SOCIAL GROUP: Atheists, agnostics, free-thinkers, non-believers

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

My real worry is coming from some conversations I've had with my neighbor who teaches in the local public schools. More and more, she said, some teachers are having to stop class and have arguments with students on things like... DNA, politics, space exploration, etc. Kids are coming to school and whining about bad test marks when they get something wrong but they see it as "disagreeing on what's acceptable" or they claim persecution for their beliefs and opinions. How are THOSE kids going to function in the real world as adults, is what she wondered the other night. And it just got me thinking.

 

That is scary!

[Mom-ninja.]

Part of the problem with students today is also the entitlement they feel. They feel they have a right to be right and that rough roads should be smoothed out for them. Then add the "that's offensive to my religion" ingredient and bigger problems emerge.

[Big Buckin' Longhorn]

Just to give all of you a "what. the. what." moment in your day. I was raised in a full-on, bonified religious cult. We lived in a church run building and I attended 10+ years of private christain schools that included . . . Abeka, BJU, and ACE curriculum. Uhmmmm and in case I haven't mentioned in before, I'm black. So are my parents. So is my sibling.

 

But I did spend the majority of my school years in a constant state of suspension and being called into the principal's office. If my teachers could see what I've turned into, they'd retire on the spot. Maybe I should give one a call. :001_rolleyes:

 

I have spent sooooo much time on therapists couches undoing the INSANE upbringing I had. But I'm better now.

 

Now I believe in science. It can be undone. But it takes a LONG time. A long time. I was screwed up for years.

[TeacherZee]

Just came across this complement to a science curriculum I thought might interest some here.

 

And the entitlement attitude amongst teens isn't unique to the US, I see it here with my students too.

[Guest inoubliable]

Just to give all of you a "what. the. what." moment in your day. I was raised in a full-on, bonified religious cult. We lived in a church run building and I attended 10+ years of private christain schools that included . . . Abeka, BJU, and ACE curriculum. Uhmmmm and in case I haven't mentioned in before, I'm black. So are my parents. So is my sibling.

 

But I did spend the majority of my school years in a constant state of suspension and being called into the principal's office. If my teachers could see what I've turned into, they'd retire on the spot. Maybe I should give one a call. :001_rolleyes:

 

I have spent sooooo much time on therapists couches undoing the INSANE upbringing I had. But I'm better now.

 

Now I believe in science. It can be undone. But it takes a LONG time. A long time. I was screwed up for years.

 

 

:grouphug: I can relate a bit.

 

I love your blog, btw. Can I make a plea for more postings? :laugh:

[Guest inoubliable]

Just came across this complement to a science curriculum I thought might interest some here.

 

And the entitlement attitude amongst teens isn't unique to the US, I see it here with my students too.

 

Awesome! Going to put those on my list to check for at the book fair tomorrow.

[Guest inoubliable]

Anyone here with some tattoo aftercare knowledge? DH and I stopped at our tattoo place the other day since it was snowing and there was no one out. Just to check on our favorite artist who owns the shop. She lives way out in nowhere and usually sleeps at the shop when the snow will be too much for her to make it home or back again the next morning. Sure enough she was there. She did some touch up stuff for pennies while we kept her company. One of my tattoos, though, is still swollen when the other isn't. Not only that, but the redness is still there around the outline. It's also hot to the touch. The other tattoo on that same wrist, done at the same time, isn't reacting like this. I'm wondering if this has something to do with colored inks? The red, swollen, pins and needles feeling tat has color ink - I've never messed with that before. Could this be part of it? Or should I be considering a doctor visit to rule out infection?

[Mom-ninja.]

Okay, I have to vent. I've been chewing on this or a couple months. I'm trying to figure out if I should discuss this with my sibling or stay out of it as it's her life.

 

She's married, almost 30, and has one kid. This kid was an "accident" as in "we were doing NFP and I messed up" accident. I did NFP for years and it works but ONLY if you do it carefully and correctly. She was not. She didn't really care if she got pg. So, both she and her dh have BA degrees. She works 12 hour shifts on weekends and is home with the little one during the week. Every now and then she works a weekday. Her dh works 3 hours Mon-Thurs. He tutors high school kids in math. We won't get into the fact that he doesn't consider working more hours or having a full time job.

 

Anyway, both degrees were paid with grants so they didn't pay for their schooling. The baby is on state health insurance. My sister gets WIC. During her pg she was on Medicaid and Medicaid paid for her IUD postpartum. They get food from charity pantries and grocery outlet type stores. She is *always* calling my parents for money. Always. If the baby needs something she calls my mom. She needed dental work and she called my mom and asked her to pay for it. She called my mom the other day and asked for money because she wanted to buy a pair of pants. When she visits she goes through the pantry and asks if she can take food home. She does this at my house too even though I tell her no. She still does it. My mom gives her half the pantry. My mom always gives her the money she asks for. My mom loves to give and I feel that my sister and her dh take advantage. Here's the extra part that makes me so angry. She just told me that she had her IUD removed because they want another baby. They can't afford the child they have now. But they want another. Do they have health insurance? No. But she'll get Medicaid again once she's pg.

