Secular Confessions

Bridget that story is true. My aunt looked up every fact on Terrence Howard when we came home lol. It said that both his parents are bi-racial though but his father looks white and mom looks black and his father did 11 months for manslaughter for killing that guy. He has had an interesting life. We also read that Terrence only made $12k for Hustle and Flow, the movie he was nominated for an Oscar for, which was shocking. I still don't believe that's true. But one of his quotes was something along the lines that he "works to pay the bills" before that movie so he must not have been paid well until then. After that he got $500K to over $1 million per movie, so I can see why actors/actresses want to be nominated!

So sorry your instincts were off about the snow. I'm sure you'll make it up to Kai and since winter is still around, you'll have plenty of time for winter-wonder-landing it up in the snow sometime in the near future.

ETA: Elle just came and asked me for a snack. I reminded her she just got one (like 10 minutes ago). She then asks me "how do you say snack in Spanish." I tell her I don't know and asks if she does. A boy in her preschool is Peruvian and he speaks Spanish and has taught her some words (unfortunately "potty" words, as she calls them like butt and poop and booger in Spanish). She says: "I think you call a snack el snacka lacka in Spanish. lol, I thought it was funny. Now I am coughing and need to go lay down lol.



Erin

Good to have you back, Erin. I think TH is a terrific actor, and handsome to boot, but his voice drives me nuts! I wish it were deeper.

I actually read everything, but don't remember but a snippet here or there! Growing old sucks!

Anyway, sorry about your day, Bridget. That's sometimes what you get for being sensible.

Sorry about how upset JoJo got! I've learned to not say anything to Mira until it is almost happening. So much grief involved when plans change,

Chrissy, I would've been pissed! But it doesn't surprise me that the Geek Squad guys are clueless.

We had a good weekend. Went to a book reading for kids, with friends. It was the guy who has written Mirabelle and the Bouncy Red Ball, and Mirabelle, the dog. Mirabelle seemed like she wished she were elsewhere, and the books were not very good. Every time they asked 'Would you like Mr.M to read another book?' Mira would say, rather loudly, 'No, I don't want another book'. We went to eat, and I had waffles, cupcake, apple empanada, a chocolate-coconut brownie, and a kickass Ginger Jasmine Tea (JEENYOUS!!!). Some of it was shared - I'm kind of pig-like but not that much. More house hunting today. We've only been doing it two weeks, and I'm SO done.

Erin hope you start feeling better soon! That is a cool story though.

Bridget, it's NASTY by me. Freezing rain, snow, sleet, more snow. I94 was crawling for a while when we could see it (normally very easy to see from the house but for a while we couldn't see it). Dh's mom ended up staying an extra day. I'm kind of worried about DH getting to work tonight....it's not a far drive but still hate the ice under the snow.

Chrissy, the thing that shocked me was last time we were in best buy was how few computer programs they have. It's like hardly anything, especially for games.

Jennifer, it's getting ugly here too. Icey rain. So glad I don't have to drive anywhere tomorrow.

I'm reading raising your spirited child and so far nothing new but a very good affirmation for me as I try to convince dbf that some of the characteristics that he deems undesirable in our children are a)biologically ingrained and won't be changed by force and b)can be disirable qualities in a successful adult if directed and nurtured properly.
Savana is a textbook introvert and Kai textbook extrovert. The best part so far is that Savana came into the room while I was reading it and asked me what I was reading. I told her it was a book about kids' personalities and how to make them the best they could be. She asked me to read it out loud and when I was reading about the introverted spirted child she said, "That is SO me!" and her face lit up. It kind of cracked me up that I'm reading a parenting book outloud to her.

I think my flu kids are going to come back tues. She texted me today saying they were fever free. I'm trying not to be a paranoid freak and and just realize there's only so much I can do to protect us from the darn flu.

Our house is starting to get sick. Again. S. screamed all night and developed a fever today. DH and I both feel awful, and not just from sleep deprivation. DD has a fever. Everyone is making that awful sucking-in-snot sound on a regular basis. R. is the only person who doesn't seem to be ill, but he is more spacey than usual.

Tomorrow is DH's 40th birthday. He hates getting older. He thinks about it every day and marks the passage of time as an endless progression towards certain decrepitude and death. So this is not a happy event for him. It does not help that he's been mostly sick for the past four months. The kids were chattering excitedly about his birthday yesterday and DH said that birthdays are not as exciting at his age when compared to their age. The children stopped talking, stunned into silence momentarily, and DH explained that at their age they have so much to look forward to. R. then said, "And then you are just getting closer to death?" and DH agreed.

Anyway, not a great day. On the bright side, our daughter has just been lovely. She has been sitting DH down on the couch and reading him stories from Curious George, asking him to do things with her, saying, "I want another 'Daddy Day,'" and just generally being adorable.

I bought DH a glass-blowing class for his birthday.

Erin, welcome back! Sorry you've been so sick.

Janet, if you're checking in here, I'm guessing we won't be able to go swimming with you this week. I know we seem to be sick all the time, but before we started school, the kids got sick about once a year.

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Originally Posted by AmeriBrit

Krystal/Gretchen, that's good to know about your area and the music scene there. I'm Ashley by the way. My DH plays guitar in a rock band. He's just this week bought himself a new effects pedal that I gave him grief over because of the price. He'll cover it through gigs, but they are not a serious band, so I told him his hobby is quite an expensive one when I'd like to be saving up for a nice Spanish vacation instead! I would love to visit California one day and Florida, too *waves to Shelley.* I can imagine living in Miami like the Golden Girls....

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Hi Ashley! That's so awesome, he's really good. My husband really did it as "just a hobby", but he was in jazz. What he did doesn't even compare! But yes, still plenty for him to do if you moved out here.

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Originally Posted by Bridget

Jennifer, it's getting ugly here too. Icey rain. So glad I don't have to drive anywhere tomorrow.

I'm reading raising your spirited child and so far nothing new but a very good affirmation for me as I try to convince dbf that some of the characteristics that he deems undesirable in our children are a)biologically ingrained and won't be changed by force and b)can be disirable qualities in a successful adult if directed and nurtured properly.
Savana is a textbook introvert and Kai textbook extrovert. The best part so far is that Savana came into the room while I was reading it and asked me what I was reading. I told her it was a book about kids' personalities and how to make them the best they could be. She asked me to read it out loud and when I was reading about the introverted spirted child she said, "That is SO me!" and her face lit up. It kind of cracked me up that I'm reading a parenting book outloud to her.

I think my flu kids are going to come back tues. She texted me today saying they were fever free. I'm trying not to be a paranoid freak and and just realize there's only so much I can do to protect us from the darn flu.

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I actually think it's great that you read it to her! I think it's good for kids to have an understanding of why they do the things they do, and why you do the things you do.

Aw... I hope they are truly recovered and you guys don't get it!

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Originally Posted by 3andMe

Our house is starting to get sick. Again. S. screamed all night and developed a fever today. DH and I both feel awful, and not just from sleep deprivation. DD has a fever. Everyone is making that awful sucking-in-snot sound on a regular basis. R. is the only person who doesn't seem to be ill, but he is more spacey than usual.

Tomorrow is DH's 40th birthday. He hates getting older. He thinks about it every day and marks the passage of time as an endless progression towards certain decrepitude and death. So this is not a happy event for him. It does not help that he's been mostly sick for the past four months. The kids were chattering excitedly about his birthday yesterday and DH said that birthdays are not as exciting at his age when compared to their age. The children stopped talking, stunned into silence momentarily, and DH explained that at their age they have so much to look forward to. R. then said, "And then you are just getting closer to death?" and DH agreed.

Anyway, not a great day. On the bright side, our daughter has just been lovely. She has been sitting DH down on the couch and reading him stories from Curious George, asking him to do things with her, saying, "I want another 'Daddy Day,'" and just generally being adorable.

I bought DH a glass-blowing class for his birthday.

Erin, welcome back! Sorry you've been so sick.

Janet, if you're checking in here, I'm guessing we won't be able to go swimming with you this week. I know we seem to be sick all the time, but before we started school, the kids got sick about once a year.

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Oh no! What's with all the sickness going around?? Hope it's quick and easy for you guys...

Mid life crisis for your husband, you think? Coming to terms with his mortality? Hopefully he will accept that that is just life and move on... He may as well get in good spirits and really live while he can! Forget celebrating the coming year and getting older... Celebrate the year he just lived!

Aw, your daughter is a sweetie!

Sorry about swimming... But I hope to be going regularly until June, so we have plenty of time! Just let me know when you guys feel up to it and have some time. Until then, I will be trying my best to turn my daughter in to a fish...

Erin, so sorry you have been so sick! It's miserable...

Crazy that you got to meet an actor! Too bad you weren't able to talk to him... Fun that your aunt did. Do you mind if I ask where you live, that you meet famous people? When I was in Japan and told people I live in CA, they all thought that meant movie stars were my neighbors...

Though I will admit an embarassing fact about myself... I don't keep up with celebrities or any type of gossip. Other than what you guys have said, I have no idea who the guy is. In fact, since I didn't quote you, I can't even remember his name!

Bridget, so sorry about the snow issue. I always hate when my days get messed up, too. YOU did not screw the day up, though. The weather didn't cooperate. I'm sure you don't control that! Want to hear a story of what I've messed up?? I had my dad baby sit Maiya for me a few dr's appointments ago. My uncle was coming by and the 3 of them were going to go for a walk. Maiya LOVES hiking, and loves her uncle, and was SO EXCITED about going for a walk with "the guys".

Well, my car has all Maiya's stuff in it, so I left my dad my car, and took his to the appointment. Maiya was SO HAPPY to be going for a walk, she almost couldn't say good bye for talking about going with them. When I got to the appointment, a 20 minute drive away, I got a phone call from my dad. I TOOK MY CAR KEYS WITH ME. So, he could not get in my car. And I had his car! So they could not go ANYWHERE. Maiya was sad, but I was HEARTBROKEN. I felt like I'd ruined the entire day. My dad was doing me a huge favor by watching her, so I felt like I made his life much more difficult, and of course, completely disappointed her.

And, just to add insult to injury, the appointment SUCKED, too. As usual, we got no answers as to why I can't get pregnant and made no new plans... It felt like such a huge waste. All that, messing up things for my dad, my uncle, and my daughter... All for what felt like a stupid, useless appointment...

So, see, don't hate your own instincts. You erred on the side of caution- that's what moms are supposed to do!

But, I will admit I do tell Maiya what the plans are. Just, if they're tentative, I tell her they're tentative. Like the other day, she wanted to go the library, and we tried, but we just didn't make it there on time. I told her before hand what the situation was, and she was disappointed, but I think it's good for her to realize that sometimes things work out, and sometimes they don't!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was SO busy. Maiya was EXHAUSTED today after going non stop since Saturday, and actually FELL ASLEEP WHILE READING. Well, her Grandpa was reading to her. But that is so, so strange for her. If it wasn't for how busy we've been, I'd almost think something was wrong... But, at least it's been a good, fun busy! We'll see how long she sleeps, though, because that nap is bound to have messed up her sleep (again!).

Well, I did not have a stellar weekend either. Single-parenting a very defiant little boy for two days straight because DH was working long days all weekend. Yesterday was great at first. We went to this kiddie farm after B's swim class and he rode ponies. But later that day, we'd gone into San Francisco and he ran away from me in a store - not a huge one, but big enough that I couldn't find him among the racks. He'd run back, laugh and run away again, and I was left standing there counting loudly to 3 and threatening him in the middle of all these hipsters who were completely annoyed with both of us. He got in bigtime trouble, lost the new rubber fish he'd just gotten, got grounded from a few more things once we got home. He had to go to straight to bed without a story. Then again today, after a reinforcement lecture in the morning from his dad, we went "hiking" at this quarry down the hill from my house. I kept telling him to turn around when he got too far, and for awhile he did. Then he got this glint in his eye. I swear I could see it from 40 yards away. And he ran away AGAIN (!), a little orange balloon tied to his wrist, until all I could see was the little balloon disappearing behind a stand of pampas grass. There I was, shouting his name and for him to come back at the top of my lungs. I felt like a complete panicky idiot. I went down a footpath in the opposite direction, cut him off at the pass and dragged him by the wrist back to the car. Made him go straight to nap without a story. On the way home, in mid-lecture, my neck seized up from being so mad at him, and I haven't been able to turn my head ever since. I'm in TONS of pain. I've had these kinds of cricks before, and it'll be days before I feel better.

So, yeah, I feel like I was too busy disciplining most of the time to have a nice weekend with him. I'm tired of hearing myself sound so stern and naggy. On the plus side, I slept 12+ hrs last night.

Erin, nice to read your words again, mama. I liked TH in the first Iron Man, and was sad he couldn't negotiate something to stay on for the 2nd. I like Don Cheadle too, but dislike it when actors are replaced for sequels. It's a distraction.

Chrissy, I would have been reading the riot act at Best Buy in your shoes. Then I'd have written the Better Business Bureau and written a scathing Yelp review. Sorry it was such a hassle for you. :/ I hate Win8, btw.

Oh, and that story about the girl in the waiting room, Chrissy... gave me the chills. Bet she still remembers you.

Ash, the comment about the Golden Girls cracked me up. I LOVED them. I always wanted to move to MIami and one day be their best friend. As a kid, I was once inspired to come to breakfast in full makeup on a Saturday because they always seemed to do that. They're one of the reasons I'd live in Miami (Burn Notice being the other), although DH hates the place and would never ever want to live there.

Suja, you're not the only one who indulged this weekend. Breakfast for dinner is one of my favorite things, so I had crab cakes Benedict for dinner with Bodhi on Sat, while he had Swedish oatmeal pancakes with blueberry compote and Mascarpone cheese. And that means I ate over half his leftovers at the table for my dessert. (The sugar's
partially to blame for his behavior in the store.) I'm eating my maintenance for a week or 2 to give myself a break from eating at a deficit, and I still went way over this weekend. Lastly, did I miss something, Suja? You're looking for another house? You looking to move? Or for an investment one?

Janet, sorry to hear about your fertility issues. :(

Ugh, 12 hrs of sleep last night will still not be enough to cover my 4 hrs from tonite. I hate insomnia.

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Originally Posted by Bridget

Jennifer, it's getting ugly here too. Icey rain. So glad I don't have to drive anywhere tomorrow.

I'm reading raising your spirited child and so far nothing new but a very good affirmation for me as I try to convince dbf that some of the characteristics that he deems undesirable in our children are a)biologically ingrained and won't be changed by force and b)can be disirable qualities in a successful adult if directed and nurtured properly.
Savana is a textbook introvert and Kai textbook extrovert. The best part so far is that Savana came into the room while I was reading it and asked me what I was reading. I told her it was a book about kids' personalities and how to make them the best they could be. She asked me to read it out loud and when I was reading about the introverted spirted child she said, "That is SO me!" and her face lit up. It kind of cracked me up that I'm reading a parenting book outloud to her.

I think my flu kids are going to come back tues. She texted me today saying they were fever free. I'm trying not to be a paranoid freak and and just realize there's only so much I can do to protect us from the darn flu.

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I'm sure you guy will be fine. Or, if you get it it will be from another source. :P Not helpful, is it? :( I worry about the flu too, but then force myself to not think about it so much because there's little that can be done.

I remember reading stuff like that out loud to my girls when they were little. All the way up through when I was attending college for CASAC and taking all the human development, psychology, and sociology classes. One in particular, I remember them being shocked and horrified when I read what alcohol physically does to your brain and they were never, ever, ever going to drink alcohol. I should maybe have kept that one and kept reading from it semi-annually. :D

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Originally Posted by 3andMe

Our house is starting to get sick. Again. S. screamed all night and developed a fever today. DH and I both feel awful, and not just from sleep deprivation. DD has a fever. Everyone is making that awful sucking-in-snot sound on a regular basis. R. is the only person who doesn't seem to be ill, but he is more spacey than usual.

Tomorrow is DH's 40th birthday. He hates getting older. He thinks about it every day and marks the passage of time as an endless progression towards certain decrepitude and death. So this is not a happy event for him. It does not help that he's been mostly sick for the past four months. The kids were chattering excitedly about his birthday yesterday and DH said that birthdays are not as exciting at his age when compared to their age. The children stopped talking, stunned into silence momentarily, and DH explained that at their age they have so much to look forward to. R. then said, "And then you are just getting closer to death?" and DH agreed.

Anyway, not a great day. On the bright side, our daughter has just been lovely. She has been sitting DH down on the couch and reading him stories from Curious George, asking him to do things with her, saying, "I want another 'Daddy Day,'" and just generally being adorable.

I bought DH a glass-blowing class for his birthday.

Erin, welcome back! Sorry you've been so sick.

Janet, if you're checking in here, I'm guessing we won't be able to go swimming with you this week. I know we seem to be sick all the time, but before we started school, the kids got sick about once a year.

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Awww, bummer about everyone getting sick again. :( That's so hard about dh. It's such a fundamental way to think and hard to always be positive around. On some level, it must be draining for you as well. Aging and death is something that can't be helped, so I prefer not to think about it. When I do, I imagine myself as a spry old bat driving her motorhome herself well into her 80's. Complete with parrot. That kinda makes me happy. :)

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Originally Posted by demigraf

Well, I did not have a stellar weekend either. Single-parenting a very defiant little boy for two days straight because DH was working long days all weekend. Yesterday was great at first. We went to this kiddie farm after B's swim class and he rode ponies. But later that day, we'd gone into San Francisco and he ran away from me in a store - not a huge one, but big enough that I couldn't find him among the racks. He'd run back, laugh and run away again, and I was left standing there counting loudly to 3 and threatening him in the middle of all these hipsters who were completely annoyed with both of us. He got in bigtime trouble, lost the new rubber fish he'd just gotten, got grounded from a few more things once we got home. He had to go to straight to bed without a story. Then again today, after a reinforcement lecture in the morning from his dad, we went "hiking" at this quarry down the hill from my house. I kept telling him to turn around when he got too far, and for awhile he did. Then he got this glint in his eye. I swear I could see it from 40 yards away. And he ran away AGAIN (!), a little orange balloon tied to his wrist, until all I could see was the little balloon disappearing behind a stand of pampas grass. There I was, shouting his name and for him to come back at the top of my lungs. I felt like a complete panicky idiot. I went down a footpath in the opposite direction, cut him off at the pass and dragged him by the wrist back to the car. Made him go straight to nap without a story. On the way home, in mid-lecture, my neck seized up from being so mad at him, and I haven't been able to turn my head ever since. I'm in TONS of pain. I've had these kinds of cricks before, and it'll be days before I feel better.

