I don't know that you're being irresponsible, but I think you're trying to make a life-changing decision while emotions are running high. I say this as someone who understands your desire to live near family (because I understand that visiting isn't the same as the day-to-day) so much so that I moved my children nearer to my family and now have a 4+/hour one-way commute to my job in another state. THe commute isn't ideal, but it's worth it to me; I share that just so you know that I truly do understand your feelings about family. Is there a way to put this plan on hold for a spell? Not to write off the idea completely, but to maybe take it off of the table so you two can plan without this specific opportunity looming over your heads. Maybe you can come up with a compromise that's acceptable to you both -- terms, as it were. That you're willing to stay put until a job that's no more than a 50% paycut comes along; or that he's willing to consider a move for a job that's no more than a 50% paycut. Outline terms and conditions upon which you can each feel comfortable discussing a major relocation such as that. In the meanwhile, take advantage of your visits to the States. Even extend them ... test yourself. Spend six months of the year renting near your family to see if residing back here is/isn't what you were expecting it to be. Sure it'll be hard to be apart, but I think it'd be less awful than uprooting everyone and learning it the hard way. Either way, I think it would give you a more accurate outlook on the pros/cons of each situation. Maybe stay a year, and do three visits to Switzerland. Go TDY, see if it's what you remembered and imagined it to be. (((hugs))) It's so hard. I do understand. I've BTDT. I chose my family but finances weren't an issue. That adds extra pressure, doesn't it?

A journal and crayons - great idea! To that end, a magnifying glass. I sometimes see functional, kiddie-friendly, big ones at toy stores.

A 'smores "kit" would be well-received by the preschoolers in my house :) Rainboots/Muckboots/Hiking-type boots or new workhorse tennis shoes? But I'd probably do the aisle stroll to see what else would jump out at me LOL.

(((hugs))) It's like my job - if it weren't for the customers, it'd be a wonderful occupation! My son's personality, needs, and wants have led to a homeschool environment that is very different than the one I had envisioned (and prefer, since if I'm going to be doing it I need it to meet my own personality, needs, and wants - right?) I empathize with the reconciling of it all, and am sorry to hear that you guys are in this funk.

My husband packs his own lunch, or eats out. Lunch has always been his opportunity to eat/make/enjoy all of his favorites, which for a variety of reasons aren't acceptable options for eating at home. We come from different cultures with different foods, and also I'm a lifelong veg*n but he grew up slaughtering his own food. Our home is meat-free, including take-out. He'd appreciate it if I did make his lunch, but he appreciates it more that I don't :D LOL.

I'm not familiar with food plants - is it just glass that isn't allowed, or is it anything breakable? I work on an airplane. I don't eat sandwiches, so I always bring leftovers. I have to bring containers that aren't super heavy, can be used in an oven (plane) or a microwave (hotel or airport), and are completely spill-proof. It's a giant PITB. I transport my food in plastic bags, plastic containers, foil pouches, or tiffin carriers (stainless steel, most have handles). I keep a small ceramic bowl with plastic lid in my lunchbag, and just transfer the food for warming. The bowl cost me $5 at Marshall's or Ross and can be used in either oven or microwave. I also keep a stack of paper bowls in my airport lounge to use when I bring my tiffin carriers or when I'm bringing leftover airplane food to consume off of the airplane. Is that an option for him? I love the tiffin carriers. All of mine have handles and separate compartments, the only drawback is that you can't microwave them. I'd use them exclusively if I had a normal job. They just take up so much room in my lunchbag so I only bring them on shorter trips, and instead use plastic for longer trips. I can fit the paper bowls inside of my tiffin bowls, so carrying isn't a problem even after I've transferred from the carrier to the paper bowl. Some of my tiffins even have plates that fit into the carrier, so after warming I can transfer immediately to a plate that isn't burning.

Thanks, MamaAkins! Tuesday is going well. I cancelled school, the kids are playing outside, and I'm snuggled in on the sofa watching bad tv. It's a mental health day and I really needed one after a busy week and chaotic remodel work at the house. Breakfast was Starbucks and I'm skipping lunch today. (Not entirely true, I ate 4 chocolate chip cookies and banana dipped in chocolate and nuts.) My mom took my kids and my 2 year old nephew up to my dad's work for lunch. Dinner? I'm not in charge of that today so I don't know LOL. Weather is wet and rainy. The kids are making a giant mess out back, jumping through puddles, sliding around in the saturated grass and shaking rain from the trees. Looks cold to me, but they're not complaining! I've homeschooled for five years, and after-schooled before that.

I'm in :cheers2:!

