Good to know! I think I may have dh take that duty on since he loves the sport so much. :D .

I am about to put my toe over the line. :D Ds 8yo has been involved in an after-school tennis club. The coach, as well as my dh who is an avid tennis player, seem to think that he has a lot of raw but natural talent. He also loves playing. And we live in year-round summer so playing opportunities are endless. Today we got some information about joining the local tennis club, getting him into some "real" lessons, etc. Dh wants to go for it. He didn't start playing tennis until a few years ago and he loves it. He wants to give ds an opportunity to start young (you know, maybe he will get a college scholarship, yada yada yada). So before I take this next step, what do I need to know? Is it going to cost an arm and a leg? Will I live at the tennis club? Give me the good, the bad and the ugly of being a tennis parent. :tongue_smilie: .

Salt and vinegar potato chips. YUM.

That song and dance are all the rage here. It is playing everywhere you go!

That is wonderful news!!!!

:iagree::iagree: I used to have all those "standards" as well. :D. Now my daughter's nickname is princess and I just ordered a box of Disney dress-up clothes for Christmas. .

:iagree: I have 2 kids who love playing outside and 1 who loathes it. They are who they are and I respect that. I was never a big fan of playing outside either. When I was little, if you were looking for me, I was usually in my bedroom with my nose in a book. I am still pretty much that way. :D .

The third graders at my school would do just fine on this test but my school tends to be academically accelerated.

This week... Started Reading: The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Still reading: Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose Alone With God by John MacArthur Completed: 32. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy 31. Frankenstein 30. The Lotus and the Cross 29. Desiring God 28. Blood Feud: The Hatfields and the McCoys 27. Among the Gods 26. The Deadliest Monster 25. Faith of My Fathers 24. A Good American 23. They Say/I Say:The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing 22. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking 21. Insurgent 20. Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints 19. The Strength of His Hands 18. The Meaning of Marriage 17. Funny in Farsi 16. The Constantine Codex 15. What the Dog Saw 14. What is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission 13. Gods and Kings 12. A Skeleton in God's Closet 11. My Hands Came Away Red 10. The Omnivore's Dilemma 9. Dead Heat 8. Redeeming Love 7. Family Driven Faith: What it Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God 6. Organized Simplicity 5. Year of Wonders 4. The Holiness of God 3. The Paris Wife 2. The Peach Keeper 1. Relic

Aww... Come back soon!

Well, I spend about $100 USD a month on pedicures and my hair. The occasional coffee or lunch with friends... Maybe another $10 USD. It's hard to really say, though. Sometimes I won't spend anything else on myself for a while but then I will buy a new purse or some clothes or a book... Maybe an average of $150 USD a month?

Getting ready for work. :tongue_smilie:

Exactly. The cheerleaders are there for the crowd... Who often ignore them, too.

I will be the odd man out as I would have rescheduled the braces OR I would reschedule the vacation around the braces because my experience with braces was brutal. However, I would not have rescheduled JUST for a period. The braces and period together? Yes, I would have rescheduled. But because of the braces, not the period. Can you tell I am still traumatized by my braces? :tongue_smilie: .

I coached competitive all-star cheerleading for 10 years. If you want to compete and if you want any chance of winning then you have to be willing to do what everyone else is doing and then top it. That means shorter skirts, bare midriffs, some uniforms are even going "one-shouldered", etc. Competitive means not just the athletic ability but the "attitude"... the glittery make-up, the pouty faces, winking, blowing kisses at the crowd, flirty faces with the judges... it is all not only happening but expected at this level. Suggestive dance moves are the norm, not the exception. Watch a high school cheer competition on ESPN and you will see what I mean. Now, does this mean ALL teams do this? No. But let's face it. They want to emulate the winners, the champions. So it creeps in to even the most local, small-town cheer team. It's the same reason they want to dress like pop stars . Between all of the above...plus having to tell a young teen girl she had to lose weight... plus countless severe injuries (as the stunts and tumbling gets more and more risky in order to stay competitive)... I got out. And it is NOT something I will let my daughter do either. .

For me it means my "schedule" is 8 to 4 but I never leave before 5:30. I am also expected to be at events and meetings and what-not on my off-hours or whenever my presence is requested. I do not have a scheduled lunch hour and my lunch depends on how busy I am that day...some days it is on the fly, or not at all, and other days I have time to go out for lunch with my dh. I do not get overtime. So my salary means I get a certain amount per month and that is it but I am also the second highest paid person here. Time off: my vacation time is according to the school year. I cannot take vacation days when school is in session. Sick days are as needed but I have only taken off 4 days in 4 years. Doctor and other appointments are expected to be scheduled after work hours unless it is absolutely unavoidable or you are really sick. It is quite common for professionals to make a salary rather than an hourly wage. .

My family doesn't do it but my in-laws do and I do NOT like it. But I have personal space issues. :D

Me too! Me too!

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

This week... Started Reading: Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose Still reading: Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy Alone With God by John MacArthur Completed: 31. Frankenstein 30. The Lotus and the Cross 29. Desiring God 28. Blood Feud: The Hatfields and the McCoys 27. Among the Gods 26. The Deadliest Monster 25. Faith of My Fathers 24. A Good American 23. They Say/I Say:The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing 22. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking 21. Insurgent 20. Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints 19. The Strength of His Hands 18. The Meaning of Marriage 17. Funny in Farsi 16. The Constantine Codex 15. What the Dog Saw 14. What is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission 13. Gods and Kings 12. A Skeleton in God's Closet 11. My Hands Came Away Red 10. The Omnivore's Dilemma 9. Dead Heat 8. Redeeming Love 7. Family Driven Faith: What it Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God 6. Organized Simplicity 5. Year of Wonders 4. The Holiness of God 3. The Paris Wife 2. The Peach Keeper 1. Relic

It's the one about constructing great sentences (sennences). :glare: So you can imagine how many times he has said it already and I have only watched the first lecture.

Ok, I feel dumb because I can't figure out the chart. :001_huh: 5 people: 2 adults, ages 42 and 44 3 kids ages 2, 8, 14 I spend about $750 a month on groceries including toiletries and paper goods but not counting eating out. Where does that leave me?

... in words like Often (Of-ten? or Off-en?) Interesting (in-ter-es-ting or inner-esting?) Sentence (sen-tence? or sen-nence?) OK, one more but not with a T... Kin-der-gar-ten or kinner-garden? Random, I know, but I am watching a course from The Teaching Company and this lecturer keeps saying "sennence" instead of "sentence" and it is driving me batty. Maybe it's regional? But it could be just me. :tongue_smilie: .

Well I am 42 but in the last three years my cycle has been all over the place...47 days, 15 days, 24 days... It is really irritating but, according to my doctor, perfectly normal. :glare: .

Actually that is not correct. "Pastor" (or overseer) is one of two offices named in the new testament so it is definitely more of a title/position whereas teacher, minister, Etc. are part of the list of spiritual gifts. .