Not an expert, by any stretch, in French familial custom, but given the French language is very rich in specific courtesies, I would think she's just rude. Also, I suspect there are probably innumerable American children who are not required to contribute to the household in any manner, that would tell their host parent the same thing. Seems like an outlook specific to her family or maybe those in her neighborhood to me. (But I'm probably wrong. :D)

We are a non-electronic family. Well, sort of. My husband likes gaming and would have the TV 24 hours a day. I find them objectionable inasmuch as the children cannot seem to play nicely together when they've had a lot of electronic exposure, and are constantly complaining of being bored in a house full of toys, games and books. I also take exception to the fact that, when visiting with my in-laws, the TV is inevitably turned on. They also have a Wii, and I understand that Christmas was spent playing that. (We stayed home) Basically, I object to them because they seem to scream to be turned on, are often used in a rude, antisocial manner, and my children seem to lose the ability to think outside the electronic box, as Chris mentioned. That said, the kids have MP3 players, and we own a Leapster and some sort of V-Tech gizmo that hooks up to the TV, but it's rare (like twice a year, for a week stint, maybe) that anyone plays it. They watch movies, but not on any consistent basis. It's more weather dependent; if it's been rainy all week and they're getting stir crazy, or if it's 4 degrees out (like today), we'll make some popcorn and put in a film. I think it has more to do with your kids and your family's attitude toward the media than any global "rule".

Well... isn't he just special? Nothing quite like conducting private acts while being interviewed... that must have been distracting. For everyone. :001_huh: His corporate business aside (there have, after all, been many "colorful" corporate giants before this one, he's not even "edgy"), it is entirely inappropriate to display adult magazines in a shop window, particularly a clothing shop that caters to teens. You Canadians are so classy. :D (well, not HIM... he's vulgar) And I think Trina Campbell's comments were just about as civil as one could ask.

Having heard that it has helped many people a great deal for a number of things - smoking, anxiety, pain management - I would certainly give it a go before (or as an adjunct to) more invasive therapies that have potential bad side effects. As Pam said, I think the level of success depends on the person. And, frankly, even if it is a placebo effect in the successes, does it matter? If the person is successful in whatever they're trying to manage only because they believe the therapy will work, well, that's really good enough for me. ;)

We school year round (July - June) for many of the reasons above. We just move on to the next level when we're finished. We don't report through the local school board, so there isn't any particular reason why this would cause record issues. We also don't take regular, scheduled time off. We take a week off here and there for travel, holidays, etc. or days off when we're having an overwhelming week, but we don't seem to have a normal rhythm of on and off weeks. One of the benefits that I've not seen mentioned is that my kids really thrive on routine and we don't have the ramping up and slowing down cycles in September and June that I remember from when my eldest was in public school. We just plug along in our "regular" life.

Oh, dear! You poor thing. That must have hurt and been frightening and all that horrible stuff. Not the way you want to go into labor! You're already effaced and dilating pretty good, right? I can't imagine that a head to the groin while bumping down the stairs can feel great. Here's hoping you have a more restful night tonight.

I second -third?- the garlic. There is, however, a different mind set in approaching health naturally. It's not so much the "if x is wrong, use y to fix it" of allopathic medicine. The idea is to use herbs, homeopathy, accupuncture, whatever, to nourish and tone the body so that it can heal itself and is an unwilling host to pathogens. That said, garlic is definitely antibicrobial when raw. One remedy I have used successfully to get rid of sinus infections and other upper-respiratory illnesses has been tomato "tea". You measure out a cup (drinking vessel, not necessarily 8 oz) of tomato juice into a pan, add a tablespoon of lemon juice and a clove or two of minced garlic, then heat it just until it's warm-hot. Add a couple of splashes of your favorite hot sauce and sip it like tea. The steam and hot sauce open everything up, the garlic fumes get up into the sinuses to kill off the yucky stuff. At the same time, you're giving your body a nice boost of vitamin C, flavonoids, and other vitamins and minerals to help on the healing course. Certain herbs also have a natural affinity for different organs and systems, as well. You may want to look into those that support the immune system, along with one that is a specific for the respiratory system. There are a number of commercial preparations out there. (I prefer to make my own infusions and syrups, though) I hope you all feel better soon. I know this thing going around can be miserable.

Yay! Excellent that you found a new doctor and scraped the old one off like gum on your shoe (and there does appear to be some residue). And excellent that she is not freaking out over your PAP results! I find it sort of... I don't know... strange? Certainly surprising! Doctors, particularly OB/GYNs are not normally willing to second guess aloud to patients. I think it stems from them being sued fairly regularly. I wonder if that's why the old doctor keeps calling; she called him to find out what he was thinking and he thinks he's about to be sued. :001_huh:

Uh huh. I use a heating pad in a six-pack sized cooler, and also use canning jars. We use raw milk, and my favorite starter is Pequea Valley Farm or Brown Cow. I do not recommend using honey mixed in to the cultured milk. In my experience, the resulting yogurt has tasted... weird. Like Burt's Bees baby powder. Love honey drizzled on plain yogurt, though. That's usually how we eat it.

Heehee. I like #3, though. Here's a "bad word" scandal that I just discovered while reading my grandmother's memory book: It appears that she made a career of defacing (by Sharpie) library books! She would check books out and then black out the bad words! For DECADES! (I have no idea if anyone at the library caught on to her.)

