I'm sorry it's a problem you face too. I wish it weren't, but it is nice to know others understand. I really liked my old Kindle with page-turn buttons, but I never much liked my Paperwhite where I had to tap the screen to turn the page. It didn't like having to tap the screen, and it didn't like to recognize my finger was tapping. I think it may be because I have unusually dry hands because it works fine for my mother. I recently got a Voyage, and that has solved my issues with the touchscreen. The touch screen is more responsive, but there are also marked spots on each side of the screen where I can very lightly squeeze to turn the page. When my hands hurt, I lie on my side, prop the book up with some covers and can just barely squeeze the screen side to make it turn. It's much easier for me to read in bed that way than with a book, especially if my arms and wrists hurt.

This is one of the many reasons I love my Kindle Voyage. The light on the Voyage and Paperwhite is different than on a backlit screen like an Ipad or the Fire. It goes much dimmer than the Ipad or my phone, and while those lights will still bother DH at their lowest level, the lowest levels of light on my Kindle don't bother him at all.

Hmm...Interesting! I didn't mention it in the OP, but I also still use physical cookbooks. I didn't realize you could get color e-books for cookbooks. This opens up a whole new frontier for me!

Oh my! That is really funny. I do like the smell of books, but I'm not sure I'm going to order a candle for it!

I can't be the only person around who pretty much never buys or checks out physical books anymore. Am I? I loved physical books. I loved browsing book stores. I loved holding books and smelling them. Obviously, I loved reading them! I'm really surprised how quickly this changed for me. I got my first kindle four or five years ago, and I thought it would be convenient but didn't expect to stop buying books. I was clearly wrong--I think I've only bought one physical book in the past two years. I love not having to fill half a suitcase with books for DS and me when going on a trip! I also don't check physical books out of the library any longer. When I realized I wouldn't accrue fines on digital books, I shifted over. The first year or so was a little annoying because some titles weren't available or the library only had one digital copy, but lately it seems like my library gets many digital copies of pretty much everything. I'm really enjoying not buying physical books. I don't have to try to figure out where to put them on already-too-full shelves, and I don't have to dust them! I've been slowly winnowing out the less classic or less worthy hard copies from our collection, and I'm excited to have some more space. I really didn't expect to become this person, but here I am. Digital books all the way at my house.

The drama thing can really grind you down. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any surefire cure for it except time and maturity. It's not unusual for a 7 y.o. to not be able to change her emotional behavior just because it hasn't helped her get what she wants in the past. That requires a lot of emotional maturity, and most kids that age aren't really that able to hold things together just because a behavior hasn't been rewarded. Some, though not all, kids will be better able to hold it together if they've learned that throwing a dramatic fit has a consistent consequence. Consistency on your part and growing up on her part are about all that can help. However, I feel like in regard to the bolded above, I need to gently point out that this strikes me as an unreasonable expectation. She's 7. Most kids that age can't clean their rooms on their own. Some can, but it's far from the norm. I'd focus on helping her develop this skill and try not to be disappointed that she's not there yet. Again, I really don't think that most kids that age can look at photos of a clean room and use that to clean theirs. She's already shown that she tends to get overwhelmed emotionally very easily. Looking at the contrast between her clean room and the way it is could easily be too overwhelming for her. Checklists are much easier for kids (and for a lot of adults!) because they can see the individual tasks that need to be completed. I've had the most success with the most detailed checklists. Break the task down into very small parts (like "nightstand top clear except for lamp" rather than "clear all horizontal surfaces"). :grouphug:

We are heavy kindle users here: Kindle keyboard - lasted four years, until I took it into sub-zero (fahrenheit) temperatures and bumped the screen with something hard, when the screen died. another Kindle keyboard - lasted two years before dying when DS put it into a ziploc bag in his backpack during a torrential thunderstorm. He forgot to seal the bag, and when he pulled it out, it was sitting in about two inches of water. I'm not surprised it died! Basic Kindle - purchased in 2011, still going strong, with hours of daily use, and plenty of abuse (DS has dropped it on hard surfaces untold times, and even skidded across concrete on it about a year ago--it has horrific scratches on it, but still works perfectly. Paperwhite - a couple of years old, and still going strong. Voyage - about six months old and still going strong

And photocopy the last several months of retirement account statements--for you and for your husband. (To clarify--I don't mean give him the copies, just make sure you have copies of all of his account statements.)

I often just do a pour-over (grounds in a filter in a ceramic filter holder, pour hot water over it), but I also really like my Aeropress. It makes really good coffee, and unlike the French press, it doesn't leave small sediment behind. Both the pour-over and Aeropress will let you make one cup at a time, which I think is one of the big attractions of the Keurig. They don't offer push-button convenience, but they're cheaper! I've found I really do prefer to brew one cup at a time because of the better flavor.

T-Mobile? They offer unlimited international, but I don't know if it's only after a certain period.

