excuse my lack of knowledge, but

excuse [2008-09-18]
all my typo. It has already been a long day. That is why I am on the forum. I needed a break.

sleep, or lack thereof [2008-09-04]
Iread somewhere this past week that Sarah Palin only requires 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night. I remember in the past reading the same about Jay Leno. For along time now I have thought about how much more I could accomplish if I could justget by on less sleep. I seem to functionwell with7 hours and usually that is what I get. Do you think that the ability to sleep 3 to 4 hours a night and actually function normally and enjoy life is a gift that a person is born with, or do you think it is something that can be learned?Do you thinka person could get 1/2 hour less sleep per night every week, gradually getting used to less and less sleep, and still function well?Am I the only one who thinks about these things? Please share your thoughts on this. Do you know anybody who sleeps so few hours, and what is their quality of life?

Lack of help from future son-in-law [2008-09-01]
Please tell me if I I I My daughter is getting married in November. I only have about 3 rooms of furniture and a lot of it is already boxed and in a storage room. I askedmy daughterif Bruce,her fiance,and his buddies could help move me, as I am single, with no father, brothers or friends who are able-bodied any longer (I She asked him and grudgingly he said something to the effect that he could,but we would haveload the truck the night beforeand he would have to be finished up before noon the next day, and his friend would help for $200(!). The last straw was he told my daughter to tell me not to expect to have boxes, furniture placed or set up, because heHAD to get to the Mud Bog by 12:00 sharp. Is this any way to treat a future in-law? He knows I don I did get a couple of co-workers and their husband/brother to help, thank goodness, but I'm really worried about the future with this boy--respect for me, priorities, selfishness--thanks in advance.

Why wait for dad? When you do that, you imply you are the weaker parent, for lack of [2008-08-26]
You told him to sit for 4 hours (which I agree was harsh for an 8-yo) and gave in after 30 mins. Say what you mean and mean what you say, or the kids will think you're a pushover. Don't leave dad to be the enforcer, you enforce the rules, otherwise they'll fear dad but not you. Know what I mean?

Excuse me? The original post said absolutely nothing about her mother being SM [2008-08-01]
ill. I knew nothing about anyone Dogs and pets need to be owned by responsible people and there would be no such problem in any event.

Excuse me! sm [2008-07-01]
Lining my pockets? Are you serious? This is for my daughter, not me. I have plenty of money and don We make over $100,000 a year. My daughter is the one who suffered and is continuing to suffer. What would you do if your daughter was traumatized like this? I think you have a lot of nerve!!!

excuse my lack of knowledge, but [2008-06-17]
I thought medicinal marijuana was legalized in CA some time ago. What a horrible situation, this calls for an uprising, let the power of the people be heard. That is exactly why this stuff is going on - we let it.

Have some animal knowledge [2008-06-12]
To those of you speaking about how pits are so evil, I have two things to say... 1. Any dog is capable of that behavior. We have two dogs and one is a search and rescue dog and both are very loving... but you should never ever underestimate a dog no matter what. they are still animals and they still respond according to their instincts in certain situations. ALL ANIMALS have this capability. That being said... 2. So if you outlaw pits, who What animal species will be evil incarnate after that? Basically, it all boils down to the owners, the training and the language the animal gives off in certain situations. For example, my friend recently told me that someone she knows put their golden to sleep because it bit their child. When they euthanized the dog, a technician made the incidental finding that one of the kids had shoved a pen into the dogs ear. They came to the realization that this is why the dog had bitten, but no one ever even tried to sit down and figure out what had happened... nope, the dog is just put down.. no questions. You know, I would have torn that kid in two myself if that had happened to me, so its the kid and not the dog. Go to a dog language class, take some training and learn some things before condemning an animal to death for instincts that supposedly only that breed has. Its ridiculous and completely ignorant.

I am speaking with very little knowledge here.. [2008-06-11]
I have only met one (1) pit bull in my life. It was very pleasant, wanted to be petted, and never hostile. What I did notice is how muscular it was and I remember thinking that I wouldn All dog breedsare capable of being aggressive(especially if there is a dominance issue), but some breeds are more muscular and less *intidimated* by humans than other breeds. It seems to me (dog experts, please correct me) it would be easier to pull a Yorkie or a Cocker Spaniel off an attacked person than a pit bull. I don However, my humble opinion does not make up for the fact that you could face the loss of a loved family pet. I hope it works out for you.

