Well maybe you could just expand the ebay thing to make it more your own thing? Make something to sell in addition to whatever you already sell? You said you love it and you're debt free, so it sounds like you could enjoy continuing it. Is there a way to be a middle man? Like help someone else ebay and get part of the profit?

Maybe it's not just a social interaction thing. I trust my eyes more than my ears. I'm a visual learner, I like to see my order in print. In drive-thrus I prefer the ones with the written screen. Not so much if they tell you to pull up before they update the screen, though. Also, it's embarrassing sometimes to be the "annoying" customer that has their order a special way. Might be faster to type it in yourself than tell someone. I am not great with all electronics, but I'm fast on a keyboard. For certain things standing in line waiting on someone else to enter info feels like the scene in Zootopia where the sloth is working at the DMV LOL I don't like it when the scanner isn't in sync with the screen at the store, either. I like to see that the item rang up correctly as it happens.

I could go either way on the thing Sparkly brought up. Sometimes I might feel like her and other times I might find it endearing. I don't like to use the free name labels dh gets. They have just his name. I have our own set of labels with both our names. Kinda related, I hate writing tags on Christmas gifts from the whole family. It's exhausting to write all the names, but feels funny to put The _townwelivein_ Lastname to differentiate us from the other relatives in the room that have the same last name where we all open gifts. Seems like I just copied a trend I saw somewhere along the line and added the kids' names. Example: gift to nephew. From: Uncle hearlikealion, Aunt heartlikealion, cousin (ds) and cousin (dd). Maybe I shouldn't put tags and then just holler, "that's from us!" lol

Was your husband physically gone or in the next room? Either way, he had you to watch the children, right? Some people are trying to take classes online where kids are screaming in the next room or trying to find a babysitter to watch their kids so they can drive to the actual class. These are not all the same and none are particularly easy. I'm thinking of a scenario where Billy can do it, but not everyone is Billy. Let's say the other person is Jane. Maybe Jane is a single mother or a mom that most of the kid stuff falls on the shoulders of. When she comes home from her 8 hour day she has to make dinner, help with homework and get kids ready for bed. Her two hours is gone. It's not that she doesn't want to put in two hours of school stuff, but she has to get some sleep because she has work in the morning. It's physically demanding on her body if she doesn't go to bed. Implying she doesn't want it enough or is lazy is unfair. She might have to wake up early and get kids ready for school, pack lunches, commute to work. We don't know. What I'm saying is life is easier when you don't have a lot of other responsibilities. Not saying your husband didn't have responsibilities, but it kinda reads like he was able to pass a lot on to you in order to concentrate on work and school. Not every person has someone to offer that level of support. Maybe their responsibly isn't children, but an elderly parent. They can't find the two hours after their 8 hour shift because they have to check on Mom and talk to the caregiver. Maybe they can stay awake but mentally cannot focus that late at night. Just so many scenarios I can think of in which it's not realistic. Like my husband requires less sleep than me. So it's not fair to compare his ability to work late and come home and do school work to me doing the same thing. We're not the same person. He can knock out a full paper in a lot less time than I can.

I was working on my degrees while I worked at McD's off/on for years (like when I went away to University I'd come work there at holidays and summers but when I went to community college nearby I worked more hours). I was getting close to moving onto a job in a related field to my degree when Hurricane Katrina hit (I'd had two interviews at a casino but the casino disappeared). I had to move in with a sibling out of state til the dust settled (lost my home and car. Was living with parents before the hurricane destroyed it). Passed the CBEST to substitute in CA but they weren't hiring. Then went back to MS and took whatever I could get because I couldn't afford to stay in CA and my sis didn't really have the space for me. Worked in a day care PT til I found a job working retail FT, then got a job in my field (advertising/graphic design) FT. Met dh along the way. Kept that job til dh and I had to move for his practicum and then I was unable to find work in my field (I made ads and had other tasks at a newspaper for four years). Dh's practicum was unpaid and we were running out of savings. So I went back to cashiering til we moved here for dh's job. Because we are in a rural area where most jobs involve a commute (we have one car but that's not the biggest hurdle), have a toddler and limited daycare options (plus hesitant to put her in daycare), I stay home. I tried working in the local campus textbook store but my availability centered around dh's schedule and they didn't need that many workers so it hardly lasted. But I just (as in this past week) started working at a local newspaper on a trial basis. They are working around my availability and if it works out this will be a PT job in my field. It pays less than I made at the last job in my field but I think it will be a step forward, anyway. It gives me the flexibility to homeschool or not, as dh is home with the kids when I am there. Soooo long story short LOL I just had a chip on my shoulder about all the times I had to go back to square one.

