A girl in my ds class at school was given an old phone by a friend. It wasn’t activated with cell service or data, but she used it to connect to WiFi to use Instagram, Snapchat, texting apps, etc. It was a long time before her parents learned about her phone! I imagine this could be the situation here?

I ordered a sectional sofa online from Costco and have been happy with it. When it was first delivered, they only had one part of the sectional. I called Costco with the delivery guys in my living room and they apologized and immediately shipped out the other part. They may have given us a small discount too. All in all, a good experience.

Lol...we are members and I did forget! Thank you!!!

Neither of us have ever tried diving! Would be interested in trying though!

Yes, trip insurance will definitely be happening here!!

Wow...thank you so much for all of the responses!!! This is exactly what I was looking for. Dh and I aren’t picky at all and since we haven’t traveled much, we don’t have anything to compare to. I will definitely take a look at the suggestions listed. Regarding a travel agent...how would I go about finding one? I don’t need someone local, but how do you find someone who is legit online?

Dh and I will be celebrating 20 years this November and really want to take a vacation together. Neither of us have traveled much and we are having difficulty figuring out where we want to go. Initially dh brought up going to Vegas for a few days. I have never been so that sounded fun. Once I started looking though, I started wondering if a cruise (which I asked about here) or even just a visit to somewhere in the Caribbean would be more fun. Some info about us/this trip...we live in WV and while we don’t have much opportunity to fly directly to anywhere cool, dh does have a bunch of miles saved up, so we think our airfare will likely be covered. I’d like to spend about 5-6 days wherever we go. We both work and don’t have a ton of days to take off. Also we will have to leave our kids with the grandparents. I feel like we need some time to just relax and enjoy hanging out together (which is why a Caribbean or cruise vacation appeals to me). Dh works out of town and our kids are at that busy busy stage of life, so it feels as if we get little time together and little time to relax. If someone could give specific recommendations, I would love it! I was looking at cruises and all-inclusive resorts because I like the idea of the ease of things. Plan the vacation, pay for it, and that’s all. I usually enjoy planning, but i just don’t know where to start here. I’m not sure what places are the most fun, nicest, best beaches, etc. Best websites with deals? Should we contact a travel agent? How to find a good travel agent? Any other nice vacation suggestions (for November...probably the week before thanksgiving)? While we both enjoy adventure (dh is an avid backpacker and I enjoy hiking), we are really looking for something relaxing here. Thanks for the suggestions!!

I’ve been giving nieces and nephews a graduation gift of $50. I don’t give a get into college gift.

I’m quoting myself to add that I don’t have any joint pain, which is why I haven’t noticed any benefits. However, I have read that collagen helps with skin and gut health, so I’ve been hoping that it is working there (preventive). I also take it to add protein to my low carb shakes or smoothies, when I don’t have another protein source. My dh has suffered from joint pain for years and he feels that the collagen helps him.

We would like to travel in November. Not sure exactly what dates at this point though. I am thinking a 5 or 6 night cruise. With travel, I don’t really want to be gone much longer than a week. I honestly don’t know where I’d like to travel or what we’d like to do. Dh and I haven’t done much traveling and we would both like to go somewhere where we could relax and see some interesting sites. I need to look more closely at excursions, because other than snorkeling, I have no clue what’s available. We are really open to anything at this point. I need to do more online researching. I am also considering staying at an all-inclusive resort. But I think the idea of cruising and seeing different areas sounds more exciting.

I use Great Lakes brand in my coffee each morning. Not sure that I’ve found any results myself, but my dh feels that it has improved his joint pain.

Awesome! How did you find your travel agent? Would you like to recommend the one that you used?

Dh and I will be celebrating our 20 anniversary in November and we would like to take a special trip to celebrate. I’ve been thinking that a cruise might be fun but I honestly don’t know where to start! We live in WV, so would likely fly to FL and cruise from there. No clue where we would want to cruise to (Caribbean?? Bahamas?? Somewhere else??). I don’t know what type of ship is best, which room type we would want, or what type of excursions we would look into. If you have any been there done that suggestions for me, I would love to hear them! Honestly, anything you loved or hated about cruising. This is not set in stone, so we are still open to other options. Any resources you may have that would be helpful would be great too. Finally, any funny or exciting cruise stories you’d like to share...I’m all ears!!

