I want to second the teacher's assistant suggestions (personally, it's not my forte). I have a friend who was a school teacher. When she re-entered the work force, she chose the assistant position. She said the pay was less, but she didn't have to deal with the pressure or the outside hours. She loved it.

I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but I have ordered from them before: http://www.christianstatements.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=textlink&utm_campaign=christian+wall+decals&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIraqg5MPs3AIV3rbACh33Kgg5EAAYASAAEgI0wfD_BwE I don't have time to check right now, but I think you can do custom.

Hugs to you in your transitions. We've been through a lot of transitions ourselves. One ds is still schooling at home, and starting a couple of college classes this year as well, so he has pretty much stayed on course. The other is starting his second year in public school. I am working about 30 hrs/wk. It wasn't something I had planned to do, but things came to the point that it was necessary. It's been an adjustment, but not as difficult as I expected in some ways. I grieve sometimes over what I thought things would look like at this point, and how they actually do. In reality, it was amazing that I was hired (out of the workforce a LONG time), and that I have a job I enjoy as much as I do. My work situation is exactly what I need right now in terms of flexibility (for some needed travel among other things). And the relief from the financial pressure has been huge. I miss being at home, and am not yet able to stay on top of everything, but I'm slowly getting there.

As I'm working through this, I think I want to stay with one wall color because the area is kind of "busy" with various colors and textures. There is white in the kitchen, stonework on a wide fireplace wall and a shorter wall across the room, two different kinds of flooring, plus the countertops. Your suggestion is definitely what I would do in a room that needed more interest. I'm trying to tone down the interest a little in this one, ha. But I'm still keeping that option open.

I'm playing around with some ideas. There is a built-in bookcase that they painted green, and I don't like it that color. So I was thinking about a blue. But I do think I prefer neutrals in fixed parts of the house, so am musing over a light tan/beige for the walls, and a darker shade for the bookcase. And then had the thought that using that same darker shade on the chair rails might look nice. It's the opposite of what you suggested, but the concept is the same. I'd also already have the paint, because I will use semi-gloss for the bookcase.

Those don't actually look bad! Maybe what bothers me the most is the ugly tan. I'll have to think through that...

I'm wondering about a cream on top and beige on bottom--just a couple of shades darker, which might be a bit dated, but fits the house. But like Pawz, I don't want too many different shades/colors. I prefer to add most of the contrasts through accent pictures and pieces rather than the walls.

I meant gloss--I wasn't thinking. I definitely do not want wallpaper. The kitchen/dining/family are kind of open plan--they run into each other, and the kitchen cabinets are white. Due to the color of the kitchen countertops and fireplace, I think the paint will need to be a light beige/taupe shade, so there would be some contrast, but not like there would be with dark colors.

Same colors. Most of it is kind of an ugly tan, with one wall a dark grayish blue.

So I have another new (to us) house question. In the family and dining rooms, there is a chair rail that has been painted over the same color as the walls. I think it looks rather tacky myself. We are no good at fixer upper tasks (beyond simple things like painting), and really want to get the house painted before we move in. We also do not need to hire out too many jobs. I'm afraid if we try removing the chair rail, especially after it has already been painted over, that we will end up damaging the wall and creating a much bigger issue. We could, of course, just paint over it again--that would be the easiest and quickest--and most of it will not be seen. Another option might be to paint the chair rail a satin finish white. I am not sure if that would look better or worse. ? Any ideas? Remember--NOT fixer-uppers here.

I have six, but there were some big gaps. When I had the larger numbers of littles, I often had paid household help, but only when we were overseas and the chores were more complicated. I still did all the washing, cooking, child care, and homeschooling. I deliberately kept our lives slow-paced and easy-going, and things ran smoothly for the most part. We always lived far from family, so had none there for help, and we seldom ever hired babysitters. There were "days," but I don't remember it being horrific or anything--I look back fondly at those times. I didn't have any children with major medical issues or other special needs, so that definitely makes a difference. My husband was also very hands-on when he was at home.

I am recovering from a bad respiratory virus right now, so with all the congestion, you would think I couldn't smell the cat odors.

Thank you for all the suggestions. We will see what it is like after the big cleaning this weekend.

I think the lady who is cleaning will be using enzyme spray at least on the inside. We'll have a little time (few days) after closing before we move, so maybe we can do some enzyme in the garage as well. We haven't had a pet in a long time, and I was thinking we might get a kitten at some point. Now I'm thinking maybe not, lol!

I don't love the house with great passion, but I like it a lot. It's a house that seems really homey and comfortable, aside from that one issue; one we could be very happy with. There are a lot of houses on the market here, but we didn't see anything we liked near as much as this one, at least in our price range. It's the right size, good for aging in place, etc., etc. We are only a week and a day away from closing. Inspection was done and they are working on the repairs, etc. I have no idea about the source of the smell. I didn't pick up on it in the bedrooms. But I'm sick and didn't have the time or the strength to go through and figure out more about it. I did mention it to the realtor. It's just that since I've come home, I've started to think about it, and it really gives me pause.

