I would love to hear what everybody has been working on! And with holidays quickly approaching, what gifts will you be making? Need some inspiration!

Have the party you can afford (and I have done many home parties), the number of guests you can afford. It is not always realistic that guests can afford to pay to attend (and bring a gift!). I would hate to be the cause of a child's upset because mom has to say they can't afford to attend a friends party.

I am okay knowing others disagree, think it is overly formal, etc. My belief that it is a nicety in a time when so many have gone by the wayside will not change, nor do I expect to change anyone else's feelings about it. Viewing it as a string attached to a gift is harsh. If I hand my daughter a cookie and expect her to say thank you, it is not a string. It is a courtesy I believe is important. And no, she doesn't have to write a note for the cookie. ; )

Generally staying away from messy topics, but I think this is really one of those things people feel strongly about either way. I was raised to write a thank-you note for every gift received, whether in person or not. I expect my kids to do the same. It is important to me. I do not blacklist people from my life if they do not write a thank you note. But I am impressed when they do. And I certainly understand that life can get in the way, not every child/person is able to reasonably do so. No problem. I hope the email was just the parents way of acknowledging their appreciation for all the people who took time to join in the celebration for their child, separate from the graduate's own thank you.

Red flags, no. But I am a strong believer in instinct. If the feeling you took from them was sadness, that can be a palpable emotion, particularly in children. Hopefully, further interaction will provide insight into whether there is any cause for concern, or if, perhaps, there was simply some family matter that permeated their behavior that day. P.S. Why did anyone give this thread two stars?? I gave it 5, just because that boggles my mind. Sorry for the digression.

I think the doctor is your best bet. They will likely put a few stitches in. :grouphug: to your girl.

That's amazing. I have seen warnings about it, but thought it was something that happened in winter when they look for the warmth of the car engine.

We have heard meowing outside the past few nights. Nothing during the day. I went out to get a paper from my car after dinner, and heard this constant meowing, but could not find this kitten. Dd came out and looked with me, and I kept saying "It cannot be in the engine! It sounds like it is in the engine!" Opened the hood, out pops a tiny kitten. This poor baby has an injured paw, and it clearly hungry, but was all over us. I have been calling all over, finally found someone to come pick him (or her) up, and we put the kitten in our dog's crate in the garage while we wait. I am still in shock! Poor little thing.

:grouphug: No advice, but I am sorry. Sometimes we try to do everything right, and things happen anyway! I hope the dentist can make it right soon.

This looks like something even I can manage. I can bake, but bread is never consistent and yummy. When you mention a casserole dish for baking, can you give more specifics? I have a lot of casserole dishes, and it is HIGHLY likely I will choose the wrong size/type and end up with another doorstop. Thank you for sharing!

Fitbit came yesterday, and I have joined in. I suspect I will not pose a threat on the leaderboard, but will be motivated to move more anyway.

I would be very cautious. Perhaps a second opinion would be helpful. If you put it through your health insurance. They will seek compensation from auo policy, yours or other driver.

I also have no advice, just ((hugs)). I admire the way in which you have restructured pieces of your own life for your dad. He is very fortunate to be so loved.

Not taking any chances.

Yes. I mentioned before about some nutty stuff with our last house sale. Buyer started demanding more mulch hours before settlement. :confused1: When all was said and done, we closed in two rooms but that was d/h's choice. He was afraid he would lose his, by then, precarious grip on himself if they mentioned one.more.thing during closing. Sounds like this has been a less than delightful experience. Hope it wraps up quickly and without more nonsense!

:grouphug: Long night! I have 2 new drivers, my 2 youngest. Ds is 19, got his license this last year, dd 16 just got her permit. I have told my kids from early on that there is no magic number for driving in this house. You do it when I decide you are ready. Every single teen is different, as is every new driving experience. I have friends living in towns where their driving will be almost exclusively on local roads, light to medium traffic flow. You cannot travel anywhere from my house without getting on a highway, heavily traveled, high speed. It is a big deal. I understand your husband losing his mind when he couldn't reach her. It is scary to have your girl out there, and to receive a call like that and then be unable to reach her. I hope now that he has had a chance to collect himself he can apologize and give your dd a little insight into how love combined with fear can look like anger. Perhaps dd needs more practice during daylight hours, with and without a parent. You can create scenarios for her to think through, i.e. what could you do if this road was closed and you needed to detour, how to respond to bad weather, etc. Print out a local map, hang it up and let her study it, tracing routes to different destinations. And I agree, a GPS could be helpful if for no other reason than it can provide confidence that she can find her way out in a pinch.

With a staph like that, anescalation of symptoms even after meds would likely send us to Urgent care. I hope he heals soon!

You have all inspired me to stop looking in the mirror saying "WTH????" I ordered my Fitbit, loaded some new music on my phone, and will be moving and grooving. Thank you!

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: I am so sorry.

Oh Farrah. Bless your heart. Public school is your friend.

Last house I sold we pulled out of first offer after receiving a letter from their attorney stating 20 things they wanted done (all nonsense stuff) and dictating that we would travel to his office, an hour and a half away, for closing. Done. Had multiple offers, not interested. After we pulled out, their agent started calling saying "they really want the house, they are not responsible for the attorney's behavior". Sorry. Too late. People we sold to wanted a couple of minor remediations after inspection, which we gladly took care of. Day of closing, their agent called ours to say they thought there should be more mulch in the front beds, and would not come to closing unless we took care of it. No thanks. We had already moved into our new house, so were not worried about concurrent closings. After going back and forth, we credited them $50 or so for mulch. It really was simply extortion. I was always tempted to leave handfuls of mulch in their mailbox every time I had to drive by. Buyers can be crazy, and I think the downturn in the market over the years has contributed to the idea that every seller must be desperate to sell and can be pushed to the wall.

I am not quick to call authorities, but I would call without any hesitation. Police, child welfare. It is a dangerous (and heartbreaking) situation. At the very least, the situation needs to be evaluated.

Continued prayers for healing.

I would also struggle with this, I think. There is such a ridiculous over-reaction by many schools to nonsense, and such under-reaction to real bullying issues it makes me hesitant to "sic the dogs" on a 12-year old who seems immature without more information or background. How does this school respond to things? Will she be disciplined and given closer supervision or referral to counseling if deemed appropriate, or will she be branded and thrown out? It is a tough call these days. Probably not very helpful, but I get the dilemma.

Dp So I will take this spot to agree with the advice to exercise. So important, even when it really is the last thing anyone feels like doing when depressed.