To me, regardless of what the last name is, be it from the husband, wife, hyphenated, blended, or random new one, the point is to have one last name to create a family.....as a couple, and more so, if you intend to have children.

The father is very involved. In fact, I have never known a more all-in, dedicated father. His first filter for any decision he makes in his life is what is in the best interest of his children. He provides a loving, stable, consistent home-life. He and their mother divorced after the first attempt at an intervention 7 years ago. At first, he was deemed "the bad guy" from people in their world. Over time, these people have come around to see things as they are. The problem is, the mother has bashed their father non-stop over the years, and he feels that if he tries to get the kids to accept their mother as an alcoholic, it may be misconstrued as manipulation against their mother, since that is what they have seen from her to their father. He will be supportive in any way possible, but feels like the initial recognition of their mother as an alcoholic needs to come from someone else. I will call Alateen this week for some guidance. Thanks!!!

The teens are not involved in the process. The mom is in a rehab facility over 2 hours from home. It is believed that this one was chosen because it is more upscale (mom is from money), but mostly to keep this under the radar as best as possible she does not want to be in a facility of people from her community. This is another reason why it is believed that she won't be joining her local community and it's resources for the road to sobriety (this local community is known for being a strong community for recovery, too). While in rehab, on phone calls with her kids, she has asked questions as to what people understand as to where she is. She does not want anyone beyond her family knowing. She will not be open about this when she returns and most likely will treat it as a reboot, not a life-long problem that needs to be managed every day. This is what the kids are going to be fed from her; therefore, for now, they are not going to see themselves as needing to attend meetings because the problem is solved in their mind. With the likely inability to get them to meetings, I'm hoping to at least give them the opportunity to read about the disease and the rehab process, so that when their mind is open, they will see that what she says and does is very much a part of the disease.

I'll check out the link. I could be wrong, but I don't think the mom will be open about her alcoholism or the road of sobriety. Meaning, it is likely that she will come home and pass off her rehab as a needed time to regroup and start fresh. It is doubtful that she will admit to being an alcoholic. She calls her kids frequently from rehab. It is the kids' belief that rehab is like waving a magic wand and a healthy mom will come home and that will be the end of the story. Considering this, I don't think the teens will be open to attending meetings. That is why I would at least like them to have an opportunity to read about it to have an understanding of this issue.

I am trying to find resources/information that is teen-appropriate for a couple kids whose mother is in rehab for alcoholism. This is the first time the mother has agreed to treatment after two failed intervention attempts in the past, although it is believed it was brought on by necessary medical intervention, not necessarily acknowledging she needed help at the start. The alcohol issue has been present throughout her adult life with the first intervention attempted over 7 years ago. The kids probably have known there is a problem, but it was being excused and/or ignored by family and friends; therefore not talked about with the kids. I'm looking for information that these teens can read for themselves to learn about alcoholism, rehab, and what to expect when their mom returns. They are with their mom 50% of the time, every other week. They have been living with their father full time. I believe a non-biased, general information (so as not to talk about their mother specifically) resource would be best as opposed to a family member that may try to put their slant on the issue; for example, minimizing it or giving unrealistic results. All I have found in my search are resources for parents of teens returning from rehab. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks for any help or guidance, Margaret

My daughter will be studying abroad in Florence, Italy starting the beginning of this January through the third week in April. Her classes will be taught in English, but she is hoping to become somewhat familiar with Italian before she goes. Her goals are to be able to get around and speak with people throughout her day. She has taken French through AP, but does not feel that the instruction was very good. She probably can read better than speak. Regardless, given that Italian and French are both romance languages, it still should be an asset for her in trying to grasp Italian quickly. We are looking for suggestions on programs that would best help her gain a working comfort level with day-to-day language in Italian. Thanks for any guidance, Margaret

My son and I will be in the area of Los Angeles Sunday and Monday night. We want a safe location to get a hotel that has a reasonable drive into LA as we plan to go to an LA Lakers basketball game Sunday night and possibly Universal Studios on Monday. What are some names of areas that will work for us? Thanks for any help, Margaret

Thanks so much for all the helpful responses. Margaret

Anyone? Please?

My son and I are going to Japan for 8 days, and I have no idea how to plan or what to expect. We are going to base ourselves in Tokyo, do lots of sightseeing in the city, and plan some day trips out of the city. How do we find out what are the must-sees in Tokyo? I know my son would like to take in the technology district, but what else? What are the must-see day trips that are feasible and worth the time and money? Mt Fuji? How difficult will it be to make our way around not knowing the language? Any books or websites you can suggest? Thanks for any help, Margaret

Thank you!!!

LOST season 6 starts tomorrow. It's three hours long. Does anyone know how much of the three hours is recap and how much is new?

