It's an 1897 census from one of the German speaking villages south of Saratov, Russia. The Germans who lived there called the village Messer. The Russians call it Ust-Zolicha.

I just learned a relationship term I have never heard in all my years doing genealogy. The census I'm reading keeps referring to people as "uterine brothers." I had to google it. It means half brothers who share the same mother. It doesn't seem to have a special term for half brothers who share the same father. I suppose that would be because all the property came down from father to son and it didn't matter by which wife.

Agatha Christie's were my first "grown-up" mysteries. I discovered them when I was twelve, and read and reread every one I could get my hands on, but I haven't picked one up in 25 years. Fun to read them again. 12. "Secret Adversary" by Agatha Christie. (London and fictional England, and WWI at the beginning -- The opening scene is set on the sinking Lusitania.) 11. "Mysterious Affair at Styles" by Agatha Christie. (London and fictional England, and WWI -- Hastings is home from the war for convalescence. So to go with it, I read the poem, "In Flanders Field" by John McRae, and several of the other poems on the same site.) 10. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling. Listened to most of it on our way home from our trip a couple of weeks ago, and finished up an hour or two at a time at bedtime this week. (London or Surrey) 9. "An Unsuitable Job For a Woman" by P.D. James. (Mainly Cambridge, some London) 8. "Creative Schools" by Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica. 7. "CopShock: Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)" by Allen R. Kates. 6. "Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child's Education" by Susan Wise Bauer. 5. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. (London or Surrey) 4. "Guerrilla Learning: How to give your kids a real education with or without school" by Grace Llewellyn and Amy Silver. 3. "Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety" by Daniel Smith. 2. "Mother had a Secret: Learning to love My Mother & Her Multiple Personalities" by Tiffany Fletcher. 1. "Life's lessons Learned" by Dallin H. Oaks. (LDS)

The difference between tics and OCD (and stimming) is the motivation behind them, so an evaluation is important. My youngest constantly smells her hands, and she does it because she is checking for germs, and germ-checking is OCD. But I touch my face without realizing I'm doing it when I'm feeling socially anxious. DH pulls out his beard hairs, and that could be Trichotillomania, which is more of a tic, but it appears that in his case, it's actually a form of self-harming, which would be his OCD w/ depression combo. Anyway, why the individual is doing something is more important to the diagnosis than what they are doing, so get an evaluation. The most thorough evaluation would be from a pediatric neuro-psychologist, but it getting insurance to pay can be an issue. (Though I've heard that's improved in the last year or two.) A pediatric psychiatrist can do an initial diagnosis, and is the best choice for prescribing, adjusting, and monitoring medications. A psychologist with experience with children with whichever diagnosis shows up will be the best choice for CBT. (For instance, our family psychologist treats OCD and is a great fit for DH, but he helped us find another therapist who works with autistic kids who also have OCD for our youngest.) (I'm just a mom of complicated kids, not a medical professional, but one thing from the OP's story that struck me was that the child stopped a fun activity to engage in her behavior. That is the kind of thing I was asked about when my kids were getting diagnosed.) My youngest constantly smells her hands, and she does it because she is checking for germs, and germ-checking is OCD. But I touch my face without realizing I'm doing it when I'm feeling socially anxious.

9. "An Unsuitable Job For a Woman" by P.D. James. My Brit-tripping entry for the week. I hadn't read this before, and I liked it. I'll have to look for her one other "Cordelia Gray" book. (Mainly Cambridge, some London) 8. "Creative Schools" by Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica. Pretty specific to schools, but there were a few insights about different ways of teaching that could apply to homeschooling. 7. "CopShock: Surviving Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)" by Allen R. Kates. What I'm really looking for is accounts of non-military, non-first responders with PTSD, but still, this is not military, which all the other books in my library seem to be. 6. "Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child's Education" by Susan Wise Bauer. 5. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. (London or Surrey) 4. "Guerrilla Learning: How to give your kids a real education with or without school" by Grace Llewellyn and Amy Silver. 3. "Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety" by Daniel Smith. 2. "Mother had a Secret: Learning to love My Mother & Her Multiple Personalities" by Tiffany Fletcher. 1. "Life's lessons Learned" by Dallin H. Oaks. (LDS)

