to calmly cope with aggressive drivers.

[Anyone have experience with maddening, recurrent hiccups?]

Try massaging the upper soft palate with a Q-tip or something similar.

[Help! How do I stop snoring?]

We tried the separate room route, but neither of us cared for that. I wear earplugs nightly. They're much less expensive than surgery or special equipment for him.

[Ds, 8yo, found some tampons....]

Why would you tell your children fetuses develop in a woman's "tummy?" Tummy is a synonym for stomach. If a parent were reluctant to use specific anatomical terms, why not something vague like "special place" as opposed to providing incorrect information?

[Ds, 8yo, found some tampons....]

and said "What are these? And what are they for?"

 

I wasn't quite ready to explain that to him. I put him off saying, "I'll tell you later." But I'm not too comfortable with that answer or any other I can think of. What would you do? (I'm sure this will come up again.)

 

I would say that when a female's body matures from child to young woman, the uterus, the special place for growing babies, sloughs off its lining monthly if the young woman does not get pregnant. This sloughing of the uterine lining manifests itself as bleeding from the vagina. This monthly bleeding is referred to as menstruation or period. The woman puts the absorbent cottony plug inside the vagina to catch the blood. Alternatively she may use a paper pad in her panties to soak up the blood flow.

[Do you think wild primates should be allowed as pets?]

I am not familiar with the details of the primate story. However, I gleaned from thread-browsing that a friend was attacked inside primate owner's home. Some people have suggested a gun as the solution. Seems reasonable but who would habitually carry their gun when they go visit a friend in the friend's home?

[s/o have you/your children wanted to change your/their name?]

My eldest legally changed middle name.

[Tipping, tips, "living wage" and related issues..........]

I remit at least a standard tip regardless of quality of service. I assume the server must share the tip with hostess and others. Why penalize the other team members because one was having an off day?

[Activity Guide for Child's History of the World?]

The Child's History of the World workbook has a few coloring pages and activities in back of workbook behind the fill in the blank outline pages. Ours is ancient so the content may have changed since then.

 

We found the fill-in-the-blank chapter outlines to be a good review tool.

 

The workbook is not available separately from Calvert. You would have to buy the CHOW enrichment course to get it. Of course, you'd be buying an extra CHOW book then but they command a good resale price on ebay.

[Do you think homeschoolers have an unfair advantage in events like the Spelling Bee?]

I wouldn't really worry about it one way or the other. The most relevant factor is one's natural spelling ability. Studying word lists probably would not give one a significant advantage like voracious reading and natural ability would.

 

My publicly schooled kid made it to the citywide event, but never bothered with studying lists. Another kid would have qualified for citywide bee but as homeschoolers we never sought it out. Another kid could not spell her way out of a can of alphabet soup.

 

Overall, I don't fret much about one school choice group having advantages over other school choice groups because, in the long run, what matters is talent and willingness to work hard. Sour grapes give rise to bellyachers.

[What does your dh wear]

after work? Mine ususally ends up changing into pj bottems and I really would like to find him something else :tongue_smilie: He is all for it but he was something comfortable for playing with the kids etc.

 

 

My self-employed work-at-home husband often W O R K S in his PJ's if he does not have client meetings. And he looks quite cute in his plaid flannel lounge pants and slippers. Wouldn't change a thing. In fact, I wish I could work in my pj's.

[SO: Do you wear shoes in hotel rooms?]

That's what I thought. I took several legal ivestigation classes in college and most people would be absolutely amazed at how really nasty the rooms are. If you took a blacklight to a room, every surface would light up. Sheets are usually ok as they are washed and bleached in really hot water between each room change. If the do have disposable glass, bring your own. We bring our own pillows and blankets. Socks are worn in the room. I do not wear flip flops in the bathroom as they are usually pretty well cleaned and sanitized.

 

 

My house could double as a disco hall if I had a large enough blacklight.

[SO: Do you wear shoes in hotel rooms?]

I go barefoot in hotel rooms, lobbies, hallways without a second thought. I drink freely from the glasses and cups. I sleep in the beds as they are with no worries about blood or semen residue, boogers, or any other bodily fluids left behind. I'm not talking flophouses here, just your run of the mill chain hotels and motels.

 

As for socks absorbing gray ick from the carpet, face it, folks. Having a carpeted floor (and I do have some of those although not by my choice) is like having underwear that you cannot remove and toss in the washer. I would not expect an air sucking machine and spot cleaning to render underwear sanitized anymore than I would expect it to result in perpetually fresh, clean carpet.

