Results show is Thursday night.

Did anyone watch Wolfgang Puck on HSN .ast night.. [2008-11-29]
Lord, did that hostess with himtalk to no end. I couldn Everytime he She was talking nonstop. And saying the same thing over and over. Also, did you see when Wolfgang Puck sneezed into to the towel? THen he wipedpans and the counter with it? Then I noticed not too long after that he put some fritata on a plate and gave it to the talkative host and I didn I have to hand it Mr. Puck for the amount of patience he showed with Ms. Butt-In-Ski. Well, I guess t.v. has really gone downhill when you end up enjoying the commercials more than the shows, but I do...especially when they are selling cookware.

Well its 11:35 PM Saturday night here [2008-11-23]
on the west coast. I am a late person by nature. I absolutely hate going to bed and I hate waking up. Weekends I usually stay up til 2 or 3. I just finished watching the movie Twister. Now I'm going to try to work on some reports but I think I will end up going to bed. Nothing too too exciting going on.

I was up last night but missed your post [2008-11-23]
So I was up last night at that time but missed your post. I see you are on PST, where are you located? I am in the Seattle area. I guess you could call me a Goth MT as well : )

"fend for yourself night" [2008-11-18]
They scream and beg for it. One eats two bowls of cereal for dinner and one eats mac and cheese.

COF night [2008-11-18]
We do a COF night - clean out the fridge - where we just warm upall theleftover from the meals during the week. Usually was something leftover from every meal or frozen in containers to just microwave as all it takes isadding a bit to the weekly meals. Everyone seems to like it and finds plenty - just get out some applesauce or fruit to add and we are good. Sometimes throw in a batch of cornmeal muffins.

DH and I went to see the new Bond movie last night... [2008-11-15]
Daniel Craig...yummy!

Would you do the show Wife Swap? [2008-11-12]
I wouldn't but curious if anyone else here would.

It is just the love they can show...sm [2008-11-08]
You would have to own one. Mine touches my heart. I can't explain it. But he has a geniune love for me. For instance, I went to Walmart this evening and on the way home my husband called and said your dog is depressed looking out the windows for his mama and whining. He shows such genuine love it is just amazing. He waits for me at the door of the bathroom when I get a bath and will whimper and stick his paw under the door. How can you hate an animal capable of such love? It touches me.

Sorry about the typos, been up all night and can't see straight or spell it seems. nm [2008-11-03]
nm

And Thursday night is safer than Friday night - how? [2008-10-30]
We used to live in a town that was once in the Guiness Book of World Records for number of churches per capita (which by the way was the worst place I've ever lived - discourteous, Nazi schools, etc.), and they wouldn't let us trick or treat on Sundays. Ridiculous! People can say what they want but celebrating Halloween doesn't make you a devil worshiper! Just my 2 cents!

Something nice my DD said to me last night sm [2008-10-29]
She is away at college and out of the blue, my IM flashed and this is what she said: I just wanted to tell you that I am very grateful to have a mother like you. I have heard about other mothers and read in books and none of their moms listen to them like you do for me. you try to understand me and usually do. you don't tell me what to do, you make suggestions. you don’t treat me like a child and you are just awesome. I know that when I make a mistake it is not the end of the world for you and that is so important to me. You are always there for me when i need and even when I don’t. Thank you so much for being the mother that you are. You mean so much to me and I would never trade you for anyone else. I love you mom. I IMd back: OMG I don't know what to say. You know, you bring out the best in me. She said: No mom, YOU bring out the best in ME. Thank you.

Last night Bravo had "The 100 Scariest Movies Of All Time" and number one was ...sm [2008-10-26]
Jaws!?!?! I didn The Exorcist and Audition are the scariest for me.