6. "Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child's Education" by Susan Wise Bauer. I left so many bookmarks in this book! Now I'm checking my local library for some of the resources she mentions. 5. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. The kids' choice for an audio book on our drive out of state last weekend. We didn't quite finish "Chamber of Secrets," coming back, so we'll have to listen at bedtime for a while, or think up a good Sunday drive. Hey, this is British! And partially takes place in London! I'm "Brit Tripping" and I didn't even know! 4. "Guerrilla Learning: How to give your kids a real education with or without school" by Grace Llewellyn and Amy Silver. I read this many years ago, when we were first considering homeschooling. I was a natural student myself, so I found it kind of "out there" the first time. All three of my kids have different learning styles than I do, so I reread it for the alternative ways of learning it suggests. So now my question is, can I expand my thinking enough to find sort of unschooly, non-traditional ways of presenting really robust, critical-thinking, classical ideas? 3. "Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety" by Daniel Smith. Some adult content. The event in question was a major contributor to his anxiety, so the story wouldn't be as powerful without it. I have to say I agree with his mother, though. He was underage, under the influence, and had definitely been groomed. 2. "Mother had a Secret: Learning to love My Mother & Her Multiple Personalities" by Tiffany Fletcher. Well-written, which is a nice surprise. The author happens to be LDS, but unlike most LDS memoirs I've read, her compelling story and good writing drive the book forward, rather than her LDSness. 1. "Life's lessons Learned" by Dallin H. Oaks. (LDS) Unusual format for him. Each chapter has an unrelated short story from the author's life, and then ends with a sentence with what he learned from it.

I've never seen Titanic or any of the Twilight movies, nor did I read the books. (Because everyone told me I *had* to read/see them, and I'm stubborn that way.)

DS15 is in 9th grade. He just finished reading Hewitt's Conceptual Physics, and I'm thinking of getting him a few kits to reinforce what he's read. He's smart, but he's an Aspie, so we struggle a bit with the Logic stage to Rhetoric stage transition, so I'm thinking these kits would not be too young for him at all. I also think he'd really benefit from the hands-on aspect of them, because he can spew facts back at me all day long, but I'm never sure whether it's translating into practical application. He wants to be an engineer, so that he can design trains, so we are planning to revisit Physics his senior year when his math skills are more complete. We've never used any of these. He built a Lego train when he was a lot younger,and did great with following the directions, but had a hard time manipulating the pieces of K'nex roller coasters when we tried those when he was about eight or nine. (Heck! I had a hard time with those stupid things when he asked for my help! :glare: ) So I'm looking on Thames & Kosmos webpage, and I see Physics Workshop, and Physics Pro, and Physics Discovery,but I can't tell if there is overlap or which order to do them in. And then there are a lot of neat looking other kits, like Electricity, and Catapults, and Structural Engineering. For those who've done these, where would you start? Are any particularly good, or not really worth the effort? Thanks.

