Oh yeah, I forgot about part 4. That's what happens when mama leaves the math to DH... :)

I think we found our copy on eBay. I have found the TM to be very important, especially for quickly checking answers. DS loves Jacobs--I highly recommend it, especially for younger algebra students (because it's humorous, not simplified). Eta: Each lesson has 3 exercises: part 1 for review, and parts 2 and 3 which have identical skills. DS completes parts 1 and 2, but only part 3 if he needs the extra practice. The book has the solutions to part 2, but you'll need the TM for 1,3 and the chapter reviews. $40 seems reasonable (remember you can resell it when you're finished!).

I use a steroid nasal spray and am amazed at how well it works. My sinuses are funky-- I'll get infections without having had any congestion whatsoever (that I'm aware of)-- but the nasal spray clears them right up. I recently had back of neck pain combined with wicked headaches, tried the nasal spray and it worked. Must have been some weird drainage. I've used it with success for fluid build up in the ear too. I would highly recommend getting an rx from your doctor and giving it a try before betting on more antibiotics. (I've also had a terrible reaction with z-PAC and am not allowed to take it again. Just a heads up if you haven't taken it before)

We don't go out, stay up late or do anything out of the ordinary, but we've been wanting to try making scallops for awhile and I thought NYE seems like a good excuse. I don't know what I'll do with them yet, maybe serve over thin rice noodles with served baby bok choy and some sort of Asian sauce?

Contact the Consumer Assistance Division of your state Public Utilities Commission. It's a common issue and they'll have a large group of people who deal with exactly that.

I do a workout video (kettle bells) while DS is in the shower. It's generally the same time every morning, after breakfast. I generally get out on at least one power walk during the afternoon, and DH and I go for a walk after dinner unless it's too icy. We do a 20 minute resistance band workout while DS is reading in bed. I keep the videos short so I can't talk myself out of them. Even when I'm lazy I can't justify not giving 20 minutes. :)

How about a cozy knit dress or skirt? I wear leggings most days but always with one of those, unless I'm going running. I typically pair them with a fitted T or jacket. Longer shirts generally look sloppy and unforgiving, IMO, not what you are going for.

Oh for heavens sake that's not what I meant. Look, this is a huge company that handles tons of returns, mistakes, goof ups, losses and so on. I am not justifying shoplifting or any other crazy notion, I'm being realistic. Loss is a part of business no matter what the size. Sure, you can call Walmart but I'd be willing to bet they'll have NO idea what you're talking about or why you are calling, never mind why they should try to fix it. Chances are that original bike is either back on the shelf already, or labeled broken and back on a truck for donation or disposal. No one's going to go tracking it down just so you can have a clear conscience. You did nothing wrong, after all; a mistake was made when your DH returned it, but they ACCEPTED the return. I've been in plenty of situations or mix ups like this that I've tried to fix and I have yet to meet anyone (on the store's end) who cares or doesn't just make me feel stupid for trying to do the right thing. But hey, call if you want and good luck. I don't like stuff like that hanging over my head either, no matter how honestly it came to be. On another note (not to the OP), when someone here is trying to help, why oh why must some people go looking for issues that don't exist? C'mon, it's ridiculous to accuse me of justifying shoplifting or some such silliness just because I pointed out that Walmart is a huge company (that's not exactly news to anyone here, is it?). Clearly that means they have policies in place, not that I'm in cahoots with people who want to steal from them. It's time to start assuming that other posters have common sense even if they post before having enough coffee and aren't totally clear.

I really wouldn't worry about it. This is an enormous company you are talking about, not a small shop; this one item isn't going to make or break them and there's a decent chance they donated the broken item in the first place because they couldn't sell it in their stores. They have policies in place for what they will take back or exchange, and your bike was accepted. Hard as it is (this sort of thing stresses me out too--I get it), accept the new bike graciously and let your DH enjoy his gift. :)

I was thinking about this too and figured it makes sense--I know for myself, anyway, that I'm far more likely to share little details here than IRL. It doesn't hurt my feelings if I'm ignored here. :)

82. Not really sure what that means. Most of the questions made me feel like crawling into a hole, so "good communicator" status doesn't seem accurate, unless being a "good communicator" means mostly listening and not speaking your mind (which I'm definitely guilty of and most certainly does not seem like effective communicating IMO).

