I'm leaning toward this, except that if she has 80 families attending I wouldn't ask anyone to bring a dish to feed 80. I would think a smaller number would suffice so there's variety but no one feels the pressure to feed everyone their dish. Wait I'm confused. Maybe you mean each category combined equals the number of people attending and I'm just not computing today.

These seem like extremes lol I wouldn't want to ask families to bring a main dish and a side/dessert. That seems like an awful lot of work for each family but maybe that's just me. And a bunch of people just bringing chips sounds like something you definitely want to avoid lol. Perhaps some guidelines sent via email or on the website would help, but I don't know if you can add all that info. Like "dessert to feed X number" so they don't show up with just 12 cookies.

I remember you discussing baptism in another thread, but don't remember what the outcome was... baptism included in Mass or not? That may or may not affect how hungry people are afterwards :laugh: They may not eat beforehand and be ready for a late lunch. I'd consider the restaurant as a place for a meal if everyone is starving. Otherwise, I'd consider asking to use the parish hall and just having something simple set up. You can probably give the parish a small fee/tip for the use. Between our two kids we have done things both ways. We don't live near family but had baptisms done near the family's church rather than our regular one. For me personally the restaurant was a little stressful because of the ages of some of the attendees. Ds' godfather's grandchildren came and they were a bit of a handful. And ds was a baby so we hated going to restaurants at that stage. But I think once the food came out it was okay. You would have more privacy in the church hall if you're concerned about noise disrupting others. We just did a First Communion celebration at the most random place Lol. Our family was staying in a hotel and Mom can't go out easily and doesn't like to eat in public (she has Parkinson's). So we ended up bringing pizzas to the hotel and they let us use the lobby. It actually worked out perfectly.

I don't think they have ever seemed like they were right for my body before or after kids. I overlap the seam with panty liners and pads. And what's worse is when the pad has wings and the wings don't line up as well as I'd like because I move the pad forward. TMI but whatever ha

I think ours only sounds when there's been a tornado spotted somewhere. Since I live by a school, we hear announcements over a loudspeaker that accompany sirens sometimes, but it's so garbled I don't know what they are saying most of the time! Occasionally I will hear, "this is a test. This is only a test" or whatever, but the testing sounds are a little different I think and not done during a storm lol. We have these alerts on our cell phones that say "watch" and stuff. I don't know if mine is updated or how I even get them. Maybe dh set it up. I try to read the phone messages to see which type of thing is happening if I'm not sure what's going on.

I'm not 100% sure if I understand. I usually get something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sky-Monthly-Planner-19556/dp/B01GPHA3YO/ref=sr_1_11?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1494497109&sr=1-11&keywords=planner. For me that's a decent amount of writing space. It doesn't have 18 months, though. Just says it has a few bonus monthly pages. I don't really understand the Erin Condren planner craze. I have a friend that got one. She decorates pages with stickers and stuff. For me personally that's a lot of work and can sometimes make the pages really cluttered looking. To each their own, though.

:grouphug: I don't know if this will help at all but I've heard that going outside in the morning helps us "reset" (like if our nights/days are confused. This applies to the jetlag as well).

This reminds me of those tv shows like Everybody Loves Raymond. I barely watched the show, but I was under the impression that they really don't have outside friends, just interact with family. So I think depending on who you ask, this may be common. Now the blunt talk... that is more than just blunt, that's plain rude. I can be very blunt with my own family and sometimes say things dh wouldn't say to his own family. They gave us these really expensive car mats one Christmas. The one for the backseat did not fit. Once I realized it I wanted to let them know but didn't know how to do it. Dh basically told me to shut up and just say thank you. But if it was my family they would certainly want to know so they could correct it or get a refund. We're hanging onto gifts that we may never use because his family asks too many questions. As for the mats, I actually did tell my MIL and she went out to the car with me to see for herself. I don't think I upset anyone.

