I am sorry if I contributed to you feeling that way. I missed at first that this was just a VENT and was really taken aback at the tone in the OP. ;)

Good point. :001_smile: and that is an important distinction.

Of course they are, but who cares. They get mad, you point out that it isn't fair to everyone else and your just trying to help, they get more mad and huff out, because deep down they are humiliated. Problem solved. Or you open yourself up to the possibility of a very thankful mother, who's stage fright stricken child will not survive without seeing her mom in the audience or who is paralyzed by stress and fear. I know it stinks to be "that" mom, but just pull on your big girl britches and do it or find someone who will.

I guess I am the only person who calmly walks up to people and offer to help them, video for them, or see if I can get the kids some juice. My goodness! Solve the problem. :glare:

Normally, I am not for the gossip approach, but in this case I might put a call in to P's mother. Find out how she is doing after the upsetting episode and see if her mom has any bright ideas on how to progress from here. You may be able to provide a unified front and draw a line that this will. not. happen. again! In the end though, you are only responsible for your dd. In this case I would probably arrange the playdates via phone first, and for awhile I would walk outside to be present when a child leaves my house for the other or the opposite. I would be willing to address the mother directly and say, "My child no longer feels safe around you and that greatly affects her ability to socialize with your dd." Hope that helps!

The play area is still a bit chaotic, but I am glad they have it for when I need to sit down and really look at stuff. You will still find a pre-teen to teen running the counter, but I have found them to be very adept at their job. I buy mostly from the used side of the store and have found them invaluable for literature selections. I have certain companies that I do not like to buy from on principal, but I can often get the item I need used at the store. The biggest thing is they just have such a massive selection and I find that invaluable. There was once a very heated thread on here about a certain curriculum. It was a curriculum I had considered and was very pricey. I needed to see how "bad" the issue was or if it was something I could overlook. I went there hoping they would have it, but really not thinking they would. They did! It was so helpful. Another time I just happened to be there when a dyslexia specialist was shopping for items to use with her special needs kids in PS. She quickly steered me to some items I never would have looked at. Hope that helps!

You are doing better than me. Sometimes, I cannot even see the post when I go to the other persons page. Even if I have an alert that someone commented after me, when I click on it I can't find the post.

Did you put a grape leaf in? I made some from the same book, but I think varied the recipe just a bit. I used Coriander, mustard seed, dill, fresh garlic. They came out delish! Just like a Clausen's. Nice and crisp with a little bite. When I do it again, I will have the grape leaf be the last thing I put in so I can weigh it down better.

Thank you! It helps just hearing from others who have been through this. Sometimes I feel a bit like leper, even though nobody could just look at me and know. ;)

Something like this came across my news feed this morning. When I looked at closer it had a date of April 1, 2012. I wasn't sure if it should be taken seriously. ;) This was the announcement I saw, http://www.allproudamericans.com/Puerto-Rico-Achieves-Statehood-Becomes-51st-State.html Again, I do not think it is accurate. I thought we were still in a wait and see what the people of Puerto Rico want phase.

Chucki, I alluded in a post that I once lived in a converted school bus. I was 11, an only child and in PS, and even though my friends were completely freaked by the fact that I lived in a bus, I LOVED IT! Did I mention it was unfinished when we got it? I remember laying a sewage line with my mother, looking for appropriate low areas and drainage, building a deck out of pallets and particle board. We cleared the land ourselves, stacked the trees, eventually dug a pond right under the city inspector's nose, put in rustic chicken coops, layed fencing for my first horse. Heck I remember when we got our first power pole and meter. It was a magical time. Eventually we built our dream house there. I was given a say in what was most important to me. I will be honest and say it was not a smooth transition. My mother ended up having another child and we ended up in a rental again for a season. It was not as cold a climate as you are describing, but it was a lot wetter which has challenges all it's own. Is there anything stopping you from going back to a small rental if the going gets to rough? It would slow you down, but it is an option. Just thought I would share a bit of what it was like for me and how few regrets I have. I do not know your dd, but not all kids would be miserable snowbound for a season. :D

