Please pursue this aggressively with medical professionals. It is definitely not to be taken lightly.

I've been enjoying these stories, although I completely understand the frustration for the folks who lived them. When DD first started taking dual enrollment at her CC, she had to bring in extra documentation that she was a state resident. She was born here and has never lived anywhere else so I'm not sure what raised a flag that she may be from out of state.

Exciting news! Congratulations to your DD. I love to hear stories like this.

Oh no! That's too bad. Be sure to have her double-check the deadline for recommendations. They are sometimes given a later deadline than the application itself (e.g., one of DD's possible transfer schools has a Dec 15 application deadline but gives until Jan 15 for letters).

My title is a bit misleading but I wanted to reassure folks that it is not necessarily true that adding a teen driver to your car insurance will raise your rates through the roof. Even our insurance agent laughed that it was good we were sitting down when we met with her. DD19 recently upgraded to a full driver's license and needed to be officially added to our insurance policy. We had her assigned to our oldest vehicle, dropped collision and comprehensive on that vehicle, and raised the deductible to $1,000. DD was eligible for various discounts, being a good student and having completed a drivers education course. End result - the insurance cost for that vehicle actually went down about $10 per six-months.

I refused to pay what most tablet covers were going for when my DDs got their Kindle Fires (years ago). I found tablet covers that worked fine for just a couple dollars each at Big Lots. It looks like the prices have come down quite a bit and lots of fairly inexpensive covers are now available. Personally, I'd want a sleeve or a cover to protect the screen.

Since she is advanced in history, have you considered using Hakim's "Story of Science" series as a supplement? It just may help your DD make the connection between history (where she is successful) and science (where she struggles).

I agree completely that it sounds odd! Actually confirmed in person during a prospective student day, with the official printed transfer checklist online, AND still emailed admissions and got it back in writing. The year in advance is only required if the student is pursuing departmental scholarships. A student can apply for admission much later without consideration of the dept scholarships.

DD is planning to transfer from her CC to a 4-year university in Spring 2017. I know that every school sets their own due dates for applications and scholarships but I'm still surprised by the wildly different dates of the two schools she is considering. Keep in mind that both are major in-state universities: One opens the application on December 1, 2015 (tomorrow!) and requires the admissions application AND the scholarship application to be submitted by December 15, 2015 (two week window!) if the student wants to be considered for department scholarships. Fortunately, the transcripts and references have until January 15, 2016 to be submitted. Still, this is a year before the transfer student would start attending. The second opens the application "sometime in August 2016" and recommends the admission application and scholarship application be submitted by November 1, 2016. So, at least a 2 month window almost a year later than the first school. . .and just over two months before a transfer student would start attending. Please warn your students who are planning to transfer to start looking for dates at potential schools well ahead of time, especially if they will be pursuing possible scholarships.

Wow! I just got the call yesterday and it was "John" with a heavy Indian accent. As soon as he said the word "computer," I hung up. I only knew that this was a thing because FIL fell for it last year.

Pie would definitely be good for breakfast if you are meaning very tasty! I answered the poll "no" though because the poll used the word "balanced" which I interpreted as meaning healthy. So, standard pies would be a no for me, primarily because of the sugar content. I'm off sugar and made a low-carb pumpkin custard which I consider quite yummy and may come closer to being a healthy breakfast (pumpkin, eggs, almond milk, spices). Fun poll!

I did the same years ago when my DD needed to do a poll. So glad that I can pass it forward now. I completed the questions and had DD19 do that same. If your DD is interested in younger respondents, I'll have DD15 complete it later.

If financially feasible, I'd upgrade the gift to a fireproof box. Great gift idea actually! I may borrow the idea.

No teen boys here but the discussion brings back fond memories of Farmer Boy.

Just finished reading a book that, among other health and medical care issues, commented on the lack of solid evidence that removing wisdom teeth as a preventive measure was beneficial. Full disclosure: DH and I both had our wisdom teeth removed as late teens/early 20s before they caused us any issues and we've since done the same with our oldest DD. Everyone recovered quickly and without any significant complications. What is your experience? (poll will be added; additional discussion/comments welcome)

You all sound like reasonable people. :laugh: I'm going to let it go since I agree that the lines at customer service are likely to be longer than is worth waiting through. I think I would feel better if I knew that all items left at the register after purchase were eventually donated to charity. I don't begrudge Walmart their normal profit but it doesn't seem right if they put the item back on the shelf and re-sell it.

Wow! Interesting stories. I've mostly witnessed the opposite - realtors catering to the owners and pricing the houses too high. They just sit on the market, not even getting very many interested viewers. Then the home is considered "stale" and even fewer people will view it, even with a price drop. Personally, I'd rather price my home a little under market value and get a quick sale. Folks don't consider the costs of a home staying on the market for an extended period of time.

Her current diet sounds ideal to me. Keep in mind that Dr. McDougall is quite controversial in the nutrition field.

For many many people, the holidays mean tradition, and that means doing things the same way that they have always been done. Of COURSE it would be gracious to make changes to accommodate someone's special requirements but these folks are too tied to their traditions. This makes some perverse sense, then, that your neighbor had less issue creating a menu to accommodate your daughter since this newly formed group for the holiday didn't have a set of traditions to follow.

Ack, Very minor but super annoying. I was released early from work yesterday and darted over to Walmart before heading home. I wanted to pick up a few things before hunkering down over the crazy shopping weekend, which I want no part of. Once home, I realized that one item (~$0. 97) was missing from my bags. I double-checked my trunk but no luck. It did show up on my receipt so it must have been left at the cashier bag carousel. Obviously, financially, a very minor mishap. I'm certainly not venturing back to Walmart anytime this weekend. Trying to decide if I should go by on Monday to state my case. I'm thinking most reasonable people would just "let it go" but not sure I want to be reasonable in this instance. :laugh: Do they keep track of items left at the registers or do those items go right back on the shelf? Do you have a similar story? I can't be the only one.

Thank you for the feedback. We'll definitely keep the weather in mind for any outdoor activities. I've also scoped out the local library locations. :laugh:

DD would love that! Thank you. I had not heard of them.

DD15 and I will be traveling to Eugene, OR in early December to help a family member for several days. I want to also include some fun activities and just haven't had time to overly research and plan like I normally do. So far, I'm thinking about: 1. Visiting the raptor center. DD volunteered for a while at our local raptor center so I think she would really enjoy this. 2. Possibly drive to the coast one day to the sea lions. Paying to see the "sea lion caves" has very mixed reviews. 3. Roam the campus of the Univ of Oregon, check out their museum of natural/cultural history. I think there is a play or holiday show on campus while we will be there (can't remember exactly). 4. Rent bikes from a local shop and hit the trails along the river. I would really appreciate some advice from folks in the area on these and other things to do in the area. What is not to be missed? What should be skipped given our limited fun time? Thank you!

The $50 Kindle Fire is an unbeatable value, even considering the screen size.

Minimum wage at $7.25 * 20 hours per week *50 weeks per year * 10 years = $72,500 Subtracting 15% income tax and 7.5% FICA/Medicare leaves about $56,000. Just how much is your in-state tuition? A few other things to keep in mind: 1. College costs are expected to be paid from past, present, and future earnings. In other words, savings (past earnings), present income, and loans (future earnings). You aren't expected to have 100% of 4-years of costs on day 1. 2. If AOC continues to be extended, that's $2,500 of eligible costs that is refunded to you as a tax credit each year.