We have a specified number of hours we must meet. I don't actually count, but I do fill in a time tracking sheet at some point during the year. I estimate and give each subject 15, 30, 45 or 60 min. per day taught. I have never had difficulty meeting the requirement because I count everything (bedtime read alouds, summer camp, vacations, grocery shopping, etc).

I think you need to hold off on the budgeting until you get a very clear picture of what the divorce settlement will be. Unfortunately, I don't think you will end up with nearly what you think you will at this time. I am recently divorced after 15 years of marriage (with 4 small children still at home). I did not take alimony (it was my trading card for full custody), but if I had it would only have been for a few years (and I had been a stay at home mom for 11 years). Most women who have careers and can support themselves do not get alimony for very long. I would highly doubt you will get it for 15 years unless you just have a very generous ex or he has a very cruddy lawyer. You will most likely not be able to stay on his healthcare plan. He could be made to pay your premiums for a limited time, but not indefinitely. The 401k will be split now through what is called a QDRO. This isn't a choice, it is the law. You are only entitled to half of what accumulated during the marriage, and he is likewise entitled to half of yours. Unless you have some serious bargaining chips that would cause him to agree to all of this, I think you will have far less disposable income in the future than you are currently planning. Keep in mind that, even if he agrees to all of these things, a judge might not approve it if it seems too uneven or unfair. You will not get half of his future bonuses. Again, unless he is just that kindhearted or has an awful attorney this will never happen. Good luck with the budgeting. Hopefully everything is nailed down soon so you will have a clearer big picture.

I'm in a large metropolitan area, so it would depend on the zip code. I'd bet it could range from $400K to several million.

I have 4 children and recently bought a new vehicle. I don't know that any of these will completely fit your criteria, as they don't have a ton of cargo room when the 3rd row is being used (I'm not a minivan kinda girl). With that said, you could easily fit 3 kids in the middle row of any of these options and fold the 3rd row down when needed. Here are the things I looked at: -Toyota Highlander (3rd row not as roomy) -Buick Enclave -GMC Acadia -Infiniti QX60-This is the one I purchased because of safety options, roominess (even 3rd row could hold an adult for a short trip) and cargo space (the most of those mentioned above). I purchased a 2014 with 25000 miles so the price was very reasonable. I used to drive a Suburban, so it has been an adjustment as far as roominess and space, but I was so very tired of driving (and parking) that tank! Not to mention the gas, sheesh.

Here I have seen children as young as 8 or 9 shooting off the big stuff in the middle of a house and tree lined street. I would prefer my house NOT catch on fire anytime soon, thank you ;) We have a plethora of options to go watch professionally launched firework shows. Every city in the entire area has several displays during the holiday week (I am in a suburb of St. Louis).

If I remember correctly, Femara might have been what we were supposed to move on to if Clomid did not work. But it was 12 years ago so it could have easily been something else. Still, I know there were other possibilities on the list if we didn't find success with Clomid (and I'm not talking about the super serious stuff...there are other drug options out there).

That's not necessarily what I WANT, I was simply stating what they claimed the consequences would be. If it were me (well, I would be very unlikely to break the law in the first place) a simple visit from the police reprimanding me for participating in illegal activity would be sufficient. Unfortunately, I know that isn't the case across the board. Otherwise, I believe the punishment for breaking the law should be as stated. If they are going to post on Facebook that you will be ticketed, fined and lose your fireworks then yes, I believe that is what they should do. If not, they are just making idle threats which leads to a host of other problems, imo.

They are legal in some of our surrounding counties so they are easy to access. Anything that explodes is illegal in my county. I realize the enforcement issue would be difficult in larger municipalities. Mine is quite small. I'd bet that simple patrolling would solve most of the problem. Aren't police supposed to patrol anyway? Or is that antiquated? I have one neighbor, two houses down, who has shot them off nearly every day for a week (on July 3rd he shot them off on and off throughout most of the day). He's a special kind of neighbor though, so it wasn't a complete shock. At this point, I think most people are just getting rid of all of their leftovers.

I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at here? It's a law so I would expect it to be enforced as any other law is. Offenders would supposedly be given a ticket, a fine and have their fireworks confiscated (according to the police department website). My municipality is small. It is fairly obvious where fireworks are being shot from. Simple police patrol would discourage the behavior, one would think. As it stands, everybody knows that it is a largely ignored law so they feel free to break it as desired. A neighboring county legalizes fireworks for a certain amount of days leading up to and on the 4th. Outside of that the ban is enforced and people are fined. They also enforce the time constraints associated with noise offenses, so no fireworks after 11 pm, I believe. I am honestly just curious as to how often these illegal fireworks are stopped. I'm not necessarily anti-fireworks, but I am pro-peacefulness and common courtesy. And safety. I do believe there are real dangers associated with fireworks.

I used Clomid successfully (second round) with my first child. The lower the dose, the lower the chances of multiples. I was able to get pregnant on the lowest dose. I would absolutely do it again as it gave me my beautiful daughter! It can wreak havoc on your emotional state, but so can infertility. If you do use it, just remember to take care of you. FWIW, I didn't need it for my subsequent 4 pregnancies. Good luck! ETA that I, too, have PCOS.

