Yes.

I was adopted. I was an infant and know nothing expect that my birth mother was only 15. No. I would not want to know I was conceived during a rape. No, no, no. I think that would be so so so destructive and painful and horrifying. I was a rape victim in my late twenties. I could easily have become pregnant but, thankfully, did not. That being said, while I waited to be certain I was not pregnant I decided the (then potential but thankfully non-existant) baby must never, ever know he/she was the product of such violence and ugliness. I had a plan to (if necessary) find an agency that would let me be completely anonymous so the child would never know about the rape. It would have be of paramount importance to me. I don't know what it would do to me to know such a thing. I prefer my fantasy of young love. In my mind my birth parents were young and in love and wound up pregnant and couldn't bear to abort me. Doesn't that sound nice? I'm sure plenty of people will think that sounds unhealthy, but there it is.

Sigh... I'm a city girl invading your thread. Hope that's okay. I have a huge and unattainable dream of living a rural life. I'll just pipe up and say that we have every 'resource' we could possible want very nearby. We have museums, a symphony, multiple large-scale theaters that put up international shows, music lessons, every sport imaginable from skiing to soccer to fencing, many co-ops, public school/homeschool hybrid programs, major sports teams, shopping galore, excellent library systems, high-speed internet, outstanding organic groceries, churches, skateboard parks, 4-H, enormous farmer's markets, a ballet company, major universities, skating rinks, parks, science centers, children's theaters, zoos, endless birthday party invitations, aquariums, ALL of it. It's lovely. Sort of... On the other hand, it's just too much. I have to actively seek out peace and quiet for my kids. And most people think I am weird, weird for wanting peace and quiet. Most of their friends are BOOKED. Kids don't have time to just hang out in the neighborhood. Kids around here don't know how a starry night sky looks, how real quiet sounds, the feeling of space and time. They are BUSY. I know we have it good in many ways. I am thankful for the many urban opportunities my kids have enjoyed. I am very happy living here. But, I know we're missing out too. I don't mean to dismiss the challenges of living rurally. It's actually good for me to read about some of that reality.

It's cute, but sounds like a dog name to me.

I like to wear outfits that are flattering and stylish. I like to wear heels, fix my hair, choose some jewelry and a bag that perk up my day. And I like to wear some mascara and lip gloss and eye shadow for the same reason. I love a little color, a little shine, a little bit of pretty here and there throughout my day. I feel better when I'm put together. And I know I look better. I feel good when I look my best.

15 miles on the bike yesterday. 13 on Monday. Not sure how I'll squish anything in today -- the schedule is unusually packed.

I love how we're getting to know Mrs. Hughes better during this season. I just love her! And Mrs. Patmore, too -- she's my favorite character. Daisy, however, sure has a nasty side to her. I want to like her, but she doesn't make it easy. And I'm tired of Thomas Barrow this season. Somehow I missed the connection between him and Cora's new maid. Can anyone fill me in?

Surprised no one has said this yet, but I think she's pursuing an awful lot of personal conversations with your husband. Given her position, that suggests a lack of professionalism and maturity in my opinion. I'd say he should avoid her as much as possible in general -- not just in homeschool-related conversation.

I've charged $35 an hour for elementary math or reading. I know people who charge $50. My husband has been offered $75/hr to tutor calculus. We are in a major city.

Believe me, I think he may be being passive aggressive. He is a grown man and should do the work. And I don't know anything about the OP's recent struggles, so I can't comment on that. But I do think it's passive aggressive to employ some of the 'strategies' mentioned in this thread. To quietly quit doing something and let a huge mess build up in the hopes that someone will finally give in, to dump someone's stuff in their bed or on their dresser fits the definition of passive aggressive. And maybe some people feel fine with that behavior -- really. I don't mean that in a snarky way. But it brings me down to live that way. I'd rather do the chores.