(I served an LDS mission in Vienna, and DH and I have gone back to visit a few times.) If you decided to get a car.... We usually don't use a car in Vienna and do use one everywhere else. So, if you will have a car, there are a few places outside the city I'd recommend: East of Vienna, towards the Hungarian border, there's a Roman ruin they are excavating called Carnuntum. There is also a very touristy, but fun place called the Seegrotto, which they used as the underground prison for the movie Three Musketeers (the Disney/Kiefer Sutherland version). If you are a fan, Burg Liechtenstein was also used in the movie, in the scene when they are being fired on by canons. It's fun to wander around in a castle unsupervised, and one of the balconies has a distant view of Vienna. West of Vienna, along the Donau/Danube toward Salzburg, the Melk monastery is pretty spectacular. Huge library, and the cathedral there has so much gilding, you will always picture it anytime anyone says "Baroque" in your presence the rest of your life. The view down to the Donau and the village of Melk are pretty great, too. Further along, near Linz, there's the former concentration camp Mauthausen. That's a whole different kind of experience. You can feel it as soon as you step in. It's a kind of: this is hallowed ground, in a something horrible happened here and I think I'm going to be sick kind of way. We still recommend it, because it's also a "we should never forget humanity is capable of this" kind thing. We went to Freistadt once. Not much to do, but very pretty. My mom was with us, and she really liked it. The moat around town is still there. They've turned it into a ring shaped park. Pretty close to the Czech border. In the cities... I don't know Innsbruck at all, and the only thing I remember from my one day trip to Graz was the armory, which was cool, as far as I remember. Salzburg I know as a tourist. My two favorite things are: 1) the cathedral, because it is NOT Hapsburg, which is refreshing! Salzburg was ruled by the Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich, and he rebuilt the cathedral. 2) The tiny little Saint Sebastian's cemetery where Mozart's father Leopold, and his widow Constanza and her second husband Georg Nissan are buried. It also inspired the "hiding in the cemetery" scene in Sound of Music. We also liked the fortress (Hohensalzburg), and the catacombs, and the Mozart's birth house. We like to use "Farmholidays" to get a vacation apartment, and our favorite we've ever stayed at is just outside Salzburg here. (Works nicely if you have a car, but is a little out of the way if you don't.) Hallstatt is only a couple of hours from there, and it's beautiful! It's on a lake, and built up the side of the mountain. There's a salt-mine tour above it. There's a little bone chapel, and a small celtic museum, and a tiny roman ruin under the sporting goods shop. Vienna is hard, just because there is sooo much! Ride the trams around the Ringstrasse, as suggested above. Stephansdom is neat, and so is drooling over the expensive shops in the pedestrian zone on Kartnerstrasse. Buy your tourist gifts on Mariahilferstrasse, though. Less expensive. The art history museum (Kunsthistorische) and it's twin natural history museum. Stadtpark is the most likely place to stumble across an outdoor concert, especially Strauss themed concerts. Every saturday, there's a Naschmarkt and Flohmarkt (farmer's market and flea market) on Kettenbrückengasse. There's the Jewish quarter, and the Opera, and the Anker clock, and Mozart's apartment. All those are downtown, in or near the Ring. Near Stephansdom, down in the subway, you can peek in the window and look down on an earlier church they accidently found while building the subway. There's an English language bookstore somewhere along there, can't remember where exactly, and a cool toy store. Then there's Schonbrunn, which can be a day's visit by itself, since the Vienna Zoo are on it's grounds. Don't miss the Zentral Friedhof (Central Cemetery). All the musicians were reburied there, except Mozart (because they couldn't find him), but he has a memorial. There's also a Jewish section, and a brand-new Mormon section. Falco's even in there someplace, but he's in his family's plot, not with the famous musicians. The stones are really elaborate and it's a bit of a sculpture museum because of that. The musicians are straight in from the center gate, but they sell a map, too. There's a wonderful, huge, park at the UN building with a space needle thing. I never went up, but there's a restaurant or cafe up there. We had an apartment near there, so we'd go over and play chess on the giant chess boards, or watch some of the local clubs practice American football. Praterpark, with the big Riesenrad, as someone mentioned. That was used in many movies, including James Bond and Orson Wells' The Third Man. The Risenrad is part of a permanent carnival with other rides. The Donauinsel is a beach atmosphere, with sunbathers and ice cream stands (ice cream sandwiches, etc.) and skaters and bikers. Be careful at the far ends, though, where the nude beaches are. Same activities as the middle, just clothing optional. (And keep in mind, topless is okay anywhere.) Get your ice cream from one of the many Italian Eis places that are all over in the summer, though! Well, dang! Now I'm getting homesick. Can I come with you?

Thank you all for the ideas.

A dear friend of mine who has offered me a lot of support as a fellow caregiver just found out she has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. They said there is nothing they can do, and she has about nine months. I hardly even know how to process it myself, but I want to lean in and offer her my support. I don't know what to offer.

