Storms knocked our electricity the other 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 : )

My small town is offering a price of 1 month of free electricity for the best lights nm [2008-11-21]
nm

"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!

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.

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.

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.

How true. Last night I was thinking SM [2008-09-30]
Wouldnand if the abusersthe animalswho suffered at their hand. I don There must be a special place for animals. I pray there is.

did you see on the news last night [2008-09-26]
with Charlie Gibson the bit about how women are the men of the house now? I can find absolutely no reason for a woman to get married anymore. Women are working, taking care of the house, taking care of the bills, doing everything and the men just seem to be there, and the men admitted that. I am married, have been for a loooong time but sometimes I look at my husband and think I would be better off on my own. He's a good husband, good father, the main bread winner but dang if he doesn't drive me nuts! If anything ever happened to my husband, I would never get married again. Don't feel the need and I don't understand women who can't seem to live without a man. Even though I'm married, I feel the same as you. I would be very content to be on my own again.

I just had this conversation with my hubby last night! [2008-09-17]
And he will only be turning 40 next month! He was complaining no one wants to be around him anymore, so, against better judgment I jumped in. He has become one of the most judgmental people I know anymore, no one can do anything right, and we are ALWAYS wrong. I don't care if you tell him the sky is blue, he'll tell you how stupid you are! And men say woman are hormonal....HA.

last night the tests were back from the "air" testing...sm [2008-08-29]
They tested the air in the trunk to see if there was really human decomposition. They didn As of last night they were still waiting on the DNA results of the hair samples from the trunk also. Apparently they can tell if it was from a dead/decomposing body and of course whether or not it was the baby Maybe those came back. Oh! The guy who posted her bond said last night that he was going to revoke it. I'll bet that's it. It was so obvious right from the beginning that she was a lying sack of sh**! First of all, what mother just looks for her missing baby for a month without calling the police? or even telling her own mother? Then, what kind of freakin Not only that but she also had a FEW boyfreinds during it all. Men would be the last thing on my mind and Imight be drinking but it sure wouldn I I wouldn Even with the lame excuse that she gave about some babysitter taking her. If that were the case, then I I I There isn That poor baby girl doesn Casey will get what she deserves in prison though, I can almost guarantee that. And I don The women in there will give her the justice she deserves! You can bet on it!

I missed it last night...what happened? [2008-08-07]
I searched the net but was unable to find any thing on last night's show....

"I Can't Live." by Harry Nilson, heard that the night, sm [2008-07-28]
my boyfriend Jack broke up with me when I was 17. He just walked into where I was working and introduced me to Barb. He broke my heart. He is now an ophthalmologist in Florida.

saw a commercial last night for ACE of Cakes [2008-07-25]
and the next episode is New Season. Don't know exactly when that episode is, last night, tomorrow, or sometime this weekend, but at least you are getting your wish.

Saw Momma Mia Saturday night and it is great! SM [2008-07-21]
The theater was packed, and even the men in the crowd were laughing and enjoying it. At the end the people in the theater broke into a loud applause!It was a light, funny movie with all thosegreat songs!

That's what we had last night - I baked up some Flounder [2008-07-15]
My 7-year-old gobbles that up like crazy!

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

We got our tree today [2008-11-29]
We went to a tree farm, took a tractor ride and cut down our tree. We have 12 foot high ceilings and usually get a 12 foot tree, but this year we put it at the other end of the family room, and we got an 8-1/2 footer. We used to have a fake Christmas tree up until about 8 years ago or so when our cat began eating all the fake pine needles. Long story short she ate so many she had to have emergency surgery to remove them (she wasnt' able to pass them) and $1,500 later we decided no more fake trees. She's no longer with us, but when she was younger she would climb in the tree and actually knocked it over one year. We had to anchor it to the wall. Our other cat never really bothered the tree except batting around ornaments at the bottom. He's been over sniffing it today, but hasn't paid much attention to it over the past few years.

i read that the mob broke the doors down [2008-11-28]
if they got it on camera, i think whoever knocked this person down should be held accountable.

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.

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.

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

It's about 25,000 here and it's awful [2008-11-23]
you would think that being in a small town has its benefits but it doesn't. There is no work, people are getting laid off. There is no industry except a couple grocery stores, restaurants, and things like oil changers, Staples, etc. But not the kind of industry that produces anything like computers, TVs, etc. Anyway...the crime rate is skyrocketing. There is no college, so the kids are graduating from HS and hanging out all over the place. The drug problem is getting so bad. They even have special Meth squads, but the problems are not getting solved. Additionally our wonderful town decided to vote against any funding for the police or fire department, so our jails are closing down and the police are being cut in half (think we will have maybe one or two POs for this area). They are letting the criminals out of jail and they are roaming the streets because they canhoodlums (for lack of better word) hanging around the outside. Drug addicts and gangs are now walking up and down the streets in front of our house. Nobody in our neighborhood talks to each other. So we're looking to move where there are more police and people are willing to pay higher taxes to keep the public a little safer.

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 : )

So It's 0200 PST.... [2008-11-22]
And I'm taking a 10-minute break from transcribing and was just wondering... Any other nightowls here working the graveyard shift? Or any other nightowls not working but just up perusing the boards? I know what I'm always doing at 2 a.m., but was curious to see what everyone else who's awake might be up to. Hope you're having a lovely night

Buy more than one paper Thurs. a.m. [2008-11-22]
It will be worth the price to get extra coupons, especially if you have someone else to go with. Preplan the day/night before. Layer clothing as it may be really cold out usually (where I live anyway) but the stores get hot, crowded and nasty. But it's worth it if you really still need to shop for some special things. I would not want my husband with me as he gets frustrated with crowds and holds me back. Better to bring a friend who will help you shop and likes the excitement of it all. Have fun!!

Birthdays with holidays. [2008-11-21]
Sometimes I like that the birthdays are around the holidays because then I can buy extra stuff and look at it all and decide how to split it up between the 2. Other times, like this year, we don't have much $ so I would really prefer them to be separated more but can choose that one! My husband normally leaves the lights on all night. Turn on when he gets home from work and off in the morning...not this year. I think its reasonable to just do a few hours each evening. I don't think we'll put up as many as we normally do either. Usually we line all the windows, roof, bushes, etc. Probably keep it simple this year.

My kids like them also but...... [2008-11-21]
They also know that money spent elsewhere is money that takes away from their gifts :). Two of the three have birthdays in December, so that makes a difference. December is a killer for me but at least I get it all knocked out at once and have another year to plan!

Something to definitely consider. [2008-11-21]
I would skip putting lights up but that is usually my husband's domain. I'm sure he will want to do as usual for the kids but we will definitely have them on a timer so they only run while it's dark and the kids are awake so just a few hours a night probably. I'm not even going to mention it yet and hope he procrastinates to the week before Christmas.