I am so sorry to hear that! All of that, for a few bucks.... yuck, that is truly revolting...

I posted this quote on the FO boards but I think it pertains to your post (and my feelings about the evils of the "culture of acquisition" that we seem to live in)

"Money talks, usually it says 'bend over'."

I did the same thing too! I was like OMG,if I let him have a toy gun,it will lead to a real gun...blah blah blah. Thing is,everything they pick up,they use it as a gun. I mean,it could be his sippy cup,a toy dinosaur,the cat,a shoe,anything was a gun. He would pick it up,aim and yell PEW PEW PEW and he would then act dead complete with tongue hanging out after a very dramatic fall to the floor.

So,at his 4th or 5th b-day party,some kid got him these Nerf guns that shoot these foam stick thingys. I was like oh no but I let him open them up. He shot it once and put it down. Next thing I knew,the adults were shooting each other like it was the OK Corrall. We even have pictures of my brother diving over the coffee table as he fires at my sister.

He has since gotten a gun that shot foam disc and a few noise making,light flashing,annoying as hell alien blaster type guns and the batteries refuse to die but he really doesnt play with them much.

This last b-day,his best friend had gotten him a video game and I made Chase take it back for something else. Um,Grand Theft Auto something or other is a bit much for a 7 year old,IMO. He was like but I play it at Bens all the time. Now,I make sure the parents know he isnt allowed to play certain types of video games. Funny thing is,we had gotten Ben a PC game for his b-day,something SpongeBob Under the Sea or something. I wonder if its sitting unopened in the kids room next to his GTA game.

Hey,look at what a perfect father Bing Crosby turned out to me. Yikes!

Oh okay... settle down there Marcel.

I can in all honesty say that ignoring doesnt always work but then again,its knowing what to ignore. My 3yr old nephew called everyone B!tch for months. Didnt matter where or when,he would scream B!ATCH at the top of his lungs over and over. My sister,one of the Precious People,refused to even acknowledge he was saying it. She read in some book that giving it attention would only make it worse. Um,if a child is never told no and its not explained why something isnt acceptable,how will they learn?

He did that until the preacher pulled my sister aside one day and asked that she either please stop him from screaming the swear word or that maybe the child was too young to attend church. She then told him it was an ugly word and to not say it. It took 2-3 times and he no longer says it. Easy Peasy.

Oh,and why is it a kid will pick up the one swear word you might utter in an entire day? You could say nothing but puppies,rainbows and cupcakes all day but the minute you let a sh!t slip,its all over.


Howdy Note,miss ya sug.

When I was growing up we had chore charts & got paid an allowance if our chores were done for that week.

I've never had chores or an allowance system set up for my son. When I ask him to do something he just does it. Occasionally I have to ask more times than once, but rarely. It is those times that I remind him that I'm not the only one who lives in this house, (so I know what you mean.) When he wants something, he generally won't ask for anything special unless it is a special occasion or some other type of gifting holiday (birthdays & X-mas.) So I guess I sorta lucked out in that whole department.

I too (as some others on the boards have mentioned about themselves) have decided not to have my own kids... but I have more than made up for it by being a truly wonderful uncle (if I do say so myself).... (I have 16 nieces and nephews BTW- luckily they were spaced-out enough apart, so we are talking small groups of 4 or five kids)

When I would take my "borrowed children" for the day, I tended to treat them like miniature adults...

If they asked a question I would answer truthfully (using age appropriate language)...

If they started acting up... I would get down to their level and look them right in the eye and say in a soft but stern voice "that kind of behavior is unacceptable"... (I don't know if it was my tone or my body language... or just because they had no idea what the words meant & I had confused them or what... but it always worked!)

And when I brought them to the amusement park or a museum etc...
I would give them each some money before we ever hit the gift shops and I would explain that they could purchase whatever they wanted (again age appropriate) up to that dollar amount- totally their choice...
(if they wanted to pitch together with a sibling in order to buy one item they could, if they wanted to buy several small items they could).
But I explained ahead of time that the money they were being given was all that I could afford... and they always accepted (and I think respected) that... (it was a great opportunity to teach mathematics- 'Unka Bo, how much is 10% off of this'- and saving (I always reminded them that if they wanted to save it for a future purchase, they could as well).

