not the Dutch ones though ....


This is a place to post on anything not GT related, to chat, vent or whatever it crosses your mind and that you would like to share with friends....


Have you seen the movie 'Das Leben der Anderen' ? A German movie, really good.
It has won an Oscar to the best foreing film.


Feel free to highjack (sp?) the topic.....

Too bad. I hear those Dutch brownies are very interesting! :p

I haven't seen the movie. What's it about?

Yeah, especially the 'space cookies' ! or the magic mushrooms...

I have never tried them though, nor do I have any intention.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lives_of_Others

I think we needed the translation. Thanks, Isa. Great movie!

And what do you think of the Clint Eastwood movies, specially the japanese part?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_from_Iwo_Jima

As an actor I do not think he is great but as a director I love him.

Oh, The lives of Others is an excellent movie.
It is about Stasi in East Germany during the Cold War.

I liked the "japanese part' better.

I am a movie addict. Some of the good ones I saw recently:
In the Valley of Eliah (sp)
Eastern Promises
Into Great Silence
Katyn

When I was a young girl growing up in Europe, I used to love
the animated series Il etait une fois L'homme, on TV
Recently, I was able to enjoy it with my kids - and again fell in love with it.

Here is something I found on the internet about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Time..._Man

I do not know if it is possible to purchase it in the states, my copies came from Europe, where you can purchase a lot of old (and not only old) good movies as a promo with your daily paper or weekly magazine. I think Isa will know what I am talking about :-)
If you can get your hands on this one, I highly reccomend it. My set consists of about 30 CD's each with a story about 40 min long.

Ania,

I would love to get a hold of that one and pretty much the rest of the Once Upon a Time series. We have Once Upon a Time ... Life and my kids love it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Time..._Life

If anyone figures how to get hold of any for the series in US, let me know. I tried searching for it but came empty handed. I may try in Europe this summer.

We also have ...Life, have not seen it yet though. ...Man was the only one I remember watching as a child.

Yeah, this is fun! I'm a big foreign film lover since a took a class in college. I was in love with Gerard DePardieu about 20 years ago, not so much now!

A funny: In my 20's a friend and I were at the movie rental store (back in the stone ages when you had to go to those places). She asked me what kind of movie and I said Foreign and walked off the find that section. She thought I said "porn" and stood stunned in that very spot until I returned about 5 minutes later with a Gerard flick. She took one look and then busted out laughing and told me what she thought I said!

Alas, I haven't had much time for foreign films or anything else fun like that lately!!!!

Neato

Are you all familiar with Babette's Feast? Movie, althought the short story is great too (by the same woman that wrote Out of Africa I believe)

Not so long ago I used to love movies with Juliette Binoche...

Oh yesssss, I do know what you are talking about. I am actually surprised that you do not get cheap DVDs with the newspapers in the US !

And about the series, I loved it! I think I should try to get the one about the human body for DD. Thanks for reminding me

I saw it a loooooong time ago and I liked very much.

Have you seen Chocolate?
With Juliette Binoche and Johny Deep, mmmmm....

Saw both of those movies, but it seems like a very long time ago.

What about All the Mornings of the World?

And this isn't a foreign film, but I loved that movie about the DuPre sisters growing up. I can't remember the name, but it was a beautiful and sad movie.

All the Mornings of the World - is it about taxi rides?
I have to google it.

^^nope, that is not the one I thought .
Actually, I don't think I ever saw this one. There it goes on my list.

How about Red Violin?
And what was the title of that french movie about food and Versaille? A funny title - I think it was a name?

^^ got it, it was Vadel !

ehem.... this is a French movie 'Tous les matins du monde' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103110/

I have not watched but I have the music and I love it. Interpreted by Jordi Savall http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0767426/

Could be "Night on earth" ?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102536/

I love movies, too, but I'm terribly "behind" (in terms of not having seen the new releases, academy award winners, etc.) We watched American Gangster last night, and I thought it was excellent.

Same here, I almost have forgoten what a theater looks like

Yes Isa, it is Night on Earth.
I loved that movie.

American Gangster was great, much more worthy of an Oscar than No Country for Old Man.
If you liked it, try Eastern Promises.

My family is going camping tonight, so maybe I will rent All the Mornings...

We occasionally go to the theater, mostly to watch live shows however. Recently it was Doubt - excellent. There is a movie coming out with M. Streep.

I hope you aren't dissapointed with All the mornings...

I was in my 20's when I watched it, and was entranced!

Hope it's still good at this late stage!

Neato

^^what late stage, I am young !!!! :-)
Blockbuster did not have it, so I setteld on Vitus.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478829/

SO, the house is quiet, only the dog wants out. I m going to open some good wine and let you know tomorrow how I enjoyed the movie...

