Have you already looked into behavioral (non medical) causes/solutions? Just reading this thread I'm thinking, "I wonder what Jackson Galaxy would say/recommend..." There is possibly something(s) that is the root of this that can be addressed. From the cat's point of view you guys are ignoring all his messages maybe. You can start by googling Jackson Gallaxy + issue or maybe watching some of the My Cat from Hell series on Netflix to see some issues/solutions offered. I don't know off hand much about these types of issues. I'm sorry you are dealing with them. Was there anything else that changed during puberty that could be the root of the cat's weirdness... like deodorant/body spray etc. covering your ds' scent and making the cat confused about who he was? I suppose that's a long shot, I am just wondering what other things could have happened besides your child aging. Was the cat resentful that it was given less attention as time went on?

I tend to shy away from the term homeschool before Kindergarten. Though at least one of the private schools around here offers a K-3 class which means some parents are paying tuition for their three year old. I don't know how common this is, but nowadays nothing would surprise me I guess. I assume they may just do this because the parent is probably working and there are limited preschool options and/or a sibling may already attend so it may be the most practical for their family.

You're not kidding! I remember having one in school years ago and thought they were expensive. Not sure exact price. Had no idea they were so affordable now.

I did start to doze off for what I think was just a minute or a few minutes during the recent X-Men movie. I went alone. I wanted to be there. I just got a bit bored and sleepy. Lol. That part of the movie dragged. It really has a lot to do with how tired I am beforehand. These days I definitely prefer to go to slightly earlier show times. This happened to me at the 3pm showing but I rarely have a chance to go to the movies so I was trying my best to make it work despite maybe not having as much energy as ideal. One time after a long cycle of not going to the movies at all (or what seemed like it), dh and I finally went. I think we both fell asleep! Maybe dh tried to wake me up, but the movie wasn't worth it! It was the Get Smart movie. I liked the show, but didn't care for the movie. If imdb and memory serve correctly, this was not long after ds was born so we were just desperate to make date night happen when a relative was available to babysit.

Even if no one was offended, I just don't see how that would work. Would you wait for people to volunteer or ask them to speak about their visible race/physical challenges/etc. in advance or just set up various topics and hope that during the event people might feel inclined to offer input? Mainly my gut reaction is, "people want to blend in. This would make lots of people uncomfortable."

I don't know, that was the last thing on my mind when we started. Prior to ds being 4-5 I did join a playgroup once, but I didn't actually start looking into a homeschooling group til he was entering K. And my state doesn't even require K (pretty much everyone sends their kids to school, but legally it is not required so no paperwork for homeschooling til your child is 6 unless you started school and then pulled them). We just finished second and he's going to private next year, but it may be a temporary thing needed for our family at the moment. I'm sorta hoping we can go back to homeschooling after this year. I want to cry thinking about the money I could save keeping him home lol. One of our FB groups has asked that only members currently homeschooling join, but I do know that originally they let anyone interested join and one of my friends in the group has a little that is not school age yet. *edited: homeschooling was not even considered til ds was 4 I believe. I think he was 5 when we joined a group.

I might be tempted to get a small item (like a pretty pen) and a gift card. Do your kids know what shows or clothes the girl likes/wears? That might help.

Recently I took items to two shops. One is a chain -- Once Upon a Child. They offered me a quote (I had to leave about 20 min. or browse until they were ready with the quote). I brought in 5 dress shirts/ties sets (good condition. Ds hardly wore any of them), some shoes (one pair never worn, the other pair worn twice and only on a baby and not walked around in outside) and a dress shirt/vest/pants combo. They passed on the sweater and one hoodie (said they don't sell as well but I notice they kept the hoodie with Mickey Mouse) and one pair of used shoes, but took the other items. I got $8 for the pile. I felt kinda disappointed, but happy it was better than nothing. Oh yeah, I also took in a bouncer but they said the battery compartment was icky. I didn't know and asked could I bring it back if I cleaned it up and it worked. They said sure, but refused to give a quote saying for items like that they rely on Google for a price and mark it down from there. They said the quote could change depending on what day they looked it up. I took the bouncer (cleaned up, new batteries) and the rejected shoes, hoodie, sweater and two pair of never used swim shoes and a pair of pants to another shop. They gave me a choice between store credit or cash. For the bouncer they put it up for consignment, for the rest they gave me a quote and I chose store credit as it was more. Once Upon a Child said they would not offer more store credit than cash, though. I got a total of $7.50 store credit if I recall correctly. They had a sale going on and I got a top and shorts for dd on the spot and have a few more dollars left to redeem later. I am uncertain of their math equation working out properly at Once Upon a Child. The dress shirts/ties were in good condition and bought for $10 each. Supposedly they take retail price and cut in half. So that means they would sell for $5 (maybe less because not new with tags?). Then I would get half of that. So you'd think I'd get around $2.50 a shirt, but again, maybe not because they were not new with tags. So I definitely got less than $2.50 a shirt because I walked away with $8 and gave them five shirts plus a couple other items. I don't live close to many consignment stores, we just took these items to stores near our family while visiting for the holiday. I don't know if it's worth the hassle to set the items aside and take on trips with us, especially since they will not be accepting the items at the store we prefer the next time we visit (they don't take items at the end of the year at one of the stores. I think OUAC takes them year round). I may or may not save items for next year. It is better than nothing, but not if the clutter drives me bonkers.

