Hijacking the thread a bit....since I was about to start a D3 thread with a question and figured it might fit here.... For D3 schools, you do NOT have to register with NCAA, correct? And you don't have to worry about any of the eligibility stuff (other than you would normally worry about for academic reasons)? Ds is a swimmer and he's probably good enough to swim in college. The big question is whether he will want to. I imagine if he does want to it will be at D3 schools or in Club Swimming. I don't see that he has the drive that he would need to swim at a D1 or D2 school. And I really don't wand to jump through all the NCAA hoops if he doesn't have the desire to pursue it at that level. I've looked at the list of D3 swimming schools and there are a lot that are good fits for him. It also seems ridiculous to even think about this when he is 13...but I also know that if he did want to swim in college it's too late to start thinking about it when he's a junior.

I've seen lots of people say that Stitch Fix gave them a refund of the $20 or sent them a different box if they really hated all the items. I'm guessing you can't do that multiple times because it would defeat their business model. But if they totally get it wrong, you might be able to get them to refund the $20 fee. For me, I'd rather pay $20 and get nothing than spend even an hour at the mall shopping and come away with nothing. I hate to shop. Hate it with a passion.

I've only done it once and have a second box coming so I'm not an expert. I think the first note is permanent...so things you always want them to know. No sleeveless tops, no orange, etc. The second note is more for the specific box...like "I really need new jeans, please send me at least one or two pair of jeans." or "I have a wedding coming up and need dressed for that event." I put "the cheaper the better" for everything. The items in my box were on the upper end of what I would ordinarily pay (because I usually only buy stuff on sale or at cheaper stores) but not outrageously expensive. If I had bought my whole box with the 25% discount would have been something like $150, which is pretty good for five items. I only bought two things and it was about $70 which I felt ok with because they were both things I really liked and have already worn several times. Dh has a saying that he heard once about clothes that is like "The most expensive thing you own is the thing you wear the least." Meaning that if you spend $100 on pants you love but wear them all the time it is better than spending $25 but not really wearing them. Of course it's nicer to spend $25 and find something you wear all the time, but that's rare in my experience and requires the time and effort to really shop and bargain hunt. I hate shopping so this is a great alternative for me...if it works.

I totally understand. I think I wrote basically the same post back in the spring. For us, my kids are happy and I'm confident in our choice to homeschool. BUT it still feels sad to see friends make different choices because I know it will change our relationship. It's kind of like if someone told me they were moving. Of course they can move if it's right for their family but it's still sad.

If it's Menactra that you are talking about, it protects again several strains of Meningococal Meningitis. It is spread through saliva or other respiratory secretions. This can include eating after someone, drinking after someone, kissing, sneezing, chewing on a pen after someone, etc. About 5-15% of healthy adults are carriers of the bacteria. Carrier rates in kids varies depending on the strain of bacteria and the age of the kid but it's about the same or slightly higher. It's like other vaccines, a small group of people can have an allergic reaction or other reaction to the vaccine. Mostly we see a slightly sore arm and that's it.

I have several patients named Violet. The most recent was born this summer. The parents and I had a fun conversation about all the literary/movie Violets... Boxcar Children Violet Violet Baudelaire (Series of Unfortunate Events) Violet in the Incredibles Violet Crawley (Downton Abbey) Then they also pointed out Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We decided all the good Violet references made up for that one.

I had a teenager at my office last week who was an expert eye-roller and painful sigher (as in....I can't believe I have to put up with this stupid doctor sighing). She started telling me everything I was doing..."You're checking my reflexes now to check my nervous system." (Me: That's right!) "Oh, you're checking my spine for scoliois." (Yes, I am!) Then she informed me that she took a month long anatomy class this summer and now "Knows everything there is to know about the body." In my head I was thinking "Gosh, I wasted those 4 years and $160,000 on medical school. Who knew I could have learned it all in one month?" In reality, I asked her how she liked the class and was very affirming about her interests. But it made me laugh in my head.

Around here it's about $50 a day. But we have family members who kindly do it for free. BIL stays here and does basically what we would do for her. Walk, feed, whatever

If you are including names that mean a virtue like Agnes....Alice is supposed to be derived from Aletheia which means truth. I've also heard that it comes from the same root as Adelaide and means noble.

