[Might be an odd question]

I agree with a small button/pin, and then have the green ribbon behind. I don't think buttons are too expensive. 

 

I'm sorry for your loss, and pray that you may find peace and justice for your dad.

[Suggestions to do on non-Thanksgiving day]

Really?  Are they crowded that day?

 

I just discovered this last month, so I'll let you know! :-) That's our plan this year.

[Suggestions to do on non-Thanksgiving day]

Where do you live? Did you know that all the Smithsonian museums are open Thanksgiving Day? If that's not local to you, maybe some museums in your area are?

[Solitary/one player games]

Not a board game, but one of my favorite leisure-time alone activities: any of the Greatest Dot-to-Dot books by Kavalitis. Great to color in after the dot-to-dot is complete, too, if she enjoys coloring.

[Doodlers - Christmas ideas for a college doodler]

There are some great ideas in this thread and on that doodler's wish list. One thing I haven't seen mentioned that might be nice is a set of French curves, or a flexible curve, or a protractor. Search under "drawing curves" at Amazon or Blick and you'll see several choices. Some are small enough to be used as a bookmark.

[Under garment and pants question for a specific body type.]

So this is a really out-there idea, and with her sensory issues it might not work -- but is there any way you could find her a *comfy* pair of suspenders she could wear attached to her pants but UNDER her shirts, so the pants would stay up? They'd need to be easy to release/re-attach, of course, for going to the bathroom... Hmmm, it's an idea that would need some work!

[Christmas gift ideas for adult relatives......]

We play around with how we do gifts and have themes. It helps us narrow down our ideas for each other.

Last year, the theme was "something warm". I got my sister a monogrammed scarf/headband; bil got some Sriracha snacks; Dad got a snuggie since he is always freezing and bundling in blankets; Mom got some infinity scarves.

 

This  year, we drew names and then drew a letter of the alphabet. We got my brother-in-law (letter H) and my mom (letter B). 

For bil, we got him a hands-free headset for his phone. He's got a decent commute, so we thought it would be nice. 

For mom, I got her body butter. I had to buy it on Ebay, since Bath and Body Works no longer sells it. 

 

(and just random info...due to budget constraints within parts of the family, we usually have a cap of $40 per person.)

 

 

ETA: My mil and sil are impossibly hard to buy for. They typically get money, unless they tell DH what they want or are interested in. 

 

What a great way to up the fun factor!

 

Since I lack imagination, and since they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, would you share some themes from previous years so I can shamelessly rip them off? :-)

[Any recommendations for really nice gift baskets and/or wine?]

Edible Arrangements is always lovely, and well received.

[Want to help me brainstorm a Mom-made gift for my son?]

What about putting together a cookbook for him?

[Talk to me about GoldieBlox]

I hadn't heard of Roominate either -- I'll check it out! Thanks!

 

This because my dd in the same age range is really only interested in drawing. And occasionally her brother's (not pink) Legos...

[Talk to me about GoldieBlox]

We LOVE Goldieblox!!! Some sets might be a bit young for a 9yo (the dunk tank) but there are others that I'm sure she'd love.

 

The one thing to be aware of is that they improved the design (and sent customers free upgraded blox) sometime in the last year or so. I'd stick with buying directly from Goldieblox or at least Goldieblox via Amazon to make sure you don't get the old style. Avoid any and all 3rd party vendors.

 

We loved the zoetrope, but there aren't a whole lot of blox in that set for other creative building. That said, we have made hundreds of our own movies with it.

 

They have a new starter blox set now that might be a really good choice too.

 

Oh, thank you so much! Those negative reviews about quality did have me worried, so knowing that they've upgraded is very reassuring, and thanks for the warning about third-party vendors. (I've been burned by them before on a Christmas gift -- a doll, years ago, which turned out to be a second, but I might've forgotten without your post.)

 

I'm shopping for my niece, and this just seems so right for her.

[Talk to me about GoldieBlox]

I was looking through gift idea threads and kept seeing these referenced. Zipped over to Amazon and wow! they look like pretty cool sets. 

 

 

I'm shopping for a 9-year old girl, budget approx. $25. 

 

Can someone recommend a best/favorite one for a starter set? TIA!

[Did you give your 16 year old son anything special for his birthday?]

