She'd like to learn something new to cook. There was a negative response to her inquiry

Recommend puppy obedience classes. You can learn a lot sm [2008-11-30]
about discouraging bad behaviors. Some dog trainers give advice over the phone.

too tired to cook [2008-11-18]
We just have homemade tostadas and microwave them. You can put anything on them and there are no dishes, pots or pans.

we almost never eat out. re not wanting to cook, [2008-11-18]
when i just don't feel like or don't have time to cook, we have something quick, ie soup or sandwich or breakfast, ie eggs or waffles.

May be she'll learn a lesson? [2008-11-13]
I'm glad to hear you made an official police report.

okay, I was looking for a certain cook [2008-11-12]
on PBS who was making an apple dessert in a cast iron skillet about a year or so ago, but I guess they are no longer showing him; an older white haired man with a full white mustache. Anyway, I remember him saying don and he likes granny smith, too. samcooks.com/relish/apples.htm

How long to cook corned beef [2008-11-05]
Does anyone know how long to cook a corned beef briskit (don I'm thinking its a few hours but not sure.

How sweet, my DS loves to cook as well. nm [2008-10-21]
@#$

Excellent response! [2008-10-17]
Short on time and brain is toast but hey, want to know, keep me in mind and I'll answer too tomorrow probably. I enjoy conversation, even at odds with someone, that is not like what I see up a little further on this page. Thanks.

Yes, and friends too. But school is where kids learn facts, so whatever their teacher says (sm) [2008-10-16]
they are going to think it must be right. I think that is unfair leverage to use to support your own point of view as a teacher.

I just think you lead them there first, and let them learn for themselves what is right or wrong (sm [2008-10-16]
If you point out everyone's sin to them before they learn about God's love, they are going to run.

Learn to say NO [2008-10-15]
I know it's tough when it's your own dad, but hasn't he burnt you enough already? Lock your door and don't answer it. If he catches up to you and asks you to let him hang out or do his laundry, say NO. Enough is enough. Good luck.

The child needs to learn to sleep alone...sm [2008-10-11]
I mean that is ridculous. Put her in the bed and turn on a lamp. Maybe put a TV in her room and let her watch something till she falls asleep. She is 9 years old. She is plenty old enough to make her sleep alone. Her dad and mom just are spoiling her.

I had only heard negative about pit bulls [2008-10-06]
until I heard Rachael Ray talk about hers. With a personality like hers how can she have a bad dog? I do have a new respect for them now, but I agree that I would want to do some research on their family. I personally prefer tiny little dogs that don't shed. Do pit bulls shed? I posted below that we had a boxer and the shedding was unbelievable but that is not the reason we no longer have her.

im not much of a cook, but... [2008-09-18]
what about baked ziti? It's a change from plain pasta or lasagne/spaghetti. I was just asking my boyfriend last night for it (since he makes it). it's been awhile. We are a young couple so we seem to do the same things every week!! (Tacos, spaghetti, steak) Last night we had pork chops, rice, and broccoli. Tonight we are barbequing hamburgers.. The thing I like to do is twice baked potatoes. It's the only thing I really ever do from scratch, so you of course can add/take away ingredients. I'm very plain so mine are very plain but bake your potatoes... then I melt a tablespoon of butter, add chopped mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper. then when the potatoes are done scoop out the middle, add a little of the melted stuff, add some shredded cheese and sour cream (total will be about 2 cups and 16 oz sour cream)... mix and then add more, mix... scoop back into potatoes and put the rest of the cheese on top, bake for 15 minutes! hope that made sense, ive never written down my recipe before :)

I definitely agree with you there. I cook all meals and we [2008-09-04]
rarely eat out. I am very particular in what I cook and how I cook it. At least food that is eaten early in the day has a better chance of all the calories being burned off. A lot of times as well it will give them that extra boost of energy that they need. We as parents should have taught them how to make correct choices. That part is not the schools problem.

Fruit kabobs? Do you cook them? [2008-08-28]
Sorry to show my ignorance, but the idea sounds really good. I never thought of fruit kabobs. Do you BBQ, broil or bake? Which fruit combinations are best? Also, I would add something fun for kids if you have them (and adult easy) by making cupcakes in flat-bottomed ice cream cones with icing decoration. Kids love them. I would also add a relish dish and probably a veggie platter.

Evil Obsession: The Annie Cook Story nm [2008-08-03]
NM

Sure wish he'd learn how to pronounce 'nuclear' - [2008-06-19]
Oy!

YAY 4 DAVID COOK! [2008-05-21]
I finally picked the American Idol winner!!!

Dad said: You can learn from your own mistakes, but it's easier to learn from [2008-05-14]
x

What sort of response did you get? [2008-05-08]
.

My 9yo looked at me one day and said. Mom I want to learn to play the "Acowstick guitar." I [2008-04-28]
nm

I got a good learning to cook story.......sm [2008-04-24]
When my DD was I think 11, she and my niece (12) were babysitting for me for a few hours. I was on my way home and told her to get the frozen lasagna out of the freezer and put it in the oven. I said it is very simple, directions are on the box. I get home and open the oven to check on the lasagna and there is the lasagna cooking in the BOX AND ALL!! Directions said to poke holes in the top which she did in the top of the box that is and never removed it from the BOX! So here was my lasagna baking in the oven still in the cardboard box container covered in holes! I literally wet my pants laughing so hard. She has NEVER lived that one down as we love to tell that story. She said well it never said to take it out of the box, lol.

Christy Lee Cook [2008-04-10]
I I guess she is this year's Sanjaya.

True. And why dont people going on Survivor learn [2008-04-10]
x

Charmed...I have similar relatives. Here is something to remember [2008-12-01]
MISERABLE PEOPLE LOVE TO MAKE OTHER PEOPLE MISERABLE. That is why the saying misery loves company. I know they are your family. However, if they treat you that badly, dump them and move on. I went through this years ago. I have family like this. They never had anything to do with me unless they needed something from me or they wanted to belittle me. One can find friends who are more like family and treat you with respect. Make sure you have caller ID and DON That is the first step. LEARN TO SAY NO. It will not kill you, I promise. When you empower yourself, you learn to like you for yourself and it no longer matters what these people think of you. When it no longer matters what they think, they will see it and pick on someone else.

LOL It went well. Thank you to everyone for helping! [2008-11-28]
I felt bad because none of the friends or extended family that she invited showed up. They all called to cancel. We did not have leftover Turkey but plenty of desert and rolls. She bought 45 dinner rolls?! I think some of you are right that this is the beginning of sundowning for them. I will have to explain this to my husband because he just thinks they are losing their minds. I heard from another family member that MIL has a stash of a case candy bars in her closet and yesterday she went in the bedroom for cookie sheets to put the biscuits on. A little odd, especially being that they have extra storage area in the basement. I think FIL took it as it was just that much less food that cost him money because he was so happy that I brought as much food as I did and kept saying how much he loved the veggie tray, etc. I think MIL was a little miffed when I got there because she didnstay the heck out of my kitchen and keep your opinion to your self and afterwards he gets the look of You have always been my favorite child, thank you LOL But I understand things are different with moms and their own kids versus the spouse, especially with females. So overall it turned out well and everyone had plenty to eat. We didn't have to run out for burgers or home for dinner.

Martha Stewart's recipe [2008-11-28]
I'm sure you can look it up on her website. I have her cookbook and have been using her recipe for years! It's not fool proof, as I have found that fresh eggs don't peel as well but do peel a little better if I use her method and I NEVER get that green ring or the dot of slimy uncooked egg when I use her recipe. It's very simple too. I wish I knew it exactly from memory but I don't - the closest that I can come is this (though if you want to try it I would pull her recipe and not use mine from memory lol) Start eggs in cold water. Put on the stove. Bring to a boil. Heavily salt the water (1-2 tablespoons for a normal sized 1 quart sauce pan). Cook 7 minutes. Turn heat off and let stand for 5 minutes. Place into ice water. Peel under running water. Then you can store them peeled with wet paper towel in a zip top baggie or platic tightly covered dish for a few days if needed.

deviled egg question [2008-11-27]
Why do some hard boiled eggs peel so easily and others turn into a total sticky nightmare? Is there a trick to getting the shells off easily from hard boiled eggs. My mother was not a cook in the least so I have no clue about such things!

