Juice, Milk, Eggs.. Grocery Store Confessions- Another Baby, or No?

The other day, (while walking through my local supermarket), I got into a very interesting conversation with a little old lady about having more babies, and enjoying the two I have at this age/stage now.

We turned down the dairy aisle and this voice starts giggling at my children (who at the moment were trying to crash the car-shaped cart into the milk display.) It was moments like that where I honestly thanked God that the plastic steering wheel was "for show" only. Anyway..

She's giggling and I look up abruptly, and she starts telling me how she loved her kids at this age, but that at this stage there was already a third one, and that she has four children- all about 2 and a half years apart from each other. I tried to do the mommy brush-off, but apparently this woman and I were supposed to talk. So we got into it.. right in the dairy aisle, while the kids were playing in the car cart and thankfully before I grabbed our perishables.

I don't know how it came about, but during our conversation I told her that I was worried about adding another child to our chaos, as of right now, I kind of like the two that I have and don't feel out numbered- plus, I'm worried about how the kids will react to having another sibling. (Yes, I know we recently had NewBaby as a part of our family, but that was different than a sibling..)

I mean, have you ever seen the way boys that are 7 years apart act towards each other?? There's no way that Alex would be cool with a little brother- no matter how badly he wants one- shadowing after him... Right?

Brian is itching for another one; Alex wants a brother & Abbie wants a "girl baby for a sister".. and I have no idea what I want. That's the problem.. and I know it. I love my family where it is right now.. I am comfortable with the fact that by the time I am 40, Alex will be 19, and Abbie will be 16.. Another Baby would be turning 13 if I got pregnant at this very second. Whoa. I know it's not the same as having an 11 and 12 year old, and having a newborn at 37 like my mom did, but it's still a huge nut to swallow.

Tell me I'm right, that I'm crazy for even having this conversation with the little old lady in the grocery aisle, and that I should have that same "knowing" feeling that I did before we conceived Abbie, if another one should be added to our family. Tell me your stories of how your children get along, especially if they are about the ages of my two, with number three- or how you get along with your sibling of about the same age.

Ack, I can't even believe I'm publishing this post, but I really need some thoughts on this. I'm starting to think there's something wrong with me.. *sigh*

I don't feel "done" but I don't feel ready- how do you decide?

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Vista vs. XP, or Go for a Mac?

I really think my computer is dying. It's lived a full, long life, and I am finally ready to part with it. It's been upgraded from a WIN98se to a WIN XP pro twice, and now after three crashes, reformatting several times, buying a ton of components & extras and recently a new hard drive, I realized I could have bought another two computers! Ugh!

Anyway, this year I have been researching different brands of desktops and laptops, as my husband assured me that this tax return we could make an investment in that area- and I CANNOT wait!

Since I was in middle school, my parents, friends, and neighbors have asked me to help them with various computer issues, and frankly- I have no idea why I never went into some sort of fancy computer job. If I had to give a definitive answer to that at this exact second, it's because when you talk to me about RAM, I think you're talking about a Dodge truck. (Yeah, I'm a little bit of a tomboy.) It's the technical words and phrases that spin me in loops, so you can only imagine how it's been researching the next computer or laptop in our lives!

Thankfully, God gave me a husband who knows ALL of the computer technical terms and can help clarify all the differences.. but honestly, to be a fly on the wall at the electronics store would have you in stitches. No matter how many times he explains, I still don't get it!

So tell me readers, what type of a desktop do you own? What type of a laptop do you own? If it's a PC, do you really hate Vista as much as my mother? Which do you prefer, XP or Vista? Pro or Home? What's the difference? For those of you that have a Mac, why do you prefer it over a PC? Tell me more!

Background: We are not huge gamers. Our idea of an exciting game is Roller Coaster Tycoon.. Well, for my son and my husband. I personally only play on Pogo or BigFish. I do a lot of creating on my computer.. basic graphics, buttons, headers, signatures for message boards, personal photos, etc. I have never used my Adobe Photoshop, because my computer would crash if I installed it. I would love the ability (memory? disk space?) to do more. We do not download any movies or watch dvds or webisodes on our computer. I think that's basically it. Thanks in advance for your input, your advice is greatly appreciated!

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