And don't assume that this is your only option, either. If there is one thing I have found, it is that the "pricier" the store, the greater the sales. I just got the 'perfect' pants (eg the ones I've been looking everywhere for) on sale at Lands' End - marked down from $45 a pair to $15. And free shipping because I was on the e-mail list. I always scan the 'season end' clearances of any store for classic pieces. Additionally, it *really* helps to figure out what looks good on you and just stick with it - a uniform of sorts. You'll save a ton of money by not buying things you never end up wearing, and lots of time by not having to think about what you're going to put on every day. For instance: I wear back, side zip, pocketless pants (pockets look bad on me), a cotton-blend no-iron, fitted, collared shirt (like a gorky Oxford) that is designed to be worn "out" and black shoes. That's it. If I want to dress it up, I add a scarf or jewelry. I can put on a blazer or a sweater. I hate skirts, but I can tuck these shirts in.

The best fitting bras I have ever gotten were from Frederick's of Hollywood. And I'm a weird fit. As my sister says: "Buy from someone who wears lingerie for a living" (ok, some people may not find that funny, but it has been historically true) a

We shed. Take the amount of hair that comes out in the shower and throughout the day, put it in a baggie, and bring it to a long term hair dresser. Ask them if it is excessive. You may be surprised. Unless you are going from a 2" pony to a 1" pony, you will go through cycles where you will have more or less shedding of hair due to all sorts of things - pregnancy, diet, stress ( that is a BIGGIE ), the seasons - on and on. People immediately jump to "thyroid" any time something like this happens, but there are tons of things (as Negin has written) that have absolutely nothing to do with the thyroid. The body is a complex place. I lost 2/3 of my hair one year from a combo of stress and a new medication. I got tired of the stringiness and cut my hair 1/4" long and started over. It came in beautifully. Back to thyroid: I have endocrinological diseases. As in, everything is a mess. Everything BUT my thyroid, LOL. Everytime I go in, I have to say "are you SURE my thyroid is normal?" Yep. It's my ONE normally functioning portion of my endocrine system. It's kind of amusing. You'd think, reading the internet, that dang near everyone has systemic thyroid problems - they don't. a

Twenty-two pages. Time to invoke Godwin's Law. This And this. How very prescient considering what events we are remembering this weekend. a

When I started reading this thread (before I got to this post), this is actually what I was going to ask about. I strongly second the suggestion to talk to the learning center, as this issue will not be confined to Chemistry - it will bleed into every subject and just be compounded as the years pass. When I was an undergrad, my advisor allowed me to reteach his lectures in the 20 min before the next class (so, Monday's lecture on Wednesday) to a group of students who were unable to "filter" the information properly. Our dept didn't have another option for them, so... It was a 400 level class - those kids wouldn't have been able to graduate. And it wasn't for a lack of dedication or effort - they just couldn't tell what was necessary. Which, if you think about it, is a very valuable life skill. a

I'd cancel. a

Boy, I was all ready to jump into this one until truth was mentioned. Then I decided it was time to re-start our Logic lessons, because once people start tossing around different definitions of "true"... Yeeah... a

If you ever get a chance, watch "Three Days of the Condor" with Robert Redford. It is from 1975. (It is actually quite different from the book of the same name.) In it, Redford is a "reader" for the CIA - he reads everything and puts disparate bits of information together. You know - what would this weird thing happening over here have to do with these 2 other weird things happening over there - a puzzle maker guy. Long story short, Sydney Pollack directed the film and put a super secret CIA headquarters in the Twin Towers (this is 1975, remember). After 9/11, more than a few people in the gvt speculated that perhaps some people in the world may have actually thought the CIA had a secret HQ in the towers. The power of movies. (and the conclusion of that one is frighteningly prescient considering events of the last 10 years) a

My sister went through it with one of her daughters, but it actually WAS an eating disorder - she just hid it very well. Eating disorders don't necessarily mean being underweight, they mean disordered eating (but you knew that). I also agree with talking to the coach: there is a big push now in women's sport to look out for this and to implement proper eating programs. Perhaps the coach could pull her aside with something along the lines of "you're slowing down - what are you eating? - I need you to be eating X, and I want you bringing Y to practice for a snack." You know how coaches can get away with being really blunt. a