Holidays are hard [2008-11-26]
My parents were divorced so my sister and I spent many years shuffling between two houses. When we each got married and had our own families the situation got even more complex. My parents are now deceased and my sister and I are estranged (even though we live in the same town), so in some ways life has gotten simpler. I still get very emotional and depressed around the holidays because of my dysfunctional childhood and negative expectations, but I don't have as much guilt and stress anymore. My husband's parents and family are back in our hometown 600 miles away, and for the last few years he's gone back there for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas with our youngest child. I don't begrudge him that because his folks are elderly and I don't want him to have any regrets later. I can't go with him because we have a lot of animals to take care of, and frankly, I'm really comfortable just hanging out at home with them anyway. We have adult kids too, and two grandchildren, and I encourage all of them to live their lives without the burden of guilt and feelings of obligation. If they can come by and have dinner or visit that's great, and if not BIG DEAL. Honestly, it's just a day. Things got easier for us when we realized we didn't necessarily have to celebrate a holiday on the exact day it was scheduled. I really understand your not wanting to let your mom down, and I would feel the same way. Your husband is a big boy and has made a choice, so that's on him, not you. He's probably being a bit immature and stubborn on this one. I hope you'll extend the invitation to your husband one more time, then go to your mom's and enjoy yourself whether he comes along or not.

English Toffee--super easy [2008-11-26]
You can put down any kind of nuts you want--if you want in a raised-sided cookie sheet. Cook 1# of butter and 1# of brown sugar plus a little vanilla to hardball stage (I put a little in a cup of cold water and if it is crunchy, it is done). Quickly pour into cookie sheet because it is easy to burn. Scatter one bag of chocolate chips on top and wait to melt a little before speading across the top. Everyone loves it and it is pretty easy to make. Once it cools, you break it into pieces.

Boy men are such children - sm [2008-11-26]
my DH is a j*e*r*k like that too sometimes. He refuses to stay at my dad's house because he re-married so quickly after my mom died. (he wants to stay in hotel--which is very expensive where they live--....though we have not done it yet because as yet he has refused to go, so I go w/o him and the kids and I have lots of fun--he did go once 2 years ago though he made us stay at a friends apartment, very silly). There is more to it than that but that is a big part of it, and he thinks my stepmom's family thinks he is a loser. He is hung up on what people think about him and imagines slights, looks, etc. all the time, very hard to live with. But he know I will leave him in the dust and do what I want as he is acting like a 2-year-old. I would just go and not worry about him acting like a baby. If you stay home with him you will be mad, resent him for making you miss out spending time with your mom (which you will regret if something happened to her any time soon), and probably have a boring day at home while he watched football all day and you cook or twiddle your thumbs. He will probably never be the bigger person and bite his tongue and go, though he should. Men really are babies though at times.

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.

Take a sewing class, and take the machine - sm [2008-11-26]
with you. There you will learn how to use it and how to sew too. I have been sewing since I took home-ec in 7th grade. I have a Singer that is about 20 years old or more. It is a pretty basic one with about 12 different stitch types. Have never had an issue. Sounds like you donhow to sew class. Call a local craft store and see what they offer. Even one private lesson would probably do you a world of good. Good luck.

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!

Alton Brown's website [2008-11-25]
Check Alton Brown's website for recipes. I am a pretty good cook and make Christmas cookies for all of our neighbors and friends every year. Cookies or not, if there is something that I just can't seem to pull off I go to Alton Brown. I have not found a recipe of his that hasn't worked for me yet. It took me 15 years to make a pie crust but I was only able to do it well with Alton Brown's recipe. I know he also has some recipes where you can make 1 dough and then divide it to make 4 different cookies. I think his black-and-white cookie is that way. Also, marshmellows are not difficult to make but they are so impressive and everyone loves them! It's a little messy with all the powdered sugar but the kids LOVE to make them. Its minimal ingredients and its like a science project when it grows in the mixer. You can also get extracts and make mint marshmellows, strawberry, whatever you want. They go great with hot chocolate. Actually I think this year we are only doing those and sugar cookies because everyone loved them so much the last few years. and maybe some fudge, to give me an excuse to make it. lol