EXCUSE ME??? [2008-05-27]
I was correcting MY error...you need to calm down, sister...I would never, ever correct anyone else I made a mistake, I CORRECTED MY MISTAKE. can't you read??????? So freakin' rude, grow up will ya!

Please excuse my typo. Meant matted fur . . NM [2008-03-31]
xx

Being aware of it doesn't mean they would excuse it...SM [2008-02-07]
Especially with the bee in the bonnet that was obvious based on the follow-up post by OP. There ARE teachers and administrators who go on power trips.

Excuse the typos sm [2008-02-04]
Oh boy, just read my post, up late last night watching Super Bowl, Pats fan here. I never heard of Bunco before, thanks for explaining. Women, don't understand why they can't be loyal, staying to myself.

For me it is lack of sleep. I also can get them if my lips are chapped and peeling [2008-01-20]
and I bit at them, I will wake up the next day with a cold sore...I also get them on the rim of my nose and inside my nose(gross I know)and these come from me rubbing my nose too much from allergies!!!! Lysine helps some but I still tend to get them....STRESS, stress, stress!!!

disgusting shows are proof of lack of intelligence of producers. [2008-01-13]
nm

Or could he be using alcohol as excuse without [2007-12-30]
x

simply make up an excuse of having other plans and override her boldness [2007-12-17]
nm

People who use the Bible as a weapon or excuse to control [2007-12-12]
others are NOT Christian. My God isn't a misogynistic control freak, so bye-bye. I like your aunt's saying. I'm going to have to remember that one.

He is old-fashioned, and that isn't necessarily an excuse [2007-12-11]
I am a Pastor's wife. Well, that will probably tell you volumes in itself. He is right-wing Lutheran, and I come from a moderate Lutheran background. Well, needless to say I know what you are going through except I am supposed to set an example to the ladies at church that the man is the leader of the house and we are not to publicly or privately question his decision, because that is the Biblical way. Well, sinner or not, I think this leads to men thinking they are always right, we are not their equal, we have no say, and it becomes a control issue. So... my heart is with you. I have yet to figure out this patriarchal thing. Believe me, I have voiced many times that I am good at some things, he other things and in discipline with children, we are equal not one better than the other. I think men are supposed to act responsibly not controlling and this is where the confusion comes in. When they refuse our opinion or disrespect us, I feel they are not living up to their role as protector and are acting like babies. But then again, they say I am a Pastor's wife who needs to go to Pastor's wife school, because my opinions are for equality and I have zero tolerance for domestic abuse. I am sorry if this does not answer your question or help you, but I do want to say I sympathize and you are not incorrect. There is no reason for a man to be controlling or to be rude, senseless and overbearing. When I figure out the answer to my situation I'll let you know. All I can say is to this day publicly and at home I stick up for equality, and I do not accept abusive male behavior and I don't care who doesn't like it. Zero tolerance from me. Leads to a tense household, but it could be worse, dishonesty is absolutely worse. Sorry for the soap box. Please hang in there and keep yourself safe and happy. :)

Excuse me, I speak Jive. [2007-12-07]
I would love to see a clip of that part again!

Excuse me, you are not saying I slammed anyone, are you? [2007-12-01]
NM

No excuse for this level of entitlement no matter what your stres level or financial situation is! [2007-11-20]
We need to stop making excuses for people feeling the need to be ahead of everyone else. It is called being RUDE. Just my two cents.

No excuse for this [2007-11-20]
The only human thing doesn't cut it. I have worked in hospitals for many years, observed nurses and MDs in action. When administering drugs, there is no excuse for massively overdosing newborns with Heparin. The nurse was probably talking her head off to somebody, had her mind on 10 different things instead of what she should have been doing - passing meds. If she was tired, then she should not have passed meds or should have had somebody help her to doublecheck herself. I hope they sue the pants off that nurse and the hospital, too.

we can make a quiet knowledge group effort to eliminate him [2007-10-16]
nm

It might be public knowledge but [2007-10-10]
how you obtain is another matter. You cannot get someone in a public office (as stated below) to ramble through a persons records. That my dear is against the law and that is what was said and not only that but if the person committed crimes when a child or teenager, those records are sometimes totally off limits and closed to the public. I also have people in law enforcement but if I needed information, would not have them go through the records to get for me and risk losing their livelihood.

Explaining a couple of things sm [2008-11-14]
I studied IQ as part of my Masterget you because your sense of humor is probably well off the beaten track. You probably lack social skills from an early age. Your peers would play childhood games while you preferred to try to improve upon the toys they played with. In school, you didn't have to work very hard in most areas. It all came very easily. You didn't learn how to learn, which is a very valuable skill. You probably have a low frustration level and when something doesn't come very easily, you are prone to giving up. Because you see the world in completely different terms than people of more average intelligence, those same average people call you crazy or mentally ill and tell you that you should be locked up. You don't fit in and despite the higher intelligence, you are remiss to know how to accomplish the feat of being more ordinary. I alluded to this in my previous post. I have the unusual combination of being very artistic, creatively gifted AND being rather intellectually gifted. Yes, I did fall at the 99.6% percentile on the Wechsler. I know what it means and I have a firm understanding that indeed, that score suggests that I possess more intelligence than 99.6% of the people who have taken that test, and only 0.4% are smarter than I am. It has been a life-long struggle to fit in. I am too cerebral for artistic people, and too artistic for intellectuals. I literally have no one I fit in with. I have learned to tone myself down to make it work. I didn't say dumb down, I said tone down. That means I don't intentionally talk over the heads of others and I won't cram what I know down anyone's throat. I have had those people in my life who have been jealous of me. I learn quickly if it is artistic, musical, creative, the written word, history and philosophy. I struggle with math. I took piano lessons 10 years ago. I had 40 of them and had never played the piano before. In 40, 1-hour lessons I could play the Moonlight Sonata in piano solo (not a dumbed down easy version). Most people cannot do that. There many other things I have done in a similar fashion, but this is an example for you. You ask why I am an MT if I am so smart. I make very good money as an MT and I enjoy the challenge. My photographic memory comes in very handy too. I often stop and read up on a disease process I am transcribing about, so that I know what it means. Show me a word once and I'll know it forever. It makes my job easier for me to accomplish. This all sounds like I am blowing my own horn, but I am merely trying to explain. Being highly intelligent wonreally smart is not only not helpful, I think it is the root of the housecleaning issues in my life. In short, it is just great to have a good ol' high number and in the end it makes absolutely difference...if you don't count the fact that people with IQs over 150 are 3 times more likely to be depressed and commit suicide than the average population. People who are 125 to 140 are the most fortunate. They succeed in greater numbers in school, in a job, in life. They are very bright, and likely have learned how to learn. They are more likely to persevere in the face of frustration and challenge. It really isn't all you think it is.

Before you push the panic button sm [2008-11-14]
This is a recession, quite possibly the mother of all recessions. It may turn into a depression, but it will run a very distant second to the Great Depression, IF it does. Pre the GP (Great Depression) you several things going on that are NOT true today. We had come out of WWI not that long before. It had been a very bloody war, the first war with mechanized destruction. What the Doughboys witnessed was for them what we saw on 09/11...unimaginable death and destruction. It changed how they viewed America. When these boys came home from the war, they came back to the farm, by and large. We were an agrarian country and with the exception of east coast, there were hardly any factory jobs and most people worked the land. Plenty of places all over the country people worked on shares and they were not all in the deep south and they were not all black. There was not nearly the land/home ownership that there is today. Most of these dirt farmers lived in poverty and barely scraped by enough to eat twice a day. When the great Dust Bowl came through Oklahoma, it took the enormous clouds of dust eastward and dumped it into the Atlantic Ocean. This was a man-made disaster and the story of the Joads in the Grapes of Wrath centers on the Dust Bowl and the farming habits of families, like the Joads caused them problems. It was their fault that the top soil blew across FDR's desk in the Oval Office. There was no infrastructure to speak of, in those days. There were roadways, but not the spider web of paved roads there are today. Goods were carried on the rails, not over the roads. You didnin town and the Sears-Roebuck catalog. If you couldn't find it there or could not afford it you either cobbled something together or did without. You can look the Coal Miner's Daughter about being so low-down dirt poor it is unbelievable. That movie is quite cleaned up and Hollywood presentable. You could look at the sparse surroundings of the ranch house in Broke Back Mountain where Ennis goes after Jack dies, and while the time frame is more modern, the very plain, only the very basics of life appear in that ranch house. They are both a bit sanitized, but reasonably realistic. Today, Americans live extraordinarily different lives than we did 80 years ago. Most people have a vehicle. Most people have more than a dirt floor shack to live in. We, have thanks to the Great Depression and FDR's recovery plan, electricity, roads, water, sewage and other sanitation. We take these things for granted, but we should not. The GP did bring some food shortages, not because of the depression, but because of the lack of infrastructure combined with people on the move to find work to subsist. The food shortages you are thinking of came with WWII and rationing...another problem secondary to lack of infrastructure and subsistence farming where there was not enough food produced to meet the need. If you are going to stock up on food, let be for more common sense reasons. If you put your money in the bank, you will make 2% or 3% return on $500. If you put that same amount into nonperishable food (think canned goods), you make a better return on an investment. You don't earn 2% or 3%, but you can end up leveraging against future price increases that will meet and exceed what interest you make from a bank, which is nothing right now. You will need food whether you buy it now or buy it later. Squirreling away extra under the bed or whatever place you can find room, is a wise investment...financially and in peace of mind.

Now the question is, would you like a glass of water? [2008-11-14]
Water or Coke?Could not believe this..... Very interestingWATER#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.(Likely applies to half the world population.)#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weakthat it is mistaken for hunger.#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangsfor almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University ofWashington study.#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses ofwater a day could significantly ease back and joint painfor up to 80% of sufferers.#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-termmemory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing onthe computer screen or on a printed page.#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk ofcolon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breastcancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to developbladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of wateryou should drink every day?COKE#1. In many states the highway patrol carriestwo gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood fromthe highway after a car accident.#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Cokeand it will be gone in two days.#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into thetoilet bowl and let the real thing sit for one hour,then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removesstains from vitreous china.#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers:Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of ReynoldsWrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Poura can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubbleaway the corrosion.#6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Colato the rusted bolt for several minutes.#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola intothe baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake.Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing thedrippings to mixwith the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.#8... To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Cokeinto the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and runthrough a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosengrease stains. It will also clean road haze from yourwindshield.FOR YOUR INFORMATION:#1. the active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoricacid also leaches calcium from bones and is a majorcontributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) thecommercial trucks must use a hazardous Material placecards reserved for highly corrosive materials.#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to cleanengines of the trucks for about 20 years!Now the question is, would you like a glass of water?

I understand percentiles - sm [2008-11-11]
I am well aware of what the standard IQ percentiles are. The Bell Curve states that the 95th percentile begins at an IQ of 126 (going by IQ averages in the general population), and it stops measuring at 150, anyone in126-150 range is labeledvery bright. Mensa is a club that only accepts thehighest percentiles - its for the cream of the cream. According to Mensa, one might attempt to pass their test if one IQs higher than 150 are very difficult to measure, and there are so few people in that range it would take too much effort to develop a test difficult enough to prove just what their number is, therefore being able to pass Mensasmart that anybody would need, and it sure looks good on a resume, it certainly got my ex a lot of job interviews.Unfortunately his lack of a driverkept him from getting the jobs. Years ago, one of myhobbies was pursuading my friends to take a proven accurate test and share their results with me. I managed to talk quite a few into it, and I was happily surprised to find that several of them were Mensa material, although simply by observing their lifestyles, I never would have guessed it. A couple of them were factory workers.You may find very intelligent people in any profession, as it is much easier to disguiseintelligence than the lack of it. I don't think its impossible that someone with an IQ of 145-150 is posting on this board, or is an MT, if that's what you're asking.

I have had the pleasure... [2008-11-09]
....of working in several nursing homes as a CNA and nurse before coming to medical transcription. It's hard work and usually staffing is sometimes paltry, even in the good homes, but we really do care. Really. Every place has bad eggs, the hospitals, home care, etc., but everyone usually has to have some sort of heart to work in a nursing home. First things first...I always would check for jobs with this litmus test, and I recommend anyone do this. This is a make or break kind of ordeal. You look for the state inspection report. It HAS to be placed in a prominent place in the facility. If you cannot find it readily, ask where it is. If there is anything going on with hiding these documents, you leave and never come back. The other thing is to smell for stale urine or strong air fresheners. If you smell either of those, leave. (Do not check for BM smell--the smell often radiates and may be new, for lack of a better term.) Look at the residents. Do many of them seem content? Do you see aides with gait belts around their waists? Do the nurses look terribly stressed? Please also do not judge by tones of voices in the direct care staff. Often the staff must talk very directly, succintly, and abruptly--it sometimes comes off as harsh, but it's not--for particular residents to hear and/or understand. If you go in a facility in the evening, often the place is chaotic, particularly if there are demented residents. There is a condition known as sundowning that is very, very real. The ones with dementia who are sundowning may give the impression that care is not being given due to the chaos and behaviors brought by the condition. It's not the case. Usually these residents are kept in common areas until they are calm enough to retire for the night. If you go in the nighttime, often there is one night nurse for about 65ish residents. If you are so inclined to come in at this time and do not see anyone at the nurse's station for some time, know that the nurse may be tending to a medical issue and the CNAs are tending to personal care of the residents. If you ever see nurses eating a sandwich in one hand and writing in another hand while sitting at the nurse's station, this is sometimes the only break he or she gets. It's not out of disrespect that this is done. It is so that nurse can care for the residents as best as he or she can. What you are describing in your original post, unfortunately, is quite common, from what I have seen. Two people who are married a long time will often pass not too far apart. It seems people often do decide when they will go. As a nurse, it's one of the more incredible things I've seen. When I saw it happen, I always had the sense there is an extremely strong bond between the spouses that absolutely nothing could break. I'm not trying to say anything is amiss with your mother. I'm not. It doesn't always happen that way. I hope I don't come off that way. I'm sorry you are going through this, because no one wants to send a loved one to the nursing home, yet caring for an ailing parent is one of the most stressful things anyone can experience. I have never been in your position, so I hope I don't come off as too forward, rude, or presumptuous, but I wanted to tell you a little more about what you may be getting into. If you live in Iowa, I'd recommend you to a great one that has the best nurse I've ever met working there now. He has cooked up oyster soup in our kitchen when a resident stopped eating because the resident loved oyster soup. He has taken residents fishing for the heck of it. He wears a scrub shirt with chickens on it because many of our residents were farmers and like the shirt (and because my husband has a silly sense of humor and a wife with a sewing machine). I've known CNAs who buy (with their own money) residents pop and even steak just because the resident wanted it and could have it. Shoot, lots of us do it, even when we don't have a lot of money to our names. I loved to sing with the residents that had dementia (music seems to be retained) and chat about life with the residents who had their faculties. I promise it's not all doom and gloom. Sure, nursing homes could do better, but if you find the right one, it may just work out. All my best to you and your mother.

Fluoride [2008-11-08]
use extra fluoride! in some states you can find a fluoride paste at the small, independently owned pharmacies. i can find it in the state where i am originally from but not where i live now. my ortho had mentioned it and all while using that i never had a cavity. this from a kid who had numerous cavities, not from lack of brushing or care. if you can't find that, ACT mouthwash has added fluoride too. you just want to make sure it is the last thing you use before bed so that it has a chance to sit on your teeth/in your mouth and be absorbed. my son uses the ACT and hasn't had a cavity since braces and starting this daily use. there is also special threading floss available for braces. my son's ortho didn't tell us about it but i knew from my past. its thin on one and and fluffy through the middle. when you pull it the fluffy part becomes tight like regular floss. its much easier to fee through the wires and the fluffy part can double as a small toothbrush in the tight areas around the brackets and such.

but it's harder to dose [2008-11-07]
I think if there were a pill, I might feel differently, but I am against people smoking pot in the name of medicine. There are other drugs to combat nausea and such, without the high. I really think it's just a big excuse for people to get high and that is what I am against. I can tell that the majority here disacrees with me and that's okay, too, but I figured that instead of a bunch of one sided posts, perhaps the OP would like to hear from someone on the other side. Maybe not...

Thanks everyone so far.. [2008-11-07]
Regarding the last post, I know I should be grateful, and I will be mindful of that. I will start making a list, and try to delegate from there. I think the main root of the problem is that I don Threats and bribes don Not to give an excuse, but as an MT I have diagnosed myself with ADD...and find it really hard to be focus and not feel overwhelmed. Thanks for listening today. XX

Yes. When I worked on the floor as an aide [2008-11-04]
It seemed a lot of the RNs thought they were the most elite part of the hospital/society and treated everyone that way. What I despised most though is that they would do their patient assessments, charting, then sit around the nurses station and gossip while we did the majority of the work and they would try to shove as much as their job on us as they could, even things we were not qualified to do. They also were the most unprofessional people.They were the ones that tended to make funof a patients ailments, body habitus, lack of education etc., than any other personnel in that hospital. There were some good RNs though that knew their place but it seemed that they were few and far between. The real good RNs did not stay long at that little rinky-dink county hospital, they were just there to get their experience and go to bigger and better places. Glad that is ancient history for me now as far as dealing.

I get this from the medical profession, too - [2008-11-03]
My family doc respects my knowledge, but heaven forbid I say something medical if I have to take my daughter to the ER! They look at me like I have two heads, then continue to talk in monosyllables.

When I asked why it was ok for him to pick out a truck and a boat without me (sm) [2008-11-02]
he blamed it on the fact that I had bought the kids a $300 plastic pool last summer. He used that same excuse again about the shed. you picked out a pool! How dare I pick out anything?

