Tsh Oxenreider asks: In what way are you delightfully conventional?

Daily | October 7th, 2008 by Danielle LaPorte

Traditions, customs, good ol’ ordinary things you love to do or be…today’s question comes direct from the super-blogger otherwise known as SimpleMom, Tsh Oxenreider.

Carrie says: I always felt anti-conventional. No 9-5 job for me, marriage why, don’t box me in! With age comes wisdom, I adore being married and I crave ritual.

Danielle says: I love this question, conventions are so culturally-loaded for better and for worse. My personal fav: We say a thank you prayer at every meal. Always made up, always different, always makes someone smile. I also think monogamy and city taxes are pretty cool conventions.

Tsh says: I’m a sucker for traditional Christmas stuff. I like white lights on trees and houses, carols sung the original way, wreaths on doors and swags on mantels, chocolate chip cookies with milk for Santa. And of course, waiting until Christmas Day (not Eve) to open presents.

Read our Inspired Interview with blogging wonder woman and SimpleMom, Tsh Oxenreider.

Viewing 89 Comments

Daniel Gibbons 10/07/2008 12:18 AM 1 point
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I'm British and actually can make the perfect English Sunday lunch (roast beef, yorkshire pudding and everything that ought to go with it). Seriously, wars have been started over less than my roast potatoes.

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Linda Borland-Fitzgerald 10/07/2008 12:35 AM 1 point
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Marry me!!

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Alison 10/30/2008 10:53 PM 1 point
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I've had to refrain from proposing to a number of men on this site...

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jennifersage 10/07/2008 01:53 AM 1 point
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you could actually start a harem with this talent Mr Gibbons

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lisasonrisa 10/07/2008 08:08 AM 1 point
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delicious!

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storyteller 10/07/2008 09:42 AM 1 point
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gotta love a man with great spuds

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Jody 10/07/2008 12:39 AM 1 point
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I like having the car door opened for me and my chair being pulled out for me at a restaurant. I like having doors opened for me and I always say thank you to strangers that offer this. I like and appreciate good old fashioned chivalry!
Yes guys, some girls do still appreciate this behaviour and this is something I find very attractive in my husband.

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Tsh from Simple Mom 10/07/2008 01:04 AM 1 point
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Totally agree! I love chivalry, and to this day, my husband still does things like hold the door open for me. Love it.

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Joannie 10/07/2008 06:40 AM 1 point
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I love all of these things, too.

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Mackenzie 10/07/2008 12:51 AM 1 point
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My favorite conventions include chivalry in any form (especially door holding) and honoring my parents' request that all of the kids come home for Sunday dinner.

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sarahsalway 10/07/2008 01:01 AM 1 point
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I make an effort to buy beautiful cards for people and handwrite letters and postcards as much as I can. I know myself how much I like to get things through the post. One of my great pleasures is seeing my teenage daughter copying me - and taking it one step further by actually making the cards herself.

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Joannie 10/07/2008 06:41 AM 1 point
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Me, too, Sarah

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Linda Borland-Fitzgerald 10/07/2008 01:04 AM 1 point
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Holiday traditions from childhood are wonderful and are always observed, but we've also added new ones over the years. One of our personal favourites is on Christmas Eve we give each other one ornament that's been chosen for it's signifigance to the person it's being bought for. We hang it on the tree and then our daughter (an only child) is presented with a new pair of p.j's and matching slippers before we settle down to watch one of 3 favourite Christmas movies that gets rotated each year. Either "A Christmas Carol" (the one with Alistair Simms from the 1950's) "It's A Wonderful Life" or "The Bishops Wife" (Cary Grant plays an angel, David Niven is the Bishop and Loretta Young plays his wife).

We have another 'new' tradition, which is really fun because we open our gifts early Christmas morning. So, this one gives us one more thing to anticipate at the end of the day - each person gets a 'table gift' which is placed by their dinner plate. It can be something special or just a silly toy.

We still do all these things ... and our daughter is 38 years old. These are things she grew up with and will pass down to her own family one day.

