You did a lovely, lovely job! What a gift to your daughter and son-in-law! One of our daughters just got married a couple weeks ago, and I am in awe of your DIYing! That is a lot of work, and you totally nailed it!

I used something like the lessons at this site. Maybe they would be helpful as you practice together? https://www.codot.gov/safety/colorado-teen-drivers/SafetyAdvocates/documents/InvolveParents/Teaching Your Teen To Drive HANDBOOK.pdf

I just wanted to pop on and happily report that I made it to and through the wedding last weekend Covid-free! Hooray!! (The person who was sick seems recovered except for occasional hard bouts of coughing.)

People can order free kits one time from USPS: https://special.usps.com/testkits Some states have this program: https://www.accesscovidtests.org/

I never thought I would identify so closely with a chunk of cookie dough (or whatever that is). 😆 I hope I can keep scooting for at least a few more weeks!

I'm another lone masker who has yet to have had Covid. I'm trying to be so careful because our younger daughter's wedding is in two weeks, but someone in my office got sick a week ago today, became very sick, came in sick some days, and is back in the office coughing this week. All the symptoms sound like classic Covid (including loss of smell/taste). I am not happy that she didn't test, isn't masking and that we share the same space. When I mention Covid, I immediately get a response now that "it's not bad anymore, though." Sigh.

I will miss the map! I know it under represents, but at least I could see trends.

I am so sorry. I am praying for your children.

Just posting to say that description made me laugh! I may never say it aloud, but I'm probably going to think it!

What a beautiful, loving tribute.

I'm late to the party, but if you want to try something other than the ones you ordered, I love my Birkenstocks: https://www.birkenstock.com/us/bend-natural-leather/bendlow-smoothleather-naturalleather-0-rubber-u_2.html They are very comfortable for me; it's one of the few shoes I don't have to wear an insole with. They have good metatarsal support and, since they are leather, they clean up great. I have worn them a lot for about 18 months and they look new, except for the shoe laces. (And, as an added bonus, our 23 yo and her girl friends think they are really cool and want to buy some!)

My experience was similar to Minerva's. It took about 15 minutes. There was maybe a bit of discomfort? Tiny pinch? But not bad. I didn't like that it took 10-15 minutes, since that is quite different than a quick exam and pap smear — but it was just a bit awkward, not painful. The dr. suggested that I wear a panty shield, and I had a very little bleeding that afternoon and that was all.

You can guess where I live: I opened the thread thinking I would see Sid in a little KC Chiefs football outfit!

There are also seasonal jobs at places like YMCA of the Rockies. The pay isn't great, but they provide food and lodging. So, it's easy to save quite a bit of one's earnings, and there are lots of opportunities for adventure and the ability to meet interesting people from many places. https://jobs.ymcarockies.org/seasonal-jobs

Yes. I loved Venn diagrams (and still kind of do). 😁

Praying for your sister.

Just before Christmas my husband had congestion, fatigue and cough, and he did have a fever for a day. You could do a rapid test tomorrow and then, if you test negative tomorrow but still feel poorly on Sunday, you could take another rapid on Sunday or Monday.

Two of our (adult) children have the double mutation. We try to avoid eating folic acid. (If you choose whole wheat bread and go organic with things like cereals and white flour, you can avoid the added folic acid.) Also, Aldi and Trader Joe's have some foods from Europe that don't have added folic acid. We worked with a geneticist that pointed us to Vitaprime for a multivitamin. You want the B vitamins to be methylated — which means they are broken down to a form that can be metabolized. I also suggest that those kids avoid nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and fluoroquinolones, if possible. (Fluoroquinolones kind of scare me anyway!) I have also told our daughter that traditional prenatal vitamins may not be good for her if and when she starts a family. (Prenatals with methylated folate may be better.) You can research all of those aspects by typing MTHFR and the chemical, antibiotic, or "pregnancy, folic acid." Everything is in early stages of research, so we may or may not be overly cautious.

Thank you for the suggestions! I like that counter caddy. That one is currently unavailable on Amazon, but now I have an search idea. Off to look...

For those who use dishcloths and change them frequently: what system do you use? Our laundry is on a different level, and it's not convenient to take a used cloth downstairs each time I change. I have considered getting a lidded bucket for under the sink. Also, where do you hang damp dish cloths? We have used the oven door handle, the divider between the split sinks and the faucet, but none of those places is ideal. Does anyone have a cute counter dryer for hanging a wet cloth?

Hoping you are boarding as I type!

We keep ours in the laundry room cabinets, but my mom always kept small batteries in the butter and egg compartments in the refrigerator.

Another vote for Yoga with Adriene -- I follow her online calendar found at https://yogawithadriene.com/calendar/

It does matter. You matter. I know you know this because of your last sentence, but the moments, days, months and years that you have nurtured and loved each of your children matter. I don't know if this framing helps you at all but, at some point, it occurred to me that I am not just helping to shape others' lives, they are shaping mine as well. So, while my family's love and encouragement helps me grow, I have also seen how adversity helps me grow. Someone mentioned the humility of being a parent of YAs. I would never, never have chosen to live through some of the seasons we have had with a couple of our children, but I also believe I am more patient, kinder, more empathetic, stronger in faith and self-identity (and yes, humbler) because of living through those, and other, very difficult times. Verbal attacks hurt in a different way than do physical ones, but there is definitely a healing process from verbal attacks too. Hang in there, and take care of yourself: rest, read, walk, seek beauty and truth, pray/meditate.

OP, I'm so sorry! That is not the Christmas anyone wants. FWIW, our eldest was very defensive and critical of me for a couple years. When she turned 27, it was like a light switch, and now we are doing well, relationally.