Was she also given an option to check a website? If so, I'd look there in case it's a phone system glitch.

What steps can we take to turn off seeing the likes of others? A few months ago my fairly slow news feed that contained mostly news from friends and a few sponsored ads and a few shares burst into a newsfeed of mostly comments and likes friends have made to others, and shares from friends. It's tedious to wade through and find the sort of news of friends I actually do want to keep up with.

I'm giving a first aid kit at an upcoming shower for a first baby. I'm adding a baby hot water bottle--500 ml size. Someone bought me one as a gift and it was used many times. http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Rubber-Water-Bottle-Cover/dp/B00SLBTXRG?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

We had a Ford van transmission die suddenly without warning signs, at least none that we recognized. The problem was widespread, and about a year later Ford issued a recall and reimbursed the full cost of the replacement, which I believe was about $3500. I don't remember the mileage on our van at the time but I believe it was around 100,000. My transmission died in the middle of an intersection, and I lost the ability to do anything except steer and brake. Very scary but at least the intersection wasn't busy at the time. It was very dangerous and scary for those it happened to on the highway and/or in busy traffic. That said, if someone showed up to collect on money I hadn't agreed to reimburse, I agree to consider it a threat and call the police.

Are you using a rinse agent? That's what gave my glasses an off smell.

I had someone from way back show up once and the only common thread was that I'd communicated with that person using my hotmail email address that I'd listed with Facebook.. The other person must have linked FB with their email contacts. Once I figured that out I opened up a new hotmail account and I use it exclusively with FB.

Anyone can buy a vest off of Amazon, put it on their dog, and look legit. You can buy ID tags and ID cards too: http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Support-Animal-ID-Card/dp/B00PV2X1ZI/ref=sr_1_25?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1462939803&sr=1-25&keywords=service+dog+vest

I'm with you on new appliances. I just had to replace both racks on my 2 year old GE dishwasher because many tines had broken off and the racks were so rusted the dishwasher was unusable. It looks worse than my SIL's 11 year old dishwasher. My five year old GE french door refrigerator has a broken icemaker (button stuck on) it's a constant fight to keep mildew off the seals. Meanwhile, my 1973 (harvest gold) Tappan range is still going strong.

Ditto! The first few years when my daughter was small she would be tired and overly sensitive during recital weekend. But she loved ballet and performances and I can't imagine denying her a chance to participate just because a performance was past her bedtime. (A regular class yes, but not a one time event). We just rolled with it, including running interference with her brothers. It was just some tears--not the end of the world. That was 12 years ago, and dance--including the times that have stretched her--have contributed so much to the confident, poised person that she's become.

A specialist is paid to advise based on their expertise, including their knowledge and experiences. I think if she hadn't issued those warnings, she wouldn't have been doing her job. Through the years I've come to realize that there are times I won't see eye to eye with a specialist on every single issue on the table 100% of the time. And it's okay. Honestly. If the stakes are really high--ie major medical--or it's an area that I don't know a lot about, most of the time I'm apt to go along with their advice. If it's an issue that I feel reasonably competent in, or I have thoroughly researched, or sometimes maybe just based on a feeling deep down in my gut, I might disagree with them. But I am going to listen before making my decisions because they have expertise that I don't. Take a deep breath. No need to scream here. If you could see yourself easily falling into the traps she mentioned, don't buy the mixer. If it's not going to be a problem for you, and it falls within your budget, buy the mixer. If you buy the mixer and it turns out to be a problem, sell it on Craigslist.

Tools? We started around that age with a Leatherman Multi-tool.

If there's nothing else majorly wrong with it, I'd do the repair and plan on keeping it as a second vehicle if your oldest will be driving within a few years.

When we rented before kids our washer and dryer were in a very large walk-in closet in the main floor bathroom. It was so handy!

I realized after a few years that my daughter didn't care, so I stopped with flowers and did something else instead only for really special occasions--something I knew she'd appreciate instead, like a charm for her charm bracelet. In your situation this year if he sincerely liked receiving the flowers I would probably take the cash I'd normally spend on flowers, and fold it origami-style into flowers and present that instead.

I know a family whose boys started helping their dad with cleaning/detailing, and then took on jobs of their own. They did really well with it.

We went with Target--not expensive and they've held up fine. I bought the microfiber instead of the knit because it dries so much faster. Don't do what I did and invest in too nice of a mattress pad until you know it's needed. Everyone I talked to said to get a memory foam topper because the dorm mattresses weren't comfortable. The mattress turned out to be just fine for my guy, and now I have a dorm mattress size topper sitting around until the next kid goes off.