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Tsh from Simple Mom 10/07/2008 01:24 AM 1 point
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Love the table plate idea!

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Tsh from Simple Mom 10/07/2008 01:25 AM 1 point
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And when I say "table plate," I mean table gift. Have I mentioned I'm still drinking my morning coffee?

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emilycline 10/07/2008 06:29 AM 1 point
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I'm so stealing the table plate gift idea! Kinda like a stocking stuffer for the table! Thank you!

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Karen 10/07/2008 01:41 AM 1 point
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My conventional behaviour comes in the form of domestic duties. I enjoy ironing and making dinner. I think I enjoy it because I don't have to do it. (I am still not all that great with weekly house cleaning.)

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Resef 10/07/2008 01:59 AM 1 point
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Like Tsh, I love Christmas, it makes me feel all warm and centered (queue Bo from Absolutely Fabulous). Monogamy is a core belief of mine, I'm also big on manners and being polite, but in a postmodern kind of way.

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jennifersage 10/07/2008 02:05 AM 1 point
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When I was about seven years old I loved drawing conventional houses and my aspirations were simple. Marry, own a house and have children. Sadly peritonits as a teen put paid to the children part of my dream but most all the serious satisfaction of my life comes from being a homeowner and married woman.
I have my mother to thank for my career as such as even in the 1950s she was a strong believer in "girls getting a qualification" years ahead of her time really. I guess nursing and midwifery are pretty conventional careers for a woman and i have never been seriously tempted to try anything else.
I can lay claim to being pretty unconventional in my pioneering home birth in the city I live in. That Was way way outside convention in the 1970s. No one who knew me was surprised and why would they be?

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Joannie 10/07/2008 06:47 AM 1 point
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Jennifer: in Canada nursing was - is? - pretty conventional but not midwifery. (I do love the way the British say this word! mid WIF ery! :) ) I believe the reason or at least one of the reasons may be that the physicians in Canada put up resistance to the idea of someone other than them help women to birth children. A power thing?

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bene 10/07/2008 02:18 AM 1 point
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I have always been a rebel and I still am. I do not like to be one of the crowd, I like to make my own way. That`s the way I have always been. Still, though, I am an excellent cookf and I luuuuuve cooking. I adore the role of the 50s housewife...cooking, entertaining and being merry all around. Just remember, I did say role. It is fun playing around. I love Christmas as well, though that`s more due to my inner child:) I beleive i am a good mix of consevative and rebel, though I would neverever admit to it. I love a man in a coat and suit..mmm

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Ginger_Laine 10/07/2008 03:49 AM 1 point
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As a governmental lawyer who has to file suit to enforce city taxes, I wish everyone felt as Danielle about them!

C & D, I love this question. I feel like I am fairly traditional on the surface but somewhat anti-conventional in more deeply personal matters, from my wedding ring to my thoughts on spirituality. That being said, I too adore ritual, domestic and religious, and have sought out as an adult those things that were not part of my life growing up. A sense of connection, that seems to me to be one of the best gifts of conventional rituals.

This subject reminds me of my roundly questioned choice of a china pattern (how conventional to have one in the first place!) when I got married: Old Country Roses by Royal Albert. My friends and family couldn't quite understand why I would select the most common, dated pattern possible. Only my mother-in-law, who is older and a serious Southern matriarch, seemed to appreciate that it reminds me of my great-aunt and the smell of old houses and the idea of family roots running deep into place and time.

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Joannie 10/07/2008 06:49 AM 1 point
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Beautifully written.

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Ginger_Laine 10/07/2008 08:03 AM 1 point
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Thank you! That makes my day!

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Chelsey @ Brown Eyed Basics 10/07/2008 04:01 AM 1 point
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It drives my teenage sisters crazy, but when I send them text messages, I refuse to use any sort of abbreviations or acronyms. Full words spelled out only. They laugh every time, but I like to think I'm giving them spelling and grammar lessons.

Now that I think about it, sending text messages is rather unconventional in and of itself... oh well. I tried.