So, yeah, I feel like I was too busy disciplining most of the time to have a nice weekend with him. I'm tired of hearing myself sound so stern and naggy. On the plus side, I slept 12+ hrs last night.

Erin, nice to read your words again, mama. I liked TH in the first Iron Man, and was sad he couldn't negotiate something to stay on for the 2nd. I like Don Cheadle too, but dislike it when actors are replaced for sequels. It's a distraction.

Chrissy, I would have been reading the riot act at Best Buy in your shoes. Then I'd have written the Better Business Bureau and written a scathing Yelp review. Sorry it was such a hassle for you. :/ I hate Win8, btw.

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Oh Myles. That's frightening! I hate it when the kids take off and they're little like that. It sounds like you managed as best you could, and it does get better. It only feels like it'll never get better.

As for Best Buy, I did a review on their store online, which hasn't shown up at all and I see all the reviews that are there are 4 or 5 out of 5 stars, so I'm wondering if they're censoring them and only allowing the favorable ones to post? And I made a comment on the Geek Squad's community message board. They're saying they believe (but no one is sure) the disk would have done the full install anyway, but that's irrelevant since they were out of stock completely. And that was the very first question I asked when I called up there and when the girl said they were in stock and I questioned her further about whether it was full install or upgrade only, she transferred me to Geek Squad. So right from get-go they were inept.

Hi Erin! I love "snacka lacka" -- she's hilarious!

L, sorry you are all under the weather. I hope it's something that passes quickly. Sorry too about dh and the birthday -- last year when my dh was so depressed, it just "happened" to fall right after his 40th. It definitely brought him down a little. Hope your dh has a nice birthday anyway. A glass-blowing class is an awesome gift!

Janet, I'm so sorry about your appointment. That must be so frustrating. And UGH on the car mix-up! Poor Maiya.

Mylah, your weekend of eating sounds heavenly. I'm a big breakfast fan too -- last night for dinner I had a zucchini and egg scramble with cream cheese. So. Good. Sorry about B running away -- I remember that phase with Inge. She was a wanderer, and that moment of panic where you can't see them through all the racks of clothes or the trees or whatever is no joke. Your poor neck! Hey, if you want to drive up to Marin for a personal spa appointment in our hot tub, feel free! We keep it hot all the time and it's great for cramped neck or shoulders. We should have a bay area APAers hot tub party!

My weekend was full, but nice. It was the first time in a while that dh didn't work Saturday, so having two full days with him was good for all of us, Noe especially. She is such a daddy's girl and has been suffering with him working so much lately. Kind of hard for me, though, as when he's home I'm suddenly chopped liver. She kept trying to push me out of the room, off the couch, or out of the bed so she could have her daddy all to herself. And when I wouldn't let her wake him up in the morning (I was letting him sleep in), she first said "I'm very angry with you, mama," and then when that didn't get a reaction, "I wish you weren't my mama." I heard a lot worse from Inge when she was little, so that kind of talk doesn't faze me too much, but it was a first from Noe, who is usually very loving. Combined with her pushing me away all weekend, it was a bit of an ouch. It can be tough being the one who's there 24/7 -- I'm such a yawn. When dh comes into the room it's like the clouds part and angels sing.

Saturday morning we went to an open house for a nearby preschool we're hoping to send Noe to in the fall. We love it, but the price tag! $15,000 for the year, and that's not even full-day. I could just cry to spend that much on a 3 year old's education. Ugh. After the open house, I took Inge out for lunch in Fairfax and to some vintage shops to look for a dress for this weekend. R got nominated for an Annie award for The Avengers (http://annieawards.org/nominees/#11) and we decided it would be too tough to figure out how I could go with him, so he's taking Inge. Which is earning him some MAJOR points in my book, since he basically had a free pass to fly down to LA with a bunch of young co-workers, go to a fancy party, stay at a nice hotel and booze it up bachelor-style, and he's choosing to take his 15 year old stepdaughter with him instead. We found her a fantastic 50's black satin cocktail dress -- it needs a little mending, but she's going to look great.

Sunday morning, a birthday party, and then Sunday afternoon I actually got to sew for a few hours! Hadn't touched the machine since before Christmas, so that was a real treat. Sewing Noe an adorable vintage-style dress with puffed sleeves and peter pan collar... I'll post a pic when I'm done.

I think I'm the only person I know who doesn't really like breakfast. I don't like bacon or eggs or sausage and while I like french toast or waffles...if I eat those, I tend to get sick.

congrats to your DH on the nomination! That is soo cool and even cooler that he is bringing your daughter.

