Are those rules meant just for the Christmas Holidays????? No wonder I can't fit into my size 8's & 10's anymore! JUST KIDDING!!! Well, acutally, I really can't fit into my size 8's & 10's anymore, but not because I eat like that every day! But, boy--if I were to eat like that--even if only at Christmas time, I'd not even be able to "skid out sideways" my front door, come January!LOL How funny! Thanks, Teresa, for the laugh!

I guess I'm a bit confused, do you live in an area with lots of teens and they are just showing up, uninvited? Or are these kids you have extended an open invitation to? Do you know them and their parents, at least a bit? We have an open invitation every week, and we have a big group of kids (not all teens though) every week. I love it, but I have extended the invitation via the parents and included that they need to bring towels, sunscreen, and snacks. I'd do 1 of two things if I were you: -contact the parents if you know them, and let them know their kids are welcome but please ask them to send snacks and towels. If you don't know the parents, I would politely ask it of the kids directly. -if that failed, I would get a membership to Sam's club and stock up on big bags of snacks, big bottles of sunscreen and cheap towels, and I would feel grateful that my kids were at home and I was getting some insight into their activities during this time! I personally would NOT provide full meals, though I would offer to order pizzas for anyone who coughed up cash to me. I stock heavily on those huge tubs of pretzels and such and put a few things out every week, I buy enough to last me a while so I'm not restocking each week and I don't put it all out at once. As far as rules, I would let my child know they are not allowed to have friends over when I am not home, particularly boy-girl mixes (this rule is true with or without siwmming). Other than that, I'd let them know you are home and watching from indoors and let them have fun. We do a lot of things together as a family (we do horse events, boating, etc) so it would not be OK with me to have kids over every single day/night. I would probably feel the need to formalize it and let the kids know they are welcome every Monday-Wed-Friday or whatever you would like, then you'd have a few days each week that you knew were quiet.

Mamapinky: Cheryl with our timedifferense it takes me to the next day for me to get back to you al. I do on a dayly baisis take 4 different medicins for my neck pain just to be able to have some kind of a good life, I dont know if its good to be on these drugs but if i dont take them i am on bedrest. One of them is a morfine drug, so they are strong. I would not want this on anybody but I also kinda do not wanna be without this experience, I have learned alot but the hard way. Elcamino: thank you for thise kind words. It just fun to tell others about someting you love and that people like us here in this forum can relate to. There are a thread here that do show al of my laundryroom and I think all of the equipment I got, look for: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3340925/showing-my-laundryroom-in-sweden?n=19 I have noticed that it does seme that you in the US does not iron much, just fold stuff out of the dryer, I mostly hang dry , not that it does matter as I iron either way of drying decause I like the look and feel of the fabric after ironing or pressing or mangleing, and mangled sheet does keep clean for longer and does not dust as much. Other this is from pics and vids that you mostly underuse the capacity of you washers, I dont get that, do they not clean full loads? I can cram my miele eurowasher full and it all is clean. This need a nother tread here

A couple that I tend to repeat to myself to get motivated: Order out of chaos Do the hard thing first Here's a list from Gretchen Rubin, of The Happiness Project. The last one is surprisingly profound and helpful! Outer order contributes to inner calm. Working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination. Over-the-counter medication is surprisingly effective. Self-regard isn’t selfish. Most decisions don’t require extensive research. Things often get harder before they get easier. It’s easier to keep up than catch up. Soap and water removes most stains. We can’t make others change, but when we change, a relationship changes. Don’t let yourself fall into “empty”: eat when you’re hungry, put gas in the car, keep some cash on hand.