That is super generous. Like others have said, the reviews are a very big deal to AirBnB owners. Just one poor review can tank a place. Dh and I stayed in a place a couple of years ago during a very stressful week of moving someone out of their home and into assisted living. Within a few hours of checking in, we realized the place was teaming with big carpenter ants. We immediately notified the owners. Their solution was to provide us with a cheap vacuum cleaner. We had to vacuum the whole place every time we returned home and first thing in the morning. We were so busy and stressed about the move that we just did not have time to deal with this the way we normally would and just put up with it. Each night, I had to put the vacuum outside because we could HEAR the captives inside! I was mad. But then it got worse. Two days before we were to leave, we came home late at night to find these huge ants were now FLYING around the apartment. They were so insanely gross. I just could not deal. At midnight we packed everything up and moved into a hotel. We called the owners. They acted all benevolent about refunding the last two nights. Nights we were not there and were paying much more to stay elsewhere. An elsewhere with no kitchen or other amenities we were relying on to get through the difficult week. I feel they should have offered much MUCH more. At the very least, they should have refunded us the two nights plus the extra cost we were paying for the hotel. Then they had the gaul to beg us to not leave a bad review. Nope. Sorry. Even if they had offered more reasonable compensation we would have been honest in our review. However, we may have been less compelled to post the photos of the giant flying ants....which we most certainly did. I felt bad for them personally, but that is no way to run an AirBnB!

New update in OP!

I watched the movie. And I read the book when it first came out. My dh has roots in that area so it was interesting.....the book, that is. I did not like the movie. The book is a bit fuzzy in my memory but I thought along with his personal story he spoke a lot on why people make certain choices, policy, privilege, etc.... The movie was just his story and IMO not well done. I am curious what others thought.

I homeschooled an only. She is graduating this year and I have no regrets. I had many of the same worries as you. I was home 100% when my dd was born and I decided pretty early on that working at least part time to keep my foot in the door was important. So I picked up a part-time job when dd was 3. It was not in my field. It was the type of job that I knew I could expand to full time if I ever needed to. I did that until dd was 15. At that point, she was mostly dual enrolled so I sought out full time employment. I also picked up the occasional bartending job to get us through some rough patches. I now work full time. I am very VERY glad I maintained my emplyability. Dh's field is feast or famine. He is currently unemployed and this will be the second time we were blindsided with unemployment. And because lots and LOTS of people who do what he does were also laid off, it could be a long time before he finds a new job. We are 9 months and counting with no promising leads. I do not have a high salary but I am now carrying the health insurance for the family. Because his industry is so unstable, we have always maintained a hearty emergency fund. So while things are tight and there is stress, we are not in danger of losing our house or going hungry. I also have the comfort of knowing that should something catastrophic happen to dh, my job plus life and/or disability insurance is enough to live comfortably until retirement. A previous poster mentioned data analytics. This is what I do now. It is not what my degree is in but the work was a good fit. I work from home, even pre-pandemic, and there is always a demand for data analysts. There are part-time opportunities too. It sounds like your eduction and experience would lend itself well to this type of work. Almost any large company, hospital, and higher learning institution has an army of us. I did not need special training and most job postings only require an unspecified 4-year degree. With decent spreadsheet skills and the equivalent of an intro-to-programming knowledge base, I found myself more prepared than most to do this type of work.

Mine never got into Legos which surprised me as dh and I both loved legos as kids and had a big stash all ready to go. Luckily, they never get "old" so we donated them all. My dd got an American Girl doll and she did dress it up and play with it a little but I think she was too old (10ish) when she got it. That was a bit sad because her great grandmother made her piles and piles of clothes and accessories. When I packed it all up, there were 6 Rubbermaid totes of it! Most never got "worn" even once. But I think it was more of a hobby for great grandmother. I did keep it all and will hand down to other kids in the family when they get old enough. No interest in Barbie or other fashion dolls. The toys that got the most use were play food, art supplies, play dough, outdoor toys (bikes, sleds, skates, skis, balls, tents, water anything, etc....) and stuffed animals. Oh. And the pogo stick. I regretted it almost immediately. Not sure what I was thinking as they are really dangerous and the repetitive noise drove my neighbor's dog nuts. Dd loved it. She loved it so much she wore it out! She never did get hurt but I was always waiting.

