You can create as many signatures as you want with AutoText. Click on "Help" from within Word, and then go from there. You'll get step-by-step directions. But, basically, you first type what you want to use as your signature. Then you block it, click on "Insert," then on "AutoText," then on "New." You give it a name. (As I recall, the very first one you create can use the Word-provided "Signature" as its name. Subsequent signatures need different names.) Do this for each signature you want to create. Then, to use those signatures, you'd be in your document, then click on "Insert" then on "AutoText." You get a fly-out menu listing your different choices. There is a choice for "Signature," but your additional sigs may be listed under "Normal" which has its own fly-out menu. Some of the directions vary according to which version of Word you are using.

I used to cook at home most of the time with an occasional lunch out with a friend and breakfast out with some of the few family I get along with. Over the winter my out-eating has increased dramatically. I found a few mom & pop places with wonderful breakfasts and good prices. One of them is open for evening meals too and I occasionally go there. Plus I go to Old Country Buffet for breakfast occasionally and have started going for a dinner more often too. Get there before 3:30 pm and you get the lunch rates and that's $3 cheaper. And figuring that beverages and dessert are included it's a good value. Food varies. Certain days have more to my tastes. And it's clean and well maintained, unlike most buffets. I generally eat only one "meal" per day. Might have a snack or something at home, but seldom have more than one full meal in a day and I don't remember the last time I ate breakfast, lunch and supper! When I'm going to have a long day at work I like to get a good old fashioned breakfast and that lasts me the day with the exception of a possible snack later.

Look back on your own childhood and how you were parented. Is there a good example there? I was blessed with good parents who taught me about parenting by example. They made me feel valued and accepted for myself. Some people think they need to mold their children, make them into "something better." They mean well, bless their hearts. But you have to let children be themselves, learn about who they are, and figure out how to be their best selves. It doesn't mean you don't expect good things from them. It's a shift in thinking to "I know these kids do good things, and are capable of even more, and I'm watching for that" instead of watching for the mistakes to criticize. I have spent time with many other mothers. Some of whom I admire very much b/c of how they relate to their kids. I learn from them and try to model what they do when I notice something I really like. I remember noticing one mother whose kids were great little people, not just well-behaved, but really happy, well-adjusted kids. The thing that stood out to me was the mutual respect. She talked to her kids the way she wanted them to speak to her and to others. Of course she corrected them, but she corrected them the way an adult would *want* to be corrected by, say, an employer. With respect and a goal in mind. Once when I was preggo with #1 I observed a mother in a store, total stranger, whose kids impressed me the same way. I complimented her and asked her for insight, telling her that what she had accomplished was my goal. Every time I ask a parent I admire, it always comes down to respect. Just because they are children does not give adults the right to belittle them, rudely criticize them, embarass them, and generally disrespect them. That's hurtful, and hurt kids cannot be their best selves. It's a good idea to find a moms' group to join. That saved me when my kids were young. The exchange of ideas and comraderie of knowing you're not alone is invaluable. You'll meet parents you like, and some you don't. But you can learn from all of them. If you see your husband's anger as part of the problem you really have to find a way to address that. You still have a long road ahead, so find a way to have these conversations. Does he think he's right in what he does? Or do you think he's also confused and without ideas? I know I don't always do the right thing with my kids (ages 7, 10, 13 and 16). I try, but I have bad days. So does my DH. If I don't like the way he handles something, I tell him later, when things are calm. It has taken practice to get to the point where we know which of us handles certain situations better and we let that one handle it. I'm better at handling school stuff. When our 16 y/o gets a low grade, I remind DH to look at the big picture before he acts rash. Is this one low grade among 10 good ones, or is there a pattern? DH is better at handling DS's social life issues, he knows how a guy thinks and is better at getting to the truth with DS. Parenting takes practice, it really does. The fact that you are thinking, questioning and trying to make adjustments is a good thing; it doesn't mean you're failing. When your kids are babies and toddlers and you are physically exhausted, not sleeping, can't close your eyes or take a shower- people tell you "It gets easier." They are just trying to make you feel better for the moment. It does NOT get easier. The issues of that age pass, but it just gets hard in new ways. Emotionally exhausting ways instead of physically. ;o) Not to scare you, just acknowledging the truth of it. If you were expecting this to come easier, but it's not, it is not a comment on YOU, but rather on the challenge of parenting.

This is the fifth time in my social/family circle that I have heard of someone being killed by a close family member. It is more common than people think. In all of the cases I am referencing, the woman and in some cases children, were killed by the father/husband/boyfriend. Getting over it will be a long process. I would advise taking a tip from the "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" school of thought. One will never be able to figure out the "why" or get over the shock and horror and grief. But one must move forward. Important to move forward in honor of those we have lost. This is what they would want for us and from us. Just be there for them consistently, let them talk about it without trying to make it less or make it go away, but also encourage positive actions in honor of those who are lost. Perhaps some type of memorial. In several of the cases I know where someone was killed, the community has established scholarship and violence prevention programs in their honor. Perhaps there is one already going on in your community to which you could donate in honor of the family.