The public University in my neighborhood has held tuition constant for the last decade. Now there is a new president and I can see the first slabs falling from the facade. Last month in-progress hiring searches were drastically cut (even some with offers extended) and this month early retirement offers are suddenly being rolled out to everyone over a certain age. On the consumer side, a lot of the decision of where to attend rests on general reputation, rah! rah! marketing, and affordability. Internal cuts don't get much notice until graduates can't find jobs. As far as I'm aware neither of the colleges my kids currently attend are cutting faculty - but I probably wouldn't know without a fair amount of investigating. They are in different states, so I'm not too aware of what is going on.

I, too, would use the highest deductible I can afford to cover.

Sure. I guess it will depend on what OP finds difficult versus enjoyable. If she has in a past life enjoyed latch hook or embroidery, keeping track of multiple colors might not be a blip on her radar. If she is a knitter, then keeping track of a chart, and up vs down is no problem. If she enjoys quilting she is probably also friends with algebra and geometry to the extent that designing her own top might be just her thing. Any quilt could be done with a million different fabrics, or monochrome, it all depends on what floats her boat. If she decides to do a 5 color log cabin with 5" squares to cover a California King she will be making a lot of those blocks - which could be easy and encouraging or could kill her with tedium. Maybe you know the OP better than I do <shrug>, but I'm sure she is able to flip through the options people have presented and do her own version of swipe left, not interested or boy, that one is boring but if I .... it would be really personal and fun to make.

This isn't a traditional idea at all, but one possibility would be a "pixel quilt" It could be a picture of whatever you want, and all the pieces are squares. It could be them or something they both enjoy, or whatever. Here is an example someone shared recently. Think of a Chuck Close picture.

What a stressful situation, Sue. You will be present in my thoughts this week.

Be careful about completely enclosing that space. Your refrigerator may need some air flow to keep the motor from over heating.

I do this all the time with my cheap black tea bags. I usually use them twice. The second steep goes a lot longer, sometimes I finish my tea before taking it the bag. I rarely squeeze them out because they are hot and I'm using my fingers. It doesn't bother me if they wait over night, but it does complicate my caffeine ingestion system a bit. After the second use I put them in the compost bin and pat myself on the back.

In my house we have a cabinet up there that stores the big wok I only reach for occasionally, a year's worth of coffee filters when I stock up, the pasta machine I inherited from my grandma, and some electrical transformers for the kitchen lights. I really like Katy's idea for matching whatever you put up there too the cabinets, even if the trim and all was just built on as part of the cabinet doors.

I enjoy Wegman's when we travel east and Hy-Vee when we travel west. I'm a grocery store fan girl. When I travel over seas I like to spend time studying grocery stores. 😁

Thank you for the update, I hope he has a smooth recovery.

I'm sorry I don't have specific advice for you, just support. It sounds like you are in a difficult situation. Any possibility of out sourcing to public school for your youngest two altogether? You've already paid in the money for that option. Even in the best of times home schooling high school is difficult and it sounds like the next few years will see you looking to find your own balance. If that won't work, I wonder if you can spend 8th grade really highlighting his strengths and interests. Is he a sports player or a reader, history buff or video gamer? Has anything you used this year been working and doesn't need to change? Any subjects in particular that have been a struggle?

@Eos sorry to hear about the trauma your dd experienced. Mine had a similar experience in the fall. She was able to switch rooms over the semester break, whew. I agree with your mystification about spending so much money to attend a college or send your child to a college, when they are not interested in getting much out of it.

Or the one about procrastination (funny, but not terribly instructional) https://youtu.be/arj7oStGLkU?si=IO0PpsXNnEmyFLqA I hear you about the frustration of inefficiency. I do think you need to give him some room to be in charge, however you can also put down your own boundaries - family things that he needs to attend, and behaviors that aren't acceptable. Now is when he starts learning to be a good roommate, another skill that will be useful in his future

Can ya'll help me revise my makeup policy? Cosmetics should be worn at the users discretion, but thoroughly removed every night before bed to avoid staining the pillowcases.

He is getting straight A's, so is the issue that you are wanting him to be more efficient with his time? At about this age I had to really back off and let my teens own their work. I started using phrases like, "You are clearly doing what needs to be done. Have you thought about (whatever is on my mind)?" and then I had to let it go. One of mine was still interested in sitting down Fridays and strategizing work for the weekend. The other was not. If he is doing well, and it sounds like he is, I would try backing off. If his grades start to slip, ask for his thoughts, maybe make a change at that point if needed. It can be hard to let go, but it is a good time to ease back. "You're grades show me that you are handling your school load well. Using that as a measure, I'm going to work on backing off. I find it hard to do, thanks for your patience with me."

I did that once, too! 🤭

Hi, Melissa! I'm glad to see you. I finished a hat that my dd requested. It fits well (lucky, since I didn't do a gauge swatch), and the pattern was the perfect level of interesting but not difficult - good for read aloud audiobook time in the evenings.

Following along since I have all that and physics, too. My last dc who took chemistry was able (with lots of prodding) to find everything they needed on the shelf! I don't know anyone in my area who is homeschooling.

DH got a reminder from one of the big rental car companies last time. Also a postcard from the state, but the rental car email was funny.

Oh, the fickle, fickle winds. Hopefully Aeolus looks your way tomorrow.

I forgot to mention that there happens to be a Stephen King book that he apparently wrote for younger readers (The Eye of the Dragon), but I haven't read it yet, and I think it is fantasy rather than horror. You might offhandedly mention that if she *does* ever pick up a Stephen King book, it is very, very, (very!) important to accept that stopping in the middle of the chapter, when the action is calm, is the way. to. go.

What Moves the Dead, by T. Kingfisher, is a retelling of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. I didn't recall ever reading The Fall, but I recently read What Moves and I find it very, classically creepy! It is not a short story, but it is a novela, so not much longer. If she particularly wants a short story you might look at Roald Dahl's "The Landlady" It was creepy, but I classified it as "middle school creepy". Implied, but not explicit. It was difficult finding appropriate short stories for my middle school short story class!

All 3 of my dc had teeth removed a year ago. The dentist referred them to oral surgeons and sent the surgeon X-rays. We showed up day of procedure and I waited in the lobby. We picked up the scrip on the way home, but none of them needed it. The only follow up was a phone call from the office the next morning. Do actually weigh your child. I guessed on the first and that may be why her anaesthesia seemed to take longer to wear off than the others.

If I had the time I might make a few appointments with people - advisor, president, people in between and show them what you are telling us, ask if this should be considered representative of the school, ask for your money back in lieu of returning your students time. Basically raise a polite stink.

It was pretty clear on their webpage. We were wondering if it would affect us, but it didn't really. I think at a small Speedway like this fireworks are a pretty regular occurrence.