There are a few particulars I didn't mention. Dh is NOT happy. He hates this property (I like the house despite it's faults) and he doesn't like the landlord. He wants to move out of this house. Roughly by November. He is supposed to be getting money from his mother then. His mother is somewhat unreliable so I don't know if that will pan out. He talks about it every. single. day. Without fail. I am beside myself. I don't know what to do. The hive probably doesn't either but I just need to voice it. I don't want to move again so soon right now. *sigh*

This all happened between June 30th to present. We started out with very high hopes. We were finally going to move up north. We were looking forward to autumn and winter. I had never lived in snow so I was looking at it like an adventure. We looked and looked for a rental for almost a year. Finally we found one. It was month to month, which was perfect because we wanted that flexibility. So we secured the rental and sent off the first month and deposit. Before you ask, no we didn't actually see if before we moved in. I knew a lady who lived at that trailer park and she assured me it was a nice park. We looked on google maps and we had visited the area twice before. It was a single-wide trailer. The property manager told us it was 14x80 and it was a three bedroom, two bedroom home. We thought that sounded fine for a temporary residence. It was about the same size as we were living in anyway and the price was right. It was less than we were paying before. So we packed up our home (no easy feat we had been there almost 7 years), rented a 24ft Budget truck, which happened to be absolutely filthy when we got it I called budget and complained, that should have been our first clue, then the A/C didn't work and the tow dolly had something wrong with it, clue two and three) and packed it to the gills and headed off. Everything went fine up until we actually got to PA. We showed up late in the afternoon, maybe 8pm or so but it was still very much light out. The property manager met us there with lease in hand. The first thing that stuck us was that the trailer looked a little short for 80 feet. *Shrug* I am no judge of distance, dh was certain it wasn't 80 feet. Then we went in. The first thing that hit us was the smell. Whoever lived there before us had a cat. And didn't care where it did it's duty. The next thing? The third “bedroomâ€. I don't call 8x6 a bedroom. That is a large closet. Shall we talk toilets? Both were still dirty from the previous tenants, so you an imagine what was on them (Oh and I didn't discover that little sweetheart until AFTER my youngest had used the facilities). The tub was black at the grout areas, the refrigerator and oven were still dirty from the previous tenant as well. Then comes the “master†bedroom. First thing we noticed was the whole in the carpet and a sticky substance as we walked over the threshold. Then we saw the closet. There was animal doodoo in the closet. We were devastated. We had sunk all our “liquid†(we had some money left on credit cards) money into the move. We left. We stayed at a hotel. We went back the next day only long enough to take pictures of the conditions and demand our money back. There wasn't even an offer to clean it up. At that time we were told it would be mailed to us. The woman from the park that I had met was so gracious and kind. Her family offered to take us in, she was mortified at the conditions when she saw them. She told us she had no idea that things in the park had gotten that bad. She said the last place that she saw rented there (I think it was the last one she said) was immaculate and very nice. However my dh was absolutely (and rightfully so) livid (not at her, at the property manager that thought it was OK to rent a place out in that condition). He wanted out. He decided we would go back to NC. The problem? Money. We had enough in credit cards to get us back but no up front money to get us into another rental. We had no idea when (or even if!) we were going to get out money back from the park. We were homeless. Dh called his dad. *Snort*. He literally begged. Have you seen a grown man beg? It was humiliating for him. He did it anyway. His dads response? Are you sure you can't stay there for a month or so? If you can't afford that rental how are you going to afford something more? Huh? Did he not hear? We only needed to borrow funds to get us in. We both work from home, we can afford monthly expenses, we just didn't have the up front funds to move into a rental. Basically his dad said no. I called my parents, they are unemployed and barely had the money in the bank. Other family members were the same way. Finally right as we were leaving PA my sister and her husband came through and were able to lend us the funds to get into a place. We finally get into NC (by way of WV and, a bright spot here, saw a wonderful fireworks display the day before Independence Day) and we were looking for a place. We were driving to the city where we were going to contact the landlord to go see it when I get pulled over. No, I wasn't speeding. My registration was expired. Yes, I knew this. There was a lapse in insurance last year (total goof on my part) and although I paid the fines I needed to “turn in†my tags for 30 days. The just attached that to the end of the year so instead of being able to register mid June I couldn't register until mid July. I got this ticket less than a week before I could register. Could anything else happen? Why yes it can. We never could get a hold of the guy renting the place we wanted to look at and after a half dozen calls and frantic internet searches we had to move on. We had stopped a couple hours outside our original place in the hopes of finding something there. We press on . An hour outside Asheville we stop for some gas. We turn off the truck and fill it up. Then go to leave. Nothing. The truck won't start. Really? We get roadside assistance out there and they get it started again. We finally make Asheville. We start looking for a hotel and stop again. Big mistake. The truck won't start again. We call it in and stay at a hotel and wait until the morning. We get back to the truck and it starts. Seriously this is getting ridiculous at this point. We look for storage so we can get rid of the truck. At this point we are paying over a hundred a day because we had to keep it extra days to get back. We wanted to turn it in. While we are unloading the truck into a storage unit dh manages to make arrangements with his brother to stay with him until we get a rental. We go to turn in the truck and the office is closed. The office we went to decided they were going to close early and they closed the next day as well. They were supposed to be open the next day. I called Budget and told them that I don't want to be charged for the extra day because the office is closed. They