We had a good weekend too but stayed in due to the nasty weather...snow, sleet, freezing rain, more snow and ended with sleet. Yuck. We played some games, watched some movies, and played with the dogs. My girls are EXHAUSTED after being up with us all day for 4 days while MIL was visiting. They are used to sleeping all night with me and than a good part of the day with their daddy (my DH works 3rd shift).

Lydia, that sounds rough! Hope everyone is on the mend quickly, an you get some much needed rest.

Myles, Mira did that once at Petco, and my heart stopped beating (she had just gotten lost wandering around, and didn't know how to find me). The lady who helped me look commented on how times have changed, and how kids ran around stores without anyone batting an eye, when she was a kid. I'm sorry Bodhi was giving you a hard time. Hopefully, he's in a boundary testing phase, and will move on from it shortly.

As for the house hunting, I had mentioned it only briefly, so chances are, no one caught it. Basically, the house we're living in, while more than adequate in terms of space, is not particularly well made, and there are no architectural details (we were financially not on as firm a footing as we are now). DH would like a house where he can bring clients and such, host events, that sort of thing, not so much for him (he is not a big time party thrower by any stretch of the imagination), but for the company. Because we live in such a poshy-poo part of the country, people have certain expectations (ask me about expectations of clients, when we do pilots for our product) about that sort of environment, which this house is clearly not adequate for, and will never be adequate for, unless we razed it to the ground and built a mansion. So, we're in the market for a mansion (you think I'm kidding; I wish!). DH is super picky, and while there are bits and pieces of each of the houses we've liked, nothing has had everything we want. We are considering a house we saw yesterday, IF we can get it for a totally low ball offer, not so much because we love the house (there is a lot to like, and the stuff we love, we'd be able to add), but because it is a tremendous value for the money.

What a wonderful thing for your dh to bring her. She must feel very special. I know I would have at that age. I know what you mean about being chopped liver. Kai misses dbf horribly when he travels and when he is tired and grouchy he will tell me he can't wait until daddy gets home so he doesn't have to "deal with me" (lol) anymore. I wish I was above it hurting me but it does. What hurts me ever more, however, is seeing dbf not spending as much time as possible with the kids when he's home.

Myles, Sawyer is a runner and it terrifies me. Savana and Kai have always been very cautious and stay with me and listen really well to the possible consequences of not behaving when we are out. Sawyer is obviously too young to understand so when he runs I tell him he has to be carried or ride in the cart and then he screams and cries and everyone just loves hearing that. I'm sorry B is giving you a hard time in that sense and I hope it's a quickly passing phase.

Thanks for that, Bridget. If it’s a passing phase, it has been passing slowly.  Bodhi has been pulling “runners” on me for over a year now. They always, always happen when he’s had sugar, so I feel like perhaps I’m to blame for letting him get to that point. It is so hard to eliminate all sugar from my kid’s diet, and culturally at school, sugar is the awesomest. I hate it, because he is so sensitive to it. You can even see the effects of it when he’s had a glass of orange juice. DH & I tried listening to the audiobook version of “Raising Your Spirited Child” on the way to a Rush concert – LOL - but when she was going over the definitions of a spirited child, we were kind of shaking our heads thinking, no Bodhi isn’t that extreme. He’s just another excitable kid. I never got to the part of ways you can foster the positive traits of a spirited personality type. It sounds like there are some gems there.

Suja, while it sounds like a HUGE project, kicking the tires on a home is super fun for me. Although I like to look at fixer-uppers and imagine what I could do to reinvent them. It sounds like you & DH are looking for something turnkey. Well, if anything, that will at least make the move a little less painful for you. I hope it goes well for you. What kind of products, if you don’t mind me asking?

Oooh, your hot tub sounds so tempting, G! Right now, even the slightest micro-movement sends painful spasms to my brain, so even the excited thought of a hot tub came with a shooting twinge. Then I thought how fun it’d be if your hot tub were actually a secret magical portal that could transport all our friends in this thread to and from the Bay Area (kind of like “Hot Tub Time Machine” but more like “Hot Tub Secular Teleporter”). How cool would that be? Naturally, I had to think about what their portals would be on the other end, and figured they’d have to be outdoors, which means that Jennifer would end up in your hot tub wearing 10 layers of soaking wet winter clothing. LOL! And then when I laughed at the thought again, my neck spanked me with another shooting spasm, so… no more thinking of ways to facilitate a meetup for the next few days for me.

Congrats to R for his Annie nom! And yes, that’s awesome that he’s bringing I as his date. She will look so cool with her hair and the vintage dress. I could see them attracting the paparazzi as they walk down a red carpet. I Googled him after your post, and see he’s worked on a lot of big films. What a cool and demanding job!

Jen, don't like breakfast? I'm rubbing my eyes in disbelief and they're making that squeegee noise! You gotta get your pancake and hollandaise food groups in somehow!