I made baked sweet potatoes for dinner last night [2008-10-21]
You cook them just like a baked potato. My 10 y/o daughter and I just like butter on ours. I love sweet potatoes though! I also have a really good recipe with apples and sweet potatoes in a casserole (see below). I brought it for Thanksgiving dinner last year and it was a hit! It's more tart than sweet and really delicious! Apple-Sweet Potato Bake 3 pounds sweet potatoes 4 medium tart apples, peeled 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup butter, cubed 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup honey 2 tablespoons orange juice 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1. Scrub sweet potatoes with a veggie brush under cold water. Pierce skin in several places; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until almost tender (I bake them a little longer cuz I like them pretty mushy). Cool slightly; peel potatoes and cut into 1/4 inch slices. 2. Cut the apples into 1/4 inch slices; toss with lemon juice. In a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish, alternately arrang sweet potato and apple slices. Sprinkle with pecans. 3. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, orange juice, cinnamon and ginger. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; pour over potatoes and apples. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until tender. HereHeavenly Sweet Potatoes by Campbell's Soup. Vegetable cooking spray 1 can (40 oz) cut sweet potato, drained 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/8 ground ginger 3/4 cup Swanson Chicken Broth 2 cups miniature marshmallows Spray a 1-1/2 quart casserole with cooking spray. Set the dish aside. Place the potatoes, cinnamon and ginger in a 3-quart bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the potatoes are fluffy and almost smooth. Add the broth and beat until the ingredients are mixed. Spoon the potato mixture into the prepared dish. Top with the marshmallows. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot and marshmallows are golden brown.

Thanks guys. I talked to him last night and..... [2008-10-18]
he told me that the pictures weren He says he is too afraid of his dad. We live in a small town where everybody knows everybody and their business so he's afraid it would get back to his dad somehow. In some ways I believe him because, like I said, he doesn But in other ways I It What if I tell him I don't believe him and he really is telling the truth? Shoot! I have to go,,, I'll finish later. Thanks again for your advice.

And what does God say he wants us to do to show him we love him? sm [2008-10-16]
To care for the sick and less fortunate, to defend those who are weak and cannot defend themselves, to treat everyone with love and kindness. To love your neighbor as yourself. If we all did that instead of judging everyone, we would probably not be chasing people away from Christianity.

slide show another ? sm [2008-10-14]
Sorry to be so ignorant. Is the show on a CD-ROM or old VCR tape? I recently saw one at a wake in a funeral parlor, they had a TV in back of the viewing room with the young woman's life on there and some beautiful flower pics here and there in between. It was very impressive but I could not really ask at such a private time when the family was suffering, I thought it was a beautiful touch and done very well.

What price range? I recently made a slide show for a relative (sm) [2008-10-13]
from their old photos

slide show - did you make this yourself? [2008-10-13]
Would love to do this for my kids.

slide show - did you make this yourself? [2008-10-13]
Would love to do this for my kids.

slide show - did you make this yourself? [2008-10-13]
Would love to do this for my kids.

She gets a light and the TV on all night, but... [2008-10-11]
she says it is not fair that she has to be lonely in her bed and the grownups have somebody to snuggle with.

Show us your messy desks! (pic inside) [2008-10-08]
I thought this would be a fun way to liven up another boring day... show off your messy home work areas! Here

I did want to show you guys my mom's FIVE dogs..I'm a little jealous of them..sm [2008-10-08]
They are so spoiled, as you can see....She doesn't have time to MT because she has to watch them all day long!

You know it's going to be a long night [2008-10-03]
When the doctor continuously stutters OVER HIS OWN NAME!! C'mon guy.... *sigh* javascript:editor_insertHTML(

Its a semi-cooking night for me [2008-10-03]
First I have to say I love ham and beans. One of my favorite winter food. Tonight DH said he would like to snack - hooray! so its chili dip for us. Sooo easy - I can of chile (any kind you like - we always use no beans) and one 8 ounce package of cream cheese. Heat together til cream cheese is melted. mmmmmmmmmmm - I can eat the whole thing alone.

