The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[catmom46]

Is it just me, or are the grumpy cat pics getting bigger?

 

[donaldtoo]

Ha! Oh I've been known on occasion to let a little heat come through the heating system to the bedroom. I have a thermometer in there, and in the winter, it's pleasant--about 52 degrees. I don't keep the window wide open, just a bit to get a nice cool winter breeze. Ahhh . . . (Meanwhile, hubby is all bundled up in the winter, and even wears hoodies to bed with the hood up! He claims it's freezing, but has learned to add layers and keep warm. ) In summer, he like the a/c cranked up, just like I do. So I could never figure out why he didn't like the cold in winter, but needs it cold to sleep in the summer?

Yep, I Luvs me some Texas heat, but, I tend to sleep much better with the A/C cranked up, or the heat way down.
DWifey, not so much.
Over the years, I have slowly lost the Battle of the Thermostat.

 

[donaldtoo]

Alrighty gang, I believe I'm finally all ketched up...
Happy darn dreams to all...!
Laterrrrrrrrrrr...!!!

 

[catmom46]

some people just halluva effort on their suits, its amazing!

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9 year old with a costume made by his mom.

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Samus Aran from the METROID series.
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Harley Quinn from sucide squad version?
View attachment 118047The Pinguin, a monster version of a Vampire and a Werewolf.

View attachment 118048
Tali armor from Mass Effect 3.

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Wrex from Mass Effect series.

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Miles Morales from Ultimate Spiderman

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Aria from Mass Effect

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Zevran from Dragon age Origins.

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a The Legend of Zelda character (her name dodges me right now)

Definitely some amazing stuff people create!

 

[catmom46]

Alrighty gang, I believe I'm finally all ketched up...
Happy darn dreams to all...!
Laterrrrrrrrrrr...!!!

Nighty night Ducky! And here are a few more, just so I stay ahead of @betty rose: Ducky duckity duck duck goose!!

 

[Gabe1]

moving up!

Well if you haven't already fixed it how many more as it makes a difference.

 

[catmom46]

Well if you haven't already fixed it how many more as it makes a difference.

I asked him that as well and he said only 2 more.

 

[Gabe1]

Thanks! This is the worst time of year for me stress-wise. Over here, Christmas is strictly a religious holiday and instead, kids get presents from Sinterklaas, (St. Nicholas...so same deal, but not associated with Christmas) and it's celebrated from about mid-november to December 5th, which is the night the kids get their presents. They get candy and stocking-stuffer type gifts throughout the 3 week period, and it's a big deal at school. And DS's birthday is just before the gift night, and mine is less than a week after DS's and my nephew's is a week after mine, and then we celebrate Christmas. So this is a busy time, and now we have 3 performances in December for choir, and we're doing a Christmas market at school for which I'm supposed to help organize a children's choir, and a treat table. So it might be a couple of months before things slow down.

We have not been anywhere close to church attending Christians since the Priest scandal imploded our church twice! Twice!

Still we are a Christian home. We always celebrated Advent the 25 days leading upto Christmas. The kids when young received something small in the appropriate pocket 1-25 in their advent calendar that was about 6 feet tall by 4 feet. They hung in their rooms. It was easier when they were very young. As they aged it was harder. My kids being 5 years apart also complicated things. It ended with the bang of Christmas Day. Christmas use to make me very very tired. Simpler now that they are young adults.

 

[Songbird76]

But at least it's for a good cause - presents and celebrations!

Absolutely, or I'd never make it through this time of year!

 

[Songbird76]

I don't disagree with what you are saying. I guess I mispoke before. I didn't mean I had a problem with structure so much as with formal education and programs for toddlers.

My kids have had quite strict routines since they were babies. Nap time was the same time every day, play time, getting ready time, outing time, chore time, meal time, outdoor play time, etc. But there was lots of time for exploring and free play built in. And they learned that way, as opposed to sitting down and doing work sheets, for example. And the day could be catered to what they wanted to learn about or what their needs were. (And I know I am stricter when it comes to discipline than these programs/schools are.)

I guess I just don't agree with kids having to know how to read when they are 3, sitting at a desk before they can even walk properly, and being potty trained at 1 and these increasing pressures to make them "productive". This goal-based system at these early ages just never sat right with me. And I have been made to feel like a bad parent because I dared to keep them at home before school age and do things the old-fashioned way.

I know this isn't what you are saying. Just more explanation on what I meant.

