I've booked dd and I into a three course pub lunch in nearby town. My mum will get a call later. She doesn't get her scraped toast and slopped coffee breakfast any more. We live too far away.

My full name is another 'Julie Ann Smith' type name, and my family all have to spell our sir name when we give it! Really? It is short, Anglo, very common and simple to spell. I've always disliked my name and never had a nickname, but to have to fill out 'previous names' on all paperwork forever more has disuaded me too. What's the point of changing my name if it keeps following me? A friend who shared my decade branding first name changed hers on a significant birthday. She swapped it for something unusual. In the last few years it has become a top 10 name. We don't laugh about it to her face.

I prefer my 'floatation bath'. Deep, very warm, bath salts, good book and wine glass and bottle. I mostly shower, but I love loooong deep baths. When dd1 would get in a screaming, no-longer-anyone-home state, I would sometimes strip her and bodily lift her into a warm bath in a dimly lit bathroom, with one of her favourite stories on a tape. Within a couple of minutes she would be calm and stay in for a long time with bath top-ups and tapes turned. Showers are good, but a bath is something else. I could see the tanks being like an uber-bath. But for me the book, bath, booze trifector works. And I don't have to drive home afterwards.

What did the chicken say to the duck about to cross the road? "Don't do it mate. You'll never hear the end of it."

That backyard chickens blog (edit: Forum, not blog) is great. (edit: Forum, not blog) I've accessed it quite a bit. Be prepared to 'invest' a deal of time just watching them.They are hilarious, but require good predator-proof night housing. I missed them for decades, and our 7 mixed chicks have now grown in size and number and we've added two turkeys and some Guinea Fowl. I wanted something loud to scream at foxes. (Other than the mad woman running outside at dawn in knickers and t-shirt.)

My name pegs my decade. My eldest's name has remained constant, rarer, but used for centuries. Youngest is also an older name. Didn't rank on this chart for decades, until a few years after her birth and is now rapidly rising up the chart. Sigh.

Surely you can market an Albatross pendant. Who doesn't need an albatross around their neck?

I think this is more of a 'just breathing' year. And much needed. I'm relearning everything, constantly, as things won't stay in my head. Hoping this will plateau, if not improve. But because I'm more still, dd is firing ahead. Is good.

We drove past a cormorant the other day and I pointed it out as a shag. Dd asked, "Is a shag a bird? I thought it meant a lady. Well not a 'lady', you know what I mean." So I told her it was a bird but was also used as a swear, similar to what she was inferring. But didn't elaborate. Or laugh out loud. So I guess no bird talk around your friend either?

This dd has always policed my language. I do use 'soft cuss' words, she corrects me. When I occasionally use a hard cuss word, she just looks at me, disappointed. As did her sister before her. We parent each other fairly well on the whole.

10 Commandments of Homeschooling There is only one WTM.

:chillpill:

I either get a shouted "I don't know! My brain won't work!" and tears. Or non-stop verbal, which I often attempt to cut with "I'm not listening. Stop talking." Thankfully doesn't really require an audience, so I'm pretty good at tuning out.

Maybe have a clean-up bucket/supplies near-by. I presume there will be a quantity of Aunty types who will don gloves and give a quick 'freshen' if they see it needs it. An Aunty had to 'tidy' with a mop after my aged Grandmother. Enough of us have had to do this for our kids too. And there will be some willing to tidy after unknown users if it is required. This for both convenienes. Maybe put a note in for those that would prefer to pee all over the seat than sit...because the seat might have pee on it!!! Kick the seat up with your foot first for goodness sake if you need to do that please.

Shouldn't that be, "Sorry for the portable convenience!" ?

Dang Catwoman, I'd have loved you to join in the weekly neighbourhood beer-o'clock. I think you'd enjoy it too. But, yes we have grown boys who love peeing outside. We don't go and watch, wrong party for that! Welcome to Australia where many of us learned shrubbery road-side stops from tiny.

Sort Of Dunno Nothin' I just heard this again on the radio and realised I need to share it. Some of the food on the table include a lamington cake and a jar of vegemite, but I think the song might still work in homes without such staples.

How 'civilized' are your guests? Around here, many males head into the back yard rather than into a bathroom. Particularly after dark. I should add, I don't classify such behaviour as particularly uncivilised. But as one who would have to join a long queue, I'd prefer the option of porta-potty. Edited for typos, typos, typos (and inablity to disentangle letters)

Here is a link to errata for this edition, about 1/2 way down on the right. (Sorry, other right. Left) The reviews are very positive. Looks good. http://www.mhprofessional.com/product.php?isbn=0071771336

Your Dragon Speaking Naturally should have the headphones with attatched speaker in the box with it. All recommendations are to get him to work through all the excercises first. He reads the given passages to the computer and it learns his nuances of voice. I finally bought it for dd. Unfortunately our computer is so old, full and confused it can't cope with anything new currently. OMG, laptop is channeling me!

Years ago when my youngest sister was living in a house full of bossy older siblings, I accosted her coming out of the toilet. "Did you wash your hands?" "Yes. My hand." "Hands?" "I only used one." Her logic was so concise at about 4 that I have remembered it. By the way it's hard to wash only one hand.

I'll put a vote in for MEP. Free, download and print out your booklets as you need them. Been around for a long time and good reviews from long term users. We don't use the teaching pages, which are more class geared, I just hand over the practice (exercise) pages. Dd works through, struggles with the tough ones and leaves them if she still can't work them out and we come back to these curly problems together. They deliberately put these in. If you just ignored the curlies you would be fine, but they really get the grey matter going. http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm

How the Irish Saved Civilization http://www.amazon.com/How-Irish-Saved-Civilization-Irelands/dp/0385418493

I also love the idea of marriage and I think I would have made a good wife. Unfortunately I married someone who... Well who shouldn't have married. Then I spent several years post separation concentrating on child/ren that took more than I had. I didn't regret that, there just wasn't anything left over for a relationship during those years. Now I suddenly feel worn and old and missed the boat. I am much happier single than with the choice provided at this stage of life. I'm still in my 40's for Pete's sake.

Hang in there Jean. A body in overload won't cope with anything will it? My eldest was given Prednisilone so often during a bad spell to see if it would help (it didn't), that she had to be on it for a full year to wean off. Not happy Jan. This was for a just pubescent, non-coping, screamer. I semi-jokingly told her doctor that if she needed to be on it they had to keep her for that year. His response, "Absolutely not, we can't manage her!". We and our neigbours still bear the mental scars from that year. Would have been worth it if it had helped. Hope your's does, but check to make sure there is not still a ridiculously long wean off period. A maybe take a leaf from that child's book, if you feel like screaming, do so. :grouphug: