One perk of German is that it gives you access to great content from Germany. Free streaming German television with lots of interesting documentaries (I love Der Sendung mit der Maus for kids). Wonderful books. Radio. In the Internet age you don't need a local population to meaningfully engage with a language. What language would open interesting doors for you?

Maybe you can pitch school as an investment in his future relaxation? It must be stressful working all day and facing the pressure of being the sole breadwinner. I want to help! But first I need your help! Don't forget you also work all day too.

Oceanography/Marine Biology. Our local high school offers it as a college level course open to freshmen, so clearly it can be done with rigor and without much math.

I really like Joseph Brian.

Sending her when she is eligible and nearly six will feel like redshirting! We will have the option to test her and send her a year early, when K will probably already be boring, but then she loses eligibility for the gifted program... I have to accept that with an accelerated kid we can't win. I'm leaning towards keeping her in her play preschool if she is still happy instead of accelerating. We shall see.

I have a gifted October baby, past our September first cutoff. I dread this decision!

Eric Carle. Great illustrator. Lousy writer. 10 Little Rubber Ducks. Ugh.

I don't understand the new Tall Barbie. Isn't original Barbie already like eight feet tall?

Target nursing bras. They are stretch elastic so you can wear them even as your cup size fluctuates. I wish I bought them during my first pregnancy rather than after!

I buy packaged pre-ground flaxseed at Whole Foods. You can keep the bag in your freezer. Add a tablespoon to a large glass of water, stir and drink.

Relaxed housekeeping will help build their immune systems, right? That's what I tell myself!

Have we discussed this yet? It's great fun. Researchers have compiled college syllabi and created a searchable data base of the most commonly assigned texts. Http://opensyllabusproject.org I entered one of my favorite college textbooks, Medieval Europe, A Short History by Judith M. Bennett. I now know it is the 2,855th most assigned college text. More interestingly I know which texts are most often assigned with it. (Germania by Tacitus is #1). A fun toy for finding further reading? It's only in beta, I hope they develop it further. I'd love to be able to search by subject for example.

I found baby wearing to be much much easier with Dd2, because I had developed so much core strength from carrying toddler Dd1 around. So if baby wearing wasn't your thing before, consider giving it another try. That said, I love our Britax double stroller. We don't use it that often, but it is a dream when we need it.

I had a relative who stayed married to his wife for 20+ years after they separated so she could stay on his health insurance. They were still married when she died. That's estranged.

You mention shipping can be a problem. Can most things be shipped? Can you go on Amazon and shop like anyone else? I imagine the Internet has made it easier to find stuff not stocked locally, as it has for everyone.

I've been advising a coworker based in Alaska. I know this is silly, but I'm having a hard time imagining someone sitting in an office building in Alaska. I've realized my mental image of Alaska comes from nature documentaries and Northern Exposure. Lots of bears catching salmon and one small town (in WA!). Intellectually I know there must be movie theaters and minivans and soccer practice and normal suburban stuff but I just can't picture it. So tell me about life in Alaska. How removed does it feel from the lower 48? What's considered the big city? Vancouver? Seattle? Which sports teams to people follow? What's the nearest comparison? West coast? Upper Midwest? I want to know!

I had them done as a tween. I had my first and only small cavity at 27. Seems to have worked well, but I don't really have a control group... I would get them for my kids.

I'm amused by a crash of rhinos.

I knew exactly a week after ovulation. I had the strangest pressure across my lower back as if someone was pushing against me with a broom handle. That and I could smell a cigarette across the street!

Each of the five boroughs is also a county. Manhattan is New York county, Brooklyn is Kings county. Staten Island is Richmond county. The Bronx and Queens are Bronx and Queens county respectively. But they are all New York City. I lived in Brooklyn but had to list my county in the payroll system...

How do you feel about bunk beds? You could comfortably afford a one bedroom in the city. Maybe not in Manhattan, but definitely in the city and near a subway. Put all the boys in the bedroom and you sleep in the living room. I'm not kidding. And people totally actually do this sort of thing in NYC. For three years, why not? In exchange for cramped quarters you have the whole city at your disposal, and still have some money left over to enjoy it.

I think living at home would have been better for me at 17. Not that I would have thought so at the time!

I went to university at 17. It was the best bad option. I did fine, but I think I would have done better had I been even just a year older. You mature so much each year at that age. If you have other good options I wouldn't go early.

The actual physical period? Not a problem. Actually a relief. "So that's why I've been a manic pile of tears this week! Time to rejoin the land of the living! Woo hoo!"

Of shows not already mentioned: Happy Valley (Netflix): Amazing Yorkshire police thriller. Deutschland 83 (Hulu): Enjoyable 80's Cold War espionage from the East German perspective. Lighter and more comedic than The Americans, but still plenty of thrills.