HappyGrace, I read a few interviews online that had bits and pieces of his life, but if I recall correctly, the part about Wonka and much more in-depth info about his other roles I found in his book Kiss Me Like A Stranger. The book gets a little, um, personal - but after I read it I realized that he included what he did in order to help explain himself as a person and why he chose the parts that he did. Interestingly, he spent many years hiding and battling an inexplicable compulsion to pray and ask forgiveness (even though he didn't know what he was asking forgiveness for) and that also adds another angle to what he writes about in the book.

I loved the Gene Wilder version and didn't like the new one at all. Normally I really enjoy Johnny Depp, but even though the new version was more true to the story, his interpretation of the character didn't ring true to me. (And his hair style drove me to distraction!) It's probably got something to do with Gene Wilder's explanation of taking the part originally. He insisted that the first time moviegoers got to see him in the role, he had to limp out to the gate and then do the somersault and end up perfectly normal - all to show that the viewers would never know if he was telling the truth or not. I found that brilliant. I've always been fascinated by his preparation for the different roles he's taken, but Wonka is by far my favorite.

but I probably should. I don't know why but it seems like my family of a mere three people produces enough laundry for an army. After about the fourth or fifth load on any given day, I'm too worn out to check pockets. That's the reason that the following have run amok in my washing machine (and dryer): tissues, chocolate eggs, lollipops, bills in all amounts, change in all amounts, screws, bubblegum, papers and candy canes. Reading this back tells me that I need to start checking pockets, because we just got a front loader washing machine and I can only imagine what some of those items will do to it.:eek:

I'd like to share my story with you. I was raised Catholic but I also had fond memories of the Lutheran kindergarten I attended. I received all of the sacraments in the Catholic Church, but as I got older my attendance became sporadic, and then not at all. When dd was born, dh (who was technically Lutheran) agreed that dd should be baptized in the Catholic Church. We liked the parish where we were living at the time, but then we moved and we stopped going anywhere. Fast forward to when dd was 4. In a moment of socialization panic we enrolled her in a Catholic preschool. Big mistake. The program was dishearteningly slow. Dd cried every time she had to go because she was bored. The women of that particular parish were the most gossipy, back-stabbing women I've ever met anywhere (and that's saying something). We took dd out of the school and never looked back - but we were also left without a Church again. Fast forward again a few years to when dd was 6. She had a favorite author (many years deceased) who had written many books about dogs. By chance, he was from a neighboring town. While reading a book his wife had written, I discovered which Church they had attended (Reformed) and the next time we passed by that Church, I mentioned to dd that it had been the author's Church. She begged, absolutely begged to go to a service there. Since we had no Church, dh and I saw no harm in that and we went. The very first people we met were distant relatives of the author. We walked in the door and felt we were home. Six months later I found out from my dad (who had never discussed religion with me, ever) that his parents had belonged to the Reformed Church. So we really did go full circle, and it's been an amazing blessing in our lives ever since.

Kelli, I can totally relate to you (and I'm in NJ, too - maybe it's something in the water!). My dd only just turned 8, but I am very serious and passionate and focused on her education. I know I've turned some hs'ers off with my intensity, but I'm okay with that. The way I see it, if I'm happy with what I'm doing and the progress dd is making and they're happy with their kids' progress, it's all good. We don't belong to any local groups or co-ops. Oddly enough, most of the friends I've made in this area are ps teachers - and what's even funnier, we exchange a lot of ideas about how we do things. It works for me, but I agree that there are times I feel very alone, at least in terms of fellow hs'ers.

We also have only one card that we don't carry a balance on. Dh says that credit card companies don't like that, and they have a name for people like us (something along the line of "leeches" or "parasites" or that ilk.) I don't care what they call us, but I do think they've been trying to get back at us lately - we're on the Do Not Call Registry, but apparently our cc company has made our unlisted # available to "carefully screened companies who may have products and services of interest to us." Hmph. Whoever it is calls up, starts in with a spiel, and then hangs up before I can ask to be removed from the list. Dh finally got ahold of someone from the company and asked for an explanation of exactly how her company is related to our cc company. She couldn't answer and hung up. I called the cc company and requested that our name be removed from all of the lists. The next day I got a telemarketing call from Payless shoes ... So much for being on the Do Not Call Registry, huh?

Tara, I felt the same way with my own dd. We have quite a few gyms around here. Two or three of them are for the sole purpose of getting kids to an elite level. When my dd expressed interest in gymnastics, I did some research on the available programs and signed her up at the Little Gym. She spent two years there and learned the fundamentals before deciding she wanted to try other things, like MMA. It was a very positive experience for her. For anyone who wants a more in-depth look at what has really gone on in the world of competitive gymnastics and figure skating, I highly recommend the book "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes." The first time I read it, I cried. I had no idea there were so many other girls out there who had gone through experiences similar to mine. I've heard that things have changed somewhat in recent years in order to combat the prevalence of eating disorders and self-esteem issues, but I'm not sure I believe it.

