Huh, I can see how that could bother someone. But unfortunately I am guilty of doing this quite a bit (actually, I haven't read all the replies here either...) - sometimes on purpose so I don't get influenced by others, more often because I just don't have the time. There is a bright side to this though: Sometimes it can help to get a thread back to the original topic if it has gone off the rails. I mean by the time you read through several pages of replies you possibly have forgotten the original question (e.g. how to get a stain out) as people might have been discussing unfair teachers, best colors for living rooms, best places to buy socks or whatever on the last page.

I'd definitely buy tickets now as it is likely to get more expensive/complicated. As others have said, Disney really benefits from quite a bit of planning. However, if you don't want to invest a huge amount of time in planning, I would stick with this: Personally, I would skip Disney Studios at this point unless there is something you are really interested there. Lots of things are closed while they are doing a lot of new construction and the entrance area is far from inviting. Definitely go to Animal Kingdom - it is like a cross between a zoo, shows, and rides. Something there for everyone. It is a bit late to get fastpasses for Avatar but you should try - sometimes they release extra ones closer to the date. It is a GREAT ride but I wouldn't stand in line 2+ hours for any ride (if however the wait is less than one hour I would definitely recommend it). Probably the best ride at Disney. Anyway, for Animal Kingdom no familiarity with Disney movies is really necessary. I would spend one day at Epcot which has a cool atmosphere. There are some rides in the first part, Future World - it should be possible to get them mostly done in one morning and then you can spend the afternoon exploring World Showcase. If Food and Wine is still going on during your trip I would avoid Epcot on the weekends if possible. Magic Kingdom is still the BIG park. Having a plan here is a good idea as there really is a lot to do. I would probably spend one day at each of these three and see what you like best to go again on the last day. I'd also make a reservation for lunch or dinner if you are thinking of a sit-down meal at Disney. The restaurants are cool but very expensive! There are also some really nice counter-service restaurants. We actually cut down a lot on table service during our last trip and it was fine.

I think formal RSVPs are rather a US thing. If I invited someone and they just said "thanks" I would probably assume they are coming. I mean either the "Thanks" is an acceptance or you need to really let her know one way or another as soon as possible. Just "Thanks" with no further answer and without showing up seems rather rude. I mean an invitation deserves some sort of reply so if all I get is "Thanks" I would assume it to be a positive reply.

What a pain but very glad the house was spared!

There is a LOT of walking. I am not saying get a stroller but be prepared. If you/the kids are not adventurous I would skip Universal. Harry Potter is great but most rides are fairly wild and unless money is no consideration it just isn't cost-effective to buy tickets for both WDW and Universal for just 4 or 5 days. There is so much to do at Disney - we just spent 14 days there this sommer and didn't get to all of it. Also, it is exhausting and some down-time is advisable. For Disney, you definitely should look into booking restaurant reservations/fastpasses ahead of time. It really will make everything go much smoother.

Hm, I would give it a bit of time and if it doesn't get better have a talk with the parents of kid A. More in a casual setting and I probably wouldn't mention what I over-heard. I guess I would say that I noticed that the other kids wouldn't let me kids play any more and that of course they are sad so you are wondering whether the parents could talk to their kid to find out the reason? So not putting any blame on kid A but at least to find out if there is something that caused it. Also, depending on the parent they might have a stern talk with their kid (or not). I wouldn't force it though.

Yes, I think the speed of development has a lot to do with it. I did read a lot more about Florence (both here and on regular news). No personal impact for me either way so that wouldn't have skewed my perception. It just seems there were so many more dire warnings with Florence than this time even though Michael is supposed to be quite fierce as well. But I am glad to hear that many of you are evacuating. I was getting a bit worried that this hurricane would be a bit unexpected for some.

I was just surprised to see there is no thread about hurricane Michael - does noone here live in that part of Florida? There also seems a lot less media attention than with other recent hurricanes? Anyway, I hope everyone stays safe!

Well, I have no clue about dog training but if you think he would likely do well in it I say go for it. Who knows whether he will ever want to attend regular college etc. and even if there may be all kinds of ways to make it work. I'd say giving him the feeling to have successfully completed something and a potentially attractive addition to his resume might be worth it. I would feel different if the money was a hardship (i.e. you'd have to borrow it) but if you have it available I would go for it unless you think it likely he won't get through the class. (Again with the caveat that I have no knowledge about dog training at all).