[What are you giving up personally for homeschooling?]

What are you giving up personally for homeschooling?

 

I have worked full time while having young children, and later on I was fortunate enough to homeschool full time. In my experience, schooling at home was a luxury compared to working all day in an office and then coming home to squeeze in family time and housework. So I did not feel I was sacrificing anything.

 

Even while homeschooling full time, I worked a little off and on throughout the year. Just enough to keep current in my profession.

[Another question spurred on by Duggar's wedding show (cc)...]

Something about the scenario described in the original post thoroughly tickles my funnybone. As I have said before, if I were unaware of their existence, I would think their program was an off the wall indie comedy.

[What positive results do you hope will come out of this economy?]

I'm paddlin'...I'm paddlin' with everything I've got. Apparently I'm up the river without my useful resources again.......:D

 

Note to self: find out where the kids hid the boat oars...

 

Ask everyone in your canoe to toss their shoes overboard.

[about that shoe thread......]

Now that I think more about it, the strong emotions about shoes are not all that surprising once I recall how often people were compelled to comment about my kids and me about going barefoot in certain public areas where there were no ordinances against bare feet.

[about that shoe thread......]

Ya know, that would seem the case, but they did not break down the door and were snarky about checking for the leak. So I gave some snark back.

 

Believe me if it was life and death, by all means wear your shoes.

 

 

Is it customary to call the fire department when you suspect a gas leak inside your home?

 

We've called a heating/cooling company when we have had natural gas leak. They cut off the gas because of the danger. We were without heat for three days during record breaking cold until the unit could be replaced. It was so cold that the huge local university closed for first time in over 20 years.

 

I could fathom calling the utility company but not the fire department.

 

Recently we had a gas leak in our cooking stove, so we called the appliance repair company.

[being asked to take off shoes before entering house]

... ETA: ... I think what's setting me off here is that it's obvious from reading your very first post that you have already decided you're right about the issue, and then you've pretty much stuck by that the whole time. I often wonder why people post things like that, and then are surprised when some people really answer honestly to the contrary. If you never really intended to consider the other side, it would have been better to post it as a "venting" post, rather than making it sound as if you really wanted to know how people felt about taking off their shoes in other people's homes.

 

Ditto.

 

I have always had trouble reading social situations and often find myself confused about whether a person wants sympathy, validation, or a truly honest opinion.

 

I also wonder why people bring up controversial issues under guise of a question that they could have easily googled for themselves and add the qualifier that they are not looking for a debate. This comment does not pertain to the shoe saga. I am as surprised as anyone about the length of the shoe thread.

[Foster child in the church nursery need advice]

It can be hard. Unfortunately, there are people out there who want to place children only in "loving Christain homes."

 

I have an uncle whose foster children were taken away from him because he and his wife were not christian. Really, the case worker told them that. He was fostering "unwanted" children- children who were abused, children with Autism and Asberger's. He was having wonderful results with them. But no, one social worker decided these kids were better off in an institution than a non-Christain home.

 

Infuriating and shortsighted, isn't it? Many years ago, when we fostering and looking to adopt, we contacted a church-run foster/adoption agency that contracted with state and received public funds. Yet they only placed children with adherents of their own denomination. Worse yet, you had to be a MEMBER, not just an attendee.

[Could someone please explain to me the Employee Free Choice Act]

When I googled it, the first page of sites was mostly dot org sites, presenting a variety of labor policy viewpoints.

 

The first site listed was a wikipedia entry with slew of resources listed at end of article.

[Opinions from mothers welcome....]

So, I'm just curious as to how other women would interpret the situation -honestly.

 

 

I would assume that she just read a book she found especially meaningful or helpful to her and is eager to share her enthusiasm. I can remember excitedly telling others about "Mothering" magazine when I discovered it many many years ago.

[Foster child in the church nursery need advice]

In my state, foster parents sign a statement that they agree not to use spanking as well as certain other punitive forms of discipline. The MAAP (parenting) classes include training in effectively dealing with behavioral issues in a nonpunitive manner.

 

However, it has been my experience that some foster parents view it as mere formality to be ignored in day to day life. During my fostering years, in my old neighborhood were two homeschooling foster moms, both of whom spoke freely on occasion about "having to" spank their foster kids.

[Help! Need ideas -- tons of extra apricot puree]

Sautee chicken breasts or tenders with a little onion and/or garlic in butter. Add apricot puree and a little bourbon. Simmer a few minutes. Add a little cornstarch mixed in water if need to thicken sauce.

 

Recipe number 2: substitute pork chops for the chicken breasts.