Does it matter which Pine Sol? Or should it be the original? My dh is a runner, and his running clothes could probably benefit from this.

When one ds was about 12-13, maybe 14, he was a bit rank. But it was because he didn't care to take the time to get really clean. I think he'd just get in the shower because he was suppose to, but wouldn't soap up or shampoo well. It took several experiences of being sent back to the shower, a threat of one of us going in there with him to make sure he did it right, etc. But then he got older and more interested in girls...He smells pretty good now except right after soccer practice/games, or a big outside work day.

I'm kinda tired of the everything gray trend. I mean, some of it is really pretty, but it still feels cold to me. And it's too popular. Last year, we bought a house and kids wanted accent walls. I'm not too crazy about them, myself, but we let them choose the colors they wanted. I really really really like the paint we chose for our bedroom. I can't remember right now the shade (I'm not at home); it's Sherwin Williams, and I'm not seeing it in the search I just called up. But it is the lightest in the sage line--almost white--but if you put white next to it you can see the difference. Our furniture is dark and bedspread is a quilt with shades of sage. It has the most peaceful atmosphere, like walking in a forest. If I moved right now, I would be tempted to paint the whole house that shade! (I probably wouldn't, because I like a slight variety, but still...)

I find DC fascinating. There are so many things to choose from that can satisfy lots of different interests. The types of museums are so varied, plus I like hearing the history. The last time we went, we stayed at a very reasonably priced place with a short shuttle to the Metro. (Sorry--can't remember the name of it, but I think it was part of a chain like the Comfort Inns and Suites--comparable, anyway.) Outside the country, another option would be Iceland. I haven't been there, but I know someone who went recently and had a blast. They rented a car, drove around and saw the beautiful scenery, sat in the hot pools, looked at the glaciers, and ate the great bread. The trip was very reasonable price-wise, as well.

I'm a pretty good judge of character. Interestingly, I have had a few people where I saw the red flags and admitted it to myself, but I was willing to consciously risk it anyway. Because I had seen the flags, I wasn't terribly caught off guard when the person showed their true colors. But I have a weird way of sharing a lot with a person while still inwardly keeping a distance, if that makes any sense. Maybe that makes me insincere, I don't know, but I'm not sure it's terribly uncommon when one has moved around a lot. It's like I can put a lot out there--that may even be used against me--and how it is handled determines whether I inwardly give my friendship to the person. I'm an okay driver. Pretty careful, but not very smooth and not very confident.

For the gift exchange, either B&N or Books-a-Million (probably both) have boxes of very pretty blank note cards for about $10. I love keeping those on hand, as they can be used for thank-yous, birthdays, or thinking-of-yous. Also, nice pens, etc., are something I always like to have. So maybe a pen and note cards? But I'm not a girly girl, so there are things that many women like that I don't care for a whole lot.

I agree with pp. If you want to send something, I'd probably send a local treat as just a thoughtful gesture, but not wrap it as a Christmas gift. That way, it might lessen their feelings of reciprocal obligation. Our family is so large (immediate and extended), that it's hard to financially cover the bases during the holidays, as it is. There are lots of people I would love to give gifts to, but we just can't afford to do so, even if I feel a reciprocal gift should be given. 😞

Wow! Congratulations--yes, that's a lot of hard work. (Hard work that I need to do. 😞 ) Good for you!

We've lived a lot of places, so have moved lots of times. I'm not crazy about where we are now, but it's not too bad, and we were not really settled in where we moved from--though we wanted to settle there, just no job. Generally, I'm pretty up for adventure. But reading the above does not sound appealing to me. Maybe it's just my personality where I prefer a more laid-back lifestyle. My dh enjoys being busy and is a very hard worker, but neither of us would enjoy the kinds of pressure this sounds like. Maybe I'm too ignorant about what is available in high-paying tech fields, but we don't want to be "owned" by a company. It also sounds like the financial benefits might not actually end up being near as much as they seem, once everything is figured in. I'm pretty sure we'd keep looking, and hopefully find something in the area where we already loved living. There's a lot of value in what you have mentioned you have there. I don't want to be a downer; I'm just looking at it through our personalities and preferences.

I've used Dawn dish liquid before. Put it liberally on the stained areas and rub it in thoroughly. Let it sit for awhile, then wash.

Yes! Sometimes I welcomed the chance to go to a quiet place for awhile. Whether I left the room or not, often had to do with the distractibility of the baby. Once most of mine reached about 4 months, they couldn't focus to actually eat well when there was a lot of conversation or there were other things going on around them. So they'd go on, then off, then on, then off, and wreak havoc with spraying milk, etc. That made a quiet room with few distractions for 20 minutes seem much more time efficient and less stressful for me!

