That's a beautiful cake, Tracey! I can't cook when I'm bored because about the only time I get bored is at work, and that's not often, but is usually this time of year and in the heat of the summer. That being said, I can't say if I cook when I'm bored or not, cause I'm not sure if that's what leads me to decide to cook or bake something or not. Frequently, I'll start cleaning the kitchen, I mean, really cleaning the kitchen, then, with it so nice and clean, I get motivated to mess it up again, and out comes the cookbooks, flour, sugar and other ingredients for baking. It never fails. And it never fails to really mess up the kitchen, either, lol! Than I have to start all over again. Is that because I'm bored, or in the mood to be busy? I think more the latter. Sally

It sounds like a typical guy. First, he has a bond with his own child so there is likely going to be more affection & nurturing and he hasn't formed that bond with your child. Guys are not generally as nurturing as women... we tend to take care of anybody & everybody but guys, not so much. But, guys tend to think of themselves as disciplinarian... and that is probably why he is ready to lay down the law and it's always easier to discipline someone else's child than our own. That being said, your son should be your first priority. It's time to have a serious talk and let him know how you feel. He may not realize he is doing anything wrong but left alone, resentments will grow. Your son may resent the attention the other child gets. You may eventually resent your boyfriend. If your talk does not result with an epiphany & his willingness to try harder, get him out of your life ASAP because the longer you work at trying to get him to change, the longer both children are going to subjected to instability. Both children have already been through one broken home and these issues probably should have been discussed before he moved in.

"Perhaps that is your experience, certainly not mine." What I'm saying is that your testimonials about people not getting sick from unsafe food handing and storage are not scientifically valid. No testimonials are. The WHO has done studies, including the one I mentioned previously, about the burden of foodborne illnesses in various regions of the world. They, and multiple other researchers, state that foodborne illness is a significant problem in China, Japan, and surrounding areas. They state that food handing and storage are a major factor in foodborne illnesses. I didn't mention anything about MY personal experiences because testimonials aren't scientifically valid. If you want to know, just for fun, about my personal experiences, we had a family friend who died of liver flukes that he picked up from eating improperly prepared food in one of the areas you stated was a place where they care less about food safety and so you believe the people there are healthier. Your friend at the Rockefeller center was obviously giving you a simplistic explanation about how vaccines work. I completely disagree that food safety practices in the US are excessive. There are an incredible number of cases of foodborne illness that occur each year in the US. It is well-known that the vast majority of them are not reported. You are entitled to your opinions. But, your opinions are just that and they are not at all in line with what the science actually tells us. I do not intend to get into a protracted discussion with you. I just don't have the time, inclination, or energy. I also doubt that you are open to anything I would say, anyway. I actually never thought YOU would listen. I've said what I wanted to say, and I said it so that other people here can read what I wrote and then think about things...I just could not leave your pseudoscientific statements to be unchallenged.

My mom was a good 'meat and potatoes' cook. She didn't bake much, never anything with yeast. In fact, it was a joke in her family that everyone had an inability to ever make yeast anything. I finally broke the curse by learning how to make bread. I moved (after marriage) to a very small town and became acquainted with a couple of LDS women who taught me all I needed to know in order to bake with yeast. One of them grew wheat, so I had a supply of wheat and bought a grinder so I would even grind my own flour. Those days are over, but I loved it when I finally mastered yeast baking. My mom taught me how to make the food she prepared and from early teens I could cook all our standard meals. I never ventured out of that realm, didn't look at recipes, etc. I had a high school friend who made delicious pies and she taught me pie baking, but I didn't waver much more than that from Mom's cooking. Then I started babysitting for a woman who made more interesting food - she had a real flair and even everyday things seemed elevated under her touch. I really love it and became very interested in cooking as she did, so when I married, I really branched out into more adventurous culinary territory. I am fairly experienced, but I cook mostly from recipes. I don't have a knack for tossing things together and knowing it will be delicious. But I do have a knack for finding recipes that really work for me. Great combinations, visually attractive and delicious. I love perusing recipes and searching for just the right one. I'm not afraid to make substitutions, but generally follow the recipe pretty closely. If I were learning to cook now, I would suggest finding every video you can of Ina Garten cooking. She is so accomplished yet down to earth and really walks you through how to made a dish. Nothing is too complicated and it's always delicious. (Just cut down on the salt, lol). Her cookbooks are wonderful.