I gave my kids conventional, heritage appropriate names that I thought were perhaps a little dull. Husband eye-rolled or outright vetoed any of the more unusual names I shortlisted. We’ve since met kids their age named all of those more “uncommon” names, but my sons have never any other boys with their names.

Congratulations! Very sweet!

There’s such a thing as sweet pierogi. ???!!

Lemon tea (dry camp).

Sorry - I assumed the end of the story had been stew.

She looks like she’s making her move in a high stakes game of Jenga.

I kept my own name when I got married. I am definitely lazy, but I had also planned to from the time I was about 9 and my favourite aunt got married. She changed her name, and I decided I was never doing that!

I’ve always quite liked the sidewalk grates in my city.

Just cinnamon tea tonight because I’m at work and it’s a dry camp. I have done reading to do for an online course, but I’ll probably watch an episode of Jessica Jones and call it a night.

That's why rose was invented. But both works too.

I would be all over this. In not very good at chit chat at the best of times. On top of that I’m nearly blind without my glasses. So once they come off, I can't make out any faces, let alone expressions. So now I really do t want to tAlk.

I’d agree. I never think of “parenting” as a job, much less the hardest job of all. Having kids is just part of my life right now. I have three and we don’t have any family support around, but it’s still just life. I’ve always been a bit of a loner, and more inclined to hanging out with a good book than heading to a…

Red wine, just from a box, but in a ruby red goblet that makes me happy.

I’m keeping Jessica Jones to myself and not telling husband. I’m saving it to watch next week after work when I’m away at camp.

Santee-Rex.

He is absolutely wrong about math, and it doesn’t matter what career you choose. Mathematics is not just arithmetic. It is also problem solving and logic and probability, among other things. Everyone needs those skills.

There is wild yeast on flour and in the environment generally. So if you mix flour and water and let it sit at about 70 F, this will be the result. It’s how you cultivate a sourdough starter. Her bodily fluids probably had very little to do with the bread rising.

Not my cup of tea, but to each her own. However, I’m pretty sure corsets are intended to have pretty much the complete opposite effect of pregnancy. ;-)

All the comments to effect of “all the receptionists I’ve seen were women” are interesting anecdotes, but irrelevant. Most nurses are women and most primary school teachers are women, but you don’t get to specify only women when you’re hiring. Likewise, most welder and fitters and mechanical engineers I’ve worked with…

All you can do is be kind and open yourself. You can’t fix other people, and you can’t make them be kind. Perhaps she’ll mellow or gain wisdom as she gets older and your relationship will be better. Perhaps not. Some relatives just require stronger boundaries than others.