LOL It is good to ask the context first when a child asks for a definition.

There's another, you use f@nny for bum, where in Australia it means, well, back to that German Philosopher again. "Emanuel Kant was a real piss ant and very rarely stable" Sorry, I have Pythonitis.

I must hang around with the wrong people. Every time I see BSA, I think British Small Arms, and the ensignia on some beautiful old motorbikes. If I had a son into 'Beesas', I would be very upset if he tried to quit.

I am reminded of an old post here about someone's teenaged ds who was being tested by peers on swear words and was excited when he knew one. The German Philosopher. But they hadn't said "Kant".

We have a book of collected old nursery rhymes (maybe an Oppies?) and there is one that refers to a lass who doesn't sweep up or make her bed as a sl~t. The original meaning was number 2 of this..." a. A person, especially a woman, considered sexually promiscuous. b. A woman prostitute. 2. A slovenly woman; a slattern." Interesting that it changes from not making your bed to indiscriminately 'unmaking' it. In My Fair Lady the original line that shocked was Eliza's, "Not blooming likely." But it had to be upgraded to shouting at a race horse to, "Move your blooming arse!" (From memory, feel free to correct.) I'm another who grew up with fags being smoked, or 'bummed off' other smokers and poofs being stuffed foot-cushions. We didn't have 'the N word' that Dr Dolittle uses, it Australia it is a B word, but I rarely heard it as a kid or now.

For you and maybe for your daughter too, eye covers. Hospitals leave lights on all night. Maybe crossword or Suduko type books if you like them, and a book you are already involved in, it can be hard to break into a new one in that setting. For you, chocolate + biscuits, (absolutely necessary) and a small jar of non-caterers-blend coffee. Maybe cup-a-soups if there is a kettle you'll have access to? Here they tend to look after the needs of the kids well, but parents have to fend for themselves. Another tip, we always stripped the hospital bed as soon as we arrived and put one of their cotton blankets between the bottom sheet and the vinyl mattress cover. If you can bring a bright bedspread from home it makes the room less clinical too. Good luck.

Here is one link that may help... http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/478789-any-other-single-parents-here/?hl=widow&do=findComment&comment=5052068

I did this after the death of my eldest child (3 years tomorrow). So not a spouse as I was already single but am still grieving. My youngest gets to share this time with me. We did less school work for a while and had done less as my eldest got sicker. But we got to spend that time together. There are a number of regular posters here who have lost a spouse and continued home education. I'll try and find some links. It is doable. Most cut right back on lessons for a while. Kids tend to cope much better than the adults. I am fairly anti-sociable often but do appreciate my good friends who keep/kept dropping in. If you are able to 'put up' with your friend she may really need it. It is a very long road.

I've got to add these toilet bans from the Sochi Winter Olympics Village that Adam Hill pointed out to me last night (via his UK show). http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/winter-olympics-organisers-bizarrely-ban-3110607 They include No Fishing in the toilet, plus one that I can not work out, the last one.

Ok, so I had to google to see which one she was and I discovered that Mayim, who plays Amy, "earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience during an extended hiatus from acting." So Mayim is a real Dr in same broad field as Amy. That's just funny. And you are right she is quite gorgeous.

Oi up. Be careful. You are talking about things swirling in a 'toilet'. Remember that there are Americans reading this thread. Their bodies do not cause such actions. That would just be social death!!! (Yeah I'm poking fun at our differences in body squeamishnesses.)

Here you go... not as funny as a sink in the loo, but I have seen this IRL. http://www.treehugger.com/bathroom-design/caroma-makes-a-toilet-with-sink-look-elegant.html

We were at an After Harvest party on Saturday night. We had sprinklers on us and 6 heavy duty water pistols soaking us all to keep cool right up til about midnight before it started to get a bit cooler. One of our neighbours had 4 members of her family all in separate incidences get dumped by the rescue water bomber in the fires that went through near here a couple of weeks ago. All are fine and their houses were also saved, but without the timely arrival of the bombers it would have been very different.. Thankfully local ABC radio here is good at updating specific areas. But once fires start racing they can change direction quickly. Victoria has so many separate fires going, that it makes it more difficult to follow too.

I do too. But each of kids knew/know they are EACH my favourite and my only child. And that I presume the same to be true of their parents too. That I am their favourite and only parent, concurrent with the father being their favourite and only parent. It is very do-able.