notated it. We get to his brothers house and all was well for a little while. Before I get into the brother thing let me go over my Budget thing. Remember I said the office was closed and I called Budget to make sure I didn't get charged that extra day? Well guess what, they charged me the extra day. I contacted them about everything. The filthy cabin, the break down, the A/C not working the tow dolly. They wanted to refund me a measly $90 bucks. The total after they charged for the extra days was well over a thousand dollars. I said not good enough. I went back and forth for two days and finally got someone to refund a decent amount. Which ended up more than I was originally asking for. Finally score one for me. So back to the brothers. Did I mention we were traveling with a dog? He is great traveling. He likes it. Well they weren't to keen on the dog and he was mostly sequestered outside and in the garage. That was OK, we understand not everyone likes dogs. Then the cat gets hurt and of course the first one they blame is the dog. Did he get loose? Are you sure that when ds5 had him he didn't get loose? No, he didn't get loose. He had no scratches on his snout, nothing. If he went after a cat he would have has something. Well they caught the cat and took it to the vet. It ended up needing to be put down as it was full of infection and other things. The vet said it looked like it was hit by a car. The straw that broke the camels back, and landed us without a home again, was when dh brother verbally attacked ds5. A little background. Ds5 is a major handful. He is sensory seeking, a major alpha, very energetic and eats a lot. He doesn't do anything, for the most part, with malicious intent he is just impish and likes to constantly engage. Dhs brothers kids are not like that. They aren't used to him running around and causing mischief. They also do not eat much. None of them do. We eat a lot more than them and especially ds5. He is always eating. So basically he was getting on their nerves and dhs brother mentioned more than once that ds5 needed more discipline. We just ignored him when he would make his comments rather than rock that particular boat. However one day was particularly bad. Ds5 had climbed on the chair arm and jumped off. Dhs brother said if he did it again he was going to have words for him. I admonished ds5 and declared I needed to go to the store and took him with me. Later that day everyone (all the kids dh and his brother) were outside playing catch and batting balls. The internet was out at the house because of a bad storm so I said I was going to go check email and see if any new rentals had popped up. About 30 minutes after I get to the wifi spot dh texts me and says we have to leave he got in an argument with his brother. I come back and found out that ds5 had cracked a plastic bat that someone had given him to play with. We found out it was dhs brothers sons first bat (it was a whiffle bat). Apparently (and I got this info second hand from the kids and dh) dhs brother came out and slammed the bat on the ground thus breaking it in half and proceeded to berate ds5, indirectly, about how he breaks everything (the only other thing he had “broken†was to tear a handle off a plastic bag they had hanging up for recycle) and we were not following the rules of the house. We were dumbfounded. I was meticulous with everything. We replaced what we used and I cleaned up after everyone. The brothers wife works full-time so I took care of the chores (I told her I would) while we were there and I even cooked meals for everyone. We have no idea what rules we broke. They didn't say. Now I know tensions can get high when people are living together that way but really it was handled very poorly, especially in light of our situation. We made a mistake are were paying for it. They didn't kick us out per se but indirectly they did. The next day they didn't let the kids stay home from daycare (or camp as they called it, it was a program run by the elementary school they went to. It was like daycare but at the school). The brother ignored us and left. We got the hint. We packed up and left and went camping instead. We finally found what we thought would be a decent rental. The landlord assured us that he would take care of everything, there was still some work to be done, before we moved in. We secured it (with borrowed funds) and he said it would we ready in about 4 days. Those 4 days went by and he kept saying it would be ready. We got here on that day and it was anything but done. It was not nearly what the other place had been but it wasn't move-in ready either. We discovered the fridge didn't work (but has been replaced) and the oven handle was (and still is although the part should be here next week) missing. There is a foot wide section of the wall next to the sliding glass door that needs drywall. There was a leak and the drywall was wet so it is still waiting for the drywall. Three doors won't shut at all and two more don't shut properly. The house and especially the deck need to be pressure washed. When it rains, and that has been frequently, the deck gets really, really slippery because there is black mildew all over it. There is a window missing from the double pane in the master bathroom. I had the clean it (it wasn't bio-hazard dirty but it was dirty and dusty from disuse) and even though he said he had the carpets professionally cleaned I wonder if they used any kind of cleaner or just made the floor wet. The AC/heat pump unit doesn't work and is supposed to be repaired but who knows when that will happen. There is still a hole in the cupboard in the master bath. The garage still has the old fridge, the landlords ex-girlfriends mattress and the broken overhead microwave still in it. He has left nails in boards and broken glass around the yard. My dh is beside himself with what to do. We are month to month here as well but we can't leave. We don't have the funds. We don't know when this nightmare will end. We just want the work to be done so we can settle in. He keeps saying he will do it but it hasn't been done. To be fair he has done a lot of other work that needed to be done but, honestly, he should never had said this was ready to move in. We could have camped an extra few days. We are financially and emotionally worn out. Dh has been able to work and I picked up some hours starting next week. However our credit cards are now maxed out and we owe my sister money too. We really did a disservice to ourselves but it was, by no means, on purpose. To top that off I need to get a schedule going for school. We haven't done any schooling since about a week before the move. I am hoping to start in September! If you made it to this line then bless your heart through and through. Thoughts, advice, prayers and anything else you can think of would be most appreciated. Wow it felt good to get that out.