 

I am NOT against social medicine. However, I get ticked off when I realize that I just paid over $1000 in medical bills for my ds in the past MONTH, and she has no problem having another child knowing she can't afford it and knowing that she will continue to get my parents paying for her. I mean she is going to be 30 in a few months. When will she realize that she IS NOT a child to run to mommy and daddy when she needs/wants something?

 

Oh, yeah. Six months ago my parents gave them their paid off van. My parents went out and got a car with a car payment because my sister and her dh couldn't afford a car payment. So they freaking give her a van. Dh and I are busting our butts to pay off our debt.....that we accrued because we didn't want to ask our parents for money. I do not want my parents to give me money. I am not jealous. I am angry at my sister and her dh for believing they are entitled to have things paid for them with no effort on their part. I mean her dh works 12 hours a week and feels he's pulling his share. :cursing:

 

I've gotten into arguments with my parents and they get mad at me and tell me I'm heartless and greedy. Yeah, *I'm* greedy.

 

I want to ask my sister why in the world she is trying to get pg on purpose and tell her that she needs to stop relying on our parents to support her. Especially when her dh doesn't feel it's necessary to support her.

 

Do I tell her or just bite hard and leave her to live her life. She doesn't ask me for money. She only asks for food when she visits which is about once a year.

[Big Buckin' Longhorn]

:grouphug: I can relate a bit.

 

I love your blog, btw. Can I make a plea for more postings? :laugh:

 

 

That's sweet. That poor blog is so neglected.

 

I'm sooooo blog lazy these days. I've been going through a really b!tchy period and I hate to rant *too much* on my blog. So I just keep quiet. There's enough negativity on the internet.

 

My spouse put me on some new supplements about a month ago and it's starting to take the edge off my perimenopause. I'm feeling better. Maybe I can get a post in next week. It's spring break here, so I'll have a little free time. Of course, I'm supposed to be writing a 10+ page research paper. I guess I need to schedule a library trip on one of those days.

 

Procrastination is the spice of life. Mine is muy caliente!

[Guest inoubliable]

That's a hard one. I've got a brother like that.

 

If you think it'll make a difference in her decision to get pregnant, say something. I'm doubting it will, though, and I think you realize that. Saying anything won't change a thing, unfortunately, and may just end up causing more drama. I'd approach it with your parents instead. In a I'm-worried-about-your-financial-future way. I'd not accuse the sister of wrecking retirement plans, exactly, but I would say that I notice Sister is still dependent on them financially and so you're assuming that you'll be primarily responsible for them as they age. Ask them what their wishes are. This may get them thinking...

 

Other than that, :grouphug: Families are funny, eh?

[Big Buckin' Longhorn]

Okay, I have to vent. I've been chewing on this or a couple months. I'm trying to figure out if I should discuss this with my sibling or stay out of it as it's her life.

 

She's married, almost 30, and has one kid. This kid was an "accident" as in "we were doing NFP and I messed up" accident. I did NFP for years and it works but ONLY if you do it carefully and correctly. She was not. She didn't really care if she got pg. So, both she and her dh have BA degrees. She works 12 hour shifts on weekends and is home with the little one during the week. Every now and then she works a weekday. Her dh works 3 hours Mon-Thurs. He tutors high school kids in math. We won't get into the fact that he doesn't consider working more hours or having a full time job.

 

Anyway, both degrees were paid with grants so they didn't pay for their schooling. The baby is on state health insurance. My sister gets WIC. During her pg she was on Medicaid and Medicaid paid for her IUD postpartum. They get food from charity pantries and grocery outlet type stores. She is *always* calling my parents for money. Always. If the baby needs something she calls my mom. She needed dental work and she called my mom and asked her to pay for it. She called my mom the other day and asked for money because she wanted to buy a pair of pants. When she visits she goes through the pantry and asks if she can take food home. She does this at my house too even though I tell her no. She still does it. My mom gives her half the pantry. My mom always gives her the money she asks for. My mom loves to give and I feel that my sister and her dh take advantage. Here's the extra part that makes me so angry. She just told me that she had her IUD removed because they want another baby. They can't afford the child they have now. But they want another. Do they have health insurance? No. But she'll get Medicaid again once she's pg.

