We've bought the tickets. I now need to decide if it is worth paying extra for a pre-booked seat. The flight is in a few weeks, and so far available pre-booked seats are about 30% filled and I expect the flight to be full. We have learned from prior experience that we will probably have to check-in at the airport rather than online 24 hours prior to present visas at the desk (so will be some of the later passengers booking in as making the trip to the airport and back the night before won't be feasible). Dh is not being very helpful as he says he doesn't really care where he sits.

I know I'd need to get up to go to the bathroom a few times during the flight and I'd feel awkward waking someone up to do so (it is a night flight).

It's an international flight. The plane is likely to be very crowded at the time of year and day of the week. International tickets (converted - US$1500 for two). 2 - 4 - 2 configuration. ETA: Lufthansa/ Swiss Air

I definitely prefer isle seats and would prefer dh to be sitting next to me on a 12 hour flight, but is it really worth the 10% additional cost it would add to our flights? What would you do?

I was on a training course last week as part of a qualification that I'm doing through a state university. They included some equine therapy and it was a revelation to me how outcome driven I am and how difficult I find it to stay in the moment. The focus of the exercises were to build rapport and connection with the horses and that takes patience and just being quiet with them, without timelines or delivering a product. Eta: so maybe just sit with the boredom and really feel your body, breathing, random thoughts etc. Really lean into it.

Thinking of you Melissa.

Thinking of you Melissa.

Good luck! I hope it sells quickly and at an amazing price!

This is SO true for the corporate I work for. We've had two re-orgs to try and "fix" previous re-orgs and all it does is cause more chaos. None of them were done with proper design or proper change management. So, change just for the sake of it is definitely not always good. On a personal level I think change that one chooses can be very enriching.

I work full time and my whole salary goes to university fees and their living costs so that our kids can graduate debt free.

Agreeing with Regentrude and Peter Pan to slowly declutter what you can now. Even if you can do only one shelf of books or a crate at a time, that's progress. Set up a workstation to list and sell or box for donation as you go along. Do you foresee that you will be stretched to pay your current mortgage from what Dh will be making? It might be worth selling the house now and renting for a while before purchashing a smaller house, but you'd need to carefully evaluate. How urgent is the need for a house with a master bedroom on the main floor? If you foresee that it is imminent, then it might be a good idea to start looking for options sooner rather than later. Would moving in with you be the only reason for your 2nd Dd to move? It does not seem sensible if you foresee downsizing soon anyway.

Another vote for staying close for a few days. Closer even than 3 hours if there are dog-friendly places nearby.

In my country the postal system is basically non-functional and all bills are sent via email. Cheques have been phased out (I last wrote one about 20 years ago), so everything is electronic. What works for us is to have a separate email account for all bills. As soon as I receive the bill, I pay it and move the email to its designated folder. I also make a copy of the proof of payment from my banking app and send it to myself to go into the folder. That way I know exactly what's outstanding in the inbox and have records in the folders. We also have automated payments for all fixed monthly amounts like insurance, school fees, etc. Whatever is needed for tax purposes is also kept electronically. I do make a regular backup of the mail folder.

Sending good thoughts and hope his medical team figures it out soon.

Thinking of you and hoping for a speedy recovery for Twin 1!

We grew up living two doors down from one set of cousins and 20 min from the other. We were in each other's lives all the time. We all get on, but my siblings live all over the world. Dh is an only child. My kids have grown up knowing only our nuclear family and the very occasional family holiday with one set of cousins. It is sad that they don't have those connections.

Thinking of your son and you Melissa and hoping for the best

Here they put you out on the street. My mil was not able to go home and we needed to take leave from our jobs for a few weeks to care for her 24/7 while frantically finding her a place in a nursing home. Thankfully we were able to find a place and were able to afford it.

That is very common here. You often see a troupe of dancers, in costume, faces sometimes made up, who have a complete routine going to entertain motorists while the traffic light is red. I prefer to give them something vs the regular beggars we also have at every intersection. Eta: here's a YouTube link And another

Youngest went to university this year, so we have an empty house. I will continue to work full-time to pay for the kid's studies. I enrolled for an Advanced Certificate in Financial Coaching in preparation for my encore career when I retire from corporate life. I've also started art classes. If money were no object I'd be traveling around the world on the 5-year world tour.

Entertaining of guests Sleepovers Bathroom use (including use of towel rails, storage space) Kitchen use (cooking time, meals, cleanup, food storage) Cleaning expectations (communal areas, own room, bedding, oen washing, etc) Use of outside areas Use of parking Utilities and wifi Length of agreement and notice period.

What is it that you think you "should" be doing? If you are tired of traveling and have the option to rest and just have time out to recharge, then allow yourself that indulgence. You will have the energy to do all of the "shoulds" with renewed vigor later.

Travel writer Eta: Now that we're empty nesters I'd love to have the opportunity for a few years of sponsored travel!

Couldn't have said it better.

Background: I was born into a healthy, functioning family. My widowed paternal grandmother immigrated with two small children after WWII and she made a living doing secretarial work and later as a matron of a university residence. At age 70 Oma single-handedly built her own one-bedroomed house! There was never any doubt in my mind that girls could do anything they set their minds to and could look after themselves. My mother's family were also immigrants and had a similarly stoic attitude to life. Events and choices: My mom died when I was 18 and that changed a lot. I looked after my younger sisters for 4 months out of six while my father was at sea. Then about 18 months later, he met and married his wife. She was somehow jealous of me and to keep the peace I was asked to no longer come home. I was in my final year of a 3-year commerce degree at the time, which I was going to follow up with a math teaching certification. I finished the commerce degree and then decided to change course completely and study engineering for another four years. I think part of that decision was just to find stability for a while and stay in the student town. I don't think I'd have done it if my mom was still alive. Luck: I was able to put repayments of the student loan for the first degree on hold and got a bursary from a good company for my engineering studies. I am still with this corporate nearly 30 years later. Some managers were great, others not so great, but I've had fantastic opportunities along the way and honestly have never felt that my gender was an issue. I was able to work part-time for many years while we homeschooled (even in operations where it had not been allowed before). Its also where I met my husband. Our marriage has not been without challenges, mainly due to ill health, but we are a good team and have wonderful kids. We've been really lucky to have good employment and having been able to save. Personality: As the death of my mom happened in young adulthood, this shaped a lot of my personality. The worst things emotionally had already happened and I had survived, so I knew I could make it on my own. As an adult I've always been confident in my own abilities and I know that we will make a plan and I believe that things will work out.