Agreed...I think it's different here. School is still based on free play, etc. And my DD is in 4th grade and has yet to bring home homework. DS is in 3rd, same thing. Schoolwork is done at school. I'm sure that will change when they get to high school, but for now, the only thing DD does is study for a quiz and usually the "studying" involves a fun computer game. One of the reasons we decided to live here instead of in the States is the school system is so much better. The 2 years of kindergarten are mostly the play type learning. No worksheets or anything. One of the things they do to teach the alphabet is they have a little suitcase...like a doll suitcase, and they put a different letter in it each week, and a different student takes it home, finds things that start with that letter and bring it back to school to show the class. But there are a lot of macaroni necklace and cut and paste type crafts, even in first and 2nd grade. DS even brought home some coloring pages he had "finished" a couple of weeks ago, which cracked me up because the one looked like a preschooler had colored it. He has NO patience with coloring and crafts, so he literally just scribbled a couple of lines in different colors across the page and called it "colored". Sorry, I'm babbling. Anyway, the point is that I think it's different here...not so much pressure to learn everything so fast. My kids both pretty much taught themselves to read in kindergarten....they could both read before they started learning in first grade and we didn't teach them. They were just interested in it and picked things up on their own. The one thing I will say that I DON'T like here is the lack of advanced material for kids who already know how to read. I agree that kids shouldn't be tied to a desk all day, but both my kids were "easily distracted" in kindergarten because they already knew the letters and numbers and such and so they got bored in those moments when the class was learning the alphabet, or to count to 10. The school knew some of the kids in the class were more advanced, but wouldn't give them different material to stimulate that. I'd like the school to meet the kids where they are. But I agree totally that it shouldn't be worksheets and sitting at a desk the whole time.

 

[Figgy1]

Pie spices in the can?! That's tricky, how they sneak those in. Then again, it would be less work than adding your own spices. I think I need to find one of those cans!

I think fresh spices taste so much better and if you find a good supplier they might even be a little cheaper than the jar stuff. I like to grind as much as I can

 

[Songbird76]

no space sadly. all spots are sold out on all days until the 7th ( I leave the 5th to Universal)

speaking of universal.

any tips for moving to Universal from a Disney hotel?
should I just call a ubber?

I've read in several places that if a restaurant is booked, you should keep trying every day, because there are always cancellations and then you can pick one of those up. Most people are apparently able to eventually get all the ADRs they wanted by the time of their trip, just by trying every day. Good luck!

 

[Figgy1]

In MA, I think they let you go at least a few renewal cycles before they request that you come in for a new photo. All I know is that license photos are hideous and I'm glad I rarely have to get another one done!

I'm a true believer if you look too much like your driver's license photo you're not well enough to drive same goes for passport photo for traveling

 

[Figgy1]

Wow. That's nice that you have Bosch. They're very good appliances. Plus, you have kids, so you probably do a ton more laundry than we do, with just the two of us. In your case, it's worth it to shell out more money for something that will be heavy duty and last longer.

And, @betty rose , I'll be looking for something much cheaper in a washing machine, myself, within the next few months. The one we have is slowly dying, and hubby has done some electrical repairs on it over the past year, just to keep it going for a while longer. He just put in a refurbished timer that he found, because Whirlpool doesn't even make the stupid part anymore. Nowadays, a machine older than 10 years is obsolete, as far as the manufacturers see it.

I was pricing some top loaders and maybe for about $450 it looks like you can get a fairly decent, basic washer. All I care is that ours doesn't completely die until at least after Christmas. Christmas for us is going to be very lean this year, as it is. Seems like everything is breaking down at once.

Sympathy like. Dish washer and washing machine are 2 things we dare not cheap out on. My dishwasher runs twice a day some days On holidays the poor thing never gets any rest like me

 

[Songbird76]

I'm exhausted , just listening to your list of things to do!

This, too, shall pass!

 

[Figgy1]

Do you know that you can buy little precooked, nuke cups of mac n' cheese? They're very good!

Thanks but no thanks. One version I do is gluten and dairy free and I'm sure that doesn't come in nuke form. Do you know if the nuke type is whole wheat pasta?

 

[Figgy1]

I always have the bedroom window open--even on the coldest nights of winter. I love fresh air, and it is so nice for sleeping, so I'll keep it open maybe a 1/2 inch in the middle of winter.

Quick somebody call a doctor she has frostbite of the brain

 

[Figgy1]

I've read in several places that if a restaurant is booked, you should keep trying every day, because there are always cancellations and then you can pick one of those up. Most people are apparently able to eventually get all the ADRs they wanted by the time of their trip, just by trying every day. Good luck!

^^^THIS 45 days out seems to be a really good time as that's the last date for cancelling a package so I hope @Cesar R M may have some better luck over the next week or 2

 

[Figgy1]

I have.

Was that outside of a hotel room? LOL

 

[Figgy1]

Nothing wrong with that Halloween.

Yeah, I'm getting the shakes too. I wanna go back but the Phil monster is not having anything to do with it. I can't believe when I get my bonus (If?) I'm going to have to spend it on something like the Bahamas or Bermuda or something like that with real sand and a real ocean, etc. I want fake, dammit! And I'm not even kidding which just goes to show how insane I am. Phil is like, "why do you want to stay in Port Orleans or Old Key West when we can go to the real things?" Well, he's not wrong, but still...........arrrrgggghhhhh.

I'm with you! Why don't you pay for Disney vacations and have Phil pay for the not Disney vacations?