I call my mother "mommy salami" and she calls me "Heather baloney". :) My kids call me mom, mommy or momma. Although my middle ds likes to call me "flomsy" for some unknown reason. Wow... Completely unrelated... This my 7000 post!

It's bad. It's much worse than the doctor tells you. Both of my boys have had the surgery and it was very painful. The anesthesia made them vomit too. Slurpees from 7-11 and Popsicles. NO ice cream. It causes phlegm which makes things worse. And the doctor gave them liquid codeine for the pain. Praying for a quick recovery!

My favorite post of the day. No of the week. No, of the year. Seriously. Can I steal this quote?

Yes. At work I am surrounded by people who are highly educated with varied interests. I have the opportunity for intellectual discussion every day and I love it. But we also play practical jokes on each other, too. :) Just don't want you to think I'm some kind of pretentious snob.

I would want to know what even prompted you to look it up. It is not your place to do that. I would not even share it with the siblings. They may not want to know and I can't see how knowing will benefit them in any way. My mother got pregnant as a teen. She married when I was a toddler and her husband adopted me. I did not know that until I was 14yo. Sure, I could pull some "emo" teenage scene and rail at her for hiding it from me. But I chose to be grateful that she did not abort me. Even though I knew, my two younger brothers did not know. My mother did not want them to know they were only my half-brothers. She was afraid of what they would think of her. I never told them either. It was not my secret to tell. Stay out of it. You are playing with fire.

Started reading: 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 Reading and Writing Across Content Areas by Roberta Sejnost Still reading: Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping the Face of the Church by JD Payne The School Revolution: A New Answer for our Broken Education System by Ron Paul 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)

Just got back and we loved it!!!!

Yeah, I agree. Maybe it's an individual state thing? We file a foreign income tax exemption and because we are well under the limit, we pay no federal taxes on our income. On our state return we are listed as a "nonresident filer". But we still vote Michigan and have Michigan drivers licenses. I am not sure how you can do both... File foreign tax status for federal and resident for state. My tax software wouldn't let me do that. It automatically changes it for me. But maybe it is different for missionaries since their income usually comes from the US rather than the country they are stationed in?

Bribes are definitely part of life here but they are usually small enough that no one raises a fuss over them. Honestly, the police hassle the locals here for bribes more than the expats. The expats are more likely to say no. Living overseas has changed me forever. It has been an amazing experience for my kids too. They have such a global perspective about life now. I agree about the TCK syndrome, and it is true for adults too. I don't feel like Malaysia is really my "home" but I don't feel like America really is either. In some ways it is a very liberated feeling and in others I feel a little unmoored.

It is has made my experience on these boards far more enjoyable! Thanks for linking the article. I found it very interesting!

It sends this introverted momma running for the hills.

So sorry for all that you are going through.

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I agree Rosie... And not to "convert" kids but to avoid misinformation and prejudice. People think they "know" about other religions but what they do is spread rumors and lies (you know, like how no "smart" people really believe in God). My dh is a Christian. He plays tennis with three Malay guys (Muslims) every week. Our neighbor who is Buddhist told my dh he shouldn't play tennis with the Malay guys because "they are Muslims and all Muslims are supposed to kill all Christians so you are not safe with them." Um... What? As my dad would say, people need to stop talking out of their a$$.

I understand what you are saying as it is the same here in Malaysia. Parents here want a good education for their kids and that is most often offered by religious schools (including the one where I work). So you will see kids of all different faiths attending each other's schools. We are a Christian school with lots of Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, and a few Muslim kids as well. Lots of non-Muslim kids attend the local schools here which teach explicitly Muslim beliefs. It is really common. However, one thing to keep in mind is power distance. Teachers are in a position of authority and what they say is often take as Truth by their students. Can there be a fair exchange of ideas between PEERS? Sure. But a fair exchange of ideas when one person has authority over the other? Not really...no matter how fair and impartial the teacher tries to be (and when that "other" is a "captive audience" as most kids in public school are...unlike kids in private schools whose parents choose that for them). Now, thinking outside of the box...should the power distance even be a factor? What's the big deal if a student faces an authority figure with a different viewpoint? Well, then you have to think about the potential for abuse in those situations. But, in all fairness, any adult in a child's life has a lot of influence over them one way or another so I'm not sure we avoid it even with laws in place.

We won't be watching it live because of the time difference but we will download it. My ds has to write a paper on creation vs. evolution for his biology class and I thought it would be interesting for him to watch.

Started reading: Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping the Face of the Church by JD Payne Still reading: The School Revolution: A New Answer for our Broken Education System by Ron Paul 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)

I love my iPad mini!!! Yes, get lots of memory. You use more of it than you think. Get a really good protective cover.

Gosh this is so true. Five years ago when I told my mother we were moving to Malaysia she was so upset. She said "I raised you to be strong and independent ...but I didn't mean THIS independent!" Now I totally get what she meant.

My ds is 15yo (16 in May). By all accounts he is turning out nicely. :) He has good grades in school, has good friends, outside interests. His teachers like him. There is a girl he likes and she likes him but neither of them want to get into a deep relationship so they are just good friends right now...taking it slow. I like that. He has his first job working at a Mexican restaurant and he likes it. He still plays too many hours of video games and fights with his siblings too much but that is pretty normal. He doesn't drink, smoke, do drugs, swear, or engage in premarital sex. And he is starting to lean towards becoming a teacher and looking at Christian colleges he might want to attend. He's not a super genius but he is a good, solid student and a nice young man. He's becoming everything I could hope for. I am so pleased and so proud of him. So why am I so sad? :(

My ds who is 15yo plays video games online with other teens from all over the world. He would love to include your ds. He could talk video gaming for hours! :). PM me and I will give contact info. ETA: he LOVES minecraft and plays online.

I agree. Every time we travel from this side of the world back to the states it takes us 3 days to get over jet lag. I would never recommend going that far without at least two weeks or more to do it. You'll need more time when you get back to recover again from jet lag. It is brutal.

Is it weird that I honestly cannot remember. And today is my anniversary. :)

Sure! It's only for a week and I love being with my family! Kids don't need to shower every day, the guys can pee outside if necessary. My mom is one of 12 kids growing up with 3 bedrooms and one bathroom. Enjoy your family and don't let a bathroom stop you. I haven't seen any of my family in almost two years. I'd go for a week without a shower to see them right now.

This happened to me while I was pregnant. I stayed overnight and I felt much better the next day.