My ds is almost 21. To answer your question, sort of. Some violence he will play, the super realistic ones, he won't. He loves Super Smash Brothers. Some would call that violent. We did have video games when he was growing up (and still do) but I monitored them closely. There are a couple his roommate has (and he plays) that I do not approve of, but I have no control what he plays at college. He knows they are not allowed in our house. Some of the worst ones, GTAuto comes to mind, he is not interested in playing. He has seen some of them at others dorm rooms, apts., etc. and will comment how violent they are. What games is he playing? It's a guy thing. Not sure if that helps or not.

Most of the Hallmark keepsakes are ones with baby's first,second...Christmas or ones that I bought because of what they were fond of (Thomas, stories, etc.). When my kids get married, I will give them all their ornaments for their first Christmas with their spouse.

Only a little typical morning sickness at the beginning, not bad. The first was 8.1 and I had gestational diabetes. Second was 6.14 and I did not have gd (watched my diet better).

Sorry :D. I actually tried to gain more, I sure wasn't trying to not gain. I kept waiting for the doc to get mad at me. I don't know why but my mom didn't gain much weight any of the times when she was pg either.

First one, about 5-5 1/2 months - only gained 14 lbs. Second, about 5 months - gained 19 lbs. It was all basketball in the front, you couldn't tell from the back.

Highlights only, very little gray, same age as your dh (54). About 8 years ago, when dh was 48, we were at a 50th party for a friend we have known for 30 years. We have known the group for that long. Anyway, there were about 3 couples talking and one of the wives came over to me and asked if dh colored his hair. They couldn't believe it was natural. All their dh's were gray. I laughed :lol: then told them to look closer at him and they will see it. One even went over to him and started pulling on his hair and lifting it up!! I don't ever try to guess someones age based solely on their hair color. :)

Since 1998?, still Susan in IL.

from the high school board and there are more high school boards still available. http://www.wtmboards.com/HSboardAug092007/index.html

like there are certain grades where the amount of work given by the schools is outrageous. I do remember when both ds's were in 6th, it was project after project after project. We called them parent projects since many of the tasks were not able to be done without parental involvement. The same thing in 8th but at that point, they were also trying to cram in as much work as possible for state testing and high school prep (woefully inadequate). You might want to consider doing the bulk of your afterschooling in the summer. Work on weak areas, field trips for science or history that are more along the "fun" lines. The teach them when they aren't looking method. It keeps them busy too. What area do you want to afterschool? Math, History, etc.? Hope this helps.

I did Alg. 1, Geometry, and Alg. 2/Trig at home then he took Pre-Calc (11th) and AP Calc (12th) at the local ps. They took my word for it, no proof of anything, no testing.

I answered based on what happened to a friend in a similar situation. She was the part-time one and had seniority. She was very similar in her personal situation as your B. She was given the option to either go full time or quit. If she quit, then they would have replaced her with a full time person. She chose to go full time.

or at least have a clue about how you feel if they saw or heard any problems he caused. Tell them the truth but not all the gory details. If they ask, more detailed questions, answer honestly. Do it in a way so you are not passing judgement on him, just relaying facts of the situation. If they don't ask now, they might later when they start maturing more. I have had to act in a similar manner (but the person didn't die).

Is two full time enough? If so, then based on seniority, give the part-timer a chance to go full time and cut C. If that is not possible for B, then eliminate the part time position. If two are not enough, then cut the last one hired. You can't take into account personal issues, too much potential for a lawsuit. A few months ago, my BIL bumped someone at another location based on seniority. That is the only way to do it. Good luck.

At almost 21 and almost 16. :lol: You should hear them in the car - it is constant. Goofy sounds, shooting, planes, whatever they can think of. They see something and then start making goofy noises. Mine are only together now when the oldest is home from college. I miss the noise sometimes and just smile when they are doing it now. Enjoy it. :D

Thanks for all the info. He isn't really sure yet but I don't want to him to have to stress if that is what he decides. He will major in international business/relations or something along those lines. Possibly looking at Law School. I think he wants to keep playing and do things like weddings, small gigs, etc. He definitely is not professional material. He is thinking about going to a camp this summer and maybe that will help him decide. I'll talk with his teacher too about it. Thanks!!

Sounds promising. I will ask about them. Thanks!

CRT? The idea sounds great!

