Fran...

I'd think learning french would not entail watching cartoons, but I guess it keeps the kids interested. I do believe that 6teen is a bit inappropriate for 5 year olds tho. Some of the concepts in the show are things they can't understand, like when Caitlyn, Jen and Nikki all had their periods at the same time! And if they're doing this in school, 'educational' stuff might be better, like Caillou, where life lessons are learned.

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Some people shine like a star in the first moment. Others keep their light hidden until they are ready to show us.

Out of curiosity...how many litres (quarts(?) in American) does your family go thru in a week? The reason I ask is that I think the 14 litres that we go thru is absolutely insane! And at least 11 of those are consumed by Adrian! Drives me insane! We also go thru 2 of those big 520 gram bricks of cheddar a week! I bought groceries yesterday and we have one banana left, half the yogurt tubes are gone, and a quarter of the sliced chicken breast! As my mother used to say, 'My name ain't Rockefeller'!

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Some people shine like a star in the first moment. Others keep their light hidden until they are ready to show us.

My mother used to say, "Why do I buy all this food?  You guys just eat it!"

Love, Columbine
 

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Trace - the way I'm figuring it (and I am a mathematical retard), we go through 15 quarts of coke a week and that is just ridiculous!  1 quart in American = 1 Canadian liter (I looked it up on Google).    So looks like we go through about the same amount.  But what makes me the most insane is I dump 3/4 of the cans into the sink - what a waste.  So....we are going to start buying it in bottles instead of cans so she has to pour it into glasses and we'll see what happens.  She'll probably just fill the glasses and take 2 sips and then I'll dump it when they're flat.    She isn't too bad on other grocery items except she is so wasteful.  She'll heat up 10 mozzarella sticks, eat 4 and then the other 6 sit up in her room on a plate and get thrown out (by me or her dad) several days later.  If she was paying for all this herself she wouldn't do this.  We sure as heck ain't the Rockefellers either.  She has always called us "cheap" which is such an insult.  If she wants cheap we'll have bread and butter to eat and tap water to drink and she can forget sodas and all the "comfort" junk foods.  She has burned through ALL of her birthday cash and gift certificates already (birthday was last Sunday).  Then had the nerve today to ask me for $5 when she was getting her paycheck this evening.  How about NO!!!  Teenager are so much fun - especially their attitudes and appreciation for all we give them. 

I spend $160 on groceries each week, which really should be upped to $200, but we just can't do it. Adrian doesn't seem to get that I cannot replace groceries halfway thru a week. My kids have always been able to have pop and junk food like chips only on the weekend. Otherwise Adrian would drink a litre a day! Adrian still has $200 of his birthday money from March 27th, but he's spent about $30 at the corner store on junk. Or he brings money to school to get crap out of the machines. I explained to him how much he will regret spending that amount of money or more on such stupid things when something he truly wants comes along. He got it and has stopped spending money on junk...for now! But the milk...ARG! We have gone thru 2 1/2 litres since yesterday!

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Some people shine like a star in the first moment. Others keep their light hidden until they are ready to show us.

Trace be glad you live in Ontario where the dairy farmers are subsidized.  4L of milk here in NS just went up to $7.11.  Everywhere.  There's no shopping around for a better price. 

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In the social order, I accept the bottom rung, until the wine is pouring and the Lord commands a song!

O...M...G.

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Some people shine like a star in the first moment. Others keep their light hidden until they are ready to show us.

No soda pop at my house. if you want it you go buy it I am not a fan I find it all too sweet, the diet stuff is worse than the regular stuff. My weekly bills are 200.+ we eat well enough I buy healthy food and the odd snack food. Chris had a friend in with him after school the other day, the kids are all at home at my house he asked Chris if he could make a sandwich. The reply as usual with Chris yea go ahaed knock yerself out!, He used an entire weeks worth of lunch meat on his sandwich  He is a heavy boy I have often thought the only reason he comes over to our house was to eat without his mother knowing(she is constantly on him cause his dad is diabetic) about his eating habits. I had to go buy lunch meat so my kids could have lunch for the rest of the week. I handed Chris the bill to give his friend, which he did give him as he was ticked off that his lunch was in jeopardy because of his friends greed.

Alex is my cheese monster. We visit costco to buy cheese by the 5lb block, Alex will cut a piece 1/2 inch thick for a snack (keep in mind the block is a 5 inches square by about 18 inches long) about 8 ounces put it between 2 pieces of bread and nuke it for a minute. The smell is amazing you see all fall into line behind him looking for food. I just keep thinking thats artery cloging fat at its best, he's here for a good time not a long time!

