Love it! Everyone looks so joyful!

That level of hands-on money management is very time consuming. Even if you take the time to go over reports it's a whole other level to verify the reports are accurate and nobody is ripping you off. An old friend of mine has made a lot of money (9 figures) and he enjoys managing it himself, but he quit his job to do it. It's literally his full time job to manage his own money.

Sorry I wasn't clear. Yes I was implying he might get paid more than the tax return would reflect, or that he hasn't been filing taxes so there's nothing to give you, or that he just might be more comfortable showing invoices and deposits to his account if he's concerned about showing you the returns. My guess is he didn't file last year, either due to no or very low income, or he's making money under the table. Otherwise it makes no sense he wouldn't show you with the SS number blacked out.

I agree with you. Go with your gut. I am all for helping out young couples just getting started, and I can even sympathize with not wanting to provide a tax return, but if the husband is unwilling to verify income in some way, I wouldn't go for it. Perhaps he can provide bank account statements showing deposits of income? Otherwise I would decline without a co-signer.

So many little things like that. But since it's the season I'll mention I keep a picnic blanket in my car, which allows us to stop for spontaneous park time, lie on the grass if we see a good spot, spread out our work if we see a cool spot and want to work outdoors, etc. Plus it gives me comfort that if the car broke down or there was an earthquake we'd have a blanket to keep warm while we wait. Once it's folded and zipped (keeps in neat in the trunk) it has handles and a handy pocket.

I get Cottonelle. There are a couple of different ones.

toilet paper bird seed dental floss kitchen sponges soap paper towels Not sure if they are all good deals, but it's worth it to me to always have these stocked up.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: I've been away and was heartened and relieved to read about the program you found. You are all in my thoughts.

Hmmm. This thread made me think about the weird social dancing around grooming and public situations. Just IMO, presented without justification for inherent contradictions: Doing full face makeup in public (concealed, false lashes, eyeliner wings, etc) is a bit much. A quick swipe with powder, lipstick, or lip balm is not. Putting up signs is going too far. Given the things I have seen in NYC subways the signs are downright ridiculous. Being a passenger in a car either private or taxi gives you more rights to privacy then being on transit, despite sitting next to a big window. It's silly to me that a taxi driver would ask a passenger to put away makeup unless it's some crazy glittery mess.

Before the latest political wrangling over healthcare, I would have suggested not paying for COBRA and activating it retroactively if an expensive medical bill came to pass during the gap. Now with discussions floating around about penalizing people who have had gaps in coverage, I'm not as confident. I do know you get 3 months of not being covered under the ACA and you don't have to pay the penalty during tax time. However, the GOP plan currently being considered could cost you more in the long run: It's a bit of a gamble. 63 days is a bit more 2 months so you could be cutting it close. I'm not sure about grandfathering, and all that is subject to negotiation anyway.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Please don't hesitate to ask for support and prayers here.

DS13 is usually in bed around 10:00. I'm up at 7:15 and the kids are up at 8:00. We like a leisurely cooked breakfast with some reading so we don't start till 9:00. But this is a recent shift for us. It used to be an hour earlier but I pushed it out after learning that most teens do better with later start times. DD9 is just along for the ride even though she's not a teen yet.

Thanks Laura! I'm always interested in elections outside the U.S. but this one in particular as I was in London for the Brexit vote and all the brouhaha leading up to it and the the aftermath as well. I know that this is about more than that but reading all the papers and chatting with the locals got me more interested in UK politics in general. I'm leaving town so I'll be quiet for a few days but hope to catch up when I return.

FYI that's not self-insurance. Self-insurance is usually when an organization pools the resources of its own employees together or an individual knows they can cover expenses without insurance. In other words, assuming all the risk instead of spending money to spread some of the risk to a third-party insurer.

If she'll need to say in bed and rest a lot, including during the daytime hours, maybe she would like a sleep mask. I like the buckwheat kind.

No not embarrassing. You did fine! Plus it's much easier for people to see your face than a random hand in the air.

I like Van Gogh. In this particular painting I like the juxtaposition of the small people are the large sky. I also like the atmosphere of the trees. The buildings are not my favorites.

Ramadan Kareem

"Tough love" is a loaded term, and while I agree one cannot "tough" the illness away, one can hopefully create scenarios that make the person more likely to get help. In our case, my fired was bouncing around from friend to friend after she moved out of her home. (She wasn't told to leave, she left because she was completely delusional that certain events that had occurred there and she couldn't stand to be there. Subsequently there was a restraining order and she couldn't return.) We were all taking her in for a few days until it would become untenable and then she would move to the next house, cycling through but not going to the ER to get help. Once all the friends and coworkers managed to find each other through FB, friends of friends, school, etc we all got on the same page and told her she couldn't stay with us and she needed to go to the ER. She tried to stay in a shelter but they wouldn't keep her due to her behavior. That day she called all of us and asked us one last time for a place to stay. We all said no as agreed upon, and she went to the ER and finally got help.

I'm glad you found a place and locked in. Honestly I was a bit concerned with the camper idea because it can hinder good sleep to have everyone so close together and I know a lack of good sleep can start the mania ball rolling in BP folks.

Cancel the trip, at least for yourself. This is all not worth it for people who aren't even going to appreciate what you had to deal with. I do think the best plan is to not go but send them. You can get some peace and quiet and they can learn to step up a bit.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Continuing to support you. A tip: At some point while helping my friend I figured out if the person seems to do better in front of others, it works well to tell medical professionals that he or she "presents well" and they seem to understand that. "Your husband doesn't seem like he's doing too badly." "Well he does present well, however _____."

I've never ordered one but I would avoid that purple one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag4HN_jeYV4

I had this kid. I remember being excited when he temporarily hit the 8th percentile! Now he's still skinny, 5'5" and ~80 lbs. His current BMI is I think 13. He eats very healthy foods and good quantity and exercises 6 days/week. He's strong too. So have hope! The four things that helped him when he was the same age as yours were homemade bone broth, homemade kefir, liquid fish oil, and egg yolks. The yolks were runny, and he ate them off my finger. The doctor also pointed out to me that percentiles are related to the current population, which is currently suffering from an obesity problem, and DS would have been in a higher percentile if he were born a couple of generations ago. That made me feel better.

I wouldn't do it, sorry, esp if the step kids are adults. I would offer 3 options, and DH gets to pick one: 1) Everyone helps with the work, jobs and meals assigned ahead of time. 2) You don't go, but DH and step kids can. 3) Do something more full service. That's it. Otherwise it's going to be miserable for you.