On the second thought, I will probably let you know Monday, since tomorrow I am having some Spaniards for dinner, so I will be busy cooking and cleaning :-)

Very good movie.
I am surprised nobody has mentioned/recommended it before on this site.
I am going to have both of my kids watch it, and listen carefuly for comments :-)
In the main character I could easily recognized some of my own boy.

Can I go off on a tangent? My son got in troube at school the other day for "inappropriate language during instruction". The word? "Hell". He was trying to explain to two other kids (who had apparently used the word but didn't get in trouble) that it really isn't a bad word because you talk about it when you talk about religion and it was "kind of like heaven but different, when you die".

I agree that he shouldn't have been talking while the teacher was talking. I am annoyed that he got written up for it because, well, because, I'm not sure. Teaching her moral values? The other kids didn't get in trouble? I don't like the teacher anyway? Not that I'm going to do anything about it but I'm just curious what you guys think?

When he showed me the report I simply told him that he shouldn't have been talking when the teacher was. Later, he brought up "hell" and we had a discussion about what it is and that took us into different religions and off we went!

Have you notice the huge amount of threats that get highjacked (spelling?) in these forums?

Obviously, this one does not count - it was meant to be highjacked from the beginning. I refer to the others, like from experiences in kindergarden to college in just a few lines LOL !!!

I take it as evidence of fertile minds at work.

or divergent thinking.... ?

And maybe it's because people like me are here participating in my first bulletin board without knowing the rules of etiquette.

I think you raise a good point, Questions. Some boards are a lot more picky about staying on topic than others. I never thought of this board as being all that particular about it, provided the original question gets addressed. I know that if a thread goes astray without addressing the original question, most of here try to steer it back to the point. People here are extremely considerate, in my experience.

As a thread winds down to its natural conclusion, I think it often happens that things go a bit more off-topic. Hot threads that are active at a time when lots of people happen to be online also tend to go off-topic faster.

Those digressions can be interesting and fun, though! As long as the original poster gets a well-considered answer from the group, I personally enjoy our digressions.

It does mean that we probably need a chat-space, but I suspect that even if we get one, some things will pop in people's heads in response to a topic. I have gotten a lot out of those ostensibly off-topic but interesting and thoughtful comments, so I hope those don't stop! The side conversation about college in the skipping K thread was a really interesting discussion, I thought. I would never want to lose that sort of serendipity!

Digressions are interesting and I get a lot out of them and the conversations that progress.

Now, ahem, to address my question: what do you think about the "hell" incident?

After that, digress away!

Hmmmm... the H-E-double hockey sticks incident... Was he written up and the others were not because the teacher corrected them verbally and then your son contradicted her? I can see this happening with my son

Re modeling conversation flow--cool idea! Maybe that's some kind of artificial intelligence topic. Maybe we could write a "free-association program" where you input a topic and then there's some probability that it will jump to a related topic...

Perhaps the issue is that H*** is a word that can be used aggressively as in, "Why don't you just got to ______?!" This seems like a legit thing to write someone up for. The challenge for the teacher, who may have only heard one part of the sentence, is to decide whether the word is being used technically as part of a theologic or philosophical debate or if it is being used aggressively as a threat. So, perhaps, it is just a good idea to avoid it, not because it is "bad" but because it's imprudent.

I've been trying to teach my kids that it's all about time and place. Using the "H" word in front of Grandma--even if you're not using it as a swear word--is not going to go over well. But saying "golly gee" while hanging out with sailors/truckers/soldiers/<your favorite stereotype of people who swear here> probably isn't going to fly either.

It's about knowing your audience. School is a good time to practice avoiding the appearance of impropriety.

And I'm sorry we didn't respond to your post, squirt. I read it, but I guess I thought you were just venting, not really looking for opinions.

So much for our being considerate!!!

Your son said hell in school, oh how terrible (sarcasm).. I think as a punishment he ( I'm lost, he is he not she right?) should prepare a report on the dangers of censorship and present it to the class.

Neato

Not a bad idea, Neato, and he is a he. And, Kriston, no worries - it was more vent-like than question-like. I'm not going to make any deal over it even though I think she was very wrong. I just wondered if any of you thought she was off base or if I just over-reacted because she's been such a pain in the neck all year.

He was only bothered by it for a short while because it meant he didn't get his reward for that week (her reward, not mine) so I left it alone.

And, now, let the digressions, resume!

I think she was off-base, but I also think I'd appear to back the teacher with my silence on this one.

There are certainly times when I'm willing to side with my child over the teacher (though not to the child, of course), but I don't think that would be one. I might have lobbied the teacher for a lesser punishment, if being "written up" is a big deal. But if it's not that big a deal, I think I'd let it slide and keep my eyes peeled for other problems. One of those is an isolated incident; two is a pattern.

Yes, Kriston, I agree. This is a somewhat of a slippery slope. I have a bias in that I have a very liberal and playful view on the culture of words/language.
Obviously, this is the tone I set in my home as DD5 called grandpa an idiot this weekend!
Very funny, as we used to refer to him as the colonel when we were young.
She got a time out, but I was very much laughing on the inside!
(Better than crying on the inside, right Kriston!?!?!?!)

