You could try turmeric, drinking lots of cold water, avoiding sugar, and cryotherapy - both icing at home with a knee ice wrap (at least 10 minutes every hour) and a whole body cryotherapy chamber if there is a place near you that offers this treatment. It's kind of cool (no pun intended), you stand in a chamber and they pump cold nitrogen gas at you for 2-3 minutes. Athletes do it to help speed recovery. My son has done it and it was very helpful for him.

I'd be paying this character in air money.

Mixed dominance is an advantage in hitting since as a PP mentioned, right handed-hitters have their left eye closest to the pitcher at the plate, and vice versa for lefties. If he can hit off a live pitcher but not the machine, then (assuming Dad pitches at the same speed as the machine) the issue is probably pitch selection and confidence. Practice will help. Get him in to the batting cages over the winter if that is something he will enjoy. You can rent a tunnel and do a mix of dad pitching and pitching machine in the same session. You can also hire a hitting coach for a session or two if he is really into baseball and you want to invest in it. If he doesn't enjoy hitting indoors then I wouldn't push it, he's just 9. A lot can change by next season. And be open to the fact that although baseball is big in the family, it might not be his passion right now. Around those ages, it seemed there were always a few kids on my boys' teams who clearly didn't want to be there and their parents just kept signing them up. I don't know if they don't want to be honest or don't know how to be honest or their parents don't care. My son who has mixed dominance (and is a great hitter) had amblyopia at birth so he did do vision therapy from ages 5 to 6 to improve convergence, but his issues never appeared to affect his reading or academics (which may be rare, it's just our experience).

I have three of these hampers in my master closet. One is for darks, one for lights, one for towels. I also have a small basket that stays in the laundry room for kitchen towels & cleaning rags (bleach). Every morning when I am getting dressed I check the hampers, and empty a full hamper from my closet into a laundry basket and bring that downstairs with me. I start the load of laundry first thing before I do anything else. Or if none of my closet hampers are are full, I will grab my sheets on the way out of my room, or wash the bleach load. Basically I do not start my day without throwing in a load of laundry! The kids (I have 2) each have a similar hamper in their closets. They are responsible for bringing down their laundry when they need it done (and if it has been awhile and I have nothing else to wash I will remind them). Their clothes are pretty much all dark except for socks which I throw into the bleach basket. I also have them bring down their sheets periodically. They are capable of doing their own laundry, but I prefer to have it done my way and let them do other chores -- like cleaning the bathroom.

I googled and found a place near me that does this but it's 90 minute sessions. That seems like a long time! I just read this article about it. I would love the floating part but the being alone with my thoughts part would be difficult. I have a terrible time shutting my brain off at night to sleep. Also I have some hygiene questions. It says it's a tank of 10" of water with 800lbs of epsom salts, which in addition to making you float, helps pull toxins out of your skin. I am all for toxin elimination, but am I floating in the toxins of the last person?

Is she leaving a 9 year old home alone from after school until 7pm? And dad isn't involved anymore? Sounds like he really got the short end of the stick in parenting. I think what I would do is adjust my plans to include him whenever possible and stop considering it a favor to her, but an investment in this child. Once he's up and out of the house, I wouldn't have anything to do with her anymore unless she changes her tune. And I sure wouldn't be taking her on vacation, only the child.

What about soft baby washcloths? You could toss them in the laundry with her clothes.

If he had an electric griddle he could make bacon, eggs, sausage, omelets, pancakes, grilled cheese. Maybe a grocery store in the area will deliver?

I'm going to assume you are kidding because I can't wrap my brain around this statement otherwise.

OP, it's great that she was able to pull over, but it took her an hour to calm down. That's pretty hysterical. What if she hadn't been able to pull over right away - like a long construction zone? She knows she has a problem, so it wouldn't be responsible to force her onto the road alone before she's ready for convenience. More practice and maturity should help.

On a purely emotional level, I support independence 100%. I have very limited understanding of the economic ramifications.

It really sounds like she isn't ready to drive, and it also appears that she knows she isn't ready. Just because you 'need' her to drive and she has her license, doesn't mean she is ready to drive. I would go back to the basics and only let her drive with a parent until she is more capable. If that means carpooling, cabs, or bike-riding to ballet in the meantime, so be it. Much better than her causing an accident because she was on the road before she ready. GPS, bluetooth, apps, etc. are nice but they won't solve the problem. I don't think any amount of equipment can help a driver who isn't ready suddenly become a safe driver. It's just practice practice practice, with a parent in the car supervising.

Not yet, I got as far as the part where you can request a specific teacher. Which teacher did you have? I am hoping for someone who will have a rapport with my boys, I think that will make a difference for us.

I am strongly considering signing my 2 boys up. They are 7th & 9th grade and would be taking the class together. Anyone have any feedback? If you recommend a specific teacher there, I would love to hear that as well.

Anyone using these planners? I would love to hear reviews. I went ahead and ordered the 5x8 size today. I'm not sure it will be perfect but I can't wait any longer to get going on this, I have already waited too long. I may have my son use a separate notebook to keep track of assignments and just use the planner for tests & scheduling. If anyone else like me still needs to order their planners for this year and wants to save a few pennies, I found a 15% off coupon (code 22220) and I went through Mr Rebates for a 6% rebate.