 

I am NOT against social medicine. However, I get ticked off when I realize that I just paid over $1000 in medical bills for my ds in the past MONTH, and she has no problem having another child knowing she can't afford it and knowing that she will continue to get my parents paying for her. I mean she is going to be 30 in a few months. When will she realize that she IS NOT a child to run to mommy and daddy when she needs/wants something?

 

Oh, yeah. Six months ago my parents gave them their paid off van. My parents went out and got a car with a car payment because my sister and her dh couldn't afford a car payment. So they freaking give her a van. Dh and I are busting our butts to pay off our debt.....that we accrued because we didn't want to ask our parents for money. I do not want my parents to give me money. I am not jealous. I am angry at my sister and her dh for believing they are entitled to have things paid for them with no effort on their part. I mean her dh works 12 hours a week and feels he's pulling his share. :cursing:

 

I've gotten into arguments with my parents and they get mad at me and tell me I'm heartless and greedy. Yeah, *I'm* greedy.

 

I want to ask my sister why in the world she is trying to get pg on purpose and tell her that she needs to stop relying on our parents to support her. Especially when her dh doesn't feel it's necessary to support her.

 

Do I tell her or just bite hard and leave her to live her life. She doesn't ask me for money. She only asks for food when she visits which is about once a year.

 

 

I probably wouldn't say anything to her as she won't change and you'll ruin what little relationship you have with her. I would spend many hours ranting and raving to my spouse in private at home. But eventually that would get old, and I'd stop that too.

 

Ask me how I know.

[Desert Rat]

Anyone here with some tattoo aftercare knowledge? DH and I stopped at our tattoo place the other day since it was snowing and there was no one out. Just to check on our favorite artist who owns the shop. She lives way out in nowhere and usually sleeps at the shop when the snow will be too much for her to make it home or back again the next morning. Sure enough she was there. She did some touch up stuff for pennies while we kept her company. One of my tattoos, though, is still swollen when the other isn't. Not only that, but the redness is still there around the outline. It's also hot to the touch. The other tattoo on that same wrist, done at the same time, isn't reacting like this. I'm wondering if this has something to do with colored inks? The red, swollen, pins and needles feeling tat has color ink - I've never messed with that before. Could this be part of it? Or should I be considering a doctor visit to rule out infection?

 

I only have one with color right now, but I didn't react like that. How many days out are you? You look pretty fair skinned in your pic. I am too and tend to stay red longer. But the hot is what worries me. I'd call your shop and tell them, see what they say. I wouldn't put anything on it before clearing it with them, but I wouldn't make a trip to the doctor without checking either. Good luck!

[Mom-ninja.]

Maybe I should ask my sister how she plans on supporting the parents when they retire.

[Mom-ninja.]

I probably wouldn't say anything to her as she won't change and you'll ruin what little relationship you have with her. I would spend many hours ranting and raving to my spouse in private at home. But eventually that would get old, and I'd stop that too.

 

Ask me how I know.

 

Sigh. Yeah, my dh gets just as angry.

[Guest inoubliable]

That's sweet. That poor blog is so neglected.

 

I'm sooooo blog lazy these days. I've been going through a really b!tchy period and I hate to rant *too much* on my blog. So I just keep quiet. There's enough negativity on the internet.

 

My spouse put me on some new supplements about a month ago and it's starting to take the edge off my perimenopause. I'm feeling better. Maybe I can get a post in next week. It's spring break here, so I'll have a little free time. Of course, I'm supposed to be writing a 10+ page research paper. I guess I need to schedule a library trip on one of those days.

 

Procrastination is the spice of life. Mine is muy caliente!

 

Yay for feeling better!

[Guest inoubliable]

I only have one with color right now, but I didn't react like that. How many days out are you? You look pretty fair skinned in your pic. I am too and tend to stay red longer. But the hot is what worries me. I'd call your shop and tell them, see what they say. I wouldn't put anything on it before clearing it with them, but I wouldn't make a trip to the doctor without checking either. Good luck!

 

Color was put in on Wednesday. I think. Wasn't that the big snow day? Yeah. Wednesday. I just sent a FB message over to the shop. It's two colors - blue and yellow. It's the HRC design, actually. It's part of my "charm bracelet" on my left wrist. I've been washing gently with Dial soap, just as I always do. This time, instead of A&D ointment, I was told to spritz with Bactine antiseptic spray once in a while to keep it from itching. I'm not sure how I could have gotten an infection but the pain and the heat at the site are worrying me. DH is allergic to the yellow inks (like he has the exact same tat and the yellow in his wouldn't take so it looks splotchy) so he's thinking that maybe it's an allergic reaction to one of the colors.

[dbmamaz]

my teen was willing to read the 'cartoon guides' but didnt seem to get much out of them.

