Our family likes working puzzles. We usually only work on them during the winter when we are either sick (like our mutli-week bout with the flu last year) or stuck in the house due to the weather.

We spend 1200-1500 a month, easily, for a family of 5. We are all adult sized. The healthier we eat, the more I seem to spend. It is a bit lower right now because, admittedly, we are eating more pizzas and burritos than normal. We are just SO busy, and I'm SO tired of food planning. If I bare boned it, I could probably get it down to 800 a month, but we'd all be cranky.

He may enjoy something just completely goofy. One of my bonus daughters (oldest dd's best friend since 4th grade) went away to college this year. Because of something funny that happened several years ago, we have a running gag about those stupid horse head masks. So, whenever I think of it I will google until I find a horse head mask pic that is funny or has something to do with what is going on in her life. (mask on someone sleeping when she's had tests, a mask in a box when she had dorm move in day, etc.). It is simple and personal without it being TOO personal or motherly.

You can choose to do the labs or not with most courses without missing content. That said, if they are looking at going to college, colleges do expect to see a few lab sciences. With my oldest, she did about 1/4 of the labs with her bio course and just read the rest.

I have in the past, but had to unfriend. I likely won't be doing it again. My teen boyfriends weren't of the most upstanding quality though, so that is part of the problem..lol. I do have guy friends on FB that I went to school with and have no issues.

It generally increases for us as they get closer to graduation, with senior year being almost entirely DE classes at college. We have a great academic co-op, and they take all of their lab sciences and foreign language there. This year one kid is also taking a lit. class there. They also do fun stuff like ball-room dance and chess class.

I don't know what support you may be looking for, but we were separated and got back together. You are welcome to PM me.

I feel like I need a disclaimer...lol. I voted that I don't like it and I don't do it daily. I love to cook. However, after 23 years of cooking nearly every night for my family, and dealing with food intolerances, I'm sick to death of THINKING about food. I hate the decision making and planning. I am now back in school full time and working part time. My oldest child goes to college full time and also works part-time. My "babies" are 15. I finally decided I was done with doing ALL the food prep. The girls each make a meal one night a week. I declared Thursdays an automatic "fend for yourself" day. That got me down to cooking 3 nights a week. Sometimes, that cooking involves warming up a pack of hot dogs..lol. I miss not eating at the table every night too. But, our lives right now just aren't conducive to it. They never be conducive to it again.

I would think anything within the realm of school or careers in that field could be relevant. Unless she was asking the lady what her favorite food was or who she was voting for in the election, then the advisor was the one with the problem!

That is awesome. Your daughter should consider herself lucky. I've found the advisors at my college to be less than informative, and sometimes just downright incorrect. My daughter experienced the same. (Along with said advisor being all snarky when my dd mentioned that her mom helped her pick out her classes)

I could totally see it around here. Even very low income families practically live off of mcDonald's. I can think of at least four families right off the top of my head that eat out every single day. My health couldn't sustain it. (Frankly, neither can theirs)

I think it was in the past 6 months. He works from home, and takes comp time occasionally, so it is hard for me to remember when he's actually off unless we go on a trip or something.

I voted yes, but I have an unfair advantage...they've all worn the same size for around 3 years now, and all four of us can wear each other's shoes. Generally, when they were small, I could have told you at least what size they were when we last bought shoes.

Pell grant, scholarships, work study, and student loans. This degree is so we don't have to live off our kids' dime later. There are no college savings for anyone in our family, and each of us will be finding our own way to pay. The kids will have two years of CC free in our state. Anything after that or instead of that will have to be on scholarship or their own money.

They drive up ours. It isn't quite that long, but still far off the road. I do have an extra large mailbox though, so they don't have to every time. (I've been amazed at my mailman's tetris-style mailbox filling skills).

My dad got it together at 40 (just in time to raise his second child, my younger brother by 20 years). My brother is 33, and only seems to be going backwards in maturity. I don't hold out much hope for improvement. Thankfully, his wife is much older, has grown kids, and they will not be having more.

It is very, very gory. And they seem to be seeing how far they can push the gore with each season. I loved the series, but I was getting overwhelmed with the gore the last season...and that stuff usually doesn't phase me.

There seems to be nothing predictable about this stage of life, other than its unpredictability. I even installed a period tracker app on my phone, so that I don't sit there wondering if it really HAS been 2 months since my last period, or if it really was just two weeks ago. (both of which seem to be perfectly acceptable to my cranky uterus.)

Some college, no degree. I'm working on changing that :)

This is where the cheap prepared freezer food comes in handy. We generally try to eat healthy, but Sundays are often hot dogs, frozen burritos or frozen pizza days. Still cheaper than burgers out, and probably not much worse nutrition-wise. Sometimes I actually cook on Sunday afternoons, but usually we just scrounge. We never picked the eat-out on Sunday habit...lol.

East TN. Only a handful of people I know in our area have degrees. My mother never even finished high school, neither did one of my brothers. I am the first in my family to attend college, and I am a 39 yr old freshman ;) My kids will be the first in dh's family to get a degree. (I think....actually dh's brother may have an associates from a tech school) The vast majority of people in my area are blue collar workers without degrees, with a large number that did not even graduate high school.

I guess I should clarify...my "rugs" are foam mats with designs printed on them. My feet thank me.

I have one by the sink, one by the fridge, one by the stove, one by the main prep area, and one in front of the washer and dryer (laundry room just off the kitchen). I think one can't have too many comfy spots to stand in the kitchen.

Oh gosh. This! (I just went back and read some responses) This is one thing that has me practically doing the happy dance the closer my younger two get to graduation. Our life is so stinking HECTIC. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that this is going to slow down soon.

I haven't sent one away yet, but I don't think I'll be particularly weepy either. Mostly because I'm not particularly sad about my kids growing up. In fact, I'm rather looking forward to the next stage of life with them.