I can't answer your question, either, but your description of the coach and her apparent control issues concern me. Perhaps I'm being too simplistic here, but I was involved in performing arts, gymnastics and dance throughout my childhood. The criticism of my teachers is something I took with me. It affected me greatly and it took me a long time to get their negative voices out of my head and feel that I was okay as a person. Which leads me to my thoughts on the gymnastic coach. She is being paid by you to give your dd instruction. That puts the ball in your court, not hers. If she doesn't want to accept your money and take your dd on as a student, that's her prerogative. However, if she does accept your money, then in my opinion she has no grounds to tell you how you should be living your life. Nor does she have any standing to belittle your dd in front of the other students. This kind of thing really steams me. There are some adults who have no idea how adversely they can impact a child. I commend your patience with this instructor, because I would have pulled my kid out of gymnastics and told the coach to go find a therapist a long time ago. Yes, I understand the concept of tough love and the theory that insulting the kids makes them stronger in a very competitive sport - but I don't agree with it. There are just as many coaches out there who see their students excel with a more gentle, confidence building approach. Just my $.02!

My answer would have to be no. I don't want my dd exposed to the social climbing, bullying and misinformation generated by ps. I'm trying to let her be a child for as long as possible. That doesn't mean I shelter her or shield her from life's realities. It just means that I do everything I can to avoid subjecting her to the all-too-common mindset that children are mini-adults. The kids I see coming out of ps around here (and it's a very good school system) look about 5 years older than they actually are. She's only going to get one childhood, and I don't want to lose a minute of it.

When I hear that kind of ignorant drivel about home schooling, it really doesn't bother me that much. I have nothing to defend. My dd's life will speak for itself. When I am done educating her, she will be able to (a) think for herself; (b) speak for herself; © take care of herself; and (d) enjoy learning enough that it will be a lifelong process. What does bother me about what was said is the fact that the host and caller found, in their own minds, enough common ground to lump together this family and home schoolers. That's like saying people should stop owning dogs because rats carry diseases.

I am more than willing to do some more reading on this issue and perhaps it will change my outlook. But my gut reaction is that this legislation is a positive thing. Forcing manufacturers to account for and be completely responsible for what kinds of materials are being used in these toys and clothing is well-needed and long overdue.

Lindt Lindor truffles, dark chocolate, right out of the freezer .... mmmmmmmm!

Jane, you'll be in my prayers. Having witnessed just how devastating this can be for dd, your description of how you're feeling is very familiar. Just don't be ashamed or blame yourself. It's the way you're hardwired, just like other people have a fear of heights or spiders.

Years ago, when a friend of mine was in elementary school, the teacher came up with the idea of each student dressing up as a historical figure and wearing the costume to school for the day. My friend's parents dressed him up as Adolf Hitler. I have no idea what their reasoning was. At the time, he was very young and did not understand the significance. He showed up at school and was promptly sent home. Certainly freedom of expression could be argued here, BUT I would say it comes down to a matter of what is generally acceptable as tasteful and what is not. Adolf Hitler is a person who brings up a lot of pain, suffering and darkness for a lot of different ethnicities. I am of German descent myself. Being horribly nearsighted and having a heart defect would have classified me as an unwanted citizen under his regime. The very freedom of expression and freedom of speech that we are debating in this thread - in fact, the very freedom to exist - would not have existed in Hitler's Utopia. Yes, the parents in this article have the right to name their children what they want. Here in this country, they have it. On the other hand, the Shop-Rite also has the right to reject doing something that it finds offensive, and that other customers of the store would find offensive. The risk of offending people with that name was a risk the parents assumed when they chose it.

Jane, My dd (8) suffers from the same thing (emetophobia). We went through a really rough period a few years ago after she had a stomach virus. We even sought help for her but unfortunately it is one of, if not THE, hardest phobia to treat, because desensitization is virtually impossible. Don't beat yourself up over it. You would be surprised how many people in the world suffer from the same thing, including a lot of well-known names. Do what you have to do to get through it, try to minimize the spread of the virus, and hang in there! My dd is the most loving, sweet little girl - but if dh or I get a stomach virus, she's out of there! She's gotten a little better with age, but it still seems she would rather face a pit of snakes than even the thought of vomiting. I hope the virus passes quickly and that you're spared! Kris

I'm a chocolate separatist. It needs to stand alone. It cannot be on strawberries, pretzels, or anything except cookies and cake. (Yup, I'm one of those people whose food can't mix together on the plate!)

I love bagpipes, too. People think I'm very odd.

JMHO, but I have a problem with the name and I pity the kid who has to live with it. I've worked with senior citizens for the last 25 years, and I've had the privilege of meeting people whose lives were directly affected by the horrors of WWII. Where I come from, names are given to honor. If the parents want to call the kid Adolf, no problem. It is a common name. But to use the full name of someone who was directly responsible for the mass murder of so many people - innocent people, only a few generations removed - is a slap in the face to those who were lost. Perhaps in a century or so, people will feel differently, I don't know. Feelings soften over time. In this case, I hope that name will never lose the impact of causing people to remember a time in history that should never be repeated. What if the kid's name was purposely McVeigh, or Son of Sam, or Gacy, or Ted Bundy, or any other name that glorifies and honors someone who caused unimaginable pain to victims and their families? Would anyone condone that? There's no reason the family involved in this story couldn't have just used the name Adolf on the cake. And then there wouldn't have been a story at all.