These 10 things definitely ain't right: [2008-12-01]
1) MTSOs who want people with top-notch skills and experience, but don't want to pay them what that skill is worth. 2) HMO's: So-called *health-maintenance-organizations* --yet they spend every minute and every dime of their far-too-large profits on denying healthcare, meds and procedures to their patients. These organizations have ruined American healthcare, and many American lives. HMO's have been a con-game since their inception. 3) The Bailouts: Giving money to companies who can too bad for the rest of you.* Then the Big Three show up in DC to beg for a handout, and fly there in private Lear jets. My answer to them would be, *I too bad for the rest of you.* 4) Apartment managers that won't allow even a single quiet, well-behaved pet, but will rent to people with continually screaming small children, and out-of-control older children and teens. Give me the pets for neighbors, ANY day. 5) Businesses that give an age-discount to absolutely everything that walks, runs or flies, but not to the middle-aged middle-class, who need it the most. Take the ski-industry: Young children ski for next-to-nothing, and sometimes nothing. There is a Teen Discount. There is a Student Discount for college kids. There I'll probably never be old enough - it's a carrot-on-a-stick, always just out of reach.) There are even corporate (UGH) discounts. But for those in my age group, who barely make ends meet but like to go up once a year for a couple days of bliss, there is NOTHING. 6) Travel-lodging deals that are always based on double or quadruple occupancy. What about singles? NOTHING. 7) TV commercials that are about a million decibels louder than the regular shows. Why can't it all be the same volume? Same with online newscasts. THEIR commercials will blow your eardrums out if you aren't quick enough turning down the volume before they start. 8) Surround-sound: Everything is too loud, already! Why do we need it coming at us from 4 directions? Why do people living in tiny apartments feel they need it? I've lost count of how many fights I've had with neighbors over this issue. Same with movies and music concerts. Why do they feel we need to feel the music in our SPLEENS? I went to Universal Amphitheater last week. (Now named something else). There is actually a sign outside warning that the decibel level inside might damage your hearing! (?!?!?!) Why do they need this? (To avoid lawsuits, obviously). If it's so loud you have to post a warning sign outside the entrance, then DUH.... it's TOO LOUD! 9) Banks that charge you a fee to use their ATM. They (I haven't actually been INSIDE a bank in YEARS).... and they want to charge US for using the machines instead of the tellers? Forget it. I won't give those banks my business. 10) The Post Office: Talk about rewarding slow, inept performance! The worse their employees are, the longer they seem to stay there. I'd rather have a root canal than go to a P.O. during the holiday season.

how about daylight savings time? [2008-12-01]
finding every clock you have night.

I still love giving gifts and have a solution with my family. sm [2008-11-30]
We all buy gifts for our parents (there are 4 of us, all married) but we wrap them all in the same paper and they are from everyone. That way, if someone is having a tough year, then it still looks even. Over the years, all of us have had a year that extra money just was not there during 1st babies, 1st homes, high gas prices, unexpected bills, lay-offs, new jobs etc. This way, our parents don't know who did what and they can't turn them down or worry about one family when they don't want to share with them their troubles. We treat the kids similarly. We all buy for all the kids (7 total) but no set limit. Some years, when having a good financial year, they get big presents, some years they don't. They all get to open at least 5 presents (counting Grandma and Grandpa) and we torture them until after dinner before they can open gifts! There have been years of Dollar Store gifts and years of video games. We all look for things during the year that we can give to all equally. Last year, I found pajama bottoms at Old Navy for $2 in the summer and bought a pair for everyone, including the adults. One year, my sister got them all Uno decks which were $3 each because that's all she could do and they are still the favorite gift and go everywhere. Uno tournaments, using all the cards are a family tradition and we make up different rules all the time! I am fortunate to be in a good position the last few yeas and have bought more extravagant presents. Not to show anyone up, but because I can. Not to make up for the very lean years, which were many, but because it is easy for me to do right now. We don't have jealousy and I don't expect anything in return because if I need something or want something, I usually buy it for myself. I just like to give gifts and can, and everyone is fine with that. But I have to tell you, my best gifts from the others are from years when there was no money and have now become tradition ... strawberry jam from my SIL, fudge from my brother. Christmas is what you make it. We are loud and loving and crazy and if we exchanged soup cans, the kids would still love it. It is what you make of it and how fun you make it for them.

I've read the same thing about bathing dogs. sm [2008-11-30]
I have a Sheltie, and the Sheltie book recommends bathing when s/he gets very dirty or before a show. They don't need routine bathing. They need frequent brushing which removes dirt. Some dog breeds don't have oily coats, so don't smell. Sheltie is one of them, a collie is probably the same. I recommend taking Maggie to the groomer for a good brushing every other week or so. It would be good for Maggie's coat and skin. The groomer can advise you when she needs a bath.

