Ooooooooooooooo! Look how our little girl has grown! LOVE the photo of her running and her ears out like Daddy's airplane (used to be). Smooches from Camp Nappy to Roscoe! Oh No! R.I.P. Ultralight! Glad you were able to bring DH back to Earth safely!!! Was the ultralight sold for ~scrap~ or will someone be able to resurrect him once again? I'm afraid to ask ... but must! What new adventure / project does DH have in store next?

I've got baby apples! I had just traded for these trees this year. HOOYAH! Now the question is how to care for them. Yes, I have visions of groups and groups of fruit. Our guest speakers will give me courage or bring me back down to earth. The Materman brings the good stuff gang. I will be all up in those pepper plants!

Hope you make it through the winter :-) NY is not that bad. I've lived in Fla and CA and loved them, but there's no place like home. After you live in WV for awhile, you will find all kinds of things you don't like about it. Then NY will look a little better. And this snow is NOT normal, they say this is the snowiest 2 days in all of October since they have been keeping records. Not even the snowiest just for Oct 12 or Oct 13, but all of October for over 100 years. That sounds abnormal to me. Sure hope this is not an omen for this winter . . .

My original message regarding my SD (wet hair & other issues) was prompted by cawfe's comment "And don't give me that line ... well how do I know what your saying is truth... some of the stuff that has happend to me is unbelievable but it happend ... like not feeding her children because she didn't have any clean dishes!!! And I know she had food because I was sending them with care packages so they could eat because she whined so much to them about paying support she couldn't feed them." and I was just stating what happened THIS weekend with my SD's mom. (in agreement with cawfe's statement that it happens) and I believe that there ARE bio mom's that "don't seem to care". It is my OPINION that my SD's mom doesn't put her children first. It is backed up by her actions. (ie. abandoning her children for some guy she just met) I agree with you Kathline, that we can't control what the other parent does. But when the results directly affect me, then I am entitled to MY feelings. My heart aches when I am the one holding and comforting HER child because SHE left. I am the one taking time off from work because SHE didn't take precautions DH suggested and that was my point. She can feed her what she likes (and the ice cream for breakfast was only brought up because she came home that day sick and throwing up from it and missed two days from school), she can let her sleep how she likes (ie. on the floor or where ever she finds room) but when she puts her in a bed with two boys that are 9 & 11, DH had a problem with that. As for the wet hair, I don't know if it made SD get sick, but DH told BM that he was concerned about it and she dismissed it. Then SD comes home sick and missed another day at school. (and I really don't need to hear that missing school is not a big deal, she is struggling with it this year and I miss a day at work when I have to stay home to take care of her, so it does matter to me) I once again got sucked into a feud with TOS because she can't let anyone have an opinion or make a comment without chiming in and I should have just ignored her. I think she likes to stir things up because it's a game to her. and cawfe, I agree with that. But it isn't a contest. We are supposed to be here to share our opinions and points of view. If my opinion doesn't make sense or isn't what someone else would do, it can be disregarded without telling me how horrible a person I am for feeling that way. I listen to other's opinions and sometimes, I see things differently and if my opinion changes, I have been told "well which is it?" as if we can't change our thoughts. I didn't come here out of frustration, but to occasionally vent and share my opinion on being a step parent. I took a cooperative parenting class that helped me tremendously in learning how to deal with my SD's mom. There isn't anything we can do about the things she does that are upsetting to her daughter. We deal with those things on a weekly basis. So, for venting, I used to write blogs but SD's mom would read my blog and blow up at DH because I wrote about how I felt. And I came here because this is supposed to be a forum for step families and then I find it is not a safe place to share either. Since coming here, yes my SD's mom has done things that are frustrating, but nothing compares to the frustration of feeling like I have to defend or explain myself to a old, set in her ways, divorced person that has no idea what if feels like to be a step parent. I agree with plasticgarden, that the negativity rubs off and I was a very happy person that enjoys life to the fullest before coming here, and now I have stooped to bickering with someone, who's opinion means nothing to me. I'm ashamed and apologize to everyone here. Like I said, I came here to meet other step parents that are going through the process of blending two families. I even hoped this place would be a fun place but it isn't. So, I wish everyone here well and hope that your families succeed. My favorite quote "You've gotta love your children, more than you hate each other."