My whole life I've been considered snotty by various people that don't know me. This is because when I meet new people, especially women, I have NO IDEA how to make small talk. If I have something very specific to talk to you about, it'll go over great. If I do not, I will stand there and either a) say something stupidly awkward and wish I could crawl under a rock b) make awkward eye contact and wish I could crawl under a rock or c) make an excuse to be anywhere else. I often choose c. It has absolutely no bearing on what I think of said new person. Once people get to know me, they realize that I'm pretty darn friendly.

My oldest has finished her first week. She is doing well. She just told me today that she LOVES all her classes. They are all right up her alley this semester: Anthropology, English Comp II, German, and Life Span Psychology. I think the only kink thus far was arguing with her sister (who is taking DE classes this semester) about where to park. Oh, and running into MOM at school since I also attend full time...lol. I try to stay out of her hair :coolgleamA: Her transition to full time college student was fairly painless though. She was a DE student there last year so she already knew the ropes, and has several friends that are going full time this year too.

I only use sunscreen if I'm going to be out where I know I'll burn otherwise. (Kayaking, working outside all day, etc.) Most lotions/sunscreen break me out, and just feel gross. I try to keep my chest from burning, as I do have some sun damage there. I figure most of my sun damage has already been done. I was severely sunburned several times as a child. I try not to burn as an adult, but I don't apply sunscreen every time I go outside either. (I'd have to be slathered in the stuff 24/7) Two of my daughters are pretty vigilant about sunscreen, but we joke that they are so pale that they border on translucent. They burn very easily. They aren't very outdoorsy though, so their exposure in general is minimal. My oldest has a darker complexion and rarely wears sunscreen (exceptions being when she's at the pool once or twice a year)

My dh has been diagnosed with fibro, as has a cousin of his. For him, I think it is simply because they can't pinpoint what is wrong. For his cousin, the fibro diagnosis fits much better. The nice thing about his diagnosis is that it allowed the doc to prescribe the one drug we've found that helps his pain at all, and the insurance will cover it. The bad thing is, it is hard to get HIM or his doctor to pursue more testing. (honestly though, dh has been through so much with this, he is just tired of the prodding)

I think you are probably on the right track with paleo style. Carbs kill me, but I can eat all the fat and protein I want and lose weight. (That said, eating more fat and protein is an appetite suppressor for me, so I don't feel hungry all the time) I try to avoid grains in general. Limited dairy. Limited sugar.

Yes! I learned to drive on a stick. Not just any ol' stick either. It was one that you had to do all sorts of fancy maneuvers just to keep it running at a red light :p I would love to have a stick shift again, but they are hard to come by. That and they make me want to speed more than I already do. I'm confident that I could drive just about anything. I've driven duallys (I don't even know how you spell that?) clunkers, tractors, vans, you name it.

Also, check out articulation agreements between certain colleges. My CC has an agreement with our state uni that awards an automatic scholarship to transfer students with an associates and a certain GPA.

Apparently not. Every time my kids or I walk to my in-laws (less than a mile away) we have cars stop and ask if we are ok or if we need a ride.

If you get along well with his family, it could be great. There are definitely perks to being so close to family. We moved back home 3 years ago. His parents live within walking distance, his uncle next door, his cousin on the other side, and cousins all up and down our road. You can't spit around here without hitting family. Dh helps his dad with his property and has our garden over there, so he sees them every day. He loves it, even though family drama drives us batty. I really like being so close to my nieces and nephew (who live right next door to the in-laws). They are my girls' best friends. I don't love being here so much, but it is because I don't like everyone being all up in our business. I have a frustrating relationship or two within the family as well.

BTW, we get discounts for multiple cars on the policy, a good driving record, and a good student discount. So quotes with just your child listed may be significantly more.

For my 18 year old: $55 a month/2002 Impala. Liability only. Through Geico.

Mucinex can be combined with anti-histamines and decongestants with no issues. Just make sure it isn't Mucinex-D, since it could be too much with the Sudafed. The Mucinex just loosens up mucus.