I voted because I've always wanted to come to this but I'm not sure if I can even on the dates I said I could.

We don't really take her anywhere. We walk her every morning for a couple of miles and in the nicer weather usually go on at least one other walk a day. We have a large fenced in yard and she spends a good portion of the day outside. Most days someone is home a fair amount so she has company. On the weekends if we go on a hike we will take her but we don't take her on errands.

Thanks everyone!

Yes, I got them about a year ago. I use them for driving and for watching movies . The more I wear them the more adjusted I've become so I often leave them. I take them off for reading...and need reading glasses sometimes for that. I've used Warby Parker for my glasses. They are reasonably priced, $95. The nice thing is that they have a free try-on program. You pick five pairs you like, and then get them to try on. You can mail them back and not purchase any at no cost. It helped me to see what I liked and to also see how it felt on my face.

I just sent an email reinforcing some boundaries with my Mom. I know that what I sent is truthful and I tried to also make it kind. However, I know it will be read the wrong way and I know it's bound to cause some problems. Now I'm sitting here dreading the fall-out. No real reason to post here, except that I know some people here understand and it's a place to get it off my chest.

I got my first fix today. I signed up partially because of your first post and partially because I had been intrigued for awhile. For me, I'd say it was good enough that I will do it again, but it wasn't a home run. I specified that I didn't want pants as I have a lot. I was mostly looking for interesting tops or skirts/dresses. I mentioned that I mostly wear jeans or plain pants and Tshirts and was looking for things that were more stylish/pretty than my usual clothes. Item 1- Loose black lightweight buttonless cardigan. I really like it and it is definitely my style. I love that it has kind of funky (in a good way) pockets. It is a little big on me but I think I will likely keep it because I've actually been looking for something similar for awhile but not found anything I like as much as this. Item 2- Silver and gold long coin necklace. I really like it and will probably keep it although I don't need it. It's totally something I would buy myself. Item 3- Black and white skirt. I really want to like this. It's an interesting material, kind of soft and stretchy and the pattern is cool. It's something I probably wouldn't buy myself but it's the kind of thing I wanted when I decided to try this...different from my usual stuff but still fits my style. However, it's not a great fit. Part of me wants to keep it but I think in reality I won't wear it very much because of the fit. Item 4- Bright fuschia silky top with very slightly ruffled short sleeves. I like the style and fit and it is also the kind of thing I wanted. However, I don't like the color and I don't think it's a great color for me. Item 5- Sleeveless coral/peach top with embroidered placket. This is the only real dud in the box for me. It's actually a style that I probably indicated I liked when I took their quiz. But it's the kind of top that I always think I like and I like on other people but looks bad on me. Also I don't like the color, especially the embroidery which is almost a neon orange. And I don't like sleeveless tops. The cost of everything was ok. Most was more than I would normally spend, but I don't typically spend much on clothes. So two things I really like but don't really need. Two things I like but will likely send back for being not quite right. And one definite no. I felt like for my first try it was pretty good and I'm willing to try again. I hate shopping with a passion but would like to appear a little more stylish and put together than I normally do. So the idea of this really appeals to me.

We never get strange looks. We do occasionally get the "No school, today" question but when we say we homeschool, not an issue. There are a lot of homeschoolers around here though so it's not that weird I guess. As for the homeschool ID things, the only time I have needed one was to get a discount at Jamestown. I had something I had printed but left at home. So I found an email on my phone from our homeschool co-op that had an invoice on it for something. They accepted that. :) Although after reading this thread I'm thinking I should be taking advantage of more store discounts. I'm not a fan of HSLDA either.

Very normal.

We usually do a roller bag carry on and then a small personal bag for everyone. Last year before a trip to Europe I got a cross-body bag at Target. It's fairly small but could fit a book, a sweater and a water bottle. I liked also that it was hands free which made it easy for travel.

I have gone to a hotel for my birthday for the past 5 years. The first four times it was about 24 hours. This past year was two nights because the kids are older and it's easier to get away and I happened on an incredible deal. I look up deals on Hotwire and stay in a much nicer hotel than we would normally go to for a family vacation. Then I read, take baths, go for walks and sometimes go to museums downtown. But mostly it's reading and just quiet time.