Neato

Indeed! Or you can do what I do and mutitask by doing both at the same time.

Where's that bottle of vodka? Is it down there on the bottom of the dark closet? <feeling around for it>

LOL, in fact LMAO

So, since this thread is open for hijacking...

What's up that's bringing you down, 'Neato? Is it the school stuff with your DDs, or is it something more? You know how I feel about RE, but please emote away if it will help!

Thanks for asking friend.
It's, you know, the usual. I know the school is doing their best, at least the principal, to accomodate the girls. It seems that as soon as one is doing well, the other one has issues.
I spoke with the principal on Friday. They are going to have a teacher come to work with DD5 and do a special project using the Kingore research as a model. I know this is great and there is some hope that it if goes well, it will be incorporated into the general pull-out program. I was hoping she would also have this opportunity next year but was told there is no guarantee of that. Which helps us for a month, but doesn't solve my issue for first grade.
I was told: We have seen how she does in the classroom and in enrichment, so we are going to have a third person work with her with Kingore's observation index for another perspective.
Not exact words but close enough. Maybe I'm reading this the wrong way, but it sounds a bit ominous and I'm not sure I like it.

Neato

Oh, no disrespect to DD8's teacher. She is also going way above and beyond to make sure DD's needs are met at school.
I'm just frustrated.

Sure. Understandable.

What's Kingore? I feel clueless for asking, but I'm too lazy to google it...It's cleaning day at our house, so I have to save my energy for other things today!

OK, I'm changing topics completely again.

DS is 12 and getting close to 13. He now has a girlfriend that he met in his GT English class. They see each other at school and talk on the phone. They seem to get along very well and there is virtually no "drama;" just a lot of pleasant conversation and giggling. Since they are young, we have not really thought of them getting together outside of school. But with summer approaching, I am assuming that they will want to see each other while they are on vacation. Any suggestions on appropriate ways to handle this type of "play date" in pre-teen/early teen couples?

Ahh, that's so sweet. When you figure it out let me know!!!

"Doing stuff" dates are best I think: bike rides, chess games, kicking a soccer ball around, making brownies together, even playing video games together.

That's the sort of stuff we did at that age when on a "date," such as they are.

I'm in the schools a lot and I just quit being a GS leader, so I've pretty much seen it all.
I've come to the conclusion that if you send your kid to public school and they still end up being kind, polite, non-violent, non-swearing and non-pregnant by 13, then you are a [SPAM] good parent!!!!!!!!!
Obviously you are one of the good ones Kcab, try not to worry too too much.

So if they swear...?

Well, it depends on what you consider swearing

Swearing? In a public school? Surely you jest! Surely, surely, that's not tolerated??? Says the mom of the kid who explained "hell"!

My brothers didn't get thru school without being violent. Heck (oops is that a swear word?), I didn't get thru with out being violent! When you're being bullied it's hard to avoid <eyeroll>.

I hadn't thought about it that way, but I guess I didn't get through without being violent either. However, I don't remember the incident most often retold by my family so maybe it doesn't count?

When I was 8, my sisters and I rode a school bus for an hour each way to school. Apparently, a big bully boy was picking on my oldest sister and I plowed into him. Bloodied his nose and face and kept beating him in the chest. Bus driver had to pull me off of him. He had to call my parents, but he told them he was really very proud of me and that the bully had it coming. He never bullied anyone else on that bus again. Odd how I remember none of it whatsoever! Wonder who else I beat up? Oops!

Well, we had to walk home and my younger brother was being taunted and bullied by an older boy. He started in one day and I just snapped. He tried to ride away on his bike but I ran after him, grabbed the back of his bike seat, threw him on the ground and started ripping his hair out. I was about 10, I think. He didn't bug us after that....

When I was in high school a girl in my PE class was constantly harassing me, calling me names during class. I told the teacher and he told me to "handle it" myself. So the next time she called me a f-ing c-word I punched her in the face! I was sent to the vice principal's office but I was not punished in any way.

Good rule, Mom!

I would not assume. I would wait for DS to tell me directly. I once assumed something and was totally wrong. Wait for him to ask you (for a ride or whether she could come over etc.)

Your are right, if he doesn't ask, I'm certainly not going to bring it up. But I wanted to have some sense of the issues so I didn't start sputtering or agreeing to something and then changing my mind later if/when he does ask.

The no girls in boy's bedrooms makes sense and is the rule I was raised with. It's weird, though, because DS has had so many female friends in his pre-adolescent life (and still does) that have been just like his male friends and have full run of the house. Now, of course, that will change. It's going to be a hard rule to make and enforce. Also, there is the issue of the rules at her house. I am planning to chat with GF's mom and compare notes and rules before any get-together.

