Pretty sure this is what everyone (I’’m including myself here) smugly believes before they actually have children, AND THEN are trapped in a small space with a hundred grumpy, disapproving strangers for hours.

I heard the exact same advice. Just...no. I stuck it out way longer than I normally would have because I adored The Secret History.

I posted something like this on my facebook wall and my aunt-in-law commented “I went back to work after two weeks, so why should any woman need more time off than that?” and I just didn’t have enough faces or palms to deal with that.

I’m the kind of person who gets antsy on the last day of a three day weekend (I love my family and screwing around, but I also love my job) and even I can’t imagine NOT taking leave that is paid and doesn’t affect your job standing.

My husband’s family are fairly recent German/Scandinavian immigrants so we tossed around a few of those awesome old-timey Germanic names. I quite liked Ermentrude or Adalheid.

Interesting that Charlotte has shot up so much even pre-princess. It was only #68 when I named my daughter that not too many years ago.

Your last two sentences. Odio et amo.

I hope your story ends with his death.

You both are the cutest.

Going to boarding school and then university far from home, I was really lucky that a few friends’ moms were like your mom, and their kindness was so wonderful. Your mom is a gem.

Love it. My mom is a Jimmy Buffett fan so I knew all the words to Why Don’t We Get Drunk And Screw well before I knew what screwing was.

That second one is engrossing. It all looks like some very complicated dance.

I think my eyes are one of my best features so I’m into anything that plays them up, but ever since I first heard of using white (or beige) liner on the waterline when I was in like middle school, I’ve been afraid to try it because doesn’t it get in/irritate your eye, having it right there next to your eyeball? I mean…

Haha, thank you! I’m so glad someone knows what I was talking about! That must have been a cool job. I’ve been a tour guide at several historic sites but we were always discouraged from telling all the juicy ghost stories and the like.

Whenever I think of What Wonders the Internet Hath Wrought, this is always it.

Yes!!!!! I also follow The Yorkshire Shepherdess.

Double jealous. I don’t know how it happened, but I’m suddenly following all these shepherds on Twitter and now I just want to scamper around the Lake District with some lambs.

OMG That Dress is the only reason I want to know anything about fancy awards event dresses.

You’re moving there? So jealous!

I went on a tour of the vaults with my mom lo these many years ago. We were pre-hungover (i.e. still happily tipsy) so we were probably insensible to anything creepy (the tour was not strictly of the vaults but included a few locations around Old Town, at one of which we were regaled with a story about a judge’s…