Got this one down. No problem at all. 😀

My eldest dd is a teenager and isn't having the easiest time with it; she's moody and sullen (which is fine, I've been there myself) but she's not always pleasant to her12 year old sister, to whom she's always been very close. I understand that she's growing up, but I'd like to do what I can to keep their sister connection and good relationship going. DD2 is hurt because her sister no longer wants to do things like play together and because she doesn't talk to her as much. I'd really love to find some activities they can do together - like making candles, or woodworking, whatever. Something that will perhaps remind them of the fun they used to have together and pave the way toward a smoother friendship with one another during this time. Any suggestions? Words of wisdom? Both are greatly appreciated.

For light and fluffy, I really liked Kristan Higgins books, Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, and Austenland (Shannon Hale).

When the girls were 1 and 7 months, we went to Thanksgiving at my aunt's house. It started snowing heavily, and we wound up not getting home til almost midnight. We decided to stay home on Christmas and haven't looked back since. We live across the country from both families now (by choice) and wouldn't trade our cozy, in-house, family holidays for anything.

We are a home of multiple kindles and rely heavily on overdrive, gutenberg, and Prime reading.

A free download called Calibre formats epub books to mobi. It won't allow you to reformat Overdrive books as those are DRM protected.

I bought a stack from New Moon Pads years ago. I love them, and not only have they held up remarkably well, I never leak and my cramps lessened when I started using them. I will not hesitate to get more from this seller when my daughters' begin their cycles.

You said it yourself, "There is no way to win with an emotionally abusive person.", and there isn't. Whatever you decide to do, you won't win, so why not do something enjoyable for your family? Hugs to you. I get this situation, I do.

I wix and squarespace. Having used both, I like the ease of use that wix offers me, but the ease for the shopper with squarespace.

I may have certain regrets about past actions, but it's my past. I wouldn't trade my past for anything since it's shaped me into the person I am. I would not love my family as fiercely as I do, or be the wife that DH loves, I wouldn't be me. I know most of DH's past stories as well as I know my own now. Same for him - his past shaped him into my wonderful husband. He wouldn't be the person he is without those experiences. I'm sorry you're dealing with this, op.

I don't want them to care. I want them to shake it off, like "okay - these people we're related to; they're limited and they can't be better than they are". I've never had a good relationship with my mother and my bio-father was never around. She was a horrible parent who told me every chance she got that she wished she had never had a child, but that old saying - hope springs eternal. We moved because we didn't want them close to the girls since such a lack of interest would likely be more apparent if we lived nearby. For those who've asked about pictures -we regularly send them via email or text. Nothing.

My mother is one of three sisters and always prized boys over girls. When I was pregnant with my eldest DD and told her that the baby was a girl, she apologized since "girls are awful". There is no talking to her because she's always right, and if you mention anything she's done that doesn't fit with her "I'm a wonderful person" mentality, she denies it. That is my mother. That is what I grew up with.

My girls' grandparents, none of them give the girls the time of day. They don't call, they don't write. If we don't call, they don't talk. My mother worships my son (he is almost 18, and is finishing up high school out there) and completely ignores my girls. My DH's mother only calls when she needs money from us and never asks about the girls. It bothers me immensely. I've accepted that I don't have one of those cozy families that I always fantasized about having, but I don't understand how people can so completely disregard their own grandchildren. I grew up with the best grandparents, and I had lovely step-grandparents as well, both of whom I spent a lot of time with. The majority of my happy childhood memories involve both sets of grandparents. I've talked with friends and a therapist about this, but it fills me with piercing sadness and anger that my parents and my MIL can't step up and act like caring grandparents on a limited basis. We don't live close to our families (their behaviour was one of the bigger reasons we moved). Any suggestions for getting past this? Please no flaming - I understand that as problems go this one is first-world, but it breaks my heart on a regular basis that my girls don't have anyone else (besides their dad and me) in their lives who loves them so unconditionally.

When DH was 16 he had a relationship with a 26 year old woman. To me she was a predator who set her sights on a child. DH didn't see it that way - after our daughters were born, he changed his mind. The age difference disturbs me in that, what does a 25 year old have in common, life experience wise, with a 15 year old child? Unless he really is as immature and naive as he seems to be. In which case, I'd be more likely to suggest he broaden his experiences a bit rather than spending time with a teenage girl.

Yelp. We're considering getting our daughters' ears pierced and will only take them to a tattoo parlor.

This is us, as well.

Maybe something like, "You've asked this consistently and I'm wondering why it brings you such pleasure to allude to the fact that I was pregnant when I was married? I'd like to know why you choose to behave in this manner." If I was nicer, that's what I might say. I'm so sorry that your mom is dealing with this. Edited to correct typo.

I'm in. I'm a terribly lazy housekeeper.

I'm not asking this to start a war, or to get flamed. But the meningitis thread made me want to post. My eldest daughter had a scary reaction to a vaccine when she was 11 months old - stopped eating, stopped vocalizing, had to be hospitalized, had an NG tube placed, and the VNA came by every week to check her weight and feeding tube placement, weekly speech therapy. Our pedi told us not to vaccinate at that point. Our youngest daughter has severe food allergies. No further vaccinations for the eldest, and none for the younger. I believe in the lifesaving measures of vaccines (my teenage son is fully vaccinated, with the exception of Gardasil) but I've seen the underbelly as well (a tiny slice of it) and I'm scared of a worse reaction. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? What did you do?

I had been interested in ordering something from them too, but I looked up their return policy and read this - I didn't order. Can I return items on zulily? At zulily, we’re committed to you, our customers. We generally are unable to process returns, except in limited circumstances or as part of special promotions. However, we want you to be delighted. If something doesn’t meet your expectations, we’re committed to doing our best to help you find a solution. For questions, contact our customer service at service@zulily.com, or (877)-779-5615. For more information about return-eligible items, see zulily's Terms and Conditions.

Very happy for you!

My mother-in-law is 86. She lives in her hometown (East coast) while we moved out West. We have asked and begged for her to come live with us, or near us. She refuses. We've always respected her wishes but the past few months have shown us that we need to do something further. It started with her asking for money - she lives on Soc Sec and has been short, we send her money. She told us that she had been going to the senior center for their offerings of free food since she couldn't always afford to buy for herself (we had been unaware of this). Then she hurt her back and was bedridden for a few months. She has local friends (all of whom are around her age) and we asked her again to consider moving out with us. That we would take care of everything and she didn't have to pack or do anything - that DH would go get her, pack everything, and bring her here with her things. She again refused. We are very concerned and worried. She lives in an area with a lot of crime, doesn't drive, lives in a rented apartment, is in failing health, and is as stubborn as a roomful of toddlers who want to do everything themselves. If you've dealt (or are dealing) with this type of situation, what worked for you? Thank you.

This doesn't sound like behavior that you need to change. To me, what you said are just normal observations. Could he be hyper-senisitve about you? It sounds like he feels that everything you say is a criticism of him, his lifestyle, or his family - besides not speaking, I don't see how you can improve this since it doesn't seem like your issue.

I never do. Never. Anyone else start out the summer with scholastic intentions that just fall by the wayside?

I did change it, just yesterday. Changed it solely because I tend to only discuss my hs issues (when I'm not getting upset over something I see on the internet, that is :001_rolleyes:).