I see a mixture of workers. I just know that the last couple of places I cashiered I felt really awkward because I always feared that people assumed I didn't go to school, including my coworkers. And even now, I don't know if my son's soon-to-be tutor knows I'm college educated. Should it matter? Probably not but it hurts my ego I guess? I'm guilty of having default assumptions about people (subconscious perhaps) in certain jobs. It's icky on either side.

I had actually come back to apologize or edit my post before I saw this. I am sorry. I was rude and defensive. I was just grumpy because I had flashbacks of cashiering where I felt ashamed or embarrassed about what others thought. And that happened again just this year. I am sorry.

Well, you need to get out more. Weird Al was overqualified and couldn't get a job working in fast food. Those educated people that apply or work at fast food places exist. I had my AA and Bachelor's at the end of my time at McD's.

There are challenges to both jobs. The pre-school teacher and the person at the fast food restaurant. And yes, it's very possible both have degrees. I had a degree while I worked at McDonald's and no, I didn't appreciate feeling like people might think I was uneducated just because I was on the other side of the counter.

Not everyone that has a degree did those things. Some people were just a student. Or a student without kids and other big responsibilities while they worked. I wasn't working the whole time I was a student, just part of the time. I can imagine scenarios where someone thinks, "what good is an AA? It won't give me a salary boost where I am and what doors is it going to open?" I never felt like my AA did a whole lot for me. I was working at McDonald's while I was earning it and for a bit after I graduated. I also watched a coworker (in a different job) earn a degree and thought it would give her a bump, but it didn't seem to matter. I wanted to gently tell her, "what made you think it would? It isn't exactly directly related to our job." I don't think all people can manage the same things. Just because Billy can work a job and stay up and do online classes after his shift doesn't mean everyone could handle it. Actually my dh did that (got his master's degree online while watching ds during the day and working PT at night/weekends). Me? I don't think I could have managed. I hate to dismiss it as, "you didn't WANT it enough." It's just really, really demanding and takes a toll on different people to different degrees. And then for what? Sometimes no gain. I think of Jenna Marbles (YouTube star) holding up her seemingly useless Master's degree.

I have never made $15 an hour. All of my jobs, including the ones in my field have been hourly rather than salary. I did earn overtime at one job on a regular basis, though. Here (Mississippi) it would be insane to have a $15/hr min. wage, but in other states maybe it would make sense. Oh and I have been a cashier many times (fast food to retail). Despite that, when I worked somewhere temporarily as a cashier just this year they told us that everyone had to start at min. wage. I can't remember if it was sub. teacher or assistant teacher, but I do recall one of those jobs around here offering $10/hr. I actually worked my tail off in fast food more than I did in some of my other jobs. In some ways that job deserved the better pay lol. I get overwhelmed easily and it was quite difficult to listen to someone give a detailed order in the drive-thru while accepting money from someone at the same time and having a manager remind you of the drive-thru numbers (for those of you that don't know, we were actually timing the line speed all day long).

So all those things are accessible for each grade? I'm looking at the page where they have a bunch of little squares with things like "Power of Flowers" "Waves of Sound" "Spaceship Earth" etc.

Piggy backing on this topic. If you sign up for Mystery Science, do you have to choose the subject(s) or do they automatically assign one based on grade or...? I am viewing the website for the first time and I see a lot of options. I'm a bit overwhelmed, but very interested. My child would be entering 4th grade and we have not been consistent with science programs. Thanks!!

