The hospital wants to get paid. There's always room for negotiation directly with them. And I'm so sorry about this! Majorly frustrating.

I like to have both for CE. The teacher's book shows the answers for the crosswords, analogies, etc. So if you only had the teacher's edition, you would not be able to use the crosswords, for instance. It also includes quizzes for each lesson, and I like to use those.

Yes, learn French. While I have nothing against learning Spanish, French has many of the same advantages and even has an edge over Spanish in some areas. 1- French is a research language, meaning that it is used for publications in an academic setting. So is German, English is a huge one. Spanish, not as much as the others. 2- Literature. So much great stuff in French. 3- All continents have a country with French as an official language. 4- It's in second place as the most-learned second language in the world. Meaning that with English and French, you can get by in a lot of places. 5- Culture. She loves it already, and any good French program is going to teach about the culture of France (and sometimes Quebec and Africa) as well as the language. 6- English literature often uses French terms, so it will support her literature studies at some point. 7- Ballet, music (it's an operatic language as are German and Italian, Spanish isn't as much), cooking. I could go on. My mother is a French teacher, so I'm pulling some facts from memory of many conversations. But the basic point is, French is useful. Do the language she loves.

Lost Tools of Writing - it's designed as a 28ish week program but could be accelerated. It starts with a very simple essay and moves on from there - it's excellent at helping students internalize how to find topics and subtopics for essays and how to organize an essay.

A communication book is a great idea. And I'd just decide on a couple of signs you want to use and look them up. It's not about using real sign language at this point. It makes sense to start from a real sign, but a simplified version will work. A sign the baby makes up will work. Anything that baby can and will use. Just model the sign every time you say the word. I usually include a lot of signs from the beginning with my kids, but since you have a specific need, you might start with just the urgent ones. Of course, this will work best if the family is also supporting the sign language and/or the communication book.

This.

Honestly, you could start with pre-cooked chicken strips. Chop them and throw them in whatever. They're expensive but if you're only cooking meat for yourself, it would make sense. Another way to ease into eating chicken is crock pot cooking. Chicken tortilla soup or BBQ chicken, maybe. Cook some boneless breasts or thighs slowly in a soup or sauce then shred. Easy.

Throw them in the oven over a bed of quinoa and chicken stock. Cover it while it's cooking. We like mushrooms, squash and zucchini grilled. Usually put the mushrooms on skewers. Then serve it with bread and salad. Either of those I'd serve with fish, too. Usually salmon on the grill or in the oven. And yes to fajitas! Always popular.

OP, your one good thing is huge! Congrats!

Jos. A Banks or Brooks Bros. Pricier than the others mentioned, but worth it for us. They last and have non-wrinkle options.

Yes! To The Philadelphia Story and the Thin Man movies. I think Bringing Up Baby is an even easier b&w comedy to get into, so add that to the list. The Absent-minded Professor got a lot of laughs here. We're working through some of the suggestions in The Best Old Movies for Families by Ty Burr.

For many people, the level they achieve in high school is as far as they will progress on the instrument. So I'd think about it in terms of adult playing - does she play well enough to confidently try out for a community orchestra, for instance? Does she know how to learn a piece independently? Can she work her own fingerings, bowings and interpretations? It sounds like she might be able to do all that already - I don't regret quitting cello lessons and orchestra during my senior year of high school. I wasn't passionate about it, and I play well enough to use it. But I grew so much as a pianist during my last couple of years at home. So I can see an argument for both sides, for sure!

I don't really have anything to add, except that a kid of mine was crying recently because she was worried that if she played Risk with the family, she'd win again and her older brother would be mad at her. 😂 We had a nice little lesson about the consequences of being a poor winner or loser: no one wants to play with you!

Huh. My feed is mostly full of pictures of my friends' moms. Which makes me feels guilty for not having a childhood pic with my mom scanned and ready. I love Halloween on FB. Also back-to-school pics. Not so much Mother's Day, Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day. (wait, you made your kids a scavenger hunt to find the pot of Rolos? Ugh.)

Everything that others have said, plus I'd switch him to only high-fiber foods that promote good bowel movements. It'll help it along now and keep things moving in the days after he has a bm. No: cheese, refined flours, white rice, bananas, potatoes, applesauce, etc. Yes: most fresh fruit and veg, raisins, shredded wheat, Fiber One products, juice, etc.