"his ex hates my husband she is not sad they they are not together. She likes to cause trouble though." I didn't mean that she is pining away for him, but you said, "My husband was fooling around with the mother of his other child for years on top of everything to start off. I stayed with my husband because I believe in love and 2nd chances." & I thought you are saying that he was fooling around with the mother of this 8 year old & if he was doing that while he was seeing you, then yes this child saw his parents 'together' at least in some way, unless they were so sly that they hid it from their own child. And even if the mother hates him & is not sad, that does not mean she does not let her son know how angry she is (anger is also a feeling that is much easier to express than hurt, so who knows if she truly hates him or is hurt he finally ended it with her and married you) but I'm sure the child picks up on those feelings because children are little sponges & know more than most people give them credit for. If mommy is angry all the time at daddy, of course it's going to affect how he feels about daddy's house & the new wife, baby, etc. "I think that it's good to be proactive and encourage my stepson to be nice to my son. I don't try to force it upon him. To me to encourage him to love his brother should be a good thing. I agree that yes he is eight and may be frustrated which is understandable. I just don't think that it should be ok that he takes it out on my 2 year old son. If their our any mothers out there you know how you are protective over your children no matter who it might be. If it was my neice , my friend son. I would not stand them to be nasty to my children." If you want to protect your 2 year old, then never allow the 8 year old to be alone with him. It's THAT simple. If dad refuses to acknowledge the problem, then it rests with YOU to protect the baby & make sure he's always in your sight when big brother is around. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a happy little family, but if he (the 8 year old) does not want that, it is going to backfire to force it. I believe he does know right from wrong & he has anger, resentment issues... maybe from how his mother expresses, directly or inadvertently. He is manipulative if he changes face when dad comes around the corner & I agree with Sylvia that is a dangerous child that does that. (reminiscent of "the good son") Lovehadley has a great point that leaving is probably not the best idea since the child only comes over every other weekend and leaving could place the younger child in jeopardy when he would visit. The bottom line is that unless mom & dad are willing to work together to find out why their son is so aggressive & deal with it, then the only solution is to never allow your baby to alone with him. Yes, he was part of the package as you & your kids were part of a package, but YOU and your DH accepted each other's package... the kids don't get a choice. He didn't choose the package so how can you expect him to accept you as you've accepted him. You are the adult.

I think my faucet is the issue. I thought picking a faucet was the hardest thing because they weren't hooked up and who knew how they would perform? I worried a lot about reach since that was a problem with my old faucet/sink. That is NOT an issue with this faucet and sink. My old sink/faucet also sometimes splashed out the front and this one does not. The back is a better splash problem to have since it is all tile and countertop so I DID improve things. A faucet isn't a terrible issue to have. They are fairly easily replaced and they aren't that expensive, compared to all else.

The 'innards' of the one I saw were pretty rusty, but there was only one teeny rust spot on the lower drawer on the outside. Four burner gas - the left lid pulls up and slides back into a groove behind the burners. The drawers opened, but with horrible squealing noises. The store manager told me it was original and just removed from a local 1920's house. 'Mine' had different handles; they were an off white, possibly Bakelite. The oven handle was missing and they had the oven taped shut. I would love to put it in the dining room if we get it (if it is still there). The kitchen countertops are going to be green.

As a young boy, I always had an interest in things like making bread or the like - never came out good, but I tried. When I got older and knew I would be living on my own for a bit, I realized that I had better learn some basics, because I was going to be cooking for somebody important - me! Then I got some basics from watching the people around me cooking, and thought: this is really not too difficult at all. I was encouraged by listening to a radio program where a famous chef was asked what it takes to be a good chef. I was expecting an answer like years of training; he responded, simply, "Curiosity". Has stuck with me to this day and remains one of my favourite quotes. I enjoy cooking and am good at it. I like to eat, and I like making what I eat. I'm pretty good at dissecting a recipe, and like simple recipes that taste good and have little patience for finicky, time-wasting things (or have enough faith in my abilities to know that I can adapt accordingly). To answer the original question about how "they" do it, without being gender specific, I would think (hope?) anyone in a relationship - that would be part of the negotiation that goes into the relationship - you're good at this, I'm good at that...so here's how we can be most efficient with our skills. At least if you have that kind of relationship.