My state banned all "organized sports" with the assumption that sports must be indoors in winter and therefore should be banned. This means my senior is not skiing with her team in her last year of eligibility. This kid was skiing at the national level and was already grappling with the cancellation of all national racing. This is an outdoor sport where social distancing is nearly required to do the sport properly. Until the ban was put into place, they masked during their entire practices, shared no equipment, and maintained a minimum of 12 feet distance at all times. When people whine about masks, I think of the 20 kids on dd's team that did not complain one bit about wearing masks while engaging in rigorous exercise for months. They were very grateful to be able to do anything as a group. So, my state allowed all fall sports, indoors and out, WITH spectators. Then banned everything. It seems so unfair. I am trying not to complain because I sure would not want to deal with what our state health department and governor are. Preventing deaths is far more important than sports. But the lack of COMMON SENSE is one reason why we have so many people running around disregarding all of the rules. Bars are open but schools are virtual. Wrestling is OK just over the state border but skiing outdoors isn't here. It just makes no sense.

Absolutely! We live literally 1.5 miles for the venue. Had it been more than a 15 minute drive, I would not have sent dd. I fully expected her to walk back in the door within 30 minutes. I was so surprised, I made sure to pass campus on my run that morning to make sure our car was in the parking lot. This is the only site for a very large region so people travel from up to 4 hours away in one direction and 2 hours in another. I am sure anyone not local opted to stay home.

Like others have said, the most unreasonable part about this is having a live holiday program at all! As far as clothing requirements, I personally find it unreasonable and a waste of time, money, and resources. Are the kids really any less cute singing their holiday song in their school uniform or regular dress clothes? No, they are not. I can wrap my head around standard all-black concert attire for older kids for a high-quality performance or costume specifics for a play (with PLENTY of heads up), but that is about as far as I go. I am luckily about done with this phase of my life but my dd has shown up to many things in the not-quite-what-was-asked for attire. I refuse to buy a pair of shoes or an entire outfit for a single one hour event. We will get as close as possible with what we already own or can borrow. If I have enough time for a quick lap through Goodwill, I might go that far. But certainly not during a pandemic. We steered our dd away from entire activities due to this kind of thing. And fundraising, but that is a whole new topic. Dd was in learn-to-skate as a 4yo. I just about choked when we got the order form for the end of the season performance. I was supposed to cough up $70 for a mouse costume so my kid could wear it for a grand total of 3 minutes of pushing a folding chair across the ice. And I was a "bad mom' because we did to also buy the "strongly encouraged" matching tights for another $10. Exact same experiences for dance classes. Again, I could work with this sort of thing for a serious skater or dancer. Maybe. At age 4, I expect any costume requirements to cost significantly less than the class itself. This has been going on since the beginning of time. I vividly remember performing in a band concert in my mom's black Isotoner slippers because we did not realize I had outgrown my black dress shoes until we were trying to get out the door. I also remember plenty of kids had navy blue pants or black sneakers with the white parts colored in with Sharpie....just doing the best they can. The music was still the same and I don't recall any teacher making a fuss.

Update in OP.

I think we have at least 100 command hooks all over ours! The previous owners were really into them then we added our own. Some are even on the exterior! We also have a set of stacking plastic drawers and live outside right next to the door once we are parked. It has all of the outdoor stuff we need like umbrellas, rain gear, shower flip flops, fire starters, picnic tablecloth/clips, flashlights, bug spray, sunscreen, etc..... This frees up storage space indoors and lessens the trips in and out. Just this summer we added shelving to some of the built-in cabinets. We used the plastic-coated wire closet shelving and installed it upside down so that there is a lip at the edge (the part normally used to hook the hangers) which keeps things stored on the shelves from inching off during transit. The big empty cabinets were such a waste of space without decent shelving. I also put even more command hooks on the inside of cabinet doors to hang things like frying pans, pot holders, cutting board, collapsible toaster, etc.....

Our test center is still listed as on for tomorrow on the ACT website. It appears most, if not all, other sites in my state are cancelled and holding it would be against our current state mandate. Plus. I KNOW from asking the test site directly that they cancelled. Dd stopped prepping two weeks ago once I got in touch with the test site. So, now I guess we go through the motions of showing up in the morning since it is still officially "on" according to ACT?

