If you will be on the Mall and using the subway, I would stash a small, soft frisbee in your bag (or you can buy one at Air & Space), a small ball, or small figurines, plus a snack in your bag. At that age, my dc did well for about an hour in the museums and then we would head outside to let them run and play on the Mall. Wipes might be good as my kids also liked to dig in the dirt out there. And, to miss rush hour on the trains, we would always hang out on the Mall and play for an hour at the end of the day. If you're not planning to ride the subway, do ride. Riding the subway (while standing up holding on to the pole) was seriously exciting when my kids were that age, lol. I think Natural History (Dinosaur Hall) is most appealing to young kids. Mt. Vernon was great and we especially loved the Gristmill and Distillery. Those are not a part of the main area but are 3 miles down the road. It's smaller and used to be less crowded. We would take a picnic or snack and eat by the creek there. Plus kids like to see the Gristmill demo -- big and loud, lol. Take a boat ride on the Potomac over to MD side. There is a giant statue to see. Will look up specific info and post more for you later. Am on my phone now. ETA: The Mt. Vernon Gristmill & Distillery might not be open for touring while you are there. Double-check. But, you could still run around on the grounds (I am guessing).

We like their hummus. I find better salmon there at the fish counter than at other local stores. My dd loves their soups on their hot foods bar. I like the WF 365 unsalted canned beans. We get jars of Shizzle sauce (Jamaican jerk sauce) there; maybe I could find them elsewhere locally, but I've never looked... Dd & her friend brought home mochi (Japanese-American ice cream balls wrapped in sweet rice dough). So delicious! :drool5: We all had a great time sampling the various flavors. We tried: Strawberry, Vanilla, Red Bean, Chocolate, Mango, & Coffee. They were all great, but we might skip mango next time & add in more of other flavors instead. (FYI, there were four of us. Dd & her friend bought six mochi & then we cut each one into fourths to try. So we each had the equivalent of 1.5 mochi, which was plenty for a dessert serving imo. In case you are wondering how many you might want to buy/eat....)

My dd uses Retainer Brite (or a similar brand). She lets it soak for about 15 minutes, then scrubs/cleans the loosened gunk with a toothbrush (a soft one, separate one used just for cleaning the retainer). The ortho's office said she could also use a drop of dish soap in water for soaking it, then brushing it as above. (Dd says you have to really make sure to get all the soap off, though, because it will taste like soap otherwise.)

I work part-time in a library & the flu & stomach virus have been rampant here. I don't wear gloves or a face mask at work, routinely touch kids' books (& all the others too), & interact face-to-face with patrons. So far, I have not been sick with the flu or a stomach bug. Who has been sick in our family with a nasty stomach bug -- my two teens. It was a rough 48-hours of stomach bug & I think dd picked it up at her university. (She lives at home & commutes.) I can't think of anywhere else she could have gotten it as prior to that we were all home for many days due to snow & ice & everything in our area being shut down. On a Friday, she went to classes. By Monday morning, she was terribly ill. By Monday night, ds was terribly ill. Even with both of them sick here in the house, I did not get the stomach bug they had, nor did another teen that was staying with us temporarily during that same time. I guess I'm saying all that to say that a library is not necessarily where you will pick up germs. You can get them anywhere, not necessarily from places you think you will, & I don't generally avoid going out because of colds or flu going around in the area. We take normal precautions like others have listed (hand washing, not touching face, etc.). Since your dd has a hyperactive immune system, I'm not sure what advice to give. But for those with normal immune systems, I would advise continuing life & going out as normal, while continuing good habits like hand washing & such. (So, for example, I would advise my own teens to continue their volunteer work as normal.)

Some assorted cards (birthday, note, etc...) & stamps. (My grandmother always liked this kind of thing because she had supplies on hand to then send cards to her grandkids, etc....)

Could it be something environmental like you or the neighbors getting the yard treated w/ chemicals, the kids play in it later that day, & your ds ends up sick in the middle of the night? A location or thing they play with sometimes but not frequently? A detergent or change in something like that w/ something he encounters only once in awhile? A slow/small carbon monoxide leak? (I had a friend that was sick off & on for almost a year & it turned out there was a small carbon monoxide leak in her house. On days she went out a lot, it didn't affect her as much, but when she was home a couple days in a row, she would get sick.) I guess in addition to a food journal, I would keep an activity journal, if possible. Where, when, what he did the day before he got sick, etc....

Happy Birthday!

