Gift card to Starbucks.

Yes, I mentioned doodle as an example but I think we are splitting hairs here. Arguing over doodling vs. knitting? That's not really my point. My point is that professionals who are being paid to sit in meetings should be attentive AND respectful listeners. Not just attentive. There seems to be this idea that you can do anything you want if it helps you pay attention. So if lying on the floor in your pajamas helps you pay attention during a staff meeting then I should just allow it? It's quiet, your not hurting anyone, what's the big deal? Like I said from the very beginning... Time and place. There is a time and place to knit, doodle, whatever, and there is a time to put it away.

Perhaps this is correct if you are a student, a child. But this does not fly if you are an adult and a paid employee. If you are a professional it is a job expectation that you will attend meetings and act in a professional manner by given the speaker your undivided attention regardless if you think the topic of conversation is scintillating enough to warrant it.

As I mentioned earlier, my dh and my ds are ADD so I have a very good understanding of what you are talking about. So what they do in meetings/classes/sermons is take notes on what is being said. I would have zero problem with staff members taking notes on what is being said during a meeting. That is respectful and helps you pay attention. Perhaps I am just old-fashioned when it comes to meeting etiquette.

No it's not better. Perhaps you don't believe it, but it takes a lot of courage to stand up and conduct meetings. To look out into a crowd of people who are supposed to be listening to you and watch them playing on their cell phones, doodling, knitting, etc., is very discouraging. You are a professional. The least you can do is ACT like you are paying attention even if you are not. It shows respect for the speaker. As a teacher, I'd think you'd understand this.

If you have any I'd love them because I am truly stumped!

Cheese dosa and teh tarik. Yum!

The title of this thread is my absolute worst nightmare. I have a VERY LOUD set of in-laws and being around them gives me massive anxiety.

13 was the worst...14 was tough... 15 is much better... looking forward to 16. I hope.

Never tried it but I have seen it done plenty of times so I pretty sure I could figure it out if I needed to.

I'm on goodreads too! I am Heather Fischer on that site. :)

I'm torn on it. OTOH, my ds and my dh are ADD so I totally understand the need to keep hands busy to calm the fidgets. OTOH, I have a teacher who works for me and she knits during our staff meetings. For some reason, it really bothers me. It seems unprofessional. And at church? We are there to worship God and knitting during the reading of God's Holy word seems irreverent. I don't know. It bugs me but I feel like maybe it shouldn't? I guess I would say context matters. Knitting while waiting at a doctor's office? Sure. But knitting while at a funeral? Probably not. In both instances you need to sit relatively still and quietly but one seems fine while the other seems disrespectful.

My 15 yo ds. He doesn't play any sports. He plays piano but already has one. He loves computer games and already has a super nice "gamer's" computer with all the bells and whistles. He doesn't listen to music. He only watches TV and movies when I make him for family time. He already has an iPad and hardly uses it. He doesn't want or need a cell phone or an iPod. He doesn't really like to read. He doesn't care about clothes and would probably wear the same outfit every day if I let him. Plus he wears a school uniform 5 days a week so he doesn't really need clothes. He doesn't camp. ahhh!!!! I am getting him a new microphone for his computer because he makes those youtube videos of himself playing video games that all the kids seem to be watching these days. Go figure. I will probably get him some credit for his Steam account. I honestly can't think of anything to get him. He is a total introvert and is happy in front of his computer playing games or chatting with friends. Between that and his studies, he doesn't do much else. He is a simple kind of kid. So how about you? Who in your family is impossible to buy for at Christmas???

Well, I call it dinner but the people here call it "taking food" and will ask you "did you take food yet?" They also take tea which is a light breakfast around 10am. I have adopted that and love it! So I basically take tea at 10am and take food at 5pm then a light snack around 9pm.

Non-secular? So do you mean Christian? Sevenstar Liberty Veritas Press Scholars Academy

That's just creepy.

Medical personnel, my dh and my mom...but really, the only person I needed was my mom. When the pain really hit, I wanted my mommy!

The Gods and Kings series by Lynn Austin is an Interesting take on the kings of the Old Testament. I loved it! Anything by Charles Martin.

Started Reading: Allegiant by Veronica Roth 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 Still Reading: God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China by Liao Yiwu Finished: 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)

Magnesium supplements, 500mg a day, has my son's eczema completely under control. If he takes it regularly, he has zero problems. If he stops taking it, it comes back. It really has been a miracle cure for him.

That crooked smile Miles gave when Monroe said "you're my best friend" melted my heart. I don't think Rachel will sacrifice her dad but I do think he will sacrifice himself in some way to atone for helping the patriots.

Agree. This is the policy you must sign to attend my school. We can use your image in picture or video form for school purposes but we post no names, not even first names. That is a common policy for private schools.

I live 10,000 miles away from family. I see them every two years. They never come here. The idea of it scares them.

I agree. My youngest ds and my dd wear almost exclusively hand me downs or second hand. They don't notice and they don't care. But that's also because I only take clothes that are in good condition and still in style.

I TOTALLY AGREE. If I have to watch her stare into space with that vacant look for another episode....grrrrr. Also I find it interesting that throughout season 1 they were on the road and yet Charlie always looked freshly showered and her hair was clean and lovely. Now they have a home with access to a bathtub and water and they all look like they haven't showered in weeks! And why do they keep wearing the same clothes? They showed shops selling clothes. They have access to other clothes. It's just weird. But I still love Monroe. :)