I love being an uncle... the kids love you but they don't really feel comfortable enough to truly act up...
and of course if one did get bratty... straight home to the Parental Units!
Believe me, none of them wanted that- especially since the folks would be planning a much needed "vacation day"... so it always worked out... fun for me, fun for the kids & especially fun for the parents.

LMAO @ your dad!!! Did you guys ever call him out on his fraud? That is waaaay too funny. So wrong, yet hilarious!!!

My dad used to make up the comic section of the newspaper to us every Sunday. He would put on this very serious face, snap the paper into place, and proceed to tell us fart jokes about Dennis the Menace. We would all crack up laughing & make him do it over & over with new lines.

LOL!!

As long as she doesn't go for the legal name change... I think we are all good.

LMAO,well done.

My wife had arthoscopic knee surgery exactly 3 weeks ago and went back to work this past Wednesday. She is still sore though and limps.

Hillary Rockham Clinton?

Your dad was a friggen genius!

Pita,

Check your PM.

Peg

John!!!!

That was good!!

I want one!!!!!

Hiya Peg....I'm going swimming so if I get my PM I will answer you later.lol

Take care sweets.

Oh, cool! Like "Echo-echo" or "Marco Polo," it's a game!

OK, so the first person said "classy," the second person said "classy ..." (I hope we're not just all supposed to say "classy," because that would make the game a little redundant), so I'm gonna live on the edge here and take "Food Science" for $500, Alex ...

Alex (as Alton Brown): "Rice and beans, a skinny double frapp, two Benefiber and some midnight Beano. Answer?"

"... Gassy ..."

I just try not to kick people when they are down and or gone. Slight difference.

Absolutely one of my most disliked things right now. "Everybody Wins"!!! No everybody doesn't win. Someone loses. If your going to play sports the earlier you get your kids head around that concept the better. It makes no sense to shelter kids from the basics of sports. This is one of the reasons why we have more kids acting like total babies at much older ages instead of gasping these fairl simple life lessons early on.

And Don't get me started on banning games like tag and dodgeball.

You are so awesome!

I only have a few moments before I turn back into a pumpkin, but you have done it so well, IMO.

Children are nothing more than adults who lack experience.

Tell/show them what, how, when, and why and they'll do just fine.

I'm off again for a few days, but I wanted to reiterate these points, as they don't make me feel so crazy, especially with Grandparent Overseers present now. I fully expect my kids to be spoiled rotten within 48 hrs. despite the fact that Mom and Dad would never have allowed me to do any of the crap my kids are going to get away with. Selective Memory or Wanton Abandon must be nice.

Yes, they did get in. At frickin' 8 O'Clock! A 6 hour-max- drive turned into a 9 and a half hour Eternity. FFS.

If you couldn't tell already, a bottle (or two) has been emptied, the clams and linguine were a hit, and everyone is in bed.

I am sooooon to follow.

Night all.

Try not to do anything I wouldn't do and boy am I leaving you all with a wide bearth on that one.

Thanks Mohub, we always SAID it, never WROTE it! (so I just took a stab at it!)

My friend would have no play guns in her house. Her son would bite his cheese sandwich into the shape of a gun and then "pew-pew" shoot away as happy as can be! (What are you going to do...No cheese shandwiches?!!!) Where there is a will, there IS a way!!!

OK, I'm Game..

"Alex, I'll take famous show dogs for $200"

Alex: Collie, ... *beep*

"...Lassie..."

My daughter when she was 5 years old somehow heard the F-word. So she asked my wife what it meant and how to spell it. My wife remained silent hoping the topic would go away. My daughter persistently presented my wife with different versions on how she thought it should be spelled. She never did get the spelling right, at least that day.

Rule #1: (in any kitchen)..."Don't touch my knives"... ...
Rule #2: "Don't touch my "Johnson"...
... ...

