I don't know about other churches, but I sometimes see two collections taken at Mass. They might specify what cause the second one is for (i.e. disaster relief for such n such area). I've never been good about tithing what I felt was appropriate. Part of this is because dh doesn't belong to a church. So how is that supposed to work with our shared finances? Don't ask me.

You're right, those cases the person may not be demeaned. Guess I was replying more to the comment that there aren't too many graceful ways to opt out (not if you're doing it over and over again). Sweatpants wouldn't make you stick out like a sore thumb in a yoga or spin class? Because I've never joined one, but I'm thinking that sweatpants might be crazy in hot climates or certain classes. And I'm not even certain that sweatpants mask the noise a pad makes.

When my family moved to CA from out of state, I missed the cut off date. They gave my parents an option to do K or first. My parents asked for first. The school decided I needed to be in the K-1 class instead of the all first grade class. So basically my teacher was the teacher aid and the main teacher spent most of her time with the Kers. Anyway, they acted like I was so behind because I didn't read yet. My parents didn't know I was supposed to already and would have helped me over the summer if they'd realized. I definitely felt behind and probably stupid/embarrassed.

I cannot imagine I would be comfortable in a cheerleading uniform with a pad on. Even the "ultra thin" ones seem like they can bunch up or feel bulky. It would affect my confidence and I would worry about leaking. If I was constantly doing something like kicking my legs, I'd feel like I was drawing attention to an area of my body I very much didn't want to draw attention to! I played basketball and I hated wearing pads while I played! I brought this up in an old thread, but I always worried about uniform colors like white for karate (someone told me that not all are white).

This could be anything from turning down invitations to a pool party to not showing up for your fitness class because you just don't know what to wear to yoga (or whatever) when you don't use tampons or you don't feel good. And let's say you are paying a lot of money for this class, you don't want to miss repeatedly or repeatedly tell people you are under the weather.

Just to clarify, the arms crossed is an X across the chest with fingertips at/near shoulders. As opposed to "I'm crossing my arms because I am cold" kind of arm cross lol.

:iagree: For breastfeeding it was so much easier to cut out dairy for me than if I had been doing it just for myself. Right now dh is on a health kick and he does the grocery shopping. He tends to do these pretty major changes rather suddenly. This can affect everyone in the household. But then we'll get burned out on some type of food and we might change things up. So, long-term? It's hard to answer. But short-term, it's usually a lot of change at once. I used to play along more with his dietary changes, but now I'm just trying to be supportive without necessarily changing my own eating drastically. For example, he and ds have sworn off soda for now. I have had Sprite a couple of times, but went without soda for a long time during/after pregnancy. In the past he'd say, "no fast food" and we'd all go along with it, til he caved in. Then I'd just be irritated. In front of him I should try to be mindful of what I eat, though. I know it's really hard when we visit family like over the holiday.

My son is like this! The other day we got up early for co-op and I said he could watch a little TV before we left the house if he had gotten dressed, eaten breakfast and brushed his teeth first. I never saw him move so fast in my life. We're working on routine and he went to bed earlier last night. He was wide awake when dh came home later, but at least he was in bed on time. This morning he woke me up to brag that he got up early. :glare: :lol:

Cramps are not a big thing for me usually. My issues seem to be taboo to discuss IRL. Soreness in the crotch area on heavy days. Something you'll never hear on a TV ad lol.

I bet it's like if you know you need to eat or drink, but have no appetite (like if you are sick). Logically you know you're dehydrated, but you don't feel thirsty. That's maybe the analogy I'd go with.

This article seems to sum up my in-law's views/why they do it. http://www.youfixityourself.com/ask_eli/eggshells_in_garbage_disposal.html

Oh I believe you, in case there was any doubt. I just meant that I think it's the exception. Where I currently live, I alternate between a few parishes. I've lived here 3 years and I think the only time I heard an announcement was during a funeral. I'm usually out of town for holidays so not attending the local parishes then, but they often say something at those on a major holiday. Dh just sits in the pew. He has never gone to get a blessing. I don't know many adults that do that. Not that there's anything wrong with it.

