We haven't but we do have what we thought would be a homeschool room. Nope. Turns out we prefer to be comfortable on the sofa!

I'm so sorry to hear this and sending positive thoughts your way. My husband's company just went through a massive layoff, his position included, so we are in a similar boat. It's not fun.

My son is obsessed with monopoly right now! We've not been playing many games lately so I think I need to start pulling them out more often.

Hanna Anderson underwear is the best for my son, lasts forever, and he can wear multiple sizes because they are so forgiving. He's a very slim kid.

Oh that sounds perfect! We currently live in California, so I can totally go three days, but when we lived in North Carolina, forget it! That's when i had to learn to work with my texture and wore my hair curly for the first time ever. I didn't love it, but straightening it there was absolutely a no go, so I get it! Good luck. Once you find a style you love, it will be amazing, but I know how much stress it can be to get there!!

My hair is a lot like yours. I actually wash and then straighten it every three days (it gets greasy if I don't wash every third day). I've tried going short -- it was a disaster. Especially in humidity. The weight pulls it down so it doesn't get as frizzy. But when I had shorter hair, both in dry and humid weather, I found it unbearable to manage, had to style it every day (as opposed to now where I straighten it and go three days) and found it very unruly. It showed me that I personally would never be happy with short hair. I think it's easier to have short hair when you have naturally straight hair. Most stylists will tell you that it's much more work to have "styled" hair if it's wavy/coarse/curly because it will just do it's own thing and without a lot of work, it won't look like those pictures you showed (which are lovely, btw!) If you want lower maintenance, I would seek out someone who is very skilled and experienced in your type of hair and go for a consultation, tell them all your concerns, etc. and see what they say.

Love the recipes posted so far. Went to a party at Christmas and had to get the recipe for these two that were so good. Spanish pasta salad: canned garbanzo beans, roasted red peppers and Spanish chorizo (not Mexican, two different things). I get my chorizo from amazon prime, I am able to find one of the brands imported from Spain that I am familiar with from growing up in Miami. It was dressed with good Spanish olive oil and Spanish sherry vinegar and of course salt an pepper. Quinoa Greek salad The quinoa is a recipe from a friend and it is influenced by a Greek salad. Cook the quinoa with salt or bullion and let cool. Add cucumbers, tomato, black olives, red onion and feta. Dress with red wine vinegar and olive oil.

For summer parties I always do one with broccoli, purple onion, bacon, sunflower seeds, and raisins, but the dressing isn't low cal or low fat (mayo, vinegar, sugar). So yummy and popular!

Oh no! Okay, what I would do is immediately find the BEST stylist in the area. Doesn't matter the cost. Go to them and have them turn it into something nice. Honestly, good stylists are worth their weight in gold. You will never have to feel this pain again.

We took my daughter to a piercing and tattoo shop that had a great reputation (check yelp reviews). Nickel allergies run in our family and she got titanium grade implant earrings and they have never bothered her. They were professional and clean and even (those mall places, I would never go to -- look up some articles on them).

We used Build Your Library this year. They break US history into two parts - grades 5 and 6 - and use Joy Hakim's The History of Us 10 book series as the spine. Loved it! We both learned so much. She includes great literature, videos, etc. can't wait to go through the grade 6 year for this!

Following this for ideas! My son just turned 11 and I've not done any Shakespeare with him really (though we did visit the Old Globe and museum while in London recently). I remember a while back watching plays on DVD too. I need to find those as well. Any recommendations for particular ones? I'd love to know your process for doing each play, to get started with him! Thanks for sharing!!

Well, obviously I didn't think it had aluminum or I wouldn't have recommended! And now I'm freaked out as I've been using for years thinking it was aluminum free.

I use Alvera aloe and almonds. Love it. Worked well even when I lived in Hawaii and the heat and humidity.

I decided on holding off ordering that kit with my charter funds and just waiting until fall so that I have more time to research. I appreciate all the thoughts here! I was feeling too rushed to order before the school year ended, but since it's not critical we have it, I'll just wait until it goes back in session.

He's had robotic things before and surprisingly not been that excited. Not sure why!

Thanks for the feedback. I think I might stick with the canakit to start since it's cheaper and less commitment if it's not his thing.

Thank you! What would you start with, knowing that I have $175 of charter funds left to spend (I can spend more of my own, but want to max out what I'm able to with them). I'd rather get the things that will keep him the most entertained and learning!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C6Q4GLE/ref=s9_acsd_al_bw_c_x_3_w Am wondering about this for my son, or maybe something else? We are spending our charter school funds for next year and was thinking this might be a cool thing. My kid likes to tinker. But not sure if this is the best product? Something else? I need to make some decisions today! Thanks so much for any advice or feedback. Also, if this is recommended, could a bright and motivated kid do it on his own? And should we also buy a book to go with it, and if so, which one?!

I think you have to do what's best for your family.

I have ultra sensitive skin and will breakout with most sunscreens. I recently started using Coola on my face and love it. They have many different products but I get the unscented non-tint version for faces. It's so light and easy to apply. Supergoop is another new brand that's getting good reviews. The sample I tried actually seemed great so I would try that as well. They are both a little pricier for me but worth it because last year a Clarins brand worked for a while and then I started breaking out and it was really annoying.

If you have Nordstrom near you, they offer free stylist help. So helpful and I love it!

I really don't love shopping those stores for some of the reasons you mentioned and also because of the return policy - I love Nordstrom's return policy and it usually takes me a little while to decide if I'm going to keep something. A small boutique will often have a super short return policy - 7 days - or even only allow a credit vs a refund.

Merlin is one of our all-time favorite shows. LOVE Merlin!!! I only wish there were more like it!

Thank you for the recommendations so far! We've seen some and not others -- will check on all those we've not watched before!