 

i have a sister who totally lives off my mom. any time i've tried to confront her in any ways about her choices, she gets hysterical and makes a huge stink, going on and on about how cruel i am, and my mother gets mad at me. I havent spoken to my sister in about 3 years . . . i'm of the 'its not worth talking to her' camp. i would, tho, have a serious talk w my mom about paying for the IUD meaning that she, gramma, will just have to spend even more supporting the bigger family.

[Guest inoubliable]

http://flickr.com/gp/93078131@N08/0Ki0c6/

 

Flickr link to see the tats. Hard to see because the picture quality is so awful, but even with that the redness on the one is noticeable.

[Corraleno]

I've gotten into arguments with my parents and they get mad at me and tell me I'm heartless and greedy.

 

I would ask your mom what she is getting out of the deal. She is not an innocent victim here, she's an enabler. Does she like to feel needed? Does it make her feel important that your sister's family is dependent on her? Is she afraid she will have less contact with them if she stops supporting them?

 

Once you find out why your mom refuses to ever say no, I would ask your parents what they think will happen when the money's gone and your sister & her hubby & kids suddenly have no support. Do they realize that while they think they're "helping" in the short run, they're setting your sister up for disaster in the future?

 

I would also point out to them that since you and your DH are struggling to pay all your own bills and expenses with no help from anyone else, you will not be in a position to support them once all their money is gone. So what are their plans once they and your sister are both broke? Maybe they'd like to visit a few local nursing homes that accept indigent patients, to get an idea of what their future will look like?

 

And then, after that discussion, I would totally stay out of it and not. say. another. word. (except "no" if they or your sister ask you for anything).

 

Jackie

[Guest inoubliable]

I would ask your mom what she is getting out of the deal. She is not an innocent victim here, she's an enabler. Does she like to feel needed? Does it make her feel important that your sister's family is dependent on her? Is she afraid she will have less contact with them if she stops supporting them?

 

Once you find out why your mom refuses to ever say no, I would ask your parents what they think will happen when the money's gone and your sister & her hubby & kids suddenly have no support. Do they realize that while they think they're "helping" in the short run, they're setting your sister up for disaster in the future?

 

I would also point out to them that since you and your DH are struggling to pay all your own bills and expenses with no help from anyone else, you will not be in a position to support them once all their money is gone. So what are their plans once they and your sister are both broke? Maybe they'd like to visit a few local nursing homes that accept indigent patients, to get an idea of what their future will look like?

 

And then, after that discussion, I would totally stay out of it and not. say. another. word. (except "no" if they or your sister ask you for anything).

 

Jackie

 

 

This. Very well said.

[Spryte]

I love this thread. :001_wub: Though you'd never know by how often I manage to post.

 

My niece's partner went to Liberty. She didn't have a lot of options, and her foster parents somehow worked out free tuition for her. I tend to worry about most people who go to colleges like that, but she turned out okay - not sure how she worked that! Have a feeling she was the lone lesbian at Liberty.

[Desert Rat]

 

Color was put in on Wednesday. I think. Wasn't that the big snow day? Yeah. Wednesday. I just sent a FB message over to the shop. It's two colors - blue and yellow. It's the HRC design, actually. It's part of my "charm bracelet" on my left wrist. I've been washing gently with Dial soap, just as I always do. This time, instead of A&D ointment, I was told to spritz with Bactine antiseptic spray once in a while to keep it from itching. I'm not sure how I could have gotten an infection but the pain and the heat at the site are worrying me. DH is allergic to the yellow inks (like he has the exact same tat and the yellow in his wouldn't take so it looks splotchy) so he's thinking that maybe it's an allergic reaction to one of the colors.

 

 

I'd be interested to see how they respond. Nance on these boards is married to a tattoo artist. I don't see her around much, but it may be worth it to zip her a note.

 

And now you got me worried! I'm going in this summer for a tattoo that will involve purples and blues. I didn't know that people had allergies to the dyes. I just never thought of it.

 

The only time I ever saw anyone with a problem tattoo was my good, crazy, semi-homeless, ciggy mooching friend in college. He got a tattoo of a ninja turtle on his right chest. The tattoo" artist" colored it in with acrylic! Yes, acrylic. He would subconciously scratch it all the time. :) Ah, that kid. He was a crack up. I haven't thought about him in years. Thanks for bringing up a good memory. :)

[Guest inoubliable]

 

I'd be interested to see how they respond. Nance on these boards is married to a tattoo artist. I don't see her around much, but it may be worth it to zip her a note.

 

And now you got me worried! I'm going in this summer for a tattoo that will involve purples and blues. I didn't know that people had allergies to the dyes. I just never thought of it.

