I hate group projects as well. I'm always the one who ends up doing all the work while the commi-idiots in my group get the credit. It is what it is.

1 semester of PE and 1 semester of swimming. I hated it.

I'd protect them from the evil in the world.

I would love it but my dh would NOT.

I have given away some of my Rubbermaid totes but I still have about 35 of them. They will come in handy as we are moving back in June. :)

Started reading: Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels by J. Warner Wallace Still reading: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg Mckeown Finished reading: 1. The Curiosity by Stephen Kiernan (AVERAGE) 2. The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene (GOOD) 3. Unwind by Neal Shusterman (EXCELLENT) 4. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty (EXCELLENT) 5. The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith by Peter Hitchens (AMAZING) 6. Champion by Marie Lu (PRETTY GOOD) 7. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (INCREDIBLE) 8. Cultivating Christian Character by Michael Zigarelli (HO-HUM) 9. Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff (um...WOW. So amazing and sad) 10. Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping the Face of the Church by JD Payne (SO-SO) 11. The Happiness Project: Or Why I spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. by Gretchen Rubin (GOOD) 12. Reading and Writing Across Content Areas by Roberta Sejnost (SO-SO) 13. Winter of the World by Ken Follet (PRETTY GOOD) 14. The School Revolution: A New Answer for our Broken Education System by Ron Paul (GREAT) 15. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (LOVED IT) 16. Beyond the Hole in the Wall: Discover the Power of Self-Organized Learning by Sugata Mitra (GOOD) 17. Can Computers Keep Secrets? - How a Six-Year-Old's Curiosity Could Change the World by Tom Barrett (GOOD) 18. You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself by David McRaney (GOOD) 19. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (OK) 20. Follow Me by David Platt (GOOD) 21. The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman (SO-SO) 22. Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman (OK) 23. A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home by Jason Helopoulos (GOOD) 24. The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan (DEPRESSING) 25. No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige (SO-SO) 26. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff (DELIGHTFUL) 27. The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman (WORST ENDING EVER) 28. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (SO-SO) 29. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis (BRILLIANT) 30. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (WONDERFUL) 31. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (CAN'T-PUT-IT-DOWN-READ-IT-ALL-IN-ONE-SITTING BOOK) 32. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (SUPER CREEPY BUT REALLY GOOD) 33. A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout (WONDERFUL) 34. The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty (PRETTY GOOD) 35. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez (HEART-BREAKING) 36. One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper (REALLY, REALLY GOOD) 37. The Glory of Heaven by John MacArthur (INTERESTING) 38. Big, Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (AWESOME) 39. Crazy Busy: A Mercifully Short Book About a Really Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung (SPOT ON)

How wonderful!

How awful! I hope you heal quickly!!

I'm so, so sorry.

Started reading: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg Mckeown Still reading: Crazy Busy: A Mercifully Short Book About a Really Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung Finished reading: 1. The Curiosity by Stephen Kiernan (AVERAGE) 2. The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene (GOOD) 3. Unwind by Neal Shusterman (EXCELLENT) 4. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty (EXCELLENT) 5. The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith by Peter Hitchens (AMAZING) 6. Champion by Marie Lu (PRETTY GOOD) 7. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (INCREDIBLE) 8. Cultivating Christian Character by Michael Zigarelli (HO-HUM) 9. Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff (um...WOW. So amazing and sad) 10. Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping the Face of the Church by JD Payne (SO-SO) 11. The Happiness Project: Or Why I spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. by Gretchen Rubin (GOOD) 12. Reading and Writing Across Content Areas by Roberta Sejnost (SO-SO) 13. Winter of the World by Ken Follet (PRETTY GOOD) 14. The School Revolution: A New Answer for our Broken Education System by Ron Paul (GREAT) 15. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (LOVED IT) 16. Beyond the Hole in the Wall: Discover the Power of Self-Organized Learning by Sugata Mitra (GOOD) 17. Can Computers Keep Secrets? - How a Six-Year-Old's Curiosity Could Change the World by Tom Barrett (GOOD) 18. You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself by David McRaney (GOOD) 19. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (OK) 20. Follow Me by David Platt (GOOD) 21. The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman (SO-SO) 22. Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman (OK) 23. A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home by Jason Helopoulos (GOOD) 24. The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan (DEPRESSING) 25. No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige (SO-SO) 26. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff (DELIGHTFUL) 27. The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman (WORST ENDING EVER) 28. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (SO-SO) 29. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis (BRILLIANT) 30. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (WONDERFUL) 31. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (CAN'T-PUT-IT-DOWN-READ-IT-ALL-IN-ONE-SITTING BOOK) 32. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (SUPER CREEPY BUT REALLY GOOD) 33. A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout (WONDERFUL) 34. The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty (PRETTY GOOD) 35. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez (HEART-BREAKING) 36. One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper (REALLY, REALLY GOOD) 37. The Glory of Heaven by John MacArthur (INTERESTING) 38. Big, Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (AWESOME)