Yeah, when I nursed twins, I tried to do it individually as much as possible, in part because letdown was so fierce it was hard on the baby as well, lol. I'd rock one in her little chair with my foot while I nursed the other. But when they were exclusively breastfed, I had to do several nursings a day at the same time, because it increased milk supply. There was no way that was discreet, so I never did that in public. I did have a friend follow me to the bedroom out of curiosity, and that felt a bit weird, because I was quite exposed, lol. I don't think I ever got weird/mean comments when I was nursing one baby though. Probably because it was a long time ago, and most people didn't realize what I was doing. The only time it has ever made me uncomfortable to be around others who were nursing was when I was in college. A friend and I were working in another state for the summer, and a family invited us for dinner. The parents, their adult daughter, sil and children were there, as well as another daughter and a couple of teenaged sons. In mixed company, the adult daughter popped it out in full view, set up the baby, and nursed. No self-consciousness at all, except on our part. 👀

I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday to buy materials for making a fall wreath. If you think she'd enjoy some crafts (which can be highly individual), taking the materials to make something together might be fun. (I don't mean both working on the same object, but both working on your own object, but same craft.)

Boring answer is a funnel. But it could be an ant race track or exerciser.

Well, this is only for Southwest rather than broader, but they have great deals periodically for Southwest flights.

I'm not really going to address the real question, but just want to make a comment. When you have a large family, there are things you do that are not necessary with only one or two children. The organization it takes to make life run smoothly and less stressfully may seem too strict or too rigid for smaller families. I found that good habits and patterns made life go easier and less frustrating for all. Some chores for all, because I was teaching them valuable life skills, and I also didn't want them to always be trashing stuff while I ran around trying to do everything it took to keep the house decent (it doesn't take much laxity for six children to trash a house--just a little bit of leeway here and there, and you have a disaster). When I had a houseful of littles, it was a busy, happy place, with a relaxed atmosphere. In order to be that, I ran things with a general routine every day, and everybody pitched in. But I had to have structure in place so that it could be relaxed and happy rather than chaotic and crazy. ETA: As our kids became older and began to leave the nest, and the ones at home were older as well, I gradually relaxed on some things I had to be stricter on before--it just wasn't necessary any longer.

Yes, I've monitored it regularly in the past, and tried to do it just as instructed--didn't generally have any problems. But then my cuff started messing up and coming unfastened when it inflated, and I never bought a replacement. I'm just trying to figure out which monitor to get this time.

I have several in my shopping cart while I'm trying to decide, and one of them is an Omron wrist one. My blood pressure was pretty high at the doctor's today, but the cuffs always go so tight they really hurt, which causes me to get stressed out. And they took it several times to try to get an accurate reading, so it went even higher as the pain and anxiety grew. 😞 Which is one reason why I might get a wrist one in spite of my doctor's preferences. I can't see it hurting my wrist.

I would prefer a wrist one, but my doctor prefers the upper arm ones. He said it is easier to get an accurate reading on them, and many other reviews agree with him. 😞

I did this. It has been a big boost to realize I am not as outdated as I feared, and I can quickly catch on to new software because I have continued to use my computer. I go back and forth on whether I am interested in finding a job with better pay and that uses more of my interests and education, or whether I should stick with the great flexibility and (little bit) shorter work day. For now, I'm glad I have what I have, and I just keep my eyes open for other possibilities.

I need a new blood pressure monitor for home use. My old one is quite old and no longer functions. I haven't used it in too long. I've read and read reviews, and the monitors that are most recommended on various sites, have lots of bad reviews on Amazon. So it's confusing and I'm not sure what to get. Is it the reviewer, stacked reviews, or what? Omron is consistently recommended, but ? This one by Hylogy has really good reviews, but not as many as some of the others. I don't really care if it connects to my phone, etc., I just want accurate readings. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QW28Z6G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A16YBBUCTM4Y6W&psc=1 My old one was ReliOn, but it's been a long time--I think it was pretty accurate, and reasonably priced as well. What do you all use?

Nope

This is so creepy. I agree with pp above that I would go in person to the police station to talk with them about it. (See if he shows up there!) And I'd do it before confronting him. I might would try handing off her phone to friends first to see if he shows up, but not mention it to him at that time.

From the people I know of who have had pancreatic cancer (at least of the type they had), it was already advanced when found, and prognosis was grim. Even with chemo, their options were only for a couple of months from diagnosis. In that case, I would probably not do anything either. One I know started the process, but quit because it wasn't doing anything and he felt horrible. This is one cancer, in particular, that I hope they find more promising treatments for.

Yes! How (much more) horrible it would be if she were alone, with no one to advocate for her! What a blessing it must be to her to have you in her corner.