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MelissaM 10/07/2008 04:23 AM 1 point
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After years of being on my own in a cosy (read: crowded) little bachelor apartment (read: no routine and lots of eating out) and claiming that "this is so ME!", I have moved in to a townhouse with my fiancé and am pleasantly surprised by the pure bliss I feel from a made bed each morning, a grocery list that allows us to create real meals, sitting down to eat (and say thanks) together every single morning & evening, keeping everything tidy as we go. I'm very much looking forward to merging our family traditions to create new conventions of our own.

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Jess 10/07/2008 04:45 AM 1 point
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I've become more traditional in relationships...starting slow, taking time to fall in love. I find a lot of my peers fall fast and have explosive relationships...I like my relatively normal one :)
I love Christmas and Thanksgiving traditions...we always have these particular buns, have a particular party at my aunt's on Christmas Eve.
Traditions keep the crazy world feel like there's a semblance of stability.

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Lucie 10/07/2008 04:52 AM 1 point
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This is such a funny questions considering I have a blog dedicated to the experiences of our UNconventional family!

But even being unconventional by nature, our family still has some conventional habits. I suppose the way in which we are most conventional is the careers we are working towards. While we are students not I don't know if a couple can be more conventional (occupation wise) than a lawyer and a professor!

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ellabobella 10/07/2008 05:15 AM 1 point
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I have no tattoos.

Yet.

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DanielleLaPorte 10/07/2008 10:41 AM 1 point
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rad.

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invisible.bees 10/07/2008 05:26 AM 1 point
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I write old fashioned thank you notes. With a beautiful pen! On stationery!!!

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weezie 10/07/2008 06:17 AM 1 point
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With lovely stamps!

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Lynda 10/07/2008 05:31 AM 1 point
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I love family traditions.....getting together on Christmas Eve as a family.....I love it!!

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JoeM 10/07/2008 05:54 AM 1 point
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I celebrate all the holidays in a very conventional manner. Especially birthdays and anniversaries.

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Lucie 10/07/2008 06:06 AM 1 point
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After reading a few comments I am more conventional than I thought! I too write thank you notes, like a man to hold the door open for me, and I am a strong believer in a big, southern style Sunday brunch (pineapple upside down biscuits anyone?).

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Leah Graves 10/07/2008 06:44 AM 1 point
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I would love a recipe for thos biscuits if you have it!

You can reach me at leahgraves (at) ymail (dotcom).

Thanks!

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Phyllis 10/07/2008 06:45 AM 1 point
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Surely would like to have that recipe :)

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Joannie 10/07/2008 06:51 AM 1 point
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Me, too. magnificentnotty@gmail.com

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Kelly 10/07/2008 06:19 AM 1 point
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I like a man to open a door and to pick up the check. Flowers on Valentine's are a Hallmark Holiday Convention I'm particularly fond of.

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Ava 10/07/2008 06:31 AM 1 point
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Holiday meals...it's a lot of work in a short amount of time, cooking everything, but even if it's just us and we don't go anywhere we almost always have the same traditional foods.

I'm also like Chelsey, I'll always spell out words in texts and IMs. I tried once or twice to do it the short, quick way in a text and just couldn't bring myself to hit "send" until I'd gone back and fixed it. To me it's a sign of respect, and if what I have to say is that important, gosh darnit, I'm going to say it right (and appreciate when others do so in return).

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emilycline 10/07/2008 06:34 AM 1 point
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Handmade, handwritten thank you notes, birthday cards, thinking of you letters. Made specifically for the person receiving it. My mother taught me its bad manners not to write a thank you note. Also, NO GUM in public.

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Joannie 10/07/2008 06:52 AM 1 point
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My mother taught me the same thing, though I don't remember the no gum in public rule! :)

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CarrieM 10/07/2008 01:30 PM 1 point
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no gum period! when is it attractive? Never.

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colette 10/07/2008 06:13 PM 1 point
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My mother was adamant that we never chew gum in public, it was unlady like.

