I'm sorry for all of you. Dh is in training right now and their teachers are all contract - they're trying to find warrant officers to come finish the last month of school - which means dh will not be getting the info he needs out of the class. Everyone is scared about their jobs around here and of course the AD military are worried about getting paid in general. It's funny - dh joined to military thinking, even with a paycut initially, at least there wouldn't be quite the fear of layoffs that he had with his civilian job. Little did he know....

I've read several of them. I honestly can't remember which one I liked best. Belinda was very good and Ennui was different but good. I'll go back and look through them. I read Castle Rackrent, Leonora, The Absentee, Helen - they all sort of run together after a few years. I'm not sure about the moralizing - that isn't something that stood out to me. Have you looked at Georgette Heyer? Grand Sophy and Nonesuch were two of my favorites there. Also Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte (E.D.E.N.) Southworth was fun to read. Most of these were like a cross between Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy , IMO.

If you go with leather do not get smooth bonded leather. Our cat has managed some serious scratches just jumping onto the couch.gettinge getting rid of it and going back to a slipcover sofa to preserve our sanity.

This! And the rec for Maria Edgeworth - also look up Georgette Heyer. The Grand Sophy was one of my favorites by Heyer, but they're all fun. Reading all of those will keep you busy. On the kindle look for 'girlebook classics'. There are several fun authors on there.

I found rennet at Earth Fare- a local natural food store. It was in the dairy section by the yogurt and kefir.

I didn't realize how addictive this game is. Ds (6) will put himself to bed early sohe can get up earlier to play Minecraft. I really wish I hadn't let him buy it somedays. The girls love it too, but he would play all day if I'd let him.

Chicken spagetti? Taco fixings? Enchiladas with beans and rice? ( homesick texan blog has a super good recipe that's fast and easy) ham, potatoes, green beans? Hope that gets some creative juices flowing.

Maybe the mom could 'gift' her with some counseling. Not necessarily from a ' he's terrible and I don't want you to marry him' POV but from a ' I want you to be prepared emotionally and mentally for marriage' POV. My sis went through counseling last year and it did help her change how she viewed herself and her responsibility in her divorce. I have no idea, but if its possible maybe the mom could express her concerns to the therapist beforehand?

Kind of ironic - my mom and I were just talking today about what she would do differently in view of my siblings marriage troubles. She said the number one thing would be to have been more vocal about her concerns. My sister was in the same sort of situation. Mom and Dad sis have some serious concerns but decided to stay quiet and pray for the best. 10 years later my sister is divorced with 3 little girls and is completely beaten up emotionally. When she finally left him she was still wearing maternity clothes from her last pregnancy (4 years prior) because she didn't 'deserve' new clothes. He still tries to manipulate and control her but thankfully she has grown a little bit of a spine in the last few years. All that to say - if there are real concerns ( and it sounds real to me) I would suggest the mom gently, but clearly state them. Maybe a pastor could sit down with them so her dd can see that her mom is concerned enough to bring in a third party?

This one. I love it!

Amen! And just my personal experience here - all of my.friends growing up started dancing super early. I begged but my parents couldn't afford lessons til I was 10. So I started there and within a year I was auditioning for the local company. Meanwhile my friends who had been dancing for 6 years at that point were sick of dance and almost all of them quit by 6th grade. I loved it and ended up being paid for performances and teaching by my senior year. Starting early doesn't guarantee anything and (Imo) can lead to disenchantment with something your child might actually like later.

How funny - Wilkie Collins came to mind immediately for me. Some of Georgette Heyer's mysteries are good too. I don't know about finding them on audio though.

I'm certain y'all are all outta luck because I know I entered that one time and am going to win it. Of course, we wont be able to live there. Unfortunately the Army hasn't seen fit to put a post there. And somehow I'm sure the Army salary wont cover taxes, but in my ideal world I'd win.

The Spencer I know is a fantastic young man. Funny how it colors your perception, but I absolutely love the name. Elliott is dh's middle name so of course its wonderful.

But was this person who wrote about him biased for or against him? Victors write the history.....

I just read The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey last week. It historical fiction but lays out some of the assumptions laid out about Richard III that are blatantly false. I do think he was wrongly accused of many things. Too much just doesn't add up about the times.

LOL - should have read this.and just agreed first!

I think that's the point of the show - the change from before WWI to after in society. I doubt Lord Grantham is very different from his peers - the emphasis on society's approval would have been the big concern for someone in his position. People and society was changing and change is hard, right? I like the fleshing out of the time period with, certainly stereotypical, but realistic characters. And I hated that Sybil died.

I loved tye Esther study and while I originally did it in a group I have gone back to parts of it over and over. Definately watch the videos - especially week 5. That one was a game-changer for me. Eta: you know you can buy individual video sessions online to download, right? Watch week 5 just because. Its that good.

ROFL!!!!! Love that review - although I do love the play.

I started this before the movie came out - I've seen the musical twice, so I know the plot well, and I still haven't finished it. I think its funny how irritated we get when a modern writer fill his book with off topic, preachy writing, but when Hugo does it it's supposed to be part of the charm. (I'm on my phone but insert confused smiley here.) Seriously, if this were a book written today there's no way I would pay attention to the irritating political ramblings that go on for hundreds of pages. I'm debating whether to finish it or not. I did read Anna Karenina since I put down Les Mis..... surely that counts for something.

My dd (now 9) is exactly like this. This is almost word for word our experience. From day, tried all one she was wired differently from our others and while I read everything under the sun and tried every different approach I could think of we finally did go see a psychiatrist. Now, I sont think you should jump on the meds first, but realizing that sometimes there isn't a thing you can do to change the situation by yourself is important.

I agree with being explicit in an age approriate manner. Just read about this in a book called Nurture Shock. It is pretty interesting

My thoughts exactly!

I also recommend looking for a condo - we got ours through a military program and only paid $350 for 7 nights for a 2 bdrm, 2 bath, full kitchen and laundry. I'm sure there are comparable prices out there - we went off season and the place we stayed was completely empty. Have fun planning. That was certainly favorite vacation ever.