We are blowing off the entire week. I was going to take off next week...but the weather is so nice that I decided on this week instead.

Sorry to hear that! If you were here, we'd friend you! I'm actually part of a secular group for simliar reasons. It pains me that so called Christians are so unloving and judgemental. What adds to the frustration is that it causes non-Christians to believe that the judging is what we are all about. I fight it all the time because people think I'm easily offended just because I'm a seminary wife...before they even know me or know how I feel about things.

Sounds great to me! Our (paid) piano teacher actually teaches her students this way. She lets the students pick their songs to learn, and doesn't linger on ones they really don't like. She's very relaxed, and I have to say her students learn SO much with her. More importantly, they have developed a true love for music.

Mine love the Lego City sets. They really wish there were more Farm style sets though, and houses. They think the Belville stuff is awful.

I carry a big purse. You shall see why: Wallet Pens A bottle of benedryl (for my kids that like to have bizarre skin reactions to random things) A bottle of various OTC pain revlievers Usually my dd's inhaler A DVD (that I put in there so I would remember to give it to a friend next time I see her) A pair of socks The Grapes of Wrath (reading material for those times I have to wait) Keys Feminine product Dental Floss Swiss Army style pocket knife Calculator A small tape measure DH's watch with the broken band (that I've been meaning to buy a replacement for) Check book Hair Pick Oh and a dollar that I was hanging on to so I could enter it into www.wheresgeorge.com

Er...sorry...that was my MIL :tongue_smilie:

Our house is very dusty...I can't keep up with it. It's very dusty outside here as well, so I guess there's just no fighting it. And there is a gigantic pile of laundry sitting my kitchen floor waiting it's turn in the washer right this moment. (Our laundry area is right off the kitchen) So no, you are not alone :)

No. When we were first married, I tried. I packed him a lunch every day. Then, one day I hopped into his truck. When I opened the door, loads of nasty, uneaten lunches rolled out. :001_huh::glare: Since then I have never made another. His mom thought I was horrible for not making them. I figured if he was hungry, he could fend for himself. ETA: now that he works from home he usually just grabs a hunk of cheese out of the fridge..lol.

Absolutely. I'm going to add to that that you can also be made to feel less than worthless in emotional abuse. It's about fear, manipulation, and abnormal control. The examples from the site are NOT examples of abuse in and of themselves.

Definitely see a lawyer. My step-dad died and his girlfriend produced a hand written list of where he wanted things to go. It didn't hold up at all. It wasn't a hand written will though, more like a planning list. He had fairly recent changes to his insurance beneficiaries that did not line up with the list, and so the list was tossed out. Anyway, it does vary by state, and even by situation.

Having seen the bedrooms, I would go with the blue one. For one, the ladder is on the side, not the end, which really gives you more placement options, and takes up less room. The slide...I think it would drive me insane.

Wow...what an encouragement she is :glare: Sorry he's having trouble at work. Sounds like a stressful enough job without a mean boss too.

I forgot to add... What makes emotional abuse? When you are repeatedly demeaned, put down and threatened.

Yes it's real. Yes it has lasting, negative effects on children. Yes, it's better to get out if possible, if it's severe and the abuser will not stop. I am 34 years old and still deal with damage done from emotional abuse as a child.

Mathmazing? Mathalicious? predisposed to mathmatical acumen?

Oh, those were the days! My dh was also a mechanic for the first part of our marriage....he worked on RV's and tractor trailers though. The stories he could tell you.... And there's also a reason we only have newer cars now with warranties. So someone else can keep them running.

Do you have a room that he can use as an office? With a door? My dh has worked from home for around 6 years now. He too has periods with a lot of down time (not so much now that he's in school though) Anyway, what helped was that he kept his computer games and such behind his closed office door. When the door is closed, he's "at work", and we don't disturb him. We also don't know if he's taking a break and playing computer chess, or watching a DVD, or studying. We currently have our 3 dd's sharing a bedroom just so he can have this office. We'd go nuts otherwise. He also respects our time enough to not come and disrupt (too often :lol:) Now he DOES wear his PJ's all day sometimes...but then again so do we.

Awesome!!!

Yes. It's pretty rare that we don't (with the exception of when DH has school) He used to travel a lot, and it meant a great deal to all of us to be able to sit down together and have a meal. It was our way of keeping things normal :) Now that the girls are entering teendom, it's even more important to us.

It varies. We just don't say scripted prayers really. The kids take turns blessing our meals. Usually goes something like this: Dear Lord, Thank you for this Day Thank you for the food you've given us Please help it nourish our bodies Amen. And if we are thinking of someone that needs prayer, or have a specific praise, it's added in too. One of our kids, when dinner was something she liked she would say "thank you for this food", but when it was something she didn't like she would say "please bless this food" :lol:

My dh wears so many hats in his company that it IS hard to describe his job. Technically he's phone support for the service group for Cummins Power Generation. But he's also an engineer, manual writer, software designer, teacher and hand holder depending on who's on the other end of the phone. He's spent 20 years in the business and has an uncanny knack for memory. This has led to him being the "go to guy" for a myriad of problems.

Well, in our case, we've never had a dedicated dining room. We've always had an eat in kitchen, so even if I left the food on the stove, it would only be a few steps away.

:iagree:

No, I haven't. I'm afraid to look. I might like it better and I can't afford that :lol: Off to go peek at it...

I'm sure this has been asked before, but has anyone made a study guide to go along with the History of the Ancient World by Susan Bauer? Or a list/database that lists corresponding chapters in Story of the World? I'm combining my high schooler in with Sonlight Core 6, and I am adding History of the Ancient World in for her. I'm hoping to save myself some work ;)