This is weird, but it's what worked for me this last year. I put cheap paperback scriptures in my bathroom, and I committed not to pick up my phone while I'm in there. I'm in there a couple of times a day, and without my phone, I have nothing else to do.... I've never read more consistently! :thumbup:

Well, I didn't make it to 52 this year. I checked out more than that, but kept having to return things unread. I hate that! 40. "un-Spun: finding facts in a world of [disinformation]" by Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. I might read this again, with my son. Has some good examples of how advertising and politicians are able to use "facts" to make it sound like something else is true, when it's not. 39. "Paris to the Pyrenees: A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James" by David Downie. David and his wife walked from Paris to the beginning of the Spanish Camino, sometimes following the way of St. James. His wife is a photographer, so it has some lovely pictures. 38. "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas. I've been listening to this while I walk for exercise every evening for the past two months, and finally finished it tonight. Enjoyable on the whole. Occasionally got a little bored with the detailed descriptions of things. 37. "The One World School House" by Salman Khan. Not about the Camino, of course, but I stumbled across it while I was at the library checking out every Camino book they had. This is both the story of how the Khan academy came about and what he believes is the direction education should go. 36. "A Year of Living Prayerfully" by Jared Brock. Well, he didn't actually walk the Camino. He traveled to Santiago de Compostela by car, but I enjoyed the book anyway. It's a lively account of how he studied the prayer traditions of several faiths by interacting directly with their communities for a year. 35. "10 Routes that Crossed the World" by Gillian Richardson. This one is written for kids, but I found it rather dry. 34. "The Road to Santiago" by Kathryn Harrison. The author walked the Camino once solo, and then tried to take her 12 year-old daughter on another attempt. 33. "The Book of Mormon." (LDS) 32. "I'll Push You" by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck. 31. "Summerlost" by Ally Condie. 30. "Braving the Wilderness" by Brene Brown. 29. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. 28. "Guitar Zero: the New Musician and the Science of Learning" by Gary Marcus. 26. "Utah Curiousities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Offbeat Fun" by Brandon Griggs. 25. "Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism" by Dawn Prince-Hughes. 24. "Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor" by Jon Scieszka. 23. "Counseling with Our Councils" by M. Russell Ballard (LDS). 22. "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by Avi 21. "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright. 20. "QB: My Life Behind the Spiral" by Steve Young. 19. "Batneezer: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 18. "Lord of the Hat: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 17. "Beyond Belief" by Jenna Miscavige Hill. 16. "Ruthless" by Ron Miscavige. 15. "Katfish: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 14. "Pinocula: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 13. "Potterwookiee: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 12. "Worth the Wrestle" by Sheri Dew (LDS). 11. "Wonkenstein: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 10. "Cub Scout Wolf Handbook". 9. "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. 8. "A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy" by Sue Klebold 7. "Columbine" by Dave Cullen. 6. "Changed through His Grace" by Brad Wilcox (LDS)> 5. "The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida. 4. "No Doubt About It" by Sheri Dew. 3. "Amazed by Grace" by Sheri Dew. 2. "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown. 1. "Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake" by Frank W. Abagnale.

I agree that she sounds young. I do like this phrase, though, "making choices for your long-term wellness." I sometimes forget to do that, or deliberately don't. I put off going to the doctor for my own health needs for the longest time, because I spent so much of my life taking my kids and husband to doctors that I didn't want to spend more time there, even for myself. Chocolate cake can be self-care, if perhaps when you are out getting a treat for the family, this one time you pick the kind that is your favorite, because you acknowledge that what you want is equally as important as what the rest of the family wants. It can also be self-sabotage, to use her term, if you then take that cake and hide in the closet and eat the whole thing. Fine line sometimes, that's more about why you are doing it and what you are getting from it, than it is about what you are doing. Self-care makes you healthier, rather than just being soothing or distracting.

