New Zealand.

I'd offer at least gas + $10 (as it's saving you gas plus TONS of time/hassles) assuming it's not taking her any significant (more than 15 min) *extra* time/effort. If she's having to spend extra time driving or waiting . . . Then I'd pay 10/hr for the "extra" time plus the gas. I'd talk to her clearly about speed/safety. I'd say, "I know I'm a paranoid mommy, but, silly me, it's important to me that my kid get home alive! Can you promise me to drive under the speed limit and follow all the safety guidelines whenever my kid is in your car?" Putting it on the table, clearly, will likely help ensure she drives extra carefully. I'd definitely ask my kid every couple drives about how it's going . . . Does she drive cautiously? Fast? Slow? Angry? Loud music? I'd also coach my kid not to be a distraction, to be quiet and calm in the car, etc. I'd talk to her parents for sure, before making any deals with the teen.

Except for if one of the "sisters" thinks the other "sister" is butt ugly. Then it has a down side. I suggest not doing that, either. LOL

I really think you'd like Morgantown, WV. We don't have Zika virus. We barely even have mosquitos. We have mountains. :) We have a very family friendly practice. We can always use someone with your madskillz. If you weren't so busy with all those cute kids and homeschooling . . . ;)

Nice play! I want you on my team in the Zombie Apocalypse. :)

And read THIS post carefully when you consider whether or not it's worth the bother to send your kid with a recording device. For EXACTLY that reason, I'd have him record the teacher every class until the end of term. Hopefully, he'll get some good recordings of the sort of things he's already observed. Teachers and administrators will be QUICK to assume your child, no matter how reputable and excellent, is lying. Protect your kid at all costs. (Another reminder to get the kid OUT before you go to war.)

Exactly. The teacher is 100% in the wrong and needs to be removed from any teaching position, let alone teaching government!! He's abusing his position and doing the exact opposite of what he should be doing. Thus, I'd go to war . . . to the extent you can manage . . . It's not your duty to get him fired . . . but I'd do my best to the extent I had the energy/time/metaphorical bullets . . . As I'd see it as my duty to do what I could handle to make the world a better place, and certainly getting him out of the classroom would be a significant improvement for the thousands of students he'd impact over a career. Kids deserve good teachers. He's clearly not one.

I would wait until your son is done, and you have printed official transcripts of all his time there . . . (As, in my world view, my kid's welfare comes above most of my general philosophical principles . . . So, I'd want my kid out of the line of fire before I went to war.) And then I'd go on a rampage. School board (public meetings -- bring some friends), meeting with the principal, etc, etc. If your son is willing, I'd ask him to make some discreet recordings (smart phone/body cam/whatever) of the class/teacher for the remaining days your son has his class. Could make some very good viral videos . . . THIS IS WHY OUR ELECTORATE DID WHAT IT DID. The rejection of science, the anti-intellectualism, the equalization of facts carefully presented by a coherent and competent journalist vs the random thoughts based on made up nonsense vs the intentionally misleading "fake news" stories put out by a corrupted empire of news-tainment idiots . . . Journalism is nearly dead. As is academic integrity. Accepting this abuse of position as OK is not a responsible option, IMHO. Fight it. Make a loud and angry noise. The teacher is just a moron with a STAGE. Very appropriate considering his preferred candidate. I'd go to war and try to get his ass fired. Or at least make him as miserable as possible. Thank goodness you are bringing your son home. What a nightmare. (((hugs)))

You could make cute semi-sheer curtains to cover some of your book shelves. :) Let's make it crafty. That'll be fun. :) Also, if you put your notes, etc, into bins/binders/boxes, then they're off limits IMHO. No one should be perusing a notebook or digging through a box. :)

Right there with you, lol. I'd stay friends with them, too. :)

