This is TWTM forum. I pretty sure you have to buy a vitamix, or save another $400 and get a Speed Queen.

Compared to my IRL homeschooling friends and neighbors, this board is pretty much that Footloose no dancing town.

If we're forming teams, I'm on team "Janet's malfunction was no accident." NOBODY just happens to be prepared with a pastie on the off chance their shirt tears away. Puh-leez.

My humble opinion is that people were triggered by the very presence of a pole. She didn't really DO anything "grindy" with it. She climbed it, spun around, and at one point bent and straightened her knees with her back to it. As far as sexual moves with a pole goes I'm not sure she even did "those" moves. I'm no pole dancing expert, but this seemed more like a stunting, circus-y version of what you can do with a pole. I wonder if that's why she doesn't have bingo wings?

"No fighting no fighting" The rope is a nod to Shakira's Whenever, Wherever tour. It's not "bondage" just because she danced with a rope. On the tour, she used it to do some techniques that a bellydancer would generally do with a cane or a veil, but she did it with one prop. My guess is that a choreographer took creative license with a prop and for tour choreography, she wouldn't have time to become an expert with the real props. I'm guessing it's the same choreographer that taught her the 5 bellydance moves that she knows. She does them well, but they're beginner techniques and she definitely favors her right side. In the halftime show, where she was doing a medley of her hits, she picked up the rope for a few seconds and that was it. Nobody tied anyone up. You could even chose to view it in a "breaking free" context, but I doubt it was that deep. I think it just went with the choreo medley.

Kids don't need to get "sporty." They need to get active doing something they love. If any of them land in a dance class because of the show, more power to them. I generally get a few new students when stuff like this happens, so I am not complaining. Also, they're much less likely to get concussed in a dance class than in contact sports. You can dance your whole life! Curvier women ALWAYS take more slack for this type of thing. They could be in the same costume and would be viewed as dressing more provocatively. You could argue that J-Lo covered more because her body stockings were more obviously shiny. I DO have a strip club experience. Funnily enough, I have to teach a bellydance class at 7:30 so I can't get into it now but a will go out on a limb and say that the average Superbowl show has a much higher production value and caliber of talent than the average strip show.

Ah, so it was a newer movie. The point being that these shows are often a medley for the artists so they're going to throw everything in there.

I enjoyed the performances, but if there's choreography to watch I am THERE. Seeing leotards doesn't bother me. I'm imagine it's hard to find costuming that works for a stadium AND close camera angles. I KNOW it is impossible to find a costume that makes everybody happy. It just does not exist. Being able to see dance shorts or flesh-toned performance fabrics doesn't freak me out. The cheerleaders who have been at EVERY game all year long wear less and nobody stopped their family from watching the games all season over it. I've never understood people who let their kids watch shows where people get murdered but draw the line at cleavage. How does that make sense? These women are performers and dancers and grown women. Seeing bodies doesn't phase them and J-Lo's daughter was on stage in a much more conservative costume. They've seen so much more during backstage quick changes. The onstage costumes covered all the essential bits. I LIKED seeing all of the bellydance technique and the saidi rhythm. I didn't realize so many people didn't know what a zhagareet is until the whole country started asking about That Tongue Thing. I'm not even bothered by the pole. These halftime shows seemed to be a compilation of the performer's career and I'm pretty sure that pole represented a movie role she did ages ago. What offended me the most was having LAME basket tosses put into the choreography. It's a football stadium! You need to do a decent basket toss or skip it. Also, why are we not talking about those awesome quick-changes? There is nothing a woman can wear or not wear that protects her from predators.

Cream can look nice with white trim, so I think you could find two “whites” that compliment one another. You’d have a subtle monochromatic thing happening and that can look clean and soothing.

I like the covergirl one in the purple tub That has the spoolie with the rubber bristles. It separates better than a regular one. Even when I use other brands, I make a pass with this one to separate better. My lashes are fine, but long, so they like to clump.

Plants. Plants are my answer for what to put in any window. If you don’t ever use it as a seat there’s no point in keeping it that way. Maybe build a shelf for storage instead with P L A N T S on top. 😬

I found the world’s quickest meal. If you don’t count rice steaming time, it’s about 5-6 minutes. For dinner tonight I served trader joe’s Potstickers along with their Asian veggies. The veggies came with a (Beijing style) sauce packet. Both of those items fry up in about five minutes with clear, easy directions on the bag. There were about 6 different types of veggies in the bag so I was happy. Steaming the rice was the longest part.

Reported

I would consider a sofa and curtains as part of your decorating budget and 2k doesn’t seem out of line for these items that will last a decade or more. You need some privacy and somewhere to sit so a decorating budget can exclude wants and only include things you need in your house. You won’t DIE if you sit on the floor and leave widows bare, but even the minimalists among us generally have these things.

