Helen_S81

Happy first anniversary Melissa and John!

From one mother of the bride to another welcome! My daughter is getting married at the Riu Vallarta, in Puerto Vallarta, May 7, 2008. We're flying out of Toronto, will you be TO or Ottawa?

I can't begin to imagine how stressful this would be, but you are handling this so well. Hopefully with all the people trying to help you out a new location will be found. I'll be thinking of you and looking for an update.

Quote: Originally Posted by jamisoncollette April already? I just changed my siggy for March! Ok Daffodils, peak out from the snow so I can take a picture That was my thought too! Where are my croci when I need them? Unfortunately still buried under the snow!

Quote: Originally Posted by Mrs. Martin Do I need a wedding band? Is it common for brides to just use their engagement rings? My fiance gave me the exact ring that I wanted- an emerald cut diamond w/ smaller emerald cut diamonds on each side. Being that I'm not much of a jewelery person (I don't even have my ears pierced!), I don't want a wedding band. To be quite honest, I would rather spend the $$ for a wedding band on something else. We currently put bid on a house (l hope we get it!), so I would rather spend the wedding band $$ on furniture! Your ring looks very much like my 25th anniversary ring, except my band is thinner. I wear it with my original wedding band. They don't sit together perfectly but maybe you can get a plain band made that is a fit to your engagement ring? Sometimes I just wear the plain band and I wanted that option.

Quote: Originally Posted by DougsGirl Helen, I just wanted to say Thanks. I wish all mom's were as active and vigilant in their kids lives as you! Thanks for saying that. I just wanted to do the best job I could

Quote: Originally Posted by SherryW I just ordered my dress yesterday, and I want it so much already. How are you supposed to wait 4 or 5 months before it even comes in, then wait for alterations??! I'm thinking it's a little bit crazy. Plus, you only get to wear it one time, plus maybe one more time if you're having an AHR (one more bonus to the DW!). It's just not fair. The wait is killing me, and it has barely begun! My daughter ordered her dress and then waited at least 8 months! I don't know how she did it. Quote: Originally Posted by BrittneyD I went crazy waiting for my dress. When it came in my FMIL and mom both offered to keep it at their houses because I live with FI. I was not going to let that happen. We have a room that is off limits to FI, so that I can have my dress close at hand. I love looking at it. I would put it on all the time if I could , but I'm nervous I will reip the lace. Your dress will comel, and you will get the same satisfaction. I'm going to be keeping the wedding dress at my house as my daughter also lives with her FI in a very small apartment. Katie can not be trusted not to show Chris the dress

I'm so glad that my job is done No seriously, I celebrated when my youngest daughter graduated high school. I celebrated the fact that they both graduated from high school and went on to further education. We'd made it! And it wasn't easy. I was the one who supervised their internet access always trying to stay one step ahead of them to figure out what they were up to. We were usually the parents who went to pick up from parties at 1 in the morning, supervised trips to concerts, or had everyone here to practise for a play or whatever. My kids hated me I'm sure at one point or another, but they are both still talking to me now (21 and 23.5 years old). It's damn hard work raising children and I don't think it's going to be any easier for future generations. The one bit of advice I'd give anyone is to stay on top of what they are doing. Go to parent/teacher interviews even when things are going well at school, insist on meeting the parents of the friends they are hanging out with, and know where they are and who they are with. I'm talking about senior public (junior high?) and high school. Once they got to college or university things changed.

It all looks terrific! How exciting for you. Have a safe and happy trip!

Congratulations! All the best for the future!

Really nice Maura. Elegant and classy.

Hope you have a great day Amy, and all the best to the two of you in the future!

I think it is accurate for both of mine. There was some confusion about due dates with daughter #2 and she ended up being born 10 days late, by my reckoning, so if I take that info the predictor is correct. If I go by what an ob/gyn who saw me a week before she was born when I went in with false labour said, the predictor is wrong.

Hopefully this has worked and I've attached an Excel file that my husband made for me so I could make business card sized currency converters for the wedding guests. The formula is at the top of the page so when you are ready to print yours out find out what the exchange rates are and change those fields. We did Peso's - US$ - CDN$ - GB pounds - both ways. If you print the page you get four on one page. We cut them out and laminated them with the two sides back to back. Then they fit just nicely in the pocket of the folders we are putting together. Mexican Conversion.xls

Quote: Originally Posted by LC_Rachel Maybe you could have a name for her that just you call her? LIke some kind of nickname. For example, when my mom married my stepdad we didn't know what to call my step grandma. It was just really awkward because she didn't exactly view us as grandchildren. My stepdad came up with "goob" because her maiden name was Cooper and kids teased her when she was in high school and called her goober. So we just called her goob. Eventually the rest of the family started calling her that too and she would always sign her cards and letters "goob." I love this idea! I have a friend who is around 60ish whose stepchildren, and stepgrandchildren call her "Steppie". She married the kids father when they were teenagers and their real mom was/is still around so they came up with the name Steppie, and she signs cards and stuff with that. I think that is really cool.

Quote: Originally Posted by mauraw nice to see a mom weigh in here... helen, what do your sons in law call you? Well the fiance calls me Helen, and so does the boyfriend. I don't expect it to change after the wedding. I really don't mind if he calls me mom or not and I would definately not ask him to call me that.

I just got back, an hour on the elliptical and then a power sculpt class for an hour. I should be able to eat chocolate today as a reward, right?

Quote: Originally Posted by Gretchen For me, this is less of an issue. When I was younger (Jr High/High School) I somehow ended up calling a lot of people "mom". (mostly the mom's of friends - was easier than remembering their names!) Quite a few of my kids friends have called me "mom" or "mama H" and I wondered if it was because they weren't sure whether to call me Mrs. S or Helen?

Alas, things have changed. The granddaughters (all four of them, my 2 and my two nieces) have all grown up and he remarried four years ago, which changed things a bit. But they all have good memories of visiting G^Dad, the main one being that he didn't cook and that they ate out all week, and had ice cream twice a day, if they wanted.

Quote: Originally Posted by LadyCheese These are all great stories, LOL. I told my daughter I wasn't going to bother her tooth anymore but she insists on wiggling it herself so lets see what happens. That tooth fairy in Arizona must be loaded, leaving $10 for a tooth...I think I will leave her a dollar or two. I guess my dad didn't quite know what to do so he left $10. My dad is quite different. He has never sent my kids gifts for birthdays or christmas, although he does send cards. But he used to have them come and visit him individually (when they were old enough to travel alone) and he'd really spoil them for a week.

Quote: Originally Posted by Just Martha Ha! I wish I could pig out. I get nauseous after eating now. Oh dear, I remember those days. Just remember, it will stop eventually. And congratulations on the new addition to your family.

I agree with the others, let her wiggle it until it falls out. The toothfairy used to leave a loonie (1$) under the pillow, until one of my kids were staying with their G^Dad when they lost a tooth and the toothfairy in Arizona left $10! I have a few notes to the toothfairy from my kids in my jewellry box along with some of the baby teeth.

Those look fabulous! Great for everyone.

Morgan, I have 249 fonts on this computer (some of them put there by daughter #1), nearly 30 MB's worth. I'm sure you don't want them all. I guess I can make another folder and copy some of them over there, but how do I tell which ones might be useful to someone else and which ones are the usual windows ones? Is there an easy way to tell?

Were those the Brittney Murphy pics? My daughter has curly hair so I'd saved a few pictures for ideas for her