Anything that comes into our house has to have value for our family. I don't see video games as having value over other activities, so we don't have any. I don't think that's self-righteous. ( Or maybe it is in a culture where one is supposed to gather every new thing because it exists - not culture of the boards, just society in general, it seems). I can also see where someone equally as intentional would come to a different decision for their family.

Oh. Oh no. NO! Just... Yuck. (FTR, I also have no issue with home birth, water birth, or any other kind of birth that makes the birther happy. But I draw the line way before inviting the family to sit in a pool of my bodily fluids for photos.)

Im glad im not the only one! I love my Wüsthof! It was really down to them of Henckels, but the Wüsthof Grand Prix (which they have since discontinued) fit my hands and balanced perfectly. Go to a store that sells higher end knives (Williams-Sonoma, etc) and feel the different brands, lines, and knives until you find the one that's right for you. For instance, part of the reason I love mine is that they have smooth handles. The more squared ones chafe my fingers when I do a lot of knife work. I don't own a honing steel, but I do have the professionally sharpened (at a tool sharpening outfit - great work and cheap!) about once a year. They stay very sharp.

Mine are unconscious. Holden was trying to go to bed at 5:45, until I got on the NORAD website to PROVE Santa was still in Europe. Then he started wigging out when it showed him approaching the Atlantic. Lol. They're unconscious. I have three more gifts to wrap, then it is off to bed for the grownups.

I totally get both of those. We "gift" each other things we need or would normally buy, but use the excuse of a gift giving holiday to justify the purchase. But I do not get the "I am obligated to give you something so I grabbed something you can't possibly use so you can return it" sentiment. That just seems rude.

That's what I was wondering, too.

My husband worked today, too, but one of the guys with adult kids is coming in to relieve him tonight, so he can be home in the morning when the kids get up. (Before kids, my husband did the same) Which means I don't have to borrow a taser to fend them off until 9. I wrapped some gifts this morning. Work closed at noon today so, as soon as the doors were locked, we started a 2 1/2 hour staff workout: one of our group-ex instructors worked out this week's cardio fusion (step, cardio kickbox, and 50,000 jumping jacks), and one of the other trainers put together a lunatic strength training lineup. Now, the kids are in bed (one of the 8yos was trying to go to bed at 5:45... I had to put on the NORAD Santa tracker so he'd stay up to eat), and I just got a text from my husband that he's leaving work now. Yay! Making gf chocolate chip cookies, then we'll fill the stockings and head to bed. :D

Oh, noooooo! Maybe shameyourpet.com? :D

My thought exactly. We really don't do extravagant or many gifts here, but we do get each other what is wanted. I can say, with absolute certainty, that what I would NOT want is something to return after Christmas. Ugh.

I find, if I leave it in my requests and do nothing, they forget about it. I suspect I stop coming up as "people you may know" that way, but I don't know. And yes, it's fine to have boundaries. In life and in virtual life.

And a couple of them are probably still discussing the odd girl who came over with the bag of chips.

My husband gave me a prenatal yoga DVD with our whole family gathered. ;-)

Nope. Santa does not wrap gifts here.

I just rinse my hair, maybe condition it. But my hair is dry and curly, so haystack is a very real problem with overwashing. Eta: which is to say I wash my hair, but not every day.

Whew. That was scary.

(Realizing I'm coming back to the party late, having slept and all that, and I'm just catching up but...) I totally agree with this, including the influence part. We are all influenced by our cultural norms, including cultural/national myths. Some people are influenced in opposition to them, but they remain as an underlayment of our daily lives and conduct whether we accept, reject or are completely unaware of them. I also think it's very difficult to step out of the culture we are steeped in and even identify such things in order to get them for acceptance or rejection. Not all, of course, and certainly the internet has given us much more exposure to different cultural patterns that make it easier for us to identify cultural differences and ponder the cause of them, but I think it's probably a stretch to claim that we are not, each of us, influenced by the culture in which we live, and that that culture is not shaped by long-standing myths and traditions whose original meanings/purposes have been long since forgotten.

I think one reason is gun control, and the other is simply culture. We still seem to be living in a the frontier mindset; eat or be eaten. What I can't get over is why we have to reinvent the wheel on every.single.issue. What if we just wiser up and started adopting policy (with appropriate tweaks) we see working well elsewhere? It really boggles the mind.

Water. It relaxes the yarn and you can "lock" the shape in the finished garment. In some cases, it really enhances stitch definition.

Bed. Just block it on the bed. Possibly, with some sort of vapor barrier under it, so you don't have to sleep on damp. Check in to a hotel, and use the other bed in the room. I think that's the best answer.

Mine, too. When she was allowed in my home, if we had any kind of social gathering, she would spend the whole time emptying people's glasses and washing them. After she rearranged and redecorated my house, of course. :glare:

If you can knit and purl, you have mastered everything you need to. Find a project you want to make* and get the tools and yarn to make it! Cables are easy, as are bobbles and most lace. Turning the heel of a sock feels clever every.single.time but is not difficult. And, no matter what pattern you choose, it is likely that there are stitch explanations in it. *I do not recommend a psychotically complex lace shawl. This may only be because I am ripping back the same d**n lace shawl for the fourth time. I have been knitting for 30-odd years... It's just fiddly and I don't pay enough attention.

:grouphug:

Great minds...

Would the PTE mobile site work for the iPad? I use that on my iPhone... I'm not sure what specific differences you're looking for. (But, if nothing else, have hopefully succeeded in bumping the question. ;)

We have a school room (for the first time, this year) but don't use it right now because the upstairs bathroom (right off the school room) is under renovation and my husband is schlepping between that and the upstairs porch (on the other side of the school room) to do various cutting and whatnot. And it's full of junk from the construction. I do love having everything in a dedicated space, though, and a clear line between school time/work and the rest of our day. Regardless of where we're schooling, my husband does chemistry in the kitchen. We write on our refrigerator with wet-erase markers. (We also keep a rolling to-do list there)