Wow, not mine. One would laugh and then accuse me of one or more of several things that she made up and tells herself so often that she's decided they are true, like I caused a friend of hers to have nightmares, or created a fraught and humiliating experience by offering to donate a large gift certificate towards a family dinner at a Sausalito white-tablecloth restaurant (wtf,exactly). Lately she's been accusing me of causing her son to have mental illness breakdowns. The other sister would remind me that she can't possibly do anything that requires her to get out of her pajamas before noon (she has, on several occasions, refused to take me to either the airport or the airporter when I needed help getting there. Thankfully, I have terrific neighbors.) The brother, who lives a safe 3,200 miles away, would say, well at root, we all love one another. This is why I choose to have a quiet non-Christmas at home, and to make a few donations that I know are appreciated and used well instead of giving gifts with my family.

Happy birthday, Theo, Jesse & Rayne!

Cool, P-C!

God bless the ungrateful: [link]

Wow. Just... wow.

I just got a used wii fit and balance board with Christmas money, both for like $30. WHEE!

Oooh, I should look for something like that!

My brother and SIL would drop anything for me, and vice-versa. Hell, my SIL has said that if she ever divorces my brother (when he's REALLY pissed her off,) she's keeping us (and we've informed her she'd never be able to shake us off, either.) She and I jokingly fight over who gets my parents should they need to move elsewhere and need care.

We're lucky, and I know it. She's pretty much estranged from her own parents and brother due to...I don't know, she still calls every week and her mom won't answer, sends the boys' school pictures and chatty updates, even though her heart isn't in it. But she will make the effort so that her kids will know she at least tried. He mother has met Tyler once, when PJ took the boys up there last summer. Her mother barely even addressed him when PJ met them for dinner with her uncle. Dominic used to spend a couple weeks every summer and now that he's 9, he's digesting that betrayal, even as they have never said anything bad about her parents to him. But that Grammy has abandoned him, and he gets that. It's fucking awful. Everything I've seen, including a poison-pen letter her own mother wrote her last year, make me think there are serious mental issues or immaturity at work (she still is connected with broader family, living grandparents and aunts and uncles. They don't get it either.)

But goddamned, they have us.

AUGH football.

My sister is working out how not to give me a ride to the airport. it's five in the morning, election day, and she's crap at saying goodbye. Threefer of no, but *someone* has to, okay?

msbelle, I wish I had known you were looking for a Wii fit & board! I have one I never use.

I wish everyone could have a big brother like mine. and my family may drive me batty sometimes, but they are never mean or cruel intentionally. People are more than welcome to holiday with us, we hosted people throughout my high school and college years. really undrama-filled mellow family stuff, unless mac has a moment, but really all that means is that we come home and let him do his vegging/game playing.

Cash, sell it on your local Craigslist, You could easily get $50 for them, no reason to pay shipping on something like that.

Thanks, msbelle. I'm posting to my MOMS Club list. I'll sell it for a lot less to one of them.