I vote for the free ride school, and I have to believe Irvine is a good school! My dh is an attorney who attended an ivy league for a masters, but chose a solid law school in our home state for his law degree after that. He had a great career, and would tell you that it was an excellent path. The only reason I'd choose Georgetown over a quality free-ride school is if your child had such high ambitions that they felt Georgetown would hands down give them that opportunity. (Such as being a supreme court justice.) Or, if your child really wanted to be an east-coast lawyer and knew they wanted to settle in that area. My dh is a go-getter and was planning to enter politics with his degree, and I don't think a degree from the school he chose would have prevented that from happening. As it turns out, other things prevented that from happening but the school he attended was fine.

We're happy to announce baby #5! Of course we have space. If they have more questions than that, I wouldn't really feel a need to answer. People will think what they think.

I don't have any advice through experience myself, except I have a relative who sounds exactly like that (only he is about ten years older), and was also diagnosed with ADHD years ago. Just recently, this relative and his family discovered a psychologist who explains ADHD in a way that finally helps them understand it better. Apparently his videos and books have given them new insight and new ideas. I was curious and I listened to a couple talks he gave myself, and I was impressed. I'll add a couple links here. It sounds like he's done lots and lots of these educational talks and has written books. Sorry -- I don't know why the whole big picture is showing up for these links... I think there's a way to avoid that. (Also, randomly the first one has German captions... I'm sure you can search for one that doesn't, if you want!)

I'm pretty sure I've read that flying is safer than driving a car, so there you go. Also, turbulence is controlled flying and completely normal. A glass of wine either in flight or ahead of time at the airport is fine. Liquid courage, as they say.

If he is going to drive anyway, are there slower, less busy, backroads he can take? I don't know the areas there at all so perhaps this is impossible. My dad is 95 and still living independently, but he realizes his driving isn't what it used to be. Still, he is amazingly careful when he drives and can handle roads that are less-busy city roads (not highways), during the day, and avoiding rush hour. Probably the most he drives is one mile, but it's a straight shot, fairly slow, and familiar. No busy highways/freeways, for sure.

I'm so very sorry to hear this... My heart goes out to you.

I've found some perfect summer pants on Everlane over the years. Their styles change a little each year so I'm not sure what they're like this year. But check them out!

A typical day with no purposeful walking for exercise is usually 2-3 miles. But, I'm often taking care of one of my dd's dogs, so then it easily doubles on a typical day. Or if it's one of my errand-running days (once/week), it also doubles. I walk to a lot of places: the bank, pharmacy, weekly pick-up sites for bread and milk, post office, library, tailor, dry cleaners, farmers market, cafes, restaurants, small grocers, parks, dentist. In fact, it's harder to drive to those places than walk, since parking is a hassle. I always thought I'd either live in a small town or inner city where I can walk to places, and we've been able to do that for many years, throughout our entire marriage except for one year. I want to be able to get my walking in naturally, not as forced exercise. I think I'm not disciplined enough to just walk for exercise on a daily basis!

I'd call the store and ask them. I'd probably trust it though if it smelled okay.

Here, there are also stand-alone emergency rooms that are staffed by emergency room doctors. They can't do everything a hospital ER can do so I wouldn't bring a car-accident victim there or someone who I'm concerned is having a stroke, for example. Their prices seem to be more reasonable than a hospital ER.

I think the Kohl's returns started during the pandemic. But, it doesn't seem to be for everything, which I don't understand. Some Amazon items still let me return them by mail (or UPS), but other items are pretty strict about Kohl's. But sometimes, it's sneaky, and I'm given the Kohl's option like it's the only option, but if I scroll further down, it actually lets me choose to print my own postage paid label and send it myself.

Jello "salads"; Hamburger Helper; any casseroles that have ground beef, tomato sauce, and egg noodles; tuna casserole with peas and chow mein noodles; chipped beef over toast. @cintinative I see you listed chipped beef above, and that's what reminded me. 🙂 I used to love it as a kid!

I don't remember the days leading up to it as bad, just boring. I filled up on bland, non-fibery food but it was fine. The thing I was least looking forward to was the gatorade/miralax mix, because I can't stand gatorade or any drinks with that artificially sweet flavor. It makes me feel sick. So I used herbal tea instead of gatorade -- chamomile tea. I iced it ahead of time, and took my time drinking it it. It was actually really easy like that! It really didn't feel like a big deal at all. I can't remember if I asked my doctor ahead of time if that was okay, but I at least googled it, and asked my doctor about it later. He said that was fine as long as I didn't have any issues that might require me to have the extra electrolytes, which I didn't.

