So you're making them work for their meal? What is the point of that?

Mortensen math.

My Bogs are definitely for cold weather, not just rain, and my toes get cold! Of course, they also got cold in LandsEnd boots rated for some ridiculously low temp, so it could just be my feet. ;)

For couples we have met as couples, I tend to put the woman's name first. For friends we have known for a long time who have since gotten married, I tend to put the name of the spouse first and then the friend. I am all good with willy nilly. :)

Wheely Bug. http://www.wheelybug.com/ Cute, fun, and hold up really well. Prices vary, but if you shop around you can probably find one for less than $60.

For maintenance meds, I would avoid Advair if at all possible. It causes reflux in a lot of people, which exacerbates asthma. My asthma got bad after a move to a new city and I went on Advair. It got worse, they upped my dosage, worse again, ditto. Finally MIL mentioned some research she had read, I told my doctor I wanted to switch (to Flovent, I think), Doctor derided me roundly but finally agreed to the change. And wow, it was like night and day. Advair is the devil.

I don't know any women who have changed their names (though I do know one man who has), so I either address to both or, if they have children, might write the Onename Twoname Family.

I don't find Bogs warm at all. Waterproof, yes, but I've been bitterly disappointed in them for warmth. I'd like to hear other recommendations too, cos I've had quite enough of cold feet!

Plan Toys Chalet.

Jerry Kosinski's Being There. George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Urban Sketchers is another that probably gets more traffic these days. :) I'm sure there are other online forums but I haven't been too involved lately.

I understand. I'm of two minds on that myself. I used to only buy food because I didn't want the money used for alcohol or drugs, but then I decided that I didn't like (for me) the judgment involved. I might feel better giving a hot, nourishing meal, but if someone would rather have money given the choice, I am okay with that now.

At her age I took art classes with adults through a university. The first few seconds of life drawing were a little shocking but only because I hadn't been aware of what "life drawing" meant. ;) My parents were otherwise occupied and not terribly interested in my arts education (though encouraging and happy to help financially), so I was the one to find lessons and mentors. I do think being in a community of other artists is wonderful for the exchange of ideas, and that it would be great if she could find that if that is what she wants. I always encourage art history. You can look up syllabi online and see what resources profs are using. I often do this to find books and articles in subjects that interest DS. I don't think kids need to do all activities with age peers. If she has time to hang out and play with kids (if that is something she needs - some children don't) and otherwise enjoy being an eleven year old, I don't see the problem. You are providing her with instruction, so I wouldn't worry about it. If this is her passion, I think it needs to be driven by her and only facilitated by you. ETA. Have you ever heard of sketchcrawl? This is a worldwide community of artists, professional and amateur, of all ages, who get together with other members to sketch. There are particular days where the entire community goes out to sketch, but also local meetings throughout the year. Even if there is no group in your area, your daughter might be interested in looking at other members' sketches, and she is always welcome to post her own sketches.http://www.sketchcrawl.com/category/updates/

Um, I still play with DS's, so I am guessing a while. ;)

You can freeze buttermilk.

We have a wooden block one similar to the one you listed and that is the one I would choose again. DS also has a plastic one that someone gave him, but I would never buy that because it isn't as durable or sturdy and the wooden marble maze has much more room for creativity (at least the one we have). Plus it feels nicer to play with wood than with plastic. Gravity maze I like a lot, but consider that a different category than the other two.

Does it need to be a commercial item? You could get a lot more bang for your buck if you assembled one yourself. Maybe using a book like https://www.amazon.com/Book-Potentially-Catastrophic-Science-Experiments/dp/0761156879 to gather up necessary items for some of the experiments? Or would a kid prefer all the wow! packaging of a commercial kit...?

Agreed. Is there a reason, OP, that you do not want to just give out an envelope with money instead?

What is wrong with people? I'm sorry you have experienced such hateful, awful remarks. :(

No, that is not what I am saying at all. (Well, actually, Rios Montt is, objectively speaking, worse, but that is not my point). What I am saying is that people should be aware of the policies of this country and the effects they have and not blindly listen to propaganda. It's not all black and white. So before people start celebrating the death of someone that they have been told their entire lives was evil incarnate, they should maybe become informed about the horrors their own USA! USA! USA! has unleashed upon the world. We are not always the good guys.

Then you need to examine them a little more closely, because Castro didn't come near the horror of Reagan supported Rios Montt. And we did that, we propped that horrid murderer up. But perhaps he was a good man, because he went on television every week to evangelize, even as he was ordering the slaughter of innocent Maya. https://consortiumnews.com/2014/02/06/how-reagan-promoted-genocide-2/ http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/05/19/what-guilt-does-the-us-bear-in-guatemala/guatemalan-slaughter-was-part-of-reagans-hard-line

This site always makes me laugh. Sounds like some of your experiences would fit right in: http://terriblerealestateagentphotos.com

We looked at a house that had, in a wide open basement, a sort of stage in the middle atop of which sat a throne. Throne as in toilet. Now that was bizarre.

I think it is interesting (and important) to see things from the perspective of the immigrants as well. To all of the Guatemalans I know, family is extremely important. They don't want to leave their families, their babies! But they really feel that they need to go to the US to make money in order to provide their children with a better life. You have to be pretty desperate to leave everything behind and risk death (yes!) to try to make it to the US where you risk certainly to be taken advantage of by Americans looking for cheap labor for jobs that no one else wants to do. I think people don't think about the complexities of the immigration issues, they see "rapists," "drug-dealers," "criminals," not hardworking family men who would really prefer to stay in their culture in their own country. I mean, put yourself in their shoes. Would you not do anything to feed your family, to raise them out of desperate poverty and provide them with the means to receive an education and a better life? I think most all of us would. I wish people could look at it from that perspective, to see these people as fellow human beings. Because really, none of is is any better, it is just that some of us won in the birth lottery.

Absolutely not.