Free Republic

My granddaughter, Rayna, (10 months) is in a photo contest on Facebhook. She is a little baby, but the cutest little grandaughter you ever saw (of course, I am extremely biased). Here is the photo submitted: If you are so inclined, go to the following site on Facebook and "Like" it. PHOTOGRAPHER'S SITE CONDUCTING THE CONTEST-LIKE THIS SITE Then go to this site and click on the picture of my granddaughter, Rayna. You vote by making a comment on the picture. So please, add a comment that you are voting for her, or how cute she is or some such....

In late spring and early summer we shared our plans and likes and dislikes for summer plans. Please share with the rest of the table what you did on your summer vacation.

I had a light hearted topic picked out for today - but am just not in the mood. Everyone please have safe holiday weekend, and keep our fellow oAmericans of the Gulf Coast in all of your thoughts and prayers.

Today's topic was to have been the first topic for me when I took the apron strings from Grellis - but it had slipped my memory.......so now I have returned to it! GRELLIS wrote: BizzeeMom suggested "Worth Every Penny," discussing items which our families constantly put to good use. I think it is a great idea--there are a lot of things other families have probably invested in (which would never occur to me) that are worth their weight in gold. Let's have some fun guys and gals!

Howdy folks.......so sorry for the late night ping and lack of imaginiation on a topic. I have been a space cadet most of this week and just remembered about our FRiendly FRiday get-together, and I'm not going to be here tomorrow. Our emergency preparedness topic of last Friday did me absolutely no good last Friday night. The simple act of turning on a light would have prevented my problems - but hindsight is always 20/20. About 8:30 last Friday night, I was headed for the bathroom and by not turning on the dining room light I didn't notice my portable...

I hope everyone had a safe and pleasant Independence Day weekend. Being scattered all over the country, we all encounter different forms of the wrath of mother nature, be it hurricanes, blizzards, tornados, earthquakes, flooding or what have you and we all deal with them differently. In honor of the fact that Dennis the Menace is now on the verge of becoming a Category 5 Hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, I thought sharing preparation plans would be a good idea, not just for 'canes, but anything else Mother Nature dumps in your neck of the woods.

For various and sundry reasons lots of people do not go away on "vacations" per se. It's very rare that we even spend one night away from home, let alone a week or two at a time............but we do plan lots of day trips. Personally I find it less stressful for planning/packing and because we can find lots of things to do within a 2-3 hour drive, it spreads the "vacation" funds over the course of several months. Since we are scattered all over the map, let's share favorite places for day trips be it beaches, museums, amusement parks, whathave...

I was participating in a thread the other day started by a FReeper who has started to grow his own tobacco because of the ever escalating increases in tobacco taxes. The fact his "crop" is tobacco is neither here nor there and I only mention it as way of introduction to the idea for the title of today's thread theme. We all got talking about the benefits of making and or growing our own things as a means of saving money and were called on the carpet by a bean counter who claims that when one adds in the time...

Good evening ladies and gentlemen!!!!! Camping seems to be a huge favorite pass time with many of the member of our little group and I would like to give the afficiandos of it a chance to expund upon its merrit (and drawbacks) Have at it folks - please do your dangedest to convince those of us with no interest why we should give up things like hot/cold running water, indoor plumbing, and electricity for a weekend or a week or longer without any or all of them.

I know, I know - it not technically summer until the 21st - but the weather here has finally broken, I'm knee deep in updating the Hurricane Alert ping list, and today is the last day of school for my daughter - so in a way it is already summer :) Lots of folks mentioned camping and/or RV'ing for summer plans - I don't do either, but my husband loves camping and my daughter is dying to try it - so I'm all ears folks.........the whens, wheres, how-to's, and WHYs of it all from those of you are experienced veterans!!!

Good morning all!!!!!! Giving appropriate gifts to various people has always been a difficult thing for me - I don't know why, because I truly enjoy giving gifts, but I just have the dickens of a time deciding who and what. I realize many of you homeschool, and for others school is already out, but I've still got 2 weeks to go before school gets out and beieve it is customary to give a small token of appreciation to the teachers. I'm wondering how you all handle such situations, and not just teachers at the end of school, but others...

Good morning all. I know that Grellis gave me a fine topic to start off my tenure at the head of the table, but by golly - I haven't a clue what it was. So I guess we are just going to have to wing it. I am really awful about coming up with topics so how about if we all kind of toss around some ideas for upcoming topics that maybe we haven't touched upon....or some that we would like to see repeated for possibly some new perspective. I'm all ears and open to any and all suggestions!

My "swan song" thread was going to be sort of an introduction: I was going to post a little autobio so you could have a rough idea who has been running this thread for the past year. I realized a couple of things: Most of you already know me; those who don't, well, I guess Friday the 13th will be a lucky day for you; and a thread featuring yours truly would have EVERYONE running off to do errands or whatnot. Instead, I'm going to tell you a little about how work went for me last night. There should be...

I am hoping that we can discuss a broad range of weaning, not just the ol' "breast to cup." What are some methods you employed to wean your children from the crib into the "big kid's bed?" How and when did you wean your child out of the afternoon nap? From diapers to underpants? In other words: What are some ways you have gotten your kids from Point A to Point B? I know, that is a pretty broad subject. Be as specific as you like or feel free to offer advice in general terms. If you have a child...

Dual topic thread today, folks: What are your plans for summer vacation? Do you have any special trips on the calendar? Can you suggest some family fun for the rest of us, something which your clan enjoys? and...Who would you like to take over the reins of this thread? FFT began on May 14 of last year, here. As many of you may recall, it started out as a thread just for moms but quickly evolved to include the entire family. "Setting the table" has been great fun for me, but after a year I feel it is time for...

It is a topic we have done before (yet again!!!) but who couldn't use a little relaxing, fluffy conversation? What is something that you do, just for you? Occasional manicure? Six-pack of Guinness? Annual hunting or fishing trip with Dad? A nice, long soak in a nice, hot tub? Antiquing? Is there any indulgence you would like, if time and money allowed? A trip to Europe, perhaps, or piano lessons?

Has everyone filed their taxes? Its that time of year again--the snow has melted, the days are getting longer, it is finally spring! If you're like me, that means it is time to deep clean the house. I no longer have an excuse for not cleaning the outside of the windows. It is finally warm enough for me to take down the Christmas lights and wreath. Time to pack up the parkas, ice skates, hats and gloves. It is also tax time, a great time to deep clean the paperwork that has accumulated over the past twelve months. Do you...

Recent headlines (you know what I am talking about) have given me the topic for today's discussion: Is your family prepared to deal with a sudden, catastrophic illness or disability? Have you discussed your wishes with your spouse, your grown children, your parents? Have you ever considered making a Living Will? If you have one written out, can you tell the rest of us a little bit about what it entails? Is your family financially prepared for a catastrophe, medical or other?

Yes, it is a topic we have discussed previously but it was so much fun last time I thought we could have another go at it. How does one raise a well-mannered child? Are we well mannered adults, giving our children a good example from which to learn? What are some instances of atrocious manners that you have encountered lately? Coffee's on!

We all face challenges of one kind or another but today we'll specifically discuss family members with physical or developmental challenges: Autism, Down's Syndrome, Asperger's, Alzheimer's, et al. We have wildly differring opinions on more controversial diagnoses--specifically ADD/ADHD. I'm requesting in advance that we all be nice. Please post links to support groups or informational webpages if you have any. Share with us your ups, your downs, how your "normal" (for lack of a better word) children interact with your challenged child, or anything else you'd like to discuss. Coffee's on!