Thanks for the help.

NEW - venting just because I have to! DS (6.75 - he told me he's 6 3/4 now because it is only 3 months until his birthday, why again did I teach him fractions?) brought home a book from school yesterday as an ACTUAL reading assignment that was only 2 grade levels down from his reading level instead of 3 or 4. It was a book he had read last summer <Mouse and the Motorcycle (gotta love it)>. So, he sat down yesterday afternoon and read it. I signed off on the form and sent it back to school today. Teacher sent it home and told him he wasn't supposed to read it in one night and that he shouldn't bring it back until May 9 because he should read a little bit everyday.

Yup, she's encouraging a love of reading. Man, I don't know what I'm gonna do.

Okay, vent over, please resume whatever was happening. . .

<exasperated sigh>

Oh, squirt, don't you just wonder sometimes?

Ugh.

Ha, ha, the better scenario is when my 7th grader is in his LA class and he can only read a little bit of an assigned book and then he sits and waits until the rest of the class gets to the same point :-)

That sounds really frustrating. DD had to do a book report on Chester the Worldly Pig (a Bill Peet picture book.) I asked her why she doesn't do one on Little Women (which she is currently reading) and she said they were only allowed to choose books with full color illustrations ??? Whatever.

With reading I just have the kids rocket through the school reading and then they read to me at their challenge levels for 15 minutes. Also, I read to them from literature above their challenge levels at bedtime.

AARRGGHHH!!!! banging head on wall......

That stinks.....but don't give up hope, every year your child gets a new teacher. Maybe the next teacher will have a clue!
Appreciating DD8's teacher this year, more and more.

Changing subject - but this is coffee thread after all...

Hate it, when school pictures are done twice a year!!!!
Hate it even more, since the marketing technique is to send the whole package home for a parent to make a decision wether to purchase or not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have now in front of me two beautiful faces, smiling at me from the picture. How do I say no to this ! I am not strong enough!!!!!!
I am trying to teach my kids to spend less, to be less materialistc in this very materialistic society. We really do not need those pictures!!!!!!

Speaking of evil marketing geniuses charged with figuring out ways to seperate me from my money:

What's up with those Webkinz people. I'm starting to feel a certain hostility towards them.

2 girls, 28 webkinz, 2 lipglosses, several charms, 2 notebook sets, 6 webkinz outfits( are you kidding me?!?!?!?!), 2 "figurines" and one wacky zingoz thingy that talks adds up to a heckuva lotta money for ONE video game.

I ain't so bright, apparantly.

lol, I've just spent some time catching up here in the cafe.

I sympathize with your son for the Hell incident, Squirt. I remember in 3rd grade failing my first public speaking assignment for using the word b****. The problem was I was talking about female dogs at the time... I really didn't get along with that teacher. I do remember that my parents did not get upset with me and showed me their support even though there was nothing they could do about the school situation I still hate public speaking though...

Since we raise and show dogs, b**** was a term that I used in normal conversation when I talked about the dogs. In fact if you go to dog shows the classes are broken down by sex and referred to as dogs and bitches. You can even have a winners b**** Until my third grade experience, I never even knew that it was a derogatory word in certain situations. I thought if someone was called a b**** they were just being referred to as female ROFL

Needless to say, DS has been informed that while it is an appropriate word around the show ring, not to use it anywhere else

Coming back to movies:

have you seen 'I am legend' ? Would you believe that I could not sleep two nights ago thinking how I would feel if I were the only survivol, appart of some creepy creatures that live at night?

I am going now to sleep....

Good night

I have not seen that, but I want to. It's good? I usually don't get creeped out by movies, except for The Ring. The night I watched it I woke up and thought I heard the phone ringing and had a total panic attack. Of course I was only dreaming but that dumb movie got under my skin.

well... it has some nice special effects... not bad if it is raining outside or is too cold... but do not expend too much money in it.

Unless of course you find Will Smith yami ....

I have not seen the Ring, aside of the one with Vigo ... mmmm another one ....

Hee hee.

I think I am Legend is on demand for cable.
DH wants to see it, so maybe this weekend.

Don't watch it if your DH has to travel.....;)

I just bought 'American Ganster' but I do not think I will watch it tonight.

what's a spider? besides an arachnid...

I *so* do not speak computer, but isn't that some sort of search engine-type thingie?

Yes, like I said, a search engine-type thingie...

:p

(LOL at myself and my utter lack of knowledge!)

Any good book recommendations for me (not DS)? I'd prefer nothing sad that will trigger my RE or make me think too hard. I'm ready to imitate my cat - find a sunny spot - and stretch out. Happy is good - escapism is good. I've only had time to watch one movie w/in the past 6 mos and really enjoyed it -- "Long Way Round" (docu).

So does this mean that your done with your Semester?

