This girl sounds like a true psychopath. I don't know how she convinced her friend's parents to pay the lawyer for this lawsuit, they must be very naive and embarrassed now at the evidence the parents' lawyer presented. Especially the vile things this young lady said to her mother. "I want to sh** on your face". There also appears to be some bad blood between the girl and her sisters. I can't imagine growing up with that for an older sister. Yikes.

I'm not sure how I feel about this, just thinking it through and reading everyone's opinions... It's not clear to me that they could have simply moved to another EU country where homeschooling is legal at any point in the process. Maybe *before* they came to the attention of the government officials, but at some point their passports were taken away. When I think of all the Americans who had to homeschool underground so that I can now homeschool legally... I just don't take it lightly. The idea that someone could remove my children from me over an educational choice I have made is just so unfathomable. It's a threat of kidnapping. That's not genocide, but it's pretty serious to me.

I have only been to one Arbonne party. I felt that particular seller was medium-pushy, but I think it will vary from person to person. Arbonne products are pretty expensive IMO, so I think they are used to the fact that not everyone is going to be interested in spending that much. Personally, I use primarily coconut oil and homemade vitamin C serum so I am not their target market! However, I always try to buy one small thing at these types of parties so I bought a lipstick. It was defective, it didn't come out of the tube when you turned the swivel, so I emailed the salesperson and she immediately replied and had a replacement shipped to me. I also received a 10 day sample of their facial cleansing/moisturizing regimen. I gave those to my friend who also got the same samples so she could try it for longer as she was seriously considering buying it, which I think she did.

This is something I would seriously consider as well. My son was once in a group with a bunch of absolutely obnoxious children. They didn't listen, they were rude to each other and me and the other leader, and there was no way they were ever going to accomplish any of the group's stated goals. I complained to my husband about it and he basically asked me what the heck I was thinking to be part of this. I had been determined to make it work and somehow fix these kids - but that was never going to happen, so we dropped out. My son had never complained but was actually relieved to be away from those kids as well.

I would agree with everything you did except I would go with her when she says it because she's in third grade, not really old enough to stand up for herself against a teacher IMO.

From your description of the initial situation it certainly sounds like you were in the right and the mom is crazy, especially since no one else in the room at the time had a problem and the kid got up and started cleaning, didn't collapse in tears. But by emailing you have possibly made more of this already ridiculously dramatic situation than necessary - I don't really know since you didn't post your email. I don't think I would have sent the email myself because if the child and mom filed the complaint over nothing, they are probably kinda nuts and I wouldn't want to engage her any further without reason. I would also leave Matthew 18 out of it because it doesn't matter now since that's not how it was originally handled by the mother and it's not appropriate for you to respond to her complaints with complaints about the way she complained. At this point I would either say nothing further and move on, behaving like absolute sweetness and light to all involved, and quite frankly I would announce "clean up time" once and after that, have the room leader take over and she can either get the kids to do it or let the parents know the kids can't go until the room is clean or however she wants to handle it. Or if there is some reason you need to respond, I would keep it short and sweet - sorry we had a misunderstanding! I am open to any ways you can think of to encourage the girls to clean up after class so we can avoid this in the future!

If you definitely can't or won't pay her asking price, you have nothing to lose by politely offering her your price. Something like "would you consider XXX; I can be out Tuesday morning". Some sellers will choose to be offended and will even respond rudely but IMO that's ridiculous. If you don't want offers, say so in the listing.

In general, I think the best situation is when the parents live near each other - walking distance. School and friends and travel between the two is so much easier. If you live a few minutes away it's no big deal to pick up or drop off when something important got left behind. And if duplicates can't be purchased due to cost, I would give a lot of grace and help for stuff like a last-minute trip to drop off forgotten gym shoes. You could also have a large plastic tote that contains everything school/activity related and transfers between the two houses. Gym shoes, dance bag, etc. all stay in the tote instead of being placed in a drawer and forgotten until needed. Unfortunately this might contribute to the child feeling like she's living out of suitcase. The most interesting setup I have read about was a homebuilder who built a special duplex for him and his ex-wife. The kids' rooms were in between and connected to both the mom's side and dad's side via hallway. On Mom's week, her door to the hallway was open and Dad's was shut. Vice versa the next week. Each parent had their private living space, kitchen and garage. It sounded brilliant. I don't think they had any extra spouses or kids to deal with though.

I had it in college. At first a dr misdiagnosed it as strep, and I had the worst sore throat of my life and was exhausted. I was finishing the semester and moving out of my apartment and it was incredibly difficult to get through. During my move my throat was so swollen I couldn't speak and had to communicate with a marker board I carried around. A month later, during summer break, I finally got to my mom's and she took me to a different doctor who confirmed by blood test that it wasn't strep but mono. But all there was to do at that point was rest. I got super tan just resting in the sun for another month or so.