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Leah Graves 10/07/2008 06:38 AM 1 point
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This time of year I love the fall traditions! In our neighborhood we do the Phantom Ghost to make Halloween fun for the adults (you leave a basket of goodies on a neighbor's doorstep and they have 24 hours to do the same to another neighbor).

As for day-to-day things...I really enjoy being married to someone I've known since I was 17. It was wonderful to grow up together. I enjoy the fact that we've combined all of our family holidays and traditions.

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candis 10/07/2008 06:59 AM 1 point
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Recipes. Grandmas fruitcake. Nanny's perogies. Mom's gingerbread. Mabel's pastry.
and my sterling silver teapot that was passed down to me. I love polishing it and we use it every day.

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Joannie 10/07/2008 07:00 AM 1 point
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I have a rebel who lives inside of me and whom I've named JJ and I'm unconventional when it comes to loving.

But I am SO traditional. I love Christmas, like so many others have said today. I love the smell of a living Christmas tree, lights, beautiful decorations on and off the tree. The beauty of the church dressed for Christmas together with the gorgeous stained glass, polished floors, candles. The ritual - sacrament of the Eucharist.

I love a beautifully roasted turkey with deep brown crispy skin, bread stuffing, cranberry jelly - homemade.

Pumpkin pie with whipped cream for Thanksgiving - which in Canada is this week-end.

I send beautiful cards - a tradition carried over from my little Mom. I say Thank you to both loved ones and strangers.

I sing 'Happy Birthday' over the phone to a select, elite group of family and friends. One of my cousins asked to be removed from the list! :)

I'm stealing the plate gift idea for this Christmas.

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Kristin_The_Goat 10/07/2008 07:06 AM 1 point
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I am delightfully conventional when it comes to setting a table, eating dinner, respecting my elders, opening doors saying Thank You etc. I guess this could be considered manners :)

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Ellen 10/07/2008 07:18 AM 1 point
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Like Tsh, some holidays should feel as traditional as possible for me...Thanksgiving especially. College football (here in the south, it's not only a tradition, it's a religion). I don't wear white after Labor Day or before Easter. I am monogamous by nature. I remember birthdays.

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Amy Guth 10/07/2008 07:20 AM 1 point
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Like Carrie, I too always felt anti-conventional. But, I have to admit, I l've always liked simple, satisfying domestic activities like cooking and tidying. I also love the simple joy of feeling connected to my friends and ancestors at Rosh HaShannah, especially when the shofar is sounded. I am always reminded of all of the generations who stand year after year, generation after generation and I feel so connected to the rest of the Jewish community.

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delirity 10/07/2008 07:21 AM 1 point
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I believe that while e-mail is great, a handwritten note can be essential to a friendship. I love to cook and keep my house clean and believe that we have to work to keep traditions alive so that holidays are special and not just another day on the calendar that blends with the rest.

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Traci 10/07/2008 07:25 AM 1 point
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I've never thought of myself as particularly UNconventional, but I'm having trouble answering this question. I guess it's because I have a tendency to take convention and just give it the tiniest twist to meet my own needs or wants. I often find myself torn between respecting what's come before me and striking out on my own. Case in point: when my husband and I got engaged, I drooled over huge diamond rings for a minute, then decided that the tradition wasn't for me and I didn't need a ring at all...eventually I ended up with the most beautiful emerald ring.

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lisasonrisa 10/07/2008 08:05 AM 1 point
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I always write thank-you notes! My parents instilled that tradition on me when I was very young.

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marla 10/07/2008 08:45 AM 1 point
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i still love to write letters - the old fashion kind with a stamp.

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jennifersage 10/07/2008 11:05 AM 1 point
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In NZ this is now called snail mail ( we are great poets here!)

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melissa @ the inspired room 10/07/2008 08:48 AM 1 point
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I am conventional in almost every way, except for that I let my husband do a lot of the housework so I can write and run my business! We share the responsibilities around the house and with our children-- perhaps that means we are joining the ranks of the new conventional way to run a home!

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Tsh from Simple Mom 10/07/2008 10:06 AM 1 point
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Sounds like us more and more these days!

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Alexis 10/07/2008 08:49 AM 1 point
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The older I get, the more I appreciate all those conventional things - like carrying out long-standing traditions - kulich for Easter, family gathering for Christmas carols around the piano, and learning to walk with God on a daily basis like my great-grandmother did.

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kerrymac 10/07/2008 08:54 AM 1 point
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I'm with Tsh, being an Innovative Grace I am all about traditional holidays. It brings out the Martha in me. Already the haybale, scarecrow and pumkin are on the stoop, the vintage orange sparkle 'give thanks' banner is hanging in the dining room. I love it, I love how people enjoy it, my kids remember each decoration from year to year. Seeing friends and family sitting around a sparkling Christmas tree brings me great joy. We also try and pick up traditions from other cultures...we hide a glass pickle in the tree like in Germany, we break host bread and share wishes like our Polish ancestors, we sing The more we get together like our Irish relatives...fun, fun, fun.
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Dena 10/07/2008 08:55 AM 1 point
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I dress for business. Not the casual look that people seem to wear now, but business suits or blazers and separates - but always appropriate. Even on a casual day, it's still dressed up.

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Emily 10/07/2008 09:05 AM 1 point
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I tend to be unconventional on big things but conventional on small stuff. I write thank you notes, I love holiday traditions, and Sundays with family.

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Lorrie 10/07/2008 09:33 AM 1 point
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I love to take a few minutes and send a handwritten thank you note - a message that expresses my gratitude for the gift and the time taken.

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storyteller 10/07/2008 09:41 AM 1 point
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My husband and I, though both very modern in sensibility, fall into very traditional roles in the home. He does take out the garbage, handles the banking, fixes the car, builds things, handles all things technical. I do all the cooking and cleaning and 80% of the childcare. It reminds me of the way I grew up - in a very good way. When my house is clean and I put on a great meal, I feel my Mom would be proud. And besides, I'm a bit of a control freak, so the house keeps up to the standard I like and I never have to nag "please clean the sink!"

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lynn 10/07/2008 09:48 AM 1 point
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I know this may seem very outdated and perhaps unpopular, but i believe in saving sex for the man you are married to, and stay married to. There are legitimate reasons for divorce, but staying committed to a marriage, even if it means just hanging in there for a few years as each of you grow and develop spiritually, can be incredibly rewarding. My religion teaches there is marriage in heaven and that leading a life of useful service to the neighbor is the essence of a happy life.

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DanielleLaPorte 10/07/2008 10:50 AM 1 point
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in terms of saving sex for marriage, I can't stand in that line (in fact, I think you should...well I won't say at this moment,) BUT, I do agree wholeheartedly with you about hanging in there in terms of marriage. I think way too many marriages are dismantled that could have been deeply rewarding if the couple could navigate through it and get to the other side. So many people go on to repeat the same patterns in their next relationship/marriage. I don't think hard marriage means a good marriage - but it's an oh-so fertile ground for lessons and the hard plowing can bring such sweet fruit. Not easy. But worth it.

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jennifersage 10/07/2008 11:16 AM 1 point
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I sometimes say that when I got married for the second time there was a celebration in heaven and in hell. Marriage is the most challenging and the most rewarding of relationships.
I am saddened when I hear women railing against the male sex in general for years after the end of a marriage. I had a "starter" marriage did the blame thing until I woke up and took responsibility for my part in the sad and sorry mess I had made.

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Katie Kay 10/07/2008 09:50 AM 1 point
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They call me "Ms. Appropriate". I believe the right attire for the right occasion is always the right way.

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Kaiulani 10/07/2008 11:05 AM 1 point
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I maybe unconventional in most aspects of my life, but I always do the totally traditional Thanksgiving meal. I love to get up early on that day and make everything from scratch. Everyone also thinks that this is so out f character of me to do this.

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Jess 10/07/2008 11:08 AM 1 point
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I prefer cooking from scratch, toys without batteries or better yet invented, and being a stay at home mom.