I messed it up and can't fix it..Oh well I tried.

LOL!!
Especially with the knife???
You need to listen to Antony & The Johnsons.
You will heart them.
Hey I'm up....let's go dancing.... ok???
Nah you'll flit in a second and I'll be on the dance floor all alone...AGAIN.

Yeah he's gone!!!!
LOL @ LOL

I can't catch him.

OMG...LOL...You and I are so on the same wavelength...As soon as I read a CI recipe, I have to "make it real"(like I'm gonna buy $500. a drop Balsamic)...Love the "Honey gathered by virgins" line... ...
Christopher Kimball's pic is featured in Webster's Dictionary-see "Anal Retentive"... ...
Like you I do give them "kudoos" for honesty...It's the Boston Brahmin, in them...
But to be honest-I'll never cook from an CI article-I really read it as high camp-Rich peeps "stand-up"(as it were)...LOL... ...
"Fine Cooking" is SO much better...Same "passion"...Less "snootiness"...I cook from FC regularly...
Actually I can make a $30. home cooked meal last at least a week...Depending on how much I freeze(or how fast I get tired of the same thing every night)...LOL...
Like "Rocco's" Pepper Steak in a Flash...He uses Flatiron Steaks, Jar'd char roasted red pepper, and some kinda EC jar'd "fried" pepper(?)...Combined with jar'd Pork Gravy...Enough food for a small Army...LOL...Serve it one night...Freeze the left overs-and make rice pudding the same day(i.e. cheat-Instant Vanilla Pudding mix, and 2C of the left over Rice-1/2C raisens)...2 dinners right there...Stews, are good for at least 3 meals...'k I'm ramblin' and slurrin' my typin'...
G'night/G'day all y'all...

He's baaaack..I'm going back to bed.
Lock it up dear.
Don't let the muddled miscreants harass you.
If they do.......flit

I have a few funny pictures I wanted to share with yall. Now,some of you have no sense of humor,IMO,so scroll on by. If you read them,not my fault.


Edited to add: I tried to cover the more adult ones but it didnt work. Enjoy the pics before some holier then thou whines and the pics get yanked.



Lets hope they are new and not just refurbished.




For actor. Enjoy it you will.





The simple things in life are the best.




Kids,aint they grate?




Oh,you dont have to tell us sug,we know.




Preach it brother!




Some things never change.








And we all know where that is.


So you keep saying but I dont believe ya.

Actually he was a genius!!

Here's another good story.....he used to used me as party entertainment...I'm a small person, at 2 1/2 I weighed 25 pounds. When my folks would have a party my Dad took great delight in calling me into the room and asking *Rady, where is Madagascar?* and I would proudly and precisely answer *Off the east coast of Africa*. All the adults would crack up at the tiny little girl with the big knowledge.

Money talks, but chocolate sings.

Discipline is the hardest thing to figure out as a parent , speaking as the parent of 3 (now grown ) kids. Each child is different and each requires a different level of discipline. My oldest was and is the strong willed child... determined to do whatever she felt she wanted to do and resistant to our rules. This led to conflicts her entire life at home and still our relationship has issues. Middle child , my son, watched conflict with older child his sister and determined that most behaviors that were 180 degrees from hers would keep him out of trouble. Youngest child who is 10 years younger than middle child was self entertaining and never was a discipline challange. I agree with you that you have to set limits and that at times even a swat on the rear is necessary.... you have to get the childs attention. But finding that system that workes for each individual can be a real challenge.

We lived in a rural area when my kids were little.... I refused to allow "play" guns that resembled real weapons but did allow squirt guns and nerf guns that were not replicas. I reasoned that how was a child to know that a gun at friends house was not a toy... and in fact my kids were told that if a friend got out a gun to display they were to say good bye and come home immediately....I am not anti gun...but I am against gun stupidity... and too many kids get hurt "playing" with a parents weapon that has been left where it can be accesed by a child. The only cure for that is gun education and respect.