I agree with this. Again, I think the OP's husband should clean up after himself consistently and without complaint. But if he won't, I don't think a bit of extra cleaning (or even more than a bit) is that bad. I refuse to treat my husband like another child who needs training, and I will not participate in the passive aggressive just-leave-his-stuff-in-a-pile-for-months thing. That kind of behavior brings me down. If he won't clean up after himself, something else is going on. Either he is so stressed or exhausted that he truly feels he needs extra care -- in which case I will provide it. Or, he is angry with me about something or very immature or patently lazy, rude, and inconsiderate -- in which case I'd be scheduling a counseling appointment ASAP.

I absolutely agree with you. But...if a spouse refuses...I'll take the extra chores over the disgusting mess. Believe me, I do not think that is a healthy arrangement. But, if I were married to a man who refused to clean up -- which I see as an indication of much bigger problems, frankly -- I'd choose to control what I could control and clean up the stupid mess so I could live in a decent house while I homeschooled my kids. And, I'd go to marriage counseling.

The Seahawks fans are (I believe) the loudest fans in the NFL. They cheer so loudly when the opposing team has the ball that the players have a hard time hearing the QB's calls. They can actually disrupt the opposing team's offense. Hence the term "12th Man." When playing at home it is as if they have an extra defensive 'player.' It is so absurdly loud in the stadium that I don't much enjoy attending the games.

I have a different way of looking at it. Don't get me wrong -- I think a man should clean up after himself. But, if he won't... Are there things your husband does for you that you'd rather not do yourself? Things you could do, but don't want to or arent' good at? I hope so. Well, maybe this is the thing you could do for him. I might get flamed for that. But if he won't do it even though you've asked, even though you've told him how it makes you feel...I think doing it for him beats the alternative of fighting over it all the time.

Wow. I find it so inconsiderate that a fellow adult would routinely leave the mess for me to clean up. That being said, I'd probably clean it up. If, after you have a calm, clear conversation about it with him, he says he won't or can't or whatever, what are your better options?

We were lucky enough to enjoy a cruise to Alaska on my parents' tab. We had a room with a balcony and it was so wonderful. I would get up in the morning, order a pot of coffee from room service (included in the fare), bundle up in blankets on the balcony and watch Alaska go by. We saw whales, seals, eagles, all from our balcony while we were still in our pajamas each morning. When we arrived at Glacier Bay to see the glacier calving, we could see it from our balcony and it was stunning. Also, incredible sunsets from the balcony. So, if you can afford a room with the balcony, I say spend the money. The excursions are very expensive and there seemed to be no way around that. We did a mountain bike ride down (they drive you up!) a beautiful mountain pass (my favorite), a kayaking tour, a river float through the Haines area's bald eagle preserve, and a helicopter ride. We could never ever have afforded that on our own, but my parents insisted we forget about the cost and enjoy. So we did! We didn't have kids at the time, but there were quite a few kids on the ship and there is a lot for kids to do. I do think it would be prohibitively expensive to take a whole family on any of the excursions. Maybe choose one and really enjoy that. It was a beautiful trip and we hope to go again.

I'm hoping the signed paperwork will lead to lots of money for Edith when they discover he's dead. Sounds a bit heartless, but I don't like him much. I do like Mr. Bates and don't mind his brooding. He loves her and wants her to be happy and well. It would be strange if her demeanor didn't bother him, don't you think?

I agree with an earlier poster that you'll probably have to putter with any recipe to get it just right for your oven and climate.

Cheese Milk Half and half Frozen berries Olive oil Canola oil Big bags of oatmeal Jam Romaine lettuce Ibuprofen

Could some of you suggest some good beginner yoga workouts from Amazon or Netflix? I want to add more yoga to my exercising.

6 hours of wonderful downhill skiing on new snow yesterday. :) :) :) There's nothing I love to do more. Back to my normal walking/biking/stretching today. Aiming for 60 min on bike plus walk with husband.

The dumping rain stopped just in time for me to walk a few miles, then I came home and biked for 60 min while I watched an episode of Wives and Daughters. :)

Most of those Alaska cruise ships are massive. And most of the Alaskan cruise will be in calm waters. So, I bet you'll be fine. I got horribly seasick on a small boat in Hawaii once. But, I didn't feel even a twinge of it on my Alaskan cruise.

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. – Paul Dudley White

Did it! There's nothing like exercising, is there? I never, ever regret it.