That's what I was afraid of. I haven't heard of anything either. sm [2008-11-02]
Unfortunately, I decided not to call the parent as I kept thinking about our earlier conversation when I called her about her child slapping my son. She had every excuse in the book why she could not come get her child. I was insistent this child was going home because of her behavior and ended up giving in and saying she could stay based on all the excuses her mom gave me. If I was called and told my child had slapped someone at a vistor's house or anywhere for that matter, it wouldn't take me more than 5 minutes to get there and get my child. I'll just have to chalk this up to like mother, like child.

Is there a chance [2008-10-28]
he (and mother) might have mental issues? If this goes beyond family it seems as though he is missing something. I'm not saying it is an excuse but it could explain some of his actions. I always strive to understand where things are coming from. The explaination does not always change the outcome but sometimes it helps make a difficult decision a little easier to live with. One (there are a few) of my family members I spoke of was my uncle. The time I finally decided not to put any effort to talking to him was when he told me flat out that I was a screw up because I went to college for 3 years and decided to stop going because I found a great job and wanted to settle down with my now husband, who was divorced and with a child of his own. This was shortly after I was married that I spoke to him and he basically told me what a mistake I had made. Well, here I am 10 years later and my life is very happy and fulfilled. I later found out that he's an alcoholic. I still would have made my decision but its much easier knowing that I wouldn't have exposed my children to his alcoholism anyway. I also don't feel that is something you can help someone with. They have to want the help themselves.

That is encouraging [2008-10-28]
I am having a hard time fitting in fruits and vegetables and eating more popcorn, there frozen meals, etc. I am afraid that the lack of eating the fresh fruits and veggies will keep me from losing. I will Google that 3fatchicks. Thanks!

OH...what to do...??? [2008-10-27]
My husband and I will be married for a year on December 15. Both of our families live in the same small town and I need to know what to do for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In years past we have tried to do double duty on both holidays. This year I also want to have our OWN Thanksgiving and Christmas as last year we were on our Honeymoon during Christmas and we're married yet for Thanksgiving. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, but I also don't want to have to go to 3 dinners and 3 present-openings and so on. So, my question is: What would you do in this situation? Should I just wear sweats and try to fit in 3 dinners? Do we split up Christmas and Thanksgiving between families? This would be much easier if they lived in different locations and we COULDN'T make it to both, but as it is we don't really have an excuse to not make it to one or the other. PLEASE HELP!!!!

I have fostered dogs in the past, but [2008-10-25]
had a hard time giving them up, still have all three! In my area, the shelter relies heavily on donationsto keep operating efficiently, so basically the foster homes take responsibility for all expenses of the animal being fostered.Fostering gives animals a chancewho would otherwise be put to deathbecause of lack of room, money or lack of people to rehabilitate the ones who have been mistreated and need extra attention.It is so worth it to give an animal a second chance at life.You have to be willing to let go though when the time comes and it is very hard to do. I just could not do it and so now just stick to volunteering at the shelter and doing fundraising and stuff.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. [2008-10-23]
Reason being, no presents. Just family and an excuse to eat lots of yummy foods that you don't get to have any other time of year. I have loved it since I was a child. I like your idea though. Maybe I will do like you said. I can't please everyone and I am working both holidays so it will be hard for me to get time to go somewhere else. I can certainly use my breaks and some planning to make it at our house though. LOL at your story. Thanks for the tip and encouragement. It's a shame that some people are such sticklers when all it really comes down to spending time with family!

would it be rude? [2008-10-22]
to just tell your family members you are making a christmas dinner and invite everyone over, no presents allowed? We just bought a house and are not in the best financial situation at the moment. I have tried hinting around at doing things like dirty santa or drawing names but no one likes that idea. So I want to scrap presents all together. I am working on Christmas day so that would be a good excuse not to visit anyone that day. We are also in a central location and that would make it easier to have everyone over to our house. What do you think?

Bread help appreciated sm [2008-10-21]
The bread came out just okay with King Arthur Flour, it was a great experience though and I canbread flour; hopefully will be within a few days. We have a Christmas Tree Shop in the next town and will try to get there to get the flour cheaper. We are also close to (excuse this) Wal-Mart. The aroma alone was great and I was amazed at how it kneaded itself, etc., as this is the part I was dreading when making bread. The Oster does it all for $59 with a $10 coupon good next week at Kohl's. I can't say it was that good this a.m., I did cut a thin slice and toasted it. Our Golden Retriever was salivating but we're watching his diet. I will be looking for bargains and enjoying having the aroma in the house. We have cold winters in NE so the smell of bread and crock pot meal or mac and cheese is a good thing! I feel like Martha! (I could pack on the pounds with this.) The crust was crunchy and the inside well cooked. I may try pizza dough in it one night as well. I could become addicted to this experimenting with bread over $4 to $7 a loaf around here. Thanks for the input.

