ketchupklf

Purely a hypothetical on my part... but I have many friends who do not celebrate one or more holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc and it started me wondering.

How would you handle a child in your home that announced that they no longer wished to celebrate a holiday that the rest of the family celebrated? Would you still get them presents... fix them up an Easter basket and such?

I think personally I wouldn't 'push' a holiday on an adult child... but as with so many other things when a child was still a *child* (even a teen) I would continue the 'bare minimums' of family traditions at such times. I wouldn't make them hunt eggs or sing Christmas carols... but I think I would insist they be reasonably understanding of the fact that they would be getting the traditional 'recognition' from my end until they were out and on their own.

What about other parents? How would you or even *have* you handled this sort of thing?

When asked today my husband had never heard anything about Charlie Sheen's crazy 'winning' speech. Does this indicate that hubby needs a life... or *has* a life?

My oven's temperature buttons are broken and I can't set it above 350 degrees. I have a 'party size' frozen meal that is meant to cook at 425 degrees for an hour. Would I be able to cook it longer at 350 with a fair amount of success? How long do you think I'll need to cook it?

Our cat (young adult female) was sick sometime back... lost a lot of weight and had a lot of sores/hair loss. She's all better now... looks great. But ever since she started eating again and such she hasn't wanted to leave the room her food/water and litterbox are in. She only leaves when carried out so the room can be cleaned... and then she sits outside till she can get back in.

I wonder if it is related to her illness or to the fact that our small house is very 'busy' (filled with kids)... but she was fine with the kids and noise before. Just before she was ill our older cat died (old age)... could she still be lonely/depressed that he is gone?

It just seems like such a sad existence... 'trapped' in a small room... but it is where she wants to be. Any thoughts on getting her to rejoin the family in a more cozy part of the house?

I'm headed from Waco to San Antonio on a Friday afternoon this month. If I go straight through Austin I will get there about 3:30 or 4pm. The friend in San Antonio told me it might be better to divert to 281 and go around even that early in the afternoon... the friend in Waco said it shouldn't be a big problem to go right on through. So... I'm wanting more opinions.

Which do you think take less time?

Which do you think would cost me less (in gas/tolls/whatever)?

Companion question to the 'forgetting your child in the car' question.

Looking around wildly for the child I was carrying has actually happened to me about half a dozen times over the course of my 4 kids. Just wondering if I'm the only one! :)

We've always bought used cars for cash because that has been the best situation we could afford... but now we are in the market for a good used van and are considering getting something a *little* 'nicer' and getting a loan.

We are both adults (in our 40s in fact). My husband has a 'decent' job and our credit score has come up in recent years because we just finished paying off credit cards through a credit counseling service. This is just something we haven't done before and I don't really know where to best start my research. What tips would you have for getting your first car loan?

We've always bought used cars for cash because that has been the best situation we could afford... but now we are in the market for a good used van and are considering getting something a *little* 'nicer' and getting a loan.

We are both adults (in our 40s in fact). My husband has a 'decent' job and our credit score has come up in recent years because we just finished paying off credit cards through a credit counseling service. This is just something we haven't done before and I don't really know where to best start my research. What tips would you have for getting your first car loan?

I'm expecting #5 and 'gearing up' for my first visit with the doc after confirming with the Nurse practitioner.

My doc for the last two deliveries is a family practice doc who has been very supportive of my knowledge and choices for my own pregnancies. I was 'over 35' for both those pregnancies and he didn't flinch at that. He didn't insist on extra tests or start hinting that I was 'high risk'. He was fine with most of my very 'natural' birth plan and steered unsupportive nurses to other rooms at delivery time. I nursed through both of those pregnancies and will be nursing through (at least part) of this one as well. When he wasn't sure if something I wanted to do was 'ok' he was willing to read my research and do his own research before insisting it be done 'the way we always do it'.

But now... it's been two and a half (almost three) years since my last pregnancy and I've crossed *another* big scary 'AMA' line <roll eyes>... I turned 40yrs in December... so I'm just a bit worried how he may 'react'. Has anyone with a supportive doc had them go all 'freaked' on you just a bit later? I've had easy pregnancies and deliveries... he's commended me to a student nurse as "someone who knows her stuff"... but I just worry that at some point all the support is going to fade away and I'm going to get tossed out on my ear to see some 'high risk' doc instead.

Anyone have stories that support or ease my fears?

My oldest son has just crossed over into the 'youth group' years and went on his first youth group overnight last night. Now I had heard from friend's kids about how unsafe the van trip up was... but I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt... particularly because my son (12yrs) even *asked* if everyone wore seatbelts on the trips (he knows his mama) and was told they now *did* by the youth minister.

They not only didn't wear seatbelts... they were laying all over the seats/floor, climbing over seats and turned around backwards. They kept telling my son he didn't have to wear his belt if he didn't want to... *that is illegal* at his age and at many of theirs! The youth minister sat right next to my son (another adult drove)... no seat belt. When the other teens encourged my son not to wear his belt the youth minister said it was 'ok' if my son did. (So nice that he allowed him to follow the law.)

Here (Arkansas) they legally must wear a belt if they are under 15 yrs... the kids in my son's class (so, his age) were not. Front seat riders must all wear belts... they did not.

I am *not* letting this rest... I'm just deciding how far and where to take it. I plan to talk to the youth minister first tonight... but I understand others have had this conversation with him and clearly nothing has changed. I wonder if I should bring this up to our church's elders... I mean, shouldn't someone *hired* to look after the teens do it *legally*? <sigh> I hate confrontation... but I won't put my son in that van again unless I have some serious assurances that this is not going to happen again!

