We went with a group in 2009. We loved all four basilicas (St. Peter's, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls) and also the Pantheon, the Roman ruins, and the catacombs! Don't miss those. We went to the catacombs of St. Callixtus. Also, Soprani's is a store near St. Peter's Basilica that sells inexpensive religious items.

I like them for cleaning or mixed with water as an air freshener. I've never EATEN them though. Good grief.

That is a gorgeous room!

I'd maybe do a food gift with some of his favorite foods and/or beverages. Maybe cash too.

I'm so sorry, abba.

I just realized I am liking and responding to posts from a couple months ago...oops! :-)

That sounds so beautiful! I love Colorado.

I'm singing in the symphony chorus for the Messiah! We will have our third practice this week. Such heavenly music, and we have an awesome choir director.

I recorded it to watch later..maybe this afternoon.

You mean besides books, yarn, fabric, and vintage dishes? Nothing.

At the pool, one of my kids at age five had inflatable floaties on and was waving her arms up and down shouting, "I'm bouyant!" Thanks, Bill Nye.

Ha..I was scrolling down this thread and saw the words pick up line in some posts. I had to read the posts to figure out what kind of pick up line you meant.

Yes, if she starts making comments I think that is reasonable. I would still have a little talk at the start of the trip if it were me. Eta: oops responding as if the OP wrote this. Sorry.

I would most likely stay out of it, too, unless I knew for certain that one of them was involved in some kind of self destructive or otherwise dangerous behavior that the other one didn't know about. If it's mostly a case of very different personalities I would let them work it out.

I just skimmed the responses. I would sit down and have a talk with your mom beforehand. Tell her you are looking forward to spending this time with her and that you greatly appreciate her kindness in paying for the trip. However, tell her that you will not be eating three full meals a day because that is just too much food for you. You will be ordering a beverage only, or a salad or fruit, etc., at certain times. You are not diabetic and this will not have any ill effect on your health. This is how you normally eat. "Mom, I just really want to spend time with you. It shouldn't be about how much food either of us eats, so let's not focus on that. Let's focus on enjoying the trip."

I've always been welcome in the exam rooms at the dentist and orthodontist though my kids are older now so I don't go in. Our orthodontist had a padded bench near each exam chair where parents could sit if they wanted, or you could wait in a nearby area. The rules you shared are very weird.

I always have one or two mega packs of toilet paper on a shelf in my laundry room, and a bathroom drawer dedicated to extra shampoo, soap, and toothpaste. Marie Kondo doesn't have children IIRC. If she ever does have kids, she may want to have more than four rolls of toilet paper in the house.

Those are good ideas! And if you buy them one thing in exchange for them getting rid of a bunch of things, you're still making progress, right?

I keep them in a basket.

I have purged my kids' stuff before, especially something like a stuffed animal that was not seen or played with for years. I wouldn't have even shown that to them, mean mom that I am. One thing I did when purging WITH them, was to point out that some little boy or girl who didn't have very much at all would love to get some of the toys they rarely played with. It made them happy to think of helping make another child happy.

I remember being sickened by this story when it first broke decades ago. What is the point of putting them in the spotlight now? So that they can show the world that they have a normal relationship?

I think she should invite Marie Kondo to her house to KonMari it. Can you imagine? :-)

My life is very different from hers too, and I am completely fine with that. My purses are: the Turquoise, the Gray Clearance Special, and the Black Vintage Clutch that Was My Mom's (and cost me nothing but I love taking it to dressy occasions!)

About that video..I didn't watch the whole thing and yes, she has a lot of stuff, but I am not going to let that bother me in the least. I really have enough to do here in our home.

Well, if something is an annoyance then it's not sparking joy, but it does complicate matters when your husband wants to keep certain items. I had to compromise with my husband's clothes. I would have pared down his wardrobe much more, but that was stressing him out. I do get rid of ripped or very worn things. Btw we have silicone tongs but I haven't had a problem washing them. ? We also have a pair of metal ones with hard plastic on the handles. Maybe you would prefer something like that.