I get that it's tough to keep stuff private when you have limited space! My ideas to consider . . . + consider book cupboards instead of shelves. :) Maybe glass cupboards with seeded glass. I love seeded glass. :) + consider a cabinet for your notes/etc that has doors you can close. I think I've seen them sort of like the old fashioned dart boards, with two doors that you can close -- notes on both the main interior surface and also the insides of both doors. It can be on a wall, and you can close the doors when you have guests and it's just a closed cupboard with some decorative surface on the exterior. :) When we had a small house, and lots of guests/helpers/people in and out all the time, I just kept *all* private things in my own bedroom. We have a huge house now, but all my private stuff is still in my bedroom. Period. Nobody is supposed to go in there without permission, and certainly nobodym (besides dh) should be wandering around looking at stuff in our bedroom. Creepy creepster. Anything I leave lying about the rest of the house is fair game, within reason. Certainly, no one should open a random drawer unless they have a good reason for doing so (kitchen drawer, looking for a fork, etc.) or dig through my purse on the counter -- that'd be bizarre and grounds for banishment . . . That said, I just wouldn't leave personal/private info/stuff out anywhere except on the dressers/etc in my own bedroom. I guess that in the home office I might have financial papers in a stack on the desk for a while or even occasionally left out in plain sight for a brief time, but that's another zone that I'd expect folks to keep their noses out of random piles of papers on a desk. (And if they're brazen enough to poke through my bills, then they'd better be discreet enough not to let on, or else that'd be the end of that relationship, for sure.) Of course it'd be bad manners for anyone to go nosing through papers/mail . . . but it happens, so I just wouldn't leave stuff like that out in a "shared" part of the house. Period.

Can you please explain how/why your ACA plan in CA would cost you, for just you, $1000/mo?? I just previewed plans on Covered CA, and it looks to me like, for example, a 40 yo woman living in Encinitas (random guess, but I know it's a pricey area, as my brother lives there, lol) can get coverage in a Bronze ACA plan for 200+/mo, a gold plan for 500+/mo and a PLATINUM plan for about 600-700/mo. The MOST expensive plan was a bit over 700/mo. For the example, I did the calculations based on a single woman, age 40, earning 200k/yr (so no subsidies), in Encinitas, CA. What plan are you looking at? What's your zip code (if you don't mind sharing it)? Do you no longer live in CA? Age? What am I missing here? (I'm TRULY curious. I'm not at all trying to be weird or argumentative. I have used the ACA since its inception, and saw our options for good plans decline each and every year and our family premiums double in 4 years, to 2500+/mo next year for the family of 5 . . . So, I totally get that the ACA isn't perfect, lol. I'd really like to understand what people the ACA is failing so badly, and I can certainly see that most people can't hack 1000/mo, so I'd really like to see that example!! For 2017, our family ended up escaping the individual marketplace ACA to move to the SHOP ACA plans for small employers . . . This dropped our family premium back to 1800+/mo, which was where it was in 2016, and is a much better plan than those available for individuals in our state. Our state (WV) has pretty much SHIT plans for 2017 on the individual exchange, and they're all overpriced, too. It's awful. I just WISH we lived in CA where they have such better plans and options, lol) http://www.coveredca.com

I think it's public info if you've got it on the fridge. Now, if it's in an envelope, no one should be taking it down and opening it up, lol. But, if it's viewable standing there in front of the fridge, then it's gonna' get read. If you don't want folks to read it, put the words out of sight. Personally, I read ALL THE TIME, like obsessively. Back in the day before taking my iPhone everywhere, I'd routinely read the back of shampoo bottles on the toilet or in the tub. Honestly. Shampoo bottles, bumper stickers, instruction books, old catalogs from 3 years ago that are on the back of the toilet . . . If there are words in front of me, I will read them. Thank goodness for my iPhone and other portable devices, I can now be more discerning about my reading materials, lol. I only have to resort to shampoo bottles if my phone runs out of batteries and I don't have a book or kindle on my person.

