That seems a bit odd to me. Are people singing "happy birthday" 6 months ahead? A boy in ds' grade had a birthday when it was a bit too cool for summer fun stuff but booked an indoor heated pool place for his party. I know things like that are not always available as solutions.

At age 4 I'm just glad they're in the pew. I wouldn't expect them to understand the readings and such regardless of the priest's accent. I don't even know if my 9 yr old always knows what's going on (he follows along in the Missal but still). I don't know what you're using at your church but the question of the week is posted online on a website (can't remember the website at the moment. We have the questions in our room each week). I find that a good way for me and the kids to think more about the gospel. If it's age appropriate that might be something you two could discuss. Still might be a bit young for that (ie. to draw examples from his real life on his own and relate). If you want to switch churches because the majority of you can't understand the priest I would keep that thought separate from what they do/don't have for the kids for a moment. You could do religious ed at home for everyone if you had to (but this may not appeal to your family). I'm not sure what the right answer is for your family. I know it's hard. We actually go to a couple parishes. The one with CCD has Mass right before and after. We go to Mass after. There is no nursery or Liturgy of the Word during Mass. The only reason I'm able to help teach is because dh agreed to stay home with dd each weekend (he is not Catholic). But once she gets older I will definitely want them both in Mass with me.

I've had a priest and visiting priests that were hard to understand from Nigeria. I understand. I'm not sure if your dd will interact with the priest much at all, before or during Reconciliation? Most likely, yes, he would be her priest. But maybe you could work through what to expect. I don't know if they will do a lot of talking in the confessional. My son goes to a parish 40 min. from our home because they have a Sunday school program. Prior to that, we did Religious Ed. at home. We used mycatholicfaithdelivered. My son made his First Communion last year as a third grader in a class with mostly second graders (because our sister parish did it in third, we had originally planned to follow in step with that). Anyway, he's now attending 4th grade Sunday school and honestly seems kind of indifferent to the whole thing. He hasn't made friends. He didn't want to invite anyone from SS to his birthday. I am one of the SS teachers in another class. I feel like we never have time to thoroughly go over things. Whatever we don't finish at the end of the year the parents will have the opportunity to go over if they wish (like if we finish 13 out of 15 chapters, for example). We incorporate a Saint of the Week, a question of the week (reflects on the Gospel), do an opening and closing prayer, usually some type of worksheet of craft (word search or such) and go over what we can in the chapter/workbook. Every child is different, but for me it would have been a waste of gas to drive a 4 yr old to SS class. Even now I'm questioning if I'm going to bother next year. I love the church and have volunteered for things here and there. I actually am on a first name basis with some people now. But getting up early and driving is a pain (I would like to be there earlier since I am a teacher). I would not even flinch about my child not going to a class at age 4 or even K, really except for the fact that your child has built it up to be a big deal and his siblings are involved in something. Would you want to do something at home instead? Find crafts on Catholic Icing or something? Even if it's not done during the same SS/Faith Formation time slot. I am sure you are busy with the baby, so that may not be possible. I just wanted to say that in my personal opinion who knows how much the kids are getting out of it. My own CCD experience is all a blur and I went up til 11th grade when I was confirmed. The parents are the true teachers and I think I learned far more at home.

Are you suggesting 1-2 months isn't enough time to plan? She could start planning both at once I guess. Or do you mean the two bdays?

Sometimes I take a small sip of water before and after taking a pill. If I do the thing where I toss it in my mouth it often turns and gets caught in the back of my throat. Ouch. I'm not currently taking any pills that are oblong so I'm not having issues, but I remember that being a burden for me, too. So basically I guess I'm agreeing to try to position it like suggested above. But also to maybe have some water first if that helps? You can maybe keep a little water in your mouth?

This seems like a contradiction to me. If he wants two parties, then he does mind. Two parties is not a big deal as an attendee when one isn't even a birthday party. Is it a potluck? Just show up? What you expect of guests might influence whether or not they find it a burden but I don't think a month or so apart social party followed by a birthday party is necessarily a big deal. For example, they might show up empty handed or with drinks or something to the first party. The second they would probably bring a gift. Now if you want to avoid a party for their birthdays, maybe you could get one or both to agree to an outing like pick a few friends to see a movie. They get to go out and you don't have to have company over.

I would combine an Oct.r early Nov. birthday, but probably not a Dec. one.