When they introduced the school children rebate a few years ago it was available to registered home educated children too. From memory it was 1/2 back on $1200 schooling receipts for secondary and 1/2 back on $700 for primary. It could include computer, internet, printing costs and books. So fairly easy to rack up. A couple of years ago it was changed to a straight (smaller) payment so no more receipt collecting. I think it is one of our 'middle class' benefits. So maybe you wouldn't receive it if on a high income. I just presumed it was still going. I think it was automatically paid within the last couple of months. I'll try and track down its name.

The catch being that, if single, the ex can stop your payment by refusing his permission, even when the Ed dept approve. Guess how I learned that.

In SA a yearly home visit and review is required to officially comply with regulations. If you comply you can claim some govt school-kid payments. This brought many long-term home schooling families out of the woodwork. In practice the paperwork required is minimal and the home-visit is very encouraging and enjoyed by most families, even if it may generate some stress before-hand. There are is a very small dedicated and supportive branch within the Education Dept that do this. In NT the paperwork requires you on paper at least more closely replicate school hours-per-week and curriculum. Approval there is through the Principal of the local school. This make it harder but still doable. NT has a lot of trouble with non-attendance by school-kids which may be why it is more of a challenge to comply. Shop keepers are banned from serving children during school hours there. In Australia now Home Education is a recognised exemption from job seeking/working for receiving Govt assistance. So it needs gatekeepers to keep this from becoming abused.

You win goldielocks. That truly is unpopular. Though I guess true to your name, it is the middle bit between two extremes; peel and flesh. We still have our tree and decorations up and we are having too many nasty hot days (over 40 oC). But this does mean the sun reflects the tinsel back across the walls each afternoon.

I've heard duck used affectionately. I had an aunty who called us all 'duck'. She wasn't English. If blokes referred to their other as 'honey' or 'love' they would take a ribbing from their mates. Something between affectionately and mildly derogatory might be safer.

We also had a good and immediate start to the new year without those couple of days of tearilly dragging brains back from the brink. Must be something in the air. Is good :) I actually watched part of a (junior) game of cricket for the first time ever this summer. I have a bil and nephew who are firmly of that religion. I hung around long enough to have 'visibly shown an interest'. I also found that I have even less idea than I realised of scoring or rules. But I'm OK with that.

I just checked out the Breakfasts around the world of that link. I'll have brekky in the Philippines please. The Aussie's in the earlier photo should have included a jar of Vegemite in their weekly grocery shot so they would not be scraping an inadequate smear on their toast. (And a jar of instant coffee so the mug wouldn't be empty.) But at least that is accurate. Forgot to get some; make do. Unlike the Peruvian breakfast:. Seriously? How many breakfast tables in Peru would ever have that on it?

Great link, thank you. I was astonished at all the cool drink (soda?) in the Mexico shot (with all that wonderful fresh food). Then saw the next few had lots too. As did the Aussies. 16 litres of cool drinks and only 6 litres of milk. My dd would get through that much milk a week by herself and most of that fruit. This, along with several beasts worth of meat and two cartons (not packets) of cigarettes in that photo, means I will try to judge the other countries' accuracy by my country's. [ETA: Where is the beer and wine? If they show cigarettes wouldn't they show alcohol?] Off to look at more on that link. By the way, my dc do not have to like what they are given but they do have to eat at least 1/2 of what they are served and not to get themselves something else instead. "You don't have to like it but you do have to eat it."

A long time ago eldest dd and two friends were playing dress-ups when my friend and I decided we would drive to see the Queen and Prince Phillip drive to the airport. So we loaded a princess, a cheetah (dd) and a green dragon into the car and found a position where their car would drove past slowly. Even at the end of a drive of polite waving to full 'sidewalks', our kids got an enthusiastic wave from both the Queen and the Prince. This dd spent some time wearing her duct-tape warfare Greek warrior helmet, tunic and sword around home and everywhere else. If the dress-ups won't suffer I'm fine with it. Some are inside kit. We've always had great dress ups so even older kids like to get stuck in.

But not the big webbed bush ones when you don't see them in time. I like the Golden Orb spiders too. When I've lived with one of those in the garden, we've enjoyed watching them build a new beautiful web each evening.

You know if you grow up in a state without those deadly Eastern Funnelwebs AND the great big spiders you do have, aka Huntsmen, are known to not be dangerous then you can develop a certain affection for them. They generally only come inside when it rains and sit still in corners until moths or bugs come near. I don't like them in or above my bed. Sometimes they drop as they pounce on their prey. I will admit to moving fast hearing a gentle plop of spider on my pillow at night. But that has only happened once. As a kid I used to get freaked by St Andrew Cross spiders. I'll come back with their name when I think of it. They string very strong, very wide webs between things in (dry) creeks etc. When you walk into them they don't break straight away and you don't know where the spider/s are.