We have Corelle in ours and it has been fine for 17 years and still going! We even have wine glasses that have held up. I store them in old (clean) socks to protect then and contain any shards if one should break. We like the Turkish towels like Wet Cat. They dry super fast and take up little space. We have also used pack towels but they are oddly "sticky" to me and I don't like the way they feel. A foldable dish drying rack was probably my most exciting addition. I have a collapsable garden basket that gets much more use than I ever thought it would. I can load up things like all the food/utensils needed for campfire food instead of making multiple trips. We do all cooking and eating outdoors unless it is raining so I am constantly bringing things out and taking them back in. A collapsible drying rack can be super handy when the weather turns wet or even to use when it is not wet as it can be set up under your awning. We use clothespins a LOT. Not just for drying things but for clipping electrical cords up out of the way, keeping chip bags closed, pinning up notes, etc..... Because it is MY vacation too, we eat a late breakfast and a normal dinner. "Lunch" is serve yourself. I keep a small cooler (in your case, a section of the fridge) that is grab-and-go foods like cheese sticks, yogurts, hard boiled eggs, bags of pre-cut veggies, hummus, etc.... paired with a large basket sitting out filled with fresh fruit, granola bars, ramen, nuts, peanut butter, etc..... When anyone says they are hungry, I direct them to these. I also write out the menu for the weekend and pin it up somewhere so I don't have to hear, "What's for ______?" three million times a day.

We have also had pretty good luck with USPS and our carrier and local office workers are great. But we had this happen to us once! We actually got an email saying the truck our package was on was in an accident and therefore packages might be delayed or destroyed. They even included details that the accident involved a fire. In our case it was FedEx. Our package did arrive, unscathed, and on time(!), but it made me think this must happen with some degree of regularity. We have a much bigger problem with UPS. We have not had a package delivered on time at all this year and they often deliver to the wrong address. It is so predictable that we know which houses to hit up if a package is really late. Unfortunately the most common address they mis-deliver to is a vacant house so there is no one there to return it to sender. It is very obviously a vacant house. As in, the roof is caving in. I can't imagine what the driver must be thinking. I have a monthly delivery of frozen pet food and this past summer we had two boxes of completely ruined food because a box sat somewhere hot over a weekend due to delayed deliveries. They also SPEED all over my residential neighborhood and routinely run stop signs. I have called to complain several time.

OP here. I also ended up going with the Let's Make Art box. I think she will love it!

Interesting responses so far. Is anyone, or has anyone, asked their teen to completely isolate from a significant other? We have been allowing unmasked interaction with dd's best friend and SO. Dd is 17. Her best friend's family has actually bubbled with us as they are also our best friends, so while still super risky IMO, we at least have a protocol and agreement with the other family. The SO is a bigger issue. He is in college locally (with all remote classes) but he shares a house with four other students (also all remote classes). I don't have a bead on what the housemates do or how careful they are. As cases skyrocket in our area and we have had to use more of our own "risk bank" to deal with a couple of family emergencies, I am getting much more nervous. They have a nearly 4 year history so I am really struggling to find the right answer.

Title says it all. How are you navigating still-at-home and not-quite-adult teens and long-term relationships during Covid. Disregard if you do not allow teen dating.

My dd wants to be in an outdoor intensive career. She is starting with environmental engineering with a loose plan to go into ecology, forestry, or environmental science for grad school. We know several faculty in these areas and they spend a good part of their year outdoors doing various field work. I think the state park job would be her dream come true.

So sorry! We are in the same boat except my senior has never taken the ACT or SAT. She is still scheduled for Saturday and it is not showing as cancelled yet but I contacted the test site directly and they said they informed ACT that they were cancelling weeks ago. I'm glad I asked so dd could stop prepping. This will be cancellation number 5. She is already accepted at her college of choice but needs the test for merit aid. I will scream with you.

We don't have one. We were in exactly the same position you are. We had one above the range. It stopped working at some point and I started using it as a place to store bread and any other goodies our cats or fruit flies were interested in. It had a recirculating fan that was not very efficient anyway and I wanted a legit vented-to-the-outside hood fan. So after awhile, we replaced it with the hood. I never liked the noise of the microwave nor the condition of foods cooked/reheated in it and I find my hood to be much more useful for me. We use insulated mugs for coffee so we never have to reheat. We use the oven or stove to reheat leftovers. We eat leftovers for lunch every day and I have yet to find a dish that does not taste better reheated without a microwave. My oven can be programmed with a timer so I will often toss lunch in there on a timer if I know something I am doing is going to interfere with my remembering to start lunch. In a pinch, even leftover pizza can be reheated nicely on a cast iron pan on the stove top. Way better than being nuked.