I don't live close to most people on my FB, so I am unlikely to talk to them IRL about any of it. Some of the political views were surprising to see. I would probably not talk to them about any of it, regardless. I'd be more likely to be the one with the conspiracy theory thoughts, anyway LOL But I am unlikely to bring that stuff up IRL.

This thread makes me feel better. I was having similar thoughts tonight as I was packing a bag for ds. One pair of athletic shorts was purchased with a matching top but I can't find the matching top anywhere. His shorts are a big mix... plaid, khaki, athletic with multi colors and camo. It helps that a few of his shirts are black with a picture. I figure that matches more of his shorts. What's funny is we have a big problem with socks here. He has a million different kinds of socks (some were gifts). There are a lot of days I just can't find the match so he wears mismatched socks. Like the crew socks all have one colored stripe but I can't seem to find the pair so he'll go out with one gray stripe and one blue lol. The no show socks are crazy. Some are orange and black with strips and another pair is orange and black camo. Then another pair has one stripe while yet another has multiple stripes. I'll find two blue/gray socks but then realize one has the mult stripes while the other has just one. Drives me bonkers. Sometimes he'll just go without socks because the style of shoes look ok without socks, but I prefer him to wear socks. nd293, one of ds' pairs of jeans is from The Children's Place and they are kinda thin, but seem comfortable.

I just saw a few trailers online. Central Intelligence is nothing like what I expected from the title lol.

Am I the only one that doesn't even know what most of the movies are about?! I don't have TV anymore. I mainly see previews if I seek them out on hulu or someone tells me something and I go look it up. Dh sometimes goes to see movies I didn't even know were out. I do like super hero films, but I would be really puzzled with that lineup if I had already seen X-Men and Captain America (I have see CA but not XMen yet). I do want to see Dory at some point, but I'm not rushing to see that one alone. Ds doesn't even remember Finding Nemo so I told him to watch that first. I never saw the first Independence Day movie. Dh said the second one didn't have any real plot/character development and he preferred the first. I'm sorry you got stuck hanging out bored at B&N! What a bummer. Maybe tell him only to attend things he can get to without you ;) If I got desperate for something to do I guess there's Wal-mart. But that doesn't help if you can't think of anything to look at. I would probably start looking for bargains and scanning things on my Shopkick app for points :laugh: Maybe bring headphones and do Duolingo on my phone.

Thought of this thread tonight while watching Anastasia. The Disney film. Main character has eyeliner that sticks out. I actually think you can make a personal opinion about makeup looking classy or trashy, but I'm not saying you should air those thoughts or that they would be fair and right. It's just an opinion even if not everyone can fathom the word being associated with makeup.

I don't know about in this particular situation, but maybe in some cases people worry about being perceived as some annoying client/customer/patron. I've been hesitant to ask for a price adjustment just because I get this vibe that I'm going to irritate someone or be stuck waiting on the right person to handle the situation to appear.

I agree, but I'm wondering if by play nice she meant don't do anything that might cause waves? And to some people anything that is/looks like confrontation is making waves. I hate confrontation, but in most cases I hate losing money more LOL. This scenario actually sounds pretty straight forward and easy to fix compared to some I've been in. A company delivered a bed with the wrong size bed frame. It took several emails, photos, a measuring tape and possibly more for me to explain that there was no way that frame was intended for a California King. The delivery guys tried to dismiss my concerns on day one when they set it up in the house. We didn't order locally because of prices and availability so it was a huge headache.

Good for you! There was a thread that kinda stuck with me recently about the same type of topic (started by MomatHWTK this May. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/606110-article-on-women-returning-to-work-after-break/). That thread has helped me in a couple of ways. Since then I have stumbled upon a place to volunteer doing something in the field I'm interested in (ESL). Hoping I can make time to continue to go.

I would probably say, "it's eyeliner. It's not ____" (whatever. Body jewelry or something else that he would find more upsetting or difficult to remove) I can see both sides to this. But I can see pushing the issue making her more likely to rebel in another way that is less appealing.

Maybe elaborate on the manager aspect of your last job with bullet points. If you have any volunteer/unpaid experience relevant perhaps that could come into play as well (coordinating field trips/events?). I don't know if that would necessarily have a place on the resumé, but maybe you could work it into a cover letter. This is kind of a no brainer, but it helps to remind myself... resumé is to get an interview. Interview is to get job. Baby steps. What will make them want to interview you, that's what you draw attention to on the resumé and/or cover letter. And another thing that probably goes without saying, include a cover if at all possible (I don't know if there's a way to attach on on the job site). Good luck

Yes, I would make a fuss. I would do so as calmly as possible and ask to speak with a manager for starters I guess. Maybe the manager from the place you deal with normally could help you figure out how to handle it or do something on your behalf. I don't know if faxing a signature would have been an acceptable alternative?? I would definitely remind them I was out $20 + time/gas. Not that I would expect compensation for the latter, but I'd point it out. Good luck!! (and if all else fails I'd ask my dh to say something LOL.)

I thought everyone hated to get sick lol. I like to think we don't get sick that often, but it seems like we often get sick right after going on vacation and then it drags on. I'd rather people cancel on me than come over sick. Also, if they have young children then I would especially prefer they cancel as I don't trust the kids to wash their hands well/at all/often enough/blow their nose/etc. Just about every time we visit my niece and nephew they are getting over something. "Oh they are finishing a round of antibiotics." All.the.time. I just can't relate. I can count the number of times I've taken antibiotics on one hand probably. My niece is often walking around with the sniffles/runny nose and I inwardly cringe at the kids all sharing toys. When I get a cold it's bad. I don't know if I'm exaggerating but I think my colds are worse than some people's norm. But mostly I'd be worried about dd and ds. Ds still needs training in blowing his nose adequately and dd is under two so I have to pin her down and use a device to really get her nose clean. I bought the Frida last time she was getting over being sick, but I never got around to trying it out. Those nose bulbs are pretty horrible. Edited to respond to this: Yes. This. My grandma is 101 and just got over pneumonia. It was scary. Ds ends up needing nebulizer treatments when he's bad off. I think last time he got sick it may have been bronchitis but we got it under control thankfully.

aww :) Congratulations!

Everyone is all calm and collected in this thread. I'm over here like oh my gosh I wouldn't be comfortable with that relationship at all. I guess thinking from my own experience as a 20 yr old. I was still a virgin and quite inexperienced in life. I don't think much good would have come from trying to date someone that much older than me at that age. But that's just me. I would worry about things moving too fast (ie. hey you want to move in with me?). And that's not to say the same couldn't be said about a younger man. I don't know if I'm making any rational sense here. This post made me think of the movie Shopgirl. But that may have more to do with the particular characters than their age gap. I'm actually happy to hear so many people say things worked out well with age gaps. I know one couple where it did not work out well and another that got married a few years ago and I wish them the best. I do wonder how the age gap will affect children, but I didn't ask.

I know people that are teacher aids and I don't think they have a BA. I don't even know if they have an AA. Of course that role was never available when I was looking for it. I recently put in an application for a job at a school and it did not specify a degree requirement. I looked at the previous person's degree and they did not have a master's. As for the MLS, he could possibly be an archivist. My dh has an MLIS and was shy just a credit or two for a certificate in archives. They no longer had the class(es) he needed to complete the certificate when he was finishing up his degree.

Our VBS we attended was free, but the volunteers were mostly youth and mostly not helpful LOL. I was an adult volunteer and I know some of the youth was just there because their parents must have made them tag along with their younger sibling or they wanted credit for volunteer hours. The actual event was for kids K to grade 4, so we had a bunch of extra "help" milling around. We almost attended a different VBS in the past and that church did things differently. They wanted me to buy a shirt for the event (I asked if it was optional and they said well yes but all the other kids will have one) and asked me to bring a snack if I could. We ended up backing out as they were telling me this all within like 2 days of the event and I was quite broke and had just been rejected from helping with the kids because they didn't have time to put me through the required training thing which no one told me about initially. They offered to stick me in the kitchen for the duration of the event (which for someone like me sounded like torture and ds didn't know anyone in the parish so I wanted to be around him). I went through training this time, didn't have to buy a shirt, or bring a snack. The camp we attended was only a few days and ended before lunch most days. I guess some people had family members do the pick up/drop off or they don't work in the summer (teachers). So not really a good babysitting plan for most working folks lol.

I wouldn't want to watch that part of the show and I am an adult. I would err on the side of caution here. And I realize this is kind of funny to say since some drug use type stuff doesn't bother me as much as others. For example, I watched the entire series of Breaking Bad, but I stopped short on Mr. Robot. I may or may not eventually finish Mr. Robot, but that show got weird fast. Injecting needles is what really stood out to me on your post. Ick.