 

The only time I ever saw anyone with a problem tattoo was my good, crazy, semi-homeless, ciggy mooching friend in college. He got a tattoo of a ninja turtle on his right chest. The tattoo" artist" colored it in with acrylic! Yes, acrylic. He would subconciously scratch it all the time. :) Ah, that kid. He was a crack up. I haven't thought about him in years. Thanks for bringing up a good memory. :)

 

 

Heard back from the artist and she thinks I'm allergic to the Bactine spray. I didn't know people could be allergic to that! DH's allergy to the yellow ink is definitely looking different from what I have going on. I took ibuprofen and the tattoo artist told me to wash the Bactine off with Dial soap and give it a little time. I'll go in tonight so she can look at it, but it already looks like it's doing a little better. If it doesn't stop improving, I might shoot Nance a quick note. Didn't I see that she was taking it easy with a viable pregnancy? I thought it was her that updated a bit ago...

 

What's your new tat going to be? Now I'm curious. I love hearing about other people's ink and their stories. Also...I'm nosy. LOL!

 

Acrylic?!? EEK! And LOL at the ninja turtle mention!

[Mom-ninja.]

I would ask your mom what she is getting out of the deal. She is not an innocent victim here, she's an enabler. Does she like to feel needed? Does it make her feel important that your sister's family is dependent on her? Is she afraid she will have less contact with them if she stops supporting them?

 

 

My mom is a gift giver. It's her love language. Plus, she does have a need to feel needed and to feel liked.

 

She used to tell me that I had a responsibility to help my sister financially. She actually said things like, "Well, you wanted a little sister and you got one." :confused1: I asked her since when is supporting one's sibling an obligation. She would say things like, "Well, your dh makes good money so you can spare some." At that point I reminded her that dh and I have our own financial responsibilities and my sister is not one of them. She used to say, "But she's a college student and so broke. College students are really poor you know." Really?! She seems to think that I wasn't broke and poor while I was in college? :glare: Maybe it's because I didn't beg money off her. I pointed out to her that sis and her dh were *not* paying for school. They had full grants. I, however, had student loans and worked during college. They neither worked nor had student loans to pay back. I also lived in a different country and was completely independent (although FASFA) didn't consider me independent as for as college funds went. :glare:

 

I finally told her that my dh would not financially support another man (sister's dh) who was too lazy to do it himself. That shut her up. She will argue with me forever but she's afraid of my dh. All I have to do is hint that dh is against something and she shuts up. It's kind of funny because my dh is a very non-confrontational person. However, once he reaches his limit it's forever. She seems to sense that dh doesn't forgive if pushed.

[dbmamaz]

glad your home and everything looks good! enjoy your down time!

[Guest inoubliable]

Hi, guys! I'm back home and feeling fine(being chock full of pain meds really helps). Everything was benign-the cyst and three huge fibroids. It wasn't as painful as I thought, more of a dull ache than sharp pains. I think most of the pain was from throwing up as the anesthesia wore off, that made me feel awful. I love my doctor-he checked on me at least three times a day, and all the nurses were extra kind. Really, the worrying was the worst of it. I plan on sitting and sleeping the whole week and just letting my guys baby me . Thanks for all the good wishes!

 

Good to hear from you! Glad the news was good, too. Rest well. :)

[Lady Florida.]

Glad to hear all went well, Dot.

[4kidlets4me]

My DH is home for the weekend!! He got in yesterday and surprised me. I thought I was having lunch with a friend and it turns out she picked him up from the airport and brought him to the restaurant! His employer covered the cost of the trip and gave him paid time off even though he technically hasn't earned any time off yet(he just started in October and needs to work a year before vacation kicks in).

[Desert Rat]

 

Heard back from the artist and she thinks I'm allergic to the Bactine spray. I didn't know people could be allergic to that! DH's allergy to the yellow ink is definitely looking different from what I have going on. I took ibuprofen and the tattoo artist told me to wash the Bactine off with Dial soap and give it a little time. I'll go in tonight so she can look at it, but it already looks like it's doing a little better. If it doesn't stop improving, I might shoot Nance a quick note. Didn't I see that she was taking it easy with a viable pregnancy? I thought it was her that updated a bit ago...

 

What's your new tat going to be? Now I'm curious. I love hearing about other people's ink and their stories. Also...I'm nosy. LOL!

 

Acrylic?!? EEK! And LOL at the ninja turtle mention!

 

Bactine, huh? My dh developed an allergy to neosporin! Weird. My after care for all of my tattoos was only soap and water. But those guys are always changing their minds. Whew. Now you know.