I just want to commiserate! Talking to ds can be like this. me: "What did you get on your vocabulary test?" ds: "I got this in math, this in spelling, this on another spelling test..." "Did you get your vocabulary test back?" "I got this in science. I got the measurements right." Finally says he didn't get the thing back. He will sometimes talk about something with little to no context. Then I get exasperated trying to figure out how to follow his storytelling or getting him to start from the beginning. He's all over the place. He doesn't know what he's talking about sometimes which makes it even more confusing for me. I have to get his teacher or another parent to clarify information sometimes. He told me two times that this "fun in the sun" day was going to be held on a Saturday. On a Friday afternoon after picking him up he tried to convince me to drop him off at the school the next morning. I laughed and said that's not happening. The thing is actually taking place on a school day (like a field day I guess).

Since I have a thing about eyeball injuries (I get freaked out when TV/movies have stuff with eyeballs) that would especially rub me the wrong way. If it was my kid I would have a talk about how you shouldn't make threats and how there are better ways to deal with anger/frustration/etc. Maybe tell them to walk away and not talk to the kid that is bothering them in the moment. But I wouldn't expect a lot of self control at that age. Just remind them that it's not ok to say mean things like that. Remind them if there's a real issue they can get an adult involved. Something like that. I might also ask where he came up with what he said (did he hear it somewhere else or what).

alternatively, you could bring photographs of the builds :) amd yes, I am certain you can find/make inexpensive centerpieces.

In that case I think the Legos would be really neat. I *might* avoid the centerpiece idea for individual tables and just choose one table to showcase them. A table where no one is eating, but just to display items. On the other tables I might opt for a different type of centerpiece. It could be Lego-themed as well. They sell Lego shaped candy that you could put in a jar or something. I don't know if the candy is safe for little kids, though. And if people want to drop off congratulations cards to the graduate, you could have a cardboard box designed to look like a giant Lego with a slit in the top for the cards. Just an idea. You could really run with this theme lol

We use the a/c most of the year. We also have days where we use both the a/c and the heater. I think we ran the a/c this winter because some days it was just that warm. I live in a humid area. We live in an older house, too. Dh and his dad like to run the a/c at specific times to supposedly cut down on costs. I don't really like the method as I get cold easily and have trouble dealing with the a/c being on a X time to prevent needing it on at Y time. Dh likes to run ceiling fans a lot. They give me a chill. I don't know how to answer your question haha but basically unless it's really cold outside you can assume we're probably using our a/c. We also have some thermal curtains. Part of the answer to the question will depend on if you're walking into the house from being outside long. If I had just gone on a walk I might want the a/c on even if the house was at 78. I don't know.

:laugh:

I was thinking more along the lines of the person's individual fears/comfort level. I am not ashamed of liking superheroes but I might not choose a superhero theme for an event where I am going for a sophisticated atmosphere (which may or may not be the case here at this graduation event). That may be a bad example, but I was just trying to think of the guest of honor's wishes as it was unclear to me if the guest wanted their work displayed at all. If there were people attending that might be professional networking acquaintances I might not want everyone in full cosplay garb, YKWIM? As for the OP, if you really want to display them, maybe you can find some clear plastic boxes to put over them. I'd say that sends a message "do not touch" but someone could still potentially pick them up.

I think this is the recipe dh uses: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/15004/award-winning-soft-chocolate-chip-cookies I don't always like soft cookies, but I liked these.

Have you asked your son? Is he proud of them or will he be embarrassed? Just because, you know, maybe there's a girl he likes attending or people he wants to look more adult around and would worry how it would reflect. I'm sorry, I don't really know what a graduation open house is... is this for a whole group and not for a particular graduate? And the theme is just going to have something to do with Legos? If it's for a whole group then I would just think about what I think would be a good theme to appeal to the majority I guess... or whatever is easiest? lol

Apply if you're interested. You might be more reliable than the younger ones (who want to request Friday night off, etc.). I have worked a handful of times in our local textbook store and not all the employees are young. Some were college students and some were not.

I hear you. I called ds' school to check on the time frame of the awards ceremony they are having. They couldn't tell me how long it would last but that it apparently starts an hour earlier than the email said. What??

I want to balance out some of my other comments. I was not suggesting that people can't die of any age. I was not saying people are better off not born because they didn't get to grow up with grandparents or maybe parents, but just that it's something to consider. Some of us that did grow up with grandparents can't imagine giving that up if given a choice. But obviously there are no guarantees that the families will live close together or that they will die later in life. My parents came to see me this weekend and we're going to my grandma's funeral in a couple of days. She was my last living grandparent and I'm blessed she lived as long as she did. I never met her husband, he died before I was born. I want to mention some of the positives of being young and having older parents. There are times dh and I can help my parents and we are happy to do so. And since my older siblings never had children, we were able to give them grandchildren and even though my mom couldn't really interact with the kids I know she was very excited to become a grandma (Dad was probably happy to become a grandpa, too).

