Hopefully the hotel serves free breakfast. If it does, make sure to take advantage!! Otherwise, cold cereals and milk are obvious breakfast choices, as would be instant oatmeal/grits/etc. Single serve yogurts are good, too. And fruits. I'd bring the above for breakfasts if no free breakfast. Also, I'd bring . . . (this is honest . . . and mostly junk . . . so what, it's vacation . . .) + a couple rolls of papertowels + plastic cups + paper plates + plastic utensils (plenty, don't bother washing and reusing) + powdered lemonade mix + case of water + sodas + instant hot cocoa mixes plus marshmallows, plus enough microwave safe mugs for everyone Snacks: + cheez-it or similar + crackers + squeezie cheese + cheese sticks or similar + apples, bananas, grapes + yogurts + trail mix + granola bars + pop tarts + ramen noodle or similar instant cup of soup My kids are bigger and so eat tons, lol, so I see my list is really long. I tend to buy heaps for hotel food, and just take the left overs home (and/or consume them on the road home). I figure it's worth over-shopping pre-trip to avoid impulse shopping $2 candy bars and $1.50 pop . . . Honestly, I'd eat out for most lunch and dinner if at all possible (and eat at the hotel for breakfast -- either cereals in the room or at the free buffet if they have one) . . . I've found it not much more expensive to just go buy takeout for everyone than to try to eat in the hotel. That's probably because I'm not good at it, and just buy everything that looks tasty in the snack aisle. LOL. At hotel-with-pool adventures with kids, I often had pizza delivered for dinner (and you could likely do that for lunch instead of dh is gone and you have no car) . . . or I'd find some Subway or better yet, a "counter service" one-step-above fast food (Chipotle, Moe's, etc.) and I'd zip out while the (older!!) kids were showering post-pool and pick up dinner for us to eat in the room. Saved time and trouble. Your kids are too young to leave, of course, but if you can time things so that dh or you can run out and pick up dinner for the nights you aren't going out . .. to eat in the room during or after the kids post-pool-pre-bed baths . . . that works pretty well IME. Your kids are so young, you could likely get away with just real meals for you and dh and splitting a third meal for the kids (adding in some healthy snacks brought from home).

I'm guessing "feed" . .. some sort of fasting blood glucose test of some sort?

I think it is sad and tragic that such a thing need exist. I'd be skeptical of the listener's character because if think the listener has a moral obligation to guide the person to get some real relationships!

I'd avoid flying with that budget. From Atlanta, I'd look at St. George Isl, FL in August. They start "fall" rates in August, and it'll be just beautiful. Rent a little house in the Plantation or the East End. You can likely find something under $1500, leaving a little spare $$ for special outings. Go to dinner at the Owl Cafe in Appalachicola for a special night.

In my town, locals can still write checks nearly anywhere. Grocery, gas station, whereever. High risk businesses (gas, grocery?) subscribe the instant-check-verification terminal things (like a credit card machine) that they run the check through in a second. The retailer pays a fee (around 2% if I recall correctly) for every check they swipe . . . and if the system "verifies" the check, then that TeleCheck company (or whoever) will back up the check to the vendor if it bounces, etc. Some check swipe things actually debit your checking account immediately, and, in fact, sometimes the vendor hands your check right back to you!! LOL. It's really working like a debit card, but in the old format. I rarely write checks to routine around town purchases, but I still write them all the time for major purchases and mailed bills. It's helpful with expense tracking in that I can write a lengthy note in the memo line . . . and then see on the bank website the entire memo. So, for instance, I write checks each week for home health aides for my mom, and in each memo line, I notate the dates of service . . . and invoice number . . . this helps me track expenses/payments later for insurance and whatnot much better than if I just had a long line of dollar amount charges through the year. Our own small business (vet hospital) still takes checks and doesn't bother to use TeleCheck yet. Since our business is mostly all local long term clients, we don't have the high risk that gas stations or liquor stores do . . . The occasional bad check is efficiently collected by the court, since writing bad checks is a serious crime. The fees for TeleCheck would be more than the losses we suffer from the occasional bad check that we can't easily collect. We actually prefer checks to credit cards, as our costs are much lower to deposit a check than to run the credit card. (Debit cards are between the two. Cash is king . .. but then that opens us up to theft/embezzlement more than anything else.)

