A TV was on 24 hours a day at my house growing up. My mother slept with one on, and it was always background noise. I was the family weirdo that skulked about in her room doing strange things like reading and listening to the radio :tongue_smilie:So, the family as a whole watched WAY more TV than my family does now. I personally did not watch much, and I still don't. I've just never been able to get engrossed in it.

You could have her tested for H.Pylori. One of my dd's did this her entire life (until age 7) She was finally tested for it, and once treated she has never had that amount of trouble again. (other than typical stomach bugs occasionally) FWIW, her twin sister also had it but presented no symptoms. They both had HUGE growth spurts after treatment.

Mine would do it forever. They went out with a huge group of teens last year in our neighborhood and had a ball. They did get some wary looks, even though they were very polite and well-behaved. I told mine this year that I am just tired of doing it. I'm retiring. :lol: They have a costume dance to go to, and I'll buy them some candy. I just am over the whole traipsing through neighborhoods thing. So...my answer really is...when mom gets sick of doing it.

Wonderful news!!

Dh's cousin, who is more like a brother, was in a motorcycle accident yesterday. He had a compound fracture of both bones below the knee in his right leg, and pretty much all the flesh is gone from the outside of his left leg from the hip down. They did surgery last night to put in a rod. He was already in a walking boot/cast on his left leg from years of surgeries and trouble with his left foot that was crushed in a car accident years ago. He has fought for 10 years or more to save that foot, and now he'll be fighting for his right leg as well. He is only a few months from retiring from the Navy (20years), and is also in the middle of a messy divorce. His life is a mess. He needs prayers for healing: physically, mentally and spiritually.

I hope so. I have to click the unlock button FIVE times on my key fob to unlock the passenger side door :lol:

That would be so hard, especially if the siblings were much younger. However, I feel that part of my mission as a Christian is to show Christ's love to EVERYONE. We all sin. All sins are against God, not us. No sin is a small sin. How can I claim that, and still treat the sin of someone else differently than I treat my own sin? I would make it clear that my beliefs are that their lifestyle is sinful. (just as I would if my adult child was blatantly committing any other sin) But I would not stop loving them or welcoming them into my home. I would ask that they not be openly affectionate with one another in my home or in front of my younger kids (just like I would ask them not to lie, steal, or any other sinful act) but they would be welcome here. We have a lot of non-believing family and friends. Our house is open to them all, as long as they respect our house rules. (and they aren't hard rules...lol.) I cannot imagine not extending that grace to my own child.

We have a 2012 T&C. I really like it, but I find all the electronics a little quirky. Things like having to be in park AND unlock the doors so the rear passengers can get out. There are a ton of automated features (it took me FOREVER to remember how to operate simple things like wipers and temperature control) We also have an issue with one of the sliding doors loosening up and rattling. (we have had it fixed once already, and it is doing it again) I worry about how MUCH of the van is computerized. More to break. All the gadgets are neat, and I like them, but there is a small amount of comfort in simple mechanics :lol: That said, I really, really like my van. I can haul around tons of kids and their junk.

I think the pain level is related mostly to how intact a girl is. There are things that can happen to um...remove/injure...certain barriers. That's all I'm sayin on the subject :tongue_smilie:

Somewhere in between I guess. Right now we are living in a rental that is about half the size of our previous houses, so we have areas that are extremely cluttered. The basement is a wreck, and the laundry/office area is pretty cluttered. We also have bookshelves everywhere. I generally try to keep the living, kitchen and dining areas fairly uncluttered. After me move into our new house I will do a major purge and deciliter.

First names. Calling them mom and dad would be weird. And confusing. It isn't a measure of my affection towards them...I like them better than most of my blood family.

Well, all of the states I have lived in have had bad reps for one reason or another. Minnesota: known for weird accents and never ending winters. (both of which are only slightly exaggerated IMHO :lol:) Tennessee: my home state, known for hillbillies and lack of education. Both of which can be pretty accurate depending on the town. Texas: Well, it's Texas. I could make a list. Thing is, I've loved living in each one, despite any preconceptions I had. (well, I have no preconceptions about TN, it's just life for me.)

With our family, it really depends on the reasons for the undesirable behavior. Our girls are generally compliant and well-behaved, so if they are balking at doing their work or being a pain, there is usually a reason. If the reason is "I'm being a hormonal mess" it turns in to alone time. If they are struggling with the content, we take the time to go over it again. A temper tantrum of any sort would result in grounding.

We don't really bicker about it but.... Whiskers in the bathroom sink. He trims his beard a few times a week and ALWAYS leaves the sink full of whiskers. I think they turn invisible once they fall off his face and I'm the only one who sees them. :glare: That said...I am horrible about leaving the kitchen cabinets open. In fact we were discussing options for saving $$ with our house build today and he suggested that just having open shelving in the kitchen would solve two problems :lol:

Dog person all the way. We have a cat, but she's an outside farm cat. We've always had a dog, or two.

Coconut Oil, and not washing with shampoo that often. I use Aveeno shampoo right now WHEN I do shampoo. I rub a small amount of coconut oil into my hair after I get out of the shower. It tames the frizzies, makes it soft, and conditions it. I have extremely dry frizzy hair, so it just soaks it right up. My dds with straight shiney hair look like grease balls if I put it in their hair...so it won't work for everyone.

I have one that absolutely hates ANYTHING with the great outdoors. I have given up. At 12, nothing I can do is going to change her opinion. So now the other two and I do stuff without her. I figure she'll get bored and join us...or not. I'm now just trying to figure out how to get her to exercise.

I was in a very different place when dh and I got married. My standards then are not my standards now. I was not a Christian then. I was not raised as one. My girls, on the other hand, have been raised very differently and I hope that they hold to the Christian standards for marriage that they have been taught.

I'm 36 and having symptoms. I have horrible night-time hot flashes/sweats nearly every night, and have begun having them during the day too. Libido issues, crazy mood swings, the whole bit. My mother hit it early and ended up with a hysterectomy before 40. I started my period at age 9, so I figure I'll end it early too.

We are a family of carnivores..and I have a dd who is not. She isn't completely anti-meat, she just really dislikes most meat. (although a good hamburger or some bacon usually sway her) I don't cook anything special for her, she just opts out of whatever meat we have that night and has a double helping of veggies instead. We've also had vegetarian friends over a lot that I've had to feed. If I am making a casserole or something that has meat mixed in, I just set aside a portion of it before I add meat. I would start talking to her, in 5 year old terms, about how our bodies need certain things to be healthy and if she chooses to not eat meat, then she needs other proteins like nuts and beans.

Well, it IS my niece's 15th birthday, and thus begins her ability to be behind the wheel of a car. :lol: (we do give her a hard time about the world ending on her birthday)

:iagree::lol:

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_home.html

They have to be processed to store safely. The boiling water isn't hot long enough without it to inhibit bacteria growth.

For dh, he generally works a set number of hours each week, with a set schedule. He does have a small amount of flexibility for appointments and such. He does often work more hours than he's getting paid for, but not a huge amount. When he traveled he ususally worked more than 40. The nice part has always been that he doesn't have to worry about being able to have enough work to fill the week/day. If it is a slow time at work, he still gets paid the same. After years of lay-offs during slow times as a mechanic, that was a welcome change.