Yes, he told them. We were camping at the time. We didn't have any tools. I am unsure about the place here talking to the one there. This was in two different states. We have absolutely no proof that it could have been them other than what we say. Like I said we were camping. The car never left out sight or site. I also can't see someone trying to steal one tire... although stranger things have happened. I wonder if it is even worth it, but then I think.. our tire could have fallen off. Not good.

See if I could dispute just a portion I would. My dh called and talked to them and said that he wanted just to have coverage of what we paid to have it fixed and the owner of the repair place agreed but right after that the man then said well maybe someone was trying to steal that tire and decided not to reimburse us. So we did try calling. Oh, the owner did admit that this has happened in the past but that they did something about it. Only the last time it happened it did result in an accident.

OK So the family and I were traveling week before last and the brakes started making a grinding noise. We took it to a local shop and the checked the brake system. We found out the brakes were digging into the rotor so we needed to have them changed. $320 later we are done and are on our way home and after hearing a awful noise, a couple stops, worried glances, the van shaking and discovering it wobbling we found out that the lug nuts were loose. Two posts were gone (along with the lug nuts) and the other three were loose enough to come off after 2 turns. We called the company that did the service and talked to them about reimbursement for the cost of fixing the posts and such. He said someone could have been trying to steal a tire and that is why they were loose. :huh: Seriously? We have a 97 Dodge Caravan with the paint peeling off the top and the paint peeling off the wheels. Not exactly a hot bed of want. Anyway, we were mad to say the least. They weren't willing to do anything. So I thought about disputing the charge. I know credit card companies have purchases backed by warranties and such. So what would you do? Would you dispute it? Do you think I have a case for disputing the charge?

*bump* anyone? :)

We don't do the traditional M-F. We prefer to have our weekends during the middle of the week. Most planners I have seen are always M-F as is the case with WPD planner. Is there a planner like the WPD planner that doesn't rely on a M-F schedule?

Alright, that answered the question. I wasn't thinking of pools and such. :)

We are looking to camp for a few days in NW Pennsylvania and I can't help put notice that a lot of campgrounds charge for a day visitor. Why is that? I mean visitors as in people coming to sit with others that are already staying there.

I am trying to find info on this that is simply explained. I have looked at the USDOL and SBA and such but they have a lot of extra stuff in it. I just want it simply explained how to have employees in other states. Well, if possible. Employment laws have become very convoluted.