We recently ordered my daughter's prom dress from Promgirl. We had to wade through a lot that weren't right for her, but they have a ton of choices. They have a search feature which allows you to filter out the dresses without sleeves. http://www.promgirl.com/shop/styles_and_trends/sleeves-dresses

You definitely would want an ophthalmologist for this. We don't have a pediatric ophthalmologist in town but our pediatrician referred us to an ophthalmologist that was good with young children. My kiddo was the poster boy for the replacement frames package!

I know of a neutered male cat that was calm and content as a totally indoor cat with a companion cat for many years. Out of the blue he started acting like a tom cat--spraying, yowling at night, desperate to go outside. I sent the owner a Feliway diffuser that didn't work great for my cat, and that helped some. Finally out of desperation she let him outside and the problem behaviors all stopped.

I had an immediate family member who had a stem cell transplant at that facility. Anything you can do to help hold down the fort at home will be appreciated--meals, errands, laundry, mowing. Knowing others are caring for her family when she's not able to is one of the biggest helps you and friends can be for her right now. She will likely be allowed to leave the floor at any time, but most caretakers do so sparingly to avoid contact with sick people. If she will have a car up there, she needs to check how many days it can be parked until she needs to move it to get the prepaid patient parking rate. It's important that the vehicle exit the parking deck every X number of days (I think it's 6) as it will mean the difference between something like $6/day vs. $18/day. It's a long walk from a room to the parking deck, so she should have a wheeled tote to haul laundry and other stuff back and forth between room and car. Also between the room and the family shower. You can send in about anything in for a care package, but avoid homemade foods as the son won't be able to have those and he will be craving non-hospital food when he has an appetite. Small quantities of a variety of individually wrapped snacks were helpful to have on hand, as well as water bottles. Be sure and check on visiting guidelines in advance of any trip. Kids under 12 weren't permitted in the unit where my family member was. Amazon Prime if they don't already have it is awesome. It gives free delivery on many items (including to the hospital), plus streaming movies while at the there to help alleviate boredom. Will be handy at home also while their lives are disrupted. Her son will be hooked up to IV's 24/7 for a number of days, which require a hospital gown for access. My family member was DESPERATE to get back into his own clothes so my mom made him a week's worth of tshirts with snaps: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rotator-cuff-tear-post-surgery-t-shirt-for-comfort-mobility-REHAB-and-work-/321838223249?var=&hash=item4aef0d8f91:i:321838223249 Noise cancelling headphones for both myself and family member were a huge help to block out hospital sounds, plus give us each a sense of privacy when we were cooped up together for weeks. Plastic keyboard cover for son if he uses a laptop--very handy to protect the laptop during times of nausea. A fleece blanket plus a spare to use while the other is being washed Expandable file to keep hospital paperwork in. There will be a lot! If funds are tight, these would be helpful: Cash Visa-type gift cards (make sure they aren't types that require registration--one we got required a social security number to activate) Gift card to the pharmacy they will use up there (since he'll probably be released to stay nearby once blood counts recover). Walgreens is nearby. Gas cards. Once released they'll be making trips back at least once a week for awhile

MIdwest, in town-- Pugs, pit bulls, and lots of misc little yippy things.

I'd lean towards doing what we what we'd planned to pay anyway, and let him figure out how to fund anything above that amount. Especially if there's a chance he'd do better being out on his own. You can always opt to more later if you are financially able, and if you feel like his academic performance and work ethic deserve the extra investment. When you say he qualifies for the full FAFSA amount, are those Federal loans, or does that include supplemental parent loans? You'll want to look into whether he could sign for his own federal loans at age 17 or you'd need to cosign for him. In essence, anything you co-sign has the potential to become your loan.

Too risky all the way around, but the pond is also the gamechanger for me when it comes to supervising toddlers. Please just don't put your kids in that situation. Years ago my older teen cousin was supposed to be supervising his 2 year old sibling but he became distracted. When we found the 2 year old he was face down in the pond--he'd been there awhile already and wasn't breathing. It was touch and go but he made it. Thanks to God for a brother who had just been through life-saving training in Boy Scouts and a pediatrician who came to the house and told the EMT's to keep going when they were going to stop working on him.

I have PF and gave them a good trial but my feet are a half a size different and the arch on one sandal hit wrong and it made it worse for me instead of better. My podiatrist said Birkenstock will customize, but it's pricey. I've had good luck with Ecco sandals.

This is my body's way of saying I've been consuming too much caffeine. It usually takes a few weeks to clear once I've eliminated it.