 

I am planning a memorial piece for my dadda. I have an existing tattoo on the outside of my ankle (the cover of my wedding invite. I got it for our 15th). So, I think I'll be adding an equal size piece to the other side. I will be getting my dad's favorite coin, the three legged buffalo nickel. It'll probably be 3 inches in diameter. He was an avid coin collector. To make the 2 pieces on either side blend, I'm adding my mom's fave flower and they will probably go onto my foot (ouch!) Her favorite is violets, hence the purple and blues. :) I have a great tattoo artist that thinks of wonderful ideas. So, I'm very open to putting it somewhere else if she wants more "room". I'm also toying with the idea of having my dad's handwritting under or above. I have a card he signed that I loved. It would be nice to carry that around with me everywhere. "Love Always, Dad." We'll see. That's why I'm not working on it right now. It's still too raw. Plus, my lady has a 4 month wait.

 

My tattoos are symbols of the people I love in my life, my boys, my honey, myself, soon my mom and dad. That just leave my brother. I will be getting a very cool sugar skull (he loves/collects skulls). It's one of my artist friend's designs, so not original but very cool. That won't be until next year though. Maybe. You know how tattoos can be. "Oh, I'll just get one more...." Ha! I'm even skipping my turn. Dh is supposed to be next. :)

 

I love your charm bracelet idea! Very clever. :)

[Desert Rat]

My DH is home for the weekend!! He got in yesterday and surprised me. I thought I was having lunch with a friend and it turns out she picked him up from the airport and brought him to the restaurant! His employer covered the cost of the trip and gave him paid time off even though he technically hasn't earned any time off yet(he just started in October and needs to work a year before vacation kicks in).

 

That is awesome! Enjoy your honey!

[Guest inoubliable]

My DH is home for the weekend!! He got in yesterday and surprised me. I thought I was having lunch with a friend and it turns out she picked him up from the airport and brought him to the restaurant! His employer covered the cost of the trip and gave him paid time off even though he technically hasn't earned any time off yet(he just started in October and needs to work a year before vacation kicks in).

 

Very cool! Enjoy your weekend! :)

[Guest inoubliable]

Bactine, huh? My dh developed an allergy to neosporin! Weird. My after care for all of my tattoos was only soap and water. But those guys are always changing their minds. Whew. Now you know.

 

I am planning a memorial piece for my dadda. I have an existing tattoo on the outside of my ankle (the cover of my wedding invite. I got it for our 15th). So, I think I'll be adding an equal size piece to the other side. I will be getting my dad's favorite coin, the three legged buffalo nickel. It'll probably be 3 inches in diameter. He was an avid coin collector. To make the 2 pieces on either side blend, I'm adding my mom's fave flower and they will probably go onto my foot (ouch!) Her favorite is violets, hence the purple and blues. :) I have a great tattoo artist that thinks of wonderful ideas. So, I'm very open to putting it somewhere else if she wants more "room". I'm also toying with the idea of having my dad's handwritting under or above. I have a card he signed that I loved. It would be nice to carry that around with me everywhere. "Love Always, Dad." We'll see. That's why I'm not working on it right now. It's still too raw. Plus, my lady has a 4 month wait.

 

My tattoos are symbols of the people I love in my life, my boys, my honey, myself, soon my mom and dad. That just leave my brother. I will be getting a very cool sugar skull (he loves/collects skulls). It's one of my artist friend's designs, so not original but very cool. That won't be until next year though. Maybe. You know how tattoos can be. "Oh, I'll just get one more...." Ha! I'm even skipping my turn. Dh is supposed to be next. :)

 

I love your charm bracelet idea! Very clever. :)

 

Very definitely the Bactine. We did go up to the shop to have her take a look, but she had to bug out early. The other artist stuck around to take a look, though. It was already so much better by the time we got there. Swelling down, redness more "normal", pain pretty much gone. A little warm still. I'm going back to just Dial soap and water.

 

Wow. Your plan sounds amazing. I love the handwriting bit. Too cool.

 

My tattoos are all about my journeys in life. My back tat says Amantes Sunt Amentes - Lovers are Lunatics. That's DH and I for sure. LOL. So far my charm bracelet only has DH's initials and the HRC logo. I'm adding in a scarlet ibis (I loved the short story The Scarlet Ibis in middle school - it's always stuck with me), a tiny dino (I went to college to become a paleontologist!), three little stars (one for each of my kids who like to tell everyone that they are made of star stuff), a quote from The Little Prince, a quote from The Great Gatsby, and the atheist scarlet A. You can never just have one tattoo! LOL.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

The kids had a visit from the Easter bunny yesterday (aka my father's wife). I thought the Easter bunny only delivered goodies to families who celebrate Easter?

 

Not only did she push her beliefs on us, but also loaded the bags up with an insane amount of food color coated candy! Ds is not supposed to have food coloring. He was happily willing to look at angry bird fruit snacks from afar, but i doubt he'll be so compliant now. Besides, what does candy have to do with Easter?!

 

Can I start sending her cards to celebrate the Jewish or Muslim holidays? I really think I'm going to do this.