I started to type out a list of options like cross arms or put finger over lips but erased it because I said to myself, "if I was visiting I doubt I'd remember what to do or I just wouldn't feel comfortable getting up." I've been to numerous churches and it's very rare to hear a priest (in my experience) give directions unless it's on a major holiday/occasion where they know there are lots of non Catholics in the room. My son goes up with his arms crossed all the time (he has not had First Communion). I'd just sit near the end of the pew so I could step out if I didn't want a bunch of people walking around me. Sit in a less crowded pew, OP, if you are worried about that.

We have a wire sink guard thingy which catches a lot. But yes, food still does end up going down. Looks like this: http://vermontkitchensupply.com/products/Sink-Strainer.html

Not completely what you asked but... If it wouldn't be weird, you could ask to go to Mass with your midwife just to visit and see for yourself. If you go alone, just remain seated during Communion (that may be obvious, but not sure). My dh is not Catholic and he attends with me sometimes. He actually stays seated for several parts. RCIA is not just for people converting. It's for people interested in Catholicism. So if you get to that point where RCIA interests you, you could call a local parish and ask about it. When classes start can vary from church to church. Some do it year round. Others may start in August. At my church I did the Word on Fire series with my Bible study. We watched some videos in the series. The priest did a great job of explaining something to me about our belief on Communion. On the website it says he has a book. http://www.wordonfire.org/ Edited: Oh wow, he has a Kindle book on sale for $1.99 right now for a limited time. I just bought it. http://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/get-bishop-barrons-best-selling-catholicism-book-for-just-199-today/5049/

I'm so accustomed to not having one that I don't know what to do with myself when I go places with one. My in-laws are always like, "oh you can dump that down the drain!" if they see me scraping a plate into the trash can. But I don't know how much can go down the drain and I feel weird about it. They peel their eggs over the sink and use the egg shells to "clean" the disposal walls. I don't peel eggs over the sink. This does not affect me. I'm pretty sure when we had a disposal it ended up messing up and being worth more hassle than it was worth. Maybe user error, I don't know.

Since I never started using tampons, it does affect my wardrobe (like I won't want to wear a dress and certain pants even) and desire to leave the house in early stages of it. It is physically painful to stand on a heavy day sometimes. But I don't think I'm the norm. I actually went 21 months without it only to have it return last month. Truly one of the best perks of pregnancy/breastfeeding lol.

I'm afraid to click the link. Kidnapping? Wow, I don't remember that in CG. I was thinking he was a stow away. I was more fixated on the fact that The Man with the Yellow Hat smoked and the author used "fat" to describe a police officer or fireman in one story (ds was taught that fat is not a word for describing people) when we read it.

I see. Well, if I was looking at the photos and wanted to take them seriously I would like to see a normal pose in the before, not a "I am so unhappy and my hair is a mess" vs "I came out of the salon and got my teeth whitened" LOL

I have a friend that posts pics and yes, she's a Beachbody coach. I didn't know it was like a rule or something to post those photos. Progress photos are kinda awkward to me. Before/after is different to me than progress pics. I don't care either way, but I personally might not feel comfortable posting certain things. I don't think she posts daily photos. In general, happy for someone that posts before/after. I do have a FB friend that got so into fitness they are doing competitions now (like muscular in a bikini) and that's a bit over the top for me. I mean, I'm happy for them. Just don't get the need for bigger muscles. What is the reason for the question? :) Are you considering doing the coaching stuff or just curious about people's reactions or..?

Ok what bins or storage baskets do you guys use in the chest freezer? I need some ideas :) I am sure how they fit will vary from freezer to freezer.

When people say "this one holds more than that one" I think it really depends on which two items you are comparing. Our chest freezer is small. My MIL's upright is huge. I think hers fits more. I feel like I need to wear gloves to dig in mine. Brr.

I *think* the chests might stay colder? But maybe that is just compared to a freezer that is connected to a fridge? I only say this because I often see breastmilk storage guidelines allow for more time in a chest freezer vs regular.

We have a chest and we fantasize about a stand up. We just couldn't afford it. My hands get cold searching for items in the chest that would more easily be found and removed from the upright. My MIL has a beautiful upright. I don't know that we need the size of an upright, but we would definitely use it if we had one. We have a rather small chest freezer we got from Lowe's.

I don't know if I can listen while driving lol. Last time dh and I tried that the book was putting us to sleep and I had to turn it off.