Oh there are so many, but as per usual I can only remember a few.. Claire used to say "prettyful" as in, "Don't I look prettyful today?" When she was 3 she would gently nudge you with a mean look on her face and say, "Did you like-a dat?" And when we would ask Annie to do something when she was 2 and a half she'd shout, "No! Never!" It was kind of hilarious although it never worked for her. She also called an elevator an "alligator" for a long time. Danielle

Annie my mom had two kids like yours. I would and do eat almost anything, and my brother is one of the pickiest people on the planet I think. But he and I have very different constitutions, and so actually do my parents, so it is the luck of the gene draw sometimes. My brother has allergies very bad, and also I think sensitivities to all kinds of foods, vinegar, tomatoes and soy in particular. He eats extremely plain food, always has. He eats salad with salt and pepper on it. My dad has his basic five food groups that he will eat--meat, potatoes, bread, fat and sugar. Luckily the two male non-foodies in the family will happily eat the same things over and over and over again. So mom made regular food for her and I, and my brother ate hotdogs, cottage cheese, applesauce, milk, frozen fish sticks and french fries for dinner almost every night. I was the salad chef and I had to make four different salads. But mom kept carrot, celery and green pepper sticks around for my brother to eat. He still does that, eats the same stuff over and over, often eats very little of a meal and then fixes his own stuff later in the evening, he's a night owl. About 11 PM when we were growing up, he'd fry up and egg, bacon and some toast. My dad does the same thing, eats on his own, except he eats boxes and boxes of cookies and chips, not anything remotely healthy. Not a good lifestyle and he has the heart disease to show for it, although he was always skinny up until he got old, and he's pushing 80 so I guess he has managed to get away with it for a good long while. The hardest thing is avoiding all the junk dad brings home, I know that was and is a challenge for my mom, since dad can eat it all and seemingly suffer no ill effects but mom has adult onset diabetes. When they used to come and visit me, I tried a lot of things, at first trying to serve healthy version of stuff they liked. No dice on that, my brother wanted plainer food, and my dad went out to the grocery store and stocked up on cookies, chips and candy, and kept suggesting we go out to eat. Then I tried eating like them to keep the peace and I felt ill after a week. Now, they no longer visit me, I go to see them and bring along a cooler and take my own shopping trips to stock up on foods. I take my dad along with me and make him buy me all the out of season and gourment and organic goodies I can no longer afford. Also, nowdays there are a lot of lines of good quality frozen foods that my mom keeps on hand for me. She still has to throw some meat on a plate with bread and potatoes for dad, and then make vegetables, soups and salads for herself. That's one reason I enjoy CF so much, no one in my family likes home cooked foods. Even my brother, who eats relatively healthy since he doesn't eat junk foods and sweets, and drinks only water and milk and fruit juice, doesn't like anything that is not plain, plain, plain. He eats grilled meats with nothing on them, and steamed vegetables or raw ones with just salt on them, and whole grain bread or plain rice. It's healthy but is not really "cooking" by any stretch of the imagination. He's as skinny as a rail. I live alone so cooking is my great pleasure although sometimes I feel bad when I make something really good and have no one to share it with. If I make a lot, even the best food becomes revenge after a while. I once dated a guy about six months longer than I should have just because he was a good eater! But after living with dad and brother, I can accomodate just about any eating style.

