Thank you!

This one is decidedly not! :blushing: Would you mind sharing the author?

I have seen this book listed on many recommended book lists. After picking up a copy from the library to pre-read before handing it to my kiddos and purchasing; I'm glad I did! Apparently, I was unaware of the details of the story! It is graphic... and the language! :eek: Eta: The author of the version to which I am referring is Al-Shaykh, Hanan.

Yes, I think there is.

Every situation is different. What does your gut say? Right now we only have one adult daughter. She is almost 20 and still lives at home. The only expenses we require from her are $ toward car insurance, personal cell phone and fuel costs plus any non-necessary items like fancy pants shampoos or handmade shoes from Europe :rolleyes: . If we were taking a family vacation we would likely front the travel costs. We would have no problem asking the child(ren) to contribute if it was the only way we could travel as a family. They would not be required to pitch in; it would be a matter of not traveling at all or the kiddos pitching in and everyone travelling together.

My plan this year is experiences vs the normal stuff. It will be loosely based off of the 12 days of Christmas. I'm not sure if these will be given all at once or on 12 consecutive days. The trick is coming up with the 12 days! These are still ideas Day 1 A partridge in a pear tree - Golden wrapped pears Day 2 Two turtle doves - 2 Dove chocolates Day 3 Three French Hens - Chick-fil-a trip or choosing own homemade truffle @ local French bakery Day 4 Four Calling Birds - Personalized of some kind, possibly pre-paid phone cards for the teens, whistles or toys for the younger children Day 5 Five Golden Rings - Visit to Krispy Kreme Day 6 Six Geese a Laying - Plastic golden eggs filled with $ or tickets to something Day 7 Seven Swans a Swimming - new towel sets for each child Day 8 Eight Maids a Milking - hot chocolate bar Day 9 Nine Ladies Dancing - Dance Charades Game Day 10 Ten Lords a Leaping - popcorn and rented movie night Day 11 Eleven Pipers Piping - https://www.treasureislandsweets.co.uk/allsorts-and-comfits/liquorice-pipes-novelty-old-school.html Day 12 Twelve Drummers Drumming - drum shaped gift box with family activities I hope to also include tickets to an event or vacation spot. Eta: adding to the list. :D

I like fancy pantsy with the maid and cook to go with it. For now I'll just settle for a quarter acre and a house built in the 70's with a little updated paint here and there.

Yes! I once posted a thread about grammar pet peeves. Almost every response was something I had posted in previous threads. :blushing: I've learned a lot from this board over the years. Eta: Had to correct a glaring grammar mistake. :leaving:

Yes! Yep! Though, they may be come home with extras like pop tarts (hypothetical situation of course ;) ) and wonder why the budget was blown.

Our total is so low because of the bolded. We cook from scratch and purchase meat by 40# box. I can get a 50# bag of potatoes from the local restaurant supply store for less than $20. We haven't used Bountiful Baskets recently, but you can get really good organic fruits and vegetables for a good price. Truly grocery prices are like real estate prices...location, location, location.

We spend considerably less than the thrifty plan, but then again we are a family of 11 and costs don't rise exponentially equally per family member. Eta: The thrifty plan said we would eat $1830 per month. Our total is closer to $900-$1200. Occasionally $1500, like when we host Thanksgiving. And yes, we do eat well. Not lobster tails, but good ole' family style dinners with plenty of fresh veggies.

Grey squirrel. Ugh. I hate squirrels!

Unfortunately, the divorce news doesn't surprise me in the least. I've been more surprised that they seemed to have a fairly functional marriage and family life. By past media portrayals she used to be a somewhat of a hot mess. Didn't she openly french kiss her brother on camera and used to wear a vial of BBT's blood around her neck?

I cannot imagine a parent abusing their child in that way to cover her death. The idea makes me physically ill. If they did, I hope they get what they deserve and if they didn't, I do hope they are cleared. It is time for this sweet baby to rest in peace.

It has been years since I've seen any evidence about the case as I am purposely avoiding learning any more about it. That said, wasn't she also strangled? It is hard for me to believe that a child of 9 would have done all those injuries including the s@xual abuse, especially post mortem.

Another CeraVe cleanser user here. Unfortunately, my face reacts to the moisturizer. Mabeline BB cream. It is pretty sheer, but it doesn't break me out and my face looks and feels better while wearing it and after I take it off. Secret antiperspirant solid in baby powder scent. CeraVe cleanser. Depending on the time of year, I switch between the formulas for dry, oily, and normal, but all work well and none break me out. Runner ups: Clinique's Black Honey almost lipstick in the silver tube and EvaCup.

I have a Sofia Rose, so that's my vote. ;) Longer middle names sound great with single syllable first names, however Rose Ann is very pretty. Unfortunately, it does make me think of a certain celebrity.

I agree with the adult sentiment. Although 18 is legally an adult, it is such an arbitrary age. I know 18 year olds that are mentally and physically not fully developed. So, 18, can still have a pedophile-ish vibe, imo. *I* like this much better!!

Don't be too hard on yourself, criminals have gotten better about setting up realistic looking accounts and you caught it right away. I'm sure all will be fine. If it makes you feel better I once downloaded a virus called iLivd. I went to a legitimate site that had free worksheets for download. The website had ads. One of those adds was a download now button that was placed directly under the worksheet icon. When I clicked it iLivid started downloading, however I didn't clue in at first and let the blasted virus do its thing. It wasn't until about 1/2 way through the process that I figured out I was on a PC, not a Mac and the virus didn't sound like a document name. After trying to abort the process to no avail, I had to make the call of shame to my techy dh. Fortunately he was able to reset the computer to the previous day and the virus was removed.

Not with an iphone, but we have been messed over by AT&T more than once. I am not a fan of AT&T!!!

Enchiladas, but only because I was too lazy to cook and already had a batch in the freezer. They went straight from freezer to oven. My 14 year old is putting rice in the crockpot as I type and I plan to dump a bagged salad into a bowl before serving.

Yes!! More than this. ;)

Mexican variations, our favorite variation is taco bowls using beans and rice as a base Stir Fry, bonus points if you serve it with frugal, simple egg drop soup Quiche with a rice crust Homemade soup Spaghetti boglonese

are not wearing one? I am not asking if you are uncomfortable in your beliefs or clothing choices, but rather does it bother you to be at the pool with others in bikinis or similar type of swimwear? For example, we have several family members that believe women should never wear pants. While we are respectful of their beliefs when we are around them, our girls (and me) do wear pants around them. I always wonder if we are making them uncomfortable.

First kiddos Claire's @ the mall, now we use the diy kit from Wal-Mart. Dh has done the youngest 3 that have pierced ears with these kits. They are affordable and easy to use.