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http://www.jesstock.blogspot.com

Ngonzi Truth Crushshon 10/07/2008 11:10 AM 1 point
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Church on Sundays. bible study on Wednesdays. Family gets together every holiday! Phone calls, emails, care packages and letter writing to friends/family that are far away- keeping in touch w people we love!

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Susie Hutchinson 10/07/2008 11:44 AM 1 point
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In most ways I'm as far away from being a traditionalist as imaginable. However manners and proper social behaviour are essential to me. Things like, drinking so much that you can't retain your dignity. Table manners--I can't take someone talking with their mouth full, elbows on the table, or starting to eat before the host. Dress, nothing worse than someone (of any age) wearing trashy clothing. As my mother says, "the person with the most cloths on has the most power." Basically, I believe Emily Post should be re-introduced into every household.

http://emilyseveryday.emilypost.com/

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CarrieM 10/07/2008 01:35 PM 1 point
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Manners and kindness are a universal language.

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Janya 10/07/2008 11:51 AM 1 point
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I make and pack my husband's lunch every day- just like Caroline Ingalls used to do for Charles. He could easily spend $10 a day on lunch, but with his "lunch box" he can eat at his desk if he needs to and get home to us sooner :) I love that he can have a homemade meal even when he's slogging it out at the office!

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jennifersage 10/07/2008 12:32 PM 1 point
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Reading all these lovely postings remind me of Jean Shinoda Bolen's eloquent writing Goddesses in Everywomen and my real favourite Goddesses in Older Women. She writes about Hestia the goddess of the Hearth. She lit the sared hearth fire that burnt at the centre of the home.It gave light and warmth to all who entered.
There is something deep in a women's soul that intuitively knows these things. The lighting of the Sabbath candle in Jewish home that is always done by the women. We, women, are earth and water but we welcome the fire and air into our lives in a very beautiful way.

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laurie_matthews 10/07/2008 01:04 PM 1 point
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I believe in good etiquette, especially etiquette that has respect at its roots. If I get an invitation, either in the mail or via email or telephone I always respond promptly. That may sound prim and proper, but it has courtesy and caring written all over it.

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Constance 10/07/2008 01:07 PM 1 point
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I'm a typical Jewish Mom who wants her three children to be happy and make good strong and happy marriages. And even though I'm 60 I'd like another go at a good relationship.
I've been married twice and deeply in love three times; twice widowed and one divorced I still hold out dreams for finding love again.

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Steve Harvey 10/07/2008 01:51 PM 1 point
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I love the fact I have a group of guy friends who get together once a year - no matter what or where - and golf, eat, drink, sleep and golf some more. From Hong Kong to Halifax, we manage to make our way to the links, rain or shine. We get t-shirts, have a mascot, and scar tissue as sentimental reminders. This is year 10...Scotland here we come.

My New Years ritual - a long seaside walk alone and at the end, dangle my toes in the icy water to wash away my undesired attachments.

There is a 15 minute window every morning that is never missed. It's not planned, completely unintentional, but it happens nevertheless. It usually revolves around building a road map for the day...or purging something that triggered me the day prior. An exercise to help me "Live in the Now"

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Kristen 10/07/2008 02:21 PM 1 point
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I dream of being able to stay home, cook and bake and take care of my house and family...no outside job to go to, and I would proudly say, "I'm a Homemaker"...why is that so tabu these days?

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Virginia 10/07/2008 05:06 PM 1 point
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I think kindness is highly under-rated.

Being kind is gracious behavior and allows people to live happily without tension and stress...it is about being truely loving and a convention well worth practicing.

"Ginn"
In Sunny Santa Fe

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http://www.pulverpages.com

Lori_from_Texas 10/07/2008 06:31 PM 1 point
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The convention I delight in the most came from my grandmother. She never let a guest go home empty handed. She always handed her visitors flowers from the yard, a left over piece of cake, a plate she had "fixed" for you, or a coke as we walked out the door. She didn't ask either, she just put something in my hand as I stepped out the door and onto the porch..."Here. Take this with you." It felt like a benediction and like a little bit of her was coming with you.

