[loxs]

Hello all....... This is my first post and I thought I would start by asking a relatively simple question. I'm going through a few online guides, trying to learn how to do a few things with python. I'm not sure why, I guess it's more of a hobby than anything. I just dig knowledge. My question is:
I wrote a simple program that divides numbers with the choice of having an output of a sum with a remainder or with the sum rounded off. This is how I done it: (the important part of it anyway)

def remain(a,b):
	return a/b,a%b

def round(a,b):
	a = a/b
	return a

loxs = 3

while loxs != 0:
	loxs = input(">*> ")
	if loxs == 1:
		x=input("please choose the first number ")
		y=input("please choose the second number ")
		print remain(x,y)
	elif loxs == 2:
		x=input("please choose the first number ")
		y=input("please choose the second number ")
		print round(x,y)
	elif loxs > 2:
		print "Please choose 0-2

I had to write the x=input and y=input twice,once for each "if" statement which, in my mind, would not be very efficient in a larger program.

I could:

def user():
	global x,y
	x=input("Please choose the first number ")
	y=input("Please choose the second number ")

and then:

loxs = 3
while loxs != 0:
	loxs = input(">*> ")
	if loxs == 1:
		user()
		print remain(x,y)
	elif loxs == 2:
		user()
		print round(x,y)
	elif loxs > 2:
		print "Please choose 0-2"

BUT, from what I have read, the "global" function can and will get you in trouble with larger programs.
Is this correct or am I way off base here?
Any suggestions on a better/safer way of doing it?

Thanks..........................................................................
..Loxs