I know it may be difficult to achieve (because real life is not as easy as we'd like) but my first inclination would be to say that finishing highschool in not negotiable. Either at public school or at home. I would be open to adjusting the homeschool schedule (e.g. more parental involvement or more unschooling with an emphasis on things he enjoys doing) if that would help.

I've done it a couple of times. You have to work very fast and it is a bit of luck whether your results will be good or not as it depends on consensus so even if you did it perfectly others could mess it up. And it is fairly subjective so it is difficult to get all/most right.(at least it was for me). It does require some up-front work/time comittment to get started. One time the program got pulled without much warning (I think the overall scores of the team were not good enough but it might have been due to other reasons). Also, depending on the specific job, there may be a certain minimum requirement for hours (e.g. 20 per week). I found it difficult to meet that goal as I had other jobs (better paid/more valuable to me) and other stuff (kids, vacations etc.) come up and kept falling behind on hours. Basically, I would say to go for it and try out. If she passes training it can be a nice side job.

I used to work as an auditor and it is quite challenging. However, I am not sure whether it would be best for you as most people there are quite young (i.e. just out of college), there is quite a lot of pressure, and very long hours with limited flexibility (at least at the big accounting firms I am familiar with). If I was you I would probably try to extend my hours doing what you are doing (even if it isn't thrilling) and find some outside interest that could lead somewhere. I have taken various classes through edx/coursera when not busy. You could do something like that (or online extension classes or extension classes at a local school). It would provide some challenge at comparatively low cost and if you find something you really enjoy you could always work towards a degree in that area.

Popularity is such a strange thing anyway. I was definitely not one of the "popular" ones and older ds isn't really either (and doesn't seem to care too much). But younger ds is quite popular even though he isn't at all the "type". I don't really get it. When we go somewhere with other kids from his class (for example some information meeting), he barely talks to them (other than to say hello or answer if they say something). But so many come up to say hello to him and often the most popular kids will sit next to him. He doesn't even seem to be aware of it... I guess the main advantage to popularity that I see would be that it makes it far less likely that you will be bullied?

Wouldn't bother me at all. I really dislike "funds" that people ask you to contribute to in general but not in this specific instance. I mean if you are going to a wedding (not you specifically, Scarlett, just in general) you are going to bring a gift. As there are often many gifts a registry of some kind makes sense (nobody needs 100 salt and pepper shakers). And honestly, if you already have a home/all the necessary stuff - what else should you do? It doesn't make sense to ask for better china etc. if you are perfectly happy with what you got. I guess the best option might be to ask for gifts to a charity etc. but I don't think it is wrong to want to get something more personal out of it (especially if you are not well to do). Yes, for the gift giver it might be nicer to give something tangible to be remembered by (Aunt Gina gave us that beautiful vase) but the gift really should be more about the recipient than the giver, shouldn't it?

I have to admit I am one of the people who don't love Athens so I probably would only spend two days or so there. Then I'd spend a week or so on some Greek island (Santorini seems quite popular). I'd probably allocate a bit more time to Italy. Spend at least three or four days in Rome. We visited Ostia on a trip and that was quite nice. I'd also visit some other areas in Italy: Florence, Venice, or Naples. Depending on what you enjoy, you could combine the trip with a cruise (we have visited both Italy and Greece that way).

I am not married so take my advice with a grain of salt: I don't think you are in the wrong at all. I guess there is nothing wrong with someone coming in occasionally to get something/mention something whatever but not if you explicitly don't want him to. UNLOCKING the door definitely crosses the line. To be honest, it sounds like he always comes in which makes me think (sorry) he is a bit kinky that way. I guess if that is the case ask yourself if you can live with it/humour him or whether it is just not something you are willing to deal with...

Does sound like the three investigators for sure. As far as mystery books with girl characters: Nancy Drew Dana Sisters Lots and lots of books by Enid Blyton: 5 Friends etc. All these books are of course older so they may not always be politically correct. Whether or not that matters to you will of course depend.

How about different dips with different crackers/veggies etc.? If you label them, people can pick whatever fits their dietary needs.