A type helicopter coffession. Thursday night, DD is floating in her bath and we are talking. Conversation about how the 4s in her class are turning 5 and going off to kindergarten and next year she will be 4 and there will be new 3 year olds. Then she goes off to kindergarten and turns 5.

Asked what then and I talk about grades 1 through 12, then she goes to Harvard (like her daddy) and when she is 5 goes to a big party at Harvard (DH has a big reunion year). Next morning we are walking to school and at a street corner there is a dad and son. I say that I bet this little boy is in her school. Yes, he is, just turned 3, is in a toddler room. The father asks DD what room she is in and how old is she, tells him Purple and 3 years old, but then she goes on how she will turn 4 and then 5. Then she goes to kindergarten, then grades 1 and then after grade 12 she will go to Harvard. This father looks at me, and I saw the look on his face. She is only 3 years old and you have trained her to go to Harvard.

I thought it was a light hearted conversation but part of me thinks it is a good parents' expectations were high, just like DH's parents' expectations were high. His mother talked about Harvard, pushed his oldest brother to apply. Her father was an Irish cop. DH's father was the first to go college and won a scholarship to Carnegie. But the ethic is such that you go to a really good school and you take something that gives you a profession. A profession that supports you.

Since DH and I are older parents, many of our peers have children that are in college or coming out. And those kids are living at home, figuring out next steps as they approach 30. That wasn't an option when we were growing up. My brother was strict with his son. Wasn't going to pay tuition unless it had a job assurance likely at the end. My nephew took engineering. He does like it, but he also has a good job, now is engaged and saving to buy a house, while supporting himself.

I am not sure how to straddle between supporting a child and their interests and helping them become independent. My parents came to Canada post WW2 (separately) but with nothing except their education. Which allowed them to rebuild their lives, when many had homes, families and were native with language.

Mother's day rambling.

Thanks for the coffee shop thread, to enable the rambling.

Ren

Ann, I sent you a pm.

Happy mother's day everyone!!!!!

EandC

I like mysteries when I'm looking for escapism and no RE. They're not happy usually, though. Mindless puzzles to solve, I suppose.

I always enjoy Sue Grafton. Sherlock Holmes is fun.

Also--not a mystery--I recently enjoyed "The Time Traveler's Wife." It's a bit sad in places, I guess, but not a book you'd cry like mad over. I'd call it rather hopeful, I guess.

Mostly what I read these days are books for homeschool or books about the Norse. So I'm not a great one for offering recs, I'm afraid...I'll read the recs of other people with great interest, however!

Nodding head with shi* eating grin plastered on face. I'm not sure how I did, but I'm glad I was able to finish. I'm grateful for that. I look forward to becoming reacquainted with obsessing about this site. I missed you guys.

Thanks! I enjoy l-o-v-e puzzles. You just made me think of the "Usual Suspects" (albeit a movie).

I was too tired to turn the computer on after I crawled in bed last night. I was going to post about a conversation I had with my mom earlier in the day. Do you find that your childhood reading/show interests parallel your child's? My mom said that when I was in second or third grade my favorite book was "A Wrinkle in Time." My copy is on DS's bookshelf right now. I'm itching to read it to him. My mom also said that I my favorite shows were "The Never Ending Story," "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "The Sound of Music." I have to admit that I also enjoyed "The Parent Trap." DS2 enjoys musicals, but I haven't tried any of these in particular out on him. He's more interested in his computer, trains, or cars. I can't figure it out, but one of his favorite You Tube clips is "Crazy Frog."

Hi, Ann.

Congratulations on finishing your first year! It gets better from here on out.

Enjoy your summer, and Happy Mother's Day!

Somewhat, though my kids are DEFINITELY their own people! I have no interest in anything car-related, yet DS6 has always been all about things with wheels. Robots and superheros were never my thing as a kid, but DS3 LOVES them! Some of that might be gender-related though. I was all about horses when I was a kid. <shrug>

But when it comes to books and stories, I'd say we share similar interests. They like funny books like Pippi Longstocking and so did I. They like history and science, and so did I. They like myth and legend and I ate that up with a spoon.

I guess I'd say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but it isn't the same as the tree...

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Here's to all the moms and grandmas striving to make things better for kids.

Cathy

Happy Mother's Day

If you send this to just one person, it should make it all the way around the world by Mother's Day.

This is for the mothers who have sat up
all night with sick toddlers in their arms,
wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer
wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying,
"It's okay honey, Mommy's here."