I need your help! I have been searching google and pinterest for kitchen inspiration. I want to make over my farmhouse kitchen in a very artsy, funky, crafty, bohemian feel. I cannot find anything to inspire me. :glare: If you have a moment and are so inclined please help me search! I am basically looking for an artsy farmhouse kitchen. :D

Yes, it is true;) I have decided that this is my favorite part of Texas, but it still isn't the north! I want to crochet scarves and mittens and cozy up to fireplace, but there just isn't a need. I love where we are at! It has everything, but a fall and winter.:D

Have you seen this? It is beautiful! http://thehomesteadingboards.com/forum/general-homesteading-group2/construction-and-diy-projects-forum5/our-earth-sheltered-home-thread673.1/ They're in Maine.

Ack, you did. I missed it. ;) You are probably going to spend the same on small insulated "shed" that you would on a travel trailer. The only problem is that you would still have to insulate the travel trailer and I am not sure about heating it with a pellet stove. Again, if you have a safe fallback, I am game. It is hard to be caught between a rock and hard place finacially. You probably won't be doing much this winter, because you won't want to risk injuries, but it sounds like a wonderful adventure! Give me 3 years or so and I am right there with you!!!

:iagree: I am very adventurous, and even though I live in Texas I am a Northerner at heart. I would strongly suggest looking into a composting toilet and seeing if I could get at least one working spigot. You do not have really young kids, so as long as the arm is one the mend I say GO FOR IT! Say's the woman who grew up living in everything from Yurts, converted school buses, sailboats, and who really wants her dh to be transferred somewhere north so I can do something similar to what you are. :) Also, make sure you have a safe fall back location. Friends house, families house, motel. This forum is wonderful! http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/index.php

Imp, you may want to consider throwing out a red herring. A letter saying he got a new job, with some other company. When we cut verbal contact with dh's, we allowed for written letters. This accomplished two things. We could say with clear conscience we had not cut all contact and anything she wrote was in writing....and anything we wrote was in writing. We responded when and how we felt like it. When I first had to set up strong boundaries with someone, they freaked out and started pushing hard! For some reason I felt bad that I was having to go to further extremes to reinforce the boundry. I met with my counselor and he told me that I was not at fault for having to reinforce the boundary. The amount of effort to keep the boundary intact was not dictated by me (unfortunately:glare:) it is dictated by the person trying to cross it. If you can calmly say, "Mom please do not call." and she will respect it, then you get to be nice, but firm. If you have to change numbers and move across the country it does not make YOU extreme, it makes her extreme. I hope that makes sense. :grouphug:

That is the next step. ;)

We had 4 kids by the time dh was 27.

Praying!

Yes, I have some refrigerated ones, fermented lemonade and veggies. Normally, I am pretty on top of things health wise, this just caught me off guard, because I thought it was something else. So, I basically lost one week self medicating, and another under prescriptions from Urgent Care. It wasn't until I saw dd's second MRSA abscess that I made the connection.

Those look wonderful!

I wouldn't tithe on it, but I might give a donation.

First dd is doing much better! almost no swelling and just a tiny scab. :D I OTOH, just got back from my my follow up. The good news is things are getting better. The bad is they are not improving as fast as my Dr would like to see, so I will be taking two more courses of Bactrim. It looks like the infection reached as far as my kidneys. I am kicking myself for letting the kids go back to PS in January. That is where dd first contracted this, and I wish I could rewind the clock. I know it is a bit irrational and we could have contracted it at track or the pool, but since that was the first official incident I just want to blame it. Hey, I'm human. ;) My Dr's parting phrase of, "This is one of the worst cases we have seen," did little to lift my spirits. Ooooh, another good note! my floor steamer arrived! Here comes some more cleaning. :tongue_smilie:

How is she? :001_smile: