I used to fly back and forth between the east coast and hi fairly often. It really isn't that bad. Take new movies and books for the kids to read, make sure to burn off energy during any airport layovers (we just walked laps and looked at EVERYTHING and pack an extra set of clothes for each person and more snacks than you think you will need. I always had each kid carry their own backpack (even at 2). It contained a change of clothes, snacks, a couple of books/activity books (the sticker books are great) and a stuffed animal (that could double as a pillow) and small blanket. My carry on always included a change of clothes for me, electronics/movies for the kids, a couple of surprises in case of emergency (little toys, lollipops, etc that I knew they would love), snacks, a book for me in case the kids decided to sleep at the same time and a few extra books for the kids. Also, diapers went in my bag if they were needed and lollipops are great for getting kids ears to pop on takeoff and landing. One plane activity mine always liked was stringing fruit loops into jewelry then eating it. All you need is embroidery floss or dental floss and a baggie of fruit loops. Ask the stewardess for a cup to pour some into and the kids can spend quite a while working on necklaces and bracelets (the olders can be challenged to make patterns. Wiki sticks are also a lot of fun as a plane activity. They can build with them then you can make them into animals or whatever and they can play with them as figures for a while. We often had wiki stick horses living in barns made with cups. As far as jet lag, my kids usually had one off day and were fine, I usually needed two or three days to adjust. Take advantage of it the first day and go enjoy the sunrise on the beach.

My kid with similar behaviors at that age has fairly severe anxiety issues. It might be worth doing some testing and looking into cognitive behavior therapy.

Could you make the space in the basement with the piano into a space for your dh? Move the piano into the master bedroom if there is space or into the main part of the basement and give him that room to relax in. My second choice would be to find a way to refinish the basement into two bedrooms, a working bathroom (might not be as hard as you think) and a lounge space. Turn it into the kid are and repurpose the upstairs for the adults. It would probably pay off in increased home value as well.

I'm in...as long as someone will hold me accountable. I didn't eat sugar for a long time and felt great but got busy and my diet has gone downhill fast. It currently consists of primarily leftover halloween candy, candy bars, coffee and coke zero.

At the pool I swim at anyone caught doing this would be asked to shower thoroughly before entering the water and if they continued asked not to come back. It can damage the pool (and leave the water rather gross if a lot of people did it). I swim a fair amount and both of my daughters are in the pool 5 days a week for team practice. If you are diligent about thoroughly wetting your hair before putting on your cap and then washing and conditioning well after every swim you should be fine. Once a month or so we use a shampoo designed to strip the chlorine out of hair and then a deep conditioning treatment on each of them as well. You also need to be diligent about thoroughly washing your skin and using lotion after each swim.

When I think step parent I think of my own experiences and those of my friends. All of the step parents I know well are "bonus" parents to kids who have very involved biological parents. The kids are certainly loved by the step parent and their family but the relationship is not the same as the family has with biological children (mainly due to time, the "steps" spend significantly less time with them as they spend most of their limited time for extended family with bio relatives on both sides).

Choice 3 or 4 if 3 doesn't work out.

I would say 10 or so. We regularly (at least a couple of times a month) do a 7-9 mile hike on a weekend afternoon and I don't really consider that long anymore.

I have seen this and I think that in a lot of cases it is women who are trying to convince themselves they are making the right choice (or that the choice that has been made for them is right). Certainly not all, but many of my mid to late 30's friends who are vehemently opposed to children are also single and not likely to have the option of kids in the context of a stable marriage/relationship before they are too old to do so.

Honestly, he sounds like he feels like any human would who all of a sudden ramped up the amount of exercise they did. If there is no specific area of pain and he is eating and drinking plus able to go to the bathroom (even if he doesn't want to have to get up to do so) I would just watch him and wait a bit. He is probably just stiff and sore.

I wouldn't do bunks with a 1 and a 2 year old. I would probably go with a trundle bed and a crib or 2 trundle beds. You could put the 11th, 8th, 6th and 4th graders in their own rooms then do a room for the 3rd, 2nd, 5yo and 4 yo with 2 bunk beds and a room for the 2 and 1 year old with a trundle bed and crib so it would be ready to add the next kid when he/she is old enough to move out of your room. Another option would be the 11th, 8th, 6th and 4th graders in their own rooms with a room for the 3rd and 2nd grader (and possibly 5 yo) with a bunk bed (and a trundle if the 5 is in there) then a room for the 4yo, 2yo and 1 yo (possibly with the 5yo) (with a trundle bed and crib or a pair of trundle beds if the 5 yo is in there).