Reading with a theme again. I'm rather fascinated with the Camino at the moment. 38. "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas. I've been listening to this while I walk for exercise every evening for the past two months, and finally finished it tonight. Enjoyable on the whole. Occasionally got a little bored with the detailed descriptions of things. 37. "The One World School House" by Salman Khan. Not about the Camino, of course, but I stumbled across it while I was at the library checking out every Camino book they had. This is both the story of how the Khan academy came about and what he believes is the direction education should go. 36. "A Year of Living Prayerfully" by Jared Brock. Well, he didn't actually walk the Camino. He traveled to Santiago de Compostela by car, but I enjoyed the book anyway. It's a lively account of how he studied the prayer traditions of several faiths by interacting directly with their communities for a year. 35. "10 Routes that Crossed the World" by Gillian Richardson. This one is written for kids, but I found it rather dry. 34. "The Road to Santiago" by Kathryn Harrison. The author walked the Camino once solo, and then tried to take her 12 year-old daughter on another attempt. 33. "The Book of Mormon." (LDS) 32. "I'll Push You" by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck. 31. "Summerlost" by Ally Condie. 30. "Braving the Wilderness" by Brene Brown. 29. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. 28. "Guitar Zero: the New Musician and the Science of Learning" by Gary Marcus. 26. "Utah Curiousities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Offbeat Fun" by Brandon Griggs. 25. "Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism" by Dawn Prince-Hughes. 24. "Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor" by Jon Scieszka. 23. "Counseling with Our Councils" by M. Russell Ballard (LDS). 22. "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by Avi 21. "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright. 20. "QB: My Life Behind the Spiral" by Steve Young. 19. "Batneezer: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 18. "Lord of the Hat: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 17. "Beyond Belief" by Jenna Miscavige Hill. 16. "Ruthless" by Ron Miscavige. 15. "Katfish: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 14. "Pinocula: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 13. "Potterwookiee: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 12. "Worth the Wrestle" by Sheri Dew (LDS). 11. "Wonkenstein: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 10. "Cub Scout Wolf Handbook". 9. "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. 8. "A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy" by Sue Klebold 7. "Columbine" by Dave Cullen. 6. "Changed through His Grace" by Brad Wilcox (LDS)> 5. "The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida. 4. "No Doubt About It" by Sheri Dew. 3. "Amazed by Grace" by Sheri Dew. 2. "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown. 1. "Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake" by Frank W. Abagnale.

My grandfather's sisters were named: Vina Iona Velora Zelpha Letha Elma I always thought their mother, Minnie, made them up, but when I googled them, most of them showed up.

My mother's favorite author when she was a child was named Enid Blyton.

I lived in Austria as an LDS missionary, so it's funny that I know this, but: Europeans generally like their beer served room temperature. I noticed that seems to apply to other drinks as well. If you order a Fanta at McDonalds, for instance, you have to specifically ask for ice.

I have a proposal. Perhaps even a challenge. The Hivemind could be a really powerful force for good here. We have a lot of collective wisdom and a strong sense of community. When these events happen, there is always a lot of discussion: here, on Facebook, in the comments for the news articles, etc. We need that, as part of the healing and mourning process. But there is an unfortunate pattern. We always talk about what "we" should do, but when you look at what we suggest, it's disconnected and distant. In fact, it is always about what we want the government to do about it for us. Let's lean in and make it personal. Let's start really far in. Let's ask, "What can I do?" Here's what I thought of, for me: I can teach my children (biological, nieces and nephews, and my cub scouts) that they have intrinsic worth that does not hinge on being famous. Then I can teach them that everyone around them has that same worth, and that it is absolutely not okay to try to control them by violence. Nor is it okay to marginalize them, or walk over them, or kill them for our own benefit. Then I can reach out to my neighbors and make connections with them that are meaningful enough that I am never that guy on the news saying, "So and so was my neighbor. He seemed like a nice normal guy. I'm shocked that he would do this." Then, zooming back out a little, what could we as a community (could apply to any community, but I'm thinking particularly of the Hive) do? Here's some possible thoughts: We are really good at "mourning with those that mourn", right? We come on here for comfort all the time. What if we leaned in and flooded the comments on the news articles with "I'm so sorry for your loss. My heart aches for you," and similar heartfelt sentiments? It would help heal the affected communities, and it might just cause a little light to go on in the next wannabe that helps him (probably -- could be her) see that the victims are people. We could also consistently ask the media for stories about the victims and maybe help shift them from focusing on the killers. We also have mad research skills as a group. I personally think we aren't asking the right questions when we compare ourselves to other countries. I consider Switzerland quite a bit, because they are known for having fairly liberal gun laws, but somehow it's working for them. Is it because they also control ammunition purchases, as someone on here has suggested? Where are our laws similar and where are they dissimilar? Is it not about gun control at all? Maybe there is a fundamental difference in how they train their militia, such that they have lower rates of PTSD and anger management issues? I know our U.S. soldiers are trained to depersonalize their targets to make them more likely to shoot to kill. Maybe the Swiss don't do that? Maybe it is about mental health. The rates of mental illness are pretty much identical: Either 1 in 5 Americans (NIMH)/or 1 in 4 (NAMI) Americans have mental health issues at a level that require help. 1 in 4 Europeans (WHO) do. So what's the difference? Do they have better access to mental health care? Less stigma about seeking help? (I have been really impressed with England's new campaign, Heads Together, championed by the young royals.) Maybe it's a difference in their school systems, and they are more cooperative and less competitive, and they produce fewer bullies? Can we, here at the HIVE, find these possible differences and start asking our senators/congressmen to investigate changes based on them? Anyway, just my thoughts.

