I have no clue, but I’m also sorry for your loss.

The Pier, the Field Museum, the Aquarium is probably my favorite in the country.

I’m sorry, I usually click through & post the link, but I’m in the middle of drop off & don’t have a lot of time this morning. Here’s the artificial sweetener double blind study. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240328194638.htm

I think it’s slightly itchy but preferable to plastic.

Actually that wasn’t double-blind. When they did a double blind study they found artificial sweeteners do not spike insulin and keep blood sugar and weight lower. I’ll find the link.

Wow. I’m so sorry. In terms of making peace, I’m guessing your parents want to keep the property together, as one, and is rewarding the child who’s trying to do that. Getting therapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy, might help. That teaches you to think differently about things that are bothering you. It’s generally a short course of therapy. Personally I’d also question, 1) if they need nursing home care how that would possibly be legal. 2) If sister could even afford the taxes and maintenance on a property like that and afford to keep it.

Social promotion is a policy at my kids district because, “there is no evidence that holding kids back helps.” Ie: they argue that holding children to be accountable to entirely inappropriate standards will only make them feel inadequate to learn anything and drop out. Which will lower district ratings and also make a very crowded and rapidly growing district population more difficult to predict. This led to a large minority of teachers to open enroll their own children to a different district to force a “redshirt” against district policy. Once the child has enrolled in K in another district, they can transfer back and our district is forced to keep them in their current grade by state law. Honestly if I’d known any of this I would have done the same for my 5 & 6 year olds. The standards are ridiculous. Even the teachers agree it isn’t age appropriate in any way. At any rate, next year there is at least one in-school, full day alternative kindergarten class in every elementary because the district was losing so much money to a neighboring district that had to offer a more age-appropriate program. And that’s after forcing summer and early fall birthdays to enroll at 4. Neither of my younger kids will be 18 before they graduate.