Unlikely to be helpful. Old towels -- yes, for bathing. Very helpful for any kennel/animal facility. :) Can't get enough of them. :) Old blankets -- maybe, a few, thin ones especially, for one-time use as a euthanasia blanket maybe or to snuggle with a dog while it's being held or cuddled. But, big old blankets/pillows/comforters/other fluffy stuff is all but useless in a well run shelter. This is why: 1) Many dogs will rip stuff up and then eat it, especially in a stressful environment. Then the dogs get their guts full of bedding, and either die or require $$$$ in veterinary care. So, well run shelters won't give dogs loose bedding except when/if closely supervised (which is generally not possible). 2) Animal bedding in a shelter must be washed daily if not more frequently. Dogs in kennels are NOT able to go outside often enough to go potty outside on a regular basis (even if they are potty trained, which would be unusual in a shelter dog). So, anything in the kennel will be urine and feces soaked within 24 hours. Fluffy stuff like comforters and pillows costs way too much $$ and time to launder regularly. Absolutely huge waste of limited shelter $$. Occasionally a vet hospital or boarding facility might use "fluffy stuff" because they are willing to pay the $$ to launder it and feel they provide enough walks to avoid it getting soiled and/or they have enough staff to supervise 24/7 for safety (dogs eating the bedding -- NOT AT ALL rare). But, a shelter? Rarely, if ever, would a well run shelter use soft bedding. If so, it'd be one use and then into the dumpster the same day. Give some $$ to your shelter, or ask them what they need, but surely don't bring your old pillows there. The shelter can take the $$ and buy comfortable, sanitary beds . . . FWIW, we use Kuranda cots that are made of a heavy vinyl for our dog kennels at our vet hospital . . . Sanitary, comfy, very sturdy, and they don't go in the laundry machines . . . Even with NOT doing large bedding at the hospital routinely, and with just our basic wash loads (towels, rags, scrubs, mop heads . . .) that don't include big fluffy stuff . . . we still kill a $1000 washer ever couple years, lol. :)

FYI, I believe you are exempt from the fines if the final to-you-after-credits/subsidies cost of insurance (through your employer AND the marketplace) is above a threshold %age (8.13 or 9.5 or somethings like that) of your income. https://www.healthcare.gov/health-coverage-exemptions/forms-how-to-apply/ http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-mandate-exemption-penalty/ My guess is that the exemption is based on your personal (adult) premium, so you can still get screwed if you can't afford family insurance but could theoretically afford it for the adult(s). I'm sure there are better websites out there that explain these issues, but these are the first two I found. If you can't afford insurance, then, for sure, google up the alternatives to getting out of the fee if at all possible.

I'm so very sorry. Just keep loving her, carrying her, and giving her treats . . . She's telling you it is time. Just keep her comfy over the weekend. If your vet takes after-hours phone calls, she might be able to guide you in adjusting drug dosages tonight and tomorrow if you feel she's still suffering. At this point, there is no worry about over-dosing. You are doing the right things. (((hugs)))

Well, why are you buying Weight Watchers anything? Make yourself some real brownies. :) I'd add healthy fats. Avacodo. Fatty fishes. Nuts. Healthy oils (EVOO, etc) If you buy any low-fat dairy, STOP. Buy full fat only. 1100-1200 calories sounds very low to me. That's a weight loss diet for most people. If you add 250 calories a day, that should help you gain about half a pound a week. FWIW, being underweight or even low-healthy weight is a significant health risk as we age. So, I do think you are correct to be concerned. Go ahead and eat something healthy and with some calories for breakfast. It doesn't have to be big or super high calorie, but go ahead and have a smoothie or a toast with peanut butter, etc. Just because you aren't really feeling it doesn't mean you shouldn't eat a little something.

Poor thing. I know how hard it is to see your pet suffering. Sounds to me like she's a lucky dog to have such loving and responsible owners. It is really hard to know when to let go. My husband encourages owners to make a short list of the things your pet enjoys most in life, and then to keep an eye on those things to know when it is time to let go. Even knowing that and going through it a million times with clients, it is still super hard to do it for ourselves. We lost one of our dogs just last week, my husband's favorite . . . and it was really, really hard to know when to let go. Even when you are the expert. It's still heartbreaking. I always tell myself it's better to end a pet's life a little too early than a little too late, but it's still really hard to make those decisions when the time comes. It's just really hard to make that decision. Your dog is lucky to have people who love her. Fingers crossed that she improves dramatically, and hugs to all of you.

