We took my dd yesterday. Yesterday morning, I posted a baby pic of her on FB. That was stupid b/c then I couldn't stop crying! I had to go in the bedroom for a while so dd wouldn't know what a mess I was. (I didn't want to ruin it for HER!) Anyway I pulled myself together and we had a nice afternoon, unpacking stuff in her dorm & having drinks in the campus coffee shop. Hubby met us for dinner (did I mention her school is only 2 counties over from us?) and the welcome speech from the honors program director. This morning I am feeling a bit lost on a more practical level - who will do the sweeping? That has been her chore for about 6 years! We seem to have acres of tile flooring. :blink:

Not just controversial topics. I can't believe the hyper-sensitivity and snide comments on the current postal service thread. :confused:

My ds took 2 years to finish RS levels 1-5 (8th and 9th grade) and got credit for German 1. At the end of the school year, as he was finishing level 5, he took Oklahoma State's placement test for German 2 and got about a 50%. So he started in their German level 1. It is fairly easy for him as he does have the RS background in vocab, pronunciation, etc., but he was sorely lacking in grammar. We plan for him to finish it quickly (he often does 2 lessons a day) so that he can start in level 2 by the end of September and get credit for German 2 in 10th grade. I am not a Rosetta Stone fan for high school credit. I think it's a good introduction and gives some conversational ability.

I really like Girl with a Pearl Earring - it's one of my favorite books. But I wouldn't assign it to a 10 yo or even 14yo. It's more about the inner life of the main character than it is about the historical setting (although the author does a marvelous job w/ the setting). It also has some mature themes (s*xual). I think 16 & up would enjoy this book - I also think girls would enjoy it more than boys; I suggested that my 17yo dd read it last year but I don't think I'll ever suggest it to my ds.

Seems like it! My dd is moving on Aug 15; I am going to torture myself and watch Toy Story 3 with her before she goes. The best coming-of-age movie ever. :tongue_smilie:

We are 35 miles from my dd's college, and during commuting hours she'd have to allow more than an hour to get there. After considering the dangers of her being on the highway every day, and doing the math on commuting costs versus dorm, we decided to have her live on campus. The commuting costs we figured in were gas, a 5-meal caf plan, a parking pass, and a small amount for wear & tear on the car. It came to only about $1500/year less than the cost of living on campus. And that's before we buy her a car! After factoring in the cost of a car, it would be way more expensive for her to commute than to live on campus.

We have a loveseat that has stood up well to 3 years of moderate use. I am surprised because the wood frame is very lightweight but it seems very sturdy. I have washed the slipcovers once and they came out looking great.

Well, after reading the different opinions, I am more conflicted than ever! And to make the decision harder...I was going to go with Virgin Mobile's $25/mo plan. In the last week they raised it to $35/mo. :( Still way better than my current $65/mo which is AT&T's bare-bones messaging & minutes & data.

I *love* my iPhone. But my contract is up next week and I can save anywhere from $25-$40/month if I switch to an Android smart phone with another carrier, depending on the phone and the carrier. I use phone, texting, and basic web-surfing. I also *MUST* have maps/live traffic, and a calendar that I can sync with either my macbook or a PC, and music/audiobooks. So, my question is - has anybody made the switch, and if so, how painful is it? I've read that iCal doesn't sync well with Android phones so I'd need a new calendar - google maybe? Also, how does sync-ing music/audiobooks work? I've never used anything but iTunes. It looks like I can sync w/iTunes but have to buy an Android app to do it. Any advice/experience?

Dave says the emergency fund is NOT an investment. So your choices are a bank account, money market account, or as CatMom said, a gun safe. :)

Me, too. I regret *not* attending 3 funerals that I can think of - I don't regret attending any that I did.

We are so lucky to have EXCELLENT free and cheap entertainment in Southern California. Yes, there are overpriced events - I posted a couple of months ago about how much it would cost our family to go see Journey and sit on the GROUND! But we have free Shakespeare by several companies (we usually see 2 plays). There are free outdoor concerts - this summer we have already seen country and classical and surfer 60s rock (at 3 different venues). And we have a service called Goldstar that sells half-price tickets to many events - it's nationwide but only in certain cities so you might want to see if they have anything in your city. Also talk to people in your area, and check the newspaper or online for free/cheap events. I feel your pain and hope you get to do some fun stuff with your family!!

It depends on the kid. Not every boy who plays FPS games turns violent or aggressive in real life. My 15yo has played these games for years, and he is not violent, aggressive, profane, etc. at all IRL.

This is what I've done over the years; asked for zoo memberships & such from the grandparents. So I guess Christmas is a homeschool fundraiser. :) We've been in a couple of homeschool activities that have done fundraising, but we've never participated. I hate being asked to buy over-priced wrapping paper, so why would I try to sell it to others?

Oh, I like the More with Less suggestion. But I also recommend any of the Taste of Home annuals for good, basic recipes that don't require fancy ingredients.

I voted "yes". I had my teen ds unfriend my 47yo brother because of foul stuff brother was posting - they had been FB friends and talked about computers & such. Because brother is a strange, sad, soul and I didn't want to totally reject him - I decided not to unfriend him myself, but hid him from my newsfeed so I don't have to read the profanity. In your case I would try some of the settings options others have recommended, and then unfriend him if that doesn't work.

Faith is referring to a federal tax on sales.

I am searching for a doctor and found one whose self-described office is "emasculate." It made me blush. It would have been truly ironic if he were a urologist, but no. :D

Be thankful it's whispering. My dad has taken to speaking very loudly about others in front of them, referring to "the fat girl" etc. I don't want to go out in public with him anymore!

My dh and I love Dr Harley...we read his book about 16 years ago and agree that it saved our marriage from ourselves. I'm not familiar with his website or advice on what happens after an affair, but I highly recommend reading His Needs, Her Needs for any couple who wants a stronger marriage.

Wow, they must have changed things over the years - or UT is more restrictive than A&M. I have a cousin who graduated from Texas A&M >20 years ago, and she paid out-of-state tuition for her first 3 years - then she got married and automatically got in-state status.

Did you notice the crickets when the interviewer asked about the duct tape? It's like the juror hadn't even thought about it - Golly gee, why would they put duct tape on her? Oh, yeah, it's because that's how they buried their pets!

Yep. I always thought Joran van der Sloot was somehow involved in Natalee Holloway's accidental death. He, too, had a parent help him dispose of the body. But after he murdered Stephany Ramirez it became clear that he's just another sociopath - perhaps Natalee's death was accidental (we'll never know), but he was emboldened by getting away with covering it up. And another girl had to die.

My dd started pointe but after a year or two decided she wasn't interested in pursuing it. I think if she'd stayed in the pre-pro track (Ballet I/II/III etc) it might have been a problem, but she was almost 14 so she started attending an intermediate teen/adult class in which some dancers wore pointe shoes but most did not.

Ours is an '01. We are on our 5th transmission. :blink: The first 2 replacements were covered by Honda. The next one was finally out of their warranty, so we had to pay AAMCO. That one only lasted a month!! But AAMCO gave us a 36k warranty, so they rebuilt it at no cost to us. I really hope we have a new car by the time the 36k is up.