DS 11: XBox with Forza 4. He's a certified Top Gear junkie. :) Me: new snowshoes. DH: carry on luggage and Garmin so he doesn't get lost on the back roads

Yes. Absolutely.

Re allergies: my MIL and FIL forget that DH-- their own son-- is extremely allergic to coconut. It's a total surprise to them every.single.time. It's a miracle they didn't kill him when he was growing up. Re crazy grandparent gifts: my mother sent DS a technical book on how to grow micro greens. For his eighth birthday. ?? Her gifts are notoriously off the mark. It's tradition that he opens her gift on Christmas Eve, but he's so used to disappointment by now that it's become something of a joke. He can't wait for tonight--will it be random newspaper clippings from their small town newspaper? Ancient travel brochures from 60 years ago? A collage of pictures of herself vacationing in our state (where she tries to avoid us)? At least the expectations are low! :(

Same. That's why I answered quickly. Answering without thinking too much is supposed to be the most accurate, right? :)

I'm confused--is it too liberal for you, or not liberal enough? We are quite liberal and it didn't take us long to find a tribe, IYKWIM. It was also the first place I'd lived where people that I came in daily contact with were openly religious, so that was new to me. I'd read about the ubiquitous Friday Fish Fry, but had no idea what it meant until living there (we lived in Saint Paul if that makes any difference). Still, it struck me as a generally open minded place--we did help elect Jesse Ventura while living there, after all. Lol The only faults this native Californian could find were that it's too far from the ocean (loved as I did Lake Superior) and the summer humidity. Otherwise I'd move back in a heartbeat, if I ever had to leave this other northern state I get to call home.

Around $2.49 here (midcoast Maine) and going down--I can't even remember when I've seen it so low.

Nah, it took closer to 5.

There's always tomorrow! Lol :)

Oh man, I scored a 15. It wasn't until very recently that I'd considered myself an extrovert. A bit more self awareness might have served me well all these years!

For cranberry sauce, I just drop a bag of cranberries and maybe 1/4-1/3 c sugar into a touch of water and simmer til they pop. Couldn't be any more simple. :)

Christmas Eve is Chinese take out. Christmas day is leftover Chinese take out. :)

Eh, my brother in California talks about climate change (incorrectly, like most people--and yes I know it's real) more than anyone I know. But yeah, a green Christmas in MN would be weird. I loved having snow on the ground from Halloween to April. :) I recently emailed my mom that we'll be having the first non-white Christmas I can remember as an adult. Right after I sent it we went for a walk, and I realized that even though there are some bare patches, there's still quite a lot of snow cover and huge snow piles in the lots. I guess I'm so used to the landscape being white, I didn't even realize that it would be considered snowy to someone else. What I had really meant was that it wasn't supposed to actually snow *on* Christmas. Lol

I'd go with iTunes cards. It's simple for you and they are guaranteed to use and enjoy them.

Bags and boxes are the way to go for me, too. We reuse them over and over, and some always hold the same things (like Christmas Eve jammies, which I didn't realize until DS told me this morning). Among my favorites are a couple quilted bags that my mom sewed in the 60's and were used every year during my childhood, and an ancient metal train box that always holds socks for DS. We reuse gift tags too; for some reason I just hate making them. DH is the primary wrapper--he still likes gift wrap and boxes and does an incredible job. We leave a big gift for DS out unwrapped, without a tag. It's sort of implied that it's from Santa, but only if he wants it to be. I was never comfortable signing a gift card fom Santa when he was younger and this is just simpler. Plus it got hard to keep track of "Santa wrapping paper", since he would remember it forever and we'd never be able to use it again.