Health. Music. Art. Personal Finance. In our family there was ample exposure to those things without making them a class. We also approached government, civics, and economics in a much more relaxed manner than many. (ETA, although I don't require a "class" in those subjects, I did make sure that all of my kids had the knowledge) Again, in our family, they had more than enough exposure/discussion. (my young adult kids often know more than the adults in my age range about these subjects) I do tend to have books on hand that will satisfy the need to account for a text for their graduation requirements in our umbrella school. Also, I don't give credits for anything that they can't hold a decent conversation about or have a working knowledge of.

Former blogger here too. As my kids have become young adults, they value their privacy more and more. They also value colleges and prospective employers not being able to learn more about them than they need to know. I've never blogged anything negative, but I have shut down anything personal. To do over again, I wouldn't have anything about them in any blog. They didn't choose it, and I don't feel that it is right for me to choose it for them. If I wrote, it would be anonymously...my name would be a pen name as well.

For my girls, it cropped up at about the same time periods did. Same for me. Mine also stuck around and I have to deal with it whenever my hormones fluctuate as an adult. (i.e. I break out horribly around that time of the month)

Apparently you and my daughter are reading the same things. Last night she looked up from her phone, horrified. "Did you all know that in other countries Sprite is lemonade??!?!"

If it isn't carbon monoxide..it may be the humidity, or lack thereof. Our heat tends to dry out the air, which in turn flares up my sinuses, which in turn causes me to get headaches.

We've moved a lot, and honestly it has varied greatly with each move. I had one in which I never really felt adjusted. We moved again after two years. I had one that I felt at home after a few months. But, unfortunately, we moved again after two years. We moved back "home" nearly 5 years ago. Its a place I've lived the bulk of my adult life, but I'm still not really adjusted. Mostly because I didn't really want to be here. I think it will depend on the place, the timing, etc.

No way. I wouldn't really want to go for any new president, but especially not this one. The political climate is extremely unsettled right now.

I always look for it in the baking supplies, but wouldn't be surprised to see it with the syrups. I have a sudden urge to eat blackstrap molasses and butter on a biscuit.

Our JRT with short hair is a super shedder. We have white dog hair stuck in EVERYTHING She's the worst shedding dog we've ever had, much worse than our labs.

This year, my dd insisted that everyone had to wrap in two rolls of paper that were plaid. So they'd match. My oldest wrapped hers in llama and cactus papers, I think mostly to annoy younger dd. However, it still managed to coordinate nicely, as they are all in the same color family.

Overcast, cold and windy! It is 31F, which is just about as cold as I want it to get. Unfortunately, it is just supposed to drop from there.

I just had to email a professor over one of my final grades this semester. It absolutely helped!

I know that the transcript that the umbrella school we use sends out doesn't have semester grades. Also, I don't remember seeing them when I worked in the records/admissions department at my CC. (I just filed papers though, so I can't remember 100%)

Garlic. Always more garlic. Onions. Vanilla. Salt (although I don't really double, just usually add a little more than called for)

We put them under it as we get the gifts and wrap them. The girls help me wrap because they love seeing all the gifts piled up under the tree. When the girls were small and we still did Santa, Santa gifts were not put under the tree until late Christmas Eve night. We never wrapped Santa gifts either.

My dh and I have very different music tastes. I blast mine in the car, wear earbuds when I'm in earshot of him downstairs, and play it over my bluetooth speaker when I'm upstairs in my office. One of the first things we tend to do when he goes on a trip for work is take my speaker downstairs and crank the music up! :party: ETA: I listen to pretty much all of my music through my phone, either from songs I've purchased on iTunes, or streaming Pandora and Amazon Music. I have a connector to listen through my car speakers, a bluetooth speaker for the house, and earbuds when I want to keep it to myself.

Really? I went to school with two male Shawns. Maybe it is regional? I didn't even know it was traditionally spelled Sean until Sean Astin became famous. (it took my friends and I wayyyyy too long to realize it wasn't pronounced SEEN)

I have a common name that my parents used an unnecessary Y in. It is annoying. Combined with my last name, which is also difficult to suss out the spelling from hearing it, I am constantly spelling my name. It does get kind of old. On gender associated names: We have a female friend with the same name as my husband (and it is a very common male name). I went to school with a girl named Shawn (not Shawna, but Shawn), and a guy named Ashley (I had such a crush on him!!!) Oh, and one of my closest friends has a brother named Claire. She said that many a fight happened over his name. My oldest dd's name was traditionally male until her generation, then it flipped to female. To her annoyance, I chose the more feminine spelling, which also happens to be the one that no one ever spells correctly.

Our small town has one very quaint, small theater and they keep all of their movies at $5. They only run one movie at a time and do not have an updated theater. My kids often go there to see movies because it is broke college student cheap :) However, you can only see the movie they are choosing to run that week. The one we often go to in the city is $8.99 for a matinee. However, they run around 10 movies at once, have huge screens and comfy seats. The price of the concessions are absurd, though.

I remember being that age very well. I also have kids that are transitioning to adulthood and navigating significant others. Honestly, your feelings about Christmas and traditions probably aren't even on his radar. When he does think about them, it is likely more a nostalgia kind of thing rather than a desire to keep them going. It sounds like it is time for you and dh to come up with your own new traditions for Christmas. Whether it is this year or several years from now, this change is happening and things are going to be different. Set aside his ornaments, so he can put them on the tree when he has a chance. Put on some music, make some warm drinks, and have a nice evening with dh putting up the tree.

We always do all our favorite appetizers for Christmas Eve at the in-laws. I make a spinach-artichoke dip, dh makes a jalapeno-ranch dip. The in-laws usually have cheeses, veggie and fruit trays, pigs in a blanket, etc. This year I hope to make tamales. On Christmas Day we go back to the in-laws for steak and potatoes. Dh and I did prime-rib one year over there, but too many people were turned off by the pink-ness of it (sigh), so we decided that the prime rib got saved for New Years instead of wasting good meat on people that don't like it.

A set of tires. (they were for dh's huge trailer he bought, used, to haul around his tractors) Umpteen million tractor parts. Bulk spices.

Two years ago: Himalayan Sea Salt in a grinder for dd, and a ravioli press (she likes to cook, and basically caressed that salt every time we were at the store!) For dd's 18th birthday: a hand crocheted squid hat.

Ok, I confess, it has been a year since I looked. I do see some out there now! lol. When I looked before, they were either all too narrow (which would leave a big gap in our cabinetry), too wide, or too darn expensive! Now to work on dh to let me replace this one we have!

I've been eyeballing those for when our side by side dies. It seems to be the closest thing I can find to what I want.