Congrats and I ADORE baby’s name!!!

I don't have great suggestions, but wow!! What a lovely gesture. I love these kinds of stories - they give me some hope for humanity.

I believe so, yes. However, I don't think phobias are a thing that can be "scare-cured," if that makes sense. Someone afraid of heights won't necessarily beat that fear by forcing themselves into going to high places just for the purpose of "getting over it" and hoping for the best. At least, those tactics never worked for me and usually increased my fears tenfold (thanks, Daddddd...) For me, personally, I just finally had something *click.* For instance, I had an irrational fear of bridges. One summer, my husband couldn't go on the long driving trips we usually take with the kids. *I* had to drive the entire way myself. So - as I was contemplating the drive, I kept very matter-of-factly looking at the route, knowing a bridge was there across every river and just kept telling myself that I would drive across that river with no problem - same as if I were on the ground. Annnd, I did. Just fine. Haven't had a single issue with a bridge since after DECADES of crippling issues (crying every time I had to cross the Mississippi, lol) - it just clicked that it wasn't something to be afraid of, and I'm not anymore. So, I did beat that fear, but not through any replicatable methods. I am an INTJ, though, and tend toward robotic matter-of-factness. I think I had to confront the bridge in such a matter-of-fact way that my judging brain just took over the entire internal discussion (you have to go across those bridges, woman, quit whining about it!) and it became a non-issue as that matter-of-factness overwhelmed the emotional of my brain. 😄 Other fears have been conquered similarly, in that I had to just pull on my "big-girl britches" and deal with it out of absolute necessity. I still have plenty of other, more irrational fears that I expect I will have forever. Like, I'll likely never have to confront a scarecrow who wants to murder me in the middle of the night, right? Therefore, the fear will remain with me til my dying day (hopefully not by scarecrow...) 😬

sounds dreeeeeeeeamy. I hope my own children have the same preferences when it comes to their weddings.

After reading the replies, I get why I've gotten so many varied responses from people I know in person and online/googling. Looks like there are several ways to achieve various levels of diagnosis.🫠 This is for an adult who has always had... let's say, "Concentration Issues." They are remarkably intelligent and have accomplished a lot in their young life, working around the concentration and organizational issues. However, as they get older and have even more opportunities/responsibilities, their "remarkability" is starting to be outweighed lack of ability for foresee time management, pay attention to lectures that last longer than 15 minutes, take good notes without getting lost in daydreaming/doodling, etc. It's just everything all at once. They've talked to lots of friends who have said medication really helped them out with similar issues, so they are interested in pursuing that path so they can continue accomplishing the goals they've set for themselves without their brain bogging them down with unnecessary roadblocks and hurdles.

@popmom I don't know you, but those pictures and your posts sure made me tear up. What an absolutely, jaw-droppingly gorgeous wedding. Your BIL is correct - God was there in that stunning outdoor venue. What a striking portrait of the ceremony!! ♥ And, that table setting!! How I would *love* to use my grandmother's china and silver at one of my kids' weddings!!! So very special. Were there really ten people in attendance, or was that the bridal party & parents' seating? I am beyond impressed if she was able to pull that off!! That would have been *my* ideal wedding size, but my husband insisted we invite all the usual suspects and we had a giant fuss-and-bother ceremony that I still feel zero attachment to. Sure wish I'd stuck to my guns back then! You deserve to feel proud! You coordinated a beautiful ceremony while taking your daughter's preferences into account. Beautifully accomplished! And, the dogs running around and sitting calmly with the bride. How precious! ♥

I disregarded any local school information and we did our own thing. But we were homeschooling specifically for academic rigor that I felt the local schools could not provide. So my kids were generally grade-levels ahead on most subjects and had plenty of time to spend putting together classes on topics that genuinely interested them.

Used homeschool diploma three times and was beyond pleased each and every time! Their diplomas are very high quality and look very professional and official.

Seems to me that, since she is interested in nonprofit law, having zero debt and, therefore, being able to practice law in a nonprofit environment right out of the gates would be a huge blessing!! Am reading this thread with interest as two of mine have their eye on law school and, as first-gen college graduates, they are muddling through so much of this on their own. I'm trying to learn everything I can to be a good sounding board for them when their time comes.

If it's a household chore I've asked my adult-child-who-lives-at-home-to-save-$-to-buy-a-house to do and have been told, "I'll do it later today," that means exactly 0.9 seconds before my head is about to explode with frustration and impatience. 😇 I've learned to give specific times - otherwise, they will do the chore 5 minutes before they head off to bed. If it were *me,* I could mean anything. If it was a household task, I'd just do it right away because otherwise I will absolutely forget about it. If it were a 9-5 job thing, it would mean before 4:30 for me. If it were my own, personal at-home business, it would mean before 11:59 pm. 😄

I get conflicting information when I search. Should one begin with their primary care physician? Or a psychiatrist? Or a psychologist? Our insurance allows us to visit a psych without needing a referral, just not sure where to start. This is for adults.

Even better! If they actually really LIKE both names, I’d definitely use the formal name! 😊 Doctors and teachers are totally used to this kind of thing and will adjust easily.

I hate to yuck someone’s preferences , but 🤢. My kids all like to dip their fries into chocolate shakes though, which also makes me 🤢. Lol I love mayo on a burger, though!! Which I will eat with fries and ketchup! 😂

Another vote for using the formal name on the bc and using the nn. Two of mine go by nn’s and have all their lives. One was given the formal name “officially” while the other has the nn. It was never an issue, really, growing up, but as an adult, the one with the nn is more annoyed with the questions they are peppered with on paperwork or for formal invitations. The one with the “formal” name also likes that they can introduce themselves with the formal name. It helps in some businessy situations or when they run into someone and can tell if they know them from a business-relationship or an informal one.

