The last five of the Little House books are back on Audible to pre-order with a release date of 2/7/2017.

I think it depends on the city itself. I grew up in a big city and, while I had some wonderful opportunities as a kid and my family was part of a caring, close-knit community, I don't think I could raise my family there. The public schools are abysmal and on the brink of bankruptcy, the crime rate is high, there is virtually no public transportation and the city itself is largely in squalor. But, if it had excellent public transportation and walkability, I could be quite happy in a large city that is rich in history and cultural opportunities. I lived in Boston/Cambridge as a young adult and loved it. The problem with such places is that the COL is high and we would have had to make different life style choices to make it work. As it stands, we live in a large university town and, for the most part, really like it. The school system is excellent, there are plenty of cultural opportunities, lovely parks and a great library system. I live 10 minutes from a world class medical center, less than half an hour from an international airport and I take comfort in that, if it came down to it, my daughter could live at home during college and attend a Big Ten school or any number of less prestigious but solid options. The pitfalls are the harsh winters, which I strongly dislike, and a lack of public transportation. I'm not sure if these will be deal breakers for retirement years or not. The relatively low COL and nearby health care options may keep us here in the long run.

The Little House books were available to pre-order on Audible this summer and, I think, disappeared before they were actually released. The titles still show up on my Wishlist with the message "This item is not currently available for purchase on Audible.com. We apologize for the inconvenience." I contacted Customer Service to find out if they were going to be released at a later date and got the run around but no real answers. My best guess is that it is a contractual/money issue -- the books were just finally released on Kindle this spring for such reasons -- or that there is some sort issue with the actual audio or they want to sync them with the Kindle editions. Holding out hope (and credits) that they will come out soon!

Some local music stores may offer classes or camps where kids can try different instruments. DD and her best friend did a few classes with a local music teacher who offers exploratory instrument sessions and they had the opportunity to try most instruments. It was truly a Harry Potter getting his wand moment when DD tried the clarinet and she just knew it was what she wanted to play. (In DD's school system, all students are required to be in choir or play in band or orchestra throughout 5th and 6th grades. At the beginning of 5th grade, they spend a few weeks rotating through the different options and trying all the instruments. At the end of the rotations, the music teachers give each individual student a list of recommended instruments based on personal aptitude and the band/orchestra's needs.)

I think renting is a wonderful option for those just starting out and testing the waters. So worth it not to have to worry about repairs and being financially committed to an instrument that may or may not be a good fit. Definitely check-in with a teacher for brand recommendations. It really does make a huge difference to have a good quality instrument. We just spent 1k on a clarinet upgrade for my 13 year old. We rented for a few months when she was just stating out four years ago and then bought a 1940s era wooden clarinet for $150 from a local shop with the guidance of her private teacher. It has a lovely tone but has required hundreds of dollars a year in maintenance/repairs. DD is a talented musician and, if she continues at her current progress and interest level, we will need to upgrade again to a professional model in 2-3 years and that will be in the 3k-4k++ range. For most kids, the 1k clarinet should easily get them through high school and beyond.

$44.07 :hurray:

Have you been evaluated by a rheumatologist for possibilities of a connective tissue disease? Some of your symptoms sound like it could be on that spectrum (Dermatomyositis? Ehlers-Dalos?) Folks who have an autoimmune disease are at increased risk for developing more than one and they can be very hard to pin down. I hope you find some answers and relief!

Very sad but nothing new. I grew up in Detroit, attended Detroit Public Schools and my mom taught in the system for over 30 years. Even when I was a kid, the corruption within the system was widespread and shocking. As for supplies, there were definite periods when my mom and the other teachers had to bring in basic necessities, like toliet paper, or we wouldn't have had any. My elementary school had asbestos and had to block off a section of the building because the ceiling was coming down. My mom retired a couple years early because she had developed COPD from the black mold in her DPS classroom. These problems have been going on for decades.

Loved the original film. I went into this one with low expectations based on the bad reviews. It had some funny moments and it was nice to see the cast together again. Beyond that, it felt forced and lacking. Not something that I'd watch again.

Peggy Cappy, from PBS, has a "Yoga For the Rest of Us" series that is very good and gentle. There are 3 different options to follow, including a seated one, depending on one's needs and limitations. (I have an autoimmune connective tissue disease with an inflammatory arthritis component and am just getting into using these to help with pain and fitness.) The DVDs are available on Amazon and/or the library might carry them.

I was a vegetarian for 10 years. I didn't get sick at all when I started eating meat again for health reasons. I'm still an omnivore. I do cook meatless meals for the family on a very regular basis and would happily do so a lot more if I wasn't married to a "meat and potatoes" guy. I don't think I'd ever go back to being a full-time vegetarian, though.

DD is getting braces a couple days before Easter so we'll be forgoing most of the candy and are doing more in the way of non-edible treats. She'll be getting a chocolate bunny, 2 fandom t-shirts, a new game for the Wii-U and a kuttari of her favorite Pokemon character. With the video game, we are definitely spending more than usual but she will love it and be very surprised. I feel bad that she'll likely be in pain over the holiday and wanted to do something special. We reuse the same basket every year.

I definitely think there has to be a balance. My husband and I try to be mindful about our finances. We both have chronic health issues and are very aware that life can turn on a dime. We are committed to living debt-free. We have paid off our modest house, we have a hefty emergency fund and we sock a significant amount into our retirement fund each month. We are trying to be as proactive as we can to protect our future, given our situation. With that said, we also prioritize enjoying life now. We love Disney and have been 3 times, including on a Disney cruise, within the past year and a half … and lived it up fully on each of these trips. Are there wiser things, like putting even more into savings, that we could do with our money? Probably, yes, but we have no regrets. Creating memories, like enjoying nice vacations, are important to us because, frankly, we might not be able to travel much or easily as we get older. There are no guarantees. My in-laws passed away at ages 49 and 63, before they could enjoy the fruits of their labors. We don't want to have any regrets. So, we have financial goals like staying out of debt and saving money. Within that, we also budget for fun and wants. This year, and probably for at least the next couple years, home improvement projects -- both a want and a need -- will trump extravagant vacations and our trips will be to visit family. We cash flow everything, large and small, and this means that we have to prioritize and make choices. It truly is a balancing act.

What is your probable return on investment? If the upgrades will dramatically increase the value of your home, the hassle is probably worth it. If it will be a financial wash and you aren't in a huge rush to move, major renos may not be as critical. I think some of this is definitely regional. Where I live, in Michigan, our house is just *finally* about back up to what we paid for it 14 years ago. Our house was built in 1978, in a neighborhood that sounds a lot like yours, and we have been cash flowing improvements over time. The bathrooms are being renovated right now, actually. The kitchen will be a few years down the line. But we are doing this for our personal use/enjoyment. If we were looking to sell right now, we'd probably just do fresh paint and maybe carpeting in a couple rooms that need it. The house might sell a little quicker but we would not see a financial return on any major work.

This was it for me too. The acidity of the paleo diet greatly exasperated my reflux and esophageal dysmotility/problems with swallowing (both Scleroderma related issues.) Both of these problems improved dramatically once I went off of AIP. My doctors were also concerned because my oxalate levels went through the roof while on the AIP, putting me at high risk for developing kidney stones, because of all of the greens, sweet potatoes, plantains, etc that I was consuming to make up for the countless foods that I could not eat. I am also a fan of functional medicine and I do agree with Prairiewindmomma that there are likely different etiologies within the autoimmune spectrum. AIP &/or Paleo can definitely be worth a try to see if it helps but it isn't a "one size fits all" answer, unfortunately.