Cowboy Magic [2008-11-30]
Cowboy Magic is great stuff. If she has any really bad snarls or is matted, use the gel and put it on them and leave it for a while. They It's what I use on the horse's tails when they're a mess and we're getting ready for a show.

Has society become this bad and why [2008-11-29]
I saw the post down below about the Wal-Mart worker. Here is a new article that just came out (link below). The police are now looking at video surveillance to see who trampled this poor worker to death. Personally I hope they find all responsible and prosecute them to the fullest. It doesn I like their store just fine, it is what society is doing to people that nobody even bothered to stop and help this person. I grew up in the 60s/70s in a small town in New England. Maybe I'm old fashioned but my parents/grandparents taught me better than this. I just can And for what? Getting a Christimas item? This is one of many reasons why I do my Christmas shopping (what very little I do) online and gift cards. I think the traditions of the big shopping day the day after Thanksgiving should go away. I really donlove thy neighbor, not trample, bite, and spit at them so you can grab that item. (BTW - you can shop online at Walmart too). I think to myself that I thought the spirit of Christmas was supposed to celebrate Christ. Oh yeah, I'm sure he is so proud of people like those who harm others and cause death so they can get what they want. I hope those guilty are sitting at home worrying about whether or not their face is going to show up on the video camera. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081129/D94OJ4NG0.html

Thanksgiving [2008-11-29]
1939 to 1940 Abraham Lincoln href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt>Franklin D. Roosevelt broke with this tradition. November had five Thursdays that year, and Roosevelt declared the fourth Thursday as Thanksgiving rather than the fifth one. In 1940, in which November had four Thursdays, he declared the third one as Thanksgiving. Although many popular histories state otherwise, he made clear that his plan was to establish it on the next-to-last Thursday in the month instead of the last one. With the country still in the midst of The Great Depression, Roosevelt thought an earlier Thanksgiving would give merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas. Increasing profits and spending during this period, Roosevelt hoped, would help bring the country out of the Depression. At the time, advertising goods for Christmas before Thanksgiving was considered inappropriate.

i agree not to lie, but allow the fairy tale!! [2008-11-27]
i always asked questions -- like really? you don't think there is a santa claus?? etc. Its fun for the imagination. My grown daughter now tells how she used to listen for the reindeer's footsteps on the roof -- and one night she thought she heard them!! Its a fun thing. But no, i never lied. If you EVER lie to your children, they will always question your honesty in a sensitive matter.

my mom would stash paper towels and - sm [2008-11-27]
toilet paper. When she died I counted 86 rolls of TP and about 30 paper towels, also about 15 boxes each of zip lock bags, quart, gallon, freezer bags. My dad and I divvied it all up between him, me and my two brothers. If it was on sale at the store my mom bought it. Had about 18 pounds of butter in the refrigerator too, as well as cheese, and about 80 packs of Hershey chocolates (they were hidden in a closet). Was a bit OC on the TP and PT though, and every night she would check all the doors to make sure they were locked at least 4 x before she would go to bed. Always made enough food that is for sure. My MIL goes either one way or the other, we never know until we get there though. No snacks so it if is a sparse dinner then we end up going home hungry and stopping on the way to get something, or the kids fill up on the dessert I bring. Stayed home this year though, and my BIL is cooking for them this year, and I cooked for us.

Don't give up! [2008-11-26]
Iso easy, even a child can do it! I learned to sew before I even went to school! He even had some antique machines with foot pedals that we kids used to play with. I have all sorts of machines, from antique hand-crank Singers to cheap Wal-Mart plastic machines, and high-end Pfaff and Viking sewing machines and sergers. Check out local sewing and fabric stores for classes. You can also try visiting Meetup.com, which is a really cool place to find all sorts of people who get together to pursue their interests. I don't know where you live, but I checked in my area, and there are several groups for beginning sewing listed. Maybe there are in yours, too. With that said, I really have to tell you that Singer machines are not the best. Since the company was sold many, many years ago the quality has gone downhill. They are not built to last and have many parts that break very easily. In my experience, a simple mistake in threading some Singers will place a lot of tension on a weak part in the thread line. Something will snap or break, and once it's broken, you can't get the machine to feed thread properly as you sew. Unfortunately, a really good machine can cost hundreds of dollars, and it's hard for a beginning sewer to make that sort of investment not knowing if it's something they'll be doing for a long while. I always recommend going to a store that deals in higher end machines. (Pfaff happens to be my favorite.) Then ask to try machines or take classes with their display machines. You learn basic sewing techniques and you learn what makes one machine better than another. I suggest that if your machine is brand new, you return it for a refund. Take some sewing classes first, and try different machines. Then you can make a better, more informed purchase, which in turn, should result in successful and fun sewing! I'm sorry. You probably didn't want to hear that, but I can't say that I'm a fan of Singer machines. Even if you get it to work, it's likely to fail not long down the road, which will only frustrate you. I'm willing to bet it's the machine and not you.

