I'm so sorry. Jean is right. Talk to somebody who can help you work through your loss and just *be* with her. :grouphug:

Of course we are all entitled to feel what we clearly feel. When you express that you feel slighted (hurt, excluded, whatever) in a public conversation, you're putting the ownership of your feelings on the members of a group with which *you do not share the common tie*. And, yes, there are other unsearchable private groups. You don't know about them because they are not outed as the side show that apparently the atheists of the forums are. I honestly think many of you would be shocked at how many obviously conservative Christians wanted to join the atheist group before it went of the social groups listing.

Perhaps the owners of private, unsearchable groups make them that way so as to keep the hurt feelings and flak over exclusion to a minimum. By the standard we are apparently held to, I feel like I should be offended because the Orthodox group didn't invite me to join. Except I'm not because why would they? I'm sure they're not particularly interested in my input in discussions about how orthodoxy shapes their daily lives, not should they be. Likewise, the members of that group should be able to express themselves with the understanding that everyone is basically on the same page and that they can have discussions of the differences in their views on daily life and happenings that respect their collective position rather than being derailed by those whose worldviews conflict. Why is it shocking that atheists might want the same luxury on a board with a Protestant majority? And, while I appreciate the perception that we are the cool kids, I'm pretty sure it was obvious that it was tongue-in-cheek banter to all participating. I voiced in the same read thread that, IMO, it was probably the bad kids table. I recognized it because my chair with the life-member plaque was there. Kind of reminds me of a recent text conversation with a friend in which we were lamenting the burden of being so clever... Sparked off by a joint realization of something so obvious we both sort of mortified that it was, in fact, a realization.

I set up a OneNote notebook for the semester. There is one tab at the top for each week and within each week there is a page for each class where I have attached assigned reading (or assigned textbook pages), links to video resources, etc, and the weekly discussion assignment/question. I will put the due dates from the syllabi on my university calendar, since my professors all seem to ignore that function in Blackboard. :-/

I'm LaxMom because I have three kids that play lacrosse year round and I spend about as much time on the field as I do the rest of my (awake) life combined, it seems. My avatar is... Me.

I don't think you knit socks.

We had an ice pick on the boat (to go with the ice box and accompanying blocks of ice). I believe they are still used for killing people off. We just call them "shivs" now.

We said goodbye to our beloved 15 year old dog a couple of weeks ago. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, even though we knew it was the right decision. I still find myself surprised at her absence and in tears suddenly... I have no advice, only hugs for you and your family. :grouphug:

http://www.ehow.com/how_8415980_install-onenote-printer-driver.html

I discovered that practically any pasta dish can be made "hamburger helper" style. I sautée the meat, onions, and garlic, dump in a lb of gf pasta, add 5 cups of liquid and let it cook. Add mix-ins at the end, I do it with red sauce (jar of tomato sauce, water), stroganoff (use milk and water, stir in mushrooms and sour cream at the end), creamy scampi (pull the shrimp out and add back in at the end)...

I feel your pain. I bought an iTouchless a few years ago and it just tickles me to death. We have 5 and usually have one (regular 13 gal) bag per week. Sometimes if I'm on a cleaning bender, two. We schlep recycling to the community bins at the shopping center. (We keep our recycling bins on the porch and throw them in the car once every couple of weeks.) Where are you all getting all the trash?

If I may, and I realize I'm coming in late... It's exactly this sort of long simmering tension that triggers rioting. In a war zone, you have something tangible to fight against. Here, we have a structure that is so pervasive they are fighting against the invisible. If you're a Black man in the US, you are more likely to be profoundly poor, without access to basic daily needs. You are more likely to be imprisoned and will face (and carry out) longer sentences than the White man who committed the same crime. You are more likely to be perceived as suspicious, more likely to be stopped by police. You are more likely to die by gunshot wound. The stress has to be crushing. It certainly affects health and wellbeing. In some areas of the country, Black men have the same life expectancy as in Third World countries. They have more chronic disease and shorter lifespans than white peers at every socioeconomic level. So, yes, rioting and looting looks appalling to those of us who are watching from the outside. I would wager it would look appalling to those who are doing the rioting and looting, if they were watching from the outside. But this is a spark that has lit off a powder keg. Powder kegs are rarely selective or rational about how they blow.