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Cobby 10/07/2008 06:50 PM 1 point
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I am delightfully traditional in that I have very traditional familial aspirations, but that's about as traditional as I get. I love being married and want to have sweet babies and live near my extended nuclear family . . . in addition to being a kick-butt executive . . .who just happens to love dressing like a womanly- woman and wearing high heels.

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marn 10/07/2008 07:21 PM 1 point
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Stay at home mom until my youngest is in grade 1.
Christmas - LOVE IT! I get so excited about the get together with 14 of us every year (since we were small children, we get together with the same siblings, and cousins, aunts, uncles, etc). One of our BIGGEST traditions is playing charades at Christmas. We have the guys VS girls. We all write down 20 - 40 topics, they go in the toque, and we pick & play against each other. We don't keep score, or use a timer, we just do it for the fun. Most hilarious one (which each team ALWAYS puts in the toque) is "Hockey Night in Canada". As soon as someone acts out a slap shot, the whole room yells out "HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA"! Good times.... :-)

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Alison 10/07/2008 07:39 PM 1 point
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Monogamy is of absolute importance! I can't stress this enough.

That aside, I like to keep things pure and simple, and enjoy traditional celebrations. Old-fashioned Christmas with a Christmas tree and fairy lights and a fireplace and cold weather.. eggnog, spice. I love birthday cake covered with candles, and I wish more people had such a pretty thing as a home made cake for their birthday. I'm very traditional about marriage and pairing up for life. I take the concept of marriage vows very seriously. I've always aspired to having a fulfilling and lifelong marriage.

Oh! And good old-fashioned romance. Flowers. Being carried, being taken care of, consideration, thoughtfulness. I simply must find myself a gentleman. Chivalry, daring, morality... A base in all that is good and pure. Gentleness. Books. Education!

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Tabitha 10/08/2008 06:46 AM 1 point
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I love to bake and I love tinkering in the kitchen

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http://www.lifealamode.com

Nora 10/09/2008 07:40 PM 1 point
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I like making a monthly menu and being able to feed a family of 6 on $250 per month.

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http://guyanddolls.blogspot.com

Elisabeth 10/10/2008 11:21 AM 1 point
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I love my 9-to-5 with salary, benefits, 401k, which allows me to live a life I love (and is pretty cool in itself). I'm an accountant, of all things! I have a single family detached home with yard and mortgage, just like my parents did. The difference is... I'm a woman, I have no kids, I don't decorate or do housework or cook for family holidays. I only just got married after 9+ years with my man. My unconventional life allows me to take delight in the ways in which I am conventional. :D

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KelliKat 10/26/2008 08:23 PM 1 point
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I crave scones, tea, and tea sandwiches--seriously, I wish I could have a high tea every afternoon (even though I'm nowhere near being British, LOL). Unfortunately, working twelve hour shifts in a hospital doesn't allow for that, so I've settled for half an apple with peanut butter around 5pm. But this makes me think I should go all out with a high tea once a week or at least a cup of tea every day. I'm also a fan of brunch on Sunday--there is just something about a Sunday ritual that appeals to me. I also like chivalry, as I see many of the other posters here have said. And I believe in a bit of formality and gracious manners with people that are not close friends--doctors at the hospital, parents of friends, professors, etc.

Great question!

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gabriellekrake 11/13/2008 08:26 AM 1 point
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My only true convention is "my routine". I NEED IT! Of course, everyone else has to be ready for change, but not me! :)

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Kara 12/06/2008 11:31 PM 1 point
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I love the English language, and all its rules. Apostrophes go in the right places, and verbs must be conjugated correctly when speaking.
I even text this way. No one has said anything about it, except, "r u mad @ me?" No, I'm just ignoring your inane, phonetic hieroglyphics. Ugh.

I will not do the calling; if he wants to talk to me, then he will call.

I also stick to seasonal fashion rules as well. Seersucker goes to the back of the closet the minute Labor Day is over. Manis and pedis between September and February are dark, dark red or plum or charcoal.

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