I'd probably do something like this: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Unfinished-Wooden-Christmas-Ornaments-Pack-of-48/33396918 Or those candy canes made of beads. We did that a couple of years ago (tri beads in red and white or clear, pipe cleaner)

I've been tracking Math Mammoth prices for a few weeks. Although MM's homepage has their Thanksgiving sale it actually went on sale cheaper at Currclick recently. I just bought it tonight. Not exactly sure when prices change on that site. (well, at least cheaper for the grade I needed. I don't know about the others)

Someone upthread said that Logan's friends robbed the grocery store. Well, they did throw money so I guess they felt they made up for it. She slept with the wookie in spring, but yeah, that makes sense that it isn't his because she talks about it in fall. I agree, that was why she was asking Christopher about parenthood, but I just wondered if Logan would keep her a secret and send money, etc. I never liked Logan and was happy he was gone at the end of the series so this whole thing with him was a huge disappointment for me. I thought of his friends as an extension of him. I was totally grossed out they were passing back and forth a piece of raw meat LOL Yes, Sherry sounds familiar so it must be a different wife. That totally makes sense. The attitude I'm referring to is when she asked if he was still with her. It wasn't like a solid yes/no, it was more like, "shrug. She'll do." He seemed really unhappy. Like, his life is okay on paper but he's not happy. It was a bit depressing. I wondered if she kept the paper going but it must be time consuming and offered zero pay. I wondered if the other employees were paid at all. She acted like she couldn't find the right time/place to write her book so I wondered if it was just too impractical to keep working on the newspaper. Maybe the Jess/Rory thing wouldn't be totally unheard of, but it just seemed odd to me because I see Luke as sorta a father figure to both of them. Also, I kinda think current Jess deserves better.

I finished this morning and I was so mad. So much ticks me off. I never liked Logan or cared about his "charming" rich friends. What is so likable? I mean I guess running around dressing up and stuff is fun, but they lived so far from earth I was surprised they got so much time in the show (what seemed like a long scene compared to say, Dean). I guess I need to rewatch old eps with Dean because I completely forgot about his family and didn't know who he was naming, etc. I was really lost and need to listen to that all over. Who is the father of Rory's baby? At first I thought "slept with a wookie" meant fell asleep next to a guy in a costume in a line! Not one night stand. So for all we know she's pregnant with random guy's baby. If it's Logan's that isn't great, either. Can you imagine what would happen? I could totally see Logan keeping Rory and the baby a secret and marrying the girl he's with. You know, just send Rory money all the time and meet up with her in private sometimes. Then one day eventually telling his wife the truth. I fast forwarded some stuff. That musical was annoying. I don't know if I missed anything important. Just saw the therapist in line. Was she in the show again after that?? It sounded like Lorelai wrote her off based on a comment she made, but I don't know if we saw her again. I kinda wanted to see Emily begin to learn Spanish (or whatever language they determine the family speaks). I cringed watching the girls poolside. It came across as body shaming to me, at least on some level. Jess and Rory weren't perfect but I felt like Jess (like later in the original show) was a potential good match for her. As I watched this show I realized that Luke and Lorelai would be together so any relationship with Jess would be weird because they'd be cousins? And based on what I read in this thread, Dean is married? I forgot. So that makes sense there's no one left for her from the old cast. What happened to the newspaper after they spent all that time delivering papers? Maybe I fast forwarded again or maybe she's still working there. I just got a bit fuzzy on the details. This is actually kinda funny to me on another level because I used to work at a newspaper and recently started working at one that is the size of the one shown in their town. I don't care for Paris. She's so abrasive/aggressive/bossy. Sometimes I don't mind it, but in this series I didn't like her much at all. I only really enjoyed her when she asked if Rory was with Doyle and when she said her briefcase was empty. The vulnerable side of her I guess. Christopher's attitude toward his wife (??) was icky. I promise, I watched the original show but I don't remember all the names and some stuff. I thought he got married and had a baby with someone else, but maybe they didn't get married. Does Lane have a job? I just saw that she and her husband were still in a band.

I'm pretty sure I missed out on some free shipping at Old Navy (darn, should have tried the Big & Tall sales) but I did just get something from Casual Male XL with free shipping and a coupon code. It's still applicable today.