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at
work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains
on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and
make cookies and sew Halloween costumes.
And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to
babies they'll never see. And the mothers
who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art
collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars.
And that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't
have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with
their children and explained all about making
babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who
wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go
hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read "Goodnight,
Moon" twice a night for a year. And then
read it again, "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers who taught
their children to tie their shoelaces before
they started school. And for all the mothers
who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons
to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?"
in a crowd, even though they know their
own offspring are at home -- or even away
at college -- or have their own families.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids
to school with stomach aches, assuring them
they'd be just FINE once they got there, only
to get calls from the school nurse an hour later
asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone
astray, who can't find the words to reach them.
For all the mothers who bite their lips until they
bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of
recent school shootings, and the mothers
of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their
children to be peaceful, and now pray
they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good mother anyway?
Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips?
The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and
sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Or is it in her heart?
Is it the ache she feels when she
watches her son or daughter disappear
down the street, walking to school alone
for the very first time?

The jolt that takes her from sleep to
dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put
her hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

The panic, years later, that comes again
at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear
their key in the door and know they
are safe again in her home?

Or the need to flee from wherever she is
and hug her child when she hears news
of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are
universal and so our thoughts are for
young mothers stumbling through diaper
changes and sleep deprivation...
And for mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers and married mothers.

Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all. For all of us...

Hang in there. In the end we can
only do the best we can. Tell them
every day that we love them. And pray
and never stop being a mother...

Please pass along to all the mothers in your life.

"Home is what catches you when
you fall - and we all fall."

To my wonderful friends who are a "MOM"
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO YOU ALL!!!


Please pass this to a
wonderful mother you know.

(I just did!)

Happy Mother's Day all!

Ann, congrats! I wish I could see your big you know what grin!
I hope you have an opportunity to relax and relish your accomplishment!

Neato

Happy Mother's Day from me too
I am exhausted. Worked 13 hours yesterday, then took DD to a children's choir concert last night - a 50 min. drive each way. Went to bed at midnight, got up at 4:30 to treat some more people.
Now, another 14 hours later I do not even know I am doing online.
Off to watch To Kill a Mockingbird. Off to Europe in one week !!!

Go, Ania! That sounds so exciting

Hang in there Ania! A trip to Europe sounds wonderful!

I'm just catching up on my coffee shop thread, and saw this. This story made me giggle. These kids will say the darnedest things. My next thought was, you better lay off the Harvard talk. Kids tend to become teenagers, and teenagers tend to know exactly what their parents want/expect, then they do the exact opposite! My two cents for the day.

Ann - congratulations! That first year is the pits. Next year you can choose more of your own classes, and you will know what to expect. The worst part for me were those classes that were a year long, and I had no clue what my grade would be all year. blah.

I second the recommendation for "Time Traveler's Wife." Loved it.

I like your new kitty avatar.

Back to the SPIDER thing.
It is kind of creepy. What exactly are they and what kind of info are they looking for???

WOW, I never knew I could view the specifics! Now I know how.
It is still a little creepy for me - all that info for anyone to see - anyone who knows how to search...

Changes! Changes as we speak!
This is also , by the way, my post #500

<groping blindly> Marco!

Polo! How do you turn yourself invisible?

<groping.....> What's this squishy thing! Ewww! I squashed a search spider!

How, how did you do it ???

Don't kill the spiders! They're the ones that catch the virtual mosquitoes!

Sorry, it was an accident!

Maybe I can find some virtual bug spray instead...

I have wanted to ask this question for a while - time that is assigned to our posts. What time zone it is?
It is 4:30 P.M. where I am, so the east coast time is 6:30 P.M.
It is not Greenwich , maybe some island on the Atlantic?
Anybody has a clue?

I always thought it was PST since it was 3 hours earlier than my EST. I actually just made myself invisible and I changed the time to show my correct time.

Wow! My low-tech little brain just exploded over the possibilities.

What a cool trick!

What is 4+3?


Coooooollllllll

OK. Let me try.

What is 4+3?



BTW, does anyone know how to post images? I tried to do what it says in the FAQ but it didn't work.

Ummm, what's ETA?

I'm guessing kcab is using it for "update"? It generally means estimated time of arrival. But in the case of this thread maybe: exceptional (amount of) time available?

hee hee hee

Wow, go away for a couple weeks and everything changes. It looks nice so far. I'll have to spend some time catching up. Hope everyone is doing well.

Back atcha! How are you doing?

Oh, our family is doing well, our son just took an out of level test for the school in math and came home saying, but Mom it was too easy lol. I hope that his results are high enough to cement the school plan for next year.
Work has just been insane the past several weeks and I've put in alot of extra hours. It will get better in the next couple weeks

Good. May is our crazy month, too--a wedding anniversary and 3 birthdays! Plus the end of school and an always busy time for DH's work. It's all a little nuts!

Here's hoping for great test results and a good placement for next year for your DS!

Did anyone watch the season finale of Gray's Anatomy.

I love that show.

That ending rocked, I loved it! Next week, Lost!

Loved the ending too!! so romantic.

I liked most of it.

I'm not sure I liked their making Callie gay. I always have trouble with shows that take an intelligent, self-aware adult woman who has always been straight and have her suddenly realize she's a lesbian.

