The train movie with Denzel Washington? If that's the one then you will be fine. It has a good ending.

:iagree: A new ring for my right hand would be great but I would never replace my wedding ring. But I also love my wedding ring! And I would also want something a little more feminine. But that's me. :D

If you could afford it, would you have it? What kind? Of course, I am PMSing and I noticed my cheeks are sagging...like a basset hound... as are my BooKs ... :glare: And I think I ate enough chocolate today to last me a lifetime. And my hair is frizzy today. And I have a zit on my chin. So maybe a facelift will make me feel better? :tongue_smilie:

Well we both work and with the exception of 2 out of our 13 years as parents...we always have so the only question I can answer is this one: What accommodations would you/have you made in your families to be able to homeschool, and how do you strike a balance that allows both adults to parent the children effectively? In order to homeschool and work we worked split shifts for years (actually until last year). I worked days. He worked afternoons. We only saw each other twice a week. For years. Now that we both work days at the same school and our children go to the school, we all see each other all the time! We eat at least two if not 3 meals together every day. Our whole family is happier. :D

uhhhh.....YUP! :D But you know my story.

I must be getting cranky too because I agree. I honestly don't want to go to any kind of conference if I have to bring my kids with me. I want to learn and shop and chat with other moms. That means that one year I just was not able to go because I had a very clingy baby. Such is life. It was a bummer but I got over it and just went the following year. To me it is a "rights of the majority vs. rights of the few" issue... but hey, I didn't have kids at my wedding either. :D

You have a great attitude and I hope everything works out for you! :grouphug:

DITTO DITTO DITTO We would fly to Guatemala in a heartbeat and adopt that baby (and we have a recent home study :D ). Please let us know if there is anything we can do. Praying for your family in this tragedy. :grouphug:

I have suffered from severe insomnia for years. I, too, have the opposite reaction to benadryl, nyquil, tylenol PM, etc. Even codeine makes me itch and keeps me awake! The only thing that works for me is prescription medication (but they all have side effects). Xanax works but gives me nightmares. So does Ambien (more like hallucinations). I like Lunesta the best (great sleep, no nightmares or hallucinations) but it gives me horrific headaches. So I pick my poison daily... :glare:

I coached co-ed teams to a national title and let me tell you... those boys were strong! You have to be to lift girls that high into the air. I also coached those boys to full-ride college scholarships (boys are more likely than girls to get them and you should look at schools whose teams compete). I don't see how a boy on a cheer team is more effeminate than a boy dancing ballet?

This is what I have been told as well...it's the idea of dying as an unrepetent sinner. Not sure how I feel about it though, especially since I think you have to be in some state of mental illness, even if only temporarily, to take your own life.

One of the hardest things for homeschoolers (myself included) to get used to after putting their kids in school is that it is NOT the same. It is group education, not individual. There are many, many things that a school can do to optimize the learning (and I feel being a homeschooler helps me see both sides and makes it easier for me to make better administrative decisions)... but it is still group education. As homeschoolers we tend to be very independent and like to do things our own way and that doesn't work that well in a group setting. Last year, when my ds went to school for the first time, I had issues with the kind of homework he was getting and all I could think of was how I would do it differently. But in the end, I was not his teacher and I had to respect his teacher's decisions or pull him out. At any rate... in the end it has worked out very well for us and I wish you the best of luck!

you got it! :grouphug:

I would say yes but you could go with a slinky, light material...maybe spaghetti straps?

:lol::lol::lol:

I have to agree. For one, I don't distinguish between my birth child and my 2 adopted children in their presence. But if someone asks me I refer to ds #1 as my birth child (do I say "vaginal birth child"? no. But I do say birth child) and ds#2 and dd as my adopted children. There are no value judgments in those words. They are merely statements of fact. Do I say "is" or "was" adopted? Actually, when someone asks, I usually say, "We adopted Alex from Korea and we adopted Natalie from Malaysia and Kyle is a birth child." I like to specify their countries of origin because I think it is important to help give them that as part of their identity. And honestly, it's just cool! I love having kids from different parts of the world and my kids feel that they are part of a unique and special kind of family! Also, I guess I don't see "adopted" as being such a negative label that I have to be offended or not offended by its use in regards to my children. I am proud of the fact that two of my children are adopted and I am raising them to be proud of their heritage. We don't avoid the word or tippy-toe around it. And if you are easily offended by "is" or "was" then you will have a long row to hoe (as my grandma would say) because people say stupid things all the time or things that they don't mean. You can live life offended or you can let it roll...

My dh is adopted and has never felt any desire to contact his bio parents. He says that if either of his bio parents were to contact him now he would be fine with it but as a child or a teenager he would NOT have wanted to be contacted.

I walk down the street and buy it freshly-made from one of the stalls. :D

long, black like this: http://www.bluefly.com/Laundry-by-Shelli-Segal-black-matte-jersey-cap-sleeve-gown/PDP_CROSS_SELL/312747301/detail.fly

I'm getting one for my dh as soon as they become available here. :D

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

1. I was a foster parent to 5 teenagers for a year. They all came from homes where the parents were addicts of some sort and definitely abdicated their parenting responsibilities in favor of drug use. We did our very best to give these teens a warm, loving "normal" family environment. And they were happy with us. HOWEVER, given the chance, EVEN WITH the horrible parenting, all 5 teens would have gone back home to those parents in a heartbeat. No matter how "miserable" those parents were they were STILL their parents. So yes, I believe abandoning them IS worse. 2. How is it better for a miserable mom to stay in the home? Well, my answer to that miserable mom is simply this: suck it up. Hate to break it to her but life is not all about you. When you become a mom your children's needs come before your own and that's it. Period. And you can be childish and immature and sit around angry about "poor me" or you can be an adult and realize that you brought those children into the world so get over your navel-gazing and take care of them. Sorry I just don't have much sympathy for people who abandon their children so they can "find themselves". They disgust me.

Since the tiger mom thread was so much fun let's talk about this one! http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/the-opposite-of-a-tiger-mother-leaving-your-children-behind-2460982/

I am currently working on a Master's degree in Theology for no particular reason. :D I will be finished in June and it has been a GREAT experience.

FWIW... When we moved here we sold only big furniture that could garner us some money (like a couch for $300 and a dining set for $500) and books...but I sold LOTS of books... like 700 books. And I made a ton of money on the books. But everything else I gave away to family/friends or donated. The time/effort/stress involved in putting together a garage sale just is never worth the small amoount of money.