My dd did two of the creative writing courses last year. We really liked them. The explanation given by Tess is the same as what we experienced as far as how the classes were organized and graded. I plan on having dd take their poetry course this year.

Yes! Uppercase Living sounds correct. I wondered if they were out of business which is kind of funny since quotes seems to be the big decorating trend right now or at least is where I live.

It doesn't look like this company does custom but something like this is what we are looking for. JIN-I have never ordered anything from Etsy. Not sure if I've ever even been to their site. I will check it out later though.

Thank you to everyone who recommended we stay at the Drury Inn in Fairview Heights. It ended up being the perfect location and we found it easy to make trips back and forth to our hotel during the day if needed.

My dd has a cool quote she would like on her wall. We do not want to paint it on. Years ago there use to be a MLM where you could order quotes but I cannot for the life of me remember their name. Does anyone remember this company and what their name is or know of another online company that does the same thing? We are just looking for simple black lettering but want the option of being able to change the font style and letter size.

I ended up booking a room at the Drury Hotel in Fairview Heights. Thanks everyone!

Oh my gosh. We would not be driving back and forth during the day to eat. We will definitely be taking a cooler of food with us. Restaurants are for dinner. I assume Fairview Heights is on the Illinois side??? I will look into it. Thanks

thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into them. Yes, gluten is an issue and we are vegan. A Chipotle is nearby is a must have.

We are traveling to St. Louis in a couple of weeks, and I am in need of hotel recommendations. We will spending the weekend watching racing at Gateway Motorsports Park Race Track which I believe is technically in Illinois but I prefer to stay on the Missouri side. We will be coming from the west on I70. I am traveling alone with my two teenagers. Due to multiple food allergies, I need the hotel to be close to a Chipotle, Chik-fil-A, and Red Robin is possible. Chipotle for sure. Anyone know of a good moderately priced hotel in the area? Something along I70 would be awesome if the restaurants are close. TIA!

Thank you for suggestion. I booked a room at this hotel. It was close to everything we needed.

Dd16 has finished Algebra 1 and made it halfway through Algebra 2 using Math Relief. Algebra 1 was okay but 2 has been a struggle. She does extremely well while working through the new lessons and scores well on daily papers and tests. The problem is when she comes back to that concept a month later as the math is building, she cannot remember how to do it. When this happens, she becomes extremely frustrated, cries, and carries on about how stupid she is (which she is not). Like so many others, we have tried every different math curriculum out there. Math Relief caused the least amount of frustration. She will be in 11th grade this year and her passion is music. She will very likely not be attending a four year college if she has it her way. Community college or trade school possibly but she doesn't even want to do that at this point. I'm over math. She's over math. We are thinking for next year we would like to try some kind of consumer math (or something) that makes sure she understands all the basics of math that she will use in life. Her senior year, I am going to have her do an accounting course because as a former CPA everyone should have a basic understanding of accounting IMHO. And it's fun. ? Does anyone have any recommendations for a math program that is painless and can be completed independently? Or other suggestions? We know the ACT math is going to be an issue and we will practice for that separately. Suggestions for that welcome as well. (No state requirements we have to worry about)

Lol. No museums. Or amusement parks. Rock climbing sounds awesome!

My dd and I are going to be there later in the month for a concert at Red Rock Amphitheatre. We are looking for recommendations for a hotel to stay at and things to do. Bonus points if the hotel is close to a Chipotle and/or Red Robin as I have to eat gluten free (or other local GF restaurant options). We are looking for fun things to do that are not learning related. We just want to have fun this trip. ? Dd is 16 so nothing geared towards younger kids either. Indoor or outdoor activities. She did mention maybe a cave if close by. However, it will be a rather quick trip so I prefer not to travel down to Colorado Springs or to far from Denver. TIA!

I ended up ordering through Vividseats. It was pretty pricey in the end but we are in the 5th row and hopefully the seats will be somewhere close to the center. Either way, my dd and I have will have a great time jamming out! lol Thanks for the feedback.

I double checked and the TM tickets are actually resale tickets as well.

Has anyone purchased concert tickets from either of these online sites? How has your experience been? Good idea or bad idea? I am looking to buy concert tickets in the next state over at an amphitheater I have never been too. The sites will list the row numbers but not the actual seat numbers. The tickets listed are $50+ cheaper than the last two seats available through Ticketmaster in row 7. Seats on these sites are in similar rows and areas. Do I chance it or pay the extra money through Ticketmaster?

Dd hates math. We have tried about every program out there. I think part of the problem is I just do not do a good job of teaching math. She has made it through Algebra I using Math Relief and half way through Algebra II with the same program. The problem is, I'm not sure that she actually retains anything. She does great on all the daily assignments and tests but she is unable to bring the conceptions back into new lessons that occur a few weeks later. Needless to say, all of this math drama causes her to feel like she is stupid-which she is not-and creates a lot of self doubt that is unnecessary. I always tell her the problem isn't her but a bad teacher (me). She loves music and is likely not headed into any kind of a career where she is going to need to know how to do advanced math. So, I am feeling like we need to just move on. She can take the courses at a community college should she ever need them for a future career. I would like to assess where she is at skill wise and find a program that will allow us to just work on any gaps she has in basic math skills if she has any (I don't think she does). Otherwise, I would just like to spend next year reinforcing basic algebra and geometry skills. Any suggestions on how/where to assess where she is at currently? Any suggestions on a general overall math program that will hit the basics but not be to boring. I would like to really work on word problems and every day math skills (% discounts, etc)?

Do you have specific poetry courses you could recommend? I shared the Coursera course with her to look at.

My daughter would like to learn how to write song lyrics. Has anyone found any good online programs for this that do not cost a fortune? I would think poetry would be a good place to start but she didn't like the idea of taking just a poetry course. So a course that would sneak the poetry in would probably be a good choice. Looking for any suggestions. Thanks

Thanks everyone! I will just send the announcement and not stress about stating "No party".

My son is graduating in a couple of weeks from public school. He has decided that he does not want to have a party for various reasons. I would still like to send out graduation announcements for him. My question is...Is it tacky to put somewhere on the announcement something like "XXXX has elected not to have a party. Well wishes me be sent to (insert address)" I'm not trying to troll for money for him but I do think it would be nice if he still receives cards congratulating him (with or without money). I just don't know what the proper procedure is for this. Or do I just send a card announcing his graduation and not put anything else on them? (I also don't want people to think they were excluded from a party that we are not having).

Wow! That's impressive on the second picture!

It needs more editing than what I can do through Photos.

I have 3-4 photos that I need to edit. I need to remove the shadows and brighten them up a little. Any free recommendations I can find online to do this? I'm using a Mac computer. Thanks.

You state your Dad has issues with gluten and lactose. So, are you saying that your Dad is being told that he needs to go completely dairy free or lactose free? There is a difference. There are all kinds of milk products on the market that are specifically lactose free including milk, butter, and ice cream. He can even take Lactaid before eating dairy and that will help with the tummy/reflux issues associated with lactose. If he is being told that he needs to be dairy free, then he needs to switch to almond, rice, pea or some other milk substitute.