It sounds like you are anxious about this move that has been a long time coming! I would go to the bank and look into a bridge loan or see if you can buy with less down, so you can still cover both payments for z few months. Find your place, make an offer, and put yours on the market all the same time. Its common here to close on selling house, then close on buying house all the same day or a few days difference. And camping- I currently have s friend and a cousin who are planning to camp all summer in RVs while they build or house-shuffle.

You have my sympathy! I was going to suggest batch cooking, so those who don't want tonight's dinner can eat last nights dinner. My family fight over left-overs and think lunch should be left-overs, so I try to always cook extra. Its not realistic to cook 2 or 3 meals per night, and I would just refuse. For the new vegan, I'd encourage them by requiring them to cook one meal each week for the family- with left-overs for nights you cook non-vegan meals. One other suggestion- think about how you cook, and try to find ways to work everyone's preferences in. I grill a few times a week- it wouldn't be terribly hard to do a few steaks, a few chicken breasts, and maybe a grilled veggie kabob. Others will probably eat the grilled veggies, too, so make plenty!

I placed a huge Kohls order yesterday- lots of which will be returned bc I have 3 tween-teens who needed new shorts and I got several things in 2 sizes. I had capris in the cart for me, but they all jumped out- in 8 and 10! Normally I will place several orders over several days bc I buy for so many people, but doing it all in one, bc the coupon can't be reused was a total pain!

Pretty flowers- sounds simple, but the brighten a room.

A few things I liked this last time: Muslin bibs with the teether on them Muslin swaddle blankets Pacifier thermometer ($5 and is my new must get for new moms) Nice silicone teether attached to a clippie I'm a fan of the touchy feely books and the book sets that have chunky 2 inch square books- perfect for little hands.

If your Dil are linked to their husbands' via FB, and if they tag them a lot, chances are an employer will see or look at their pages, too. It reminded me of a dinner years ago- before FB memes. DHs cousin was unemployed (as in bumming around, we suspected selling drugs from the house grandpa was letting him live in for mowing the lawn- which he didn't keep mowed, it was a frustrating situation bc he literally did nothing and family just kept giving him money, lots of chances, and free stuff). He said that he couldn't find anyone willing to pay him what he was worth. DH- ever pragmatic- says "So what job skills do you have, and what do you think they are worth?" He's grown up now, and works, but it was kinda funny to see him realize he had no real job skills bc he wouldn't get a job! I think he was about 19 or 20, needed a bit of time to grow up.

It means no leftovers. My kids think they can only eat real, home-cooked food, prepared by mom or one DD who can cook 😉 They don't want a lunch meat or PBJ sandwich, soup from a can, etc.

DD is attending University of Alabama and awarded the National Merit Scholarship. Factors that went into the decision were an amazing scholarship, the study abroad opportunities, and she thinks the campus feels like a resort. Its beautiful and as soon as we started walking around campus I could just see her there! Its a little further away than we had thought, but I think its going to be a great place for her. ROLL TIDE!!!!!!

So glad its all working out for her! Congratulations!

I know a few girls the same age that do something similar. I find it very annoying and they go on unfollow. I would not take any meme share from a serial 'share-er' seriously. Most of it is attention seeking, passive aggressive, immaturity. Just put her on unfollow and send a message asking for pics occasionally.

Coming from a non-competitive, rural area, I worry that these softer admissions will hurt kids- sending kids to more $$ schools (borrowing $$), when they are not prepared and paying lots of money for remedial classes. Everyone is focusing on these elite costal schools, who have such low admission rates but they are not the majority! Focusing on diversity at these schools, who undoubtedly get applicants that are nearly ALL prepared for College, while ignoring what consequences could be in other schools feels short-sighted. Getting into college does not equal getting a degree in 4-6 years. So many kids from where I live get As in high school and then place into remedial math and English at even the local CC- very few go to a bigger school. Our local CC is free to them (kids who qualify from good grades and volunteer hours), but this year more are picking 4 year schools since they never took the ACT and they got in due to grades and extra curriculars. Their parents are all excited, I'm concerned at the amount of money being borrowed for kids who may not be able to perform. If you look at the student debt crisis, most of the debt comes from students who went 1 year then quit. They weren't read or prepared. I know SAT and ACT scores don't always equal ability, but they do at least give a place to start. If you are scoring in the teens or low 20s, try CC first. Trying to pass a class at a school where most kids get a 28+, when you got an 18- you are setting a kid up for failure, and charging him!

Hugs to your kids. It is hard. I do think its good that they see you all helping out, giving her grace, and working together during this phase of life.

