I hear you. We're dealing with similar stuff here. The screens replace every other thing a normal, healthy kid should be doing. It's very frustrating. However, you mentioned anxiety and depression. What I found in my teen is that the phone/screens are not the cause of the anxiety and depression--they're the coping mechanisms. I agree that I'd get your DD to a therapist, if she's not already seeing one, and maybe some meds if she's struggling. If you can get her brain in a better place, she may need the constant prop of the phone and social media less and less.

Good grief. No, you have nothing to apologize for. You can't blindside people with your weird expectations and then berate them when your expectations aren't met. And Skype is an awful tool for that kind of experience. IME, you often can't hear people clearly, there are slight delays, you lose out on some body language cues, etc. One on one, I think it's fine, but for groups of people to interact...the potential for awkwardness is very high. IMO, you are fine. Try and let her anger go. It's not reasonable, and you guys are not puppets. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

I don't think you can register a car under someone else's name in a different state. I don't see why he can't take the car, still registered and insured all in your name, with him on a temporary assignment? He's basically just borrowing your car, no? ETA: It might help to know what state he's moving to.

No, No, and N/A. My parents are serious Christmas minimalists. They couldn't wait for me to move out so they could stop putting up a tree! So no, no stockings relating to grandparents at all.

Well, to be fair, that's the way my brain calculates time whenever anyone in this house is sick :lol: But seriously, if he felt that strongly about it, he should be interrupting HIS day to take the kid to the doctor, or else I would tell him not to speak to me about it again.

My cover is hot pink for this reason :lol: I discovered how helpful this was when I switched from a bright purple phone case to a very neutral gray one, and suddenly I couldn't ever find my phone anywhere. Of course, I usually keep my Paperwhite case folded open, so it sort of negates the value...

This pretty much sums up my feelings. I'm slightly more vigilant about one kid's cough because she has had a tendency to start needing nebulizer treatments and can end up with pneumonia, even if it seems like all she has is a cough. That has pretty much stopped since she started using Flovent at the first sign of a cold though. There's nothing a doctor can do about an actual cold, so unless it looks like it's starting to morph into a sinus infection or bronchitis or penumonia, I tend to treat the symptoms, keep the afflicted person home, and push fluids and rest. That's it.

Can I ask, did the dr. actually scrape it to diagnose ringworm? One of my kids had ringworm, and a year or so later, it looked like the other had it as well. The TTO helped a lot but didn't really cure it, and I finally asked our PCP about it when we saw her. She said it was actually a form of eczema. I had DD use the same treatment DH uses when his (bumpy) eczema gets bad, and it finally cleared up. The ringworm and the eczema looked and acted (to my eye) exactly the same in both kids, so I'm wondering if maybe you need a different treatment

I started out with a more traditional bullet journal, but it gradually evolved into exactly what works for me. I also tried to be artsy, but I'm really just not, and even my fancy handwriting is atrocious, so I just stopped with that :lol: Here's how mine works: I do not use it as a calendar/scheduler. Google Calendar works too well for that, and I have my devices all set up to manage events and scheduling. Everyone has their own calendar, and each calendar is shared between me and that person, so I always know who's doing what and when. (The kids are old enough to have lots of classes and social stuff, but still young enough for me to be the arbiter of all of it. I still have to do all the driving!) In my bullet journal itself, I do use the index page. I LOVE the index page and the freedom to just start lists and project management pages right where I am. For day-to-day usage, I started using a left page for a weekly list (things that just need to get done at some point this week but aren't tied to a specific day--that seems to be pretty much how I operate). Then I start the day lists on the right page and list all the day specific tasks, plus I add in anything from the weekly list that I can get done that day. I stick a post-it flag or some other kind of marker on the weekly page so I can always find it quickly and I use the ribbon marker to hold my place for the current day. I keep a small section of post-it notes stuck inside the front cover of my (hardcover) journal. When I need one, I can pull it from there, and when I run out out, I stick in another section. I do have pens I like more than others, but I'll use whatever I have handy. I do wish I could find a pen loop that would actually stay adhered to my book, though. I've tried an add-on one and a DIY one, and neither held for more than a few weeks :glare: I almost always have some kind of pen floating around my car or bag though, so it's been OK. It's not pretty or decorative, but it works! One of my goals for the current year is to include more general thoughts on what's happening each day.

