Acknowledging that "these are the bedbugs you know" (and that they've ostensibly treated for) vs the ones "you don't know" that could be anywhere....still, I would be reluctant. Many library users are regulars. So, whoever brought the bedbugs in to begin with is likely still doing so! The comparison is not free library vs buying books. The comparison is, buying books vs having your home treated for bedbugs. You *might* get away with a relatively inexpensive treatment. You also might get stuck with one of the ones that cost several thousand dollars. My pest guy (we live in FL, haha, so we have a "pest guy" that comes quarterly) was describing a home he had treated for bedbugs. They had treated a couple of times and were going back a third time. (all very expensive) They were at a loss to understand why the re-infestations were happening, especially after the second more intensive treatment. They had the couple make a list of where they went regularly. The one location that stood out was the place that the husband went for dialysis. Turns out, the place had bedbugs, and THAT had to be treated. I would pay a lot of money for books before I'd risk bedbugs, but everyone's risk threshhold is different. Maybe you could just get the books and leave them to roast in a hot car for an afternoon before bringing them into the house. Good luck!

It was at First Communion for us. (age 7) The department stores have relatively cheap kids' suits, or even better, jackets that will go with a shirt/tie combo. I wouldn't get one until I needed one due to unpredictable growth.

No, but I've been at a wedding where the groom didn't show.

Well, that would be an argument for doing something to help DS's behavior improve (even though I realize you said you are not seeking advice on that). I wouldn't want to listen to excessive arguing, either, nor people yelling at each other often. My kids are certainly welcome to be in bad moods. I will even provide Sulking Snacks and a Shoulder To Cry On, as needed. But I will NOT allow them to yell at me. There are consequences for that. Every. Time. So, I'm not advising you to try to help anyone with their behavior, but what alternatives to that are you contemplating? The only one that comes readily to mind is boarding school.

yeah I re-read your original post, it doesn't sound like a good environment for cats if you'll be living there. Sorry! Our two have greatly enriched our lives, but you have to like animals a little bit to allow that to happen. Good luck.

We agreed to get our boys a pet when my oldest turned 10. That was a couple years ago, and we honestly can't picture how we lived our lives without cats! Our kittens were rescue kittens that came from a litter of 5. We took two. The vet says two is a great number because they are companions for each other and that has proven to be the case. So I vote, pick two to keep, and send the rest to the ASPCA because I doubt they'll leave. Cats are pretty low maintenance as far as pets go, that's one of the reasons why I like them!

I don't think it would be *that* last minute if someone's flying in from California. It would be one thing to not keep you in the loop if it were just a party, or their own personal vacation plans. But a 50TH WEDDING ANNINVERSARY FOR PARENTS? Eh, no. And there's no who's on first, what's on second excuse about "I thought YOU informed her..." no no no. And I don't care if you were overseas, in hospice or aboard the International Space Station with a return date AFTER the party, it's something to keep the WHOLE family in the loop on. Because maybe you would want to CALL on the day of the party to greet everyone. Or send a timely card. Or whatever. No. Very bizarre. And if your mom knew about it before right now, SHE should have talked to you about it. Surely she would like to know if your family was coming or not? If mom is just learning about it now, then SHE should question daughter and DIL as to why you weren't consulted. (They must have said you didn't know about it, right?) That's what moms do, ask the obvious question. I would be having a "what the heck" conversation with my sister at a minimum.

Also he wasn't smiling.

I perceive this situation to be something beyond the 7-year-old's control. (the school problems) I don't see it as something she's doing on purpose (forgetting math concepts that were discussed days or weeks earlier), nor something she's unwilling to put the effort into. (except, possibly, related to fear of failure) It is in no way a discipline issue. So what OP is responding to is basically a frustration with a REALITY. When children are being willfully disobedient I'm a little more tolerant of the occasional need to yell/raise one's voice. (I'm not tolerant of name-calling/berating, no matter the circumstance) But, yelling at/berating in this situation is like yelling at/berating a person who is disabled for not being able to walk or perform some other function that a non-disabled person would easily be able to do. Not saying the DD is disabled, but her difficulty with math, whether it's a maturity issue, LD or discalculia or whatever, functions similarly. It isn't something she can control. So OP is sort of viewing DD as the cause of her frustration, when in fact it ISN'T DD at all, it's the situation. Why is this situation more frustrating than others the OP has encountered, including dealing with groups of kids with actual behavioral issues? Maybe because that wasn't personal. Wanting our own kids to succeed is a lot more personal. People have given a lot of good specific advice, I'm only going to suggest a change in perspective, from this being a situation where DD is in any way the CAUSE of anything, to one where the reality is what it is, and OP needs to work on her reaction to REALITY, not her DD. Would you scream at DD if the fridge went out and the food spoiled, if the dog had an accident on the living room rug, if the toilet overflowed? "Not being able to do math" is the same thing. An unfortunate current fact of life. One which she may outgrow as her brain matures, or one which she may overcome with tutoring, or a more patient mom. Good luck, OP, I'm not suggesting any of this is easy, and we have ALL felt your frustration at various points!

There are houses that are not in neighborhoods.

Maybe get some security cameras both as a deterrent, and to see what he's up to if anything.

I'd add a security system to the house, if you don't already have one. This is edging toward crazytown.

Just because most victims know their abusers doesn't make this guy a lesser threat. If she had to choose between their best friend's father or this guy to take them for ice cream, I don't think she'd pick the offender because "someone they know" is the greater statistical risk. And an offender who has *no* contact with the kids of course is at no risk of harming them. You just can't assume that the *no contact* part will always be true. We had a case here in Florida a couple years back where a group of kids walked to the local school. One of the younger girls ran ahead of her sister and the group. By the time they caught up she had disappeared. It took some time before her body was found in a dump, and a local sex offender along their walking route was the culprit. Sure, we all know she was FAR MORE likely to be victimized by a relative. But when an offender lives nearby, you're sort of counting on their: good will? frame of mind? their own perception of how good an opportunity needs to be in order to act on an impulse? whether they have a car? Etc.

Eh, that they don't care whether I come? I may have missed a few if that's how people are doing wedding invitations!

How old is she?

On Friday my 4-year-old nephew sustained a concussion at a pre-K/daycare run by adults. Just sayin.

If Grandma isn't broke, don't fix her!

We use Image Grammar also. We just schedule a few pages a day, starting and stopping at natural breaks.

It's like being in a science fiction movie real time.

I can't imagine what benefit there would be to a stress test for a 98 year old. Just an example here locally, there was a woman who was told by her doctor that she needed a colonoscopy because she was now over the age of 50. She was also ALREADY being treated for Stage 4 cancer. Some doctors just "follow protocols" instead of actually thinking and treating the patient.

My kids didn't care for the bathroom at those ages either, so I'd have them go right before we boarded the plane. I guess if I were in there with one of them I'd ask the flight attendant to stand right outside with the other one. Re: driving, I'd MapQuest the directions ahead of time, not rely on the GP's directions.

I'm sorry. Seems like if you live by the Facebook, you die by the Facebook. I hope they fix it for you.

I do the reverse trip (FL to NY), and I have done it with young children. By "young" I mean an infant and a toddler! (which is what I thought you meant when I clicked on the thread) It wasn't easy, but do-able. At 6 and 4 it would be no problem whatsoever! You just take them into the bathroom with you, etc.

Stuff like this happens without patriarchy being involved. Crazy people are crazy people.

It's common enough to be a stereotype, but by no means universal.