This is already the way it is now with insurance. I'm constantly being told by insurance companies as a doctor to prescribe a different medication or order a different test or that a therapy I recommend isn't covered, etc. It's just different bureaucrats. My frustration is that it's different for every company and seemingly without any scientific rhyme or reason. So I can prescribe Drug X for Little Johnny because their insurance covers it. It's a good drug. But for Little Bobby I have to go to Drug Y or have Bobby's parents pay hundreds of dollars a month out of pocket. Is it because Bobby's insurance company somehow knows that Drug Y is a better drug? No, it's because they have a deal with the pharmaceutical company and have it on formulary. Sometimes it really doesn't matter and Y is as good as X. But often, it is not and I have to either prescribe an inferior drug or tell the parents that I think it's warranted to pay out of pocket. Neither is a great solution. It's a broken system.

I help teach a high school Chemistry class. I think it's fine to do it one step at a time. It is slower but a lot of kids seem to need to do it that way at first and then eventually realize they can combine steps. I would be really vigilant about making sure she writes it down and WRITES DOWN THE UNITS. I see a lot of kids who don't write the units but they end up making mistakes later because of this. When I grade labs I will return all labs without units as needing to be redone. Yes, I am mean. :)

Dh and I both work part-time and stay home part-time. However, I am home much more than he is. We both are "do what needs to be done" people. Whoever is home does the work that needs to be done. Most mornings he is home for breakfast and I am working. He will start laundry, I will finish it later in the day. I probably do more household chores if we sat down and wrote them out because I'm home more but it's not like there are things that are my jobs and things that are his jobs. The kids are all capable of helping around the house and do help but I also like doing things for them when I can. Most days during the school year I will make lunch because they are working. But there are days when I'll be busy and ask one of them to do it. I like making them something for breakfast when I have the time, about 50% of the time. The rest of the time they are fine getting their own breakfasts. We don't do assigned chores but instead try to model the idea that we are all part of the family and the household runs better when we all work together. It works pretty well for us. As far as ages, my oldest was cooking simple things on the stove at 9 or 10. My youngest is 7 and can do things like eggs and grilled cheese and soup. But she is only allowed if an adult or the 13 year old is in the kitchen with her. I'd say all of them by age 6 were able to get themselves things like cereal, toast, fruit, yogurt for breakfast or to make a simple sandwich for lunch. They can all do the laundry, vacuum, dust, clean bathrooms, change sheets on the beds, etc. They don't do all those things all the time, but when asked they can do them. Part of it may be that I have a lower standard for clean than other people. :) I'm more of a pragmatist about cleaning than a perfectionist.

They probably believe you but it's just that many people would leave that out. I've learned when taking a medical history to ask "Does your child take any medications?" "Vitamins?" "Other supplements?" "Ever use an inhaler or breathing treatment for wheezing?" I've added the last question because I've been surprised at how many people leave that off when asked about medications. And not just people whose kid used it once 5 years ago. Even people who have kids who use an inhaler every year with viruses or in the spring with allergies will leave it off when asked about meds. I'm sure some people feel like I'm not believing their first statement but as a medial person you learn that most people leave out or forget parts of their history. And sometimes you have to ask 10 different ways before you get the information you need. I think it's actually fairly common in Christian circles to have a sense of "if you pray hard enough the sickness will go away". I'm part of a mainstream denomination and it's not at all part of the teaching or stated beliefs but I hear the underlying belief a lot when people talk about sickness.

My dh says this one a lot. But now it's backfired because whenever we ask our oldest what he wants to eat he answers "Food." Followed by "Yummy food." I talk about the "dishwasher fairy" a lot ...."Those plates aren't going to get put where they are supposed to go by the dishwasher fairy." Our Scoutmaster has a saying about bringing appropriate layers/coats..."If you don't have it with you, you can't put it on." We say that a lot when someone is leaving the house without a coat and I think it's cold. And usually we quote him.."As Mr. G says...." Now I just have to say the first part and they finish the rest.

I'm 45 and started going gray in the past 5 years. I am a redhead and I think it is less noticeable. I get asked a lot if I've gotten highlights. I even got my haircut recently and the hairdresser asked me about my highlights. I don't plan on ever coloring it because I just don't want the maintenance.