It sounds like Netflix is cracking down and really will not allow different IP addresses, etc. on the same account. (I believe it can also track if it's your device being use somewhere else though, like if you're on vacation, and apparently that's okay.) So, you might not need to say much at all to your parents... It might just take care of itself, or, you can tell them just that ~ that it's unfortunately not allowed anymore. That said, I didn't know it wasn't allowed! I mean, I pay extra each month so that a few of our kids can remain on it even though they don't live at home anymore. Their devices are registered on our account, and obviously their IP addresses are different than mine. I guess I never really thought it not allowed. Our kids do the same for us then: one of them has a Hulu account, another has a different type of account, etc., and we all share with each other.

A long time ago when I lived in California, I dated a Hollywood stuntman, and I went to some celebrity parties with him. I remember one of them was at Doug McClure's mansion, probably a name unfamiliar to most but he had been in the TV show "The Virginian" and I used to watch the re-runs of those and always liked his character! Another time I was at a night club and spent the evening dancing with someone who claimed he was one of the princes of Iran, and he had a security detail with him. By the end of the evening, he asked me if I'd marry him. 😄. I didn't really believe any of it then (although he was definitely Iranian), but now and then, I wonder...

I wouldn't bring up the past or any differences at all. I doubt either of you is ready for that yet. I'd express happiness in seeing her. I'd listen. I'd find things to say that show her that you care, whether it's congratulating her on a new job, being happy for her new relationship, or whatever. Focus on the things deep within her that you care about and believe to be true. If she tries to bring you into heated conversations about past differences, you can politely decline. I don't know your back story, but often an apology is worth a thousand words, in case you owe her one. (It might be years before she recognizes that she owes you one as well.) As far as how to start the conversation: "How are you?? I'm so happy to see you!" I will say that being a parent of adult children is a very humbling experience! I hope it goes well for you tonight.

For different things I've used it for, what was important was that it was an actual certified copy, with a proper stamp on it to prove it. (I think it was a raised stamp.) Not sure about passport requirements though. However, it was super easy to get! I went to the county's vital records office in person and got one on the spot, for a small fee. I can't remember what verification I had to show, but it was much easier than I thought it'd be!

Well I doubt he saved our lives or anything quite like that, but our family dog growing up could sense earthquakes coming around 30 seconds before people could feel them. (We lived on a fault line.) That gave us time to run outside before they really hit.

Tax information; anything insurance-related; official ID documents (such as birth certificates, marriage license, SS cards); car/home/business sale papers; anything financial that I might need (investment accounts, credit card accounts, bank accounts, etc.); health info (vaccine records, pertinent health records, etc.); any legal matters not mentioned in other categories; auto info; home or rental info; travel info, especially passport copies; resumes and support documents such as college degrees, etc.; info on/for my parents that I might need.

