Sounds like you really Sparkled in that class!!! :-) :party: :party: Congratulations!! Anne

Garga, I'm with everyone else being offended on your behalf!! People who talk that way to you are NOT friends!! I am thankful that you have some new friends who sound much more like *real* friends. And tomorrow?? Can you stay home?? (maybe you're coming down with something...catching....) :-) Anne

I'm confused that he didn't do the scope - isn't esophageal cancer one of the biggest risks associated with long-term GERD? I am glad to hear that you've had some improvement in your symptoms. Anne

Don't come to Alaska for 4 days - you won't have time to do much of anything - everything in Alaska is very far away from everything else. :-). Don't spend a bunch of time and money practicing for the thing you really want to do. It seems to me that your family needs a priority list - what would you all like to see or do MOST? Narrow it down to your top ten and then start at the top. Life is short and you never know what is coming your way. You want to see Paris? Go. You want to hike the Alps? Go. Accept the fact that you cannot do it all. If you're not quite sure What you want to see, go to the library and check out the travel books and start dreaming. Dreaming is half the fun, anyway! Most good travel books have sample itineraries in them - you will learn a lot by studying them. Pick a timeframe. Set a budget. Then choose a trip which will work with your timeframe and budget. Then come back here and you can get advice that will help you plan your trip... Anne

Oh my goodness, Lisa - I'm so sorry! Praying for wisdom in seeking diagnoses and treatment, and peace for all of you!! :grouphug: :grouphug: Anne

If you're only going to have three days in-country, I would pick a city and explore it. Three days is a bare minimum for most european cities, imho. Airbnb can be a great way to go, although a hotel can also be a great way to go if you're able to find one that would accommodate three people. Anne

((((Lizzie)))) So sorry this is happening! You are in my prayers... Anne

Continuing to pray for you, Moonhawk.... :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Anne

Just seeing this now and praying for you!!! Anne

I particularly liked Amy's comments/ideas above - that was generally how things worked when my kids were growing up. I will say that at your children's ages - it's really on you to keep reminding and nagging. :-) Finding ways to spice it up with chore charts or incentives or whatever was an ongoing process. I probably a bazillion (okay, slight exaggeration..) different methods to get it done. But at the end of the day, it was on me. Anne

Moonhawk ~ :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Anne

I knit in many of the circumstances that you mention - what is knitting if not Fidgeting??? :lol: Anne

Praying for you today, Faith!! :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Anne

Toss that list! You have so much on your plate - a list that creates anxiety and makes you feel as if "you should be doing more" when you are already DOING TOO MUCH, is not helpful. Toss the list! (((MamaBear))) Anne

My children are in their late twenties & early thirties. I would be HIGHLY disturbed if I heard this kind of information from a child that lived near me via text!! Anne

(((Caedmyn))) Praying for wisdom and health for you and your family. Anne

The yelling incident is a red herring. Don't let it sidetrack you. No matter what you said, or how you said it, she still ought to be moving towards functional adulthood. If she won't, then she needs to move out of your home. Let her go!! Anne

And many of those people are school principals!!!! Anne

PM'd you! :-)

This is an untenable situation. I think Catwoman's advice was spot-on - help her pack for her new apartment that the in-laws or her mom will provide. I would add, that I would strongly encourage your dh to sit down with his daughter beforehand and letting her know that he hopes she will become a functioning adult in the future, able to support herself and provide herself with things that adults typically provide for themselves, including the health insurance she will need, and that is why he cannot continue to enable her childlike behavior. She will, of course, ignore this, but he will have the comfort of knowing that she has been informed... Let her go - having her in your home isn't good for anybody Anne.

So thrilled for you, pinkmint!!! Praying for a smooth move and many happy memories in your new home!! Anne

I traveled with my kids when they were about those ages. And yes, they thought the kid-friendly stuff was the best part! But, they remembered many of the other things also, and then there was a foundation to build on for later trips/discussions/etc. What I always did was alternate days: museum one day, kid activity the next. And the museum day always included something the kids liked, an ice cream or treat, or being sure to look at something the kids would enjoy - I remember spending time looking at dollhouses in the Rijksmuseum. Also, I had to remember that the kids' museum appetites were much smaller than mine! Fortunately, my husband was usually with me and what would usually happen is that we would go into the museum as a family and look at things until my dh and dc were done - then dh would take them to the gift shop and then maybe outside for ice cream or a park or whatever, leaving me to indulge my museum inclinations as much as possible. My two cents is that it sounds as if you are doing exactly the right thing. "Pushing" them is not going to have good results! Anne

Operating on the assumption that your dh wants to do the right thing, but has years of bad habits to overcome, maybe it would be useful to start with one thing. Choose one thing and make it important. Don't back off when he relapses into old patterns! Don't expect it to be easy, but don't give up, either. Remember, this is important for more than just you - this is important for your children to see their daddy stepping up to the plate so that the family can function the way it is supposed to. Anne

Oh, honey - you need some help - I was exhausted just reading your post!! Your dh needs to step up and help some more, unless there are some extenuating circumstances not seen in your post. I like Liz's suggestion above in which she suggested making a concrete list or schedule. Seriously, you need help and there's no reason why he can't provide some of it!!! Sit down and think through this - what would be most helpful to you and be specific as Liz said. At a minimum, I would think he could take over most of the dinner clean-up and all of the "putting children to bed" activities. :grouphug: Anne

I googled this and nothing came up.... do you have a link? Thanks! Anne