If you’re not a person who is going to keep changing the decor and buying more and more stuff, I don’t think that’s a bad investment. Maybe he’s concerned that decorating will be an ongoing expense with this house? If you’re done for the decade, that’s only 200 a year.

Think of those Pick-2/Pick-3 menus at restaurants. Any combination of soup-sandwich-salad works and you can prep them early in the day before your brain crashes. I teach most evenings, so I moved our main meal to lunchtime and we eat lighter stuff in the evening. The meals you listed aren’t so bad if you make sure they have plenty of vegetables. Maybe add smoothies to breakfast to help with the deficit. Don’t be afraid of planned leftovers. 1-2 soups will get you through the week. Get bagged salads and crack open a different one each night. (Or set up a salad bar and use it all week. Stir fry what’s left at the end of the week.) Sandwiches are elevated by grilling them. If you don’t have a panini press, put a heavy pan and a full kettle on top for weight. Reheat them in foil in the oven if you need to make them ahead. Do you have a Trader Joe’s? Their frozen Chinese food is decent and you can pair it with steamed veggies. If you have a rice cooker, steam the veggies over the rice. Costco’s frozen lasagna is decent. It takes forever to bake, so you may need your 14-year-old to do it while your out if you don’t have a programable oven. To me, healthy is lots of veggies. If you’re eating that, you can get away with some pasta or bread on the side. If you like roasted veggies, you can prep and oil them ahead of time and roast when ready. Just pre-scrub the red-skinned potatoes and cut them just before baking. Maybe put the 14-year old in charge one night a week. He might surprise you.

I’m just gonna quote my original advice from 4 years ago. I’m guessing this kid had graduated by now. 😴

I can see and argument for learning to give and accept constructive criticism. Learning to use a critique to improve your work without taking it as an insult to your entire being is a skill some people would benefit from acquiring. Even then, I’d prefer a “glow and grow” approach where you include what went well in the discussion. It sounds like this teacher just facilitated a pile-on. I’m not sure that’s remotely helpful. Was this even a first draft situation where they have a chance to work on THAT assignment? It doesn’t sound like it. I’m a person who values peer critique, but I can’t even see the benefits here. In this situation. it just seems mean.

Can you look at a larger hinge that would both cover the old holes and drill into the wood in a different place? Or wood filler and new screws in the current hinges?

I would not. That relationship ran its course. Other people have the information you seek. There’s not point in trying to get it from someone who broke up with you. It’s awkward all around.

Eat the rabbits. Rabbit droppings are really good for soil. Nurseries sell all sorts of invasive plants that they probably shouldn’t. It’s where people buy their bamboo and English ivy. I’m not anti-purslane. I started some from seed, but I treat it like a mint and keep it contained. It would be irresponsible to let it get away and ruin my neighbor’s landscaping. Often what makes a plant “invasive” is not that they’re just more successful than local species, but they kill them out to the extent that it effects local wildlife and food chains. I don’t know enough to know if purslane is bamboo bad, or just a landscaping nuisance like dandelions. I guess it’s different in different locations. I do know I’m sick of battling the English ivy and wish someone would have thought twice before letting it loose in my neighborhood. . Its hard to keep up with what is good and bad. I read an article the other day that said earthworms are invasive non-native species and I just can’t get my mind around that one. If it’s true, I’m happier not knowing.

Is go by weight. If she’s over 90 lbs I’d switch out the children’s vitamins for women’s. You might want to check with her doctor and get bloodwork. The amount of iron in a multivitamin is just not enough for some people.

Bless your heart.

Maybe this is why I don't see mean girl behavior to the degree described around me. I don't even KNOW what the social hierarchy is on this board and I've been on it for about 15 years. I know that certain posters irritate others more frequently but I'd be hard pressed to draw up a chain of command if it really does exist. 🤣 I think the real answer is that I live in a town populated by a lot of transplants and enough people and opportunities that you can form your own tribe without putting up with wackadoos. It seems that activities are just run more fairly around here too. It would be a public embarrassment to double down on out-of-line mean behavior. I think it's just not rewarded in the same way. There are always at least two sides to everything, plenty of people on each side, and nobody cares who your family is/was. This is just silly, AND crazy. This dynamic only works if the "underlings" go along with it. It seems that even a small group of people could spin off and host their own activities. Even in the smallest of towns, there ARE other people. It doesn't sound like a healthy environment in which to raise children.

I can't imagine what sort of social engagement is going down in public that a grown woman would have no choice but to put up with mean girl behavior. What non-family events are these women attending that the sister even wants to, or is required to attend? If it's in private at family events, and she is clearly in the right, why is her family not sorting out the in-laws? My brothers aren't the most refined gentlemen, but they wouldn't just ignore it if their wives were targeting a sibling. My mother would certainly initiate a discussion and she's very non-confrontational. Usually when people tell stories with this dynamic they are talking about middle school girls. This is just nutty and not something I've seen in adulthood. My daughter didn't even have drama like that in high school.