Depends on who's bringing the desserts. [2008-11-26]
In my family some of us are cooks and some aren So it depends on who brings what. If it If Ibringing dessert, I usually make the pies.I have a sister who does not cook, so she always buys them. BUT she buys really good ones from local pie shop.For the first time, this year my 12 yo niece has been put in charge of dessert for Thanksgiving, with my SIL overseeing it. She I P.S. I do have a pumpkin pie stashed here at the house for later tomorrow night though!

I think most everyone does from time to time.......sm [2008-11-25]
Check your bedtime routine....are you keeping irregular bedtime hours? Are you drinking caffiene late in the evening? Are you eating a late night snack? Is there something in life that is bothering you like family or financial stressors? All these things can cause problems falling asleep and staying asleep. If you correct any of these problems you might be having and still have problems sleeping, try a warm glass of milk about 30 minutes before bedtime. It will help! If that doesn't work, see your doctor for help with sleep.

Not sleeping [2008-11-25]
Sometimes your hormones will prevent you from sleeping. The night before my little friend comes every month, I have trouble sleeping.

nobody plays anything anymore, apparently [2008-11-25]
Wow, it was like you were reciting a chapter from our life. We've had the hardest time around other parents and their kids. You should have seen the confused look we got the other day when someone asked us if our kids liked Diego, and we said that ours don't really watch TV. It was the politest thing to say, because there was the show up on their enormous expensive flat-screen TV, and the animation was so awful, and nothing at all was happening, and the kids were just itching to *do* something instead of being sung at by dead-eyed drawings, but how do you tell people that? ''I might let her watch TV if there were anything on that wasn't a hypnotic half-hour commercial for some crappy toy.'' If you say that, people think *you're* judgmental and weird, no matter how much they look down on you for not having the Latest and Greatest. What can you do? Here's all I can do: Trust myself, trust my instincts that there's a mistake those people are making. My goal is to raise morally good kids. Make them good, make them smart. Rich, snobbish and overstimulated aren't virtues.

Yes. My son's second wife never [2008-11-25]
cooked. It was always McD's, Taco Bell, Pizza, etc. She never cleaned either. All she knew how to do was spend the bill money. (She didn't work, BTW). Now my grandson is on a diet at 15 yo, 195 pounds.Thank heavens, my son woke up and got rid of her. My mom worked every day and when she came home, made supper and it was always on the table by 5-5:30. If my father was on the 2nd shift, she'd make him a hot meal, put it in a square metal container and I would bicycle it to his work. When I was old enough to use the stove, I would make supper once or twice a night. In the summer, I would clean the house so she would have less to do. I worked 2 jobs most of my life, but always had time to take my boys to their baseball practice, wrestling practice, and when old enough, to their PT joband pick them up at 10-11:00 when they would get off, went to open house every year to see how they were doing, etc. I also made sure their homework was done (not that boys really bring homework home in those days LOL), had a meal on the table for them every night, never had snacks like chips or pretzels in the house. The only thing they had to drink was water or milk. No soda. BTW, my husband during this time was away from home all week, so it was all left to me. The parents today are too pressured, as are the kids. Kids are not allowed to be kids anymore. They are 7 going on 70. I think it's time they get back to being normal kids. They need breathing room. I don't know who ever decided that the kids had to be in every sport, every club, every volunteer activity the school has, but it's crazy. Not all kids fit that mold and they shouldn't have to. Plus their grades are expected to be A's and B's, nothing less. Perfection is the norm and no one is perfect. What's wrong with this picture? I'll jump down from my soapbox now.

