[Benefit to Dyslexia Testing?]

I'm certain my youngest child is dyslexic. I use AAR (very slowly) with him. Is there a benefit to having him officially tested or will I just to be told "Yep, he's dyslexic,  use an Orton-Gillingham program"? 

[For those with campers....]

Yes and yes. We added an extra water filter so I feel better about it. We generally drink from bottled water, but we use the faucet water for brushing teeth, washing dishes, etc. For the toilet, I'm a stickler about toilet cleanliness so I clean out the tank after every camping trip. It takes about 15 minutes using one of those toilet wand blasters. I know most people only use it at the end of the season, but I'm worried about smells. Everyone tells me it's overkill, but I'm okay with that.

[Barges hit a dam]

It was absolutely frightening to see how quickly that red barge sank!

[would this anger you or am I being too emtional?]

Not a fight or a hill to die on. Sounds like DH wanted to help and next time you'll know to double check the forms yourself to make sure you have what you need. 

[8 person vehicle]

On 2/25/2019 at 11:53 AM, mom@shiloh said:

What is the seating like in the Sequoia?  I think it's difficult to find vehicles that have room for full-sized people in the third row. I'm only 5'4" and I've found that most mini-vans are pretty squishy for me in the third seat. I'd hate to be back there for a long trip, so I'm especially interested in rear leg room.

 

 My Sequoia has great leg room in the third row. I found this website that compares the 2015 Suburban and Sequoia. The Sequoia has slightly more leg room than the Suburban. I don't know what the width is, but I was able to put 3 carseats in the back row.

[8 person vehicle]

I'm not sure how much towing power you need, but we easily tow an ultralite with our Toyota Sequoia. I'm very conservative about tow ratings. I had to look it up - 7,400 lbs for the Sequoia.

[Alternative vacations to Yellowstone]

Were you planning to fly to Yellowstone? How were you going to see the park? Renting a car? We did Yellowstone last year for WAY less than anything getting close to Disney, but we also didn't stay in the park. We enjoyed Glacier NP so much more than Yellowstone. Less crowds, saw more wildlife, fantastic hikes, and every single mile of Going To The Sun Road is gorgeous. But you really do need your own car to get the most out of it.

What types of things do you want to do on your vacation? If you won't have a car, but you'll just be flying Southwest and want to keep it under $300, I'd recommend someplace like San Juan or Turks and Caicos in the late fall (after hurricane season winds down).

[US people: Who has voted?]

Not yet, but I will be in about three hours (waiting on DH to get home from work).

[what are your warmest layering pieces??]

Costco has a base layer called 32 Degrees HEAT. It has a scoop neck, so I can wear it underneath all my regular shirts. It's currently on sale for only $6.99. I bought two of them last year and love them!

[Do you answer your door to strangers?]

YES! The police in my city encourage residents to answer the door (or at the very least make it obvious that you are home). Most criminals are looking for houses where no one is at home at the time. You don't want to surprise a criminal who thinks he/she is breaking into an empty home to steal some electronics and jewelry. 

[CC (but all welcome of course)Dd's dilemma]

19 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

I feel like this is wading into some deep end of some pool, but what is the drama with declawing cats beyond the fact that they can’t scratch to defend themselves if they escape?  Or is that such a big issue for some people it’s a no go?

 

Declawing is essentially a bone amputation, not merely a nail removal. It some places it's outlawed as cruelty to animals. Many vets won't even perform the surgery any longer.

[Border patrol agent and restitution]

He has to pay $220,000. He withdrew an initial $100,000 from his retirement and he'll pay $500 a month for the next 20 years, according to this article. 

[s/o Why wouldn't you remarry?]

No, I wouldn't remarry. I'm married to my Soulmate. He's the only one for me.

[Let's play: Three, four or five ingredient side dishes]

Roasted Chickpeas - can of chickpeas, olive oil, and your favorite spice mix (taco seasoning, curry, or even just garlic powder and salt). Rinse and dry chickpeas, toss with a little olive oil, bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Toss with your favorite seasonings.