I wouldn't hesitate to replace a drink I saw spilled if I was working. But as a customer I don't know that I'd necessarily expect it to be replaced... might depend on the exact details. How long had we had the drink? Was my child being very careless? Was it a very expensive drink? A fountain drink? Yeah, I'd expect a replacement from most establishments for at least a fountain drink. But I wouldn't rudely ask for it! I'd explain and hope they didn't mind. Most places offer free refills on those, anyway. Now if I spilled or my child spilled a more expensive drink like a smoothie? I don't know. Probably if we hadn't drank much I'd consider asking for a new one. If they were rude it would really sour my outlook on the place. I really have no room to talk about their behavior, because I'm currently guilty of something right now. I used to work for a place that received discounts from another place. Dh told me a while ago that we're still receiving a discount on this monthly bill. I already told the second place (like immediately after I left the job) that I no longer worked there and they said not to worry, it would probably exit the system soon. So now I feel like I should report myself again. I have to also admit I do get more judgy about some things than others regarding returns. I was appalled when I offered a gift receipt to my SIL and she said she didn't need it because WM would take it if she needed to return it. I told her it wasn't from WM but she didn't seem to think that was a problem...

Haha this topic I do have a couple books I wouldn't prominently display in the living room. We don't currently have bookcases there, anyway. Odds are people aren't going to see them where they are (corner of the office) or I'd move them. I mean, I wouldn't die of embarrassment, but I might not want them to draw attention. Like my books about fertility or self-help books (like a book about boundaries). I used to write my pump log stuff on a pad on the fridge. It might still be there. I'd take it down if company was coming or if I forgot they might be very confused about what all those ounces and time stamps meant haha

I would consider a soft throw. Fleece or similar. A nice Christmas ornament? Scarf? You could probably buy more than one item if you wanted at that price point. Will you know if you're shopping for a man or woman? ETA: Darn, not unique ideas LOL Sorry.

Well it shouldn't take too long since our Christmas bin has been out all year long LOL. I mean, it's just too dangerous to climb that ladder back to the attic and there's limited space in the closets. I have a piece of fake snow that I will roll out over the mantel. Then a few stocking hangers and stockings. We have a miniature tree with its own decorations. That is probably the extent of the decorations we'll use. Some years I put out the ceramic village pieces. With the cat and the toddler and the fact that we're traveling for the holiday, I don't see any point in using all the decorations. We're not going to get a tree this year, either. We gave up on outdoor lights the year dh attempted to hang this one set that would not work on our style home. That's also when we realized we had no outdoor outlets besides the one in carport which isn't even close to the front of the home. We have a super long extension cord on a wheel (I don't know what it's called) but talk about a headache. As for your tree, I'd just pick out low maintenance stuff. It shouldn't take too long to throw a couple strands of garland around the tree or spread out some larger ornaments, if you don't want to use too many. You could even decorate in shifts? Lights, then ornaments another night.

I'm sure it's going to vary from household to household. My mom was always asking us to clear plates right away so we could serve my grandma dessert. But when Grandma wasn't there, there was no rush. I imagine this is how it will be at Thanksgiving lol with me or dh trying to determine when to spring up and clear plates and my dad thinking, "what's the rush?" but Mom egging us on to just go ahead ha. When ds had his first birthday we did it at my parents' home. MIL and SIL were trying to be helpful but it stressed me out. It never occurred to me that anyone would want to take chips that had been in a community bowl and pour them back into the original bag at the end of the event. All I could think was, "eww" but this is what MIL and SIL did. I never touched those chips again. It's good that some MILs (as seen here) say, "just let us know so I can do whatever you find most helpful." But in reality I know this is not always going to work. People want to help and do what they find helpful without necessarily asking if that is something the host finds helpful. Like when MIL and FIL thought they were being helpful by balling up their sheets and putting them on the floor of my kitchen in front of my washing machine. I didn't have the heart to tell MIL, "yeah, I'd rather you not have done that." Luckily my washer was empty so I was able to toss them in the washer immediately.

Ugh!! I never thought "cage free" was necessarily a huge space for a chicken, but I didn't picture it like the article photos, either. How sad :( I think we have flip flopped a lot with eggs. Sometimes it might say cage-free or free range and other times none of the above. I just looked in the fridge to see what dh last bought. It was neither of those but it said vegetarian fed which I don't remember noticing before. I keep wondering how conditions like this are allowed. I remember watching documentaries on Netflix with similar situations.

I just thought of another idea. Mini bottle of fragrance? Is that allowed? I don't know it that's allowed because alcohol content??