We can't put this all on the shoulders of parents requiring bonding time, either. I think a lot of it is personality. I don't know if I'm reading into this too much but it seems like you're saying that you're happy you had your daughter despite the fact that her dad might not get to be with her after college. Well, of course most parents would say that they are happy they have their child. I'm not sure how that reflects how it affects the child, though. Will it be tough on a child if they don't have a father to walk them down the aisle or if their kids never meet their grandparents? I mean these are all the things that run through my mind. I admit there are times I've regretted being born, thinking I'm just a burden to my parents in their older age as they have bailed me out financially in tough times and when I come over with the grandkids it's stressful to them maybe more so than enjoyable. I usually just stay at my in-law's home in their town and only swing the kids by for brief visits. I don't know how old dd would have to be in order for me to drop the kids off there. It's like Christmas is a chore to them and we're going through the motions for the kids. I feel kind of bitter sometimes.

Does she get food benefits? WIC or SNAP? Depending on where you live, SNAP may or may not charge you tax when you use a coupon. If it doesn't charge you that would make couponing more useful. If it does, she could still coupon but would need to be prepared to pay tax on those items. Overall it would help stretch the money. If you have a group like St. Vincent de Paul they may be able to help with utilities. You could look into that. I don't know who else does but I saw upthread you have other choices (depending on where you live I guess). Agree about finding out about the school meals. Might even apply to summer or something?? Useless advice/comments? Well anything of the nature that assumes I have money to get to X to do Y (because we need a sitter and/or gas money) or that my food benefits cover my entire grocery bill. They didn't. And people still need to buy other essentials like toothpaste, diapers, feminine hygiene products, toilet paper, etc. Mostly the annoying thing was people acting like it was easy to get a job (either for dh or a better one for myself) when we had to juggle the childcare. Or having people say, "it's not that expensive" and disregard my worry about swiping my card to buy items because they have no idea how worried I am about spending money on that snack at work when I forgot to bring food from home. Or not understanding why I didn't want to buy food a X instead of Y. It's because X takes my EBT card and Y doesn't. What is the condition of her vehicle? That could be another concern of hers. When we were on really hard times we had a car that had issues which added to problems like making me late for work.

I remember screaming and crying over my mom doing my hair when I was younger. I avoid brushes as they make my hair frizzy. I do like the detangling combs like these: http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0882/6874/products/BEAUTY-91_grande.gif?v=1437421435 I would also suggest making sure she is using a conditioner (stand alone conditioner rather than a 2 in 1 product. My hair always feels like it still needs conditioner if I use a 2 in 1). Maybe even a leave in conditioner. Have you ever asked her to brush/comb it herself? Maybe she can show you the "right" amount of pressure she likes or do it herself if you make her. I like the headband idea or easy haircut where it stays out of her face. Does she have a favorite interest/character so you could get an accessory for her hair with that?? If it was a fun accessory she might be more willing to keep it in her hair.

You said upthread that you keep tissues in your purse. What about her? Does she keep some on her person? I would have her keep them in her own pocket/purse. Ds keeps getting a runny nose in public. I try to keep tissues but sometimes I run out in my purse and we're inside a store when it happens. This literally happened yesterday. There was a whole box inside the car, but neither of us thought to take any inside. Suddenly his nose started running and he was kinda freaking out like oh no I need a tissue right.this.second. I had him rush to the bathroom (he was walking funny, tilting his head lol) and instructed him to get extra tissue to keep in his pocket. And that's not even a bloody nose, just runny. So I can totally imagine how a child might react. It happens almost every time we're in Mass!! lol. Right there in the church pew. It's like, "not again!!" haha.

I thought of that, too. But then I also thought, when someone gives birth they might not have any idea what their schooling plans will look like down the road. My kids have a six year gap and I worry about that sometimes. I wasn't ready for another one sooner, though.