I agree with previous posters that she will likely never be happy with this situation. I would stop engaging her because when she asks her questions and you answer, you are implicitly agreeing with her that you owe her an explanation. I find the best response to people like this is usually "why do you ask" in a very polite tone. She may or may not answer honestly, but it would be interesting to hear what her reason is for being so up in your business. And this is 100% your business, not hers. If she were to answer "I am concerned about little Johnny's schooling, you could respond with a polite "oh don't you worry about that, I've got that under control, thanks." If she answers with "I am asking because the public schools have school today", or something equally irrelevant, then just say something vague and unhelpful like "you're so funny" or "oh, yeah, they do don't they" or "you are so on top of things" then change the subject. You can be polite and still convey that this is not an avenue you are going down with her. Now her going behind your back and drilling your kid... that needs to stop. Grandma making conversation asking "how was your day" is acceptable. Grandma asking invasive questions about school specifics that make ds and you feel you have to justify your homeschooling - not acceptable. If it is in front of you, I would interrupt and redirect such as "Johnny didn't you want to show Grandma your new art project, go find it please." If she doesn't take the hint, I would speak directly and say "oh Grandma you don't want to hear about boring school stuff..." then change the subject. And make sure they aren't alone together. If your dh had a good relationship with her, I would have him talk to her. If he doesn't, then be like Elsa and let it go. Let the questions go unanswered and let her busybodiness rage on - in someone else's mental space. I may be getting a bit punchy, time for sleep.

I'm not going to comment on your daughter's issues because I have no experience in that area. But I will say that while you are making adjustments to help her, that will be an ongoing process. It sounds like you need help now to be at your best in order to make good decisions for her. With my first two kids, I did all the nighttime wake-ups. And it was awhile before they slept through the night (2 1/2 years for my first, 1 year for my second). With our third, I didn't have it in me anymore to handle it alone (I was homeschooling the boys now and there was no more naptime where I could catch up a little). So we did shifts. I'm the nightowl so my shift was until 4am. I went to bed about 11 or 12 and if the baby woke up before 4, I got up with her. But from 4-8 I had uninterrupted sleep which was what I needed. My husband went to bed at 10 and if she woke up after 4, he got up with her. Then he got up at 7 with all three of them and did breakfast. This wasn't great sleep for either of us, but it was manageable. Or if your husband really can't miss any sleep or adjust his schedule at all, get a friend, relative, or paid help to come over while you nap.

How fun! I haven't given or taken sewing classes, but a friend of my mom's taught me to sew by making lounge pants. After that I was able to learn everything else on my own from patterns and books. That was before the internet - there are so many great tutorials available now on the internet for free that once you get them started they should be able to take off.

I have been with my kids and my mom for a "family weekend". It was great. They do group by ability the best they can, but it is tricky if there is no one at your level (which happened to my Mom). With a week long kids camp I think that will be less of a problem than a multi-generation camp. Also I think their daycamp options are around the Minneapolis St. Paul area, not up in Bemidji. So that would likely be closer for you (I assume you're not coming from Canada for French), and it would give you more options for places to stay. eta, I see on the website that I am wrong, they do also have daycamps in the Bemidji area and the daycamps in the twin cities do not include French.

I also would call the director to let her know the coaches' new plan and your concerns, and I would ask that my and my dd's name be kept out of it. I would not send an email which would likely be forwarded around among the various parties involved and wouldn't be anonymous. I don't think this is an accusation of wrong doing such that they would need to be able to face their accusers.

I remember one good teacher, a lot of uninspiring and de-motivating teachers, and some horrible cretins who shouldn't be allowed near kids, or humans of any age. Or pets. My first grade teacher would punish kids (including me) for bad handwriting by having the child put their hand flat on the desk, then she would whack your hand with her ruler. I had a bad pencil grip (still do). My 5th grade teacher was fired for sexual misconduct. He had girls sitting on his lap all the time.

so sorry you are in pain. You might want to reconsider your stance on credit cards and interest. CC debt and interest to fix this now might be a wise investment over letting it get worse.

great googly moogly, they are moving her from the psych ward to foster care. What in the he** is going on in Massachusetts? I am physically ill thinking of this poor 15 year old girl stolen from her family.

I would take a break from the lessons as forcing him right now might make this into a bigger issue. My oldest started in lessons but he hated them so we took a break and never went back, just made sure he had plenty of opportunities to swim with us there, starting with water wings (or a life jacket when in lakes) We did the same with our younger son, never even trying lessons. Both are excellent swimmers now, they love the water and they also wakeboard. They will both get their life guard certifications before they graduate from high school (dh and I both got them as teenagers as well). If you and your husband can't swim, then I would make sure he gets back to lessons eventually. However if you can be with him in the water and make it fun, he will probably learn on his own.

