P-C, I dunno whether to congratulate you or not. I'm glad you were able to be so honest about your feelings. Maybe a few times of being so blunt with your mother will help her to be more sensitive about the times when you are being more subtle, so that she doesn't have to get her feelings her while you are holding to your boundaries.

Also, if her feelings got hurt, I can promise you that there are a million ways to hurt a mother more seriously. She loses perspective: You are an awesome young man, bright, hardworking, and generous, and she forgets to appreciate that, at least when she is talking to you.

It's just...I feel so awful. All she wants to do is be a good mommy and come take care of me, and I know it would be bad for both of us because of how uncomfortable and defensive we can get around each other.

According to the website, BaconSalt is vegetarian and kosher. It's a wonderful magical condiment!

[eta: Oh, and I'm pretty sure Alicia Silverstone posing naked next to a pool counts as sexual imagery, however healthy and natural her hot vegetarian bod might be.]

I'm glad you were able to be so honest about your feelings. Maybe a few times of being so blunt with your mother will help her to be more sensitive about the times when you are being more subtle, so that she doesn't have to get her feelings her while you are holding to your boundaries.

What Andi said. P-C, I don't think you are a bad son. I'm glad that you were honest with her instead of having 18 painful horrible conversations where she wouldn't hear what you were (more subtly) saying.

I'm glad you stuck up for your boundaries. It is really, really hard though.

P-C don't think you had a choice. You've tried subtle. She doesn't get it when you try subtle - or even indirect. Actually you did have a choice: being blunt or spending the week with your mother. I think you made the right choice.

Brussel sprouts are yummy. I am having trouble imagining the taste of megan's dish with my mind's tongue, as it were. I may ehav eto give it a try. Adding cream to stuff does not come naturally to me.

So glad y'all enjoyed the show!

{{P-C}} I'm sorry you feel bad about your relationship with your mother. It occurs to me that you have a good job with health benefits - maybe a therapist could help you find a way to deal with her that improves the situation?

First thing I did today was try to talk to DH's company's HR dept about what I thought would be a simple question. That was extremely stupid. I'm now ridiculously frustrated, no more informed, and more trhan half convinced that attempting anything else will be equally fruitless. Nonetheless, I will steel myself and set forth and my quest to do some laundry. At least that has a pretty predictable outcome.

Brussel sprouts are yummy. I am having trouble imagining the taste of megan's dish with my mind's tongue, as it were. I may ehav eto give it a try. Adding cream to stuff does not come naturally to me.

Hmmm.... a potential side dish for the next game night maybe?

With -t on Brussel sprouts. They are yummy, bacon is yummy, adding, adding cream to stuff does not come naturally to me.

a potential side dish for the next game night maybe?

That would certainly solve the potential problem of me getting distracted and burning everything and still not knowing what it's supposed to taste like. Not that I do that every time I try a new recipe. Under 50% of the time, probably.

Eta: Gar, with our tastes that much in sync we should have a meal together sometime. How do you feel about eggplant?

I wonder if they make bacon-flavored sausage. And if so, where they've been hiding it.

We have it in this area. [link]

in links or in a 1 pound roll.

PC I think you did your best communicating with your Mom, you aren't a bad son.

I'll have to try BaconSalt since it's veg! I made some turnip greens last night (from frozen) and it needed something smoky and salty, I think BaconSalt is just the thing.