Any thoughts on what I should say/do and who I should take this to?

My oldest son has just crossed over into the 'youth group' years and went on his first youth group overnight last night. Now I had heard from friend's kids about how unsafe the van trip up was... but I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt... particularly because my son (12yrs) even *asked* if everyone wore seatbelts on the trips (he knows his mama) and was told they now *did* by the youth minister.

They not only didn't wear seatbelts... they were laying all over the seats/floor, climbing over seats and turned around backwards. They kept telling my son he didn't have to wear his belt if he didn't want to... *that is illegal* at his age and at many of theirs!

Here they legally must wear a belt if they are under 15 yrs... the kids in my son's class (so, his age) were not. Front seat riders must all wear belts... they did not.

I am *not* letting this rest... I'm just deciding how far and where to take it. I plan to talk to the youth minister first tonight... but I understand others have had this conversation with him and clearly nothing has changed. I wonder if I should bring this up to our church's elders... I mean, shouldn't someone *hired* to look after the teens do it *legally*? <sigh> I hate confrontation... but I won't put my son in that van again unless I have some serious assurances that this is not going to happen again!

Any thoughts on what I should say/do and who I should take this to?

When writing/drawing on her own my daughter asks how to spell a word and looks at the letter while writing it... but the word and letters are sometimes perfectly reversed when she finishes.

Is this a concern at this point or just a curiosity? Is this very common? I'm trying to remember if my older child did this when he was learning to write.

Suggested Catagory: Men's Health

I have a very small 2 yr old how is *dying* to potty train. I got him some 2/3Ts and they are falling off his little tush! He's just 20 pounds and wears some 12 month clothes and some 18 months and 2Ts... but in pants it is *all* 12 months if you want them to stay on.

I've never been in a hurry to push my kiddos toward training... so having one so young and small needing underware has been interesting. Even when we have started training at 2yrs they haven't really been confident enough for real undies... but this one is *ready* and they just don't fit!

So... do they make smaller undies and if not what do I do with this kiddo?!? :)

What are some of your favorite 'signs' you have seen in your children that you do something too much or too little?

For example a couple of mine:

1. When my oldest was little we went through a particularly busy period where we were doing Banquet TV dinners nearly every night. One night I asked him to pick what he wanted for dinner and he said "Can we have something that is not in a red box?" And my first thought was '*No* of course not... what a silly question!'. <blush>

2. Just now my two middle kids were playing and one had to rush out to go potty. I heard her calling to her brother "Can you pause the game??" (they were *not* playing a computer/video game) I've heard her do this before in fact. Makes me wonder if daddy, mommy and big brother may have just a tad too much electronic entertainment in their lives. Hmmm............ Nah!

Choose one or more and expound on your answer all you like...

When you see a woman in the checkout with a pregnancy test, does your first assumption tend to be that she:

A. Is hoping for a 'pregnant'.

B. Is hoping for a 'not pregnant'.

C. *Should* be hoping for a 'not pregnant'

D. Other

Does your answer change if the woman is:

... a young woman alone?

... an older woman with a crowd of small children?

I always wonder what others think when I buy one... and today I bought one with my four kids in tow. Everytime I do I wonder if everyone is 'looking down on me' for having so many already or feeling sorry for me thinking I *certainly* can't want any more. <sigh> I guess I just wonder too much what others are thinging... even when I know it is *absolutely* none of their buisness. :)

(The kids by the way are 12 yrs, 5 yrs, nearly 4 yrs and 2yrs.)

Ok... two of my unsocialized homeschool kids are having a bday party tomorrow. We were sick all last week so we didn't get any invites out. We just passed the word along at homeschool functions this week and figured we'd have a small crowd this year with the short notice we gave.

We have had *30* people RSVP and a dozen more let us know they would love to be there but they have other plans. My poor kids with no friends. <smile>

I'm one of many 'theater mommies' that are taking turns bringing our overworked directors food for their families. Next Monday I need to bring food to feed two families of four.

I plan to make a simple 'bean soup' that has four types of beans, link sausage and picante sauce. I'm also thinking I'll bring cubes of sharp cheedar cheese because that is what *my* family loves to put in when we eat this soup. I'm just going with a couple of two liter sodas for a drink.

What else do I need? What bread/crackers (quick and easy prefered) would you recommend? What type of dessert? Anything else needed?

Thanks for your help!

History has never really been my 'passion'... but I can fall for it fairly easily when I can 'put myself in' the time period. Now I'm teaching a US colonies class at our co-op and have just fallen in love with Dover Coloring Books. I can show them just about any time, place or historical person in an instant.

The real question becomes... how do I live with the fact that even though so many are just $4 I can't afford them *all*?!? :)

For those who may never have seen them: http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-colo...

Ok... I've been 'out of the loop' for a bit visiting family with a *dead* computer. And I've been saving this one...

I'm curious... What are some things you *didn't*/don't do with your baby that you really *do* think are great ideas? And of course the logical followup... why didn't/don't you do them?

For example:

1. I love the idea of homebirths... but in my four babies I've never seriously considered one. While I think they are safe/normal/natural... I know me. I would be more worried about the other people in my house than I should be... totally killing the 'relaxing' atmosphere of being at home. I do better telling myself I am the 'guest' at Hotel Hospital and they *will* run my baby's birth my way! :)

2. I love the *idea* of cloth diapers... but I'm too lazy/set in my ways to pull it off.