*I am not a vet*, but I believe that yes, you can (and should) combine them. Double check with your vet, for sure. But, my guess, assuming I am understanding correctly that this is an "end stage" illness, you'd be best advised to keep all prescribed drugs on a schedule, unless/until there is an adverse effect. It is great that your vet is doing such a good job being aggressive with pain management. There is no reason for your dog to suffer. (((hugs)))

You are entirely welcome. Living in the heart of the opioid epidemic . . . and having a husband with a DEA license . . . and owning a vet hospital that necessarily stocks controlled drugs . . . you hear every sort of story and learn a lot about how dangerous these drugs are. I figured that since *I* know tramadol is prone to theft/diversion/abuse, likely the thieves/abusers know about it, but ordinary people wouldn't likely know. I mean, if I wasn't in the field, I'd really have no idea that tramadol was any more worrisome (abuse-wise) than the dozen other vet prescriptions I might get . . . And you aren't TAKING it, so you aren't going to automatically know what it's like and that it might be prone to abuse . . . I really think we have to do a better job warning people about these things. I guess it's a balance between warning clients to be careful with the drug . . . and thereby alerting the occasional nuts who would, instead of securing the drug, be more likely to try it themselves! Anyway, I'm sorry about your dog's decline. (((hugs)))

It just might work. It'd work for me, I think. I've lost weight by skipping all meals and only eating dinner. I only eat dinner because everyone eats dinner as a family, so I don't "forget" or get too busy/upset/distracted to eat dinner, as we're all sitting there. The rest of the day, I might have a candy bar or a 100-300 calorie snack of some random thing at one time during the day, but usually, nothing, just drinks all day (maybe low cal, or maybe not, just random liquids) When I've done that, I'm not generally hungry. It has started when I'm really upset about something catastrophic, so I'm not hungry at all. BUT, once this goes on for a few days, then I get even less hungry. Dinners get smaller because I get feeling stuffed after 1/2 - 2/3 of a typical meal. And I get woozy if I eat too much. SO, point being, that IME, after a few days of restricted food, for whatever reason, hunger is generally not an issue and/or you get used to feeling hungry and don't mind it. You get full more easily, etc. I like "bad" fatty, delicious foods. I can lose weight eating them no problem. I just eat less of everything, and I lose weight. Sometimes, when I've been really distressed, I've also exercised *a lot* and of course that accelerates the process. (FWIW, I am at a healthy BMI right now, thanks to last week's election, lol . . . I've never been obese, but have fluctuated up to about 20# overweight. I realize that what works for me/my body type doesn't work for everyone.) So, anyway, I, personally, totally believe that *I* can successfully maintain or achieve whatever weight I want to be at (if I want it bad enough) . . . while still eating all the bad-for-me-super-high-calorie things I like to eat. Just gotta' eat a bit less, and exercise a bit more.

Yup!! The whole week!

FWIW, tramadol works nicely in a synergistic fashion with NSAIDs (Previcox, Rimadyl, etc -- doggy ones, not people ones). My dh uses it as an adjunct with those, especially in end stage painful conditions. . . He says that it isn't very potent on its own, but does well in combination. Also, do know that tramadol is very prone to abuse by people/teens/etc, so keep it locked up and out of sight. (Treat it like you would any narcotic.) People steal it, deal it, etc. (I'm super careful about these things, knowing too many sad stories.)

Well, that's a great option. Is there a reason she doesn't want to do that? It's painless, easy, and does good in the world. Honestly, it's safer than nearly any drug or even most supplements/etc.

FYI, your kids ARE eligible to be President. The "natural born citizen" phrase means that, at the time of their birth, they were born into automatic citizenship. Thus, any child born to a US citizen abroad (or in Hawaii) is a "natural born citizen". This is a nearly universal agreement among constitutional scholars. See: Ted Cruz. Born in Canada. And, yes, indeed, this means all that craziness about where Obama was born was *always* irrelevant. Are you shocked? Yes, I was, too.