I'm part of the bell choir at our church.:) I enjoy it, and think it sounds very pretty ... but I suppose a good portion of our congregation is less than enthusiastic, because when the vocal choir finishes a song, everyone claps. When we finish a song, there's just ... silence. :confused: The only time we've been met with kudos is when we played at the Episcopal Church as part of an Interfaith Service.

Stores can refuse service to people who are not wearing shirts or shoes, so why can't they refuse something on an ethical basis? Like someone else pointed out, they are a private enterprise, and they are fully within their rights to set their own policies as far as refusing customers, so long as their actions are not discriminatory. IMO, even a brilliant legal mind would have a hard time going the discrimination route on this one. I'd be curious to see just how old this kid gets to be before he wants to change his name .... sort of like that poor kid who was named Tallulah-Does-the-Hula-in-Hawaii, or whatever it was, although of course this kid's name is in another realm entirely.

Karen, My family and I are dog crazy. I grew up with a min schauzer and then a wire-haired fox terrier - one from a breeder, one from a pet store. The pet store purchase was twenty-some years ago, before there was much publicity about the perils of buying from a shop. He was an excellent dog. Looking back, I see some possible overbreeding issues he had, but the joy he gave my family was immeasurable. When my dh and I got married, we went to the local shelter and found a chihuahua/corgi mix. We were told he had kennel cough. Well, thousands of dollars later we knew he didn't have kennel cough, but a form of allergic bronchitis that required meds for the rest of his life. By that time we were so attached to him that returning him was out of the question. He made it seven years with us, and he was a great dog. We still miss him three years later. After he passed away, we tried finding another dog through the local shelters. I wasn't happy with any of the experiences we had. Several times we were presented with potential adoptees that had obvious health problems (yes, our awareness was heightened after what we'd seen our other dog go through) only to be told the dog was in "perfect" health and had no behavioral issues (which is a ridiculous statement to make, since a new environment for any animal is always stressful and can bring up numerous issues). I didn't care for the "you'll live happily ever after" attitude, because regardless of where the dog comes from, dogs are work and they require time and effort, especially when the new owner has no way of knowing exactly what the dog's history is. Anyway, ultimately we decided to buy a puppy from a breeder. It was important to us that dog bonded with our family at a young age. We got the Schipperke at 10 weeks and a year later we brought home a GSD puppy (15 weeks) that had been sadly neglected. He's been somewhat of an issue because of all that happened to him in the first few weeks of his life, but both dogs are in training classes and we're managing pretty well. My daughter has plans to show the Schipperke when she is 9, and we're hoping the GSD can pass Canine Good Citizen and become a therapy dog. If I had to do it all again I would still go with the breeder. Our Bandit was a sweetheart, bless his soul, but my dh and I both had our hearts broken when we couldn't "fix" what was wrong with him.

I've been watching and waiting, too.... A few days ago on one of the news shows there were a few "experts" (using the term loosely because I have no idea what their actual resumes were!). The best projection that they could come up with was that the rates would go to 4% and no lower. That's a tough call if you have to lock in right away. I suggested to dh that we contact our mortgage co. about starting a refinance. He wants to wait because he thinks there will be a further lowering of rates by the middle of next year, and our co. will only allow a no-cost refi every 18 months or so.

We're really trying to do the natural/organic products thing in our house, so dd(8) uses either California Baby shampoo and conditioner on her hair, or Dr. Bronner's mildest liquid soap. There's also a product that Bronner's makes called Organic Shikakai Conditioning Hair Rinse (Citrus) that I'll use on dd's hair about once a week. It needs to be highly diluted before use. Finally, oftentimes I'll rinse dd's hair with diluted apple cider vinegar, and if the knots are really bad even after shampooing and conditioning, I put some vinegar in a spray bottle, dilute it with water and spray it in as a leave-in conditioner. Sometimes she complains that she smells like an Easter Egg, but it does the trick!

We have a Honda CRV and a Jeep Grand Cherokee. We love the CRV - it's more like a wagon. The Cherokee we can do without. It guzzles gas and it's more room than we need. When the lease on the CRV is up we're going to buy it, no sense in financing a new car since it's only got 15,000 miles on it after 3 years. When the lease on the Jeep is up, it's going back and that will probably be the end of leasing SUV's. I want a Volkwagen Eos.:)

We use AO so it feels like we're reading all the time - or, at least, it feels like I'm reading out loud all the time! I was one of those kids with my nose buried in a book almost every minute of the day, and to my delight my dd (7) has turned out the same way. The bulk of books dd chooses for free reading are from the AO free reading list. We are currently reading "The Phantom Tollbooth" together and I'm probably enjoying it as much as she is. Being that she's horse crazy and dog crazy, though, I do allow her to read as much fiction as she wants involving those topics, as long as the books are a little bit of a reach for her comprehension level (she's currently testing at a 7th grade reading level). Only recently I've run into a problem with some of the horse books involving more of a teen romance slant so I do pre-read them, but since our primary focus is on classic literature, I don't worry too much about the other stuff.