Um, EIGHT STITCHES is way more than "nipped" in my book. Eight facial stitches could have easily cost $50,000, even in the '90s because a plastic surgeon should have been involved (and quite possibly was if eight stitches healed without a scar). Then there's the fact that getting bitten on the face by a dog would be incredibly traumatic and quite possibly cause lifelong fears about dogs. Frankly, I think $50,000 sounds like a bargain, and if my family dog had been responsible for that kind of trauma (or, honestly, any trauma) to a child, I'd be feeling responsible, not picked on!

Ask a hardwood floor guy to take a look. It sounds like the kind of thing where they could patch new wood in there and stain it to match. It's a pretty easy repair for someone who does floors.

Good luck!

I love having a prep sink. DH was skeptical of putting a second sink in, but he is now a complete convert. Copper is fussy care wise. It will discolor and need care, and I wouldn't want in a kitchen where it will get acidic liquids poured on it regularly. I'd be fine with it for a bath sink. I've read a few threads on Gardenweb about it being troublesome in a kitchen (sorry, no links). YES!!! We also have a dishwasher with the third tray for utensils, and we all love it. It makes the space so much more efficient. DH was not sure this was a good idea but went along with it, and now he's really glad we got it. Other things we love: Under-cabinet lighting was definitely worth it. Lots of light and windows--we sacrificed some upper cabinets to have more windows, and we don't regret it at all. Our kitchen isn't huge and having more light makes a big difference to how much we want to work in it. Don't skimp on can lights or whatever you're using. You'll never regret having too many lights, but you'll definitely regret having too few. Patterned countertops--Ours are stone, and the natural variations and veining hide a lot of imperfections. We used to have shiny, solid black granite countertops, and those were awful. It was a nightmare to keep clean because it showed every single crumb and it had to be polished every time we cleaned up or else it was covered with ugly smears. Super susan for a blind corner. Here's a thread at Gardenweb about what to do with corner cabinets and it talks about the different options. We have the wood super Susans that are maybe the third or fourth picture down, and we love them. They're worlds better than the old plastic ones with the center pole, and ours holds an incredible amount of larger stuff (food processor, stock pot, etc.). We don't have trouble with the hinged door, but we pretty much only have stuff in it that DH and I would use when cooking, and we've talked about how to not bang it into other cupboards. The Gardenweb thread has lots of blind corner options. 6-burner stove. This is another thing that we debated about getting, but we're really glad we did. We don't use all six burners for cooking at the same time (probably used 5 at the most), but having a large surface where we can slide pots off the burner but still have them on the stove top has been a huge help for us. It avoids us trying to figure out where to set a hot pot, and it leaves us with room for our really large frying pan. On our old 4-burner stove, the large frying pan made the other burners hard to use because they were all squished together. It's also a lot easier for us both to cook now. This really made a much bigger difference than we expected! USB outlet for a charging station. Words can't express how much I love this.

What did she eat before she went vegetarian? Knowing that will help people give you some ideas that will be more likely to work for her. I also was a vegetarian who didn't really eat vegetables. I think it's pretty common for a lot of new, young vegetarians. I think that I ate just as badly as a meat eater, but it was less obvious because I still ate the "main dish." When I stopped eating meat, all of a sudden my issues with vegetables were really apparent to others--though that part hadn't changed at all. After about a year of being a vegetarian, I decided I had to start eating veggies, but I had big issues with them. I started adding them to things I cooked, but I chopped them as small as possible--think pulverized. If I'd had a food processor, I'd have used that to get them small enough. The idea was that they had to be small enough that I wouldn't end up with a chunk of red pepper or something on my fork and be overwhelmed by the taste/texture. I'd work the smaller-than-minced veggies into the dishes I was making. I'd make tacos with tofu and add pulverized peppers and onions. I'd make veggie burgers with miniscule pieces of broccoli and carrots. I'd make pasta sauce with mashed carrots and tiny pieces of peppers. Over time (years), I started chopping the veggies less finely and eating more veggies as a side dish. The fact that your daughter will willingly try the dishes you've made suggests to me that her food issues are not nearly as extreme as mine were, and by simply talking with her and continuing to expose her to veggies will help her become more flexible. Whether she eats meat or not, she'll need to learn to eat veggies, so this is a good process for her to go through!

My hips are the same size as they were when I was a teenager (I have an old pair of pants from then that fit), but everyone is different. It's definitely possible that your hip bones have grown since you were that age. If you just keep losing weight until you're at your desired bodyfat level, it will become clear what sizes that corresponds with. I think it's really hard to have a set size or weight as a goal because it's hard to tell what that will look like until you get there. Good luck!

That's funny because Amazon just made my summer: Amazon now offering same-day delivery for Prime members!