Anyone remember a tv comercial for some diet aid that showed a fridge with a chain and lock on it, I think some days that would not be so bad an idea at least there would still be food in it when you get home from work!

I taught them to eat well when they were young, now it's all up to them. Teenagers don't seem to make the best choices most of the time why would food be any different than other things. perhaps it will get better in time like maybe when they have to pay for the food.

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~The mind is like a parachute, It always works best when it's open~Edna Buchanan~

~Northern Spy~The Apple of my Pie~

~Audrey~

I curently have a younger sister who lost the ability to walk at the age of 7 1/2. Doctors had diagnosed herwith Duschene's Muscular Distrophy at the age of 5, and we were told (the family) that she would possibly not make it past the age of 20. Men are usually the ones who manifest the disease and women usually are the carriers. Unfortunately, Kate manifested the disease. The disease starts at the calf muscles and weakens them before working through the rest of the body. She now is 16, and she is in good spirits we have never told her or dare wish to tell her of the fate that is coming. I pray she lives to see a full life, but sometimes that is not the case. :( As she is now, she uses a wheelchair to get around, and has many friends that support her. As the elder brother I wish her well, as in high school I did a report on her condition, and now I am writing a small book on the ordeals our family has gone through in order to adjust since we found the news, so many years ago. I hope those have children with some sort of disability can relate and my best wishes to you all. God Bless

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Charles R. Mosher-Nicholls

Charles: You sound like the kind of big brother anyone would love to have. It is a very brave undertaking to share your families struggles through out the years with your sisters disorder. Anyone who takes the time to educate others on a disorder of any kind so that the "differently abled" people in this world may have a easier time is a hero in my eyes. I hope the doctors are wrong, or perhaps medical science has changed to help those with muscular distrophy live longer and easier lives. God Bless You and Yours

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~The mind is like a parachute, It always works best when it's open~Edna Buchanan~

~Northern Spy~The Apple of my Pie~

~Audrey~

Welcome to the thread, Charles. I agree with Audrey...your sister is blessed to have a brother like you. And doctors have been wrong many many times before, and hopefully they're wrong this time too.

What a lovely Earth Day. Currently, it is 21 degrees (that's about 70 degrees in farenheit). Chelsea and I went on a walk with our gardening gloves and garbage bags to pick up trash in the neighbourhood. On our street alone, we picked up 23 pieces if trash. So I asked her to guesstimate how many streets are in our subdivision (which she was way off on, but no matter) and imagine if each street had 23 pieces of trash and multiply that by the number of streets. Her reply was, 'Does everything have to be a lesson?' LOL! I said, 'HomeSCHOOL, kiddo!' She's upstairs now and she's supposed to be working on a poster entitled 'Make every day Earth Day'. We brainstormed the other day on ideas that help the planet like recycling, and public transportation and she's supposed to draw and label them on the poster. SUPPOSED to. She's whining that she's tired and wants to be finished for the day. I feel another wrinkle appearing. Ah yes, and another grey hair just popped out of my head!

Adrian's been doing okay at school. No more harrassment, anyway. I still don't want him going there anymore. And can you imagine what all of this has made Chelsea think about going to highschool?! I assured her that she won't be going to THAT highschool. The experience is tough enough without all the crap that Adrian has had to endure.

I am off soon to do groceries. Things have been hectic and stressful here. Jim put his back out and has been on the couch for 3 days...driving me out of my ever lovin mind! I hope he's mended soon because every day he's on the couch is a day without income.(And did I mention he's driving me nuts?!) Cabbies have no paid sick days. And after groceries, we don't have enough money left to even pay a bill!  Please send good luck/ healing vibes our way!

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Some people shine like a star in the first moment. Others keep their light hidden until they are ready to show us.

I forgot to put this in my above post...Chelsea made up a joke this week and I think it's pretty darn good!

Q:  Who is a drunk's favourite writer?

A:  Shakesbeer

 

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Some people shine like a star in the first moment. Others keep their light hidden until they are ready to show us.

Thank you kindly, my family has been through a lot and we underrstand others with the same situation. I try to make each day with my young sister a special one. Once again, thank you fellow fans.

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Charles R. Mosher-Nicholls

I posted this on Twitter, but it bears repeating...Did you know that a rec room doubles as a laundry hamper for a teenage boy?!

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Some people shine like a star in the first moment. Others keep their light hidden until they are ready to show us.

We have teenage girl laundry hampers all over the house - the bathroom, the hallway, the bedroom, the foyer, and sometimes even the kitchen floor.  Oh.....and in her car too, backseat and in the trunk.  When she says, "mom, where's my....."  I just burst out laughing.  I tell her to look in one of the piles.    Gotta love em!!!