We moved in and back out of Texas without the state even knowing our kids existed. Can't get much more under the radar than that I suppose. You *might* be able to do it in TN if you moved here from out of state. But the rules aren't hard or unfair, so I don't see why one would bother.

I second the Mucinex and trying a different anti-histamine. Have him take a steamy shower before using the Flonase, it can help open the passages. And it does take time to kick in. He can also have a sinus infection without fever, but they don't usually develop that quickly.

I would give her another year to solidify things. All of my kids did Algebra I in 9th. I have at least one going into a STEM field, and this was only decided AFTER high school had already been started. She is doing double time in math this year to be able to start college in 2017 without having to take math that doesn't count towards her major. (She needs calculus before graduation). It is working out fine, and she is able to do it because she has a firm grasp on her math. But even if she couldn't do that, the worst case for her would have been that she had to take a class or two in math that did NOT count towards her major. It wouldn't have stopped her from being able to do it at all. As a side note, I am currently in college myself. I'm having to do exactly that. I never took anything past Algebra 2 in high school, so I'm having to play catch up math at college. Not my favorite, but completely doable.

With all the trans-planet shipments of foods and other products, I wouldn't be surprised to see non-native species anywhere. I have lived in rural TN almost my entire life. We have a LOT of bugs, but one would think I would be pretty familiar with what is here. But, I still see bugs occasionally that I have never seen before. I think some are transplants :D

My dd had a Chinese Dwarf hamster that was very friendly...towards her. He'd bite me every time he got the chance..lol. He was a one person hamster. We had a teddy bear hamster that was fairly friendly, but he had been a day-care pet and was used to lots of people.

It has always depended on the house and the move for me. I've had some places that I never did feel settled in, and I've had places that I felt at home as soon as I walked through the door. We lived in a house in TX for only a year, but it instantly felt like home, and I'm still irked over leaving. We moved back "home" to an area that I've lived in for a combined 15 years or so, and it doesn't feel like home. We've been back for 3 years. If offered, I'd pack up and move back to TX tomorrow.

Magnesium helps quite a bit. (at least it generally keeps me from smothering my dh with a pillow, because he's usually the reason I can't go back to sleep when I wake up)

My girls were two grade levels apart. We all did the same history until last year, which was my oldest's senior year. It worked out fine. When their ability in writing differed a lot, I would alter the writing/research assignments to suit, but the reading was always the same.

That is absolutely brilliant. I wish I had that room for my teens and their horde of friends.

I use cast iron and stainless steel as well.

I assume she works? We've been gradually shifting expenses over to dd, according to what she can currently afford. She buys her own gas (that was the first one). She paid for her own haircut last time. She buys her own snacks and pays her own way for fun events. She occasionally buys her own clothes, but I still help her with the basic needs in that area. I'm with you. We can (mostly) afford to pay for these things, but she IS an adult and needs to start the transition to not living off of daddy's paycheck.

Barring swelling or intense pain, I might wait a day or so to see if it starts getting better. However. If you caught yourself, unknowingly, you could have torn the rotator cuff. I'm dealing with that at the moment myself, and am being so stubborn about the going to the doc. Don't be me. They don't heal well on their own.

Last year. It was the first actual vacation with the kids we had taken in probably 7 or 8 years. We went to NYC and did the tourist thing. It was somewhere the girls had always wanted to go, and we knew it would likely be our last family vacation before they all began living their adult lives. It was fun, too expensive, and left me with no desire to go on another vacation with all of them at once. (I love them all dearly, but trying to please 5 very different ideas of a fun vacation at once is absolutely exhausting!) When the girls were small, we used to go to the beach or something almost every year. It was so much cheaper then. You could pile them all in one bed, and food didn't cost a small fortune. Then they got all adult sized and had opinions. Hmpf. ETA: to me a vacation is more than an overnight or weekend trip. Although we have only gone on one of those with the kids in the past 6 years or so, and it was a day trip to San Antonio. Miserably hot and no one enjoyed it. blerg. My kids generally hate the great outdoors, so those kind of trips are misery. DH and I DO go on weekend trips every couple of years or so for our anniversary. We don't usually go far, and the kids are never interested in our plans (mountains, hiking, museums, etc.).