We bought a large set of Cutco knives years ago....and then last year bought a few more to round out the original set. They hold and edge really well and the handles are very ergonomic. I do admit to throwing them in the dish washer on occasion but I put them separately in the basket so that the edges do not hit other stuff...I also have 2 Anelon santukus that I love. I bought a home sharpener last year and it helps but nothing beats a professional job.

I subscribe to CI.... it is a gift each year from MIL.... what I like is the description of the process used to get to the final product. I love to tinker with recipes.... and reading these articles does save me from trying some stuff that does not work. I try to do one dish from the magazine each issue and I do save them all. Some day I intend to collate all of my magazines onto my computer.

Don't thank me; thank Williams-Sonoma!

Hey...What happened to Viola?
She was gawjus. . .But your new lady is very
pretty too.

Today is classical Sunday so would you like to suggest some new pieces for me please???
Thank you mum. .I curtsy and hold my hands to my ever luvin' neck.

Did you see the movie about Jaqueline
du Pres'? Hillary & Jackie?
You really should if not..I think you would love it and The Red Violin. .That was seriously fantastic.

Because of the spelling I wasn't sure which Hillary you were talking about. So the Hillary in question was really Hilary with just one 'l". Interesting but tragic about Ms du Pres.

On key I hope...Like I would know.
Here's one that looks divine for your recipe
file Professor....And I'm going to get me a bite of a Hershey with almonds bar.

I still say Hershey's is one of the best chocolates around. Even better than Godiva or Cadbury.
I've pretty much had it all even the imported very expensive stuff and Hershey's holds it own.



The Singing Chef






God does exist everywhere. And on a festival such as Janmashtami, when children don beautiful costumes and become little Krishnas and Gopis, I decided to make a little something that kids would love. And since it has no egg, onion or garlic, even traditionally speaking, it becomes worthy of being offered as naivedyam. The little one who came dressed as a Gopi yesterday to my place was dressed as Krishna the day before. So, here's my little treat for dear little Krishna on his birthday.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Flour1 1/2 tbsp Yeast1 1/2 tbsp Oil1 1/2 tbsp Sugar3/4 tsp Salt2 tbsp Chocolate Chips3 tbsp Cocoa Butter Icing1/4 cup Milk1/4 cup Boiling WaterOil for greasing bowl and baking trayColoured sugar confetti for decoration

Ever been to Hershey Pa and the amusement park where they make chocolate?

lol
Everybody's a critic!!!
OK but it CAN be spelled with two.
Are you working in conjunction with her majesty now John


Yes.. tragic is the word for sure.
If you watch her she is channeling the God's.

I sure have I loved it and went to the Amish country on the way and had the most delicious food I think I have ever had...But I always say that.When you eat with my family you hear us mmmming all day.

Purrrrrrrrrrr...........

I had the Hammer in mind when I looked up who Jacqueline du Pres was. I am not a musician and don't attend that many movies so I had never heard of her. Also with the comparison of Michelle Obama with Jacqueline Kennedy in the news lately I was trying to understand if there was any connection to Senator Clinton.

lol
Oh I wanna but won't.
This one is about to send me over the ever lovin' edge and a for sure meeeeeeow.
I've never had a ganche and of course
never made one but it just sounds so tres chic and fantastique'
Oh sigh.

Ganache is my friend

Gotta love some LOLCats.

Here's a shot that I found funny. Found in a pub in London a month or so ago (or perhaps it was Amsterdam):

When I was a child we were spanked....not abused but disciplined. There were very clear rules, boundries, responsibilities and consequences. You never spoke with disrespect, you didn't roll your eyes, heavy sigh or stomp off stiff-legged. You could certainly plead your case but it was always with respect. We shared a bathroom, bedrooms and there was one TV that Dad was in charge of. We ate the food that mom cooked--there was no other option--no peanut butter sandwiches or hot dogs instead. Our veggies were not hidden in other food and we were expected to clean our plates. We didn't unlimited access to junk food...our treats were fruit. Our gifts and toys were for special occasions, holidays and birthdays, and my Dad would always make sure there were books included with those gifts. I'm not saying I had the best childhood but I certainly wouldn't change it.