...and iPod things adds a whole other dimension of terror to that

• New teenage driver - getting ready for gray hair
  • Depends on a lot of factors - Rad MT
  • she is actually 16 - getting ready for gray hair
  • In the same boat..... - SM--Gray hair, too
  • Ours tripled also - sm
  • 15? I wouldn't let mine behind the wheel even if it was legal learner's permit age. - Too young and too distractable! And the cell phone
    • Exception to the rule - getting ready for gray hair
      • There are a lot of responsible and - trose
    • ...and iPod things adds a whole other dimension of terror to that - young person behind the wheel. nm Ours were 17!
  • Ummm...a lot I am afraid - sm

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I became a mother in 1970 and have been actively mothering non-stop ever since.  Now my baby daughter (who is actually 17 and a senior) has received acceptance from two of the four colleges she applied at, with the other still undecided, and it finally became real - - - She's actually going to leave!   She is not only my youngest but my only daughter and she and I have been inseparable all her life.  I can't begin to imagine not knowing every facet of her life, down to where in her messy room I can find a particular item of clothing!  My oldest son is 38 and long since married and I only see him every few months.  I guess I'd see him more if he had kids but unfortunately it's not in the cards for him and his wife. 

I think I'm kind of going into mourning, thinking of not having her here.  I'm so proud of her, and thrilled that she knows what she wants to do - study anthropology and travel the world and make a name for herself.  If anyone can do it, she can!  And I'll continue to live vicariously through her somewhat, but I know it won't be the same.  The idea of having to do the "well, how have you been - - - good, good, how are you - - - what have you been up to - -" stuff that I do with my son terrifies me.  Is is possible to maintain a really close relationship with a grown child even over time and distance?  I mean really close?  We're taking a trip to Canada for her graduation gift, just her and me, and I'm afraid I'm going to be crying the whole time!

Thanks for listening. 

I don't know how to get the music from playlist to my IPod.

Can you help me out? ');>

and I friggin LOVE it!  I've had it for about a year or so now.  My stepson has one as well.  I use mine everyday while I type for work.  I bought a Bose speaker dock.  I've got like 1,800+ songs on this thing and I haven't even used up 1/4 of the memory on it.  I bought a cable that plugs into most new vehicles so I can listen to my iPod in my vehicle. 

My brother has a Zune MP3 player.  He seems to like his as well but I don't know much about that brand.  I just know I love my Apple iPod and my Bose speaker.  The Bose speaker sounds awesome and you can take it outside for parties, etc.  I is small enough to put on my desk for work without cluttering it up.  Also, when I have my iPod on the Bose speaker....it charges the battery on my iPod.

You can buy cheaper iPod docks than a Bose one, but I really like my Bose!

It's such a quandry trying to buy for a teen!  I really don't want to just get him a gift card.  "Auntie" really wanted to do something memorable.  He's getting older and he's just not that little bitty guy anymore!

Things other people fear that I do not include snakes (awwww, they so cute! they look like they're smiling!), rats, gangbangers (except Mara Salvatrucha, move them up to my "scary" list), poverty, death, traveling at high rates of speed with almost anyone sober, bats (CUTE!!!!!), homeless people, Sasquatch, most of my male friends, bears, mountain lions. 

Fear is such an odd thing, don't you think? So much of it is relative to our own experiences in life, yet at the same time some of them are downright irrational. 

So, how 'bout you? What will send  you running screaming in the other direction, and what things can you take care of when someone else goes running screaming in the other direction?

I went through a similar situation with my (now ex-) husband's family during the ten years we were married.

Your husband is NOT the problem, his parents are. You said that your husband tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to get along with his father. So, it seems to me that he *DID* try as best as he could. But, sometimes, no matter how hard you try, things don't work out. So you do what the song says, "You have to know when to hold up; know when to fold up ..."

Now, it seems to me that his parents are treating your children like "holiday turkeys," ... bring them to be brought to the table once or twice a year, but ignore them the rest of the year. Yes, that's pretty much what it sounds like, and my heart goes out to your children 'cause I know the pain they are suffering ... because of their grandparents.

I also suspect that the ONLY reason your husband's parents went to the event was to "stick it" to your husband, and not because of the grandchildren. When you love someone and are truly proud of them, you do everything you can to be part of their life.

