We've never made believing in Santa or the tooth fairy or the easter bunny an issue. Ds sort of did, and I just let him be until last year (just before he turned 9) when I answered questions honestly rather than throwing them back with a "What do YOU think?". I refuse to lie to them about something that kids get so invested in, so it's either the truth or "What do YOU think?" which let him believe for a lot longer than dd did because he has a fertile imagination and wants to believe in dragons and all sorts of myths. Both kids got the same gifts and had the same fun with the fantasy, just in different ways. I never played it up, even with ds and was always very tongue-in-cheek about the whole thing. I believed until after 10yrs and felt really humiliated when I found out I'd been 'lied to' for years. Now, that's my personality, sure, not all kids will be like that, but I very much wanted to avoid that for my kids. At a certain point dd was initiated into 'the grown ups' on this one and helped play tooth fairy etc for ds.

My understanding is that it is law that applies to Muslims, covering civil and criminal matters, based, I guess on the Qu'ran and Hadith. I'm guessing it would include financial matters like Islamic banking and loan practices etc and personal matters like divorce under 'civil'? My understanding may or may not be right, but I don't get to 'define' a Muslim concept. I certainly don't see sharia as being something inherently scary or dangerous, although it can be that in practice in some circumstances.

Stick to thermos brand. We've tried others and always come back to thermos...

I had LASIK about 7 years ago and have no regrets. I did have initial complications - the corneal flap slipped and I needed to wear a type of contact lense for a few days to fix it, and ended up having that eye redone as the results were not good enough. That eye still doesn't seem quite right compared to the other, but it's still so much easier than needing glasses to figure out which kid is which :-) At the time, though, the complications were very distressing as I was sort of 50/50 on whether I should have it done in the first place and I wasn't 100% comfortable with the place I had it done (foreign country with difficult-to-determine standards due to a very internationally diverse labour force). My night vision isn't great, and I think that might be a result but I'm still fine to drive. Last year I got reading glasses, so it's worth remembering your eyes continue to deteriorate as you age. Reading glasses are a pleasure after the all-the-time glasses I wore for 25 years, though.

This is what I was thinking of. Also buy brand name items and sell as a bundle or buy individual items and sell as an outfit.

Android devices would have all of the major apps, although nothing with an i in front of it! The Kindle app doesn't support audiobooks. You would want Audible to buy audiobooks, and whatever your library uses to borrow audiobooks (look on their website, they probably have a growing supply of eAudiobooks) - Overdrive and BorrowBox are two examples. For free classics, I use something called FreeAudiobooks I think but there are a number of apps that all tap into the Librivox free audiobook selection. I think there are more details on the Librivox website (you can also burn CDs of Librivox books).

I wouldn't have done anything except the Cetaphil treatment. That's easy, so worth doing. I'd do it again in a week to be sure. The chance of ending up with a louse would be small. We get advise from the school about a child in the class having lice at least half a dozen times a year, and ds has ended up with lice twice in 4 years (and once I think was courtesy of his sister), and it's been super easy to deal with each time with Cetaphil. Even then I only washed sheets and pillow cases once. The first time we tried the conditioner comb-through treatment and that wasn't successful. We now reply on the Cetaphil method exclusively, and throw in a treatment occasionally just in case.

No don't eat the pods. You pop the beans out. I think half the fun is popping them out! The kids like them in their lunch boxes too.

Thanks for posting the conclusion to what was a gripping (and in certain parts, amusing) thread!

I also have a bite splint for clenching / grinding. Dd needed one for jaw issues, though, and it was different from mine - lower jaw not upper jaw as mine is, and the specialist dentist she saw definitely shaped it to relieve pressure from clenching - he made some additional adjustments when it was clear that she was grinding her teeth on it. The splint, worn for 6 months, and exercising done fairly religiously solved the problem for her.

This is fascinating - I've never heard anyone in Australia complain (two kids at school with serious nut allergies). I looked it up - the standard over-the-counter price is $99 (although one of the allergy foundations says "$100-$150) but if you have an approved prescription following an anaphylactic reaction you only pay $37.50 (government subsidised). Why the huge price difference? It's shocking...

We don't control access except in terms of time. Dd is 15 and we've never had an issue. A few years ago I noticed 'sneaky' behaviour and investigated thoroughly but I was fine with what she was watching (anime thing with some tame romance but it was obviously a big deal to her). Ds9 is more tricky. He tends to push boundaries and 'cheat' more than dd did. I recently discovered he was using his ipod for games when he should not have been. He lost his iPod for a short while. Immediately afterwards I picked up on another transgression and we instituted a long and harsh loss of all electronic privileges and once that finally elapsed, set up a parent-controlled password on his devices. I tend to think that the risks get over dramatised by the media so I am watchful but trusting until I'm proved wrong. We aim for open communication and try to explain why some things are off limits. ETA: I'm not suggesting there are no issues of concern. Recently overheard ds and a younger friend talking in the car and friend said "If you search whisper-whisper on YouTube you see whisper-whisper." I asked ds later and whisper-whisper turned out to be "girls in a state of undress". I chatted to friend's mother and I honestly don't think friend had actually searched on the term, just heard about it. Ds seemed clear he wasn't allowed to search that and I reminded him that I am all knowing and all seeing and most definitely all powerful and would find out. I told him if he wanted to know what a girl looked like to ask and we'd find an appropriate resource. He was happy with that, but added "Or you could just look at your mom" :-)

That's a generous number of calories to lose weight on (not too generous, just a good amount). I usually bank on about 1200 calories for weightloss. Breakfast: Slice of french toast and berries with a blob of yogurts and a drizzle of maple syrup Slice of toast with a scrambled egg, 1/4 avo and a slice or so of smoked salmon Buttermilk flapjacks with strawberries and banana Lunch: Salad with legumes - chickpeas, beans etc Open sandwich of roast beef, beetroot and leaves (with 2 small slices of bread) A wrap with chicken and veg Soup (with or without a slice of bread) Dinner: We don't snack much, and eat early, so usually have more calories at dinner. It is always on a large side plate or in a small bowl. Basically a small portion of meat (100-150g red meat), salad or other lightly cooked veg and some carbs. Wiser choices around amount of oil or dairy products added to dinner. Snacks: Only coffees for me (lattes) and maybe half an apple and cheese after dinner. Or one square of Lindt dark chocolate. Another good snack is rice cake and salsa and avo. I'm usually hungry and headachey for the first few days to one week - that's pretty normal with any sort of diet change. After that it's fine. The problem is only really if you eat for 'entertainment' between meals, I think.

Yes. Let him go and enjoy himself without you. Stay home and enjoy yourself alone. I'm an introvert, and it would have to be a pretty critical work function before I went to it with dh. The anniversary can be celebrated on a day that suits you both better.

I'd show up at the hotel during lunch time or after work (or better yet, ask a third party to). If you have a suspicion, asking is pointless, as no answer is likely to make the suspicion go away.

I was once told my daughter ate 6 sausages for lunch (and nothing else) at someone's house. While I definitely had a chat to my daughter, I also looked at the mother and asked "Why did you let her?". That seemed like a much bigger issue than a 7 year old continuing to eat a favourite food when someone kept handing it over!

Paperwhite has a better sort of lighting than a traditional tablet. Much better for reading at night as it has a more diffuse light.

That's the sort of thing my husband would do. My reaction would be exactly what yours is. I'd say 'goodbye' to the instrument now for my own peace of mind. It it all worked out I'd be pleased. And if it didn't I might be calm enough to stick to a single stern "Never again" over repeated "I told you so"s!

I know when I asked about bullying before enrolling my kids in school they were careful to differentiate between 'meanness' and bullying, defining the latter as systematic, and involving power dynamics and exclusion. So, if your child doesn't want to play with mine because she finds him annoying - that's not bullying. But if your child encourages other children not to play with mine because your child doesn't like mine, that moves into bullying territory. So it's not really about severity but about intention and power.

Along with: "Oh well, bring your own next time." I don't have much patience for fussy guests. For sleepover meals we usually opt for pizza or meatballs and spaghetti, and save exotic international fare for the family. Snacks are chocolate or biscuits in limited quantity or fruit, eat as much as you need. And I'm always happy to make popcorn. Drinks are mostly tap water, and feel free to dehydrate if you don't like it. I figured out my hardline stance on this early when dd had a friend who didn't eat meat (religious reasons). Except chicken. But only chicken nuggets.

I have a spinner ring similar to this one: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/64710525/spinner-ring-floral-and-scroll-in?ref=market I've had it for about 15 years and it's very soothing. I didn't know they had a name, though. Stacking rings are also good for fidgeting with - I can spin them easily because they're so thing, and take them off and reorder them etc.

There seems to be a playlist on YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB4IfhVO_zpiwhLFL3Jl_KP0ZHBQ07LTv Not sure if that's what you were looking for?

I have my old school reports - those are a fun snapshot of how I was as a child. I have a few childhood photos - my kids have never asked to see them. I don't have any interest in keeping high school photos or momentos - I got rid of those myself. Also no interest in keeping diaries or such. I wish my Mom has held onto books for me. A few years ago I tracked down some young adult books I remembered reading in high school and ordered them through Abebooks - it makes me so happy to have them! The first book I remember reading was in primary school, though. I wish I'd kept my 'lovies' - the toys I slept with as a child. I got rid of those when I was 10 or so and wish my Mom had spirited them away and held on to them. I'm generally not sentimental, so one small box would be all it took. I have a couple of drawers full of toddler toys and books that I'm holding onto for my kids, and every few years I put together a large portfolio book of samples of their drawings, writing and other school work. Maybe 20 or 30 large sheets for 2-4 years work.

Make lists, give timeframes and be specific. I'd start with a 3 hour blitz one evening - order pizza and direct activities from the couch. No relaxing until it's done. You can handle organisational tasks or 'static' work like laundry folding or food prep while they follow instructions on the active stuff. Once order is restored it will be much easier to maintain. Have a daily 30 minute work session before dinner. We've recently started using the online Cozi Family Organiser and I think that might help you - make a To Do list for each person, make a menu with links to recipes, make a shopping list. Everyone can access any of this on any device, so whoever enters a shop checks the list and gets whatever is on it. I hope you feel better soon. It's not fair that they're adding to your stress. Hope you get them sorted out soon :-)

Words are clearly inadequate, but I'm so sorry this has happened.