I haven't read through the others, but I did this a few years ago when we moved from our family home to a mostly temporary apartment. (Although we've been here for three years now!) I found it easy to get rid of most things, everything except my own clothes. My last child had just moved out, so I kept a large bin per child for everything they wanted to keep, which I let them choose (old toys, childhood momentos, etc.). (None of my children have more permanent homes yet, some are still in school, etc., so I still keep these.) I also have one medium bin for things that I want to keep for them: childhood art projects, journals, some fun homeschooling projects, awards, etc. My children are free to dump all of these once they actually have more permanent homes and I pass them on to them, but for now, I have them. Then one tiny bin with their baby book, first baby outfit, etc. Everything else of theirs is gone. I got rid of so much I had accumulated over the years in our kitchen, and just kept the basics that I use day-to-day, with the exception of a few things that I use only a few times a year (like a large roasting pan and waffle iron); those I keep in a closet since our kitchen is small. My own childhood memories are in maybe two boxes? Actually, one trunk and one small banker's box. My dh's childhood memories are all in one small banker's box. All of those bins/containers that are being saved but never actually used are pushed way back in our storage room. No need to get at them for now. I have one large bin with our family photo albums, but I keep that one closer to the front of our storage room because my kids enjoy looking at those even now. I got rid of probably 80% of our books. I kept only one small shelf of favorite children's books, and then books that are either very special to me or ones that I want to refer to from time to time. I got rid of most of our trinkets that were collected over the years from trips, as gifts, etc., unless it represented something really significant. The only family heirlooms I kept were ones that I could hang on our walls: my mother's paintings, an old wedding photo of my grandparents, etc. Okay, I do have one medium box with family heirlooms that cannot be hung. (Such as my grandmother's journal. She was born in 1899!) Clothes are harder because since we've been through a pandemic where no one was going anywhere, I haven't worn some nicer clothes in three years! But I'm keeping them if they're still in good shape, for now. What's hard for me to get rid of -- but I'm learning -- are clothes that I love but that are just becoming so worn that I don't wear them much. I mean, I can wear them when I'm home all day, but do I really need five pair of worn-out black jeans for that? So I choose just two pair and get rid of the rest. Every season now, as I bring out my summer clothes for example, I think: Did I wear this last year? Will I really wear it? Has my style changed? Often my answer is "maybe" so I keep it. But by the next year, I might change my answer to "no" so I get rid of it. Some things I sell at consignment stores. It's becoming easier! There's so much more I could get rid of in the clothing category, but that's a slower goal for me, and I'm okay with that. I'm whittling away at it! For example, this past year I bought maybe 10 new items of clothing, and I probably gave away 25, so I figure that's good math. 🙂 I've really minimized my shoes: all I need are one pair of sandals, one pair of tennies, one pair of black dress shoes, etc. My shoe rack is pretty slim. Jackets and coats are a whole other story! It probably took me 6 months of thorough organizing and winnowing of our possessions (after living in our family home for 25 years) before we last moved. I think I could now do it in a week.

I think it's great that you're sensitive to this, but I wouldn't worry too much about it now. I think for now, just treating each other with kindness and acceptance is all one can do. If it develops into something more serious/longer term, conversations will naturally come up. All of my children who are married have spouses from different cultures. Yes, it does add an extra layer to maneuver in their relationships sometimes, but many things create extra layers. Very infrequently, strangers have said things that are really disturbing, like the one time a businessman pulled my SIL aside and and tried to buy drugs off of him -- assuming he sold drugs because of his race. Thankfully things like that don't happen very often though. I do think about where they will end up living when they're ready to really settle down, maybe raise a family, etc. For example, some smaller, homogenous towns might not feel as comfortable for them. I myself have questions sometimes, even little things such as how to wish someone "Happy Holiday" for a holiday that our family doesn't celebrate. But those are things that when led with a sincere kindness and eagerness to learn, generally work out fine. Most importantly, all the families involved very much support the couples and are there for them no matter what. And I'll add that once the relationship is serious, we're all pretty open with our questions, and there's generally a lot of humor in these conversations as well -- which can help.

I use Amtrak often in and out of Chicago. The delays that I've experienced are more likely to occur in the winter due to snow and ice on the tracks. Generally, it seems like it's improved during the last several years and has gotten more punctual. Most of the time these days, apart from snow and ice, it has been on-time when I've taken it. You can look up the train's status online or on a phone app and track the train so you can get an idea if it's on-time or not. As far as how early to be at the station, it all depends on the station/city. I've gotten on at some small stations where there are three people waiting, and half an hour early is more than enough time. At other stations, like Chicago's Union Station, I like to be at least an hour early, or even an hour and a half, even though you really wouldn't need to be there that early. But for my peace of mind, I'd rather be there on the early side since it's a busy station and lines can get long. Most routes I've taken these days have fairly quick stops, with a longer one occasionally, but not too long -- maybe 20 minutes. That's where people might pop off for a quick smoke or walk a dog.

Painting? I've seen adult paint-by-number books.

We had milk delivered for many years on our front porch, which does get very hot in the summer. However, he always came by around the same time, around 7am, so we'd just make sure to pay attention and bring it in right after he dropped it off. Probably now and then it was out there for 20 minutes before we brought it in, but it was very early in the day and out of the sun, and in all those years, we never had any problems.

My very, very limited understanding of this is that for awhile it very well could be catastrophic, because our current infrastructure depends on a baseline number of people to keep it functioning. But if we can somehow make our way through all of that, then overall, smaller populations will be much better for the health of the planet.