Parasailing is awesome. I loved it. She should totally do it!

I want to clarify that it's not that my kids have had no trouble at all self-regulating but that, over time, they have learned the skill of self-regulation. You're not born with it. You have to learn it. Right now my 16yo is barely interested in gaming at all. He's had pretty much free reign of videogames throughout his life and now he's just over it... Bored with it all. Now he's more into mixing music and making movies, etc. My 10yo loves video games and plays them a lot but when it's time for bed or time to do his work he gets off without argument (because he knows when his obligations are done he can go back to it). We have friends who are VERY strict about screen time with their kids and their kids all act like crack addicts when it comes to video games. They sneak around every way possible and find every way imaginable to get their hands on a video game. They sneak off to the mall and sit in the Apple store for hours and hours playing on the floor model computers and iPads. One of their teenage boys has been getting up in the middle of the night, downloading a game onto the computer, playing it, then deleting it before his parents wake up. That's not a problem with self-regulating. That is someone who has never been taught HOW to self-regulate at all. It is a learned skill.

All 3 of my children have their own desktop computer and their own iPad. If chores and schoolwork are done and grades remain at 3.5 GPA and above, they can play on them as much as they want. They learn to self-regulate and there is no mystique or forbidden fruit aspect so they have no need to sneak around to get more screen time. It works for us. YMMV.

On the old, old, old boards I was Heather in MI. Then we moved to NC and the boards changed format so I became Heather in NC. Then I moved back to Michigan then to Malaysia and now we are moving again, probably to Florida. So I became Heather in Neverland because it looks like I will never settle down in one place for long.

This has been a really interesting thread to read. I have flown a lot in the last five years both locally and internationally and people are always reclining their seats. I've never seen anyone get upset over it. Also, I have been able to easily pull my tray table down and eat my meal even with the person in front reclined. I have never had someone reclined so far that they were in my lap even when in the furthest reclined position. So maybe the airplanes are built differently over here?

Absolutely. Just another battle front in the mommy wars. Stay in your own lane people.

I am very grateful to these boards. I've made friends who have counseled me and laughed with me and cried with me and listened to me complain and shared my joy... They've even housed me while on vacation and one of them sent me epipens when I found out my ds has a severe peanut allergy and there were no epipens to be had in this country. I will never forget that and will be forever thankful. And all of this because of SWB. :)

My friend tagged me on FB and nominated me. I removed the tag and sent her a private email explaining my reasons. She understood.

Here are my thoughts on it from the last time one of these stupid things went around: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/473271-just-say-no-to-the-cutesy-breast-cancer-posts/

A digital piano doesn't take up much space and comes with pedals. It is also weighted similar to a real piano. We used one for many years.

Thank you!!!!!

If you or your child are an introvert, how do you handle birthdays? Today is my birthday and my family and friends and staff all go out of their way to make it special for me. It is so sweet and thoughtful...and it fills me with anxiety. I don't like being the center of attention. I always feel like I am saying the wrong thing or my facial expressions are wrong. I really don't like opening gifts in front of people. Today there is a big luncheon at my work in honor of my birthday and I am so blessed and grateful. I truly am. But man, how do I get rid of this anxious, awkward feeling?

"The Truth Project" is awesome as is a series we are doing right now called "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist."

It hurts enough to make you cuss but not enough to make you cry. :)

One cup of coffee with cream and sugar when I first wake up. Usually a teh tarik at tea time (10am) but sometimes a masala tea. Water for the rest of the day. Once or twice a week I will have a diet coke but not very often.