I often use my landline to call my cell when I cannot remember where I put the stupid thing.

Wondering if everything is working.

I kinda like it as well. ;)

I really enjoy this new feature. Thank you so very much for adding a like button! However, I intensely dislike the like quota. I am lazy. I prefer to click a like button rather than moving to my PC ( since I have no emoticons on my iPad) to quote and place an I agree smilie. Admin, help out a lazy girl! BTW, the voodoo magic workers, aka programmers, totally rock! I complimented you. Will you removed the like quota now?

I have issues with large corporations avoiding taxes, yet denying their workers a living wage and healthcare coverage. This isn't an issue in the UK ( the healthcare thing), but my mother (psychotic though she is) almost died on the floor of a charity hospital ER because her 50+ hours a week at a large corporation did not warrant decent healthcare coverage. And that's all I can say about that without getting political.

No, you are not crazy at all. My oldest dd started ps in upstate NY. Parents were encouraged to attend any and all events. We were invited to volunteer in the class as much as possible. They practically begged parents to come in and be partners in their children's education. I could volunteer AND bring along younger siblings. This was not a small school system! They routinely graduated 300+ kids every year. If we had not moved, all my kids would be in that school district. Small town Nebraska? Parents are discouraged from volunteering. They don't want you there. Just give money for the crappy football team and you are golden. And do not even consider bringing a younger sibling into the classroom when you are finally given access! To a holiday party! Not even an infant strapped to your back! We could discuss the fact that I have more books in my house that the high school has in its library. Or we could discuss the fact that my Class 5A school, the largest high school in Louisiana, did not have as nice of a football stadium as the 1A school that graduates maybe 60 kids has. Oh gosh I am venting my issues on your venting thread. So very sorry! I just want you to know that there are other people who are going through the very same thing. You are not crazy. Do not doubt yourself. You are a good person and a great parent. Really. Let the haters hate. Ignore them. Come here to vent. We will listen.

Anne, you are spot on. I never considered other people's opinion when I made parenting choices. I never thought it mattered. However, the hostile natives are genuinely offended by our parenting choices. That just baffles me. We are by no means paragons of parental awesomeness. I don't make choices based on what others think. When you live in such a small town, everyone thinks they are connected to everyone else. That would be awesome if everyone was helpful, but that just isn't the case here. Why do other people care so much about what we do?

I, at the ripe old age of 32, happily admit that I am a tech idiot. I still think all tech stuff is basically voodoo magic. That being said, I cannot recommend the iPad more vehemently. My kids love all the educational apps available. The iPad is just so darn easy to figure out. I had an Android phone and I could never find as many cool kid apps as I can in the Apple store. I have briefly considered purchasing an iPad mini so my kids will not beg for the iPad while I am reading on my Kindle app. Wireless? My dh set up some wireless router thing in our house (voodoo magic). Our iPad just has wifi and we are completely satisfied. So, I would recommend the iPad.

I wish I could give you a big ole hug right now.

This Thanksgiving was almost perfect. My dear sweet friend showed up Tuesday night with a freshly-baked pecan pie. She knows I cannot bake a pie to save my life. The only people here were my kids, my 19yo college student sister, my husband (briefly), and myself. Everyone loved and appreciated the food I made. We all ate dinner in our pajamas. It was so low-key and stress-free. I could tell you my other Thanksgiving horror stories (they are somewhat similar to Shannon's), but you would think I was making up those stories. I will just focus on the awesomeness of today.

Sister, I know. I just know. We had crazy drama with the local school before I just threw my hands in the air and pulled my kids. I live what you describe. I hear you! I understand!

I hear you loud and clear. Four years ago we moved to a town of 3,500 people. I thought, given the fact that the town's largest employer often recruits outsiders, we would be welcomed here. I thought two college-educated veterans would be welcomed. I thought our regular attendance and volunteering at church would be looked upon with favor. I thought my ability to speak to the lowest of the low and highest of the high (socially) would be a benefit. I thought my well-behaved (ish) kids would be an asset. I thought I was moving to Mayberry. I now realize I moved into the Twilight Zone. The natives are hostile. No amount of smiling and kindness on my part will remove the stain of "outsider". I never thought by removing my kids from the craptastic public school I was effectively d@mning us to the eternal blacklist. I thought, by force of personality, I could overcome the fact that we were born elsewhere. I thought if I was just nicer, kinder, thinner I would win people over. It will never happen. Thank God we have a large amount of outsiders here. I have been able to form a few friendships with other outsiders. They know how the shunning machine works. They appreciate me for who I am, not the place of my birth. And blessing of all blessings, I have finally found an incredible group of wacky ladies online who make me feel at home. I feel bad for my kids. They will never be accepted here because their parents weren't born here. They are incredibly flexible. As long as we don't involve ourselves in too many town activities, they really don't notice our blacklist status. I do have to tell them to keep our political views to themselves or else they will suffer, but they are pretty oblivious. Emeraldjoy, just find your niche. That may in fact be online. You are not alone in this type of situation. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that I am being the bigger person. I will continue to be nice to the snobs. They will not run me out of this town. Eventually I may even grow on them. Hopefully your kids will not have to suffer like mine have. Sometimes just attending the local school, craptastic though it may be, gives you an "in" with small town society. I will remember your and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

I refuse to take any "boot camp" classes at a gym. I went through real boot camp. Sure, it was Navy boot camp and the didn't let us shoot real guns, but still. I laughed my way through real boot camp. Some random dude all up on a power trip thinking he is something for teaching a gym "boot camp" class? That guy would get put in his place. Tell me to suck it up and deal. Tell me I can make it through the workout. But insult my service? Thank God I do not have a concealed-carry permit. :;):.

I cannot see them on my iPad either.

Welcome to the Hive!

Yep. The praying for a future spouse kinda creeps me out, and I am religious. My mom made me do this. Apparently she thought I was only good for popping out kids. I'm not saying everyone who makes their kids pray for a future spouse feels that way. I do still think of the wonderful woman who will look past my son's supreme dorkiness (inherited from his mother) and save me from ds living in my basement while running a Star Wars fan site. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

My post was in good humor. My girls are wild animals, yet they are pretty clean. My son is the biggest sweetheart, but he just will not change his underwear. I'm just joking around.

Yep. I think of my son's future wife every time I force him to change his underwear. And use soap in the shower. And actually TAKE a shower. And tell him not to "toot" on people. He really is the sweetest, kindest, most loving guy. He's just kinda smelly and gross.

I think it's a Midwestern thing. I never saw a jello salad until I met dh's Kansas family.

I voted other in the first poll. I'm Cajun. It just isn't Thanksgiving without potato salad and rice dressing. And, if I'm honest, it just isn't Thanksgiving without some sort of family drama. Things I hate? Cranberry anything. I cannot stand it! We never had cranberry anything at our Thanksgiving meals.

Does Videotext Algebra count as a valid Christmas gift for a 12yo girl? Please tell me it does!

Yes! I waited quite impatiently for it to be released. Loved it. I thought it was a great middle-of-the-trilogy book.