Has it really been since July since I updated my reading? 32. "I'll Push You" by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck. The documentary is coming out, and they did a Ted talk a couple of years ago. The story of their trek on the Camino de Santiago, and what they learned about friendship, asking for help, and vulnerability. Justin has a degenerative disease and is wheel-chair bound, so Patrick volunteered to push him. 31. "Summerlost" by Ally Condie. This is part of the [Our city] Reads at our local library. This is a middle-school book that deals with loss and autism. It's set at a summer Shakespeare Festival. I liked it, and DD12 is going to read it next. 30. "Braving the Wilderness" by Brene Brown. Daring Greatly is probably my favorite, but this was good, too. 29. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. Listened to this in the car with DH on a mini-road trip (without the kids). 28. "Guitar Zero: the New Musician and the Science of Learning" by Gary Marcus. The author challenges the idea that you have to start young to learn to play a musical instrument. He read the "10,000 hours" theory, and decided, at age 38, to learn to play guitar. The book combines that journey with interviews with various experts about how the brain works. 27. "Life Skills 101: A Practical Guide to Leaving Home and Living on Your Own" by Tina Pestalozzi. 26. "Utah Curiousities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Offbeat Fun" by Brandon Griggs. 25. "Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism" by Dawn Prince-Hughes. 24. "Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor" by Jon Scieszka. 23. "Counseling with Our Councils" by M. Russell Ballard (LDS). 22. "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by Avi 21. "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright. 20. "QB: My Life Behind the Spiral" by Steve Young. 19. "Batneezer: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 18. "Lord of the Hat: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 17. "Beyond Belief" by Jenna Miscavige Hill. 16. "Ruthless" by Ron Miscavige. 15. "Katfish: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 14. "Pinocula: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 13. "Potterwookiee: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 12. "Worth the Wrestle" by Sheri Dew (LDS). 11. "Wonkenstein: The Creature from my Closet" by Obert Skye. 10. "Cub Scout Wolf Handbook". 9. "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. 8. "A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy" by Sue Klebold 7. "Columbine" by Dave Cullen. 6. "Changed through His Grace" by Brad Wilcox (LDS)> 5. "The Reason I Jump" by Naoki Higashida. 4. "No Doubt About It" by Sheri Dew. 3. "Amazed by Grace" by Sheri Dew. 2. "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown. 1. "Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake" by Frank W. Abagnale.

What type are you looking for? There are first person, get inside a person with autism's head type. I liked "The Reason I Jump." I liked Temple Grandin's book, too. There are the technical description types. Anything by Tony Atwood is good. I found "Asperger's and Girls" very helpful. And my favorite written to kids type is "The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders." I also liked "The Asperkid's (Secret) Book of Social Rules." The author, Jennifer Cook O'Toole, has Asperger's and is raising her kids with Asperger's, so it's both the insiders type and to kids type.

Our neuro-psych suggested "My Little Pony," because my kids were already fans. She suggested watching together, and then asking, "Why did she do that? How do you think she felt?" etc. One of our speech teachers used videos from ModelMeKids.

Nobody answered the "type" part yet. Not flat. Sooner or later, with kids, you'll need to use a magic eraser type sponge on it (like for the beautiful cat my daughter drew with sharpie). The paint comes off. If you don't like the shiny appearance of gloss (I don't), compromise with semi-gloss.

Can I do that with an Android phone? Anybody know how?

The kids and I went over to the Oregon Coast for a day trip when we visited Portland two years ago. We road the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, then visited the Tillamook Cheese factory and the Cape Meares lighthouse, and then spent the rest of the day on the beach. (Not sure which beach. There was a tunnel you could hike through to another smaller beach. It wasn't too far from the lighthouse.) ETA: I think it was the beach was Oceanside.