I thought some of the clubs were supposed to be more appealing to one group for their "boys only" or "girls only" nature? Not that they don't associate with each other in school, etc. Just that for certain situations I was figuring youngsters might feel more self-conscious around each. I am sure my post will be taken way out of context. And I know there are children that are transgender and that things are not black and white. I'm just saying I'm not sure how all the kids will feel about this. I love the idea of girls being able to join scouts, just not sure about the co-ed aspect as I have very little knowledge of the actual programs/outings/bonding experiences. I guess I didn't realize this :/

Sounds like my kid last year in b&m school. I put a pencil case in the backpack and told him to keep it in the backpack and we'd resharpen those pencils. Of course the darn thing got lost at some point and he'd tell me like 3 days after borrowing paper in class that he needed more paper. I didn't send it all at once because it made the binder too full. In hindsight I should have told him to put a ream of paper in his cubby hole.

We have a budget and we have people in the family unwilling to go along with the same budget so I do like to buy on sale to stretch the budget. It's embarrassing to me when my inlaws give me a bunch of stuff and I feel like I give them hardly anything.

I seem to shop earlier and earlier each year. For example, when sweater dresses were on sale (months ago) I bought a couple for my niece for this Christmas. I just buy the size I think she will be. When I run across sales in the toy aisle I think about the kids I'm shopping for. Yes, I make a point to walk down clearance aisle and toy aisle at random times of the year. Preferably without my own children present. I need to make a new spread sheet to keep up with this year's purchases. I am so crazy I have even wrapped some! But I enjoy that stuff. Since we usually visit family for Thanksgiving I will take the wrapped items to town then (or wrap some when I arrive. There are stashes of gift wrap and bags at the homes that we all contribute to). When it gets closer to the holidays I do online shopping and have items shipped directly to our parents' home and wrap when we are in town. I've been keeping my eye on the dollar stores for their ceramic ornaments you can paint. I intend to paint a couple. I got a couple perfect sized containers at Dollar Tree to wrap them in. I also bought some stuff after Christmas last year like tissue paper, boxes, gift tags, and potential stocking stuffers on sale. I got some holiday labels for mason jars. Dh will probably can something. I bought a cheap mini loaf pan at Michael's on sale the other day. I hope to make a copule mini loaves as gifts. I also got some cheap holiday food storage from Dollar General and Oriental Trading to gift goodies. And I stocked up on sale cookie cutters at Michael's a few days ago. I think I have just about every cookie cutter LOL. I already had some Christmas ones, now I have more fall ones. I follow camelcamelcamel. I shop clothes at The Children's Place year round (they constantly run sales and have free shipping). When Groupon offered me a $20 Toys R Us gift card for $10 I bought it. I shop through ebates, TopCashBack and Swagbucks for cash back. I include my birthday when I sign up for sites so I get a coupon or something around my birthday and can use that toward myself or a gift. Sometimes the codes on RetailMeNot are even better than the ones you get in your email. I ordered dh a new dress shirt with a code. It said it's on back order and will ship in Nov. It will make a good dress shirt for Christmas if he comes to church with us (it's red). But he needs new shirts, anyway. I walk into Walmart or other stores on Black Friday after the crowds are gone and see what's left. I got some PJ sets on sale. I know I'm all over the place. But these are just the types of things I do. Items could be for your own family or for an angel tree or donation drive (blankets, coats, etc.)

I would totally watch that. Hallmark needs to do Halloween movies! I only know about the Christmas ones as far as holidays go.

Psych is mostly fine... there are a few maybe flirty/sexual inferences possibly (it's a bit blurry to me now). I don't usually mind my son watching it and he's younger than your dd. I don't know whether or not to suggest The Goldbergs. They do these bleeped out f bombs sometimes. We do watch it as a family, though. Fresh off the Boat maybe. It got a little racy, at least in the end of the series. I remember my family kicking me out of the room LOL

You have to do what you and your family are comfortable with. For religious reasons I don't like to take my kids to egg hunts on Good Friday. To each their own.