You could make stuff up, then they'd stop asking. That'd also undermine their data validity. Personally, I really like Facebook, but if I didn't want to "really" use it, I'd totally make things up, etc., so I could still participate in the groups/etc.

Sounds like you have a unique learner on your hands. I haven't faced that, so I can't judge. :) I'd just keep 5 min a day every day until it's mastered, then. I also used to do "car math" with various drills, skip counting, etc . . . for a few minutes many drives . . . Can be fun. :)

I'd use . . . Expecting about 30-40 min math 5 days a week for Years 1-4, gradually going towards 1 hr a day by Year 7 (or age 10-11). 1.5 hours a day at most by Year 10+ and/or ages 14+ unless the child desires more. Lettered items (6b, etc . . . are optional and I'd use them if the child has an interest in that area and/or needs more support and/or needs to kill some time before being mature enough for the next stage . . .) (Note "Years are roughly approx to grade level, but might be compressed or done earlier than grade age for Accelerated kids. They were for mine.) Years 1-3 Miquon & Singapore in parallell (not scheduled to coordinate, just as separate subjects daily) + daily 5 min FACT practice coordinated with when the topics arise in Singapore. Mastery of all facts (+ - * /) before ending drill. Years 4-6 -- rest of Singapore (through 6) ** Alternate -- consider AoPS Beast for years available (perhaps replacing later levels of Singapore during Years 4-6) Year 6b -- Patty Paper Geometry (nice to do part time while doing Singapore 6 or similar, or can do as a summer course, etc. Not a full year.) Year 7 (might take 18-24 months depending on age of child) - AoPS Pre A Year 8 - AoPS Intro to Alg part 1 Year 9 - AoPS Intro to Alg part 2 Year 9a -- AoPS Intro Counting + Probability AND AoPS Intro Number Theory (Non core, but awesome for mathy kids with time available) Year 10 - AoPS Intro to Geom Year 11, 1st semester - AoPS Alg 3 Year 11, 2nd semester -- AoPS PreCalc Year 12, AoPS Calc The other AoPS upper level books would be fit in if appropriate for the particular child and time allowed. Alternate for Years 10-12 or 11-12 -- if the kid isn't independently clicking with AoPS by the end of the Intro to Alg book and/or the Geometry book . .. I'd switch to Life of Fred for the remainder of the sequence. . . Either using PA Homeschoolers for Calculus, or Mom-teaching it (with whatever book desired), or taking it at a local college. My kids were ahead of when Beast came out, so I can't assess it.

It's not about slowing him down in "real math". It's about setting aside 5 minutes every school day as a separate line item to study facts. Do it with games, flash cards, wrap its, worksheeets, whatever . . . and keep doing it every day until they are all mastered. When they are mastered, they will stay mastered because he has to use that knowledge daily when doing real math. (Assuming you don't allow calculator math for routine calculations which you SHOULD NOT allow.) Trust me. I've been through this rodeo with three math-gifted kids. Each subsequent kid had an easier and happier time with math since I learned from my "tester pancake" kid when to teach what . . . Mastering facts is easy, so long as you give it a few minutes daily and try a variety of resources to see what fits best. Favorite resources: Triangle flash cards (best), wrap-its (nice for variety), Peggy Kaye games books (super fun, but more mom-time required), and a wide range of printed worksheets such as Calculadders. Just do it. If you have more kids coming up, you'll see how big a difference it makes for them if you make sure they master facts early. (I learned to time it so that they mastered a set of facts just before hitting that section in Singapore Math . . . So, they practiced 4x tables the couple weeks before hitting the 4x sections of Singapore, etc. Works beautifully and dramatically reduces frustration. ps. IMHO, I would have told you to make sure facts were learned when they were learning the corresponding skills . .. So around 3rd grade math is when I insist on fact mastery. I am conceptual math person, not a drill-and-kill person . . . but math facts are sort of like reading skills or letter recognition . . . a foundation for all that follows . . . must be learned. If you don't like drill, do the Peggy Kaye games . . . but do it one way or another.

Hmm. Well, I guess I'd hope he'd choose the "other" job on his own. For my dh, I think it'd have been a no-brainer. I know it'd be a no-brainer for me. But, given the situation, I wouldn't want to be blamed for eternity for the negatives associated with the change in jobs. In my own heart, I'd try to see if I could find reasons why he prefers to spend so much time working when he could spend it with his family. If there is anything you can control/change to make home more appealing, I'd focus some energy (what little I have after solo-parenting) . . . on trying to make home and me and the kids more fun/appealing. I might ask him these same queries . .. but, it'd probably be smarter not to until I'd done plenty of soul searching (and efforts to change) on my own for at least a few months . . . Knowing me, though, I wouldn't have that self-control to wait (especially if this opportunity to change jobs is a one-time deal). Hopefully, he'll choose the "other" job on his own. I'd probably try to limit my advice to encouraging him to make lists of pros/cons and to assuring him that you enjoy him, you need him, you miss him, and your kids need and miss him, and that whenever he is able to be more present in your lives, you'd really, really all love it. I'd make a big fuss whenever he was around about how wonderful he is. . . and plan fun things for times he can be there . . . I'd also stop having more babies with him until/unless he was much more present in our lives, as solo parenting a lot of kids doesn't seem fair to me or the kids for that matter. I'd likely stop any/all outside volunteer/etc commitments *I* (or the kids if they require a lot of effort from you) had in order to save my energy for the kids and for dh, as just that is PLENTY, and I wouldn't want to spread myself any thinner than absolutely necessary.

This is exactly what we've done thus far as well, and I've been very happy. Dd18 is in the AP class this year, and we both love it. Very solid, very complete, and very accessible teacher. I actually love the fact that he allows (unlimited, it seems) extensions on assignments, as dd18 has 3 other APs this year and lots of other commitments, so the flexibility provides a nice relief valve! (I'm glad she has some classes that are stricter, too, so she learns that not all deadlines are suggestions, lol). Next year, my son will take the same AP class, as he's already taken the Spectrum (with his sister, several years ago). And, I'll likely use Spectrum with my youngest either next year or the following. Great Chem class, IMHO.

1) You really must get him to truly master his facts ASAP. Anything less will frustrate him for eternity. Devote 5 min per day to fact practice until he truly has them all mastered. Honestly. Do this. It is late, but late is better than never. 2) The videos are purely optional. If the material is easy for your son, you can skip the videos. But, since he is enjoying them, I'd likely keep them so long as he's enjoying them. Note that videos are only available for the first few AoPS books, so he won't always be able to use them to learn the material . . . and will need to rely on the "AOPS way" of struggling through the problem solving . . . My kids did use the videos sometimes, but not routinely. They use the videos just when they are struggling. If things are going easily, they tend to zip right along with just the book. I don't push them to routinely use the videos since that'd be a time waste and also would build a reliance on that method of hand-feeding-the-methods that is not really the foundation of AoPS. I love having the videos available when needed, but I wouldn't encourage anyone to watch every video every week unless they really struggled without them. 3) IME, the PreA book is *vastly* easier than subsequent books. Having already done the PreA book (at around age 9-10) made Intro to A quite manageable for my then-11 year old (during the first half of Alg. . . now just 12 and wrapping up the book) It prepared her very well for the Algebra book. She's my youngest and the only to find AoPS so early, but so far, I've been very impressed with the preparation the PreA book provided. SO, I'd not skip it, but I would accelerate it.

