Catsup should not be a word (sounds like cat vomit.) Is that an UO? Not all skinny people eat well. When I started eating better I gained a little weight (Still very much normal weight - I was almost underweight and all I ate was carby stuff and little protein and fat.) I think I look better and I know I feel better :) Many skinny people are terrible eaters! I was one. Just sayin'.

My first thought was kidney infection. He'd need a urine test. It can be very painful if that's what it is.

My MIL is like that. Totally understanding and sincere, never offended. My mother on the other hand.... total opposite. I have to be the mind-reader and everything is always my fault. I'm glad I have a wonderful MIL. It makes up for the difficult relationship I have with my mother.

I think they just need some volunteers and a ton of griddles to keep on flipping fresh grilled cheese. I've been to weddings with cold finger sandwiches and salads. I think they are great :) Going to one soon that is an Italian pasta bar :) mmmm...

The only time I had quinoa it tasted like dirt. :ack2: Literally. Like a dirty potato skin.

I'm sorry :grouphug: But I think if she's truly your friend she'll understand and allow you to bring a couple things that your family likes. She doesn't have to eat it, and maybe skip meat if it's that upsetting for her.

I have gotten the flu shot many times as an RN. Vaccines are one thing I can not side with either way 100%. I see both sides. I go back and forth. I have never had any side effects from getting it. They say you're more likely to get sick or have problems from the actual flu than the shot. I don't want to get it every year for the rest of my life. I did get it this year after 2 months of debate because I am having a baby very soon and want to protect the baby. My 18 month old had bronchiolitis and pneumonia last year which required her to be on nebulizers of albuterol and steroids on and off for 6 weeks. Every time she even got a cold virus (from the older siblings) she'd get and inflammatory response in her lungs. Because of that I decided to get one for her this fall because I think she would end up in the hospital if she got influenza. I did not vaccinate the whole family though. Maybe I should but we live far from the clinics and I didn't make it a priority. We both got the preservative free vaccine as I requested it. I don't know if they allow it unless it's pediatric or a pregnant woman. I think the cdc and vaccine makers push to have everyone get it to acquire the most 'herd immunity.' I don't agree with that exactly. I think people who are at great risk should get it. I don't agree that medical staff getting it protects patients any better. I've gotten the flu shot and then the flu later anyway, from my patients. Do what you think is best. If no one is at high risk then I probably wouldn't do it. (Please no one quote me to attack my opinion.)

I TOTALLY agree! And what about blue jeans for babies?? Or even toddlers? So many are stiff and yet they are hanging off (particularly for girls.) They look terribly uncomfortable and torturous.

I agree. I think LeapFrog belongs in this group. They are not real 'learning' toys.

yeah.... my kids were offended when I said I would paint the rest of the ornaments because I wanted some nice looking ones. Oops. I felt bad for saying that actually. You speak the truth. I do watch what kind of crafts we do now since my kids never want to throw anything away. Ever.

I don't like other people's kids at my house either. I think my kids are naughty.... 'til others come over and mine look like saints. There, I'm biased. Other peoples kids drive me nuts. LOL, maybe that's actually a popular opinion.

Hmm.. didn't see that thread! I wonder though, do people go underwearless in jeans? That seems brutal... Now bra-less should really become acceptable. Comfortable ones do not exist. But I live in a rural area with no neighbors so curtainless and underwearless might be the way to go.

I've never thought of going curtain-less. What a good idea. I can't figure out what color/style to use so I think they always look bad.

Unpopular opinion: I don't think parents should save for their kid's college fund. I don't think half the kids should even go to a university.

Well than that's his choice! Ouch. Here's an article on the history of it in America and it's functions: http://www.mothering.com/community/a/case-against-circumcision I'm not into the 'feminist' movement as in 'I wanted to be treated just like a man.' I want to be treated just like a woman. I do believe in equality in everything such as voting rights, equal jobs, but I'm flattered if a man opens a door for me, not "I can do this myself."

My favorite restaurant is McDonalds. Otherwise I prefer to eat at home. I am also an anti-feminist. Circumcision is genital mutilation. There is no valid medical reason for doing it to the masses. It's not yours, don't cut it off. (I don't ever say this because I know it causes great emotionally driven opinions and views but I believe it is a wrongly socially accepted view that most can't possibly see as 'wrong' because in doing so would reveal the wrong-doing done to millions.)

Oh I love animals, just not in my house! But I live on a farm, so we have plenty of room to keep them out there! Our dogs and cats end up finding road kill or a carcass in the woods and chewing on it in the yard.... so I'm not up to snuggling with them too closely or wanting their kisses.

I haven't seen a sci-fi or fantasy fictional movie I have ever liked: Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, etc... So boring, cheesey, lame. Don't get how these can be award winning and popular. While I'm at it - Children's learning shows and toys make children less intelligent. Dora?? "I'm the map! The map! Can you say map?" Do kids really answer these?? They all talk so whiney and dumb. Dogs in the house - Why do people have dogs in their house? Even the cleanest houses still smell like dogs and have hair everywhere. I don't understand why people live in the city. You never get out. The only trees you see are in a park. There is never complete silence from man-made things. Don't understand that one. Sounds like prison to me.

mine's a bit smokey..... only doing pies to take to the in-laws and the filling is boiling over! Still yummy though :)

Thanks for encouraging me to get a new seat for my 1.5 yo - it's expired and she's the 4th child to use it. I've been hee-hawing around not getting her a new one even though I have the money in the bank for it.