Make sure that your doctor prescribed the correct dose. According to my ophthalmologist, it's scarily common for rheumatologists to prescribe too high of a dose. Mine did, but I noticed and took the correct (lower) dose for my height. A higher dose can increase chances of eye problems. I've copied an article section that talks about dosing: “Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) is not deposited into fat,†explains Donald E. Thomas, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.R., F.A.C.P. “That is why it is recommended that we go by ideal body weight, or IBW—taking into account lean body mass more so than any extra fat mass in people who are overweight.†Thomas explains that the American Association of Ophthalmology recommends using the “Method of Devine†to determine IBW: For women, start with 100 pounds, and add 5 pounds for every inch over 5 feet. For men, start with 106 pounds, and add 6 pounds for every inch over 5 feet. The maximum dose of Plaquenil is 6.5 mg/kg IBW/day, regardless of whether a person is overweight, underweight, or normal weight. One kilogram (kg) equals 2.2 pounds. Women with lupus who are over their IBW should go by these dosing rules: 5’ 7†or higher - up to 400 mg Plaquenil daily 5’ 1/2†to 5’ 6 1/2†- up to 300 mg Plaquenil daily 5’ or shorter - up to 200 mg Plaquenil daily Women with lupus who are at or below their IBW should go by these dosing rules: 135 lbs. or more, any height - up to 400 mg Plaquenil daily 102 lbs. to 134 lbs. - up to 300 mg Plaquenil daily 101 lbs or less - up to 200 mg Plaquenil daily

Loved Doc Martin and Bletchley Circle. We enjoy Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, but not quite as much. Others I haven't seen mentioned: Wallander (there's a British version and a Swedish version)--warning, these are not good for pre-teens, IMO. Orphan Black (Canadian series)--The lead actress plays several roles, and I find it fascinating how different they are. This is also not very pre-teen friendly.

Yeah, you really can't spot reduce the fat in an area, but building up the muscles under it can make it look very different and more solid. I'm not really sure where your problem area is, though. Is it the saddlebags area (outer part of extreme upper thighs, running into your rear end) or love handles (top of hip bones, on the outer parts of your back--this is usually a bit below your natural waist). If it's saddlebags, then doing weighted squats and weighted hip thrusts can make a big difference in the appearance by firming up the muscles beneath it. If it's really the love handle area, I don't know because there's not really a large muscle underneath there that will improve appearance if you build it up. FWIW, I'm quite thin (within 5 pounds of the bottom of the "healthy weight" BMI range for my height) and doing weighted squats (as heavy as I could do, adding 2.5-5 pounds each day, as I could) made a big difference in the appearance of the back of my upper thighs/saddlebag region. I still have a little fat in the love handle area that bugs me, and I think the only thing I could do to get rid of it would be to lose more weight. That would make me too thin, though, so I've decided to make my peace with a little feminine softness there!

Those are both nice age groups to teach, in my opinion. I think middle schoolers can be a bit hard, in general, but the 8th graders are pulling things together again, and they are much easier overall than the younger middle-school kids. That being said, I think the person who asked why they're in summer school is on to something. That would influence my decision.

I think that smell is still a problem. I know that I've caught a whiff of that scent from random women in stores and such. I'm sure they'd be mortified if they knew others could smell it, but it is what it is. That smell plus that horrible, bunchy, wet feeling that pads give is enough to deter me from pads. Plus pads always leaked for me at night. I hated wearing pads during those post-partum days. I was already sore and tired, and pads just added an extra layer of discomfort and unpleasantness! I found the poll amusing because the strongest option for tampon users was "The majority of the time." I'm sure many folks would have chosen "all of the time (except postpartum)."

I have a bay tree and use those when cooking at home. I find that I often have to use one leaf instead of two because the fresh is so much stronger and better than the dried. I can taste a big difference from the dried--even fresh dried (taken off my plant, stored in a bag, and used two or three days later). I think it's definitely worth having a bay tree outside if they grow in your climate.

Do you have any other local bra boutiques that carry a wide range of sizes? I'd look for a store carrying bands at least down to 28 (not that you need that, but it indicates a store where they buyers understand the range needed to fit women) and with a large cup range as well. It really sounds as if you were not well fitted. The underwire should not bruise your ribs in a properly fitted bra (though it may leave you red, and it may be a bit uncomfortable for a few days as you adjust). The shoulder straps should not hurt, and they definitely should not be leaving your arm numb or tingling. The band should provide pretty much all of the support for your bra, even in larger sizes. The reddit "Bra that fits" link that Fiona posted above is a great place to start if you need to figure out proper fit on your own.

I would recommend reading the forums and personal blog posts at youlookfab. I think the forums tend to skew mid 30s and up (with active members who are in their 60s and still post outifts). The members are also really helpful with how to find/develop a personal style that works for your real life. I also recently came across a petite fashion blog that was done by someone who was neither in her 20s nor a waif wearing 00P. If I can find it again, I'll come back and post it for you.