Sorry, cleaning all day, here is recipe sm [2008-11-25]
I would set the oven at about 350-375 degrees, no higher or lower, I add everything at once, the apple juice, the butter, etc., and cover with foil just so it wonnuke it on TDay to warm it up. My refrigerator will not hold all this stuff plus the turkey -- that I do a lot the night before or day before now, as I find if soaked in water on the stove, it isn't harming anyone, then just turn the heat on and cook, or even cook the night before, smash it up and nuke it to warm it up. It's all about SPACE!

Grocery prices [2008-11-25]
I haven't done any baking in almost two years, but decided to try to get going for this Christmas. So, I get my list all ready and get my fanny out the door and to the market.....just to give myself a heart attack!! A small jar of honey, store brand, $6.00, a large can of Crisco, almost $7.00!! Flour, $3.50! I wanted to make some Italian annisette cookies, almost $5.00 for a small bottle of anise flavoring. forgetaboutit! Holy Cow!!! How the heck do families with kids manage? On our news last night, they said here in RI, where the unemployment rate is 9.3%, they said that 1 in 6 kids will go hungry....that just makes me sick. I think I won't be doing much as much baking as I had planned on. This is just nuts! Oh, and have you seen the price of them lately?!!

Thanks, was thinking the same but hate to do it. [2008-11-24]
My kids loved it all, then they turnedorganic andvegan, etc., their kids are fussier than they were, but they don cheese. Funny, as I was food shopping yesterday, one little girl was screaming at her mom to buy some Kraft mac cheese, the orange kind. So I guess theyYuckkkk! they say.There is just so much room for all these different offerings. Peas are out! You're right it's only one day and I'm only the grandmother so they will eat again at home at night.

What would you think? [2008-11-24]
Here Best friend and neighbor from kindergarten through highschool. Grew apart with college but stayed in touch. After college I moved out of state, she moved back in state - still stay in touch and email regularly. I see her every time I am in town, if she is available. She is got married in November and eloped in Jamaica. She is having a reception in December. I planned to come to the reception, take my stepchild out of school, etc. only for this reason and its on a Friday so its a 4-day weekendtodrive there.I am pregnant and not able to travel after the holidays. My family decided to throw me a shower there that same weekend because I really canafford to go down again. They specifically planned it for Saturday night so she would be able to make it after her festivities Friday and any of her family leaving on Sunday. So I saw her recently when I went for a visit and she said she wouldn She then gives me a gift, not wrapped, obviously thrown together and tells me that she picked it up quickly on her way to meet me because she won't be able to make the shower. It When I got married she sent me nothing, not even a card but she was just out of college. I had planned to give her a $50 gift for her wedding. I received a $10, maybe $20 baby gift of which 1 outfit is the wrong gender. She was well aware we know what were are having. This is my first baby. My feelings are conflicted on this but the more I think about it, the more upset I get. I just dont Is it truely that she is just wrapped up in herself right now and the marriage moment and happily every after and (after almost 10 years) I am over the marriage thing being some huge, happy,perfect day and realize there is more to life? I feel like she could have atleast planned to stop by the shower for 10 minutes and I wouldn Or she could have even told me she planned to come and then couldn Sorry this is getting long. I just can Am I clinging to a friendship that is not there?

First off, you're pregnant [2008-11-24]
that in itself will make this situation feel 10 times worse than it is. Having said that, I do agree that I would be a little miffed, myself. It She I would also agree with the poster below that you have grown apart. Being that you Ifun years before I got married and then before I had children. You're just at different places in your life. The best way to handle the situation is to go to her party as planned. I would not splurge for the $50 gift card. I If youwild days. You don Anyone would understand a pregnant woman would be tired from such a long travel and then the party. When you leave, be sure to seek her out and let her know that you If not, let it go. If you haven Believe it or not, some people would think they didn You have so much to look forward to and baby showers are way better than bridal showers/receptions anyday. You can eat as much as you want and all your guests will say is how cute you look. Don

