Didn't realize that about Europe. That makes sense. OK, then I am just talking to the Americans. LOL

That was a no brainer in my house because Santa doesn't wrap. Everything is always ready to play, so it was all hooked up to the TV, updated, and accounts set up for my son and myself before Santa's elves went to bed. Although the look on his face when he picked up the empty box from under the tree was priceless!

Having danced for 13 years as a kid, tights are a thousand times better(more durable, more comfortable, you can even get convertible ones that don't cover your toes all the time). Because of my rough feet from all the dancing(and pointe shoes), pantyhose would run before I could even get them all the way on. Talk…

I LOVE the French Concept Album. Little People is so VERY different in the concept album than the English language versions(London, Broadway, 3disc symphonic) that I own. Is it still about Philosophers in in the Paris '91 version or is it more like the English ones?

I have a similar problem. One fat cat, one normal weight cat, and one skinny little guy who borders on underweight. With two kids(a 5th grader and a toddler) at home too, it just isn't possible to feed the cats at different times/places. I feel your pain. I'm not a bad kitty mama. all four of us play with the cats all…

Yeah, I don't have that luxury. The toddler is really good with people though from being dragged to all of her brother's stuff. She adores all of his friends and they adore her too. I love watching a room full of 9 and 10 year boys melt at the sight of my blond curly-haired daughter. They pick her up and carry her…

I have a 2 year old and a fifth grader and I work full-time, and my husband juggles 2 part-time jobs that equal more hours than a full-time job. Breakfast is out because the 5th grader has to leave for school before the toddler wakes up. lunch is out because everyone except t he toddler is at work or school. Dinner is…

Agreed. We ate as a family a lot when I was a kid, but I was an only child, and once I started high school, it was a rare occasion. My parents both taught Jr. High and they coached numerous teams ands clubs, and I was involved in so much ion high school, that a lot of days I would leave the school at 5 after yearbook…

I did make 6 poticas this weekend!! Yay! Only the gluten-free one left.

You sound like me. I feel like I'm always giving everything to a friendship, and with a few exceptions, rarely getting much in return. I'm bad at saying no. And I don't want to be the fair weather friend, but more often than not, that makes me a doormat. I have 3 friends that I've known since grade school or younger,…

Mom friends are the worst(although if you find one that works well, they can also be the best). When they go wrong, it's horrible. When a mom friend and I "broke up" she refused to let our boys play together anymore, and they had been best friends. It was heartbreaking to realize that my failure(or hers) at keeping a…

I have a life-long bestie and I still want to be in-friend-love. LOL My bestie is like my sister, but we're both so busy with different things that we rarely find the time to talk, let alone get-together(although when we do, its like we just saw each other an hour ago). I think I may have found a new one(without…

Find something you're passionate about and get involved. If you like theatre, go find your local community theatre. If you have stage fright ask about volunteering as a stagehand or usher. If you like history, find a local historical site and volunteer. If you like to read, go to your local library and ask about a…

Please don't always assume that. I talk about my best friend a lot. She's the daughter of my parents' best friends, we're both only children, and we literally grew up together. She's more my sister than my bestie in the usual sense of the word. I still need other close friends. Friends that more in common with the…

I don't know about the men vs. women thing. I think it's more of a personality thing. I have a lot of friends, a handful of really close friends, and one lifelong bestie, plus a shit-ton of friendly acquaintances. My husband has one friend, who now lives half-way across the country(and was my good friend first) and a…

I was obese(by BMI standards, bloodwork and everything else was healthy. I was in better shape than when I was 40 pounds lighter and got pregnant with my son) when I got pregnant with my daughter(2nd pregnancy). I only gained 12 pounds(without trying to restrict my food intake, or increase my exercise level). I had…

When I was at a halloween party with my toddler(who was not sick or running a fever at home before we left) and she threw up in the kitchen, I helped the hosts clean it up, gathered my things and took my child home. Had she shown any signs of illness earlier in the day, I would not have come at all. I also profusely…

Or the New Kids on the Block. I had the New Kids on the Block dolls even. I feel old.

Thanks! I did learn how to make them from my grandparents. I'm the only one who did though. I have 2-4 that I need to make for people who are buying them from me. At least 2 for my family, 1 for a Christmas gift, 1 to split up as a treat to places like the library and the non-profit I volunteer at, and a gluten-free…

I've had it(homemade and crappy store-bought), and I hate it! Of course the ONLY time I like nuts in my baked goods is in potica. And even then, the walnuts have to be ground into a paste before the cream and honey are added. No chunks for me. But it's not Christmas without a ring of potica. And a batch of flancati…