My darling and I are going out to see him tonight! that is all :)

Maybe this wasn't what you were expecting, but. . .GOOD FOR YOU! I'm thinking about going purple :)

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees this. While many non-Christian people adopt, and plenty of Christians who adopt--there is also a troubling subsection of Christian people who adopt for "ministry" reasons. It's not simply about having a family, there's a certain amount of celebrity that goes along with adopting multiple children. A certain air of religious "magic" if you will. Anything outside of the norm can be attributed to a religious "calling" and create a certain feeling of "extra-special-to-God-ness" whether it's clothing one wears/doesn't wear, food one eats/doesn't eat, and, unfortunately--children one acquires. I've seen it quite a big in the circles I used to run with.

That's wonderful! I'm going to have my children watch that and see if they want to try something similar. I've never done anything like that. Should be fun! Thanks so much for sharing! Amy

S.E. Hinton was also 17 when she wrote it. She used her initials to sell it because publishers felt it wouldn't sell with a female author's name on the jacket.

This was the policy at my children's previous dentist (before we moved). Fine dentist, wonderful hygienists. I didn't have a problem with it. My children were fine. I thought of it as an important opportunity for them to be with other responsible adults and learn how to interact without me in a safe environment. Maybe if my children had been somehow frightened, I'd have felt differently. I felt it was a good thing, and my children seemed to find it just fine as well.

Disagree. One does not have to equate sex with children. There are all sort of sex acts that end in the same result (org*sm) which don't typically end in pregnancy. Claiming that sex must come with the consequence of potentially having children excludes all other forms of hetero (and homosexual) sex. I can safely assume, I think, that you are against all forms of sexual expression between unmarrieds, so that quickly undermines your no-sex-until-you're-ready for-children rationale.

Yep. Big issue there. Much is made of the girls' side of this. What of the boys? Yes, boys are encouraged to wait, but there's no, "boy purity!" There's no, "how will you get the magic color on your wedding day if you're not a virgin?" If girls are pledging their virginities to their father, why aren't boys pledging theirs to their mother? Because girls are ruled by their fathers. . .boys too, but it just counts more for girls because one day she will be ruled by her husband. (No, not in all Christian circles, but that's part of the underlying mentality of this ritual. A woman's body is less her own that a man's is his. That's the only way for this to make sense.) Gross, gross, gross. Ipsey (who was a Christian virgin on her wedding night)

Thanks so much, everyone!

My 8-year-old, who is in public school, Can Not Spell. It's agonizing. He wrote out his spelling list today, missing 50% of the words clipbord housplant blusht over and over he wrote them wrong. Now, I know phonetically there's nothing wrong with "blusht" and. . .yanno, it's not terrible, it at least makes sense how he gets there, but he does it OVER AND OVER. We've spent nearly a year reviewing "they" and he still writes it "thay". Even on this week's spelling test. I make him break the words into syllables, look at the first syllable, say the letters aloud several times, and then write them, and then go to the next syllable. But, unless I stand over him, he won't do it, and he'll miss every word, unless I'm there cracking the whip! What strategies do you have for spelling? We write them in a number of ways and do various activities. I'm just at my wit's end! Help, oh please! Thanks!

I just don't wear it. I hope I'm not stinky! :001_unsure:

This is a fact! :)

Are you an affiliate, Mrs. Mungo? :lol:

:) Yes, I've never had a problem with it either. No one ever gave me grief about not tippling. My brother, too, seldom drinks. In high school, he said he just carried a Pepsi around at all of the parties and no one ever bothered him. Now, however, he's a complete soda pop junkie. Mountain Dew, Pepsi. Guy can drink 3 a day, though his wife gives him the old side-eye. Oh well, he's 6'2" and 170 pounds. I guess it hasn't caught up with him yet. :lol:

I do appreciate both of them, Amy :001_smile:

It's a good suggestion, and one I actually already do. Hubby and I always have a hot drink, (I prefer green tea/white tea fusion! or this green tea passion fruit thing Lipton does) downstairs and watch reruns of The Office. Seriously, every night. :D

Ohh, I get me some of that too, don't you worry :)

Thanks, Amy. I do appreciate your concern. But, I'm not trying to "stay on" anything. I'm not "on" alcohol at all, no more than probably most of the posters who have posted here (and most assuredly less). Alcohol is not the only way to relieve my stress, no. I believe I mentioned this in my first post. I'd like to vary my routine is all. :)

Awesome! Great chuckle :) Thanks so much; I knew I could count on y'all! Mmm, yes, I did like hard cider once upon a time. I believe I may look for some. Maybe the first thing I'll try is the coconut rum pineapple juice, since I love pineapple juice. I was actually in a pub in Ireland once, and a young man asked to buy me a drink. I asked for pineapple juice, and he was completely horrified. He convinced me to select a hard cider instead. :) That's actually the end of the story. True facts! :)

Yes, I've been thinking about that. I actually mentioned that to hubs tonight. I'm glad to have a couple of good options, now :)

Heh, no beer. Beer should all be poured back in the horse it came out of.

Oh, Lord :tongue_smilie:

Hee! What do you suggest?

NRGH. Hubby's been trying a different bottle of wine every few nights, and every single wine makes me want to hurl. Red, white, even roses that I used to be ok with. Even the Barefoot Moscato (that I've had several friends suggest). That was one of the worst. Really, I almost couldn't swallow it. I don't know what it is! I think I just need to give up on wines :( My French ancestors are rolling in their graves.

Thanks, everyone! These sound good. I've never had any hard alcohol. Didn't know rum and tequila have less flavor than others. I like the idea of mixing with fruit juice or something to mask the taste. I don't know any cocktails. . .I guess I can learn. I'm going to go slowly. Probably just find one thing I can tolerate and tipple that every now and then. Any more suggestions?