Kids go through a lot of changes at that age. They are trying to find out who they are separate from their family. Often, it seems, that kids from strict homes rebel the most. The new parent thing is a weird coincidence, I think. And no, it isn't a southern thing. At all.

While I'm irrationally irritated by a great number of things, the care of what other people think of me and what I do has pretty much flown out the window..lol.

I've never even seen a soft boiled egg in real life. I feel uncultured. Our runny yolks only come on fried eggs :tongue_smilie:

EVERYTHING irritates me now..lol. I told dh the other day that my 40s have turned my inexplicable weepiness into a low simmering rage. Don't touch me, don't wake me up, don't kiss me in the morning, don't leave the dang milk jug on the floor beside the trash can, don't talk to me before 8AM, don't talk during a song, don't slurp your food, don't be stupid, my clothes don't feel right, my underwear pinches, and my hair is annoying. I'm just a regular ol' ray of sunshine.

I use this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EVRQ2GS?psc=1 , and use the water from our Keurig, so I can use loose leaf teas. My current no milk/no sweetener combo is black tea mixed with Rooibos. The Rooibos gives it a sweet flavor, while the black tea gives me the caffeine. Sometimes I also throw a chai mix in there.

He was fun to make :)

My needle felted creations. My favorites have been a 2ft tall Dobby and dragons.

I've worn glasses pretty much continuously since I was 15. I have dents. My current glasses aren't tight at all (annoyingly so, as they won't hold an adjustment). I think it is just like my wedding ring "scar" as I like to call it. After wearing the same ring for 24 years straight, I have a deep indentation where my ring sits, that doesn't go away. (When dh and I were separated, I didn't wear it for months and the dent didn't go away)

Oh! And are you painting over paint or stain? Because if it is a stain, then you'll need to paint them with a primer first.

I painted every door and piece of trim in this house (not to mention all the walls..lol. We built it.) Anyway, it really isn't that big of a deal. Get a paint that states it is good for trim work. Semi-gloss or gloss. Latex over latex, oil over oil. The most time consuming part is the taping off if you don't have a steady hand. (I don't tape off because I'm impatient and can hold a line) Invest in GOOD brushes.

I agree with texasmom. If it isn't something that is causing a danger to you or your property, I'd leave it be. Especially not knowing the circumstances.

Have you gone gluten free? Hung crystals in your bathroom? Are you Thriving? You know your body needs Plexus! You are gargling onion and garlic extract twice a day right? I feel you. My dh has a chronic illness. We get "help" galore.

I had my wisdom teeth extracted while awake. Just a little gas and some local. It wasn't bad at all. If dental work sounds don't bother you, you'd probably be fine.

It is a HUGE step that you are asking for help. The motivation to further your education alone is far more than many of the students I current attend college with have. I'm back in school at 40, 20 years after a high school graduation. (And back then you only had to have Algebra I or so to graduate) I started over in math, starting with a College Math class (which is about 8th grade level mathematics) and am now in my 2nd calculus based course. If my old brain can do it, you can too! You already write far better than about half the students I've encountered in college. The fact that you can reason, read well, and write coherently will get you very far. Definitely make an appointment with your local community college and find out what your options are. Your education is wide open to you right now. Don't let a slower start stop you :)

That's why they make pretty shower curtains :D

I have had both. I currently have a big plastic box, by my request. MUCH easier to clean. However, make sure you properly support the bottom. My dh and the contractor both ignored my well-researched advice and did not put a concrete base under the shower, stating that the supports that were built in were enough. Well, my dh is a big man, and I'm not tiny, so now we have cracks. Our replacement shower will have concrete under it.

Yep. Especially the Brown Sugar ones. My husband likes to drown them in butter and microwave them.

Spaghettios with meatballs. I craved them SOOO badly with my oldest dd. They are so gross now. Miracle Whip. My mother never bought real mayo. In fact, I had never really had any until I was an adult. Now I don't think I could eat Miracle Whip if I tried.

I've heard of a few stores around here hiring baggers at 14. (also legal to work at 14 here) However, even my 16 year old is having a hard time finding a job that isn't fast food because no one wants to hire under 18.

Accounting. I'm hoping to get my CPA in a few years :D

Our plan is to keep them as their rooms while they are in college, unless they end up in a more permanent living situation before they graduate. I will pack up a lot of the little things that I don't want to have to dust/clean, but will keep their rooms for them to come home to during breaks. My oldest (who will be a college junior that went to CC, so never moved to a dorm) is making noise about moving out next summer to live with my niece in this area. If she does that, I will probably go ahead and change her room into a guest room. There won't really be a need to keep a room for her here. I'm actually kind of coveting one of their rooms for an office space, and another for an art studio...lol.

I've gone back to school myself, and will be starting a new career. It also helps to think about things like not having to make dinner for 5 different picky tastes..lol.

I think of frowns as mostly mouth gestures, but eyebrows are heavily involved. I also tend to think of disapproval rather than sadness. Sadness is in the eyes.

True. However, my dd's car got hit in a parking lot (not her fault). She drives a 2002-ish Impala with 170K miles on it. We only carry liability for that car. The accident also ripped out her headlight, scraped paint off the fender, and shoved part of the fender into the door so that it creaked when you opened it. Dh was able to zip-tie the light, but we still got insurance info and got an estimate for repairs. I just knew they would total it because it would cost so much to fix. It WAS expensive. $2500 worth of damage. But, the car blue booked at just enough value that the other driver's insurance made the repairs. Which, they wouldn't have done if there hadn't been a police report. (although her car kind of looks one-eyed now because it has one old hazy headlight and one new clear and shiny one!)

Because of insurance, we do call every time. It doesn't take much damage to reach $400.