This is my favorite as well. And the whole Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack.

The only 3x5 cards I'm finding locally are very cheap and thin, to the point where you can see the answers on the opposite side right through the paper. I've made my own from card stock, but that was a huge hassle and something I just don't have time for these days. Can anyone recommend a brand of high-quality, thick 3x5 note cards? Thanks!

There is so much screaming in my head now...

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Personally, I would do this. These people aren't rational, so your attempts at rational responses just won't work. I'd handle it with the kids behind the scenes and keep the peace in public. When the kids are old enough to start seeing what's really going on, they'll understand.

Ugh, I'm right there with you. Feeling a little like Cinderella these days... ETA: About the podcasts though. It sounds to me like you enjoy learning. Most podcasts are informational, right? So your hobby is really learning and self-growth!

Me too!!! I don't do it too often, but I have a cousin with whom I was raised like a sister. For some reason, when another, much younger cousin visits, I immediately start calling her by sister-cousin's name! And they're from opposite sides of the family, so no relation at all. I've always thought it was so weird, so I'm glad to know it's fairly common :lol:

Oh, I love Marie Callendar pies too! They're way better than anything I could bake (except for my pecan pie, if I may say so myself). That's actually my plan for Christmas Eve dessert, so I say that you shouldn't feel an ounce of guilt!

I was pro-toilet until we all got sick with some kind of stomach bug a few years ago. It was the first time I'd been that sick in a very long time, so when I started throwing up, I'd make sure I made it to the toilet each time. Except that after the first few times, I realized that I could feel...splashback...on my face as I was puking forcefully into the toilet. And afterward, I could feel residue on my face and hair, which then traveled back with me to where I was sleeping. It was horrific. After that I instituted the bucket rule. Whenever anyone feels sick, they get a trash can lined with multiple plastic grocery bags (checked for holes first). At the bottom is a big handful of toilet paper or tissues for immediate absorption and splatter retention. The bucket gets emptied and relined as needed. Problem solved.

After some recent long, drawn out, torturous experiences, I've told the kids that I want to be cremated or buried in some eco-friendly way, and that I don't want a viewing, funeral, etc. But I do want them to have a nice party in my honor, and no one is to wear black or pantyhose or dressy clothes if they don't want to. I just want them to sit around and enjoy dinner and drinks and mingle and support each other. They are fully on board with that. If I go before DH, though, he's going to want to do the whole shebang, so if that's what he has to do, then I'm fine with it. I really, really don't want to be buried though. I don't connect our lost loved ones with physical places in the earth, and I don't want anyone to feel like I'm tied to the earth somewhere either. I feel very strongly about that.

:lol: We have some big mugs that serve this purpose, so no one has had to eat out of frying pans yet, thankfully!

I had to give that idea up in favor of just attempting to get the all to put the dishes INTO the dishwasher. It was fine, really, since I'm constantly playing Tetris with the dishes in an attempt to fit more in anyway. This is a phenomenon that BLOWS MY MIND. We have the same problem with the recycling bin under the cabinet. It defies logic.

:lol: :lol: :lol: I've been known to go into the bathroom, come back, and loudly announce that a training seminar on toilet paper roll replacement will be starting in 5 minutes.

Good grief, yes. And it's not just the children in the family :glare: Oh, this burns me up. We don't rinse our dishes (I :001_wub: my dishwasher!), so if the dishwasher hasn't been run, it's immediately apparent if you just peek inside. There is NO EXCUSE other than laziness for not knowing the state of the dishwasher.

I wonder this all the time. It's one of the things that makes me want to go back to school for an economics degree!

FWIW, I've had the Skullcandy Hesh 2s for a year now, and they're still going strong with daily, heavy use. LOVE them!