I knew a boy who grew into his 20s. He was tiny all his life until his 20s, by which time he was above average height! My son hit his growth spurt around age 13, and now 15, he's closing in on 6 ft. He was never "short" but was average height until he just spurted up. Obviously, your son isn't in his growth spurt, and when he hits it, he'll likely add 6-8 inches over a couple years. If it is really a stressor, you could talk to the pediatrician about doing a hand x-ray to judge where he is in his growth. When dh was just 13, he broke his wrist, and I asked the orthopedist who read his x-rays how much longer he'd grow. The ortho told ds and I that "his growth plates are wide open . . . and he'll grow for at least another couple years . . . That was right before he started growing like a weed, and he was probably 5'4 or less then . . . (but, like your son, he'd already had many age-mates sprout up . . .) I can't tell you how happy that little knowledge made ds, and, honestly, it was a relief to me as well since I knew how important it was to ds. I was so relieved a year ago when he got taller than dh and I . . . as I could stop stressing about whether *he* was going to be stressed about his height. Now that he's "tall", I have finally been able to take that one topic off my worry list!! It's such a superficial worry, but it is real and stressful for boys. If it's a constant worry, I wouldn't hesitate to talk to the dr. Or even to ask for the x-ray / consult . . . I probably wouldn't have gone to that trouble since ds was always in the average size range, so I just asked since we were there and the x-ray was on the viewer . . . but if my son had been <20 percentile in height and/or was significantly stressed about it, I'd have probably pushed for some information/consult just for the information . . .

Rent a dump? nope. Finances always a *stress*? Nope. If the difference is just a "fancy" "huge" house vs a "tidy small" house, then, sure, I'd go home. But, dh loves his job. Would he be able to readily find a job he loves if you move? A full-time career worker loving his (or her) job is HUGE. And, since you are on a homeschool board, and most hs families live on one income (or one plus a little bit), then that means your dh is likely the sole or at least primary earner, so that pressure on him to thrive in his work is huge. I wouldn't underestimate the negative impact of moving somewhere that would require him to leave a job he loves and that is comfortably supporting his family . . . for ANYwhere that wouldn't provide that. Family is first, but YOUR immediate little family is the most vital priority. If you can move closer to family without sacrificing your dh's happiness both in his job itself as well as in his ability to support your family . . . then go for it. Seems to me like you'd be signing up for a lifetime of financial stress, which would likely ultimately lead to marital and family stress, and likely present some very hard choices about dh working two jobs, getting a less satisfying but more lucrative job, you working (or working more, or working at a more lucrative but less family-friendly or satisfying job), not providing your kids with the homeschooling or other opportunities you prefer . .. not taking vacations, etc. Those things are all very important to a family, too. I'd stay put, and I'd put more energy into making where you are a home, making connections, etc. And, I'd budget in an extra few visits home over the coming years while you are still adjusting. FWIW, I always said I'd move anywhere (village in Africa, wherever) as long as I was with dh . .. because wherever he is, is where home is. I am *not* a Stepford wife, and I have plenty of strong opinions . . . but at the end of the day, as long as dh, kids, and I are together in a safe comfortable home . . . I am just fine. I can visit my other family . . . We moved to where we are settled (for 11 years so far and will be forever most likely due to us owning a business here) . . . without me even *visiting* here. And we were buying the business and taking on a lifetime of debt to do so . .. No looking back or reassessing possible. And, it was only a 3.5 hr drive from where we were! I *could* have visited to evaluate . . . but why bother with the stress of three young kids/toddler/etc . . . when I knew it really didn't matter . . . I'd be fine. Wherever. :) And, we are!! It took 5 years for it to feel like "home" but now we are totally rooted here and it feels more like home than anywhere else I ever lived or could imagine. Hang in there. Seek out friends and connections. It takes a lot longer to make real friendships as we get older. A LOT longer!