My middle son is 11 and he has a couple stuffed animals that he still drags around and plays with like they are his friends. I don't have experience with boys. I had no brothers. My sisters boys are all significantly younger than my boy so they can't help. I know my dh says he shouldn't be doing this. He is to old (Cuz he didn't do that at his age so, of course, ds shouldn't be doing it either :001_rolleyes: ). I don't know though. Ds has no friends. None. He doesn't want to participate in extra curriculars and even if he did we are limited by funds, distance, and willingness to do anything. Dh will not and I mean not take the kids anywhere. I was sick once and dd didn't get to go to karate because he didn't want to take her. Anyway I digress. So when is it time to stop playing with stuffed animals with pretend play and such? I am tired of hearing he needs to go to public school to "act normal".

http://wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_paperless-classroom-11866.shtml?app_data={%22pi%22%3A%2251a693eadf0a5cb50b000004%22%2C%22pt%22%3A%22wall%22} From second grade up? That means 7 and 8 year olds. Lord above know that my handwriting changed after those grades. So have my kids. Do you think tablets and computers will replace written word? I hope not.

She has been doing MUS for the last 4 levels. Epsilon, Zeta, Pre-Algebra and Algebra 1. She is half way through Alg 1. I was looking at TT Alg 1 because I don't feel Mus gives enough review or explanation. So I gave her the placement test today. She bombed it big time. I know she knew a lot of it but she had forgotten because there isn't enough review. MUS was been the umpteenth program we tried. I thought it was great until now. She couldn't remember most of what she learned in Zeta. I tried the same thing with my son and noticed the same thing. He couldn't remember his subtraction because he has been working on multiplication. Same thing with place value even. He remembered after a little prodding but still. I am tired of switching programs. We need one and to stick with it. I do like the TT way of doing things. Does TT review regularly? Both of them need more review. Similar to Saxon. We didn't like Saxon as I didn't think there was enough explanation there either. Looking back maybe it was better, I don't know but I know I don't want to use Saxon. I think it will be TT. Any input? I am at my wits end.

Well I guess my question is doesn't matter what essential oil it is or does it have to be a particular kind?

Bump.... anyone?

My oldest son is getting an ear infection. He is complaining of ear pain and has been congested. Anyway I have been looking up home remedies and some say to use basil oil and/or tea tree oil. I have both in essential oils. I use the EO in a mixture for bug repellant so I already have all the different oils I need. My question is can I use those oils in his ear?

I have tried searching but I never come up with what I want. We currently use Math U See. However dd has been complaining it doesn't go in depth enough. I love Steve but I don't think there is enough explanation for the problems either. We skipped graphing altogether because even my dh (who has done pre-calc in college) couldn't figure out the way the graphing was done. Anyway, I have heard rave reviews about TT. I think I am ready to just buy it and get it over with (the cost pains me) but want to hear from others. Have you use both? Does MUS get better? Depending on how this goes with dd, I am looking at getting it for ds as well. So need input! :)

Is it worth it to pay the extra money to buy the 2.0 version over the 1.0 version?

Good ideas. I am going to look into the DBA. Thanks Hive! :)

See that is what I was wondering.

When I put in my papers for my LLC I had to register with the LLC at the end of my business name. Is it necessary to add the LLC at the end of my business name on everything or can I leave it off? Anyone know?

My almost 5yo (he'll be 5 in June) has been complaining of a headecks (as he says) for the last 3 or 4 mornings. He only complains in the morning and doesn't act like anything is bothering him otherwise. His appetite certainly hasn't changed. He eats more than my 11yo. Not sure what it is or if I should be worried. Any ideas?

He is 11. We are halfway through MUS Gamma and I am struggling with him. He hasn't memorized his multiplication. He still uses his fingers for simple math. He can't add in his head. He knows the concepts and he gets it right but it takes him forever. I am all about self paced learning but this is just getting ridiculous. How can I drive these things home? I don't want to keep going and push him through. I don't want to go back to Beta because it will devastate his confidence. What can I do to help him learn this stuff? Pulling my hair out here!

She is 15 and 135 pounds at 5'1". She is also in karate and is solid muscle. She is constantly worried about her weight. Constantly. She reads the calories and everything. She is a vegetarian (eats dairy and eggs). She just came out of her room and said she thinks she is gaining weight because her face looks puffier. :huh: Seriously? I told her she needs to stop. It is getting to be obsessive. I snapped and I know I probably shouldn't have but sympathizing doesn't work either. Neither does telling her she isn't fat. Pointing out facts and tables and whatever else doesn't work either. I know it is in her head but I don't know how to help her get over it. She will never, ever be a skinny willowy person. She can't. It isn't in her bone structure. She comes from good German/Irish/Italian stock. Everyone on my side of the family is stocky and I have all sisters. It is just the way it is. How do I get that through her skull?

My friend told me today she lost her baby. She was about 27 weeks along. Prayers for swift recovery would be nice for her. I don't want to bother her right now so can anyone tell me how long (about) she will be in the hospital? What will she need besides time? Is there anything I can do for her? Thank you.