The listerine and vinegar foot soak that's made the rounds on the interwebs actually works wonders for clearing off the budding hooves. Then I slather on Burt's Bees foot balm.

This. I think having a consistent system of lining up is fine. I understand why a little kid who just skipped a grade and is at the back of the line with a new cohort would have negative feelings associated with that. But as a mother, it is my job to help my kids work through their feelings about situations, fair and not. Demanding a change in an institutional process to cater to the sensibilities of a six year old doesn't help that, and it probably ensures he will be slighted in the future as the kid with "that mom". Plus, imagine the poor Jones and McDonald kids who are stuck, invisible, in the middle all.year.long. Yeah, probably everyone needs therapy stemming (metaphorically) from their place in the line, all for different reasons.

My favorite was a shelf sale tag (the kind that hangs under the regular price) that had the same price and "Save 0%!" on it. I took a picture.

I had this neighbor, too, except they called the condo management, who would send me a letter. After several letters and never a single response to the messages left at the management company, I finally left a message with the receptionist to personally pass along: I do not have a dog. If my cat is barking enough to disturb the neighbors (or at all really) I have larger issues and will be taking him to the vet or a pet psychologist. I never got another letter. :lol:

I completely relate. I find other things screaming at me when the family is out and end up wandering around tidying or wandering rabbit trails here. It is so not helpful.

Very wise, your mom.

I'm also a full-time student. Community social health and public policy. One year left and on to grad school for MPH. My kids are 13, 9, and 9, so they're in the in-between stage of hands-on teaching. I'm fortunate that my husband's work schedule is such that he's home 3/4 days so he handles a lot of their school work. My biggest hurdles are interruptions and trying to balance the day so I get enough quiet work time and can get everything else done. I haven't been all that great at prioritizing my school work, in all honestly, and the crunch to get things in on time in reading and writing heavy classes makes me a little nuts. And now off to work on finishing my portfolio before everyone gets up!

We do main course salads frequently in the summer. Basic formula is something leafy, protein, carb, flavory things. So, romaine with grilled chicken tossed in buffalo sauce, blue cheese dressing, green onions. Grilled skirt steak on spring mix with pecans, blue cheese or feta, raspberry vinaigrette, dried cranberries. Turkey, garbanzo beans, olives, lemon cumin vinaigrette on crunchy greens. Spinach salad with eggs, grilled chicken, avocado, hot bacon dressing. The starch is almost always cubed, roasted red potatoes. If I'm feeling ambitious, I might serve gf baguettes, rolls, or focaccia.

I had that with my twins. :grouphug: The thing that helped the most in those early weeks was Dr Newman's All Purpose Nipple Ointment that my OB prescribed and had the hospital pharmacy compound before we left. It was brilliant. I also second (third, fourth?) the recommendation to call your local LLL leader. You're not bothering her and she may have a lot more experiential knowledge than the LC at the hospital. http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/content.php?pagename=doc-CP

Nasocort. I was so happy to discover that, I actually jumped up and down a little in the drug store. I can't take sudafed (or any other decongestant or expectorant). Even taking one little 6 hour pill two days in a row jacks my heart rate up to icky levels and makes me hallucinate. I must have the metabolism of an elderly cat.

Ringworm looks like a red ring with a non-colored (maybe scaly) center. I use clotrimazole (lotrimin) cream on it and keep it covered. Exceeeeept.... If it's on the scalp you need pills. For 6 weeks. Do not even get me started. Oh, and my kids got it from barn cats that do not belong to us. :glare:

Hmmmmm... Have we been in groups together? :lol:

In my experience, no matter how clear you are about the structure, topics, expectations, everyone *thinks* they're like-minded until they're involved and want it changed to suit their tastes. I would be far more comfortable in a hand-picked group whose participants were selected for compatibility.