:iagree: I generally* only boycott businesses because of offensive business practices. I believe everyone is entitled to their own POV, even high visibility corporate principals. I do not donate to institutions/organizations whose mission or practice is in opposition to my values. *However... When a corporation adopts a policy or practice that directly and actively violates my values, I will choose to sever our business relationship.

Welcome to the boards! We primarily listen in the car. There are a number of audiobooks that are relatively short. Junie B Jones (which I hate to read, and I think is a nightmare for beginning readers) is hysterical. Roald Dahl books have very definite chapters, and are great stories, well narrated. My kids love getting into the car and picking up the story where we left off, and have for several years.

We watch regular prime time via antenna. I (generally) don't watch the shows that are available on Hulu, so we don't have Hulu Plus (which you need to subscribe to, to stream via Roku, last I checked). If I didn't have antenna, and liked the current shows they have (Fox/ABC series, primarily) the $7.99 would be worth it.

We've had our LG set for... Almost 9 years? No problems, and they work really well.

Oh boy! Your quibbles were just the opening conversation on Big Bang Theory!! You've been assimilated!

I don't like leather seats, for all the reasons mentioned plus my tuchas slides around. You perceive driving through your feet, hands, and bum, and when your bum is sliding around... Yeah. Our van has leather because I wanted heated seats and the Eco engine, and Honda inextricably links these features with leather. Evidently, something about hide is integral in turning off cylinders when cruising. Who knew? I dislike them every bit as much as I did 6 years ago. I keep jackets in the car when it's 100+ outside so I can drape them over the seats and avoid an embarassing stay in the burn unit. Sigh. Get the car you want, not the car you have to overlook a lot of to have a "feature" you may hate.

Russet/starchy get peeled, waxy (red, new white) potatoes don't. I don't care for gluey, starchy mashed potatoes, though, so I use reds, peels on.

I prefer stainless. It's no harder to keep clean than our old white appliances (easier than the slightly textured white handles on the old fridge), I prefer the non-plastic-y look, and we use the fridge doors as a white board. :D

Holy. Moley.

All three play lacrosse, so we're on the field 6 days a week during the season. My daughter plays on a post season travel team. The season cost is around $150 for the three of them, post-season was about $300 for her, plus travel expenses for tournaments. They all did Friday PE at the Y during the winter. That was $60 /month, but I get an employee discount.

I totally get you. I have no solution to offer, but I can say that, while I love listening to Pandora or NPR (or my iTunes music, or audiobooks) while I'm working, I absolutely reach a point where the input starts to frazzle me. And it's MY noise. I would be a nutcase if it was someone else's (because of feeling no control over it, not because other people's crap is crappier crap than mine ;) )

Nooooooooooooooooooooo! Presidents and Presidential Candidates should NOT wear mom jeans! No! NO! (it's not as bad as the Aussie MP w/ the speedo, though)

I bought a Ninja at Kohls a few months back when I broke my blender/food processor. It was their $199 model, but was $149 when I got to the register. It has a big pitcher and a little pitcher and works great! I use it for just about anything* chopped or puréed, including smoothies. (*there are some things that are just easier to use an immersion blender for)

:iagree: As with all things that are very personal and specific to the people involved, it's vitally important only if it's vitally important to the couple.

I haven't stopped wearing Doc Martens... Does that mean I'm back in style or just dated? Or, worse, some old gal trying to look hip? 3blessingmom - my theory is as follows: The first time, it takes for.ev.er. to finally fit into the maternity clothes. The second time, it feels like you wear them forever. The third (and probably subsequent times), you tinkle on the stick and can't re-button your pants while you wait for the lines to show. ;)

I will also embrace that rule, if you don't mind. In addition to the extra yardage of skin that likes to flop south (thanks to full-sized twins incubated on my 5'0" frame), I have about an inch between my lowest rib and hip. Those high-waisted affairs literally button around my ribs. Ghastly. Plus, I'm pretty sure they lead directly to shoulder pads. {shudder}

I knew someone who did that. It was just one of the many odd things she did because she seemed to want to be eccentric... It just came off as strange. She was the sort of person who made decisions based primarily on the "weird factor", though, if that makes sense. It wasn't so much that any parenting/lifestyle decision did or did not have merit on its own, but whether it would get raised eyebrows or be controversial.

I don't really see the problem. Stove: stainless with black. Fridge: black with stainless. I have a friend with a large - six burner, oven and a half - stainless range... Her fridge and dishwasher are white. I never considered them "non-matching". I don't think stainless is the same as painted finishes, where they'd look odd is one was black, one was white, one was almond... Hey! I just walked into my kitchen and guess what? MY stainless, French door fridge? Sides are black. Yeah, I think you're good. ;)

Yup. Curly girl, here, too. I wrap my hair in a microfiber hair towel, get out, dry off. The microfiber towel stops the drippies, but leaves my hair wet enough to scrunch some product in it. If I'm feeling very primpy, I then re-wrap it, scrunched, in a t-shirt to help set the curl while it dries. Mostly, I just ball it up on the back of my head and clip it. My husband gets out and wraps a towel around him. He's all wet, still, when he's getting dressed. :ack2: (of course, he doesn't wear a bra and his clothes are looser than mine, so maybe the wetness doesn't make it difficult)

ooooooh, but there are SO many levels of ick you still haven't dug through! It's like Dante's Inferno of interpersonal relations.

The Weston A. Price foundation is a good place to start. ;)

No, we don't have a sitter. In this season of our family, we do things with children or when the other parent is home. If my husband takes overtime and I have to work, I either find someone to take my shift or they come to work with me. In fact, they came to work with me this morning, though it was just for 90 minutes while I taught a class. My husband is doing some plumbing work under a ticking clock while the water is shut off at the meter, and he needed to go for supplies, so they came with me and played foosball while I was in class. (He wanted to be able to think without interruption while he was at Lowe's.... Soooooooooo high-maintenance, he is! :lol:) If I had a life-threatening emergency while he was at work, sure I could have our neighbors watch the kids until he could get home, collect them and head to the ER, but jury duty is not emergent. They haven't called me in the 23 years since I've been a registered voter, so they can wait until my children are old enough to be on their own for althe day, with me down the street (the courthouses are both within walking distance of our house).

That was my husband's answer when I posed the question to him yesterday. He said marriage is no harder or easier than the rest of life in general; sometimes there's an area more challenging, sometimes it's really easy.

:iagree: I think it's an inoffensive letter, but I can see putting the bit in about not intending to offend, given the number of homeschoolers who get their backs up about "gratuitous data" being requested. If I saw an increase in movement away from the service I provide, I would want to know why, particularly if it was an exit of current "customers", as that seems more in line with a rejection than a choice between various options. Answers from those who feel religiously convicted, because of special issues in their family, or simply choose to homeschool because they feel it is the gold standard of education probably won't have much bearing on affecting positive change in the way they do business, but those who made the choice in reaction to experienced or assumed problems may provide valuable insight into areas where change can be made.

This, especially the bolded. (my husband also agrees) Yes, there are times when one person's 100% is less than the other's, but it's still that 100% of what you've got to throw in. I hate the "score keeping" feel of saying it's 50/50, or some other split. That may just be me - my ex used to hold that up with the "I did MY half, now you do yours" in.every.area. - but it just seems to serve to highlight one person's "better-ness" or failing.