You could make a better pillow cover for them. Look for some fabric with a super tight weave. If it were me, I'd use PUL for the bonus water-resistance. You could still put the attractive cover over the functional cover.

This one turned out to have an unexpected side benefit. DH requested a mine tour. We toured a recreation of an old gold mine. DD asked questions and we were able to say several times, "Remember in the audiobook when ... " DH thought I was a brilliant planner 🙂

I thought I'd gotten the Ashton books. But, I don't think that they made it to my cell phone. Poo. We can listen later to those.

We are listening to the Great Horn Spoon now. We needed some laugh out loud funny. Our selection was all the books recommended here that I could find on Overdrive (I will find the others at the library later) and also a few Children's Books Read By David Tennant. The first book was a Devid Tennant one, and a bad choice. "My sister is on the mantelpiece" The narrators older sister is dead, and the parents aren't dealing with it. The mom abandons the family and the dad becomes an unemployed drunk. DD was crying at one point. But, she wanted to finish. So, I said to myself, "This is supposed to be really funny" and started it. On the other hand, the first book might not have been a total disaster. Books are a good way to adjust to the idea the life isn't rosy for everyone. And she had BOTH parents nearby and it wasn't right before bedtime. DD was shocked recently at Day Camp to learn that "Some kids parents don't live together". Maybe she will stop getting annoyed with us when we kiss 🙂

Driving in fog is nerve-wracking even if it is while driving to work in the morning. I guess everyone knows their own family best. It is helpful for us that DH is a night-owl. Age might have something to do with it too. When in college I would sometimes study all night just to catch up, it had so little impact on me as long as I didn't do it more than once a week. Now an all-nighter is torture and I need at least a week to recover.

DH to me, "So, what audiobooks are we listening to on the trip?" Me: "Ummmm. We have many to choose from".

Overnight drive is my favorite way to travel. DH is good about being able to drive when I can't, since he can fall asleep at will. I start out driving and he naps until I am no longer bright-eyed-and-busy-tailed. The traffic isn't bad. People aren't getting on and off the highway, since they are mostly semis and people like us traveling long distance. If it ever happens that we are both sleepy, we can stop at a cheap motel, but we never have. Caffeine is very helpful. I usually don't have caffeine the day before and save it for the trip. As a one night thing, it seems to work. In fact, this summer we decided to fly for the first time as a family. DFW to Arizona. Part of the reason is the mind-numbing boredom of the scenery and that DD really really wants to fly. I am regretting the decision. The logistics of security, limits of carry-on, that we can't leave whenever we want to. Like a couple of years ago we went to Florida. We were packed and I was so eager to go that we left 5 hours early. Our plan had been to crash overnight at my BIL in Georgia. We got there early afternoon took a 5-hour power nap until he got home, we went to dinner together and then were on our way to Florida. I once teased my parents about renting an hotel room by the hour. They didn't really. But, they showered, took a 4 hour nap, and then were on the road by dinner.

The firehouse one, reminded me of one. I knew someone that lived at a mortuary or was it a funeral home? Lived for free, but the requirement was that she had to be on-premise between midnight and 7am. I think. They basically wanted a person there as an unofficial guard. Good for a studious kid, who didn't need to 'go home' for the holidays.

Similar for me. I waitressed in an Italian Restaurant. Spaghetti with Marinara and french bread 6 days a week. If they were pleased with me, I got my choice of meatballs or sausage. If the chef was really pleased, he'd make Fett. Alfredo for me. My major food for that time period. Fortunately, it was awesome food.

That is funny that you like the audiobooks and your DH prefers the physical books. Just like my husband and I. With the last book, I preordered the CD's planning to listen and then resell right away. There had been a publishing error and I'd gotten two of one CD and a missing CD. So, I ended up getting my money back.

I am just busy busy busy trying to find all these. And also, DH told me that the latest book in a series we are reading(DH) and listening(ME) is available. So, I need to get that too. Safehold series by David Weber. It has been a few years since the last one, and the library doesn't have the audiobooks anymore, so I'm considering Audible. These audiobooks are expensive ~$60 and 30+ hours. And then while I've been looking, I noticed that there is a new Whatever After book. (Sqee. Finally! Jack and the Beanstalk!) I haven't mentioned that to DD since Overdrive wait-time is 16 weeks!