I think it depends on the reason someone wants the items. I think a person wanting them for family or sentimental value trumps wanting them because someone collects antiques. In the exact situation you described I would say the pictures all go to the bio family (because really, what is the point of someone collecting pictures of people they have no connection to when the family wants them?). I would also give the statues to the bio kids if they really wanted them. If they were agreeable I Would give one to each of the four (bio and step) with bio getting first choice. Had the statues been displayed in the home and a part of the step kids family history I would feel differently and lean toward giving each kid one statue regardless of the bio kids preferences but the step kids really have no connection tot he statues or memory of them.

sunfrog.com

What does the teacher want to do? If I was teaching the class I would not be willing to accept the liability and would have to back out of teaching if you asked me to take on that responsibility. It wouldn't be something I was willing to deal with (especially since the mom lied about it which would make me question everything she told me).

I would absolutely speak to the coach. Is it a school sponsored team? If so, does the coach have a copy of your child's IEP or 504 (it sounds like he would have one) as all his teachers should? I would make an appt to meet with him and outline everything that you wrote here. The health issues, the importance of the appointments and difficulty getting them, etc. I would suggest a few alternatives that you think might work for future situations (maybe team lift night could be a different day of the week, maybe your son could do a makeup workout on his own on the weekend, etc) and then wait to hear what the coach says. I wouldn't be surprised if the coach was very open to working with you but wasn't fully aware of the situation. Teens aren't great at communicating their needs, especially when it is something they might rather not discuss.

The main difference that I can see is that braces don't involve any real risks. A tummy tuck or boob job would involve some very real risks from the anesthesia, infection, issues with healing and scarring, etc. I would support someone getting it, just like I would support braces for cosmetic reasons (as is often the case) because I believe that mental health can be as important as physical health.

I might loosen your one rule to "no more than one friend" in the house. A 3 week span of time is a long time for a college kid not to have anyone over to watch a movie or study. Other than that, it sounds like youare doing her a foavor as well since she is eager to have her own space. I would probably do a flat rate of $100 per week or $15 per day for partial weeks.

One thing that is often a struggle for families is the cost of a headstone. If you are able and they did not have insurance/the means to pay for one without a struggle offering to cover that expense might be a great relief to him.

I think 13 going on 30 might be a little young for her based on your description. I would go for something sentimental...the bracelet idea sounds good to me. Around here the teen girls are more into silver than gold.

That is not slightly to me and it doesn't make any sense. 1250 gallons for $300 is .24 per gallon. 1450 gallons at .24 per gallon is $343. Add in the $10 transport fee and your bill should be no more than $353. I would lay out the math for them and expect them to either have a very good explanation to justify the difference or expect the bill to be adjusted.

The check should have been mailed with signature confirmation. If it was then it is the tenants responsibility to pay for the cancellation. I would charge them that fee plus a fee to reissue the check (maybe $5...enough to cover the next postage and delivery confirmation).

I would expect almost all of them to feel it the next day. As far as being able to complete it without any real issues (maybe tired but no major pain or extreme exhaustion), maybe 1/3.

I have younger swimmers but I have a feeling the issues are similar. They both really like the clif builder protein bars as a quick, almost 300 calorie snack. We also do a lot of pasta with butter and meat sauce, a lot of veggies with cheese and a lot of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Can you have him use an app to track what he is eating each day and when to try to find his actual calorie intake and when you might be able to add in some additional snacks (foods he already eats and tolerates well)? Also, I have found that my swimmers both need a multivitamin every day.

There was a student like this in my daughters 5th grade class last year. He intentionally tripped a girl and she broke her wrist, he regularly grabbed other kids and slammed their heads into lockers, etc. He was very, very unpredictable and violent but because it was a "manifestation of his disability" there was nothing the school could legally do to keep him out of the class. A number of us (parents) went into the school and required our children to be moved to other classes with no contact with this student (to the point of requiring that the lunch blocks be different). The school only agreed once we brought in legal representation. This particular student was at the point of being escorted at all times by 2 IA's assigned solely to keep him away from other students. About two weeks after all the kids were moved away from him his parents agreed to private placement in a day school for violent students with autism and all the kids were moved back into their original classes. I can't imagine being his parent and the stress and heartache involved. I felt terrible for them and a bit guilty about the public ostracism they faced but it was my job to protect my own child.

He is still in school because it is very, very difficult to remove a child with an IEP even if they are causing issues/injuring other kids. I teach special ed. You would be amazed at the things that have to be tolerated at schools because they qualify as a "manifestation of a disability" which leaves the child with almost no consequences for the behaviors because they are deemed not their fault. Even if the school district decides to pay the exorbitant fees for outside placement to a private school a parent can refuse to accept that decision and it can take months, if it ever even happens, to jump through the hoops required to overrule the parents choice. eta: and the school can't even tell parents what is going on and what they are trying to do to address it because that would violate the students right to privacy.