The ONLY people who matter in all of this are your immediate family ... You, your husband, and your children. Do not let his parents tear you all apart. I think you all need to get into therapy (you, your husband, and the children), so you can work through this problem AS A FAMILY UNIT, 'cause you're the only family that truly matters. You're all in pain and all of your feelings need to be counted, by each other.

Take it from someone who lived it. 

Your writing my store.  I too went to court over 20 times due to custody battle with a dud.  After 4 years of being dragged in and out of court, I ended up the what I had before I started $100 a week.  I did get sole custody of my son though.  I spent probably about $20,000 on lawyers (4 of them).   I wrote a credit check for $5000 to hold is escrow because I had to sell my house and was planning on paying it after the sale of my house.  Well, the lawyer cashed my check and ended up in jail after he ripped off about $75,000 from clients.  I was out $5000.  

I also had a warrant out for my arrest becuse my ex took a notice I had to go to court out of my mail box.  Being that he was good friends with the neighbors from h&#%, I did get arrested and put in jail for about 4 hours which cost me another $250 for the bail. 

Keep your head up.  It will get better.  I haven't gone to court since 8/05 because both judges, the one in family court and the one in municipal court both told my ex to leave me alone.    Everytime I get the mail I'm expecting to get a notice to go to court.   Believe it or not, it wasn't so bad being in jail, a cell to myself, and away from the h$&% he put me through. 

So here I am, had to sell my house, broke as anything, living in a condo, but my kid is all mine. The ex moved 2 minutes away from me "to keep an eye on me" but what goes around comes around and I'm just waiting for the day he gets what he deserves.  My son refuses to go to his house because his girlfriend also took me to court a few times.  He is supposed to pick him up on Saturday morning and bring him home Sunday night every weekend.  So guess who has to give the kid money for the weekend - me.   That comes out of the $100 a week along with lunch money, clothing, food, etc.   I literally ended up having a nervous breakdown, 6 days in the looney bin. 

Keep your head up, I know exactly what you're going through and somehow it does get better.  ');>

Hayseed said, "No more breads, pastas, rice, or taters....all the things we really loved." That could be part of my problem. We've been eating a lot of pasta, rice and taters because hubby can't have dark greens, which includes salads, green beans, etc. because of gout and on Coumadin for AVR.  Don't know what else to make anymore.

We gave up coffee, now, too, because both of us were having stomach problems with it. Two cups a day was our limit. He can survive with it, I can't seem to do that. LOL

Dinosaur said, " I had undiagnosed diabetes and would just "poop" out when my blood sugar was too low (or even too high!)."  Diabetes runs in my family and I've been watching my counts for the past 10 years. So far, so good. I don't eat sugary stuff like pies,cakes, candy, soda. Don't like sweets that much.

I was checked for Lyme disease a couple years ago because I had 2 tick bites. That was negative.

The only allergy I have is my home. Ever since we moved to this house, I've had the flu, colds, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, etc.

Guess I'll have to make an appointment with a doctor and try to find out. Usually I'm one of those people who has something wrong that no one can figure it out. When I was 40, I had mono (rare for my age group) and was told I was "borderline Epstein-Barr and Guillame-Barre [sic]."

 I was also checked for B12 deficiency (borderline), Anemia (borderline), rheumatoid arthritis, etc. You name it, I had the test over a 2 year period. The answer? Nada. I'm beginning to think all these "borderline" tests are coming back to bite me.

Thanks for your help. I think I will make an appointment to get checked out again.

1.  Your house payment probably also has your taxes and insurance added in.  If paid off, you'll still have to pay these.  Mine account for about 1/2 of my total house payment.  Plus, 6% is low compared to the other interest rates.  

2.  Debt to credit ratio:  I've had all of my credit cards increase their rates to "default" rates just because my debt was a high percentage of all my credit (no missed payments, no late pays, etc.)  This will affect the teaser rates as well. 

3.  Your 401k is also probably earning some type of interest.  Take that "lost" interest from money you've borrowed into account.  That will help you better compare the interest rates. 

If you feel you have to talk to a debt counselor, there is no shame in that!  Just make sure it's a reputable company.  As with most things, there are a lot of scams out there.  Good Luck!

One, she's a cleaning lady, not a housekeeper...

Two, you didn't catch her "red handed", you don't even know 100% for sure that she took your drawers.  Red handed is when you catch someone in the act, which in this case you did not...