putting a book on your desk is NOT pushy, however,

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I am constantly being asked to watch people's kids because I work from home. The latest is a friend of my son attending the same camp in another town. The friend I will call Scotty. Scotty has two parents. His father works from home as a computer consultant. My friends and I have called Scotty's dad to work on our computers and he never even returns the call or shows up. Scotty's mom recently asked me if I could drive her son home from them because the dad gets busy and doesn't like to leave clients. I told her that I too am working from home and have to minimize my time in the car. Scotty does not live close to us. I feel like a big meanie but they have pushed me before. Last year our kids were not even in the same camp but the mom called and asked if I would drive and pick up her son every day because i live in the same town as the camp. I was like ??? no way.

They used to drop Scotty off at my house on school holidays. They would drop him off at 7 AM and then once the mom called me at 5 PM and said she wanted to get an oil change and asked me if I could keep scotty until 7:30 PM. I said NO and then she came to pick him up earlier but stayed at my house uninvited until 9:30 when I just said I HAVE TO GO TAKE A SHOWER.

for a minute, stretch, breathe deeply, and get a Red Bull (energy drink) from the fridge. Works like a charm for me. I'm exactly in your shoes and I've tried lots of things, but Red Bull and movement work the best for me. Good luck!

I just got off a quick break and decided to watch this video that I was told would floor me. It certainly did. I knew our political system was corrupt, but I honesly had no idea "they" were this blatant about it.

This is well worth the several minutes or so it takes to watch. I didn't post this under either political board, because it transcends both the conservative and liberal spectrums. Maybe this should go under the prayer request board now that I think of it.

If it's happening there, it's happening everywhere. These "voices of the people" totally need a good smackin.

Just click on the link hopefully shown below. If it doesn't work, cut and paste this into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG6X-xtVask

Apparently, it's just sitting there. He's not teaching from it.

A Mount Vernon science teacher said yesterday that he will refuse to remove a Bible from his classroom desk, despite his school district's order.

"Thousands of citizens in this community have built their lives on deeply held religious convictions, and it is for them that I stand today," John Freshwater, 51, who teaches at Mount Vernon Middle School, said in a news release.

The religious activist Dave Daubenmire, Freshwater's friend, acted as his spokesman yesterday. "This is not a religion issue; this is a free-speech issue," Daubenmire said. "He didn't take the Bible to read to anybody."

Mount Vernon Superintendent Steve Short said Freshwater's characterization of the events leading to the district order that he remove religious items from his classroom was "not entirely accurate," but Short wouldn't elaborate.

The district later released a one-paragraph statement saying that district officials don't oppose religion but are required "under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution to protect against the establishment of religion in the schools. As a public school system the district cannot teach, promote or favor any religion or religious beliefs."

Freshwater and Daubenmire believe that separation of church and state "is a fraud" and that the framers of the Constitution never intended it to be practiced the way it is today, Daubenmire said.

The district asked Freshwater last week to remove the Ten Commandments from the door to his classroom and remove the Bible from the view of students. About 3,900 students attend Mount Vernon schools. Mount Vernon is about 52 miles northeast of Columbus.

Freshwater took down the Ten Commandments but decided that being prevented from taking a Bible into the classroom was going too far.

In the past, Freshwater has taught his students about the "holes in evolution" and intelligent design, the theory that a supernatural power created complex forms of life, Daubenmire said.

"Would our government ask a follower of Islam to remove her burqa in order to teach school?" Freshwater said in his written statement. "Would we ask a science teacher to remove The Origin of Species from his desk merely because the origin of man has never been proven?

"I cannot with a clear conscience follow a directive that makes religion and the religious viewpoint any less credible by those who deem themselves more enlightened."

Freshwater wouldn't answer questions directly because of the likelihood he will file a lawsuit charging "viewpoint discrimination," Daubenmire said.

Daubenmire is the former London High School football coach whose district was sued in 1999 by the American Civil Liberties Union because he led his players in prayer at games, practices and meetings. The district settled out of court, and its insurance company paid the ACLU $18,000 for court costs.

I have one on my desk, but it usually only has sugar-free gum in it. Boring I know, but I hate it when my kids get cavities and since they raid my dish all the time, I have to take precautions.

I also don't want to tempt myself all day long with sugar. Sometimes I get sugar-free Werther's candy or sugar-free lemonade candy but those bags are so tiny they don't last long.

later than usual. I usually have them up by Thanksgiving, but this year I think I'm going to wait until the first weekend in December to do the outside lights. We don't usually light them every night. I'm going to start my indoor decorations then, too, but holding off on the tree until a week or 2 before Christmas.

Our current house is a little small and the tree really clutters it up. We're moving in January and have a lot to do before then. If I didn't have kids, I probably wouldn't put the tree up at all. I love Christmas, but things are just too hectic and cluttered right now.