You clearly did not go to school with my mother-in-law, who was assured by the nuns that a painstakingly neat diagramming book would be necessary in one's "hope chest". (She still has it. I don't think my father-in-law has ever looked at it) I loved diagramming in school. It helped me immensely to visualize and coordinate words when writing. (I also keep a copy of Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog in the car to skim through and chuckle while riding, so I might be odd.) Plus, it's fun, like a word puzzle.

No "bad words" here, only bad grammar. :D Really, I take no exception to any given word - people seem quite skilled at denigrating others without using "bad" words. My kids just aren't allowed to use words to hurt other people's feelings. Oh, and saying the same thing over and over and over and over, like a tic is out because it annoys me.

My eldest daughter saw it in Philadelphia and said it was phenomenal. We wanted to go when it was in Baltimore (the kids being aware that these were real people and were ok with it) but we missed it. I know there has been controversy about how some of the remains have been obtained in some of the tours, but I was pretty sure the Body World was not one of them - I've heard a number of interviews about their methods and, if I recall correctly, they use an independent party to verify donation records, etc. so they can both feel comfortable with the validity of the donation and protect the identities. I remember this particular controversy, and it seems that Professor von Hagens really does due diligence and did the right thing in returning any "questionable" bodies. Whether anyone is comfortable with it, though, is a very personal decision.

I'm sure I can kill a thread faster than you. Wanna race?;)

Actually, I think it's just "feed", under the "to provide with sustenance" or "provide for consumption" definitions. If you provide good food and drink, then you can use "regale". That's what we do, here, too.

This is what I was thinking, as well, except then I realize that is largely how we do eat. Well, in the summer, anyway. In winter, it's a lot of soups, salads and crusty bread. My kids prefer tapenade with goat cheese, though. ;) Uh-huh. That's us, too. The 7 year old resents black pepper. One of the 4 year olds likes hot sauce. Ironically, they all really like Thai. A lot. So, now I'm wondering... except for the random grazing aspect, is there a reason that we would eat differently because we have children?

Mine, 4, are the same. They switch off leading, are completely thrown if one is "missing" (like one is sick and stays home from our homeschool co-op), dress in the same clothes but different colors, cuddle up like gerbils to sleep. The dressing thing is really just color coding for other people. Mine are fraternal, but they look a lot alike.

:rofl: Yeah, right! (ok, I'm sure there are children who hear the rule, embrace the rule, and never break the rule... but I've not come across them) Yes, we have to reinforce the rules. Daily. Sometimes multiple times a day. (jumping on the couch comes to mind) A great deal of it is age-related impulse control. My four year olds are just now beginning to "get" that there are rules and consequences for breaking them. It does not mean there haven't been consequences all along, and that we haven't been reinforcing all along, it means that they are reaching the developmental stage where they can appreciate abstract cause and effect. (As opposed to concrete cause and effect like that it hurts when you hit yourself in the head with something hard.) And, frankly, there are all those various ages where kids Push.The.Limits. It's part of the process of self-definition. And then we just reinforce the rule some more. You're not crazy.

Ack! Have you STILL not had that baby? Quick! Run around the block, wolf down some Mexican food and and go grab the hubby for some, uh, "quiet time". :D

We opted out of screening. Our thought was that any anomalies we would need to prepare for (and, yes, I think that being prepared helps enormously with the logistics and planning involved with dealing with special needs in a neonate - it has nothing to do with love) would be evident on ultrasound. Good thing, too, because it would have been really, really scary to be told there was "statistically" something wrong when we really only had two perfectly typical babies on board. Hell, it was scary enough being told I was "large for dates" and that they were concerned enough to order an early ultrasound. (Obviously, that concern hit a brick wall when there were two of them in there) I wasn't old enough to have them throwing that "advanced maternal age" slur around, though. Oh, and Congratulations!!

From the MD Comptroller's FAQs However, strictly speaking of cars, if you do not have a bill of sale from a duly licensed dealership (who holds a "sales and use" tax certificate from their state), you are responsible for paying the tax on the Blue Book value of the vehicle to MD when you register it here. The requirement to pay sales tax for tangible items purchased out of state is designed to keep MD businesses from having a disadvantage because of surrounding states not having the same tax rate. So, if I bought lovely, hand thrown mugs from a potter in Maine while I was on vacation (strictly hypothetical, of course) do I really need to cough up that $1 to cover the discrepancy between the tax rates? There is no direct competition there. I didn't choose to drive to Maine to buy mugs I could have purchased here.

One of my cousins used to eat Milk Bones. He's a doctor now, so probably no permanent damage. :D Really, I'd be more concerned about how the dog feels about it than the food itself. (Our dog has food aggression, but only with other dogs, not people or cats)

We are secular. I think bible stories are nearly mandatory as a point of reference in much of our literature and culture. So, yes, we do / will cover bible stories, though our approach will not be theological.

The only people who twitter in my world are birds.

Yep. And, frankly, it is entirely unenforceable. Exactly how would they determine that my toilet paper is "foreign" and from a state that does not collect sales tax? (If sales tax is paid in the state of purchase, I do not, then, have to also pay it here.... except cars or some other price tipping point, I think. We bought our car in DE, but they collected MD sales tax and registration fees, etc.) Anyway, if I buy a pack of gum in Dover and carry it across the state line, I am, indeed, violating the tax code. It would cost the state several hundred times the value of that tax revenue to enforce their own law. One very easy thing that Maryland could do to upgrade the law in the state's favor is to simply require sales tax to be collected for all purchases delivered to MD addresses. Other states do it. It's not difficult. To my knowledge, such a change has never been proposed. In this way, they choose to not enforce the existing code.