Does your Dad have PVD? [2008-10-21]
Lots of men and women in their 60s and 70s usually start having PAD, and this causes terrible cramps in the legs and sometimes arms. My husband was just diagnosed with this, and he awoke at night with the same problem. I asked him if he was getting enough potassium, but his blood work showed his potassium was fine. He started not being able to walk very far until his muscles began to ache and felt weak. Sure enough, he had some studies done and it showed he had bad circulation in his legs. But, it is also a fact, as told by my MD, that lack of potassium also causes cramps in the legs.

What about [2008-10-17]
all the people who believe in another book (like those in the middle east)? They believe what they were taught just as firmly as those who believe in the Bible. I don't think the bible is word for word God's word or completely literal. I used to believe that. Now I feel that if we are really honest and open minded, we will get closer to the real truth. I think the Ten Commandments are great and Jesus' words and example. If everyone would live by this, no one can deny the world would be a great place. I think one has to examine the whole shebang. We are not as informed as we think we are. I will check over the website you suggested. I am in my quest for understanding life, how we got here, and what it is all about. For some time now it doesn't really make a lot of sense to me (even the whole food chain makes me ill). Frankly, I don't understand why God doesn't make it completely obvious to everyone (what the truth really is). You would say that he has, but that is because you are coming from the assumption that the Bible is true. It should be an innate knowledge (or something). That would NOT be denying people free will as some would say. One would still have the choice to love God and live for him or not. I'm guessing you think what others believe is ridiculous and obviously false, but they see you the same way. Thanks for the link. I will let you know my thoughts. :)

actually I don't think everyone else is ridiculous [2008-10-17]
I used to believe the same things myself. As far as having an innate knowing, I believe deep down we all feel we have a hole inside if you will. I know when I was searching and seeking I felt that. Yet when I found Jesus, it was like he filled that hole. I believe that it requires faith to believe. That is why we don't have an innate knowledge. I believe that if someone doesn't have Jesus they cannot comprehend all that the Bible has to say. That is why we need the Holy Ghost, to interpret for us. I read the Bible at least three times cover to cover before I accepted Christ. I could have been reading a different language for all I understood. After accepting him though, I started to understand, and parts of Scripture stood out like neon lights when I needed them. I used to believe that everyone could get to heaven any ol' way they wanted, just as long as they were good people. Now I know that isn't true. If we could get to heaven by good works, why did God have to send his Son to die? I have studies on this a lot. Like I've said before, I was practically dragged kicking and screaming to Christ :) I did not want to accept what I knew as the truth. Why? Because doing so meant giving up my own selfish wants and needs. Giving up my own fleshly desires. No more going out and living crazy and doing what I wanted. But you know what? I owe Him that. He died for me. And you. And that is regardless of whether you believe Him or not. That's the amazing thing. He died knowing that even 2000 years later people would be practically spitting on Him. (Not saying that you personally are, but there are a lot of people who do) Anyways check out that site, and if you are truly searching, I urge you to really check out that book by Josh McDowell. Ravi Zacharias is also an amazing apologist that really opened my eyes and helped me to understand a lot. He has a website with some essays and he also has a bunch of books (you can find them at Lifeway and I'm sure other bookstores). If you ever want to talk, please email me. I know what it's like to be searching and to not know what you believe. I ran from God for so long, but when I finally came to Him I didn't understand why I had run for so long. No, life will not be a piece of cake if you become a Christian. More likely, you will endure hardship and trials and tribulations. But this life here is a blink of an eye compared to the eternity we spend with Him after. Just imagine the things that could be done in this world if everyone allowed God to work through them and to bring forth the talents that he has given them. It would just be amazing! Times are going to get hard soon, and people are going to have to make a choice. I know my Lord will be here when it is all said and done. I pray that you will be there with us!