I love the THM pure stevia. I have tried many different brands, and it is my favorite. I also drink Good Girl Moonshine! Drinking it helped me to kick my Diet Coke habit. I can’t stand ginger, so I skip that part (although it is certainly beneficial!). I use a can of seltzer water (I like the fizz) and add Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar. I don’t add stevia, because I’m weird and I actually enjoy the taste of vinegar, but most people like it sweetened. Back to the stevia, I enjoy using the pure stevia in drinks, smoothies, and shakes. For other sweet treats, I use Pyure (I buy this at Walmart) or THM Gentle Sweet (of all the stevia blends, this one tastes most similar to sugar to me).

There are many different types of stevia. Many are mixed with other things (erythritol, maltodextrin, etc), while others are pure stevia. Even pure stevia can be processed differently. If you are interested in trying a very yummy stevia, Trim Healthy Mama makes a pure stevia that is wonderful. They also make Gentle Sweet, which is a blend of erythritol, xylitol, and stevia, that is great in baked goods (it has the bulk, which many baked good need). I use the pure stevia in shakes and smoothies. I’ve tried other store bought stevia and I like some (Pyure and Truvia, which are both blends) and disliked some. Just thought I’d add my two cents!

Ds is 15 years old and we are working on cleaning out his room. He still has LEGO sets (mainly Star Wars and a very cool Harry Potter set) that he wants to get rid of. He was never super into legos, he just built each set once and displayed them in his room, so they aren’t as meaningful to him. However, I am feeling nostalgic and not so ready for him to get rid of them. What says the Hive? Should I pack them up and keep them for a while or just let him get rid of them? The set that I’m most sad about is the big Harry Potter set that is no longer made. Ds bought it with all of his birthday money from eBay several years ago. He was so excited about that set. (On another note...letting my kids grow up is hard!)

I just saw a breaking news article that this woman is dead. Details are not yet available. https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/sol-pais-suspect-in-columbine-school-threats-reportedly-arrested-after-manhunt-live-updates-today-2019-4-17/ ETA: added link to news story

I’m also struggling with Easter baskets this year. Ds (15) does not like candy at all and he is into super-healthy eating these days. So candy and food treats are out! I just ordered two pair of basketball socks from amazon and I plan to also order new phone chargers. I will add in a iTunes gift card (probably) and maybe some basketball cards. That’s all I’ve got! Dd (11) is easier, as she loves Candy. But since her brother is getting some non-candy items, I will need to do the same for her.

I think I will make a low-carb carrot cake and some low-carb chocolate cupcakes that my ds loves.

I couldnt find the vacuum locally (at a decent price) so I ordered it from Amazon. It will arrive on Wednesday and I can’t wait!!!

@Ktgrok thank you SO much for that thorough review! Many of the things that you mentioned have been frustrations to me with my current vacuum (items getting stuck and having to dig - ewww!). I am going to search for this vacuum locally to see if I can find it for a decent price (I want it today!!) and if not, I will place my amazon order. Than you thank you thank you!!!

We desperately need to replace our Dyson vacuum. It is pretty old and just not doing a great job. I was looking at replacing it with a Shark. Any pros/cons? Any other suggestions?

I voted! Super easy and quick. I hope he wins!!

Tonight - fend for yourself (I roasted a bunch of veggies and had them with leftover chicken and Alfredo sauce) Monday - chicken Parmesan, Brussels sprouts, probably some type of pasta for the kids Tuesday - I think I will throw some chicken and salsa in the crockpot for chicken tacos, some type of mexi-cauli rice (anyone have a good recipe?) Wednesday - picking dh up from the airport, so we will probably stop for chipotle or something on the way home Thursday - I’m out of town all day for work, so do will likely grill either chicken or steak with maybe a salad in the side? Friday - not sure I really wish I could find a low-carb pizza crust that I like. It would be fun to have a Friday pizza night.

Anyone have a favorite password manager? Do and I need to get all of our passwords straightened out (and shared). Would love to have a password manager that we could both use, that isn’t too super expensive. Thanks!