Find a new vet. IMHO. Unless there is extenuating circumstances, a general practice vet should be available within the day for sick/urgent appointments. They should manage their schedule better, stay late, hire help, whatever to get it done. We own our own vet practice, and dh is the main vet, and he does that. One of the first management things we changed when we bought the practice was to block out 25% of appointment slots for "same day sick/urgent" appointments. These slots can't be booked until the day of . . . so up until that morning. This portion was chosen because it best met the practice's needs. If there are more urgent/sick pet appointments needed on a regular basis, we'd just add more "purple" slots to our books . . . If one day is bizarrely crazy, then staff would just stay late/work lunch/etc to see everyone that needs to be seen. Then we'd look to adding more purple slots, lol. There are many choices vet practices make, and this is one that is a deal breaker IMHO. It's just bad management, but it impacts patient care. I'd go shopping for a new vet. First, though, I might talk to the actual vet on the phone about the issue (especially if s/he is the owner) and voice your concerns. There are many ways to solve this problem, but it takes commitment from the owner/manager to make it happen. The owner/vet might not know about this problem. (Besides designating same day sick appointments, you can also close to new patients if you are really SO busy and can't increase capacity . . . or raise prices to drive off some of the less devoted clients . . . and use the increased income to hire more support or even vet staff to add appointment slots . . . ) FWIW, I left an MD I loved for this exact reason. Front staff offered me an appointment 8 days out for a sinus infection . . . uh, no. I still love that DR and if he changes practices, I will go right back, but his current practice has awful front staff. HTH

I voted No, but, TBH, I nearly always wash up again in the kitchen before touching food that I am making for others. (If I am just grabbing a drink or chips for myself, no, I won't wash again.) I tend to wash fairly compulsively when I am cooking, especially if there is any raw meat involved! I wash before and after touching the meat, and wash counters/sinks after I am done with the raw meat, and I wash my hands again after cleaning up counters/stuff . . .

Puke. I wouldn't want to go either! Cities are gross. :) (And, I've been a couple times many years ago, and it wasn't awful, but I just don't like cities or city stuff one bit. The only way I'd want to go to a city is with a very high budget for luxury hotel/meals/shows/etc, as that's the only real fun stuff I can think of doing that is in cities!) If you've made it 30 years, you must have a way to communicate better than this! I agree with PP who stated that anniversary trips should be MUTUALLY thrilling. I'd tell him that you're happy to go to Paris with him some other time, maybe for HIS special event (55th or 60th birthday coming up?) . . . but that for celebrating your MARRIAGE, you need to do something you will BOTH enjoy . . . so keep brainstorming until you find something you can both be excited about. Maybe make a game of it . . . printing cards up with names of 100 cities/islands/places to go . . . and going through the stack(s) together . . . leaving only options that neither of you has vetoed. Maybe each of you make 50 cards . . . and then start veto'ing and see if you can get down to a dozen or fewer for further exploration? Thankfully, dh and I generally have very compatible vacation desires (few people, nice beaches, good food) . . . but even with that, we've had to negotiate some! For 15, he picked a Bahamas island that was really remote and had limited services . . . and, together, we foolishly chose an adorable-sounding remote cabin . . . then the power went out for a day (no AC, no fans, HOT, no cooking) and restaurants were few and far between . . . and groceries were very expensive . . . and I got my period so snorkeling (sharks! blood!) was stressful and, of course, TeA was disrupted . . . it was just no fun for me. So, when the 20th was approaching, we worked together to find a destination that had the beaches/snorkeling that dh craves along with great food and luxury accommodation that I crave . . . (He is much easier to please with food and lodging, lol.) We are BOTH very eager for June to arrive so we can enjoy our trip! If it's super fun, GREAT! If it's not perfect, there is no blame, as we chose together! So, either way, it'll all be fine!