Hang in there you guys, you will adjust. My husband has a new Yoga Lenova Pro2 with Windows 8 and has hasn't had any problems. The touch screen is great and the light weight is truly stunning. I have an older HP laptop with Windows 7 (Pavilion dv7) and it is so heavy in comparison! I do some of his tech support so I had to work with the Lenova a few times to install Office and I didn't have any trouble with Windows 8. I have a Windows Phone, maybe that is why it was so easy for me? I've had my eye on the Surface Pro2 but the Lenova is less $$ so I might go that way when my laptop dies. Which I am secretly hoping will be soon even though it shows no signs of falling down yet. It's just such a bear to lug through airports, especially when my chivalrous husband is not there to carry it for me.

1. If you are not fully funding your retirement through 401k or IRA, I would do that first. 2. Then kids' college fund 3. Then stock market outside of retirement/college funds This is assuming you have no credit debt and already have adequate, accessible emergency cash fund and adequate vehicle savings. If #1 and #2 are covered, but you need to save for a car, I would split it between that and #3.

Please consider signing this petition to free Tania the elephant from a Romanian zoo where she is being kept in abusive conditions. Female elephants need companionship but her pen is too small for one elephant, let alone two. The concrete floor is contributing to her arthritis and the cramped space is also unsanitary and she has a foot disease that won't heal... just heartbreaking. She needs to be retired and moved to an elephant sanctuary where she can live out her days in a healthy facility with other female elephants. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/956/417/286/free-tania-the-elephant-from-tirgu-mures-zoo-in-romania to learn more about Tania's plight: https://www.facebook.com/FreeTania http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2558517/The-lonely-elephant-moved-zoo-zoo-just-wants-friend-Campaigners-desperate-herd-orphaned-Tania-spent-39-years-alone.html

It doesn't sound like you want to have a personal relationship with her, it sounds like you want her to come get along with everyone in the family - the aunt, the father, etc. And it sounds like you are judging her reasons for not being part of that, without having even spoken to her personally. Maybe her reasons are petty and selfish, or maybe they are truly justified. No one knows except her and the people involved.

I have so many questions about this case. It seems so egregious. I cannot fathom how Boston Children's, the Child Protective Workers AND the State have allowed this to go on for so long?!? If she is not a danger to herself, she shouldn't be in a psych ward for one day, much less one year. If the parents are truly unfit (and I have seen no evidence of this), she should be with a relative or if none is available, a foster family as a last resort. Furthermore, there is no way in the United States that someone should lose their child for following the advice of a reputable doctor doesn't make one unfit in my book, even if another medical professional has a differing opinion. Disagreeing with a doctor is not child abuse. It is a parent's right and responsibility to pursue the best option for their child instead of blindly following any old idiot they run across. Finally, who issued the gag order??? How can that be legal? The court takes away their right to their child and their right to tell anyone about it?? This poor poor child, ice skating a year ago and now wheelchair bound after a year of forced treatment at Boston Children's. Clearly she was doing better under the care of her parents. It's truly shocking that this can happen in the USA.

I would say "I was just thinking about Jane and her beautiful smile, or how much she liked music/skiing/something." - just something short and sweet and personal about Jane specifically. Not a question like "how are you doing with the loss of Jane" - because there is just never a good answer for that. This is so thoughtful of you. Honestly it hits me kind of hard because we have a loss that no one ever mentions. I think it will be very meaningful to her.

I hear what you're saying and although I haven't felt that way myself about motherhood posts, I do feel that way about the "all teachers are heroes, sacrificing their lives for your child" posts (not saying I don't have great respect for many individual teachers I know) and the "sisters are awesome, repost if you have a great sister." Ugh. But when the topic is motherhood it usually gets a pass with me because I feel it is so undervalued in our society. Moms who are focused on their families are doing something important and practically invisible - no widgets get produced, no taxes get paid, and a daycare facility is too often considered a fine substitute for daily mothering in our society. I think this kind of thinking is part of the problem. Cooking, cleaning and daycare/nanny jobs are great and most moms do some of these same tasks each day, but my focus is on raising my children, meeting their individual needs, preparing them for the future, giving them a happy childhood and a happy family. You can't hire someone to do that. It's not overcompensating to think that being a mother is more important to my children specifically and in general to society at large than simply keeping said children's bathtub scrubbed. Being a SAHM is not unimportant or boring. Cleaning toilets is not terribly interesting, but finding the best way to run your home, researching child development, putting parenting techniques into practice and seeing these little people grow each day is extremely interesting in my opinion. "Home executive" sounds to me like a woman (or man) who takes the job of managing a family seriously, striving to do her (or his) best for that family. I see absolutely nothing wrong with that and think it would be a great thing if more families had "home executives". And just so you know, I can find something interesting to talk about with just about anyone I meet, from my CFO friend to my housekeeper.