It won't. You actually have to have a new, thin layer poured. Don't ask. :ack2: a

The "legal" page on this website explains it: http://www.militaryhomeschool.org (it isn't a commercial site - it belongs to a homeschool group in Germany) a

This is it. Switzerland speaks English with German syntax and periodically comes up with some real doozies. a

My cat has upped her game. a

I STILL miss him. How sad is that? I don't think the video is available in the US until the 6th, though... We were all talking last night about the dearth of 'distinctive' singers in the past 10-15 years. I mean, seriously - you hear Freddie Mercury, and you immediately know it is him. Most of the drivel pop you hear today is so auto-tuned and Disney-fied, who knows who it is... a

Terriers ARE bird dogs. Hounds are hunters. Jack Russells - don't get me started. The smaller you go, the yippier you get. Whatever you do, don't train it yourself - get it professionally trained. I may not be popular saying this, but I don't care - no matter what anyone says they are going to do with their dog, the training, unless they personally are a professional dog trainer, will never approach that which a professional trainer can accomplish. My 5 year old family dog was trained to be a service dog in ONE month by a professional trainer. That is the difference a professional can make. (yes - that was a special case: she has a genetic predisposition to predict seizures. But still - she went from NO training to perfect off leash, able to protect me, able to bring me home) I would second a poodle. There are some very gently bred lines and they can be groomed to be very low maintenance. A medium size (as opposed to toy or giant) would do well. I have an Airedale terrier that is AWESOME (no shedding, no dander), but she is definitely a defiant birder (they run 50-70 lbs). The next "size" down from her with the same fur is a Welsh terrier, but they are h*ll on wheels attitude-wise. Beyond that, please listen to Danestress. I have seen more (inadvertently) neglected dogs than I have cared to in our romp around the world. They really are akin to having another individual living in one's household -- an individual who must be taken care of as if they were a toddler most times. Finally, service animals are particularly "moody". They are trained to be there for YOU. They don't take kindly to being paraded around to help everyone else on the planet - even if they CAN in some small measure. And they don't take kindly to being left alone, even for short periods. If you feel you need a service animal, seek one out. If you want an animal for all of those other needs, you need ANOTHER animal for that. Do you feel you can bring TWO animals into your life at this point? Especially two who probably won't like one another? asta

I think I love you. a

I've always heard guys say they like seeing undie lines on women. I think it is a chick thing. a

9 yo and 6 yo are old enough to train to be altar servers. We have a 4 yo altar server in our church. He is actually the best one we have - but he is an exceptional case - he really enjoys the orderliness of it all, and even has a tiny mass kit at home. a