Last vent on obnoxious toys. LOL. [2008-11-25]
The LeapFrog Tag thingy. I saw them at Wal-Mart and it looks like certain books work with it. I saw the advertisement andthought it wasneat until that crazy man in the lizard costume or whatever it is insinuated that books are boring unless they can be used by that talking pen. I cannot figure out how that thing helps kids learn to read as it says it does. It looks to me like that pen reads for them. My 6-year-old is in first grade and they are trying to teach her to read by phonics. So when she and I read together whenever she stumbles across a word I have her try to look at it and sound it out before I will give her an answer and most of the time she can. I think I am just frustrated by that whole industry now anyway because I have had salespeople come to my door basically telling me that my kid is going to be a dumbazz if I don I guess I am not giving those electronics a chance. I cannot see what they can do for my child that I cannot.

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!

I Have Never Been So Frustrated In My Life [2008-11-25]
I asked my sweet hubby for a sewing machine as I wanted to learn the basics of sewing. I cannot for the life of me get this machine to work. I was able to somehow get it right once to use it to mess with but I cannot seem to get it right. These machines are so finicky. I took it to a repair shop the other day because my friend who can use a machine couldnt figure it out either. They fixed the tension etc on the machine and told me a couple tips about the bobbin. Worked perfectly fine when they did it. I get it home and cannot get the *(* thing to work to save my life. I have threaded and rethreaded, got my book out and tried again. Have taken the bobbin out and tried to put it back in a hundred times and it is a mess. I am ready to throw the *(^% thing out the window!!!! I cant learn to do even a basic thing cause I can't seem to get the machine going to start with. AARRGGHHHH

About tatting sm [2008-11-24]
I tried to learn as kid and I just didn't get it. The gal who tried to teach me was very good and got me interested, but I could not get it. It is very like making a fishing net. Those little knots have to be just so or you end up with a knot. I have done that more times than I can tell you. I had a neighbor who handed me a can before she moved. In the can was a shuttle and some tatting thread. She says to me TO ME! LOL I'll bet you don't know what that is. As it happens, she didn't know what it was! I picked it up and said bet I do...and started to tat. By the time I was in high school, I could TAT pretty well. I made a couple of blouses for work that had Peter Pan collars. One was baby pink, the other baby blue. I embroidered on the collar and then tatted enough matching lace for the edges. I loved those and wore them a very long time. I wish I had time to make another one in white, but most of my efforts going into sewing for others. I have 15 pr of boxers on my sewing table for my son who won't wear anything else...as in he hates store bought boxers. He is married and should grow up, but he won't until I am gone and can't do it for him any longer. Right now, I have a soft sheer crepe that I am making into a wedding dress for my daughter. They are going to the JP in January before he deploys and we'll do the first ceremony. When he returns they will get married by a lake in Minnesota. He wants to build a pontoon with his dad and get married on the pontoon at sunset. We'll do her wedding gown next summer. Both dresses have to be baby pink and please don't ask! She gets what she wants, it is her day(s).

To Kaydie: this is what I read: [2008-11-24]
Reader's Digest, Oct, 2008, says the cells pile up too quickly and skin can't shed properly. Improved drugs may be the answer for many of 7.5 million people with psoriasis whose red lesions won't fade with current treatments. Stronger Rx An injectable drug called ustekinamab could gain approval as early as this fall. It dampens the immune response which in psoriasis patients is overstimulated, causing inflammation and a buildup of skin cells that form plaques, says Abby Van Voorhees, MD, of the Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center at the University of Pennsylvania. New OTC The cream Psorent is based on an old compound called LCD made from coal tar, but does not leave the stains on the skin or the odor that LCD does. We says Harvard dermatologist Alexa Kimball, MD. natural method Many patients say stress causes flare-ups. Mindful meditation with other therapies allows my patients to be more tranquil says Dr. Van Voorhees. ................ I was given an Rx for Carmol 40, but it is really expensive, $50 with the co-pay, but it really helped with my elbows although they did not think it was psoriasis.