[If you were going to write yourself a personal "annual report" or report card . . .]

Your idea of a goal report card sounds a lot like Powersheets. The categories listed in the workbook are Health, Friends, Spouse, Family, Finances, Work, Recreation, and Spiritual / Personal Growth. I would delve into each of those categories and see what you can do. You've already mentioned that holidays are stressful. I'd set a few goals around that. Some goals might be to schedule some extra time for yourself around the holidays to combat the stress and to read a book on relationships to help you navigate those tricky Skype calls. For your Work goals, what about joining a professional organization in your field or mentoring new employees? Health - Congrats on your consistent step count! Be sure to celebrate milestones, like when you hit 2,000 miles. 

[Washing Walls....best tips for really dirty walls]

I use a wet Swiffer pad and "mop" my walls.

[Tell me your favorite nature quote]

More John Muir for you, but a few of my favorites: "Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt." "And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." "Going to the mountains is going home."

I also love pretty much any quote Katie Daisy puts on her paintings.

[Bits of US history you never heard of]

On 7/13/2018 at 11:59 AM, SusanC said:

For filling in those gaps I also like In Our Time: History from the BBC. You and @HomeAgain might both be interested in the podcast More Perfect which focuses on the Supreme Court.

 

On 7/13/2018 at 11:32 AM, kbutton said:

I am trying to remedy some of what I missed with the Stuff You Missed in History Podcast. You might like it, OP. 

 

I'll add the show Drunk History on Comedy Central. The premise is that the narrator and host get drunk together and re-tell a story from American history. It is then re-enacted and lip-synced by actors. You'll be watching and suddenly realize that George Washington is being played by John Lithgow or that Hitler is Weird Al Yankovic. All the stories are true, even if the narration is a bit on the inebriated side. It's hilarious and sticks in my mind. I sure would have paid better attention in history class if Jean Lafitte had been portrayed by Jason Momoa.

[Trail mix without nuts?]

On 7/12/2018 at 1:15 PM, Arctic Mama said:

I believe that is called “m&ms with a raisin box on the side” ?

 

I’m totally no help as to where to buy such a product, but the request made me smile.

 I was thinking M&Ms, as well. 

Forgive my ignorance, but do peanut allergies include things like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds? Those could be good with some crispy chickpeas. You get crunch and protein.

[Remember our recent convo about being explicit with instructions?]

2 hours ago, sassenach said:

Yeah, I’m not here for bashing, just commiseration. 

 No bashing then, just (((hugs))) for you.

[Remember our recent convo about being explicit with instructions?]

He won't go exchange it for something you like better? Well, I can't say what I think because it would fall under husband bashing.

[Drawing Videos]

The Virtual Instructor (thevirtualinstructor.com) I haven't used it yet, but I've seen others refer to it. I'm hoping to use it this fall.

[what is this saying I'm trying to think of?]

Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?

[Souvenirs: Do you buy clothes with the place you're visiting written on them?]

I get a sweatshirt. It's my thing. Some people collect spoons, I collect sweatshirts. When we go on vacation, the kids look out for sweatshirts they think I'd like. Then I wear them all winter long because I'm always cold.  I think it's weird that someone considers wearing a shirt with the name of a location on it as bragging. But I also admit that I love looking at people's vacation photos when they share them with me. I don't have much of a brag-meter. In most cases, I'm genuinely happy for them.

[The US National Debt]

If you organize a list of all the countries with debt, the US would be #1 in terms of amount of money. However, if you filter the list by a debt to GDP ratio, you'll find that the US in more in the middle of the pack. You can play around with that on the Wikipedia page. Honestly, I have no idea if a country decided to call the debt what would happen. I'd imagine if that Australia called on the US's debt, then the US would call on the UK, then the UK would call on Germany, and so on. But that's just my very uneducated hypothesis... lol!