She's scared of them in general, not just at bedtime. Actually, when she's in bed is probably when she hears them the least due to a sound machine and the fact that she's in the basement. That I have been thankful for! They have been getting less and less each day, so I'm quite sure the end is in site. I just tend to wonder why bother having a law, and multiple warnings posted about the dangers, if there is no plan to enforce it? Perhaps I'll just plan to visit Australia next 4th of July!

I HATE Windows 10 so much that I am considering ditching all Windows-based devices for good. It has caused huge headaches on both my HP laptop and my Dell desktop. And I just don't find it as intuitive as previous versions, but I have said that every time and I got used to them all...eventually.

Pure curiosity here: How often is the no fireworks law actually enforced? Fireworks are illegal in my entire county. It seems to be enforced in some cities, but not at all in others. I am in a metropolitan area and the usage is blatant and obvious and widespread. I'm talking big, loud fireworks, not what I would call firecrackers. The local police department posted warnings on Facebook and such, but they do not patrol at all. They will do a quick drive-by warning if someone calls and complains with a specific address, but that's all (and people just start up again as soon as they drive away or give what they have left to their neighbor to finish setting off). It drives me crazy. People have been setting them off for about a week and a half now (often until midnight or so) and I'm just tired, ya know? And my 2 year old keeps saying, "No more fireworks, mama" :sad:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but she's not talking about a HELOC. She's looking to get cash out on a mortgage refinance, so default could put her at risk for foreclosure. I don't think she's worried about that though. I would take cash out for home improvements simply because that helps the resale value of the home. I would not take cash out to purchase a car, for several reasons, unless I just had no other options.

Never heard of a ham roast. Google?

I wouldn't do it either, but since that isn't what you asked I think you could expect a couple thousand in fees/closing costs (I'm no expert). There are supposed no cost refi's, but they usually require a higher interest rate and you might not qualify with such a small loan amount. How much time is left on your currant mortgage? What would the monthly payment changes be? How much do you plan to spend on a new vehicle? Are you planning to move before the new mortgage is paid off? All of that and more should be considered. A car loan is paid off in 4-5 years, whereas adding it to your mortgage would increase the pay off to 10-15 years.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/barbeque This would jive with my definition of barbeque. I don't know that I've ever heard it referred to as a specific dish and I have definitely never heard of it being sloppy joes. It could mean any meat cooked in a particular way (or the act of doing the cooking), an event, a cooking apparatus, or a sauce. If someone told me we were having BBQ, I would definitely ask or wonder what kind of BBQ we were having. Raised in St. Louis.

The manual ones listed above are what we use as well. We did have a handle break off of one, but that did not deter me...I ordered 2 more the same day. They are great!

Busy bags/boxes. I made tons of them years ago and have used them through 2 (soon to be 3) toddlers. I set certain ones out each day and toddler can play through them as desired. There was some "training" involved (how to choose one, play, clean up, choose another, etc). Alternate these with the other ideas (educational apps, snack time, play doh, rest time). Just search pinterest for "busy bags: and you'll find a ton of ideas. It takes you time to create them, but they are worth it and will last for years!

I'm wondering if it is just a difference in the way people are hearing things? Maybe an auditory discrimination thing? When I watch Tinkerbelle, her name is definitely pronounced Teenkerbelle, not Tin-kerbelle, just as in all of the recordings linked earlier I hear the same long e sound. That's another word...linked. It definitely doesn't sound like lick to me, but more like lean. I do say pin and pen differently, but I certainly know plenty of people who do not. I keep thinking of the movie (can't recall which movie) where a child is screaming "a drink...I neeed a dreeeeeenk". Definitely not "I neeeed a driiiink". Fascinating, and yet very confusing, stuff here!

Those saying they are short I words that rhyme with ink (I assume you also say ink with a short I), how do you pronounce Tinkerbelle? Like as in tea or Tigger?

This is so strange and fascinating to me. I am from St. Louis and say them all with the long e sound. And all of those recordings sounded like long e to me as well. I have never noticed anyone ever using short I in these words...like thick. I just don't hear that in the recordings.

The rock n play worked wonders for my 2 year old (too bad it wasn't available for my other 3). I was easily able to transfer a sleeping baby into mine from the comfort of my own bed. If your baby allows swaddling, it is even easier. But you should take my advice with a grain of salt...I'm a nurse and rock to sleep kinda mama all the way and have zero regrets. I wouldn't change those precious months for anything!

26 (but took 2 years to get pregnant), 29, 32, 36.

I have to start by saying that I voted "Don't Care" on all 3 simply because I truly don't care what other people choose to name their child. With that said, I tend to think people should just name the kid what they want to call them. Why give them a first name and then call them something else? Seems complicated. Yet I'm sure there are valid reasons for doing so. I would never name a child after me...I just don't like my name that much. I have strayed from unintentional patterns. I have 4 girls-Emma, Anna, Kate, Evelyn. I simply like classic names. The 4 letter thing was coincidental and I felt no need to stick to it just because.