I don't use Facebook (or really any other venue) to embarrass or criticize my friends. On a *very* rare occasion, I have made a comment similar to your if I find something really offensive, but if it is just a little cringe worthy, I would definitely not say anything. I get what you're saying and I'd cringe . . . but I wouldn't say anything to an adult. If it was a kid/teen (I have a number of teen Facebook friends who routinely make me cringe), I might say something to them or their mom, but it would have been more gentle . . . more like, "I'm sure you didn't mean it, but that comment sort of sounds like you think illegals are the only people stealing! LOL, Facebook shorthand can be confusing!) In general, if someone makes me cringe, I generally block them from my newsfeed or even defriend them. I am sure people have done that to me, lol, as I can be rather vocal on certain issues, and I am sure it is annoying. I try not to annoy, but it slips out. I've mostly done that with people I know and care about, but have obnoxious political views and/or social views and/or are just really immature teens who can't get a grip (despite my nudging) . . . and it stresses me out seeing them post such stupid things! In sum, I think friends should make life easier, not harder, so I don't go looking for chances to stress or criticize or shame anyone. In fact, I go looking for opportunities to support, encourage, and hold up people . . . People who stress me out or criticize me are soon removed from my Facebook feed and my life, so I guess that is why I really never have trouble on Facebook . . . because anyone who is prone to negativity has long since either blocked me or I've blocked them. So, my Facebook feed is all sunshine and light, and I can never understand people who say Facebook is negative. LOL ETA: On the rare occasions that I've openly critiqued/disagreed with someone's political/social view on Facebook, I've done it knowing that I didn't really care if that person no longer was in my online (or real) life . . . I'd never do it to someone I really cared about keeping contact with. Ever. If someone I cared deeply about was SUPER offensive (happened once with my MIL) in a public forum, I'd only respond if I felt required to protect my own integrity or reputation (i.e., my MIL cc"ed me on a very offensive email . . . publicly associating me with her view . . . so I felt honor bound to publicly disagree with her perspective . . . caused a huge rift, as you can imagine.) So, yah, I think you were wrong and should apologize.

I had one (some GE version) about a decade ago, and it was great. If you only have one regular oven, then having a micro/convection/bake combo as the second above the range thing was really helpful to me, because it gives you a (small) second real oven for holidays, etc, when you want to bake multiple things. Could do rolls, pies, etc in there when the main oven was busy . . . If you rarely bake and rarely wish for a second oven, then it isn't worth it, but if you sometimes wish for a second oven, go for it! If I was putting in an OTR microwave, I'd totally do a convection combo again. (I have two full sized wall ovens now, so I have a straight microwave that is not above anything.)

I feel your pain. I've had this thought about why, as a liberal Christian who is flexible in church affiliation . . . it is particularly difficult to find and be "home" in a church long term. I think it is our very nature as being flexible in our denomination affiliation as well as our lack of conviction that showing up every Sunday is some moral imperative. Since it is ethically/religiously optional to us, then it is hard to stay committed to a church that is flawed or not a perfect match. Contrast that with plenty of cradle Catholics I know who stay convicted and committed despite profound differences with the entire church, let alone their local parish. I've had MANY Catholic friends who spent years or decades in serious internal conflict with some core teaching of their church, but rarely do they waver in their overall identity as Catholic or their commitment to their parish. I think this is because, for them, there is a fundamental moral imperative to remain connected, show up, etc, and so remaining so connected feels right even when they have complaints and disagreements . . . but, our commitment to a liberal UU congregation is 100% voluntary and there is no religious dictate that ever teaches us that we are bad people for distancing or leaving . . . so when even a small conflict arises, it feels wrong to stay. I have married relatives in their 70s who met in a UU congregation during college. They've been in the same congregation for 40+ years. I remember them telling me some story about how they had been profoundly unhappy with some aspect of their leadership at some point 20-ish years ago . . . and they just waited until the minister they disliked left . . . maybe 5 years IIRC. It really made an impact on me that they just outwaited their minister! It was *their* church home, and they weren't leaving just because they disagreed with the *current* leadership! No wonder they've been members for so long! And, it is true, IME, that leaders tend to move on every few years. So, if you have staying power . . . IME, I've regretted it every time I became seriously involved in a church. Eventually, the flawed leadership becomes apparent, and I lose my rose colored glasses . . . then church is no longer fun and all positive, but irritating and stressful. I've very much enjoyed several years at several churches . . . but only when I stringently avoided serious involvement in church politics or finances. I thrived when I accepted only limited (no real power or importance) leadership roles . . . but trouble arises when I accepted roles that gave me too much insight into the foibles of leaders . . . So, that's my best advice for future church roles. Only accept things like "grounds maintenance" or "organize kids' party" . . . no vestry, no finance committee, etc. :)

