Update in OP for curious minds.....

I had some issues, but it seems to be in the way the site is set up (as in coded). I just had to "ignore" those sites (it was like 2, and both were educational sites, explorationeducation (a science curriculum) and readingeggs). I would guess if ignoring it did not work, it was your firewall.

Oh it will install, etc. But it can't really set time limits.

Qustodio works on all devices except kindle fires. You can control time, websites, programs, etc. I have 4 kids, so I have a subscription that covers 5 kids and up to 10 devices. I made the "5th kid" the school log in so when they want to do schoolwork on the computer they login on there and it is locked down to only school sites and programs to limit distractions.

I have the fox now app on my kindle fire and watched the whole 1st season there. Not sure how long it will take them to put the 2nd season.

I get all that except the ssn, weird. What about setting up like chase quickpay instructions or whatever bank you use and people can just send e-payment to your bank account directly. Might be worth asking your bank about. Most people pay bills online these days. So glad 4-H we mostly deal with cash and personal checks.......I had thought about setting up paypal for supply fees, but I'll deal with envelopes for now

Is the PayPal acct set up as a business or non profit account? If not, close that account and open a new one. I would expect they need a dl to know who should access the account, but your ein should suffice. I found this info from PayPal https://www.paypal.com/us/smarthelp/article/how-can-i-get-my-nonprofit-set-up-with-paypal-to-accept-donations-faq1068

Aleks.com for math. Sign up as a school and it is $45/year. Sequential spelling has dvds. Evan moor science has online options, then you could get kindle books to read with it. I did that for 1 dd 2 years ago and she liked it.

???how cool!! I am so excited for season 2!!!

Just keep in mind, this advice does not work in all areas of the country. We usually buy private and here in SoCal, some models usually go well over what all those sites advise as sale price for used cars. Especially toyotas,hondas, and any minivans. Made it really hard to find a van when we needed one as DH read the same advice online and was adamant he would not pay more than kbb value. So check private listings on craigslist in your area to get a feel. It may just be a quirk in our little area here, but I wonder if some other large metro areas might have the same issue.

I do ours in a large round cake pan (about 14" I think). I do baste mine a few times. My dad refused to eat meatloaf (from his stories, memories of bad meatloaf during his time in Air Force in Korea???) and so my mom found this recipe and presented it as "beef ring". Meatloaf was never mentioned in my house growing up.

Thanks Tutoring around here is highly competitive and needs certifications I do not have (mostly certified teachers tutor after school). I could do math and science (used to in college) for homeschoolers, but most use charter schools here and pay little per hour. Plus I was looking at writing as I could do it after kids sleep or at 4am since I am not sleeping well these days.

This Growing up we had beef ring, not meatloaf.

Hi all, so update, things have gone from bad to worse. (Except the kitten, he is a doll) I was making progress on my plan, but have hit some roadblocks that I don't know I will be able to overcome. So ,any suggestions for actual work at home options that are not scams nor require up front $$$ invested (one of my humps with my other plan)??? Public or private school is not an option. I was thinking freelance writing??? I am a pretty good writer if given a topic and some info, I used to help hubby write for work all the time (engineering reports, etc). I am not the author type (telling stories, etc.) although I have a few kids books ideas bouncing around in my head. But I need a reliable income if my plan does not work out. Right now I have time to do some work and just save $$ on the side. Health Ins is not an issue, as even though things are rough, I am looking at more a separation vs divorce, which would leave me with insurance, just no $$ so to speak. My hope was to have saved enough to pay off the house before then, but if my plan doesn't work, I don't think that is possible. So hopefully hubby would continue to pay the mortgage for the kids' sake. DD12 and DS14 are gems and DS14 (15 almost) has become aware of some of the situation, and had been my rock, and is stepping up to the plate maturity wise, setting goals, working on them, doing schoolwork well. I am so pleased with him. He got past the 12-13yo bump it seems. DD12 is just a hard worker. She writes me little notes and leaves them for me, they make my day. The twins are challenging (8) as one of them is pretty sure gifted (prelim testing IDed him, need to get more testing) with some sort of OCD tendencies and both still need lots of hand holding. I still want to pursue testing for that twin, but part of the issues I am having involve controlling/limiting $$. So I need to work that out somehow as our insurance it seems will not cover it. I am volunteering with 4H and may become a club leader, and join a county committee. So that is good for me and gets me out of my head if you know what I mean. And 4H is really good for the kids, keeps us busy and always something to look forward to. Thanks to all who read so far....

Update in OP

Yeah, we have an electrical issue that we are putting off calling an electrican because we know it will mean big $$$. Not a safety issue, just convenience, like a working ceiling fan in my eating area, light over my sink, etc.... Owning a house & cars is great, but.....ugh...$$$$ Just put $2000 on my 2012 van ??

Skip the bread and make oatmeal pb bites ? Put raisins instead of choc chips in for the jelly taste? Would gf tortillas work better?

Small bookshelf from Wal-Mart or the like, depending on the desk they might for under the desk. I have 2 under my large whiteboard. Or a large wicker laundry basket under the table to store them in.

San Diego!!! I'm prepping dinner, but I'll come back. Tons to do, get the go card to go to the zoo and all the Balboa park stuff. Or check AAA for passes. Also check if you have a museum membership in your town, some of them may reciprocate.