In my opinion, that's when "ER" jumped the shark: when Weaver decided she was a lesbian, pretty much out of nowhere.

I thought Callie's coming out was a little more motivated than Weaver's, but still...most women I know who came out came out in their teens, when they were first exploring their sexuality. This woman is a *doctor*, a *surgeon*. She's highly sexual, too. Always has been. I have a really hard time buying that she didn't know her sexual preference!

Just to be clear, lesbianism doesn't bother me. If she had been a lesbian from the start, that would make perfect sense to me. If they had an intern coming out, I could maybe buy that since they're younger. It's the fact of treating woman like our sexuality is so mysterious that even *the women themselves* don't know how they feel that bugs me.

Plus, when's the last time a middle aged man on a TV show suddenly realized he was gay? It never happens. Men know. Women are mysteries. It bugs me.

(Of course, I realize that some of this is that lesbianism is a turn-on and many people are turned off by male homosexuality. It is assumed that audiences would not accept a man coming out in adulthood. I do get that. Still, I don't like the message I get from this sort of storyline.)

I do feel bad for Rose, though. I liked her.

Rose was weak. I hope they eliminate her character. (myspock)

I actually dislike the character portrayal of Hahn. She has been presented as the most intelligent, most emotionally secure, most successful, rock star of a surgeon. So, of course she must have been a hardcore lesbian from the start, without question. ((sarcasm))

Those writers are pikers in that regard.

And no, I am not now, nor have I ever been a lesbian, however I support and embrace all who are members of an "alternative" sexual identification.

((how lawyerly of me))

Me thinks I have too much time on my hands today.

Of course, if they had made two model-like women into lesbians, we'd be criticizing their lipstick-lesbianism. That's why Hahn bothers me WAAAAAY less than Callie. At least Hahn seems to have been gay from the start. And she is attractive and strong--not "butch." So I'm okay with her. Not loving it, but at least it works.

But Callie's indecisiveness just seems like a throwback to the day when being gay was not even imagined. Then maybe a grown woman might have come out later when she had her first contact with a lesbian and she realized it was a possibility for the first time. But today? Nuh-uh. I just don't buy it.

(And I'm here procrastinating because I don't want to clean the house for DS6/7's birthday part tomorrow! LOL!)

true, true. But Callie's character has always been written to imply insecurity and arrested emotional development.

I still don't like to see MOST intelligent, competent, decisive, successful, kick-a$$ female character on the show portrayed as, duh, lesbian.

Probably stems from personal ghosts of my previous career in investments. Had to manuever around a lot of hostile mysogynistic people(hello....men AND women) who were not comfortable with women like Hahn's character meeting with success.

Oooo - birthday party at Kriston's house! Sounds like fun! Happy birthday Kriston's DS.

I would have to say I'm in line with your thinking (re Gray's/lesbianism in film). My BF and I were talking about it last night. However, my BF is bothered more by where we live. When she and her girlfriend visited us they were aghast at the stick figure of a man plus the stick figure of a woman equals marriage signs in people's yards. My BF has the double whammy of being both a lesbian and a person of color.

Yup. I hear you on Hahn.

But not so much on Callie.

I buy Callie as insecure, but I'm not sure I accept the "arrested emotional development." Can you show me where you see that? Maybe in marrying George, but I see that less as arrested development and more as wishful thinking that he could love her back. More insecurity.

And even if I accept that her development is really arrested, is it SO arrested that she never knew she likes girls? I mean, c'mon on! How clueless would you have to be?

Can't believe I missed that one:

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birtday Kriston's DS' and possible my future son-in-laws 20 years from now, happy birthday to you!



And many, more..........!

Tee hee hee! Thanks, friends! (And future in-laws!)

It's been a busy week for birthday parties around here!

Remember in the beginning of the series when she lived in the basement....flash forward to finding out she is disgustingly wealthy with an incredibley domineering father who infantizes her?

Sheesh.....I outta start chargin for this.

By the way, I tried to enlarge the text with color on the birthday song, must have done it wrong. I hope your boys have an awesome birthday celebration!!!!!!!!

Are these actual signs in yards? I'm confused. Is this in response to the CA ruling on gay marriage?

Sorry to be slow on the uptake, but I've never seen such signs...

OMG I totally missed that - good catch Neato - BOTH your boys are celebrating tomorrow. Wow! You've got your hands full. I hope you are able to take the following day off to relax and drink a nice bottle of wine. You'll have more than earned it after birthday mania. Smile.

LOL!

Yes, I guess I do remember that. It's so long ago, I forgot all about it. (Or maybe it was such a stupid bit of writing that I willfully ignored it so that I could keep watching the show...)

Okay, I'll rethink...Hmmm...I dunno. I still have trouble believing that any grown woman who has as much sex as Callie does has no idea she's attracted to women. Really?