The single most helpful thing to me in homeschooling was my sister in law noticing (and telling me) what KIND of learner Switzerland was. [that is her work specialty] He is visual kinesthetic, like your daughter. It was literally a life saver. Give him a history book? Nothing is retained. A college level Teaching Company video series on Western Civilization? He can practically recite it back to you (AND will wander around the internet looking for extra information on the mentioned topics all. on. his. own.). Busy, overly colored texts (those infernal DK books come to mind)? Aie. Throw them out - too stimulating. Calm, 1950s - 70s books done in two tone with graceful illustrations are fascinating to him. They are illustrations HE can draw to explain a point to me (it's impossible to draw a CAD generated 3-D model - well, at least for him). MATH. I realized last week that, since 5th grade, we have tried SEVEN different math programs trying to fix the problems caused by one lousy teacher in 4th grade public school (1st-3rd were fab pub & pvt schools). Yes. He is a 12th grader and I'm still trying to fix core issues. I feel like a complete failure. He has been gutting it out all of this time, somehow doing Algebra 1 & 2 & Geometry without fully understanding FRACTIONS and myriad other things (can you say times tables?). Funnily enough, he is having massive success with a Singapore math computer program run by HeyMath!. You can choose US, UK, India, or Singapore versions. We looked at all of the samples, and the Indian one was most like how he initially started to learn maths (successfully), so that is what we bought. He is succeeding! The examples are simple, have movement, and are not of the "do equations until you die" variety. He has made so much progress I am astounded. Beyond all of the difficulties, there are obviously areas in which she is doing just fine. Has it occurred to you that, at least for those areas, that she just doesn't test well? Kid can still recite his bio textbook, utilize all of its concepts in his college level chem work, but at the time? Oof. His tests sucked. In fact, his tests suck in general. He'll even tell you so. The UK uni he wants to attend will allow a year of US college in exchange for SATs, and we're looking at having him do so via an option we now have (he'd only have to take things like Research methods, English 101, College Algebra, World History - 12 hours of dirt basic stuff he will have already done in HS, and would mostly only have to write papers for (thankyouverymuch IEW). Try and remember when someone says "your kid is behind", they have their own definition of "behind". IOW, they have an established "standard" in mind, and they have placed your child behind that standard. The problem with that concept is, your child is not someone else's standard, they are a human being, with their own set of parameters. Behind, ahead, "on-target" - they are all relative terms. The only person who really knows what is going on inside your child's head is, in fact, your child. And, in the absence of repeated exposure to people telling her so, I doubt she would label herself "behind". One last thought about people and their claims of what they and their family members are or are not. I work with crazy people on an internet site. If there is one thing I have learned in doing so, it is that people can be whomever they want to be on the internet. I'm not even talking about trolls. On the internet, anyone can be just a wee bit better, successful, or more 'together'. It is the glory of cyberspace. Don't let it get you down. The most important things in life are all around you, and you can reach out and touch them. asta

I agree. I have been to such performances as well. The OP said: The 15 year old went somewhere that clearly stated it was not suitable for children. He decided he was not a child. Why? We don't know. You can't get into a pub in Scotland if you are under 21 once night falls, and pubs are not suitable for children. I seriously doubt any teen (who does not live under a rock) doesn't know that, so where is the disconnect between "not suitable for children" and "it's OK, I'm FIFTEEN"? I can only agree with your ETA, and I must say, again, having been to many of these types of comedic shows, I have never seen someone just namby pamby brought on stage - often, people are chosen beforehand, if not, there is always someone who gives a quick run down on the side before they actually come up - even if it is the performer themselves with the mic off. I've seen performers have to "cover" for someone saying "oh, this one won't work - he/she has a bad foot" or something ridiculous, and moving on to someone else who will "play the part. There is more to this story. asta ETA: Pubs serve food as well as drink. You can get lunch during the day, but they won't serve you drink if you're underage. After 4 (?) you're not getting in the door if you're not 21. I'm sure some pubs in small villages are the exception, but not in the big cities where I've been.

She'd slap me. a

N-Style. Here is a link to the leather ones, like you son wants. a

Your parents and brother must have had a wry sense of humor to wake you with that dream. How else to remember one's best birthday than with an image of what would be your idea of a "worst birthday"? I hope your day was happy. asta

Nope.

Oh! That reminds me of a couple of things! The pee house? We were able to retile the kitchen and dining (who carpets dining rooms with small children, anyway?) with that .99 cent a square foot ceramic tile from Home Depot. We lived with just having backer board down until one we liked 'came around' (they change which one is on sale every month). We used a darkish (e.g. tan, but not brown) tile with BROWN grout so that the grout wouldn't get all gross looking. Also, you can find awesome deals on bathroom and kitchen fixtures for next to nothing at... oh, I don't know exactly what they're called (brain dead this morning) - they aren't junk dealers - they are these places where contractors get rid of their "extras". Like when they have 2 leftover sinks from a housing project, or they ordered the wrong sink for a customer. Sometimes places like Home Depot even have an endcap with returned faucets, etc. for the same reason at a MAJOR discount. I have bought expensive Moën faucets dirt cheap that way. My best friend got a $2000 "all in one" spa bath shower thing for something amazing like $200 because it was black. She paired it with a Japanese theme and the bathroom looks amazing. Just thoughts. a