P.S. Yes, Gretchen, please share the finished product when you're done with Noe's dress. I sewed a bit over the holidays myself and it reminded me how much I love it. I just wish my serger would stop fussing on me. The infinity scarf I was wearing at my house was reconstruction I did from two old man sweaters, not that I expect you to remember it.

Bridget, I'm so sorry you have to deal with dbf's issues. I read your posts and can hear your frustration. I wish I could knock some sense into him for you, but I've heard that story from so many of the moms I know. It makes it especially tough when they favor daddy!

Suja, the house hunting sounds really fun to me too! Trading up is obviously nicer than the other way around. Good luck with your current offer! By the way, can I co-opt "poshy-poo?"

Mylah, your Hot Tub Secular Teleporter has me in fits of giggles. That would be the best! I think the place to put the teleporters would be at the back of closets. That way, folks could inconspicuously wear swimwear of their choice, and instead of going to Narnia, they'd end up my back yard. No fauns, but there's a fat raccoon that sits on the fence and stares.

Jennifer, you lost me at "I don't like bacon or eggs or sausage."

I have much respect for people that can sew things that actually turn out to be recognizable stuff. I struggle to hem, and that's no exaggeration. G, please post pics. Would love to see it. Also, it is SO awesome that your daughter is going to get this amazing experience. And congratulations to your DH.

As for the house, we want something with detailed millwork, light, bright, loads of privacy (one of my pet peeves is getting a house with loads of natural light and then covering it all up, because of neighbors), bar, wine cellar, that sort of thing. The one we saw yesterday has been on the market for 2+ years (new, never been occupied), and honestly, I don't think anyone gives a **** about the place any more. It has a gorgeous hot tub, for instance, that doesn't even have proper cover on, and now there is a block of ice, a foot deep, in it. It was also very cold in there, which you simply do not do, if you want people to actually look at the house seriously. The house is move-in ready, except for a couple of things, which I'd like done before we move in, because once we unpack, it simply will not got done, period. The WICs in the master needs shelving and whatnot, and I want it to be nicely done. Once we put the clothes in there, we won't take it down to get it finished, so I'd like that done ahead of time.

IF we get the house (we do not have good house buying juju, so we likely won't, and that's totally okay, because we aren't in love with the house), we would need to put in a proper wine cellar, furnish/finish the media room, finish the gas/wood burning fire places, finish my office space and Mira's play room with built-ins, and do something spectacular with the library. My suspicion is that the builder ran out of either money or will by the time the house was done, so some of the finishes are quite poor (think Ikea, attached to the walls), and would need replacing. The plan is to see an interior designer and architect, and develop plans for how to finish/furnish the house, but do it in phases, so that there is not a whole bunch of stuff all happening at once. To be honest, we will be using a tiny % of the house on a regular basis, so even if all this work were happening, it won't seriously impact our day to day living.

I do remember it, M, it was great! Don't you love sewing with recycled wool? That's one of my favorite fabrics to use -- so fun going thrifting for humongous old sweaters. I made Noe a sweet little stuffed kitty out of an old cashmere sweater for christmas. So soft!

I love...secular hot tub teleporter! My parents used to have a hot tub and while it can be used in the winter, after a certain point in temps it was just too hard to get into it and out of it!

and yeah I am not a big breakfast person. I like pancakes, waffles and french toast BUT if I eat more than one piece...and that is with light syrup, I get sick. Side effect of the surgery is I have to consume protein to balance out that much sugar/carbs.
I will eat yogurt (I LOVE Chobani!) and oatmeal is ok. But mostly for breakfast I like a fruit or leftovers (cold pizza, cold spagh with meat sauce, something with cheese). I also have to watch milk....I can have one cup heated milk in my coffee but cannot have cold milk in a bowl of cereal....another side effect of surgery was issues with lactose.
Most days I just have a latte and banana.

I thought looking at houses was fun too...until I was seriously looking. when it came down to that kind of money....we suddenly got really picky. Especially as I know my DH never wanted to move again. Building was fun though. I really would have loved to have added built-in bookcases on both sides of my fireplace. Something very mission/craftsman style. I would have liked my bedroom a bit bigger and closet as well....but just didn't have the budget for it.
We don't entertain much or know anyone IRL who is poshy-poo so most in our circle are impressed with our nice little 1500 sq ft ranch. :) Though I did just volunteer this morning to host a party probably in March. I am sure that there will be at least 6 adults but maybe more, potentially up to 14. At least one baby and one six year old but maybe more babies than that. So yeah for the rare things like this, would sure be nice to have a table that seats more than four (folding table will definitely be brought in). And wishing I had already gotten my living room furniture updated...it's on the list but will definitely have to bring in some chairs or something.

