I suppose I am old-fashioned but my mom always taught me not to speak ill of the dead. Can we at least wait until the body is cold before we start ripping the guy's character to shreds? If for no other reason than out of respect for his family? Sheesh.

I would have grabbed Legolas and run!!! :)

Haven't heard about it but now I am interested.

I agree. It's never come up in our house. Everything is used up or passed down. For instance, my oldest ds had a computer we gave him as a gift several years ago. It was getting old and he wanted a new one. So we got him a new one for his birthday. He then gave his old one to his little brother. It would never even occur to him to sell it rather than give it to his brother. I guess maybe if they both had a computer and neither needed it, he could sell it and keep the money. But we would bless a sibling or a close friend who needed it first before trying to make money off of it. It's not a rule or a requirement in our family... Just something that sort of happens naturally.

The only thing I do ahead of time is make the cornbread for my cornbread dressing. Everything else is done on the day of.

Yep. I am reading this book right now for the same reasons: http://www.amazon.com/Smart-but-Scattered-Teens-Executive/dp/1609182294

Absolutely!!

My dh makes the turkey. I make the cornbread dressing from scratch. THAT is time-intensive. But I only make it once a year and I love it.

Our guinea pig was an evil little monster. I would never get another guinea pig. I don't think pets are necessary. We have had cats for years and we love them but if we didn't have them, that would be fine, too.

If it's just our family then the china. But this year we are hosting 35 people so we will use disposable because I don't have that many dishes, we don't have a dishwasher, and I am not washing that many dishes even if I did have enough.

Every day. definitely. We live on the face of the sun so not a day goes by that we all aren't sweaty and gross by the end of the day. Just existing here requires daily showering. You don't even have to move around to get sweaty.

Among the teenagers at my school, it's the "cool" stuff you own... expensive digital items, expensive shoes or clothes, etc. Anything that shows off how much money you have. Walking or carrying yourself with confidence is called "swagger."

Me either. I swear. I have never heard of that until this exact moment. I bought new car seats with each child because my kids are spaced far apart and I got rid of baby stuff after each child, but it was never for expiration dates. Is this new? I've been here nearly 5 years and no one uses any car seats of any kind (we are an anomaly). But I never heard this anywhere before we left 5 years ago.

Matthew 6:9-13 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." The bible teaches us to pray and ask God to intervene in our daily lives. We are to want HIS will to be done, not our own. We ask for HIS daily provision in our lives. We are to ask forgiveness of sin and for his help avoiding temptation. So yes, I believe that God is involved in our daily lives.

Started Reading: The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper Still Reading: Smart but Scattered Teens: The "Executive Skills" Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential by Richard Guare The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli: Crazy Good Stuff I've Learned about Teaching by Rick Wormeli Finished: 50. Big, Dead Place: Inside the Strange and Menacing World of Antarctica by Nicholas Johnson 49. God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China by Liao Yiwu 48. Allegiant by Veronica Roth 47. The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin 46. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 45. Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists by Anthony Amore (American Author, DD class 700) 44. The Gospel's Power and Message by Paul Washer (American author, DD class 200) 43. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Persuasive Writing by Gerald Graff (American author, DD class 400) 42. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (American author, DD class 800) 41. Mariana by Susanna Kearsley (Canadian author, DD class 800) 40. Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 200) 39. When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy by John Piper (American author, DD class 200) 38. Inferno by Dan Brown (American author, DD class 800) 37. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo (American author, DD class 800) 36. The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson (Canadian author, DD class 200) 35. Sandstorm by James Rollins (American author, DD class 800) 34. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Mexican Author, DD class 800) 33. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost (Dutch Author, DD class 900) 32. Bill Bryson's African Diary by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 31. The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer (American author, DD class 800) 30. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (American author, DD class 800) 29.The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (American author, DD class 800) 28. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (American authors, DD class 800) 27. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 26. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 25. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopian author, DD class 800) 24. Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams (American author, DD class 300) 23.The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (American author, DD class 600) 22. The Infernal Devices #3: The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (American author, DD class 800) 20. Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (British author, DD class 200) 19. The Infernal Devices #2: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 18. The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 17. God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts (British author, DD class 200) 16.The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Canadian Author, DD Class 800) 15.The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 900) 14. Prodigy by Marie Lu (Chinese author, DD class 800) 13. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (American author, DD class 900) 12. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (American author, DD class 500) 11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman (American Author, DD class 600) 10. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller (American author, DD class 200) 9. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (American author, DD class 300) 8. Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (American author, DD class 100) 7. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 6. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 5. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 4. The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies (Canadian author, DD class 600) 3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Australian author, DD class 800) 2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (English author, DD class 800) 1. The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch (German author, DD class 800)

It's interesting that once everyone became connected through FB, my friends all stopped writing Christmas letters. I suppose there wasn't anything left to tell after they had updated all year on FB.

I have not, and will not, participate in Black Thursday or Friday. Ever. I think it is wrong to make people work on thanksgiving and be away from their families so I can save a few dollars on something I don't really need anyways. My dh was a manager at Walmart years ago and what he had to witness and endure on Black Friday is disgusting. Trampling over each other and fist fighting over flat screen TVs? Never.

I do understand what you are saying but I agree with a PP that I find ways to nurture my marriage without going on a really fun vacation and leaving my kids behind. Dh and I have lunch together at least 3 times a week, we email or instant message other during the day, we connect at night after the kids go to bed, etc. I don't need to get away from my kids for 10 days in order to connect with my dh. Our kids are OUR priority right now (not just mine) and we actually connect through raising our children as well. I don't buy into this idea that the only way for a couple to stay connected is by getting away from their kids.

Thanksgiving is not a recognized holiday here so both dh and I will be working and the kids will be in school. We celebrate with our American friends on Saturday.

Good heavens. Doesn't seem like anyone cares much for etiquette anymore. How tacky.

They went to DISNEY without him? That's just wrong. Poor kid. My dh and I decided a long time ago that we could never go on a bunch of cool vacations and leave our kids at home in crappy Michigan weather with their grandma. I'm off on a beach in Jamaica living it up with the hubby while my kids are in -10 degrees and stuck watching reruns of The Golden Girls with my mom? Yeah, sure....that won't cause any hard feelings. Both dh and I grew up in families where vacations were family vacations. A romantic weekend away for just the man and wife? Sure. But 10 days on a cruise (or wherever)? Not happening. If my parents had done that to me I would be resentful, too. It's a stages of life thing. Your kids won't be kids forever. They will grow up and then you and dh can take all the childless trips you want. But right now the priority is the kids and I think a grown man should understand that.

When my middle ds was 6yo I went to visit my family in the states for 3 weeks. My dh stayed here with him. It's been over 3 years and my ds will still bring it up. It upset him greatly. Traumatized might be a strong word but it left a lasting negative impression on him. I still have to travel for work once in a while but it is hard on him every time. Some kids really are sensitive like that. My other two are fine with it but not my middle child.

Now that I live on the other side of the world from my family and only get to see them every two years, I would happily drive 90 minutes for a chance to see them. It's all about perspective.

No way. They are too young. It is too far. Not potty-trained. We don't go on fun vacations and leave our kids behind. They like fun vacations, too. That's our family policy. The longest we have both been away from our kids is one night.

I have never received a handmade gift and I would love those. Plus, I love oven mitts. :) Now I am sad because I just realized I've never received a handmade gift (well, other than from my little kids of course).