For the most part my Mom still buys almost all my clothes, and the clothes for my husband and kids.

Duct tape

Sleds? Books?

When my kids ever tell me anything medical related, I turn it around on them. "Can you please tell me tomorrow is that is still a problem. It is your job to let me know, because you will have the pain reminding you - and I wouldn't. So I will forget, or just assume it is all better. It is your body, so it is your responsibility to take care of it."

I’m Canadian. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2cXgoFVowAE

If you pass with flying colors, you can make the same bad joke as my Mom, .... "My Dr. says I'm a perfect asshole".

Do not buy jr. Catan. It is, skill wise about as complicated as snakes and ladders.

I would insist she try, "The Enormous Crocodile" by Roald Dahl. It is short compared to his other books, so wouldn't be as intimidating. If she loved Pippi the author actually wrote a little known about book called, "Pippi on the Run". It isn't nearly as good as the others. It doesn't really fit with them, but it is about Pippi and it is a short and easy read. You can also find picture book versions of Pippi where they took a chapter and added lots of illustrations to make it into a stand alone picture book. If you think she will like easy to read Super Hero books check out the "DC Super Heroes" books. What makes it difficult is that they are hard to search for because when you look for the key words "DC Super Heroes" you get many things that aren't what I mean. Here is a list of titles from that 'series'. I wish you could look inside them to see what they are like, but I can't find anyplace online that will allow you that. Youngest read them when he was 9 and he was not much of a reader. If I remember correctly they are similar to the Super Pet books I discuss below. Arctic Attack Catwoman's Classroom of Claws Emperor of the Airwaves Five Riddles for Robin Fun House of Evil Harley Quinn's Shocking Surprise Poison Ivy's Deadly Garden The Puppet Master's Revenge Two-face's Double Take The Fog of Fear The Revenge of Clayface Last Son of Krypton The Menace of Metallo The Museum Monsters The Stolen Superpowers Toys of Terror Under the Red Sun Killer Kaleidoscope Master of Mirrors! Captain Boomerang's Comeback! Killer Croc Hunter Toys of Terror If you like the Superhero books above also look into DC Super Pets which is for a slightly younger crowd. They have lots of full color illustrations on almost ever page, large font and color words inserted throughout. Take a look: https://www.amazon.com/Super-Hero-Splash-Down-Super-Pets/dp/1404866248/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1404866248&pd_rd_r=RQ53CXMGJ2JGF761K94K&pd_rd_w=umokX&pd_rd_wg=7asoI&psc=1&refRID=RQ53CXMGJ2JGF761K94K Please note these books are short - and in my opinion great for this level. Attack of the Invisible Cats Backward Bowwow Barnyard Brainwash Battle Bugs of Outer Space Candy Store Caper Deep-sea Duel Fastest Pet on Earth Heroes of the High Seas Midway Monkey Madness Night of the Scaredy Crows Pooches of Power! Royal Rodent Rescue Salamander Smackdown! Sleepy Time Crime Starro and the Space Dolphins Super Hero Splash Down Super-Pets Showdown Superpowered Pony Swap Thing Vs. the Zombie Pets The Amazing Mini-Mutts The Hopping Hero The Cat Crime Club The Biggest Little Hero The Fantastic Flexy Frog

Dh and I even have separate beds. But they touch.

When my mom wanted us kids to get big presents for a low price she use to get us pillows with home made pillow cases.

If you want really easy and quick go for, "Boy vs. Beast". https://www.amazon.com/Boy-vs-Beast-Battle-Aquatan/dp/1443107476/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1512670745&sr=8-4&keywords=Boy+vs.+Beast They are very easy, and quick to read. Here is a sample: http://boyvsbeastbooks.com/pdf/BVB1_WaterBeast_Aquatan.pdf After that I would recommend Droon. It is the best series to get kids like your daughter reading. https://www.goodreads.com/series/52599-the-secrets-of-droon

This is why my boys take lessons. Learning an instrument has lots of side benefits which I think are very important!

My boys give each other money, or things made out of pipe cleaners, duct tape, scrap fabric, toilet paper rolls. .... Coupons for computer time (You have to earn it here)...

My kids have about 30 minute lessons. Sometimes the teacher goes over 30 minutes with Eldest, but it depends on their mood. My boys are her only day time students so she doesn't ever have another student waiting. If you follow the RCM levels then Eldest (13 years old) is studying grade 5 level music, and Youngest (Newly 12 years old) is studying grade 2.

In the past when we hosted my SIL would show up with a mostly already cooked food that she would just have to heat up, or whatever. I'm not sure since I don't eat many thanksgiving christmas food because I'm vegetarian and STRONGLY dislike mashed potatoes and almost every kind of pie.

I never do holiday baking. Perhaps it is because I only make one kind of cookie, Greater Cookies. At least I spell it, "Greater" everyone else spells is "Grater" as in you have to use a grater to scrape off the burnt bits.

Many years Dh talks about how we should do this or that. By "we" he means "me". This year he has off work the whole week before Christmas, so if he wants something done he can do it.

Well.... I never have really done Christmas. We just go to my mother's.

I did once, and got the job. It was for teaching college. They were looking for someone with 5 years experience in HTML or Javascript. I forget which. I pointed out that at that time even the person who created it didn't have 5 years experience. For awhile it seemed places were just wanting X about of experience in something, not taking into consideration the only way that would be possible was time travel.

For the most part, I read out loud to my boys books I think they should know. I let them read books that they like.

The new cosmos series , which is on Netflix nicely talks about evolution.

I remember reading years ago that the first written reference of the word, "milk" was used to describe a liquid made from rice. If that is correct, perhaps the dairy industry better stop using the word, "milk". :p

The kids and I run, but Eldest is the runner in the family - he really enjoys it. I live in Canada and it gets to -20 and we still sometimes run. Eldest uses a typical running jacket as his jacket. You know the kind that is paper thin. And not just for running! That is his winter jacket year round. In his words, "If you are cold then you aren't playing/running hard enough". He has never worn a typical winter jacket. Before that he wore a hoodie as his jacket. His younger brother currently wears a hoodie as his jacket - but at least it is a warm one.

That is what I was trying to get at. I hear some people saying, "She needs a bra because you can see she is developing." I then state, "You will be able to see if she is developing regardless of the whether or not she wears a bra. So even if you think she should hide her development behind a bra, which she shouldn't (unless she wants to?)- it doesn't work!"

I feel that if you don't want to wear a bra, then don't. :) I know my mother-in-law rarely wore one, because given her size she didn't need support. Perhaps I do feel a reason to - could be that I'm a 32H. :p And when a person develops, you will be able to tell whether or not she is developed, even if a bra is worn.