Yes there really were signs in people's yards. This was prior to the CA ruling. I live in a southern state - prop something or other. I can't remember now. When we went for a walk, I was surprised at how many signs there were. There are many reasons why we don't quite fit in our neighborhood, but I try to not ruffle any feathers. I think my neighbors assume we're "one of them."

ROFL!!!!!!!

Totally agreed on her being very in touch with her sexual side.

Okay, my much favored peeps!

I have to rip myself away.

You too Krison!!!!!!!

Peace out!

We're in a conservative area, too, and it can be hard to walk the line of not making trouble unnecessarily and yet still being true to yourself and standing up for what you believe in.

I'm still figuring it out--badly much of the time!

You've got your timing backwards! You're going to have a bunch of boys armed with water guns/balloons & cake; you are just going to have to do more cleaning AFTER the party!

Hope you have warm water to fill those water balloons, it's going to be chilly unless it gets up into the 80's. Then all that wet tracked into the house....

LOL, OH-Oma! Good point! (Though if you saw my house, you might not think so...)

Sorry, kcab! I forgot about the spoiler tags. I don't think we said anything that would surprise you, though. At least, we didn't say anything that would have surprised me if I hadn't seen the episode yet. Still, I'll try to remember to be more considerate.

A while back we discussed Viggo Mortensen as a possible character for Kriston's book. Well... as I paint the dining room my thoughts meander over to David Boreanaz (Agent Booth) from the show "Bones." Sigh.

I'm thinking of Richard Armitage in North & South.

NICE!!!

Ya' know, I have watched him in Buffy, Angel and now Bones...He could work!

Good thinking! Sadly, he'll be too old by the time the *&%$@(# thing is done and scripted, I'm afraid. Heck, at this point, I'm hoping that I live to see it!

Cathy - we don't have cable - we only watch stuff we get from Netflix. I didn't want to be tempted to watch tv when I was in school. However, you're giving me good ideas of things to put on the queue.

LMAO! It must get done - if only so that we can inspect the merchandise... 'er, help with casting.

My goal is to have George Clooney produce, much to the chagrin of my DH.

My girlfriends all volunteered to be my assistants and my assorted "people" when I took that meeting.

LOL!

Ah, if wishes were horses...

He and his girlfriend have split up. I'm just saying...

You snuck this by me, Cathy, but I don't know him. I Googled him, and he's certainly nice looking! But can he do cheating-and-distant-yet-still-heroic-and-attractive Norseman?

Or how about darkly-dirty-looks-like-he'd-smell-but-still-strangely-attractive-in-spite-of-it Norseman?

Those are the two roles we're casting. And they'd have to be in their twenties.

Oh! Don't tell my DH! He's worried enough as it is! Clooney's my one-and-only famous guy crush.

I think I posted this before, but it's funny enough (to me, anyway!) to tell again: when I told DH my fantasy path for the book, I got to the part where Clooney was going to produce, and DH interrupted me with a frantic, "No! Not him. No! I have to say no!"

As if it were real!

I reassured him that our marriage is safe. He still looked shaken.

At least I know the guy loves me, huh?

Anyone out there watch the Army Wives season premiere last night???

I do not know why, but I think that George Clooney is homosexual.
I do not say this in any derogatory way, in fact I like him and his movies and his line of thought.

Has anyone seen 'Pan's Labyrinth'? Is a Spanish movie about the end of the civil war and I find it really touching, specially because the protagonist, a young girl reminds me a lot of my own DD - or how I think DD would be at that age.

Interesting. As a heartthrob for the older set, he's certainly the kind of guy who couldn't come out without harming his career.

Still, I don't think he's gay. I see too much evidence that he likes the ladies and a definite lack of rumors to the contrary. Usually if there's reason to believe someone in Hollywood is hiding something, people go nuts with the rumors and photographers make much of every possible indiscretion. Nary a peep.

I think he's just a fun-loving playboy who has a fear of commitment, possibly in part because it's hard to trust that anyone cares about him for him and not just for his fame and money. Frankly, if I were George Clooney, with his talent and looks and money and freedom to do as he likes, I'm not sure I'd behave a whole lot differently than he does with his serial monogamy. I'd like to think I would, but I'm not sure. And I would say that I have a pretty solid set of values.

<shrug> So ends my long-distance psychoanalysis of my crush...

Kriston: he soooo much reminds me a friend of us who is gay (actually bi with preference for gay).

They would actually be a really good looking couple LOL !

Anyway, he can be whatever he likes as far as he does good movies.

My crush is for Jeremy Irons by the way.

I'm having a good time laughing at myself today. Being from the southwestern part of Ohio, and the age bracket I am, I thought of NICK Clooney as the heartthrob of the older set!

LOL! Well, Nick's pretty dreamy, too. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree and all that.

But according to IMDB, George is 48 now. Not exactly a guy the teenyboppers are going to lust after...

(And no, I didn't know his age off the top of my head. I really had to look it up. I'm not a nut! )