No advice as my only induction was with pitocin but just wanted to say I am so sorry for your loss.

Someone Like You? That's not what I got from that song at all. I thought she was saying that she was happy for him and that she knew eventually she would move on too.

The second noun definition isn't too bad: playfully mischievous. In certain families and cultures, this could be an appreciated characteristic.

I always loved seeing what Lorelai wore on Gilmore Girls. She always looked sexy while still being classy and age-appropriate.

Spencer is a popular name for Mormon boys, because Spencer W Kimball was the 12th president of the LDS church. I think it's a super cute name, probably because I've known quite a few adorable little Spencers over the years. 😀

A neighbor girl growing up was named Tyranny. I remember my dad asking, "Don't her parents know what that word means?"

Baby names of a few of my friends: Darth Luke Linq (pronounced Link) Laexin (pronounced like Lake+sin)

We love our Odyssey. My brother-in-law drives a Pilot and his wife drives an Odyssey and he says the Odyssey is hands down better for kids. If you have the third row up in the Pilot, there is little to no cargo room in back.

I don't have a religious problem with the lottery, but considering the chances of winning the lottery are so incredibly low, AND the chances of the money not ruining your life if you do win, I don't really see the point of buying a ticket. Research shows that 3 months after winning the lottery, the winners are no happier than before they won.

I had a paper route from ages 11-14, then I started babysitting and teaching beginning flute lessons. At age 16, I started working at McDonald's, where I worked for 2 1/2 years. It was a terrible, terrible place for me to work. I was a very naive homeschooled pastor's daughter with super strict parents, and I was very impressionable. My coworkers and managers there were not good people for me to look up to, and I ended up in a relationship with one manager (10 years older than me and an alcoholic). I didn't go to college because of him (passing up a full-ride scholarship based on my flute playing and my SAT scores). I eventually pulled my life back together several years later, but I still haven't completed college and I deeply regret the choices made in that period of my life. Because of my experience, I will encourage my kids to get jobs in high school, but not in fast food and similar caliber jobs, knowing now what an unhealthy environment it can be. I know not all kids will be as easily influenced as I was, but I can't help but feel there must have been other places I could have worked that would not have been such a negative influence. Edited for clarity.

I used to really hate daylight savings, but the older I get, the more I see its appeal. I am looking forward to having it get light earlier starting tomorrow because it's too dark for me to run outside in the mornings before the kids get up right now. And I'm always relieved when daylight savings time starts in the spring and my kids stop waking up with the sun at 5 AM! :)

Hester Jill or Hester Sue, I can't remember!

We had a CRV for a few years before getting our Oddysey. It was great, the only thing that bugged me was the road noise. It was loud on the highway. I had an older Forester before having kids and loved it.

Weird! I'm in Vancouver and haven't noticed them at all. And I've been outside every day with my kids.

Not surprising. They are a fascinating family. I always thought it so interesting how much Charlotte disapproved of Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

Isn't it because those items are presumed to be the dirtiest because they touch our genitals or our dirty feet, and the hot water gets them the cleanest? ETA, I don't wash the rest of the clothes in hot water because I worry about shrinkage, plus it costs less to use cold water.

In our house: Whites (including towels, dish cloths, undergarments) get hot water, detergent, and a little bleach in the heavy duty cycle. The rest is washed in cold water but separated in this way: Dark clothes are in one load, like jeans and dark shirts. Some of our dark blue items have run in the past so now I'm paranoid. Typically this load is run on the heavy duty cycle. Light colored clothes are in another cycle, usually washed on permanent press, because these are things like knit shirts and dresses. Reds and pinks (sometimes oranges) are a completely separate cycle because we've had red items run even after several washes so we take no chances now! Also washed in cold on permanent press.

The Pioneer Woman's Sunday Night Stew is delicious and has turnips in it!

One year I bought a $30 tree at Target on Black Friday weekend. It was cute and did the job, although it didn't last more than one year. Still cheaper than a real tree though, and something like that could get you through until after Christmas when you could buy a nicer one on clearance.

So true!! Thanks for the reassurance, everyone!

Thank you!

My 1st grader (just turned 6 at the end of July) is still frequently writing her numbers backwards (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9) and also still occasionally mixes up b and d when reading. Is this typical, or should I be concerned? She is very bright and picks everything else up quickly. Her handwriting is neat, we are working through Right Start B (she quickly picks up the concepts and is great at mental math), and her reading seems to be right on track for her age.

Agh!!!!! That sounds super frustrating!! So sorry. :(

So excited!

Totally agree that this wasn't helpful in the slightest. And although Arctic Mama had a bad experience, I have several friends who have (or had, before they died) wonderful relationships with their step-parent(s). And reducing a second marriage to "screwing" as her post did, is incredibly demeaning. Yikes.