My husband already retired from the military with a service-related disability. His current civil service job has a mandatory retirement age of 56. He doesn't really need the money now, and he certainly won't need it at that point, but he has no desire to sit at home and rot. Or homeschool ;) LOL though I did try! I imagine he'll find some kind of work (even if it's just being the Walmart greeter!) to keep him out in the world until he drops dead. This desire is one I share, and is why I also work outside the home (and will until I'm no longer able). My job has no mandatory retirement age, and we have ten people still working that are in their 70s. One is in her 80s! I can only hope ... We're in our early-middle 30s, so by 56 our kids will no longer be legal dependents (even accounting for the higher education years). We'll be in excellent financial shape, and in a place to be very generous with our families - most especially our grandkids-to-be. We both hope and should be fine to keep working and afford our kids that extra income so they might be able to have one parent stay home with their own young kids if they so choose (and/or to homeschool them.)

Gosh, that was almost too easy :tongue_smilie: now we want you to do an Irish jig. Ready, set, go :lol:

:grouphug: What a challenge! Roasted or grilled veggies can be served alone ... but also wrapped in a corn tortilla, served over white rice, or paired with baked beans. Stuffed bell peppers, using mostly beans and diced zucchini and squash in place of rice. Perogies made from potato flour and stuffed with onions. Spaghetti squash served however you'd normally serve spaghetti noodles. If you eat fish, you could do tuna steaks or even shredded tuna. Instead of mayo you can use a soft tofu. (I know lots of people are anti-soy, but I do differentiate between processed soy and soy products so I serve tofu without worry.) If you're willing to be adventurous, you might try tempeh. It can be grilled, baked, steamed, pan-fried - so very versatile. Tasty, too, IMO. Texture-wise my husband prefers it as a meat-substitute. He grew up eating meat, I did not. He won't touch tofu LOL. Baked potatoes? Raw butter might be tolerable for your dairy-sensitive kids, but even serve it without. I stay away from fake foods, but in a pinch you could consider veg*n cheeses. I might try nutritional yeast and green onions sprinkled atop. Baked sweet potatoes are a favorite here. Baked french fries, whether regular potatoes or sweet - yummy! Vegetarian chili. Grilled eggplant or portabello (served on a sandwich for those who can, served over spaghetti squash noodles or salad for those who can't) You can serve anything over shredded potatoes, too; hash brown style. For variety, consider subbing shredded radishes soaked and sauteed in veggie broth - tastes remarkably the same, and very good! Good luck :001_smile:

North, Central, or South? :bigear:

Your amazing taste in company? :D

http://www.shangtea.com/ I fly to Missouri twice a year just for their tea. You can order it online, but I love the shop and the tastings :) They also send out an e-newsletter if you wanted to sign up and see what they're all about before you buy. My husband thought he hated tea, but he'll drink Shang's White Peony because it's "smooth" (he'd say before that tea was too bitter) and I'll agree that their tea is very smooth. I love that some flavors are delicate while others are robust. He has sample sized bags so you can try a variety before you commit to a full bag. I've found his prices to be very reasonable, and their knowledge and enthusiasm to be incredible. They love tea and want to share it, more than they desire to simply sell it. The only other tea I buy is this detoxifying tea made exclusively for well-regarded day spa that I visit infrequently due to its inconvenient location. It's a robust tea, but a great "appetizer" prior to a meal or when I'm craving junk.

Consider also using an airline-affiliated credit card. Pay your bills, buy your groceries - everything else you'd normally pay with cash/checking or another rewards program. Rack up some miles, apply them towards airfare. I regularly travel between CA and NY, and it's a heavy route for frequent flyers; lots of commuters between the two coasts. Tuesdays & Wednesdays are always good travel days. Thursday is the "new Friday" for work commuters and you can plan accordingly by taking into account the work day on each coast, and what time they're most likely to fly. Friday-Sunday is when the casual traveler flies, but also when airlines run website-only, last-minute special fares. Baggage fees are one thing to consider, but when you're buying online you need to consider the psychology of the purchasing process. Airline analysts know that most people searching online will gravitate towards the lowest price. That's their main concern. Infrequent travelers, or those who haven't flown in awhile, will not realize that this is essentially a la carte pricing and that what seems like the cheapest option may not turn out to be the best value in the long run (factoring in baggage, food costs - not all airlines offer a free meal/snack, on a 6 hour flight, etc.) I personally would rather pay $25-35 in baggage fees for the convenience factor, especially when traveling with a child. I'd also rather pay that on the front end than to pay the same amount downline for a small and unsatisfying buy-on-board snack. Or blanket ;) Depending on the plane type, too, it's a challenge to find enough space onboard for rollerboards. The 757s are fine (but yuck, flying 6+ hours on one of those!) the 767s weren't designed to accomodate big bags. They won't fit into the center bins, and the sidewall bins aren't extended so you can only fit 2 rollerboards per bin; hardly effective or efficient. Boarding the 767 is a giant PITA and you can always spot the casual traveler because they're sitting mid-plane and having to haul their bags to the back to maybe find space for it. At deplaning, by the time they get to their bags and get off of the plane their peers have left baggage claim with their checked bags LOL. (Alternatively, just gate-check the bag; it's free and accomplishes the same thing.) I see it every week! Virgin America is a fine airline. JetBlue is another one. I'm loyal to one specific, legacy carrier but I've flown before on both Virgin America and JetBlue - both are great. I've flown Southwest many times, and they're good for their original plan: short hops. I wouldn't choose them for a transcon. I'd honestly consider aircraft type when planning this type of trip, especially with a child. I have paid a small premium for a wider aircraft, and it's never been money wasted. And I say that as someone whose kids travel very frequently, and travel well. It's still nice to have double aisles and some space to move about. ETA: Final bit of advice: www.flyertalk.com A wealth of information, and they'll direct you to the best fares better than any search engine could!