Are they GP? Were they custom made for you?

Ds (10th) told me a week ago that he is interested in minoring in music performance or music ed. I have gone to some college websites and know the music required for majors but they don't say anything about minors other than they have to audition. I have no idea what all is involved with auditions. I know that several of you have dc that are majoring in music perf. and have btdt. How long ahead of time did your dc start working on the audition pieces? If you made a CD or DVD, did you make it in a practice room or an auditorium or home? Does the child need to know piano for music ed.? Those of you who have dc in college now, have your dc said anything about others who are minoring in music performance? We will be looking at schools in the midwest if you have any suggestions. Any advice? TIA!

When I turned 40 (a long time ago), I had to start wearing glasses to read. My distance vision is 20/15 in one eye, 20/20 in the other. I do have a slight astigmatism and am at +1.75. A couple years ago, I tried the progressive bifocal (concentric circles) contacts. I tried one in my dominant eye, one in my non-dominant, and in both. I loved the fact I could read without digging out my glasses. I absolutely hated what it did to my distance vision. At night, lights had halos and I just felt totally uncomfortable driving. I gave up. I really want to try them again and know there are different kinds on the market. Before I call the dr., I am looking for advice. Anyone have experience with these? Opinions? Thanks!!

I hated history in school, both high school and college. Did what I had to and that was it. I am reading Guns, Germs, and Steel now and as soon as I finish, ds (10th grade) will begin. You might also want to pursue something along the lines of Human Geography. The texts by DeBlij are pretty good and even though most are AP or college, most 9th graders can understand it. I had ds start on that over the summer between 8th and 9th. It is part of his summer reading and enrichment (he is in ps) so it will take him a couple summers to get through it. http://he-cda.wiley.com/WileyCDA/HigherEdTitle/productCd-0471679518.html Hope this helps.

Put on your answering machine the hours of school and when phone calls will be returned. Businesses do that, so can you.

Be careful here - generation skipping tax. We told my MIL not to create anything like that. We have friends who had to pay mucho dinero when the grandparent set up funds to go directly to the grandkids. Mommylawyer may be able to give you more insight. Next time you are there (and your sis is too), start taking pictures of the inside of the house. Tell her you are going to make a scrapbook so you will be able to look at it years down the road and remember. Also so your kiddos remember. :D

Yes, corn on the cob, carrots, gummi bears, tootsie rolls, turtles, popcorn, and all the hard, crunchy, or sticky things that you didn't while being a good patient. But, be careful of the lbs....:lol:

The advice I can give you (and this is JMHO) -- We went on visit days. When visiting colleges, keep many of your opinions to yourself. Whether it is the condition of the dorm, the friendliness (or not) of the staff, the great reputation of the school, the cost, etc. Try not to inject your standards or values on your child. Let them get a feel for whether or not they will be comfortable there, academics, student life, location, etc. They are going to be the one attending the school. Personally, I knew immediately which one he would end up at but I kept quiet. I think hsers know their kids pretty well and know which ones would be right. They often know which one is the right fit. Right off the bat, we ruled out huge state universities because that size of school is not a good fit no matter how good the program. My ds stood on one campus and said "I feel at home here". I bit my tongue (and if you knew me, you would know that is very hard for me to do), knowing we had 2 more colleges to visit. After we had visited all of them, I told him I was willing to go back to any or all of them if it would help. He (on his own which shocked me) made out a pro/con list and then ranked them based on his feelings. We then discussed them and I offered my impressions after he told me his. There were 5 on the list. College #5 was ruled out because it in Chicago. #4 was totally indifferent and was big into greek life and Div. I sports which neither interested ds. #3 was actually the one with the nicest staff, actively pursued him through numerous phone calls both from admissions and students. It was ruled out because it was too far and too rural. #2 and #1 were very, very close. We planned to revisit both. When we went back to the one where he said he was at home, he attended a couple classes (I went shopping) and that sealed it for him. Also, if cost is a factor and your dc are interested in a very expensive school, make sure they know what you will or will not pay for. A friends ds (not hsed) applied and was accepted to both Wesleyan and Northwestern ($40K+) and those were her top two choices. Her parents had to tell her no, the numerous scholarships she received did not make up enough of the difference they could afford. She is happy elsewhere but not at any of the schools her parents suggested. Hope this helps.