Guacamole can be a really tasty dressing. I've taken leftover guacamole and added some extra vinegar (and oil, but you can leave that out). Mmmm. Avocado's have plenty of fat, though, so if that sort of fat is still bad for you, then that's out.

"No pole vaulting in the house."

I have an acquaintance who is clearly bright and able, but for whatever reasons, didn't learn to read fully as a child. He is in his late 20s, and is on the verge of getting his act together (staying off drugs, out of jail, and employed and caring for his child) . . . or slipping back into oblivion. I just found out that he can't really read. He can read some simple words, but not many. I know him because he is an employee of my contractor who is working on our renovations at our house, so he is around here every day. He works here 7 days a week, actually. He just bought a little tablet (android type) for his nearly-4-year old for xmas, and I helped him set it up. He doesn't have a credit/debit card, so when I put games on it, I couldn't get any that cost anything. I'd be willing to get him a $20 prepaid debit card to load paid apps/games on the tablet if there are any that could help him learn to read. Or, I'd buy a book or two if that'd help. I don't know how long I'll be able to help him one-on-one, and i can't really put a lot of time into it, as I am overwhelmed time-wise with my own responsibilities, but I'd really like to do something if I can. If there is some self-teaching app I could get him . . . or some book he could work with, maybe reading to his daughter? He is a good fellow, and it slays me that he never learned to read. Makes me ashamed of my state, actually. Anyway, any tips or leads you can give me that I can get for him? I've taught my three kids to read . . . but they were toddlers, super smart, and very well prepared. This man is clearly bright, but obviously not at all prepared, and he works 24/7 to dig himself out of the holes he dug . . . so squeezing in time for reading lessons will be as hard for him (harder) than it would be for me . . . I can't see using the 100 Easy Lessons, because it is way too one-on-one intensive and I doubt I could get him for 100 full lessons. I'd rather something I can get him started with, but that he could use on his own if possible. Thanks!

Maybe no other name feels quite right because you are still, of course, very understandably, grieving your loss. I can't know, but I'd imagine that nothing would ever feel quite right again after losing a child. Things can still be very good, even if they are never quite right. Sometimes we have to embrace the good enough. I would choose a new name for your baby. Congratulations!!!

LOL, our dogs are pretty savvy about finding soft spots. They head for the nearest couch or bed . . . or a coat or blanket tossed on the floor . . . or a lap . . . I agree, soft bedding is needed for dogs! (And, cats go wherever they want anyway, lol). The Kurunda dog beds are awesome. We have them in our kennel at the vet hospital, and they are bullet proof. I think I got them about 8 years ago, and through daily hosing and disinfecting and thousands of hyper dog-days, they are still going strong. I think we've bought a handful of cheap replacement parts over the years, even with all that use. For household use, I'd imagine they'd last decades in perfect shape. One of these days, I'll likely get one for home, especially if any of our dogs gets too creaky to hop up on a couch. http://kuranda.com/dog-beds/standard-dog-bed