We are driving from Princeton, NJ to the DC area tomorrow night and have plans to visit Georgetown University at 10 am on Saturday morning. My guess is it would be very expensive to stay in a hotel in the city, so we are thinking of finding one in a suburb. We will get down there in time to eat dinner...maybe catch a movie. Suggestions? Thanks, Margaret

In a search for an online honors physics course for my daughter, I have come across another online course provider....University of Miami Glogal Academy. I am familiar with many online provider, but this is new to me. I don't know of anyone that has experience with them, so I thought I would come to see if anyone here has any reviews/opinions to share. Thanks, Margaret

We are still coming up short with trying to find him some bread. I checked the local Bi-Lo when I dropped him off at school on Saturday. There was about a 3 feet section of shelf space for gluten free products; none of them pre-made bread. I just tried another online search using different wording and I'm still coming up on dead ends. Thought I had one lead and the phone number is disconnected. My son said he can eat breakfast in the cafeteria, but lunch and dinner is a struggle. The only thing he has found palatable is fries and ice cream. UGH!! There is a Moe's within close walking distance that I know he will frequent to get some steak in him, but that will get expensive for him very quickly .At home he had been living on steak, chicken wings, homemade pizza and peanut butter and jelly on white spelt bread with occasional fruit here and there. And, of course, snacks...chips and salsa, fruit snacks, rice krispy treats, etc. If I can get him a source of bread, at least I will know he will be able to eat sandwiches that somewhat resemble a meal. Robin, Thanks for the offer. I look forward to hearing back from you with any information you can provide. Lucinda, We have tried that bread. My daughter and I will eat it, but it is too whole grain for him. Thanks, though. I guess if I have to, I will ship him bread from here, Pittsburgh, PA. once a week.

My son is starting his freshman year at Clemson University. He is allergic to wheat and has been eating spelt bread for years. We buy it at a local health food store. He will have a car with him; I am trying to find the closest place to Clemson University that he can buy wheat free bread. Any suggestions on how to find one. I tried googling with no success. There is a Whole Foods store about 45 minutes away that I know carries bread that he eats, but we were hoping to find a source closer. Thanks for any help, Margaret

Thanks for all the input

I'm concerned the Conceptual Physics course will be too easy. She will be a senior with already 3 APs under her belt and already to take 5 APs this year. Conceptual Physics would be the equivalent to an "academic" course at her high school. She has always taken either "honors" or "AP" level courses. Especially since she is pursuing engineering, I think it is important that she takes at least an honors level course in physics.

Since Principles of Physics prepares the student for the AP physics-B exam, do you think it is feasible for my daughter to take this course without ever taking a physics class in high school? She has taken honors biology, honors chemistry, AP biology, and is taking AP chemistry this year. She completed honors pre-calc last year and is taking AP Calculus AB this year. I know in order to enroll in AP physics at our local high school, she would have had to have completed honors physics first.

My daughter has decided she wants to pursue biomedical engineering in college. Until recently she was going pre-med. She made her high school course selection based on this, so instead of taking honors physics her junior year, she took AP biology. This year's schedule is already completed and it is too late to change it. She is taking 5 AP courses, including AP chemistry, in addition to two elective courses. After talking to admissions counselors at various schools she wants to consider for college, she is being told that she needs physics to be seriously considered for engineering. She needs to take it on the honors level that has a lab component. Because of her already packed schedule, she really needs a course that is straight-forward. Not alot of busy work....extras....bells and whistles. Just a good, solid physics course. It would be great if the course would be presented to draw a student's interest, however, as I know physics can be dry. She just wont have time for alot of projects, research papers, etc. Thanks for any direction, Margaret

Thanks for all your input. I was able to find the College Board Official Study Guide for all SAT Subject Tests at the library today. This is where we will start.

My daughter is taking the SAT Math 2 test and the SAT Biology-molecular tests on Saturday, June 6th. She is finishing up courses at her local high school in Honors Pre-Calculus and AP Biology (taking the AP Bio exam tomorrow, but other than some review given by the teacher she has not prepared outside of class). My daughter has been a very strong math student this year and feels very confident in the higher level math. Since her math has been integrated through her first couple years of high school, she may have some weakness in some areas of algebra and geometry. We are looking for good, streamlined review for this test. She doesn't have alot of time, and I know she will balk at anything that looks time consuming. As for bio, she has been a strong "B" student in her AP Bio class, and her teacher feels she should be able to earn a "4" on the AP exam. Does anyone know how that should translate to the SAT subject test? Should she already be adequately prepared....if not, again, is there a streamlined review for this test? Thanks for any input and/or direction, Margaret

My daughter is taking AP Biology, AP Statistics, and AP United States History courses. In addition to her course work and the review that is being provided in class, we are wondering if there are good, concise review books for these courses that she can work on outside of class. Thanks for any help, Margaret

I would like to get my 20 year old son a Stephen King book for Christmas. He has read the Dark Tower series and enjoyed it, although I think ultimately he was a little disappointed in the ending. He has also read his book On Writing (I believe that is the title) and I believe he has also read The Tommyknockers. Any suggestions on a Stephen King book or series? Thanks for any help, Margaret

Chem Dry...they advertise that they use safe, non-toxic cleaners with low amounts of water used. Oxymagic...again, non-toxic cleaners used. Sears..."Green" cleanining using environmentally friendly cleaning solutions. Have any of you used these companies? What has been your experience? Thanks for any feedback, Margaret