My butternut squash sm [2008-11-24]
After the squash is peeled and cut in squares, I put them in a glass baking dish, add about a half stick of butter (I use a lot of butter on Thanksgiving), dot the squash well, according to size of the dish of squash (you may need more) and add a cup of apple juice (add more if larger dish of squash) and cover the dish with foil until soft, I also add some cinnamon and brown sugar, however, I now have someone who hates cinnamon, so I have to adjust the recipe to please all. You can also cook them the same as you do your potatoes and mash them, add butter and seasoning, but they are a bit watery and my family prefers them baked with the apple juice and the little spice I mentioned. I use brown sugar, cinnamon and butter in some of my vegetables such as the squash and carrots (I call them candied carrots) but as the family grows, you have to please all and that sometimes means changing up the things you add. I have one guest now who canon Turkey Day.Happy Thanksgiving!

that sounds great, with apple juice, [2008-11-24]
but would you give me some idea of temp to cook at, and how long it might take to get soft? Do you wait til its done to add cinnamon and brown sugar? God bless, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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.

My opinion [2008-11-24]
While on some level I agree with the others about having a giving nature, I understand where you are coming from completely. I am not really a material girl, but some things I would rather not lend, at least not without being able to explain how to care for the item. I mean, if I paid for it, and I am by no means rich or even the slightest bit well off, I do not want to have to save up my money to purchase another of the same thing that I would have kept in good condition for life, and I shouldnI usually use a fork too, but DH just bought these and offered her a large plastic cooking fork. She just explained that she wasn't going to scratch it and kept right on doing what she was doing. People oftentimes do not care when it is not theirs. Sorry so long, guess it hit a nerve. I have so many of these it wasn' theirs so they didn't care stories I could just go on and on. It is annoying.

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.

I forgot to tell you I think its wonderful [2008-11-23]
you are so creative. I wish I could do more. Tried drawing one time, but all I could come out with was stick people. I did try drawing a girl one time with a hood over her head and I asked my DH what he thought it looked like and he said someone's thumb (he asked where the rest of the fingers were). HA HA HA. I think that is why I'm so good at quilting is because I see a pattern and I follow the directions. The only creativity for me is choosing the colors. My mom and a friend tried to teach me to crochet but I could never get it. So that's a big duh for me...if I can't crotchet where in my mind would I think I'd be able to tat. HA HA HA. I do have some of my great aunt Emily's handkerchiefs with her tatting, and I am thinking of making a crazy quilt with all pieces of my relatives handiwork they've done. My next thing I want to learn is how to sew clothes. I grew up sewing (my mom made all our clothes growing up and taught us how to sew in girl scouts and school), but I've been away from it so long I'd like to learn again. I'd love to make dolls clothes, stuffed animals and stuff like that. I would definitely say you do have enough to keep you busy without starting another hobby. :-)

Does anybody live near Trenton, NJ? If so a hospital position 40 hr week is available...sm [2008-11-22]
This requires a quick response on your part, because there are two positions open and I don The ft position is hospital transcription, hourly wage, all bennies and PTO and holidays. The other position is team leader for the MT department, directing work flow and working with staff. People are now interviewing, but wanted to give a chance. email me if you want to, because I will not name this on post. Thanks

That little thingy that is at the end of the Turkey? [2008-11-22]
looks like a fan do yall cook that or cut it off?I saw Martha Stewart cook her's and she left it on

I agree with all of the above. sm [2008-11-21]
You are younger than you think. Also, I do not agree with the 2nd BOS but I do read their foolish rules, and especially learn the dosages, etc. That is the only worthwhile change that is important. I think you would do great working on your own with your own accounts as you have a lot of years ahead to work, but either way, you will do well. Some of these tests are ridiculous,so don't feel bad about them as they are looking for low-rate compensation and I found SOME of those in supervisory positions, only some, don't know what they're doing. Some of them are not true transcriptionists. So don't be discouraged, there is something out there for you. Don't settle for less, it's not you - it's the way the industry is right now and many are being taken advantage of. Be choosy, don't work for less than you're worth. You can do it! Watch out for those who may try to take advantage of you though - there are some money-grabbing numb nuts out there running these companies. Be choosy who you trust. Trust yourself! Good luck! {{ }}