For my super-dry hands (I have to be careful because many lotions inflame my dry hands): L'Occitane Shea Butter. (They have various types of lotions & scents.) For my feet: Bath & Body Works Eucalyptus & Spearmint General overall: Bvlgari White Tea Lotion

I read this book about a year ago on Pam's recommendation. I highly, highly recommend it too. It should be required reading for everyone.

http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/mlk-day-gradesK-5.html#v http://www.watchknowlearn.org/

No. We read the book Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World by Selby Beeler & both my dc decided they liked the tradition of throwing their teeth on the roof. I guess our yard probably has teeth that have rolled off the roof over time.

Happy Birthday, Rosie!

My teens have lectured me on this for a long while now, telling me how I'm coming across as harsh & uncool. :lol: Maybe I'll follow Garga's lead & try it without for awhile. See if they notice....

Happy Birthday!

I will have the Year of the Carolina Wren in 2018. I'm going to make it my background picture on my computer. I did the same last year when a Nuthatch was the one I saw. Melissa, last year, because of you starting this thread, I also read Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds. I loved it & it was one of my favorite books of the years. Just a lovely balm for the soul, that book. Thank you.

:cheers2: Looking forward to 2018 being better than 2017. And wishing the same for everyone else too!

Recent movies seen... Have never seen other versions of Murder on the Orient Express, but dd & I saw the recent one. We enjoyed it. I wouldn't rate it a favorite, but it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours. I liked Branagh as Poirot. ---------- Saw The Last Jedi w/ my dc, sil, & nephew. Overall, a good enough popcorn movie but Star Wars is just not really my thing even though I enjoyed it. By next week, I will have probably forgotten much of it. I do like their newer cast & I think they've done very well (considering the complete hokiness of the original six movies) with setting up the next generation of characters as ones you want to root for (or against). I felt the story itself was a complete rehash yet again (like it is every time). Some random comments: I love seeing the previews & they played many, but I was sorely disappointed. I can't say I'm interested in seeing any of the movies shown in previews. And, since the previews selected are aimed for the movie audience, it was a bit of a poor sales job (imo) for The Last Jedi movie. Overall, an entertaining enough way to spend a couple of hours, but I wouldn't go see it again. ---------- Ds & I went to see Die Hard on the big screen at the local theater that shows flashback movies each week. Very happy they included it in their Christmas line-up & they even have a little pre-movie talk they show that gives you info/background on each movie. This talk mentioned the controversy as to whether or not people consider it a Christmas movie or not. :lol: A side note -- in my sister's neighborhood, a guy who lives there puts in ductwork for a living. He built the ductwork tunnel that Bruce Willis is crawling through in the movie & got a big poster to put inside it. His yard decoration this year was awesome (& his house won the neighborhood decoration award this year): It's still one of the best action movies ever. Plus, it's where I was first exposed to Alan Rickman as an actor so long ago & I fell in love with his acting. Love it. We had a great time seeing on the big screen & eating popcorn & Raisinets for lunch. Rating: 1000 times better than any Star Wars movie. Very fun way to spend New Year's Even afternoon. ---------- So, out of my three recent movie trips, the oldie but goodie Die Hard is still the best, hands down.

:lol:

Reading The Daily Mail website. (My teen ds mocks me for reading it. :lol: )

By Gaslight, which I read at the beginning of the year because it was big & meaty & atmospheric & mysterious. Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds was just lovely. A bit of beauty. News of the World because it had some wonderful characters.

That's actually totally awesome. Plus, the page mentions it can be used for gaffer's tape too, which is something I know Irish Dancers use on their shoes (maybe other dancers too?).

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

USAA for homeowner's & auto insurance. (I know their membership is limited, but they have been fantastic to me this year.)

A knife (he asked for a specific one) Steam cards Books Other things I've found that weren't on his list: Display stand for the knife Hot Sauce Challenge Set (found at Target in the holiday food section) Himalayan salt lamp Fun shirt (Baby Driver design) & sweatshirt (D&D design) Fun foods -- big bag of Sour Patch Kids, oversized Rice Krispy Bar, good chocolates, etc... A set of Stranger Things drinking glasses (also found at Target)

Smithsonian magazine is always great. My dad has had a subscription for years & absolutely loves it. He is constantly talking about articles he read in it & passing them on to me to read. Also, historynet.com has various history-based magazines. Last year, I gave my dad a subscription to Military History & he loved it. There's the Ellery Queen Mystery magazine. I haven't read it in ages, but I had a subscription a long, long time ago & really enjoyed it.