Well, at least they're working to [2008-11-24]
support their children. Raising kids in this generation isn The pressure are on parents these days isn In addition to making sure our kids are well taken care of and that we attend the all important PTO meetings, baseball meetings, wrestling club meetings, soccer meetings, football meetings, dance recitals, cheerleading practice, on and on, we also must make sure our 1st and 2nd graders are doing their 1 hour worth of homework each evening and in addition to that make sure we are reading a book to them every night. These are the requirements now set by the schools. The parents must also deal with sex, drugs, and peer pressure at a much younger age than you probably did. Just last week, I had to explain to my second grader what a virgin was. Did he learn that word at home? No, he learned it on the bus because our school district decided to save money by busing all the kids together, high school through kindergarten. The meals you mention your GKs eating, that More than likely, your GKs won You seem very harsh on your kids, and IIs either one ofthe parents involved in their children Do you have any idea how much time that takes? Arethey struggling with finances? Were you a stay-at-home mom or work-at-home mom? Having to get kids ready in the morning and get yourself ready, then spend 8 hours a day working, only to come home and pick up the same kids and do homework with them is not an easy chore. More than likely, your DS and DDIL are tired. Instead of criticizing, why not ask where you can help? Maybe you could offer to make them dinner once a week after work. Give them an evening out without kids to just relax a little bit. I As for the kids But aren Maybe he Maybe mom and dad didn I, myself, grew up in a home where I had frozen pizza at least 2 or 3 times a week for supper. My mom worked nights and my dad didn If my mom could make us a meal before she left, she did. Frozen pizza didn I graduated high school at 140 pounds, normal for 5 tall. My mom and dad were there for everything for me, though, and it It Your words are so harsh and I just have to wonder, if you think they Is it because you know the children are well taken care of, just not up to your standards? Perhaps you should have a conversation with your DS and see what his impressions of your child-rearing of him were. Perhaps there were areas you could have improved on.

I did a 7-day sex challenge but for different reasons. [2008-11-24]
My husband had to wake up an hour before me for work. Every morning, he liked to wake me up with him and then tried to get some before getting ready. I went to bed usually 2 to 3 hours later than him. Needless to say, I wasn So, I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. One night, I came to bed about 2 hours after him and he was sleeping soundly. I woke him up to have sex with me, which he did without complaint. The next night, the same thing. The third night, the same thing. He never complained. By the 5th night, when I woke him up, he said he was just too tired. He needed to sleep. I laughed a little and said,Funny, that He got the hint and apologized. He agreed not to do that more than once or twice a week and things seemed to be fine. That was 6 years, 9 months and about 2 weeks ago. You see my son was born 6 years and 2 weeks ago. The little lesson I taught him ended up teaching me a much bigger lesson. How come we women always get the short end of the stick?But I love my little guy!

