:iagree: I don't feel this way personally but I have a friend who used to buy several things for her older children while the youngest only got a couple until he was about 3. The reason she gave was that she didn't want to buy him a lot of things he wouldn't remember anyway. Hopefully it will all change in a year or two.

He looks so happy! Very cute :) .

Sooooooo cute!

Yay! Glad to hear it turned out so well :) .

:lol: Hope you find it soon.

I made it through 2 books last week - Drive: 9: Ways to Motivate Your Kids to Achieve and The Sugar Queen which brought me to 51 books completed. I was pleasantly surprised by The Sugar Queen. I loved it! Not sure what book I'll read this week but I'm committed to making 52. Now to answer Robin's questions.... Did you reach the goal of 52 books or did you manage to beat your own personal best? I should reach the goal of 52 as long as I read a book this week. What book are you ending the year with? I'm undecided. Did you discover a new author or genre? Did you love them or hate them? Sarah Addison Allen introduced me to a new genre. It gets a split review from me. I loved one book, liked another, and disliked a third. That can be typical for any author though, can't it? Did you challenge yourself to read more non fiction if prefer fiction or more fiction if you prefer non fiction? I read both but didn't challenge myself regarding them. Did you read from a list or wing it? I started out reading books that were recommended on Amazon's best books of 2010. By the end of the year I was winging it. How many classics did you read? What did you think of the writing style or author? No classics read here. Name one book that you thought you'd never read and was pleasantly surprised you like it. A book that was really different from what I typically choose was The Big Short by Michael Lewis. I enjoyed it and learned quite a bit from it. What are your top ten favorite books? My top 10 in no particular order: The Art of Eating In, Cathy Erway Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand Outliers, Malcom Gladwell The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Steig Larsson The Girl Who Played with Fire, Steig Larsson The Snowman, Jo Nesbo Little Princes, Conor Grennan Before I Go to Sleep, S. J. Watson The Sugar Queen, Sarah Addison Allen What are your ten least favorite books? My bottom 10 in no particular order: You on a Diet, Michael Roizen & Mehmet Oz The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin Grooming the Next Generation for Success, Dani Johnson The Judas Gate, Jack Higgins Venom, Joan Brady Vicious Cycle, Terri Blackstock Whitethorn Woods, Maeve Binchy The Gendarme, Mark Mustian Now You See Her, Joy Fielding Sleep in Me, Jon Pineda Did you start any books that you just simply couldn't finish? Just a couple What did you think of the mini challenges and did you join in or complete any? I didn't do any mini challenges. Did your family join in on the fun? Not really but I did include 2 read alouds in my count. How many books have you added to your wishlist since the beginning of the year? Several What was your favorite thing about the challenge? Hearing other's thoughts on what they had read, especially if it was a book that I'd read as well.

I am :) . Dh and I usually go shopping the day after Christmas. This year we're looking for new bar stools. I'd like to get some boots. He'll want to go the Men's Half-Yearly at Nordstrom. Then we'll have lunch. The boys stay home and enjoy all their new things. It's a fun day for all of us.

Love this! Merry Christmas to you and your family.

I love how this all came about after you'd just been thinking about traditions. It sounds like a wonderful evening. Merry Christmas!

I have to say that I admire your attitude about this because I think I would have reacted quite differently!

I was waffling until I read this and :iagree:. Sounds like it should be Santa Clauses then.

Yay!! I'm glad it turned out this way :) .

Good point! That would happen here as well. Something else for the OP to consider.

I vote for foosball too.

Since you've thought this all out so well, would you be open to trying to find a different dog? Dd hadn't seen the dog so there's no attachment there. There are often free pets listed in the newspaper that people can't keep for various reasons. It would take more work on your part to weed through them and find a fit, but maybe you could still give her a dog for her birthday like you had hoped. Just thought I'd throw that out there...you may have already considered this.

I would still go because I'd previously committed. There have been times we've committed to something and when the day comes dh really doesn't want to go. I remind him that we've told the people we're coming and we need to honor that. We usually end up having a good time and dh is glad that we went.

I couldn't think of any suggestions but I've been "listening in." I'd love to hear how it turns out because this sounds like a great choice for a large group like you mentioned.

Thanks for sharing this Ellie! I'm going to print it off and keep it in my binder for those days when I panic and "know" he would probably be better off going to high school.

My 12yo is doing dialectic for the first time this year. He is usually able to answer the questions but I don't assign every question. Also, he will often give a very basic answer where my 14yo's answer will have greater depth. To me that's ok because he's learning as we go through and discuss. I've already some improvement in his responses. I don't have any experience with the online class so I can't speak to that.

Love it!

Glad to hear it all worked out so well. :)

:grouphug: What a horrible time to get sick. I hope it passes quickly.

Yay! So happy for you. Are you going to post any pictures?

Definitely not on the phone. If one of the kids comes up and whispers something to me, I tune out to what the person on the phone is saying. It's obvious when I put my focus back on the phone that I've missed something. I don't think you're an aberration at all.

I answered no to both.