I don't know, but I feel like I'm dealing with the same situation. Dh and I butt heads over the budget all the time. He'll explain away expenses. We never (imo) needed an Amazon Echo. It broke after multiple drops by the toddler. We thought about putting it somewhere higher, but were afraid of the cat knocking it over. We weren't very wise about how we handled that, but I digress. As it stands he's upset about me spending gas on certain trips, but insists on buying beer. The week I did the grocery shopping I did not buy beer. When he was upset about it I said, "not in the budget." He bought it the next trip to the store. I gave him a four dollar coupon for an OTC medicine. I asked if he used it and he nodded, but I found the coupon in the car. I'm wondering how much hassle it would be to return and rebuy the product with the coupon. It drives him nuts when I take forever in the store but I do my shopkick. I knocked $5 off our last trip from Shopkick rewards. I know we think differently about time vs money. It doesn't hurt my feelings to spend extra time in the store to save money (so long as dd isn't fussy). I figure I'm getting some exercise :laugh: I suggested separate accounts a long time ago, but my dh didn't want to do that. I have no idea how to solve these things, either.

Can you tell him to finish the assignment and that you're going to look for errors so he needs to double check it himself? Maybe point him to a dictionary? Refuse to answer him until he's tried sounding it out/checking the dictionary? My son has asked me questions before that I didn't realize were part of a test. I think, "now I know you would not have asked your teacher in class!" I think they get used to asking us.

:lol:

Yes, sorta. I have caught dh say things that either weren't true or were exaggerated. For months now he's said he's going to take ds outside to shoot an archery bow he has. We talked to another hs family and I found out one of their children was into that. Dh offered that their child could join him and ds who practice on the weekend. Umm what? Lol. I told him in the car that he hasn't gone out once with ds yet and he said that he meant they would be doing it soon or something like that. He totally bends the truth in different conversations and it drives me batty. I guess it's true that we could all have foggy memories and just not realize it. I held a grudge against MIL for something she did when ds was a baby and remembered a quote which exemplified the mindset. When she denied this memory of mine I told her the quote and she said that her daughter must have said it. Her daughter shrugged and took the blame lol. I've asked dh to say some things in emails to his family just so later they don't say they don't know what we're talking about (like suggesting a Christmas gift budget of X dollars or saying we'll go to this place on this date with the family or whatever). Mostly they insist on communicating orally, though, and then who knows what gets said or remembered LOL. Still remember sitting in the room as MIL told dh that she had told him already about 6 of them visiting when dd was born and dh and I were both like wait what??

Halloween day we're going to a party (daytime). On a weekend near Halloween we will do trick-or-treating where businesses hand out candy. We have not gone to this particular one. Dh sometimes gets left out due to work, but he should be able to do the ToT. I am trying to find out if one of the churches we attend is doing anything. Last year we went to their Halloween event, but the woman that hosted it last year said she isn't doing it this year and isn't sure if they have one. I thought it was nice. If I have to, I can tape back together the dishwasher box dh broke down. Ds wants to be a vending machine lol. I may be able to find a better box. I want to modify dd's boots for Supergirl. I have a red tube sock I stretched over it but the shape at top is not right so I might use cardboard or something. You could say I'm trying to compensate for some of the crappy years we've had LOL. I looked in a couple stores before I found darn gummy worms. Might make a graveyard dessert.

I have to work up nerve to open someone's cabinet door looking for TP in their bathroom LOL

No, but maybe you can talk to him now so it doesn't happen again? Did he download the app just for her? Ahh I see. MIL should have asked her directly, as stated up thread. And just because she's okay with her parents opening her mail doesn't mean she'd be okay with her MIL doing it/doing similar?

Lots of people buy gifts on trips but I'm not sure if this person is Asian or even far from home Did I miss something? I think you are just sharing an example of things people do but what I am asking is what specifically about this situation explains the MIL knowing about the shopping. Is it an assumptoin? Or did she maybe just ask OP's husband... " did so and so shop this trip? What did she get?" Just seems like some level of prying might have been involved before the app even came into play.

I don't understand why MIL knows that stuff was purchased or what that has to do with someone's flight schedule. Are they meeting her at the airport and want to know how much luggage will be going in the car? (not like prices are relevant) I'm so lost in MIL's logic

I think if you are aware of this scenario taking place you should step in and stop your dh/enlighten him. Which hopefully isn't too hard to do since your MIL isn't physically present. He could miss her call or have trouble with the app if necessary lol

I don't know, because the OP didn't introduce her as "my SIL." She said, "My BIL's wife." So that tripped me up. This made me think OP's husband has a brother married to this woman. Why on earth would he think it was okay to go through his SIL's room/purchases and then report them back to his mom? Even if it was his own sister. Overstepping.