Wow! Was a nerve hit??? [2008-11-24]
I didnLeave it to Beaver. That's just not the case. By the end of the 1960s and into the 1970s the pendulum had started to swing so far toward women having careers that we were often belittled for choosing to be home with the children. Remember Hillary Clinton's cookie baking comment during her husband's first campaign? In fact, stay-at-home moms were the norm for only one brief period in our history right after WW II in the post war boom times. There was a pretty awful recession in the 1970s, and I remember gas rationing and long lines at the pumps. My mother had to work two jobs, and my father, who was in construction, was often one of the first to feel economic ups and downs in his paycheck. But we had dinner together every night at the kitchen table. Before the stay-at-home mothers of 1950's t.v. fame, most mothers worked. They had to. Only the very privileged stayed home and waited for Ward Cleaver to come home from the office. My grandmother, who lived to be 94, God bless her soul, was born in 1908. Her mother died during the great Spanish flu epidemic in 1918. My grandmother was the eldest of four children, and at the age of 10 she became the woman of the house. She stopped going to school so that she could cook and clean and took care of her father and siblings. And no one thought that was wrong. It was expected because there really weren't any government social services -- no welfare, no foster care. Eventually, when her father's depression over the loss of his wife became so great that he couldn't manage to bring home an income, people in the neighborhood just took over. The two eldest children went to live with other families. The two youngest went to an orphanage. My grandmother's father just drifted away and his children never saw him again. My grandmother married at age 20 and had four children during the depression. Talk about having it hard. When I was a young mother trying to make ends meet and I'd cry to my grandmother, she brought me around to reality. She told me what it was like for her to raise children during that time. Many a night she cried over whether or not she could even feed her children or if they would have a roof over their heads. And she wasn't alone. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, was in the same boat. The Great Depression was enormous. She and my grandfather worked wherever and whenever they could. They brought home a dollar or two at a time and fed their children buttermilk and potatoes. They didn't sleep, they worried all the time. Today, my grandmother's washboard hangs in my kitchen on the wall next to my dishwasher. It reminds me that I have no right to ever say that things are harder on us today. They aren't. Generally speaking, most Americans have so many more advantages, choices and opportunities than those who came before us. Yet many in my generation and the one or two generations behind me are just whiners and crybabies who don't think about the big picture. They even dare to say they have a harder time as parents today. Please. Not even close! Every generation seems to believe that, but just a short trip through a history book proves otherwise. I'm not that very old. But I've raised my children and I raised them well. I know what it takes to do that. It takes self-discipline, sacrifice and consistency. And you know what? That's exhausting. Parents today are tired. So what? All parents are tired. Offer it up, as the old nuns used to say. The kids have homework an hour a night. So what? They should have homework, and parents should make sure that it gets done, because education is important. There are parent-teacher meetings to attend, coaches association meetings, scout meetings, dance lessons, school recitals, etc. etc. etc. So what? Balance it out, quit what can't be done, do what can. Work because you have to. The kids have to be fed. It's still easier than it was a generation ago, two generations ago, three and on and on. We're parents to young ones for only a short time. Which reminds me, let's not forget about birth control. Most of us have 2-point-whatever children these days. I'm the youngest of 7. Most of the families in my neighborhood when I was growing up had 4 or more children. Today women can choose to have as many or as few children as they want. That means that we parent for far fewer years than the generations before us. I'm done with day-to-day parenting after just 20 years, and in fact, it got much easier on my day-to-day schedule once my boys were in high school. But my mother had children at home for 34 years. Imagine the number of cloth diapers for 7 children for year after year after year. Yes. I had it far easier, and I know it. So when I was exhausted raising my two boys, I just sucked it up and kept at it. The OP, I think, probably didn't want to be as blunt as I'm willing to be. She IS helping by babysitting her grandchildren while her children work. I'm sure she loves her children and grandkids, but I'm willing to bet that if she dared to say to her children the things I've posted, her children would react just as you did and she'd end up cut off from her family. To the OP: I hope it helped to vent a little, and I want you to know that I understand.

How dare you say I resent my children [2008-11-24]
I do spend every night reading to my children. I also tuck them in and rub their backs every night. I get up every morning to prepare them a warm breakfast before driving them to school so they don My kids are all on the high honor roll because my husband and I help them with their homework. I volunteer at their school once a week. My husband and I attends every sporting event with them, be it practice or a match, to make sure no harm comes to them. I make sure they have a hot meal on the table when they come home from school. I worked extra all summer to afford a trumpet for my son who wanted to join the elementary band. I don I love them very much. But I do resent others critiquing my parenting abilities. I It She Where are your scruples? It Why is that so hard to understand? Do parents not deserve a break? So many GPs have the mentality, you made and that No one said GPs should be raising their GKs, but is it that wrong to think that GPs could give the parents a break evenjust once a year? Maybe they

perhaps I was a little hyped in my reply, [2008-11-24]
but it only comes from the fact that I I don The OP hit a real nerve with me because my parents are always on me about how we raise our kids. We My mom worked nights. She wasn She got home late from work (1 or 2 in the morning) and got up to get us kids off to school and then went back to sleep for a few hours in the morning. All the while, my 4-year-old brother was home with her watching TV. He knew to wake her up after a certain show was over, so she could get him lunch. My mom was never a heavy sleeper, so I My dad coached my brother My mom yelled at me one day because I brought McD It was 4:45, and she thought it was awful that I didn My mom worked at McD Many of nights, she gave us a frozen pizza for supper before heading to work and then brought us home leftover chicken nuggets and apple pies. We lived for that stuff, but here she was berating me for giving it to my kids. What she was really upset about was that my kids were hungry and they were asking her for something to eat, which she didn She was watching them for me after school that day until I got home from my appointment. But that No one Criticizing others won I just felt like the OP My suggestions in my original post were meant to give the OP some insight into what the other shoe feels like.