We are under contract to buy a house. The seller had a cat. When we went to see the house the first time, there was a very (very) faint cat odor, but that was all. The seller has moved. She left the house pretty messy (the house looked neat and clean when we saw it, and we saw it twice while she was still there). I stopped by the house today to ask a question of the handyman who is doing repairs before closing. He is also cleaning out the garage, where there was a cat-contraption--a big plywood box that had been in the garage on the other side of a cat door, where I suppose the litter box was, or maybe it was just a bed, I don't know. It's one of the things the handyman is cleaning out. Anyway, the smell even in the open garage was quite strong, and I could also smell it more inside the house than before, And I have a respiratory infection. This is scaring me. I do not want to have to be battling cat odors, or have to pull up flooring, etc, to get rid of the smell. Do you think that once the box is out and everything has been given a good cleaning, that it will be okay? Or is this a nightmare we should avoid at all costs (I mean, do people break contracts over one cat?)? We can't afford either time or a lot of money to drag this process out. Our landlords are moving back to town and want their house back, so we have to move no matter what.

I like the map idea!

Since the cafeteria will still be closed, I would stop at a restaurant. Then in the goodie bag, I'd put a few items like travel toiletries, toothbrush, etc., just in case. Then juice boxes/iced tea, snack crackers, granola bars, fruit, pastries, but what I would include would also depend on whether there would be a small fridge available.

I haven't added it up, but it seems like if we had half of our earnings left after paying all our expenses, that'd be pretty nice. I don't think it is unrealistic to expect this, to be honest.

This is a poignant thread for me too. We have moved many, many times. We were finally living near family, but were unable to find work there. The work took us miles away again. We are in the process of buying our first house, and we told the realtor we were looking for something that would 1) have good resale value because we don't really plan to retire here--we'd like to move back to the area of the country where most of our family lives, and 2) be suitable to grow old in, in case we stay here after all. We think we have found the right house. It's between 1800-1900 sq. ft, has no steps/stairs, has a walk-in master shower, a small and low maintenance yard, etc. The house itself should be easy to clean and care for. I really like it, but it makes me sad at the same time. If, when we retire, we are able to move back, we will probably go down a little smaller (we still have two at home, currently)--maybe 1400-1500 sq. ft. But this house would not require a move until we cannot live alone any longer. I'd love to have a little bigger yard and live a little further out right now, but am trying to look at the long view. One thing that may be hard in the future is that housing costs are much less here than where family lives, even though COL overall is similar. Just an uneducated guesstimate, but the house we are buying (simple 3/2 ranch) would probably cost at least somewhere between $30-40,000 more where we would move to. It's difficult food for thought. And there is pretty much nil chance of any family moving here who is not already here with us (i.e., the two teens).

We were given one, and had her for three years before we had to move and couldn't take her with us. She was a year old when we got her. Apparently, she was a mix. She looked like a Schnauzer, but her fur was quite soft and silky. She was smart as a whip, and mostly a great little dog. Problems: She was very barky, and nothing I did to try to train her helped. We lived overseas in a neighborhood where people were constantly walking on the street in front of our house, and due to the expense of running the a.c., we kept the doors open. There was a fence and gate, but she was very aware of anybody who walked by, and had to go let them know of her presence. The other thing was that I could not walk her on the leash. She pulled so hard that it hurt my shoulder. Again, I read and read, and tried to implement, but those two issues were never resolved. We had a big yard, so I quit trying to walk her and let her run in the yard, which was usually enough exercise for her because we had two young boys at the time for her to play with. She had a bit of a sensitive stomach, which wasn't helped by the fact that she liked to catch and eat the big (not good for her) toads in our yard. Oh, the horrible breath afterwards! But she learned very quickly not to go in the kitchen (the house was such that she didn't need to) and to wait until I told her she could eat. She was cuddly and snuggly, and I hated to have to leave her behind. She would practically hyperventilate just riding in the car, and there was no way she would have tolerated a flight. We were able to give her to an older couple whose own Schnauzer had disappeared a few weeks earlier, so it worked well to everybody's benefit. I'd love to have another of the mix she was, whatever it was--probably a little poodle? (But I don't think half.) Or let's put it this way--I'd love to have one if I lived in the country where there were not people who walked in the area to get its barking riled up!

The comments of several here really resonate with me. Maybe I was more like your daughter as a teen? Personally, I would rather my daughter be a little rough around the edges socially and stand up what she feels is right/safe, than to be like the friend who waffles and is wobbling on things. It isn't uncommon at that age (especially) to need a bit of work on the social side of things--learning how to be strong yet not obnoxious, etc. With all the things that are hard to navigate for teens these days, I wouldn't want to weaken her strong opinions too much in trying to help her socially; she may really need that strength to see her through to adulthood. But I do like what Storygirl said about it being okay for others to disagree and just letting them, without trying to convince them over to "her" side. I'd be glad to see my daughter move away from the whole group as well; while losing the friendship hurts, this friend seems more likely to make your daughter end up compromising or being in unsafe situations than she does to help your daughter learn to manage things better socially.

Samuel can mean "God has heard" or "asked of God." (Or "name of God.")

Yes, I'm sorry you have had to bear the brunt.

Quill, I know you said you wished you hadn't started this thread--and have wished it would die. But I'll have to say it has been good for me in evaluating my own spending habits. It's easy sometimes to just go with the flow, and it was time for me to think through things again and see how I can do better. So thanks--I hope it hasn't been too stressful having everybody discuss it forever.