I feel the same way that this kind of thing is rather gauche. However, that becomes a whole other argument when it comes to balancing a young child's social experience and if it's what my kids' friends would be spending all summer socializing and doing together (and, if I didn't feel that the material itself went against my core values or beliefs), I'd sign her up.

I had a very negative reaction to Educated and can imagine why the mother would want to offer "her side of the story" for sure. For me, the entire book (Educated) felt so... forced. I don't know how to explain it. Just like the author was trying really, really, really hard to show how hard her life was and then, just *wow* she succeeded at an elite education despite everyone-around-her's efforts to drag. her. down. *shrug* I dunno. Reading it just felt like listening to someone dig a deeper hole of what started out as a "little white lie" on a college entrance essay or something.

ew. Gross. Unsurprising.

This is worth trying first. I hadn't thought of painter's tape - I could make a big "x" that he could see. And, hopefully, it would be temporary and he would learn. Keeping the regular screen doors as they are is definitely my first choice option. Off to put some painter's tape on the newly installed screen doors and test it out tomorrow!!

Me too!!!! If I see anyone outside of where I expect to see them, I walk right past - even if I've known them for some time. I've walked past my mother, and I DO normally recognize her! haha! It was a relief once I realized there was a name for it. I cannot pick people out of group photographs (except for the people I gave birth to). I will just randomly pick people with the same color/length of hair until I find the right one. It's exhausting. Because of this, I have had a couple random conversations with people I later found out were famous performers, but I didn't recognize them at the time. Just carried on a normal chit-chatty conversation about this-or-that and went about my business until someone came up to me and told me who I'd been talking to. Luckily, I give zero hoots about famous people in the wild, and just treat everyone exactly the same, so I wasn't mortified or anything. (but I can recognize an actor in one show and know I've seen them in something else before. It makes no sense. If I were to bump into them in person, I would have no idea who they were at all) My parents had several business events that I attended with them when I was young and met tons of famous people at those events. (actors, singers) As an adult, I've bumped into situations with famous people very randomly. The only famous person I went ON PURPOSE to see (other than a concert) was Roscoe Orman, who played Gordon on Sesame Street!!! I love him!! and a few politicians/public speakers, but those encounters were rudimentary. I'd love to have a conversation with LeVar Burton if ever given the opportunity. I ♥ Jermaine Clement. Flight of the Concords is one of my most favorite shows - ever!

oooOOOOhhhhh, that is interesting. Would fix the repair issue... and it's dark (vs my silver screen I've had previously) so hopefully I wouldn't have to be putting it up over and over and over again. Now that I'm typing-out-loud, I wonder if they make a sliding door with a retractable screen like that one we have on our back door... hmmmm... 🤔

Tipping stresses me out. I tip servers in sit-down restaurants, the dog groomer (although, mine are groomed by the owner of the establishment and, longtimeago, the owners would opt out of tips when offered.... apparently that is no longer the case?), my hair stylist, shuttle drivers, and the pizza/Chinese food delivery guy. I generally tip 20-25%. I will ONLY tip at a Starbucks if I place a large group order, but keep meaning to look up to find out if Starbucks employees are paid like restaurant servers or like regular employees. But tipping for pickup really irks me. Like, who am I tipping? And to tip the same % that I would tip a server if I were to eat INSIDE the restaurant? Just no.

We have a sliding door in one room of our house that goes out to the back porch area. My office is in this room and, when the weather is nice, I like to have the screen door open to let in some fresh air and to hear the birds outside. However, one of our (three very large) dogs just cannot see the screen, apparently. He's incredibly smart, but has run through THREE screens (not just tearing through the screens, but bending the screen frame as well, lol). He will jog into my room, see the door open, and SPRING to run outside. When the glass door is closed, he barely gives the outside a second glance. Funnily enough, when outside, he's the one out of the three dogs who never chases squirrels, birds, etc. He watches them, but never chases them. Any suggestions for what to do? I tried putting a sticker on the screen, but it didn't stick and I hated the way it looked. Maybe a baby gate would fit in the opening somehow? Anyone else had a similar issue and found a good solution? Spring is almost over and I hate keeping my door closed all the time, but can't keep replacing screens, either, lol. (Just leaving the door wide open without the screen isn't an option. There are outside critters that would love to come in, I'm sure - not to mention the insects...)

Yes, we are using DDs original illustrations. Some are not digital, so she will need to re-draw those digitally. Then I am coming in with her color palette and extending the background of the illustrations to cover a two-page spread for the book, adding in small details in the background area, and fading the areas where I will be adding in the text, adding in that text, etc. We did this once before, when she was much, much younger and the illustrations were very simple digital ones. This is more complex artwork, so I can't use our ancient method (not that I remember how we did it all those years ago anyway! lol).

I learn best with books and having someone who can answer my very specific questions, but most books I have come across are really outdated & I spend more time searching for updated information online anyway & the artists I know who use Illustrator just sort of wave a magic wand and say “that’s how it’s done,” which isn't helpful. Lol I never ever ever think to check YouTube. lol Like, I just forget it exists. I am putting together a children’s book and have been told Illustrator would be helpful for that process? I have a working knowledge of Photoshop, but for *photos* not illustrations. I’m a Word expert and generally want that to work for everything, but there are limitations that I’ve been told Illustrator will fix. My daughter uses Procreate for her art - I probably need to learn to use that as well? Maybe I need to enroll in a class…

Any suggestions for someone wanting to learn how to better use Illustrator and Photoshop?