I'm not a HUGE pie person but dh is. I like just about any well-made pie (that means I need to make it :laugh: ). I add half as much sugar, other people's pies have too much sugar. And the crust has to be homemade. I'm picky - if I'm going to eat that many calories it better be worth it! I voted blueberry but I really like pumpkin too. I've never had a key lime pie that beats any of the rest though. Maybe I'm missing out on something....

I always wondered this when it came to maxi skirts - they only seem to fit women 5'10"+ .... you can cut fleece and nobody would probably know!

I think it's a really good idea to start a group. I don't know how to get a group going either. I don't know if I'd want to be the 'leader' of one either since I'm not always frequent on here. I think you should try! Maybe someone else can...

I'm resurrecting this thread from a couple weeks ago, hope nobody minds. I just realized that my mother's behavior all these years actually has a name - NPD. All these years I couldn't explain what was so bad and hurtful about her behavior. I discovered the daughtersofnarcissiticmothers.com website. So much if it was my mom. Each of the characteristics brought certain memories of what she did to me as a child and now adult. Of course I could probably write a book on all the things she has done. She gets particularly bad around stressful times or big events (such as her daughters weddings! UGH! and the holidays.) Now she's blaming my sister and I for being so difficult because I asked what time we were eating Thanksgiving at her house. Apparently "it'll be ready when it's ready, I can't cater to you and your sister's demands." She has sent many nasty emails to my sister and one to me over the last week about how we are ungrateful and she never wants to get together with us ever again because we are so ungrateful. Her son is invited though because he doesn't care when or where or what they eat. Umm... I was just wondering what time you want us there and if I should feed my kids lunch or not..." My brother is her perfect child. He goes to keep her happy. He is well aware of what she does to us and doesn't defend either, but tries to keep the peace. My sister struggled for a long time seriously thinking it was all her problem and couldn't figure out why she could never do anything right. She is now accepting that it isn't her, it's our mom. My sister and I are close. We were equal victims of our mother's wrath. I never though it was my fault, I just couldn't figure out why she acted so unpredictably crazy!!! For the last few years I figured she is struggling with depression, which she very well may be, but I can't talk to her about it. She also did this to my father, who left her as soon as all us children left home. I talked to him about it recently and he said that it's terribly sad the way she is. He has banged his head against the wall for over 20 years, but I can't tell because his hair covers his scars. He said the only thing you can do is not talk to her and wait for it to blow over. I feel sorry for my dad, but he accepted it and has moved on. I believe he stayed with her to protect us, so that we wouldn't be alone with her. I am so thankful for him and I truly believe I'd be an emotional cripple if he was not there. I remember soooo many happy fun things we did with my dad. I don't ever remember my mom singing to me or wanting to play with us. From being very small I remember being terrified of her. Terrified that she'd yell at me if I woke her up at night because I was scared, terrified that she'd be mad because I was sick. I was a child when I made a conscious decision that I would never grow up to be like her. I think the hardest thing, though, is that she is really suffering inside and she is shutting everyone out of her life. I want to help her. Trying to accept that I can't is extremely hard. I grieve for her. I grieve for a mother I didn't have and never will have. Her mother and older sister have been hermits for over 20 years. They live 20 miles away from me and don't have a phone. I haven't stopped in 5 years because of how my grandmother (mom's mom) made comments to me of how she was so disrupted from unexpected visitors. Sorry I brought your great-grandchildren for you to see. I haven't been back. Now I see the connection. My grandmother abandoned her children (6 of them 5-14 yrs old) for 2 months when my mother was 9. Her father spent that time looking for her. She came back, but divorced him. I believe that my mother was emotionally scarred by her mother. She has talked of how her mother is difficult but refuses to get into details. I so wish I could help her. Being superficial with her has worked for me the last few years. I learned that I could share anything good or bad with her because of the comments "it must be nice to have money." or "if you'd quit being such an overachiever you wouldn't be so stressed..." Now I'm coaching my sister on how to be superficial. This is the first time I've received her wrath in a long time... maybe a couple years. My sister has been the victim the last couple years. I won't go no contact with her unless I feel she is harming my children. I don't leave them with her anymore. I'm afraid she won't get them gifts or want to see them now for Christmas and purposely hurt them just to get at me. They are now old enough to notice, "why haven't we seen Grandma in a long time?" Sigh.... I guess we'll see what happens over time. I am seeing that she is getting worse with age, like her mother. Here is a link to ways to honor your parents in a Christian perspective. Scroll to the bottom to see the list. The website has other good articles and Bible verses: http://postcardstoanarcissist.wordpress.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-narcissism/ Thanks for letting me vent as well. I could resonate with many of your stories and hurts.

LOL! I went to three stores in three different small towns that we live near to buy a PG test (walmart is 40 miles away) and each store had people I knew working there or shopping there, so I couldn't get one! I was afraid of rumors being spread because I already had 2 and 'why' would I want any more?? I usually wait until after 12 weeks. I'm a private person and I would rather miscarry alone as I don't like sympathy and attention or possibly be subjected to rude or harsh comments. Everyone is different in that aspect. I am pg with my 5th right now and I was presently surprised and how no one cares anymore and doesn't ask how many I'm going to have (I'm meaning like church people and acquaintences.) That may bother people but I prefer to not have soooooo many comments from people I don't really know. Family is excited :) :)