Suja, I don't envy your house hounting. I am happy where I am and could live here forever and ever. We hardly have anyone ever visit us, so we are slowly decorating our house. We've lived here for 2.5 years now, and we're still decorating room by room. The kinds of houses you describe sound very swish, though, and I'd like to see what kind of place you end up with! Will you get a cleaner as well? I sometimes imagine what it must be like to have a cleaner. LOL.

I like the teleporter idea. I have a little tiny door upstairs that is currently unused loft space; I can imagine climbing through it to get to the magical teleporter. LOL. I think it should teleport us all to a beach in Hawaii.

G, your husband sounds like he has an exciting job! He sounds likes he's very sweet to take your older daughter to the awards show. And I am also envious of youru sewing skills! Please do share pictures! I am so unskilled in domestic things like that.

And I can't believe you don't like breakfast, Jennifer! I love every single meal of the day. As soon as I wake up, I have to eat and look forward to my 10:30 snack and can't eat lunch any later than 12. By the time I get home at 4:30, I am starving for more food!

I finally told the principal at my school today that I'll be leaving in September this year to start my masters degree in teaching; she was really cool about it. I'm so glad to have gotten that conversation out of the way!

We had a transportation adventure today too-
Josh has school off for teacher meetings or something, so we wanted to go to the Providence Children's Museum. Well we didn't check the times and when we got there we found out they are closed on Mondays. We went to the awesome sandwich place next door and went back home.

I had recorded The Wizard of Oz a few weeks ago so we watched that. Josh has seen it a couple times before but he asked a lot of questions today. "Where does the red road go?" (and no, he has not seen this meme)
Attachment 9725
"Why does the wicked witch know what a dog is but Glinda doesn't?" (Glinda asks Dorothy if Toto is a witch.) And when the guard who is crying at the door in the Emerald City opens the door he just kind of disappears. "Where did he go? You can't even hear him crying anymore." LOL.

Erin, welcome back! We missed you!

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Originally Posted by Cosmosmom

I think I'm the only person I know who doesn't really like breakfast. I don't like bacon or eggs or sausage and while I like french toast or waffles...if I eat those, I tend to get sick.

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I don't like breakfast either. It's not so much the foods for me though. I can't eat in the morning without getting sick.

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Originally Posted by demigraf

Jen, don't like breakfast? I'm rubbing my eyes in disbelief and they're making that squeegee noise! You gotta get your pancake and hollandaise food groups in somehow!

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That in particular is the type of breakfast food I don't like at any time of day.

I will eat eggs, sausage, and bacon and I love them. Just not in the morning.

I'm not a breakfast person either-at least not sweets like pancakes and waffles. I will sometimes do cereal or an egg sandwich but I'm more like Jennifer where I will grab some leftovers, or have some crackers and cheese or something.

Ok I had to google what hollandaise was. And yes I did spend a good part of the summer in France in high school. LOL My host dad was an Italian who married a French girl. So we ended up eating pasta and pizza.....and a lot of chicken and potatoes. Oh and bread. Good fit for me!
I have to say that hollandaise doesn't sound like something I would like. I do like pancakes...they just don't like me so much.

and yes my DH is amazed about bacon. But everyone loves bacon. Nope not me! Got teased at work for that one too...cannot believe that they let me into the department and I hate bacon. LOL

Kate, those are good questions! I never thought about the red road. I also never thought about the dog and why one knew and other didn't.

I did wonder about the red road when I was little, but never about the dog. That's an amazingly perceptive question for such a young guy. I'm blown away.

And as far as bacon, I'll admit I don't get what the big deal about it is. I mean, I'll eat it 3-4 times a year (usually when we make BLTs or something) but it's certainly nowhere near my favorite food. If I was told I could never, ever have another piece as long as I live, I'd shrug and say, "Ok." :)

Chrissy, me too! I have seen the movie many times (it's one of my favorite movies) and I never thought about that.

Bacon is great. BLT's are my favorite sandwich. But like you I could probably live without it. I can't really think of a single food item I wouldn't be able to live without.

DH says the seafood prices are going to go way up around here. I'm sad about that-I do like my fish and we are trying to eat more of it rather than beef.

I'm not even a huge sandwich fan, which is why we rarely ever had BLTs.

Why are the prices of fish going up?

I don't like fish either. LOL Well at least I do like veggies! I would be super sad if I couldn't have pasta again. As it is, I'm trying to limit pasta to twice a week and that is hard.

Ash, I'm the same way about houses. I put down roots, and don't like to be uprooted. And our house is SO conveniently located to everything. I'll keep you guys in the loop on which manor-like monstrosity we end up with.

I like breakfast foods, but not for breakfast. Like Chrissy, eating too early makes me sick. And I don't eat the breakfast meats, mostly because I'm not much of a meat eater, and don't eat pork. In case you couldn't tell, I'm an all carb, all the time kinda gal.