An old high school friend of mine named her son the same as my son who passed away years ago. I know it's not MY name to claim forever, but every time I see her post "Baby X did xyz today" my heart does a little jump, and I kind of want to cry. Yes I know it is stupid.

My work schedule is killing me. We always work more during the holidays. One more day, and one more week. Keep swimming, keep swimming. It's not that bad, but in the thick of it, it sure feels like forever and everyday I drag myself out of bed it just feels like so much. The days drag on and on. And with everything I have going on at home, it's just so much on my shoulders.

I will forever call my period my monthly Voldemort. Thanks, Archerr!

My mom let me have piercings in high school when I was 14-16. I'm grateful I got it out of my system then because, eugh, I don't have a face for it and by the time I went to college and started working, I had no piercings. Better than them "doing whatever they want" at 18 and not being able to be hired anywhere because a face full of metal. If they get it in high school, they likely won't have it forever.

Going through old posts because I haven't been here in forever. All I see is the same catty bickering from the same catty girls. I was hoping it would change :( oh well

I'm forever asking my dh to buy me appliances or something for Christmas. Like this year I wanted a used refrigerator to replace our 20yr old one. Nope. He's getting me something else that he "just knows" I'm going to love. And I probably will. But I wanted a refrigerator.

My daughter knows how to do laundry, of course. But sometimes I do it for her anyway because being a teenager is hard enough without running out of underwear because you forgot to do your laundry. By the way: any advice on gifts for a teenage girl who isn't really into normal teenage girl things? I bought her a bunch of art supplies last year, and we've done the pottery wheel (she didn't end up liking it)- maybe a bow? She's into archery now. But will she be in six months? Who knows! Ugh. She is hard to shop for. And my son? Oh God, forget it! I'm gonna make him a new hat and hand him some cash. Anything I buy him wouldn't be right. It's getting to be that way with DD too. Boo. I do have to say, though, that I'm forever grateful that I don't have to enter the toy section.

I remember when I was about 9, my mom read those "True Story" magazines where they have short Lifetime type stories. She always kept them in the bathroom. One day I was having stomach issues and it was taking forever, so I started to read a story in the magazine. My mom came in the bathroom, ripped it from my hands and beat the crap out of me right there. It wasn't a normal spanking, it was a "I'm drunk and feeling rage and need to take out on someone" beating. I remember the story being about a woman who was on a road trip, was kidnapped by some type of gang for a couple years, she got pregnant and had a child but the child died, and somehow she managed to escape.

I have such fond memories of those Judy Blume books. First it was "Are you there God, it's Me, Margaret". Then "Forever". Then "Wifey". naughty naughty! A lot of us were forbidden to read these as kids, now looking back what's the big deal?

Growing up I went through 18 foster homes until I ended up in my forever home. There were 6 of us kids their, we really bonded. We keep in touch and even though we all live in different ciites and states. We try to have a reunion once a year. this year based on schedules we are planning to spend the week after Christmas in Florida. This was planned at the beginning of the year. Rooms are booked, activities planned, Vacation time set up at work. I wanted to buy plane tickets last month, but DH is stalling because bio mom keeps going back and forth on whether she will allow him to have step kids on one of her days. Their custody is every other week w/ dinner at the opposite parents' on Wedsdays. They are with us that week, but he could trade for the Wed dinner. I told him if he doesn't give me an answer today I have to purchase tickets for me, my dd and our dd together. He's saying it would be selfish to go without him and my step-kids and I must not care for them like my own. I have no other family, I put everything into all of our kids, and I'm not excluding them or him. It's a family trip, we all bring our spouses and kids. I only see one of my 'sisters' regularly as the rest are all spread out. He says he and his family are my family. He's so convincing I'm questioning if this makes me selfish as a Step-mom.He says he wants me to go, he wants to go and he wants our kids to experience this, but it's not right for only half of us to get to vacation. It shouldn't be this hard, we have compromised parenting time several times when bio mom needed it.