Excellent post.

The only person I try to please with my appearance is my dh and he doesn't care if I wear make-up but probably wouldn't be thrilled if I wore sweatpants and dirty tshirts every day. I also keep up my appearance for work because I am a professional. But I think each woman has to decide who she wants to "keep up her appearance" for and then find out what that means. If your dh could care less what you wear, what you weigh, what your hair looks like... and if your dh's opinion is the only one that matters to you... then go for it and who cares what other people think?

but I was WRONG. When our live-in nanny said she thought we should start potty-training Natalie I was :confused1:. I even posted on here to make sure this wasn't a crazy idea. She is only 19 months! But it seems that the locals here all start potty training their kids at about a year and a half. So I said OK let's try it. One week later... She is perfectly trained! I can't believe it! It has been two full weeks now since we started but it only took one week to do it. No accidents so far. Wearing panties, no pull-ups. Waking up dry. Comes and tells us every time she has to go (although yesterday she just went and pulled her pants down by herself!). I am just completely shocked. It seems like it took FOREVER to train both my boys when they were young. But I stand corrected... it CAN be done. Woo hoo!!!

:iagree:

I am so sorry all of this is happening. It seems as if your family can't catch a break lately. :grouphug:

Well none right now BUT at one point we had 5 and they were all indoors. But now my little girl is allergic to cats so no cats for us! :(

I just read this really great article and I have been thinking about it all day... it really addresses the idea of the pursuit of happiness as our ultimate goal (and whether or not it actually should be). Enjoy: http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5660

Goodness I hope not.

I already have a career and work full time (and actually make more money than my dh). Plus we have life insurance policies. One thing my mother always stressed when I was growing up was to get an education so that I could support myself if something happened to my spouse.

We tithe but not necessarily always to the church. Sometimes we give the money to someone in need instead. We feel trying to meet the needs of those around us is just as good a use of the money as putting it in the offering plate. We do give regularly at church on Sunday in the regular offering though.

:iagree:

Dh and I both worked full time while homeschooling for many years. I worked 8am-4pm and he worked 5pm- 1am. We split all the housekeeping and homeschooling right down the middle and it worked great to be honest! It can be pretty busy but it can be done. I hope everyone can find a solution that works for them.

Thanks Audrey.

Yes it has! I am becoming more and more afraid to speak about anything other than the weather (although I am sure I could offend someone with that too).

I was unaware of that thread, didn't read it...way too many threads to keep up with them all. I was speaking SPECIFICALLY of what was happening in MY life. Unfortunate timing? Sure. Insensitive? That implies it was intentional. Maybe give me the benefit of the doubt?

True. :D But it was meant to highlight that THEY (the people it was actually about) didn't talk about it. In fact, it was actually quite difficult for me to find that kind of information about my extended family because they don't talk about it. Their opinion was one of "Most people we know are hurting too so why should we talk about our problems?" I don't think there is anything inherently "wrong" with telling everyone about your finances (even though I was taught it was impolite I am not sure I feel as strongly about it). However, the side effect of this new "openness" is that those who are struggling financially and tell everybody about it get lots of sympathy while those who have escaped the economic downturn (so far) get judged. And my post wasn't about these boards but rather what I am experiencing in real life (and on FB). I guess I was just hurt by my friend's comments.

I am so sorry. :grouphug:

:iagree:

:lol::lol::lol: This sounds like something my family would say!

....makes my heart hurt. I have only kept up with it here and there because honestly, it makes me so nauseous I can only take it in small doses. Today's headline in particular: http://news.yahoo.com/polygamist-heard-tape-training-girls-sex-190331262.html :mad::angry::crying::cursing::banghead: I know this isn't very christian like but... I hope they put him in a cell with a really big guy named bubba and throw away the key.

It is interesting that you wrote this. I, too, feel this underlying current... this unspoken "vibe" I guess... lately because of the economic crisis. Almost like this division between those that have lost much/everything due to the economic downturn and those that haven't. For instance, I put a message on my FB page about recently coming back from vacation and I said something like "We had so much fun but it was too short!" A friend who has had a really really really bad financial situation during this past year replies "Well, just be glad you got to have a vacation AT ALL. Some of us don't have the money for that. Sure wish I could have a vacation!" I felt sick to my stomach after that. We are not wealthy by any means but we have escaped much of what people are going through and we are made to feel guilty about it all the time by friends. I certainly did not mean to offend anyone with my comment. :(

In my upbringing I was always told it was not polite conversation to discuss your finances with others and it was particularly impolite to "poor mouth it". My family comes from the backwoods of Alabama and were raised in abject poverty (like no shoes, one meal a day if they were lucky, etc.) and they stil never talked about how poor they were. We also were taught not to discuss how much money we make, how much we paid for something, and not to ask others the same things. But it seems like we are in the minority? I am always surprised at how willing people are to tell you how broke they are. And here in Malaysia, everyone asks how much you make, how much you paid for something, etc. Or they brag about it themselves. So is my family just a hold over from the past and we need to get with the "sharing your financial situation" program? Are we just too uptight? I can tell you that only my immediate family knows our true financial situation... not even my best friends know. Maybe I just need to loosen up? :D

Kyle Jordan Alex Nathaniel Dae-Han (we kept his Korean name) Natalie Sarah

I am adopted by one parent. My dh is adopted by both, closed adoption, no desire to seek out his birth parents. Two of my children are adopted in closed adoptions.

I don't know great details but lately I have been interested in it. The problem is my father adopted me from my birth father and all I have of my birth father is his name so I think it would be difficult to dig up info.