I cannot imagine Chemistry or Biology without labs, so minimum 2? We did Earth Science this year, and I don't consider our projects to be actual labs, more like demonstrations and making models. You should check the colleges you are interested in. I remember DD1 freshman year I called and asked exactly what I would be required to show as proof for our labs- I was a little paranoid I would ruin her chances. Answer was usually nothing- they would just ask me. I did list a lot of them in the course descriptions- which no one ended up wanting to read. We were only looking at state schools, though, not the Ivins or anything super-competitive

Or, in another point of view.... Kanin and her DH are so flakey! We told them 6 months ago that we wanted to sell the house to them, and they said they were interested. I was so glad to not have to mess with putting it on the market- clean-up, painting, etc. But its been 6 months and they haven't even talked to the bank, got an appraisal, or started a contract- do they want us keep waiting forever? They got a stimulus check, which would be great for a down payment. We aren't signing another lease, let's give them notice now, so they can have a few weeks to make up their minds to buy or not, before the lease runs out. I think you are judging unfairly. They have been clear they don't want to continue to rent the house. That decision was made months ago. The ball was in your court and you did nothing. Its unreasonable to expect them to sell ONLY to you. They gave you an opportunity. They have been waiting. Now they are saying they aren't going to keep waiting. Choose to buy or they will list. I am sorry you feel blind-sided, but it sounds to me like they have been fair to you.

I'm sorry that your facing the decision, but I don't think your landlords are bad people for making the decision to sell. Being a landlord is a lot of work, and it sounds like they have been wanting to sell for a while- it makes sense that they would take advantage of the flaming-hot market.

I'm on kid 2, and while both are getting a class titled English 1, English 2, etc., the classes have been very different. Kid 1 used Oak Meadow Hero's Journey for 9th and British Literature for 10th. Both had a set theme for the year. That is reflected in her Course Description pages. For kid 2, I have had a completely different homemade program. We have used Writing and Rhetoric for a base for most of our writing. I also assign big research papers- she is finishing an 8 page research paper right now. For literature I have just had a pick and choose list for her. I can't remember it all, but we started with The Outsiders (young author), original Swiss Family Robinson (classic, odd phrases), I read parts of Uncle Tom's Cabin aloud- lots if discussion about authors purpose, chsracter development, etc. Eragon ( young author, Hero's Journey), Hunger Games Trilogy (again)- with lots more discussion on characters. I have used How to Read Literature Like a Professor For Kids the last 2 years as well. DD2 is a writer and has wanted to delve deeper into character development, symbols, writing action scenes, describing people and places. I'm actually giving her a second full credit of Creative Writing because she spends so much time writing and researching writing techniques. I wanted to add a few young authors to inspire her, and it was a great choice! When you are trying to plan, I think you need to keep your student in mind- what skills are they good at, what skills do you want to work on, what books will inspire them. A book doesn't need to have a certain difficulty level, it just needs to speak to your kid or illustrate the things you are teaching. Don't forget the power of movies as well!

Lots of schools here do Physical science in 9th grade. I would put Physical for 9th (finish this summer) and restart Chemistry next year- or change and do Biology in 10th and Chemistry in 11th. One thing I've found is that if your kid isn't strong in math, giving them an extra year before Chemistry can help. Dd2 is on a regular math track, and will do Chemistry in 11th- after Algebra 2.

Prayers for all. May they pass in peace.

I have been watching this thread since it started, and searching for more CLEP info. My oldest did a lot of DE, but a lot of classes were low quality and too much online. Thinking DD2 might be better served with a good class taught by me, then CLEP test, and still get the college credit. The fall class posting for my CC aren't good-, most still online, and 8 weeks instead of full term! Not the way to start college imo.

My DD is an incoming freshman and a few current freshmen have reached out via her online profile to get to know her bc they haven't been able to meet people on campus. Kind if different, but maybe start looking for older or younger students to associate with? I would also look at transferring, unless it would be terribly expensive. A larger public school might be a better fit, and lots transfer in Jr year!

A few places wanted an actual physically signed by me (and one wanted notarized) transcript, others were fine with an e-mailed copy. I don't think that is required from public schooled kids, though. Everything from DDs end was digital, including all deposit$. She did get actual paper acceptances, but they took forever via mail, and she always got an email acceptance first.

Its not exactly finance related, but when I taught this I focused a lot on marketing strategies and advertising-recognizing the tools used to convince you to spend your money! I also spent one class on finding ways money is 'lost' (soda and snack machines, grabbing a soda when you get gas) and finding fun budget-friendly dating options. Kids had to plan a date night that was fun and affordable! We also priced out eating out vs. Making foods at home. Not necessarily Personal Finance, but I felt they were very relatable for high schoolers.

Banking- check writing, balancing, keeping track- online banking strategies, Credit Cards- late fees, compound interest, qualifications, changing terms to look out for, purpose of credit cards, credit score Investing- types of accounts, 401k, compound interest (opposite way), dividends, purpose and power or investing early vs waiting until older Loans- qualifications, interest, paying extra toward principal, finding fair terms,

Been thinking about this- I don't like anyone suggested. I think they need to find a funny, unique college professor with a personality. Not a Hollywood person or anyone already hosting other shows.

Will you need this credit? If not, make it part of your English class and put it your course description. If you need an additional credit, you could count it. I didn't end up needing extra credits, so left off lots of random things like this.