Chances are, this is an outdoor, nondominational [2008-10-16]
codes against taking them to a church service, because that would open up a whole nother can of worms. But really... home-teaching shouldn't be the ONLY input a child gets in life. They will ultimately make their own choices in life, and the more viewpoints they learn, the better their choices are likely to be. Some of the wildest, most out-of-control kids I know are the ones with ultra-strict parents. Worse yet are the home-schooled, who go out into the world without a good working knowledge of how to deal with diversity. And look where home-teaching about sex, birth-control, and abstinence has gotten us. More and more teenagers giving birth every day. sex education in the home is pathetically lacking for most kids, and so is home-schooling when it comes to morals and values. And I'm not talking about biblical 'morals', I'm talking about an every-day, common-sense personal CONSCIENCE. Far too many parents I meet appear to be sadly lacking in common sense or a conscience.

Help! I live next to parents and they ...sm [2008-10-15]
are driving me mad, well my dad is anyways. I have always lived on my parents land next door to them. I live in a mobile home. Well my mom and dad divorced this year because my dad was cheating. He was calling another woman up to 10 times a day, going to her house, has give her everything he has. He owned cattle and sold them and got $32,000 for them. Well the money disappeared and he was broke before long. This woman he is cheating with is on disability and lives in a house and has a SUV. Her daughter has a car and son a truck and none of them work. Mama has looked on his bank statements and seen where he is making their payments. Well of course mom put him out. Like to never got him out. He got a mobile home and parked it on the land. She got 3 acres and the house in divorce. He has the remaining 7 acres. Well he puts his mobile home on his part and refuses to hook it up. He is staying in this trailer with no power, no sewage, nothing. There is only a bed. He has had the money to hook it up right. My mother has offered him part of the furniture and a TV. He doesn He refuses to live like a normal human being. Then he comes to my moms house every day when she gets off of work and wants to come in and take a shower. She is like no we aren You have a trailer and you go hook it up and take a shower over there. Well it has water to it he just doesn Well that is his own problem. He chooses not to have it hooked up because I guess he wants an excuse to come over to moms. Well she tells him no. Then he comes to my house and sits and sits. He comes over because he has no furniture and no TV or nothing. He comes and rumages through my cabinets and bums food. If me and my mom are at my house and decide to cook something he invites himself over there and helps himself. I have never seen anyone who was so annoying. I can He refuses to get a washer or dryer which without electricity it wouldn So he comes to my house and says can I wash my laundry? Well gues what? I end up doing it cause he doesn Then he leaves it there and expects me to finish it. I can not hardly do my work because he comes over and says are you busy? I just wanted to talk. I won Then he just sits there. I am at my wits end. I just want to move. He came over and said can I borrow a duffle bag? I said ok. I give it to him. He says I am gonna go buy one and I will bring it back. I never have got it back. Then he comes over and says can I borrow an ice chest. I let him borrow it and never get it back. He bums off of everyone here but this other woman and her children he gives whatever they want. He has taken money from me and my sister. He has borrowed money against my sisters extra vehicle she had paid for. He asked and she let him. he didn THis is his own daughter he did this to now. My husband had a pickup in my dads name because his credit wasn Big mistake. When the truck was almost paid formy dadborrowed money against the truck behind our backs. THen the truck is stolen and insurance has to pay it off. Well it was worth more than what was owing so we got the differnece. Well he had borrowed $1600 against it and said he didn So it came out of our insurance money from the truck. Finally when we knew he had some money we had to bug him and bug him for the money and he said $1000 is all he owed. He borrowed $1600 and paid one note on it before the truck was stolen. So we were out about $500. He takes from his children. I am at wits end. I want to get far far away from him. My sister lives an hour an a half away and she seems pretty lucky right now. What the heck to do?

As an MT, I feel I've been living in a "recession" or - sm [2008-10-13]
a 'depression' for years already, not just recently. The only thing that's different for me now is how far my 401K has nosedived. When it happened after 9/11, I at least had the knowledge that I was still putting funds in, and my employer was matching those funds, and the mutual fund was buying more stocks with it at discount prices. But this time around, the 401K has several more strikes against it: - It still hadn't recovered to where it would have been if 9/11 had never happened. - I haven't been able to fund it for the last three years, and as a result there is no employer input, either. So what's changed for me now, is a real fear that I'll be on the streets in my old age, even though I'll still have to work forever. I was counting on money from my 401K to help make up the difference when my Social Security and work paycheck are not quite enough to live on. (And they WON'T be, especially if MT pay continues to be stagated or declining, as it is now.) So at this point, I would say there really isn't any way to 'cope' - I'm already working as hard and as many hours as I can, and doing without everything but the most basic needs. So at this point, all that's left is to try to hope that something will change for the better in the years to come.