Short answer, while I await poll: VERY. ETA: We have five kids in different sports, so there are 2 spring months and 2 fall months that are crazy hectic. We eat out at least once daily (in addition to my weekday Starbucks habit) during those months because we're running from one activity to another so even pre-packing things can be tricky since we'll be gone for 4-6 hours at a time. That and the prep work is the same, having dishes to clean up is the same, and frankly - during those months, the driving around and sitting and watching is just tiring in its own right LOL. We don't do much fast food, other than Chipotle {yum!} but we'll do a daily Sonic drive-thru for a snack of shakes or tots {yum}. We're vegetarian -and I hate Taco Bell!- so we're limited when it comes to fast food restaurants. We almost always do sit-down. We come together as an extended family most of the time, so we're still getting the family dining experience :) just someone else gets to cook and clean up. Our other extracurriculars run year-round but can be more easily planned around, so we do eat home more - especially dinner. But going out for lunch really breaks up our school day in a nice, needed way and we love meeting up with my dad, brothers, and others on their lunch breaks. I'd say during those weeks we eat out 2-4 times per week for lunch, plus another 1-3 times per week for dinner. That'd average out to roughly once per day, but sometimes it's twice in a single day. What may be unique about our situation is that my family has been in the restaurant business forever. We have family and friends who still own restaurants, so eating out is more than just practical ... it's social and networking and visiting, too. We do unofficial bartering for meals out, picking up kids on my son's baseball team and dropping them off at the family restaurant and staying for dinner; babysitting toddlers and being brought take-out when the children are picked up; tutoring kids at their family's restaurant and being fed while there :D ... we get good food that'd be the same stuff I'd cook at home, if I felt like it LOL. I live with extended family, and we take turns taking care of dinner. Some of our eating out is also that person's treat so they don't have to cook ;) so lots of factors, but we do eat out very often - both meals and snacks/tea/coffee. At least once daily, usually more. That's how I voted.

Ooooh ... a cupcake catapault! I like! That's worth showing up to work for :D I've not been so motivated of late LOL.

L-glutamine. (Sometimes in a pinch my husband will take a spoonful of MSM powder directly under his tongue, and he says that helps the urge to pass. He takes the MSM for another health ailment, but finds it helps immediately address nighttime cravings in particular. Might be worth a try?)

A teal would be pretty, but maybe predictable? An orange or green would be lovely :)

You teased me with a picture of a delightful, beautiful cupcake :drool: and now I want one, please :D :tongue_smilie:

We're eating out tonight, and I'm pressing for Italian :) something warm but light, and prepared by someone else's hands! Yours sounds like a summer meal LOL. Rather fitting given your summer weather!

I've always moved back home during those type of assignments. My family has always been willing/able to help out, though. If I were unsure I'd ask family (that'd be my first option), but barring that I'd likely just stay put until final orders came through. I do understand wanting to be with a spouse/father, but ... six months isn't too terribly long (to a military family, anyhow!) and your kids are at an age (and maybe disposition?) where stability and consistency could go farther than a few months away from dad. I reserve 'adventures' for longer periods of time or when kids are old enough that we can share said adventure LOL.

Cassy, that definitely falls under the "tease me, please me" header ...! Happy Birthday, Negin - hope it's a special day :)

I don't because I figure most people looking for something specific will search. And then I just miss out on people who are browsing, but then again those have been my biggest flakes also ;) Good luck! We've had a rush of garage sales this week and I imagine Craigslist will get hopping this time of year, too!

Chiming back in to suggest wool as a mattress cover ... I shared a bed with my much-younger sister, who peed the bed for years after our brother died. We kept a wool pad between the sheets and the futon. I thought everyone did this until I spent the night at a friend's house as an adult, and slept in her daughter's room. She had one of those plastic covers on her bed, and it was so awful. It made noises when I moved, and it felt hot/sweaty all night long. I didn't like it at all! She had no idea because she didn't sleep with her kids LOL. Our kids usually sleep naked, and I've always used a wool pad with them. They make them the entire size of a mattress, though. Here's an example: http://www.whitelotus.net/wool-topper-with-natural-green-cotton-case/ but I'm sure you can find them elsewhere, too, probably for less. (I just like that company myself.) It's pricier, but worthwhile and something you can continue to use long after the leaking nights have passed.