Turns out we already had all but the last of Land of Stories books. woohooo I put Max Einstein on hold, but it won't be in before we go.

We've listened to all of Narnia. We did enjoy it. I will look at desertFlower's suggestions.

Family vacation time. We will be driving all over Arizona. Daughter and I are audiobook fans. Husband not so much. But, on our last trip we listened to some of How to train your Dragon series. HUGE hit with everyone. The trip before that, we listened to some books that everyone loved. The name of the series slips my mind. There were dragons and wizards were temporarily melted by soapy water. The dragon commonality was an accident. But, I think the reason that DH liked them was that there was cute humor on both series, and they were really well-written. We have already done the other books by the How To Train Your Dragon lady. And finished the other series I mentioned. Once DD learned that there was "A Series of Unfortunate Events" on Netflix she wanted nothing more to do with the books. DD re-listens to Harry Potter all the time, and DH does not want that. DD and I are easier to please. We like most books.

Since we are trading chicken stories 🙂 One of my chickens 'stole' my glasses. Ours tend toward broodiness and when they are stage1 is to not let them brood at night. Because the roosts are high we have to toss the unwilling hen onto them. I call 'incoming', then do a quarterback throw. Darn Snoopie flapped her wings hard in my face. Next thing I know, I am basically blind because my prescription is so high. And I didn't want to step on the glasses and break them. DH eventually found them about 4' inside the coop.

LOL. I know that was a joke. But, it is sort of illegal in Texas to have football and not do it right.

The Aggies are definitely focused on other stuff. If she wanted to be a vet, then A&M would be answer and the other college stuff shouldn't matter. If she doesn't want to be a vet, then don't bother. My niece graduated from there. I was always happy that I went to a school without a football team.

Also, SMU isn't far at all. She'd likely need to drive. Google maps says a 20 minute drive. I'd be seriously surprised if they didn't have any language someone wanted to take. She could get her nerd culture at UTD and Russian at SMU.

Have you looked at UTD? I don't know how they are on Biology, but they are definitely Science/Engineering focused, and very much a nerd culture. DART, the city train goes to DFW, which is a hub. I don't know if this is still true, but they would give automatic full-rides to National Merit Scholars who listed them first.

One idea that I read for dealing with the bad relatives,particularly if they aren't local. You throw an engagement party for her. Those that truly like the engaged couple will come to the party. Then when the party is really started, the couple disappears for a bit to change clothes, then Surprise! they have a wedding ceremony. It is a cross between a wedding and eloping.

I have also heard: "The homework keeps them from playing video games". As if it was an either/or situation.

It would be nice to be to send texts with a priority level that only notified when the cell phone was moved. So, I could send a text whenever it was on my mind, and know that it won't wake them up. Then when they first picked up their phone it would send the notification. We have a good friend that had lots of stuff going on and medical problems and his wife had medical problems and they were retired. They got sleep when they could, and it might start at 7am. If you called him he would answer and talk and then not remember the conversation. I kept telling him to use Do Not Disturb. But he wouldn't so I started to text because at least that was less disturbing.

I don't know about my current phone, since I haven't tested it. But, a previous phone would even turn itself on to alarm. I discovered this when in the opera. I ended up yanking the battery because that was something I could do while it was within the purse. The alarm went off (used the same as ringtone since I'd never set it). So, I thought someone was calling me. I reached in to set it to vibrate (which I thought I already had) It went off again. I reached in to turn it off IT WENT OFF AGAIN I reached in to yank the battery. I'd had season tickets and so did the people around me and they knew that this was weird for me and therefore they didn't lynch me.

The colors were horrible. But, I have a soft spot for flicked wallpaper. Not enough to install it, but I'd probably leave it. When I removed the horrible 70's Moorish style hanging bathroom lights, I put them in an attic. Maybe in another 30 years someone will think they are the cats meow.

I was a tiny bit traumatized - vicariously.