Like others have said, there are pros and cons and whether/how relationships would change is unknown. I would sit down and take a good look at other aspects of a possible move: What climate do you like? Do you like it where you live now or are you looking for something else? What about cost of living? What would/could you do with your current house? Sell it/rent it? What about homeschooling/school? How does your current home compare to other parts of the country? How about religion/values? Do you feel happy where you are now or would you like someplace more liberal/more conservative? Are you open to moving overseas? And so on... Then I would look at the list and come up with possible areas to move to. If nothing calls to you or if you are basically looking for something close to what you have now, I might consider staying/moving just a couple of hours away. If you now live in a small town in the middle of the country and you have always wanted to live in a liberal, rainy area near the ocean moving may be the answer(or the other way around). Obviously both you and dh have to look at all the factors. That might help you to see if you really want to move to another place or just away from where you are now. Then consider the cost: Are you an introvert or an extrovert? How easy/difficult do you find it to make new friends? I do understand that living close to everyone can be suffocating but moving away can be lonely. How much help do you currently get from family/friends/community (e.g. babysitting)? How much help would you get if you needed it (let's say your dh can't find a job or you get sick etc.)? This kind of looks like I am trying to discourage you from moving, but I actually am all for new adventures etc. I just think it generally turns out better if the move is made towards something (new opportunity, great job, better schools etc.) than away from something.

True enough, but you can also see by the way this thread is going that people will not change their mind. So arguing every point/responding will just lead to more people voicing their opinions. Nothing wrong with that but responding keeps the thread going so if someone has had enough the best way to end the discussion is by bowing out.

Thanks, that really did make me feel better!! I do think I need a bit of a push when it comes to household chores/nurturing but have decided I will REALLY take a week off work to recharge a bit and get some of the other stuff done. I keep saying I will do it but then a good project comes in and... Maybe just a break will help to give me more energy/more nurturing. I do very much appreciate all the advice/tipps as far as food is concerned though. It isn't my main problem but certainly does contribute.

Well, I have been working on that and I do meet up about once a month with a friend to have dinner or something. I definitely am a bit lonely and there are weeks in which I barely talk to anyone outside the family (I work from home). It's definitely something to work on. However, this feels different from "lonely". Maybe I just need to take a little time off from work. I don't even work that many hours but they are spread all over the place so I don't have weekends off or anything. And I have really worked a lot and the house has just gotten so bad... I do have that somewhere around here. I don't remember loving it but maybe I'll try again as the kids are so much older now and it might be more relevant. I loved her book Mrs. Sharpe's Traditions and was even thinking that something similar would be good. Definitely will see if I can find it. I think I focus more on cooking because there always were freshly cooked warm meals when I grew up (while our house was not spotless by far). However, the meals were not always my favorites but I just dealt with it. My parents were quite modern though so I definitely never had to eat anything I didn't like but there really weren't many things I hated. My kids on the other hand: Younger ds won't touch anything with a white sauce and neither will eat seafood or much cheese. As far as work is concerned, the problem is that I work from home. I am lucky that I can set my own hours, can be at home while working, etc. but there is no personal interaction with other adults and there really is never any time off as jobs just come in whenever (and I have a hard time saying no).

Thanks, PeterPan, those are all good ideas. You are of course right - older ds does have sensory issues. What I meant is more that he has been complaining about foods he generally does like and in that case it isn't sensory. I have been thinking of an Instant Pot and might get one (maybe for Christmas). But I really need to just find more joy in doing any of this. It just all seems such a chore (I think I am having a bad day today though as I am feeling quite depressed which isn't my usual mood). Part of it may be that both kids are teenagers so they (especially older ds) really don't have much time for me other than: I am hungry, what is there to eat? Where are clean clothes? I need new clothes? What do you want? I need money for...

Yeah, I guess everything has a positive side. Younger ds (who is 13) has been "forced" to cook for himself at times (obviously he wouldn't starve anyway as there is always stuff around). He refuses to listen to instructions though (other than safety stuff, he is good about that) and won't use a recipe so it doesn't usually turn out like he was hoping. Also, he leaves a tremendous mess. He is one of those people who needs two bowls and three spoons to eat chips and salsa.

Thanks! For the most part I don't think it is a sensory issue. He does have problems chewing meat at times but I am aware of that. The more annoying thing is when it is foods he generally does like. Anyway, ds is a teenager so he does need quite a bit of fuel (and he doesn't want breakfast as he isn't a morning person). The problem here is more me honestly. If I could make myself cook a couple of times a day consistently the problem would largely disappear I think. I just need some inspiration (and I think I will cut down on work for a week or two to get ahead a bit in the whole cleaning department). Part of the reason I don't want to cook is that the kitchen is such a mess and the dishwasher is broken so there is always so much to clean up... I do alternate pizza with some other stuff. He used to like hummus but has gotten tired of it. He also likes corndogs though I am not sure they are healthier than the pizza. He does eat bananas and kiwi and I have been trying to buy these more often. He also likes avocadoes - so maybe I will try some guacamole.