 

Why does everyone else's belief have to trump my lack of belief?

 

I have moments when i feel really bad for wanting to move to SC (12 hours from my father), but without fail, something happens and all my guilt about moving his grand kids so far away just goes out the window. The Easter candy was only one problem from yesterday.

[delaney]

How would you incorporate your kids initials into one tattoo? I am planning to get one on my shoulder with all the initials. C,J,M,D,J,T who is creative enough to design one?

[Laura Corin]

The kids had a visit from the Easter bunny yesterday (aka my father's wife). I thought the Easter bunny only delivered goodies to families who celebrate Easter?

 

Not only did she push her beliefs on us, but also loaded the bags up with an insane amount of food color coated candy! Ds is not supposed to have food coloring. He was happily willing to look at angry bird fruit snacks from afar, but i doubt he'll be so compliant now. Besides, what does candy have to do with Easter?!

 

 

For me, it depends on whether it came with proselytising. Easter is a cultural as well as a religious ceremony - nothing very Christian about eggs and bunnies - so we happily have Easter egg hunts. The food colouring issue is another matter.

 

Laura

[Ipsey]

The kids had a visit from the Easter bunny yesterday (aka my father's wife). I thought the Easter bunny only delivered goodies to families who celebrate Easter?

 

Not only did she push her beliefs on us, but also loaded the bags up with an insane amount of food color coated candy! Ds is not supposed to have food coloring. He was happily willing to look at angry bird fruit snacks from afar, but i doubt he'll be so compliant now. Besides, what does candy have to do with Easter?!

 

Can I start sending her cards to celebrate the Jewish or Muslim holidays? I really think I'm going to do this.

 

Why does everyone else's belief have to trump my lack of belief?

 

I have moments when i feel really bad for wanting to move to SC (12 hours from my father), but without fail, something happens and all my guilt about moving his grand kids so far away just goes out the window. The Easter candy was only one problem from yesterday.

 

 

 

Oooh, the food coloring was mean. Did she really "push her beliefs" on you, or just give the kids (inedible) candy? Even though we aren't religious, we do baskets and bunnies and candy at Easter. We explain to kids the reason Christians celebrate Easter, but we just view it as a celebration of spring.

 

If she was actively evangelizing, that would be . . . grrrr.

[Ipsey]

I had my crown does Friday, and it was not so bad.

That said, I _was_ super juiced up on nitrous oxide, and that was Sweeeeet!

 

Now, for something useful and homeschooly, I found this very interesting video prepared by a BYU professor, who explains how to maintain faith (TRUTH!) in the face of contrary evidence.

 

 

His answer is this: You _already know_ the Truth by revelation, so we should just have faith and let these questions and contradictions all melt away in the light of what you already know to be truth.

 

It's only a 3-minute video, but will, I think, provide an excellent example to my kids of how religious thinking works. I plan on using it for a review of logical fallacies and how reason and evidence are supposed to work (by providing a counter-example).

 

I wonder if I should leave the professor a message after the lesson and let him know how it works. :)

 

 

I.

[Ipsey]

Um, I used "super" way too often in that previous message, I'm going to go tidy that up.

Eek!

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Unless you know her, it's hard to explain.

 

When ds was dairy allergic, she frequently tried to give him foods with dairy.

 

When i figured out that ds couldn't have food coloring, she increased the amount of candy she sent.

 

When i officially changed what we celebrated, she started giving more during her celebrated holidays.

 

I let ds have the stupid candy and am regretting every moment of it.

[Ipsey]

Unless you know her, it's hard to explain.

 

When ds was dairy allergic, she frequently tried to give him foods with dairy.

 

When i figured out that ds couldn't have food coloring, she increased the amount of candy she sent.

 

When i officially changed what we celebrated, she started giving more during her celebrated holidays.

 

I let ds have the stupid candy and am regretting every moment of it.

 

Awww, ok, that sounds unpleasant.

[Melissa in NC]

Unless you know her, it's hard to explain.

 

When ds was dairy allergic, she frequently tried to give him foods with dairy.

 

When i figured out that ds couldn't have food coloring, she increased the amount of candy she sent.

 

When i officially changed what we celebrated, she started giving more during her celebrated holidays.

 

I let ds have the stupid candy and am regretting every moment of it.

 

 

I have been there. I used it as a teaching moment for my kids to help them understand how they are feeling is directly related to the candy. Now they read labels on everything and make informed choices about what they will eat.

[delaney]

Ya'll are just going to ignore me right? :glare:

[nmoira]

Ya'll are just going to ignore me right? :glare:

 

C,J,M,D,J,T

 

MCDLII

 

Using the older inverted T in place of the L.

 

ETA: Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452.

