Hey, I'm a potato chip junkie....can I join you but have a cocktail instead of beer?

I agree with this.

I'm one who buys grassfed meats, pastured chickens and their eggs, raw milk, and produce from our CSA. I avoid bread and starch. Or at least, I should. Then that all runs out, and we eat meat, cheese, produce, milk, desserts, and every other good thing from Trader Joe's. We have dessert every night, almost never home-made. Why, when I'm so addicted to Trader Joes dark peanut butter cups and salt-and-dark chocolate-covered almonds! And we eat out a lot. And I drink alcohol daily. As a type this, I'm sitting in the warm sun with my dog at my neighborhood cafe drinking a Moscow Mule, and eating their delicious Turkey Stack sandwich on crusty ciabatta bread. And.....potato chips. So, I STRIVE for one ideal, and live another about 50% of the time. Oh well! Now that Arizona Cocktail Week is over, I'm looking forward to St. Patty's Day. Onward! :D

I don't have a lot of divorce in my family and not too much in my friends, either. I'm not sure why....it's just worked out that way. Of the friends that got married around the same time we did (22 years ago), I can't think of any that are divorced. Two couples are Catholic, 1 is non-denominational, and the others are not religious at all. So I don't think religion plays a part - isn't the divorce rate nearly the same across the board? My parents had a ridiculously happy marriage right up to my Dad's death 2 years ago, my sister was married for 28 years before she was widowed, and my brother has been married for 30 years. We do have some cousins that divorced though, and one uncle (out of 4). I've had a couple of close friends go through divorce, and it seemed to happen to both of them when their kids were around 10ish. Don't know why - coincidence, maybe. One was due to a cheating spouse, the other was due to boredom and the inability (or desire) to work things out. I can say that if my dh cheated, I'd be outta here. We don't have similar personalities at all, but we have a lot in common and like to do a lot of the same things. I think that really helps keep us strong - we spend a lot of free time together, and have always prioritized talking to each other every day (for us, happy hour while dh cooks dinner).

Ah, okay, thanks.

What are they?

I'm glad you're back, Bill. :)

I "liked" this, but it didn't seem enough. :D

Same here. My dd would look great in a bikini, and we joke that she should wear one while she can! But she has a strong modesty streak and so far doesn't want one. She also loves to dive off our diving board and that works much better with a one-piece. However, now that she is 15 and going to school, she is finally becoming aware that she is a pretty girl, so who knows what she'll think by next summer!

This.

I would skip the event, take the son to where he needs to go, and not worry about it.

We do "Easter Chairs" and put the messy plastic grass in the chair with the presents on top. We usually get a few pool toys (noodles, goggles, water guns, etc), some candy, a DVD or 2, small item of clothing maybe (socks or a cute t-shirt). It's getting harder as they get older to keep the cost reasonable, and they're starting to use the pool less and less, so this year I'll do a few Starbuck's gift cards.

Crusty bread Ciabatta sandwiches potato chips mashed potatoes McDonalds Big Mac and Fries - several times a week See a carb theme? ;-)

Prayed for the whole family. :grouphug:

I agree. When my kids were 7 we spent a month in Italy, and the family still laughs at my daughter's comment: Mommy, why are there peni*** everywhere? :lol: By the end of the month she was barely noticing - all those statues seemed normal to her. Nudity is not the same as porn!

When we got our puppy last year, we found that she slept a lot. We could take short breaks from school and somebody would play with her for 15 minutes. After that I'd take her outside and try and get her to go potty, then give her a chew toy. She would hang out in my lap and chew, then fall asleep. Repeat throughout the day. My kids were teenagers, though, so it didn't seem like a big time sink.

This is so, so sad. I'm so sorry. :crying:

That's so sad and scary. Praying for him and his family.

Yes, this is an excellent trait! Avoiding drama is sometimes hard, but it pays off. Good for her! And sorry it ended that way. :(

Ooo, no, I don't want to read anything that will get my blood boiling. That would result in another sleepless night. Ick.

OMG....I just about threw up laughing so hard. I've been sick for a few weeks, and I can't laugh or I burst into a horrible fit of coughing. This was the wrong thing to read!!!

I don't believe it either. I think things are circling around again - didn't the movement originally start with hippy-types and then swing towards Christian Right, and now settling somewhere in the middle? At least, that's what I hope. I don't like extremes on either end.

Haha, this reminds me of when I turned 40 and my dh asked me if I wanted a party. I said no, just a night at a hotel ALONE. He enthusiastically offered to call my mom to babysit the kids, and then I had to break the bad news that "alone" meant just that. ;)

I agree 100% with this. We rent apartments/houses for 3-4 weeks, and it usually works out that every other day or so is "down time" - just to people-watch, relax at our favorite cafe, unwind, etc. Seeing museums and castles and ruins is awesome, but taking the time to soak up the culture is one of our favorite parts.

I know how you feel. My dh has always traveled extensively for his job, and over the years I've really come to appreciate those nights when the house is quiet and I can leave the TV off (or watch whatever I want!) and read, relax, and enjoy my alone time. When the kids were little I'd put them to bed and the house would be so lovely and still. Now they're older and out and about most nights anyway, so it really is just me. And my dog. :D