When you first posted, I responded and deleted several times because I wanted to let you know you were about to start a marathon, but I didn't want to overwhelm you or sound unhopeful. It sounds like you understand the importance of focusing on what is working today and not about what may or may not happen in the future. Things change, with steps forward and back, and mental health challenges with kids look different over the years. I'm glad you have found what works right now, and when things change, remember that staying flexible and hopeful goes a long way in both helping her and staying in balance yourself. Hugs to you!

I have a couple of silicone storage bags that I loved at first. Now I don't use them because they absorb the odor of my dishwashing detergent. The odors from the food get washed out, sure, but I can't get rid of the detergent smell unless I bake them in the oven for a bit after every few usings, which is a pain. So maybe if you just used them for oatmeal and then hand washed them they wouldn't do that, I don't know. Mine are hard to hand wash and get completely clean because of the grooves in the sealing mechanism. I prefer glass jars.

I'm so sorry. That would be very hard for me, too.

I was in graduate school and was in the process of learning that black people often experience our country differently than white people. I mean, I kind of knew that a little before but didn't really grasp how profound the differences can be. Watching some black and white professors attempt to discuss the verdict during lunch break was eye opening for me. That's what I remember most about that time - just coming to terms with how different our experiences and subsequent perspectives might be. As for him being dead, well I won't mourn.

I can't speak to CC since it's been before covid that my kids took CC classes, but my one left in a decent state university has shown me their syllabi. It's amazing to me how incomplete the info is. Like you, I used to plan my time noting when tests were, when assignments are due etc. There is little to none of that. Professors decide when things are due with little notice (sometimes 24 hours) and that notice is sent online through one of several ways to communicate. It is impossible to plan much in advance because the info just isn't there. Students might know from the syllabus that they have three exams and how much they are worth of their grade, but no idea when they will happen. Things are due at midnight on a Sat night. Who does that? I suppose having to print out your assignments and turn them in at class time was a pain, but at least you knew what to expect.

Rao's Marinara, Moondrop grapes

Big difference. It's the difference between looking like the sun going behind the clouds for a bit and nighttime. Even 1% of the sun not being covered means enough light that you wouldn't even notice. I learned this the hard way last eclipse. Editing to add you can still see part of the sun getting gobbled up which is cool.

Ds lives about 18 miles from epicenter. He said his apartment building shook but his only damage was a water glass that fell and broke. I read there was a decent aftershock about six but haven't asked if he felt that one, too.

We went on a RC cruise in Feb and the internet was fine. We didn't try meetings, but we streamed videos with no problem. It might vary from ship to ship. We were on the Explorer of the Seas which isn't one of the newer ones but still had no issues. Have a wonderful time!

Last time we flew to Italy on Delta (about five years ago) they passed out one blanket per row of three seats! The flight attendant was embarrassed but said that's all they had. Even if you are besties with your seat mates, those blankets are tiny, lol. Even places that have washing machines often don't have dryers, so taking quick drying clothes is helpful.

I think there can be a difference between being a member of a royal family and being a celebrity. One can fulfill their duties by attending things and shaking hands and doing ceremonies without being a celebrity. Being a celebrity means sharing more of your life to the public, which, honestly, is a large part of what makes you a celebrity. It means giving interviews about yourself, appearing on magazine covers, releasing information about your clothing choices, sharing interesting aspects about your life, all of which have nothing to do with your public duties. The public gets interested in you because you give them things to be interested about, and then you try very hard to control what you have created, namely public interest. I don't know enough about the state of the monarchy there to say this for sure, but maybe without celebrity the public would decide the monarchy isn't worth it, and maybe the royal family knows this. Regardless, there are members who are celebrities, and they have absolutely chosen this route. Again, doesn't mean they deserve the violations, but they have chosen to fan public interest in themselves which is a tough thing to control.

I have always done ours after the first year we were married and a CPA charged a ridiculous amount. We paid it, but I swore I'd learn how myself going forward, and I did. Some years I used Turbo Tax, but dh insisted we print out the results and mail them ourselves rather then have Turbo Tax send them because he doesn't want our tax info saved on any database but the IRS's. Now I'm just doing them with the free fillable forms on the IRS website because it's not worth buying Turbo Tax. I help our young adults with theirs too. Ours have gotten simpler since we are mostly done with college stuff, but when dh retires in a few years, I'll have a steep learning curve again. It's not my favorite thing, but I take comfort in knowing what we're saving.

Agreed. I went to a Christian boarding high school about eight hours away from home. I wanted to go so it wasn't a parental thing. Our class of just over a hundred was unusually awesome, and we got close. Every five years over half the class returns for reunions and they are always some of my favorite events. Three of my closest friends come from there. While the kids were amazing, the faculty were very much a mixed bag. Two of my friends were sexually abused by faculty, and there were reasonable rumors of others. The girls dean bullied my roommate so badly she had a breakdown and left. Faculty had pretty much complete power over us because it was insular with little parental oversight. There were faculty who loved us and were dedicated to our wellbeing, but the system as a whole allowed the predators to act easily. It's interesting to me how many of my classmates still support the school and even sent their kids. They are aware of the abuses but either don't believe them or write it off as "bad apples" rather than a systemic problem. While abuse can happen even under the noses of parents, there are conditions that make it easier, and the boarding school setup fits that.

I was raised YEC, and these books really helped me understand why science accepts that evolution happened: Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin (also a PBS special mentioned above) Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by Donald Prothero I think the Prothero book gives the most overall picture, but they are all very interesting and written in an accessible manner.

I am way more cautious than I used to be about thinking I can read situations and predict how they will turn out. I've seen huge red flags that turn into reasonably happy marriages (for example) and I've seen the opposite. I can look at things and see concerns, but really I have no idea what is actually going to happen. It's helped me with my more controlling tendencies to accept that I don't have the answers, and life has taught me it's a strange journey for all of us. So yes, as I've gotten older I have way more empathy for those who look around and wonder how "x" happened, even when others cautioned about that very thing. It could have turned out differently - you never know. Which doesn't mean just throw up your hands - we can still go with the odds as we see them - but that's all they are, somewhat unpredictable odds. We make our choices based on all sorts of things, only some of which are based on facts as we see them.