[LucyStoner]

 

 

My post was a huge generalization, I realize that. It's been a shitty morning. That's no excuse. I should have been more clear on that. I just meant that in general, the people I've run into that are homeschooled for religious reasons or that go to those types of colleges are so isolated from current events, diversity, and scientific knowledge that they seem to not understand a lot of how the real world works. That's not to say that everyone homeschooled for religious reasons or going to fundamentalist colleges are like that. Definitely not. Those types of religious people are rare, though - the ones that pray privately, keep their religious beliefs out of politics, and have a live and let live attitude. Maybe my experience is skewed. As db mentioned, Virginia is hugely conservative Christian and I've lived here pretty much my entire life. My experience is limited to that.

 

My real worry is coming from some conversations I've had with my neighbor who teaches in the local public schools. More and more, she said, some teachers are having to stop class and have arguments with students on things like... DNA, politics, space exploration, etc. Kids are coming to school and whining about bad test marks when they get something wrong but they see it as "disagreeing on what's acceptable" or they claim persecution for their beliefs and opinions. How are THOSE kids going to function in the real world as adults, is what she wondered the other night. And it just got me thinking.

 

This was a really interesting book written by a non-religious Brown student who spend a year at Liberty. He came away with a much less scary impression than he expected.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004Z4M3SE/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

 

I do have a little bit of an issue with how he glossed over gender issues which harm women, things like quiverfull, with only considering male viewpoints on it. The said, I don't expect 20 year old privileged males to be especially well educated about feminism and gender issues. I've actually only met one who was and I married him. ;)

 

Still a cheap and interesting read.

[LucyStoner]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/annie-e-clark/rape-is-like-a-football-g_b_2769576.html

 

Has this already been talked about here? What would you like to do to a person who tells you that rape is like football..

 

I have met folks who think like that and I have chewed out a number of them. Campus rape is a huge issue and frankly I think people would be shocked if we could accurately count the number of rapists out there. A lot of rape victims get the idea in there head that it wasn't really rape for oh so many different reasons. One time a survivor told me that she didn't realize it was rape because she agreed to it in order to be "allowed to leave". When someone twice your size locks you in a room and refuses to let you go until you have sex with them, that is not consent, more so when the rapist's frat brothers are blocking anyway out. But this sort of attitude "what would you have done differently" is all just a part of the many ways our culture places the blame for sexual assault on the victim (regardless of gender) rather than on the rapists. Nothing new or especially out of the ordinary.

[8circles]

I know I'm not part of this group but I SO wish that some of these topics were separate threads on the chat board. I would start them myself but I seem to be kind-of a pariah here & my threads are either ignored or turn south pretty quick. You guys talk about interesting stuff. Anyway, I don't want to crash (although yes, I already have :tongue_smilie: ), but just wanted to let you know.

[Rosie_0801]

What would you like to do to a person who tells you that rape is like football..

 

Something equally as illegal.

[LucyStoner]

Momoflaw- you'll never be a pariah to ME! ;)

[Desert Rat]

Ya'll are just going to ignore me right? :glare:

 

 

No, I'm not ignoring you. :) I've actually been thinking of your tattoo all day.

 

Hmmm.... I saw a great tattoo of an elephant with all the names of this person's family discreetly slipped into the lines. It was just lines, no color, etc. What I loved so much about this though is that he put his mom's name in the ear because she always listened to him; his dad's into the elephant's foot because he was his solid foundation. There were 5 names total.

 

I spent the last 10 minutes on pinterest trying to find it again. Ugh. I can't. It's abstract, but obviously an elephant.

 

Anyway, that's what I would do. I would take the names or initials to a really good tattoo artist and pick a favorite thing- flower, animal, image, and have the names/initials incorporated into it. I really liked the elephant and wish I could find it for you. If you're on pinterest, you may want to play around awhile and see if you can find it. It truly is worth looking for.

 

:)

[Guest inoubliable]

Back from the book fair. Disappointing for two reasons. First, there was a LOT less there as far as workbooks, foreign language stuff, and kid versions of the classics. Bummer. We picked up a few things, though, and DS12 even picked up a good bit of books that appealed to him. So that was good. The second disappointment happened towards the end of our time there. We ran into a few other homeschooling families. Before any conversation could take place, they noticed that I was calculating our purchase before we hit the lines and the moms in the group turned away from us and began talking about how *some* homeschoolers shouldn't bother homeschooling if they couldn't afford it. Because it's damaging to the children, you know. :glare: I've never run across that. Anyone else heard of a homeschooling family looking down on another homeschooling family because they don't have gobs and gobs of money to spend on everything they want? It was so obnoxious and we had to listen to it the whole time we were waiting in line.

 

So now we're home and I'm getting ready to settle in to read some of the linked articles here and then it's a night of reisling and a movie - Deadfall. Woo!