Tickets for two to see the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill concert in Vegas, along with the necessary plane tickets and hotel room. I don't need to eat/drink much. I would handle that cost myself. Oh well, won't ever happen, but I can dream! Maid service - just to clean the bathrooms, floors and dust. Could even be just twice a month. Maybe clean windows once a year.

Alabama Christmas albums The Piano Guys Christmas album (mostly instrumental) Mannheim Steamroller Straight No Chaser - I like the humorous songs! Steven Curtis Chapman Brad Paisley

One ds hung up his coat (so it could dry) and towels. That was all that was on his walls. My other ds bought movie posters from his favorite movies and hung those. It suited him in the dorm. He is now in an apartment, and has nothing on his walls. He said it is too much work to buy Command strips to hang up the posters. :) My dd has lots on her walls, and it is coordinated and cute. Guys tend not to care as much as girls do.

I think it is related to how we are wired to think. I see pictures, and often have other senses associated with those pictures in my head (smell, feelings). Sometimes it is like a movie in my head, if my eyes are shut. When my eyes are open and I am thinking or reading, I still see pictures. I always have. I think that is one reason that I am usually disappointed when I see a movie based on a book I have read. I have already seen the 'movie' in my head as I read the book, and the real movie is not the same at all. I spell well because I see the words in my head, like a picture and I can see if they are spelled correctly or not. When taking a test, I could usually see where on the page in the text the answer was (on the top of the second column, for example). I am a very visual learner. Two of my dc are like me, seeing pictures in their heads. They are also visual learners. One ds is very auditory. He does not see pictures in his head at all, and never understood when I told him to picture the word in his head to help himself spell. He does not get pictures in his head when he reads (but he does read a lot!). He can't understand what we mean when we talk about picturing it in our heads. He doesn't understand when I laugh because someone says something and I get a funny picture of it in my head. He hears it and thinks it is funny, but he gets no picture. He does hear something once and remember it. He just listens and doesn't need to take notes most the time, even in college. I have to take notes in order to see what I am writing so I can remember it. It is a different learning style. I always assumed it is because of our thought process and learning styles related to how we are wired. I don't think it is a problem not to see pictures in your head, but I think it is common to see them because being a visual learner is the most common method of learning.

We always encouraged our kids' interest areas as best we could. Sometimes it means paying for extracurricular courses or activities or lessons, sometimes it means time invested allowing them to do it on their own or taking them places. One ds became interested in video editing. Since I didn't know anything at all about it, I told him he would need to find resources. He did. He was in 4th or 5th grade, and found people who knew how, who told him what to use and a friend had some software. (I have to say that those early videos he made are family favorites, much to his chagrin...) We waited a couple years to see how the interest would pan out, but then invested in a computer and the software he needed. He quickly outgrew the software and earned money to buy the pro software he wanted. He found people to watch (he would ask to watch them work for a day and observe what they did and how), books to read and video tutorials to watch. He spent hours most days teaching himself. He was about 90% self-trained. In high school he got jobs filming and editing. He went to college and majored in digital media/editing and now works full time as an editor for a tv show and highschool/college curriculum, mostly editing, with some filming at times. His interest area grew and flourished because we allowed him hours every day to explore his interest. It is still his passion and career. I would not have expected that when he was in 6th grade, but I am so glad we encouraged his interest, even though we could not do anything to help him learn.

My son went through a long cowboy season in his life (lasted from about age 2 - 8 or so) so he knew all about him, and also Gene Autry. He watched their shows. He listened to their music. Yup, all my dc knew about Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

"Persuasive suggestion" is a great term. I use this strategy. It's better than getting mad because he claimed my thoughts, ideas or info as his own. In the long run, it's usually not worth pointing it out. The end result is the same, anyway.

If there were someplace around here to do that, I would be there! Have fun! It sounds great.

I go to both every week. Trader Joe's doesn't have everything I buy at Safeway, and Trader Joe's has a lot I like that Safeway does not sell. They are only a block away from each other. So going to both is no problem and is part of the grocery shopping routine.

My sons would check out the gun and get into a conversation about firearms and shooting. My sons wouldn't feel threatened because they know how to safely use and clean a gun, and are aware that one doesn't clean a loaded firearm. My sons would most likely think the dad had been out hunting or target shooting before they arrived because one cleans a gun that has recently been used. No big deal. Now if the gun was being used in a threatening or dangerous manner, my sons would respond differently. It depends on how it is being handled and whether or not it was obviously unloaded. I have to say that my dd has been concerned that this would happen to her, having either dh or one of her brothers cleaning one when her date arrived. But in our case, it would be a legitimate cleaning, not a veiled message - probably. To be honest, my ds passed the 'boyfriend test' when he started dating his girlfriend (soon to become fiance). Her family asked him if he shoots, and he does. It seems that she once had a boyfriend who didn't shoot and was not interested in firearms at all, so that one did not pass the boyfriend test. They are a rural family, and often target shoot, trap shoot and hunt. Someone opposed to guns would not fit in well with the family. Fortunately, my ds proved he fits right in. But I know there are strong feelings on all sides of the issue.