I agree. I been looking hard for place closer to work then available at this time. As soon as I can get out of here the better. I can very easily head back to Washington State but I took on a good job here as a Strictures Technician on Boeing Aircraft for an MRO (Maintenance Repair & Overhaul) and will be making good money in the next year. Hopefully I can find a place soon enough. Shame of it is this kid has spent on many occasions time with his dad and things around here could not be better between us. We go places, laugh all the time and are pretty lined up with each other. Its what I signed on for until the evolution of her son started going down hill however, he has always been a bit of a manageable problem at times but now he stresses her out so bad shes off the rails at times. Anyway I agree with your advice which is the same advice given to me by my sisters and close friends but most importantly myself. Most recently he threatened to call the Sheriff telling them I threated to shoot him but they know of him because we have had the Sherriff here many times and we were told to file an unruly child report with the county clerk. We went there and they told us they needed to see her divorce papers and also the father would have to be on board. Well John didnt want to do it so that was that. If we were able and he acted out tge Sherriff would take the necessary actions if I had to call. The real problem I have right now and is a major part of why I need to get out of dodge asap is because of my other half and my different shifts, shes on 1st shift and Im on 2nd it leaves me home alone with the kid most if the day and he starts in, last week he got violent once again and got right in my face wanting to fight with nobody here, so I told him Im not getting into it with nobody here so Ill call the Sheriff. Well thats when he started yelling "good ill call and tell them how you just threatened to shoot me etc. Meanwhile that was his exact threat to me when he got in my face saying him and his friends will shoot me. I can wipe the streets with this kid, hes a spoiled brat who lies, steels, drugs etc and I don't want to be here alone because if some false report gets written i can and will lose my job and maybe even freedom. That day he called his mom lying as always and crying to her and she believes him. While this was going on I had his dad in the phone so he heard everything and knows how bad this kid is and so does she, then she posts on facebook " nobody threatens my kids etc" Right then I saisaid its time to move out of here fast. When ththis was happening it all stemmed from the night before when he was on drugs yelling at her and he never went toto sleep tge whole night. Anyway she wasn't answering my call when this was going on only to find out becausebecause he was on the phone with her crying about me. Then she posts thathat on facebook. So it proved that if shes not here Im getting the blame and if he did call the Sheriff she would side with him. Time to go. Two weeks ago he broke into my closet and took my riffle and started firing it off the back deck into the woods where there are houses on the other side. My nieghbor told me about that, he asked me if he was allowed and I said he is forbidden to even touch those riffles. He said yeah we didnt even know where the shots were coming from and even the road workers were ducking for cover. This a 13 year old kid whose mom grants him adult privileges, big mistake and if I get on him she takes his side. I told her about the riffle incident about a week later because I dont tell her anymore because it always gets turned around on me so I just removed all the riffles from the home. Turns she knew about it and never said anything to me. I told her you do relize if he struck anybody on the other side of those woods or anywhere, you go to prison for murder and possibly even John. In not legally responsible for this kid. Anyway this is getting to long winded, its so much longer of a story and all I can say is I dont even like coming home from work and once it gets that bad its time to leave. With all I have explained, its obvious its just not safe for me to be here any longer. God knows I put up with alot but God cant physically bear witness for me so its time to move on. Like you said she is not on my side and in the long run its only going to hurt the kid and maybe even her as time goes on and he contunes to get worse. Hes even pulled stolen credit cards fraud when he was 11 and 12 till we found out. But, never really got in any trouble. His parents are smart people to. Moms a nurse snd dads an engineer so we are not talking about uneducated people. I suggested bording or military school. I been pushing this kid to go into the Coast Guard. Two weeks ago I got special clearance at work and brought him up into the cockpits of the Boeing 767s I work on and a tour threw all the hangers and other airplanes in attempt to try and plant some seeds. Last month I aranged for him to come to NY to my Moms funeral where I have to admit he was on great behavior alone and miles away from Ohio. We stayed with very close friends of mine and he had a great time outside of my moms funeral proceedings. It was night and day. But I also had a man to man talk with him about it and he saisaid dont worry I know how to act, I laughed with him and said thats what Im worried about. Anyway once there I tried like always to show him some responsibility and arranged for him to be next to me and carry my moms coffin. He did wonderfull in NY with me and my family, I had mamany of them write to me telling me how nice he is and handsome etc. Why that all kinda changes at home is beyound me. I think he knows Mom is not around and Joe has support from his family if I get out of hand. His biggest problem is his mom doesnt engage in team work with me to reprimand him when hes out of line, instead she looks for every which way to turn t around and blame me mainly because im here or his teachers before he was kicked out of school or his dad. This is the key factor of why this kid is the way he is.

sklka--the housekeeper would take care of the pool. (I have cleaners who come every other week and take care of the filth in the house--I call her a housekeeper for lack of a better word, but I guess 'sanity saver' isn't a job title, but she mostly doesn't clean.) Also, I think anyone with children who doesn't have a very strong system is in the same category as people who leave loaded pistols in their nightstands around small children. It's not a matter of "comfort." It's a matter of actual risk. I'm fortunate that I could write a check for the pool right now. :) My business is finally doing very well. I do want to save for an au pair, though, as that's the only possible way I can have a 4th child and not go crazy. I can work pretty well with a baby on my lap (and have done so with three), but I do need some breathing time. My husband is not a fan of moving. (Also, Hitler was a bad man.) I doubt we will ever leave this house. I'm overimproving for the neighborhood, but I so don't care. If I'm staying here forever (and my husband has been told by multiple upper-level managers that he's considered a core member of the company and they will do anything within reason to keep him--he's famous enough in his field that his name on contracts brings money), I'm going to have the house I want. Even if he loses his job, there are companies lined up to poach him. Even if all that falls apart, I'm the primary breadwinner, and he could just create products on his own and I could support him while his business takes off. My husband was emotionally attached to our first crappy apartment in NM without working AC, to give you an idea of how much he gets attached to places. And he hated New Mexico. tcufrog--we will have the fence as well. The cover is backup and for particularly determined neighborhood children who might decide to take a swim. The alarm system will be hardwired and integrated into the design. Locks up top only works until a kid can reach them on a stepladder, though that's where we'll place them, anyway. Mine are...exceptionally inventive. ourgeorgiahouse--I know what drowning looks like. :) I've taken water safety courses and am a certified diver, so I've done some basic water rescue practice, too. The fact is that if my poor kids depend on me to TAKE them to the pool, it will happen at most 6 times a season. Now that I have a FT housekeeper, that can be more often, though at a sacrifice of other things. The pools are a good distance away, especially those that don't completely suck for children. "square or rectangle, and larger (believe it or not). Put a large bank of straight-edge steps, and sitting shelves in a couple of places where the water is deep so there is the ability to get out of the deep end as well." The diving well can't have any obstacles, but I do have a shelf planned along the rest of the pool. Even in the 3.5' deep area. And yes, it's angular. A true L. The baja shelf is on the short leg of the L. There will be no pool without a safety cover!