Second cousins twice removed... No problem Generational names done as an honor to someone... Grandson named after grandfather... No problem Common names that everyone has... David, Michael, Jennifer, etc. ... No problem However, unique names that took time to think up... Like, say, Penelope. Or Xavier. That your sister then copies for her own daughter or son and her kids are close in age to yours and you see them frequently? Yeah, that's rude. And a bit weird.

This is what I was thinking. Although in my family, we serve dinner soon after the start time then socialize afterwards so if dinner was at 4 we would tell people to come at maybe 3:30 not 2.

Congrats!!!!!!!

Offended is a strong word. Irritated is more like it and I WAS irritated when it happened to me. My dh only has one sibling. His sister had a baby boy and named him Devin. Then we had a baby boy and the name I had wanted for a long time was Evan. But we didn't name our ds that because we thought it would be rude (and corny). So we named him Kyle. A few years later dh's sister has a girl and names her KYLIE. What the heck???? I thought it was rude but whatever. I guess some people lack proper manners.

After tonight, I may need to change my position on this. My toddler daughter (although she turned 3 today so I think she is officially a preschooler) doesn't get into everything, destroy things, etc. However, the 4 other toddlers at my house tonight tore the place apart. Seriously. I am flabbergasted.

I am thinking I may need to cut some of this out next year. Some is unavoidable (like work stuff), some is becoming a tradition (this is the 4th year we have done the gingerbread thing with these other families). I am torn between wanting lots of fun holiday memories for my dh and children (and not letting my introvertedness drag the family down) and wanting to run away with just my family to some deserted island next Christmas. How do other introverts handle holiday festivities?

Just thinking of you today....wondering how you are doing... and praying for healing.

7 is Othello I think. I will take a look at the rest and see if I know anything. :)

Two different Christmas parties for work Stopping by 12 different classroom Christmas parties One day of gingerbread house decorating with two other families Christmas Eve party Christmas Day party Daughter's birthday party today All of this in the last 9 days. Stick a fork in me because this introvert is DONE. I am crawling in a hole and not coming out for at least a week. I love my friends and we had loads of fun but I am so burnt out from socializing that I am starting to twitch.

Congrats!!!!!!!!!

I'll go first... I bought my oldest ds two video games for his Xbox. He was SO EXCITED. Until he tried to play them. I am a moron and I ordered the NTSC versions from amazon and his Xbox was bought here and is PAL. So they won't work. He was really bummed and I am out a lot of money.

I am glad you have an end date in sight. Praying for strength for him and your family.

A beautiful wooden kitchen set for our daughter. Really nice, noise-canceling headphones with mic for oldest ds. He uses it for gaming. A soccer ball and two soccer goals for our youngest ds.

Christmas ham Roast chicken Fresh green beans Carrots Garden salad Scalloped potatoes Warm rolls Carrot cake Egg nog Wine (soda for the kids) Coffee Tea

I put the baby gate up in front of the stairs and I put away valuable things. Other than that, I expect parents to supervise their own children when visiting me. I don't let my 2yo run wild at other people's houses.

I have never made these before. How long does each "rising" session take? Do they need to be made the day before or can I make them when we get up in the morning?

Ok, so it's not that important! Here's the thing. I am from Michigan. I lived my whole life there except for one year that I lived in NC... Which just happened to be the year these boards changed to the previous new format and we had to register with a board name. Stupid me picked Heather in NC even though I moved back to Michigan a few months later then off to Malaysia a year after that where I have been ever since. So I have always hated my board name because it really has nothing to do with who I am. Not that I don't love NC. But I didn't want to change and lose my post count. Now that we can change without losing the post count, I'm wondering if I should and if so to WHAT? Does it bug you when others have changed their names? It bothers me a bit but not as much as when you change your avatar. I identify most people on here by avatar. So what says the hive? Change or keep it?

This is me exactly. :(

Christmas Eve has come and gone here. It is 2am and I am fighting insomnia and killing time on the boards. Tomorrow will be a busy day. I wish I could sleep.

These are some amazing ideas!!! I didn't know about the doll line at Target. I am going to get her one and have my mom ship it (Target doesn't ship here) even if it won't be here for a while. I'm still mad at myself for such a stupid oversight but the "dropping the kid off at school when there was no school" made me laugh pretty hard. I guess I am not alone in this mothering business even when I feel like I am!

Beloved by Toni Morrison My most favorite fiction. :)

I made a cookie recipe from the Pioneer Woman last year. And by "made" I mean "totally screwed up and it looked nothing like her picture and tasted awful." So, I get it. :)

Exactly. I suppose if you or your children have an addictive personality then they could be trouble. Neither my dh or myself have the slightest interest in them. Both my boys like them but in spurts. They will get a new game and play for hours and hours. But then the games will go untouched for weeks. If it becomes a problem, then I will put a stop to it. In the end, it is different for every person. Only you know your kids and what they can handle. I don't think it is "more righteous" to not play them. People act like if you play video games at all then your brain is mush and you are fat and uncreative. Hardly. They are simply a form of entertainment and not any worse than spending hours on this forum.

As I sat cuddling with my almost-3-year-old dd this morning, happily chatting about Christmas, I asked her, "what do you want Santa to bring you?" She said, "I want a dolly with brown skin and black hair like me." And it hit me: despite the fact that she has been spoiled by both grandmas and me and has several dolls, they are ALL white-skinned, blonde-haired beauties. OF COURSE she wants one that looks like her! And of course it didn't even occur to me being the white-skinned, blonde-haired person that I am. How typical. How cliche. How could I be so insensitive????? And how is it my 3yo is able to articulate a need that didn't even occur to me, a grown woman and her MOTHER?? So off I went today to the mall, on Christmas Eve, the one thing I always swear I would not do, to find my beautiful brown-skinned, black-haired baby girl a dolly that looks like her. Stunningly, for a country that is full of brown-skinned, black-haired people, I could not find anything! Apparently, they have also succumbed to the blonde-white stereotype of beauty. Now I am so sad and there is nothing I can do because it is too late for me to order anything. Even worse, her birthday is the day after Christmas so she won't even get it for her birthday. I know it isn't the end of the world, but I feel just awful. She won't die without the doll but I can't believe I never even thought to do it.

Yikes. Never. Keep your eye on it and if it goes on the market then you can try to work out a deal but before then would be insensitive. Neither of grandmothers sold their big houses after their children and husbands were gone. He may have zero intention of selling it.