I feel like the takeaway here is to try to find the least fake-looking option....which is hard to do online. But probably a good enough solution. We are very much NOT handy so trying to actually tile it ourselves would likely be a disaster. But I already know from having the job quoted that the prep work for real tile would be daunting for us. We also have to rip out the entire floor in the not-so-distant future which might also require ripping out part of a wall so I hesitate to install anything expensive or difficult. I wonder if something metal-like might be better? https://www.wayfair.com/home-improvement/pdp/mosaictileoutlet-linear-12-x-12-metal-peel-stick-mosaic-tile-in-metallic-silver-mtot1225.html

How long has yours been up? Any tips on types of patterns that look more or less fake? I have seen what looks to be cool subway tile-like patterns but I think they might look really fake in person.

My kitchen is in dire need of a little spruce up. Due to some reconfigurations and age, much of the backsplash wall is irregular and in poor condition. My plan was to install ceramic tile or stainless steel or even repairing/replacing the drywall. We have been saving for this for years and other more urgent projects keep coming up that drains that fund. I am sick of looking at my ugly kitchen. Money is tight, but I'd like to do something, ANYTHING, to make it better. I am looking at these peel-and-stick option like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/smart-tiles-Ravenna-Farro-9-80-in-W-x-9-74-in-H-Peel-and-Stick-Self-Adhesive-Decorative-Mosaic-Wall-Tile-Backsplash-4-Pack-SM1127G-04-QG/304833996#overlay Anyone try this? Does it look OK? Hold up well? I have seen claims that they can peel off but it appears this can be mitigated with proper surface prep. I cook a LOT and part of the reason the current backsplash is so ugly is that over time the splatters from food prep have stained or damaged the wall. So whatever goes up must be easy to clean. I'd like to say this is a temporary solution and that a "proper" fix would be forthcoming but looking at my 130+ yo house, I'm guessing our current status of whack-a-mole repairs will mean that whatever goes up will probably be there until I die.

This is so true! Gone are the days of just pulling up to a state park and expecting to stay the night. We like to frequent our state parks and we can reserve up to 6 months in advance. This means figuring out what first night we even might possibly be able to camp, calculating 6 months back, staying up until midnight, and then trying to panic reserve via the web reservation system and HOPE it doesn't crash midway through snagging a site. Just last week I watched in dismay as the sites I had my eyes on got snapped up in the days leading up to the opening on my reservation window for a single trip. I did get a site....right next to the outhouses. The pickings were slim. It is even more stressful when trying to reserve multiple sites. There are also primitive state and federal forest campgrounds that are first come first serve, but who wants to pack up and travel with the risk that you could get there only to find no available sites? It gets harder every year and I suspect the pandemic will amplify the situation this year as it did last. Maybe I should consider going into the campground business.

I've only had one person come up to me while grocery shopping to try to "educate me" on how wrong I was to wear a mask. I just don't come into contact with many people at all so little chance of it happening. We have had groups do mask burning parties around here. This was a kick in the teeth for the mask sewing group. You could see plainly in social media photos entire boxes of handmade masks made by the group being burned. I have no idea how they got their hands on them as those masks were distributed specifically to hospitals, doctor's offices, schools, and home health aides only.

We love our camper! We bought a super cheap and old one 17 years ago and never looked back. We just have a pop-up so most of my experience does not apply. But it does have a dinette that is supposed to be a bed. Ha ha ha HA! Dd outgrew it at the age of 7. She was longer than the bed. She got unceremoniously kicked out of the camper into a backpacking tent where she has slept ever since. Even our end beds, which are technically wide enough for two adults, are not really long enough for two adults as you have to sleep diagonally to avoid having your feet hanging out of the tent side. The camper instructions says it sleeps 6 when in reality, we can only comfortably get two adults and a small child in it....maybe more if the adults are short and OK with sleeping like sardines. All that to say, don't trust the sleeper numbers. Get actual measurements, tape them out on the ground, and actually see who fits while keeping growth in mind. And as others have said, it is a PITA to set up and take down a dinette bed each day. And in our case even more of a PITA because there is little storage space to stow the bedding. We found that we ended up leaving it in the bed configuration and just didn't use a table at all. We tend to do all cooking and eating outside so it was just easier to leave it down.