Yes, if the roof wasn't pitched too steeply. My oldest is only 8 but if my brother's mind was representative of the male teenage brain, I'd rather send an 8-year old up than a 14-year old.

Yep. Plasticware for the plebeians in coach, and real knives, glasses, and china in first class. Because, you know, terrorists take the cheapest flight to avoid the finance charges next month. :glare:

When I was in college I left my purse behind in a dressing room. My mom insisted on paying for my clothing so I didn't notice my missing purse. When we went to the car I realized I didn't have my keys and went back to the dressing room. When I couldn't find my purse the manager let me call the bank and cancel the card. Total elapsed time was maybe 15 minutes. The thieves went to the auto supply store next door and had a field day. I'm sure these days it would have been flagged because it would have been unusual for my spending patterns, but this was circa 1990. They must have had the most tricked out car in LA, which was saying a lot. Thieves -----> :auto:

This, exactly.

My DH gets exactly what's on the list. Nothing extra. The problem with that is he doesn't even get something he knows we need if I forgot to write it down, even staples. If he eats the last of the eggs or finishes the milk and I don't notice or I forget, he won't buy replacements because they're not on the list. :confused:

I think it's easier to be with your kids if you do it all the time. When DS was born I went back to work for the first year and had a nanny. I loved seeing him and spending time with him in the mornings and evenings, plus weekends. I cried to be away from him, especially while pumping. Yet I would be at a loss on the weekends and holidays. They stretched out and felt like a long time of not knowing what to do and how to relate to him, even though we co-slept and I wore him a lot when we were together. Once I left my job it was an adjustment for a few months and now it's really easy. Going back and forth made it hard; like starting over each time and getting to know each other. But I still do better with mommy time everyday and because of that I either eat dinner alone :o or I end up staying up too late to get in some time alone. I just get "peopled out" without it. The kids understand and they know it's about all people, not just them. They want me to have time; they know it makes me a better mom. But something like celebrating their departure is beyond the pale, to me. :001_huh:

My older kid finished this and my younger is about to start: http://www.musictogether.com/Home I think it's a nationwide program. We're in CA and this is the web site for our area, for example: http://eastbaymusictogether.com/ The kids love it and the music is really good, well, to me anyway. :) They have a section on opening a chapter/small business with them. Maybe check it out? It seems like they provide the music books and CDs and the business owner provides the class instruction, space, and some musical instruments. The instruments are the easy-for-little-kids kind, like drums and shakers. Our instructor uses one of those mini-harp things where you can slide paper music under the strings. In other words, not big expensive equipment.

I don't know your family well but is it possible for the two oldest kids to get jobs or do some work around the neighborhood? :grouphug:

They probably weren't ready to get rid of you, they just wanted their car back. ;)

Yes, I see. I didn't put two and two together about the in-person thing. Well, my parents are foreign-born and travel a lot (in Turkey right now!) and I've traveled a ton, had a lot of foreign-born friends who go home a lot, etc. and I've never heard of it taking more than 3 weeks and everyone seems to get their certificate back. I also really dislike how SSNs have come to be used. I understand it's a matter of convenience for everyone to identify everyone by a unique number, but it feels like a national ID card instead of a security net. I never fill it in on forms and only get called on it maybe 10% of the time.

You should get it back fine. It is a post-9/11 thing. As a Muslim I've seen my share of ineffective security measures and post-9/11 "security theater" but I think it's a good idea for them to get the original. Anyone can photoshop anything these days...

Hugs, mama. And congrats. Yes, my eldest is in 3rd grade and I'm becoming aware of upcoming changes and eventual departures. I'm also reflecting on how happily and casually I left for university and how my parents must have felt. Oy. If they weren't traveling abroad away from phones right now I'd be calling and apologizing!

I agree with this. I wouldn't call the first dress semi-formal but it would have been appropriate at my reunion, which was also billed as semi-formal but was mostly sport coats with ties for the men and dresses like this for the women, with a few cocktail dresses and suits thrown into the mix. Once the dancing started everyone took off their jackets and heels anyway.

Is this method common now? I was in the gifted program in the 80s and we had to score over a certain cutoff on an IQ test, given out of class time during the summer.

I've been reading the threads about all the kids who have left the nest and they make me cry. A lot. DH thinks I'm nuts for crying over something he thinks is far away, but I know it's not. But I also spent extra time snuggling with my little ones this morning because of those threads. :grouphug: And I love the wisdom and perspective from the people who've been there done that. That said, it still looks scary.

Or maybe put her to work. Sounds like she's got a lot of time. "You need to make dinner." "Yes. There's some burgers in the fridge and salad fixings in the crisper. I'll be taking a bath. Thanks so much!" "You should color your hair." "Great, thanks for offering! Can you run to the beauty supply and get some professional hair color, (not too ashy!) some gloves, and a squeeze bottle. Oh, and I need one of your towels, preferably one you don't like too much." "You should wear some shorts." "Thanks for reminding me! I brought along some fabric I liked and a pattern. I'll need them next week, 10 days at the latest. Oh, I forgot the buttons. Can you pick some up for me?"

The situation itself wouldn't weird me out but I would listen to my gut feelings about it and if they were like yours I would be disturbed. But I can also see the exact same thing happening without feeling weird and in that case I would be fine. So it's not so much the exact circumstance but my reaction to it.

"Hmmm. Interesting." "Hmmm. Interesting." "Hmmm. Interesting." "Hmmm. Interesting." Repeat as needed.

I think the dress is fine if you wear a bit of jewelry. Just pointing out that particular dress says no exchanges or returns, which would be a deal killer for me if I was looking for a specific event and/or had never bought that item before.

This is perfect. That which does not kill me makes me stronger. :tongue_smilie:

I've seen a post recently on our local parents' list for someone who had good handwriting. They needed someone to do invitations, place cards, and envelopes. You could offer this service on craigslist if you have nice handwriting. Just mentioning it because it's different than the usual. There's also test scoring for Pearson: http://www.flexiblescoring-reg.pearson.com/index.cfm?a=cat&cid=1428 I haven't done it but I think others on this board have. It's all online. Check out the link on the left hand side of that page for requirements and how to apply. They also hire SAT essay readers here: https://websurveyor.net/wsb.dll/80911/collegeboardsatreader1app.htm but they are saying to check back later for now. If you're crafty maybe you can make and sell things for the holidays? My friend's mom makes good money around the holidays selling her pre-made food for get-togethers and such, just to her religious community.

I got Apple Care for my Macbook Pro and I'm so glad I did. They've done all kinds of things for me, including dealing with things which were my fault like when the bottom of the laptop was dented and missing a screw, replacing a power supply I broke, etc. OTOH, I also got it for my iPhone and haven't used it at all for that.

Yeah, my kiddos are young but I like to read the high school threads when I get tired of sleeping nights....

Mark's Daily Apple. I subscribe to the RSS and it's inspiring to get something everyday in my In box. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Just seeing this... Check out the ethnic grocers too, for cash purchases. They often have better prices. I live in a high cost of living area but the local Mexican tortilla place sells 60 corn tortillas for $1.39. Their beef is also a dollar cheaper per pound and they sell 25 and 50 lb bags of pinto beans. The Asian groceries around here have better prices on produce, especially anything green, if you don't need organic.