My shawrma recipe is to fly to Lebanon and buy spices ???. No seriously, I buy a special spice mix from there. I have yet to try a recipe from online that tastes authentic. So 1st I velvet the meat by soaking it in water with baking soda, cold obviously. Then I rinse it very, very well under cold water. Then put it in a Ziploc (if for later, or a bowl if cooking now) with 1 slivered white onion for about 2 lbs meat, then add a T or so of good olive oil and 1/2 T of white vinegar. Then i add about 4-6 T of the special spice mix (depends on smell of the mix, some stores are stronger than others). Then I usually roast it on 350 in a sheet pan. Sauce is very important: tahini with salt, lemon and water, mixed carefully with a wisk till a runny sauce (thinner than ketchup, but not watery, should coat a spoon) and the topping: chopped white onions with chopped parsley and sumac mixed in. Served on hot flat bread. If you Google Mediterranean market or middle eastern market near you, they may have the spice mix. I found one brand here called sadaf. And this brand on amazon is good : Ziyad Shawarma Spice Blend, 5.5 OZ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00746FON6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ZxFKBbGQEQB3A

Well, update, I made 3 bags of 8 burgers each plus 10 burgers to cook for dinner tonight. Plus 3 bags of meatballs, 25 per bag. I'm done for now as I am out of room!!!! (This pretty much all fits in my freezer in the fridge in our garage, except for a couple bags.)

Thanks all!! I shared because I knew you guys would appreciate it. My kids were like "but why mom? You could just ya know, do it the day you want to eat it." They simply don't know the number of times my brain has been fried at 4pm and I can not put a dinner plan together for the life of me. I did this once about 2 years ago, but just followed some recipes on Pinterest we had never tried, thankfully I only did 1 bag of each, because we only liked 1 or 2 recipes. The zesty orange beef is new, but the sauce smelled awesome as I was mixing it. I wanted to taste it right then.

30+ meals to put in the freezer...... Where is that fainting emoji when I need it. So it's been 6 weeks and here is my update...... I LOVE having these in the freezer.... see my notes what is left below. We;ve ordered pizza or sushi a couple times and I made fish or shrimp a few times. We are not a fan of typical freezer meals, so I came up with ones using the meals we usually eat. Some I've made before, some not. Here's my list: Chili - 2 bags + 1 for dinner tonight 1 bag left.... yummy... will make again 2 ravioli bakes with homemade meat sauce One of the best... all gone <insert sad face> 2 bags Moroccan Lentil Stew for crockpot 1 left... not the kids favorite , DH likes it and good for leftovers for lunch 1 - crockpot Asian lettuce wraps filling wasn't a fan of the recipe 2 - Crockpot kung pao beef yeah, no.... 1 left, sadly.... 2 - crockpot Hungarian goulash Awesome as usual.... love it... all gone 1 - Crockpot Salsa Verde Beef for tacos .. all gone, pretty good 2- Crockpot zesty orange beef yeah no, maybe as a stirfry, but not in the crockpot, all gone 2 -steak bites with fried potato skillet kits (I marinaded the meat and froze in 1 bag, then par boiled the potatoes to skillet fry and put those in a separate bag) awesome recipe, will make again, all gone 2- fajita kits... 1 left, always a hit 2 - beef kabob bags both left, been to hot to BBQ.... 3- meatloaves with sauce 1 left DD12's favorite 4 bags of premade kafta (I can bake or grill) 1 left, this is a huge hit and big help 2- Garlic pepper steak stir fry kits (each component frozen separate) all gone, AWESOME, should have made more... 2 bags marinading shawarma (to stir fry or roast or grill) all gone, AWESOME, should have made more... Then tomorrow I need to finish the hamburgers and meatballs (14 pounds of meat). Still have 8 burgers left and 2 bags of meatballs... Then I'll do the meatless meals: stuffed grape leaves and spinach lasagna roll ups. We ate all the grape leaves in one setting, I can never make enough of those and I skipped the roll ups as I ran out of room With leftovers, this should last 6-7 weeks, I hope.

Thanks all! I knew the hive would help. Yes we can not do home made items or repackaged. But I was thinking the fun size bars or at Sam's club they have packs of cookies with like 2 oreos per pack and 30 packs for like $6. I love the hair supplies. I was thinking glow sticks also maybe....

Are they going to go anywhere else on your side of the country? I can not imagine flying across country for a 2 day visit. I would be prepared for them to cancel. If I fly that far, I'll be at least a week. Keep in mind my frame of reference is a minimum guest stay of a week. But really, relax. Provide info, options (I guess they are renting a car?) and let them know when you can hang out or go to the museum with them and then chill. Maybe talk about meals with her if that is an issue. I've had guests stay 3-6 months, but at that point, they are not expecting me to entertain every day. I'll drop them off at the train station or the mall if they want. (We have commuter trains that run to LA, Hollywood, etc.) I provide clean place to sleep, self serve breakfast options, a hot meal at the end of the day (usually something reheatable, so serve yourself). Seriously make a meal plan/schedule that works for you and email it to her. Maybe say "since you'll be here for a bit, I thought we should plan out meals and I wanted to let you know when we will lbe available, what with my work commitments and kid's schooling. If you want to cook for you guys, just let me know what nights." Email is easier. She can digest on her own time and adjust her plans as needed and you won't be worried about her immediate reactions.