My dc did this from about age 4 - 7 (depending on the child) through high school. It is very time consuming. Even when young, my dc had 1.5 hour practices 5 days per week. Meets vary depending on whether you want to travel or not, and meets are not required (at least on our team) because swimming is individual, not group. You may not want your dc to compete long course, but your dc may be ready for that and may enjoy it. My dc loved long course season. There is a lot of expenses involved, in addition to the basic fee for the swim team. You will have team suits, practice suits, team sweats, parkas, t-shirts, etc. There are also lots of caps, goggles, towels, etc. You will probably have requirements for adult volunteers, things like timing (or serving as a US Swim official), snack bar, a myriad of jobs that must be done when your team hosts a swim meet, etc. Meets cost per event entered as well as a basic fee, plus food, gas, hotel (if you travel), programs, etc. It all adds up quickly, especially with a few dc participating. I don't have any regrets, though. Swim team has been a family activity, and my dc benefitted from the experience. They learned many lessons that I know impacted them and their character, and they developed good friendships with others on the team. My dc did play soccer as well as swim team. It did get difficult because soccer games were on Saturdays, and swim meets are on Fri-Sunday, so there was a conflict. We did require them to do soccer games when there was a conflict because soccer is a team sport and the team needed them. They could swim Friday and Sunday events if the swim meets were local and just skip the Saturday events. Eventually my dc decided to stop soccer, but my oldest ds did play soccer along with swim team for 4 years. It also helped that my dh coached our dc's soccer teams and planned practices to be after swim practice. If you don't have that ability, you may have conflict between swim practices and soccer practices. It is difficult to do both sports, but it is possible.

One of the latest things that made me smile was a bouquet of droopy weeds from a preschooler, picked with much love and given to me with an enthusiastic hug. There is a black and white cat that made me smile this morning. I go out daily, early in the morning, for a walk/run and this cat is always sitting in the same place, between the sidewalk and street, a few blocks from my house. It watches me, acting all pompous and important. I don't like cats much, but this one appears to have a very serious daily mission.

Wearing two suits for practice is common. My dc did it, as did most the others on their team. That way the raggedy or holey suit can still be worn for a while longer. The other suit rarely had holes in the same location, so doubling up helps the suits last longer. Plus it adds some drag during practice. Suits are so expensive that we got as much use as possible out of them.

It's just plain hard when a child moves out. I knew it was right that they go, and they were ready. I was excited for each of them to make the step to college and live on their own. BUT - it hurt. I cried. I was sad. The house was so quiet and empty. There was a huge hole in my life that just couldn't get filled with them gone. It was sad walking by their room(s) and the rooms were still clean. Phone calls are treasured, as are video chats. And I realized it was much harder to have my dd move out than my sons. Not that I love my sons less, but my dd and I are close. Of course, we do text and chat more than I do with my sons. We had one season of about 8 months with all our dc moved out. It was horrid and lonely and quiet. But, then oldest ds moved back home. We housed an intern at church. Oldest son's friend (and his wife and pre-school dd) moved in with us, and now they have a newborn. Our house is just as busy now as it was before, with ds's friends coming in and out pretty much daily. Our other ds (not living at home) will call to see if his room is available when he wants to come home. One visit he had to stay in dd's room because it was the only room not occupied. Two of my dc are still living away from home, but I like having young people around. Our house is once again a pretty busy place, and I love it. I do think one thing demonstrates success. My dc WANT to come home. They LIKE to come home. They relax when they are here, and it is refreshing for them to come home. They want to see dh and me. I am glad, and it indicates success to me. I still miss them, and probably always will, but it is part of growing up for all of us.

I use LoseIt (online, like MyFitness Pal, with a convenient app on my phone) and have a FitBit to monitor my activity. I log everything I eat and all exercise. The FitBit has been a huge motivator to keep moving. I like to meet my goal of a minimum number of steps daily. I have lost 50 lbs since the middle of January, and have another 30 to go. I keep to fewer than 100 g carbs/day, usually around 80 g or so. I cut out potatoes, pasta, rice, sugar, flour, grain for the most part. After the first month or so, I stopped missing them and am not tempted very often. I eat sweet potato a few times each month because I like those and they have more nutrition than white potatoes. I have 1/2 cup of fiber cereal daily with breakfast, but otherwise, no grain as a general rule. I eat lots of veggies, and most my carbs come from the 1/2 cup of cereal/milk and fruit. I choose filling foods, and have not been hungry at all. I walk almost daily, up to 6 miles or so. It is difficult to come home from work and walk for up to 2 hours, but I enjoy it. It gives me time to think. If I run a bit, then it is shorter time commitment. Another thing that has helped me is to be sure I expend 500 - 1,000 calories each day more than I eat. That is where the exercise comes in. As a general rule, you need to burn 500 cal/day more than you eat to lose about 1 lb each week, and burn about 1,000 calories each day more than you eat to lose about 2 lbs per week. Generally speaking, of course, because there can be other factors that affect weight loss. This obviously becomes more difficult when you are close to your goal weight, and is difficult if you don't exercise. It is a lifestyle change. I still go out to eat, but choose foods that are mostly veggies and protein instead of pasta and fats. It's all about choices. I don't feel like I need carb heavy, fatty, sugary foods in order to have fun when out to dinner or out with friends. I try to put the focus on the people I am with, not the food and drinks. Occasionally, I will eat a piece of no added sugar pie, or a strawberry tart (usually leaving the crust). It satisfies my craving, and I still lose weight. I don't want to totally deprive myself, and as long as I do it seldom, it is a satisfying treat. I prefer the real food, so I don't eat no fat/artificial sweetener foods. I log all treats, too, so I see those calorie numbers. I may exercise a bit more that week to help cover the extra calories if I have a piece of pie or whatever. I usually drink water, along with some unsweetened iced tea or hot tea. This may not work for everyone, but it is working well for me.

lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, not just seeds. Go light on nuts. Fresh water. lots of time spent with you, out of a cage. Parrots are great pets as long as they are not wild caught.

I have a ds who finished college in December, but walks in May. He was offered a full time job in his field last summer, but told them he had to wait until December to actually start full time. He did the job, but only worked part time until he finished school. He finished on a Friday, then started working full time, in a job he loves at a company he loves, on the following Monday. I also have a dd who is graduating in May. She will start grad school in June. My ds was a semester ahead of schedule because of college courses he took during high school. My dd has been 2 years ahead because she took a lot of college courses during high school and had an AA when she would have graduated from high school. Thus, they both have graduations one week apart from each other. At least they are not on the same weekend, because they are in different states. We will have a fun week in May!

I would buy it if the bird willingly comes to you and hops onto your finger or hand. That means it has been treated well, and raised by people since it was very young. It is used to people, but will need and want attention. You can't just leave it in a cage all day long, alone, once you get it home.

We do it all summer long. It is filling, but light, and doesn't heat up the kitchen. Our favorite: tri-color corkscrew pasta olives (either black or kalamata) carrots - lightly steamed, but still crunchy broccoli - lightly steamed, but still firm marinated artichoke hearts cooked chicken or shrimp Dressing: Mix the marinade from the artichoke hearts with some mayo until the right consistency for a dressing, then add some curry to taste. Other options: Mix pasta, carrots, broccoli, olives, chunks of salami, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella cheese cubes or balls, grape tomatoes, and Italian dressing Mix pasta with Greek Feta dressing, olives, veggies, chicken or ham, feta cheese, grape tomatoes We also like it with orzo pasta, kalamata olives, chicken, carrots, broccoli, feta cheese, dried tomatoes, Greek Feta dressing or creamy garlic/EVOO dressing. There are so many ways to make a pasta salad be a main course. Often it is all we eat for lunch or dinner, or sometimes I add a fruit salad.

My favorite was when our house was light/medium gray with white trim. I painted the front door a deep plum color. It was gorgeous and didn't yell "purple", but it coordinated well with the house color. I loved that color for the door and got a lot of compliments on it.

There are different types of EVOO which are made from a variety of olive trees. Some is very mild, others are quite strong and bitter. It depends of the variety of olive. I have tasted some olive oils that make me almost choke from the bitterness/bite. Others are delicious and mild. So there are different flavors of EVOO. I know my favorite, and that is what I buy from a local orchard. I don't like the grocery store EVOO much anymore, but will use it in a pinch. If you ever get a chance to go olive oil tasting, do it. I had no idea there were different flavors of EVOO until I did it. It may be that your olive oil is from a different type tree than what you have had before.

Some of the answers vary depending on which DVR you get. We had one DISH DVR that worked two tvs, meaning we could watch what is recorded on either tv, watch one tv and record with the other, or watch both tvs with different shows on each. We could also record on both at the same time, but still watch anything recorded or watch a DVD or Netflix. Different DVRs have different storage content, but there is plenty. As others said, you can choose to keep what you have recorded or you can erase the shows. You can watch the recorded shows as many times as you want to. Skipping commercials is something we do constantly. We also like that we can pause a show we are watching live, then come back after whatever made us stop watching and continue on from that point, and just skip commercials, even though we were not recording the show.

Psych - no question about it. I didn't think Parks and Recreation was very funny. Mostly I got bored watching that. But Psych is fantastic!

One female character tends to run around her apartment in her underwear, but I don't remember any bad language. I did wonder why she wouldn't get dressed when she was at home. It was an interesting series, though. It was better than I expected.

I make skewers and they are always a hit. Skewer: One cooked tortellini Grape tomato Olive Fresh mozzarella ball or slice Basil leaf Repeat It's great with garlic stuffed olives, too. You can also add a chunk of salami if you want to. Then marinate all the skewers in pesto for several hours or overnight. These are always the first to go on appetizer plates.