We gave our son a watch - a nice, grown-up watch. I wanted it engraved w/ something witty or poignant, but the back was covered in manufacturer markings.

Other ideas I considered: a nice leather Dopp kit (travel/toiletry bag), and a start on a set of good quality tools.

[Help me decide on a bag...]

Oh, oh, oh! Look at the LowePro Passport Sling! You can get it at amazon, but I'm on my phone and can't link. It's a camera bag -- I bought it for that reason for an overseas trip -- but I use it a lot just as a purse/bag. I can put my full frame dSLR in it with an extra lens, my wallet, phone, sunglasses, ChapStick, etc. and still have a water bottle in the outside pocket. Comfy to wear, and in black it's very gender neutral.

[Photo prints]

Local places are going to vary a *lot* based on calibration, care, management... There's really no way for anyone to give you an accurate recommendation because it's going to depend entirely on those actual places. Your best bet is to run a couple of test prints at both locations and compare.

[Fun things to do in Tulsa?]

I was also going to suggest Woolaroc, if you're interested in something that would be more of a day trip. In the same vein, but a bit more driving, I always enjoyed the Omniplex in OKC. (Maybe it's called the Science Museum now?)

[What would you do (Thanksgiving)?]

Look around and find a place that sells a meal ready to go. They're out there, I promise. We did that a couple of years ago and it was a lifesaver -- around 11:00, dh picked up our meal -- hot turkey and sides. You can add a couple of homemade sides that are important to you if you want to.

 

I don't know how to help with the overnight guests. Suggest a vrbo unit?

[Help me choose a great morning tea for daughter]

What about Good Earth Sweet and Spicy?

[Has anyone trained themselves to be able to read in the car?]

I am just SO glad your thread wasn't what I imagined: teaching yourself to read while DRIVING! eek! :-)

'Cuz I actually had a college suitemate who did this. On her drives home to Kansas for the weekend. She insisted that the land was flat and no one else was ever on the road...

[What kind of shoes for Oregon Vacay?]

By Oct in the PNW, I was never too hip on getting my feet wet. Bog Boots would be great if they're in your budget, but $20 rain boats with socks always served me well.

[A (PSAT) Comedy of Errors, aka]

Sounds like it's a good thing you gave him a practice run!

 

My sophomore daughter took it today at her public HS, and a guy in the class with her finished early (or Christmas-treed the answers, more likely), went to sleep and SNORED for half an hour.  The teacher tried to wake him up and couldn't, supposedly.  What--didn't she have a water gun handy??  Also, the teacher had taken everyone's phones, and this guy had not put his on silent, so he kept getting alerts on his phone during the test.  If this counted, or if this child had any shot at NM, I would be livid.

 

I'd be livid too. Snoring? Why on earth didn't the teacher call for help if she couldn't wake him. Not fair to the other students at all!

[A (PSAT) Comedy of Errors, aka]

Oh, this is great!

 

But he kinda wins either way . . . either he (A) blows 'em outta the water with his mental math skills, or (B) sees an AMAZING improvement next year! Hahaha!

 

One can hope! He said that the math section had questions that required filling in bubbles to give the actual number answer, not just multiple choice. So I'm putting my eggs in the "amazing improvement" basket -- he's good at mental math but I can't imagine getting precise answers correct quickly in a timed, pressure test...

[A (PSAT) Comedy of Errors, aka]

DD also thought she wasn't supposed to write in the test.  She either didn't hear or didn't comprehend otherwise.  She said that for some, she did write really lightly on the test and then erased it all!  *sigh*  

 

I wasn't expecting NM, so it was just for SAT practice anyway.  But still, I really need to take some time to cover the bases...

 

Is it horrible of me that I feel so much better knowing we aren't the only ones? :-) 

 

I am sorry for your dd though. I think the test could've been *much* easier for both of them!

[A (PSAT) Comedy of Errors, aka]

You forgot this:   :banghead:

 

 

I would feel the same way.  Sorry it was such a rough test.

 

Oh yes, I definitely needed that smilie!

 

I appreciate the sympathy. Writing it all out helped me find some humor in it, too. :-)

[A (PSAT) Comedy of Errors, aka]

What grade is ds?  How many more practice runs will he have?

 

My ds? He's 10th this year, so next year is it. I expected him to do pretty well, but I'm not sure even with everything going his way that he'd be quite at NM level.