You said you go to church. Can you post an ad there - "mother needs help with cooking or baking, will pay." Or ask the pastor if there are any teens or older women who need a small job? My other idea is to say, "I can't cook and get everything else done. On Saturday morning and Wednesday night I'm going to cook and bake. You're going to manage the kids. Ok?" Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would have no problem with my husband having a business lunch with his female boss or another coworker. I might question him if he was eating with the same women alone every week, but not like I would definitely forbid it. I would be extremely uncomfortable with him taking a business trip with only a woman, especially if it was more than a couple of days. A married couple that I am close with had the husband cheat on his wife with his secretary during a long business trip and now it's just a sensitive issue for me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

New Mexico chilis are usually mild but have a distinct flavor, almost sweet; they're more vegetable-like than cayenne or jalapeño which are primarily spicy without much flavor IMO. But I live in New Mexico and am pretty biased. We buy cases of green chilis and have them roasted, peel and freeze them. It's hard to capture the green chili taste elsewhere because they don't make good powder. Canned is the best option. As to the spices, it depends on the spice. Onion powder is the same from every brand. But I find things like thyme and sage to be better in certain brands. Of course fresh is infinitely better. Explore the fresh herb area, if you're intimidated by it. Also, I often find that the generic spices are in a smaller container and actually cost more per ounce then the medium-tier spices! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For what it's worth, my family wears holes in fancy brands of jeans just as quickly as cheap jeans. You do not get three times the wear from jeans that cost three times as much. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Claritin in the morning and benedryl at night got me through a stay at a house with cats. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In the last year I think I've purchased about 12 outerwear items, a pair of shoes, and 8 undergarments. So around 20. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There's a pretty neat app called Cladwell. It's expensive for an app but it helps you design a wardrobe based on your needs and preferences. "That's So You" is a book with worksheets that does the same thing.

In my state mothers are effectively paid well by the adoptive parents. All expenses for a year are covered. So it costs about $25k to purchase a baby. I worry that some mothers are effectively giving up their children for financial reasons. I don't mean greedy, I mean terrible financial pressure without another solution that they can figure out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Probably normal. My DH was child height at 16 but was six feet by graduation. If your DH has little face and body hair, I wouldn't expect DS to have more even as an adult. Most at 16 probably have half of their final facial hair if that. I think later puberty is a good thing! Puts mental maturity an extra step ahead of the crazy hormones. Any time your child is concerned, I think it's good practice to see a doctor, to show that you take them seriously. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I hardly ever notice panty lines, because I'm not staring at butts. Yes, it's a little tacky, simply because it's not supposed to show and does. Like socks peeking out of your loafers. Same with bra straps. Not supposed to show, so it looks like a careless mistake. Your slip showing under your dress. A man's underpants showing if he raises his arms. His leg showing over his sock. All show ill-fitting clothes or lack of detail attention. Undershirts are usually made to show so it's ok. Like the top of a man's t-shirt with the first button unbuttoned or the top of your camisole with your v-neck shirt. It doesn't look careless because it's made to be that way on purpose. If a man was wearing a shirt and tie and his undershirt showed, it would look cheap, because the material is too thin. But that only matters in formal environments. Underpants are intrinsically more immodest than t-shirts, which can be outerwear, so that's another factor. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My first son said zero words at 15 months. About 15 words at 18 months. 2-3 word phrases at 24 months. By 30 months he was on average age level for speech, and now he's 3.5 and uses 15-word sentences and expresses complex ideas with a good vocabulary. I wouldn't worry at all! Meanwhile my second was saying hundreds of words by 18 months and is now 21 months and says over a thousand words in complete 5+ word sentences. But I'm thinking that around 2.5-3 he will be at the same level his brother was. Meanwhile, the older son caught onto problem solving and fine motor much earlier and was a better climber, and the second can't do nearly as many fine motor tasks as his brother did. They're all different. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, I mean this thread. I looked up the abbreviations but wasn't sure which was meant.

A bit tangential but does CC mean Classical Conversations here? It's clique-ey and people think it's the only good way? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Robotics involves a lot of computer coding mostly. It is usually in a department with math requirements but complex math is minimal in the career itself. Has he done any basic coding games or projects? Have you ever seen the Lego robots? My husband also recommends looking into lab or experiment tech. His lab (LANL) has techs who build and conduct the high explosives experiments but don't do the analysis. We're not sure of the requirements to entry but I think it could be an ideal fit, as much as you can say at 12 years old. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a large collection. What types of games do they like? How many players usually? Highly recommend Ticket to Ride, Carcassone, Splendor, and Kingdom Builder. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We usually have lamb, twice-baked potatoes, asparagus, squash soup, and dinner rolls. The soup can be made ahead. The potatoes are the only intensive thing. And wine to drink. Something light with fruit for dessert. Strawberry shortcake, fruit salad with whipped cream, or cobbler. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had a less common method and love it. A jar/holder in every color. All the red markers, crayons, highlighters and colored pencils are in the red jar, etc. I find it easier for my little kid to sort himself, and it tends to encourage more multimedia exploration. I have them all on a tray so that I can get out the whole thing easily. Paints and pastels are separate. I have one basket for scissors and glue. Paper is stored in a bankers box, all on its side so you can pull the one you want. (Printer, notebook, construction, sketch.) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sounds like DH is still in the mode of fighting with younger siblings over prized toys. Does he have siblings?

A lot of people at my husband's lab do blow stuff up for a living! But they have PhDs in Physics. I wonder if lab tech is a viable career option? Does he enjoy hands-on mechanical work? If tons of math-intensive theoretical problems are not his thing, he probably won't enjoy a major in chemistry, physics, or any type of engineering. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm sorry to hear this. (But also, congratulations.) I very much did not want to be pregnant with my third baby because I already had two under two! I found it frustrating and humiliating that I wasn't really in control of this aspect of my life, despite my good efforts. I resented the pregnancy until about 7.5 months. I waited to tell everyone until it had been obvious for a while because I didn't want to talk about it. I also have depression during and after pregnancy and bad morning sickness and various other symptoms. It just sucks on many levels to get pregnant against your will. I hope you find in time that this new little one is just what your family needed, that the kids love the baby and get great practical experience too. Hopefully between five siblings, you can get a good amount of help without burdening anyone much. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Both would have to be good IMO, although you could consider one or the other if it were really exceptional and there was an explanation from teachers about a reason for lack in the other. Like, brilliant but bored in school, or curious and an in-depth learned with test anxiety. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For those wondering, I believe the actual term comes from college football (US) where players can choose not to play freshman year and have a fourth year of eligibility at the end of five years of college. They wear red shirts to games. Maybe it's all sports? Anyway, college sports eligibility. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is what worries me about it. The poor families can't afford to redshirt, so that's one more disadvantage for them. Because no matter how you do it, the oldest will always have a slight advantage, and there will always be the oldest and the youngest. Redshirt is huge in our system, so my September and November boys who should be just about the oldest will probably be in the middle. (Sept 1 cutoff.) My June boy, who should be the youngest, will have to redshirt and be the oldest. If we do PS, that is.

What age? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That sounds awesome! He will be way better equipped for college lab, if he takes it, than his classmates who blindly followed a few sets of instructions. Although he may violate lab safety at first.