Unspoken by Dee Henderson is a mystery about a kidnapping victim who is also an heiress disposing of an inheritance. Not my favorite book but not terrible.

My family's most favorite games: Dominion (& expansions) The Castles of Burgundy Puerto Rico Card Games - Hearts, Tripoley, Crazy 8s Bohnanza Monopoly Deal (the card game, not the board game) Other games we particularly enjoy: Settlers of Catan (& expansions & dice game) 7 Wonders Pandemic Forbidden Island Carcasonne (& expansions) Fistful of Penguins Incan Gold Can't Stop Yahtzee Othello Ticket To Ride (& expansions)

I think everything he wrote was spot on, Biblically and logically. I hope that his words will reach the families that are following patriarchy and/or legalism, erroneously believing these tools of evil are actually Biblical values. And I am particularly glad that he addressed the fact that adopted children need to feel loved and discipline formulas don't work. I didn't get a CYA vibe at all, it sounded genuine to me and makes me respect Farris and HSLDA more. I may even sign up for a membership if this continues to be their position.

I'm a frequent flier and I don't recline, I don't let my kids recline, and I think it's awful when others do. Ten years ago it wasn't so bad, but airplane seating has been reconfigured and there just isn't room now on most flights. If the airlines had a clue they would have removed the recline option at the same time. If your head is within one foot of my face, it's uncomfortable. It's annoying that I can't use the tray table, but the worst part is that I have long legs and on some planes my knees are jammed against the seat in front of me *before* it's reclined. I don't use a knee-saver or *intentionally* kick seatbacks, but I have no way of avoiding bumping a seatback that's in my face. These are 2-4 hour flights, not long-hauls. I think for the sake of civility most people can handle remaining upright that long, or use a travel pillow which lets you rest your head. On international flights, there is more space and it's a longer flight so I have no problem with reclining. If you like to recline, I'm not going to attack you on the plane, but you will be the recipient of some serious evil eyes at the back of your head.

Hmm, I don't see this as a "do-over". I consider her statement "people are more important than money" as an attempt to help calm down a very upset friend in the heat of the moment, not the equivalent of saying "I release you from the financial obligation of replacing this piece of my property that your child willfully destroyed in your and your husband's presence". So we will have to agree to disagree there. And I don't see how being empathic or compassionate equals allowing someone to destroy your property. Furthermore, I presume that the OP is significantly empathic and compassionate as her primary concern was for the child and her friend in the moment, and she continues to be worried about her friend. Not to mention the fact that she wants to continue this friendship at all despite the fact that 3 weeks have passed with no offer of $!

"Sheesh?" Why would you make such a snarky, unhelpful remark? If I have offended you by stating that people should be financially responsible for the damage their children cause, even if the child has autism, please accept my apology. If you genuinely think that having insurance means I didn't take responsibility, then I'll answer that of course I have insurance, but that doesn't negate my point. I can choose to pay out of pocket if the repair expense is less than my deductible, or I can choose to use my insurance plan, which I pay for. Either way, the responsibility is mine.

Could you please elaborate on how asking for the money back is an awful, uncaring thing? I don't see that. I see giving them a chance to replace the table as the kinder option - it is assuming that they would like to repair the damage that they caused. The OP has stated that this couple knows they caused the damage and they are in a financial position to easily repair it. IMO, presuming they would rather ignore it instead of paying for a replacement table is assuming unkind things about their character. To say they should sweep this under the carpet and buy a cheap table instead smacks of elitism. If I rear end a Mercedes, I don't gripe that their car is overpriced and they should purchase a Kia as a replacement. The Mercedes will be fixed or replaced, on my dime. To say this should be ignored because the child has autism, smacks of political correctness run amok. If I rear ended that car because of an illness, I still have to pay to fix the car. It doesn't minimize my trials with my illness or make the car-accident victim a selfish whiner to hold me responsible for the damage I caused. I am not suggesting the OP should hire a lawyer over a $250 table, but I think she should give her friends a chance to pay for the damage they caused. If I/my child had done this and had forgotten to pay, or was embarrassed to bring it up, I would want a gentle reminder giving me a chance to fix it so we could move on.

You said they are very comfortable financially, so I think it's quite reasonable to expect them to pay for the damage they did. I think saying "people are more important than things" in the heat of the moment doesn't mean "hey come break my stuff, as long as you aren't physically hurt who cares about the cost". And quite frankly, I would not want to be friends with someone who can easily afford to pay for the damage but didn't. I'm going to assume that they are planning to pay but are concerned about bringing it up due to awkwardness or whatever. So I would probably text my friend: "I'm going to pick up a replacement table for Jr's birthday today, would you like to join me and get pedicures afterward?" And hopefully she will come along and pay, or can't make it but wants to drop off a check. Or is your DH is friends with Dave? If so, perhaps he could email Dave: "Got a repair quote and it's less expensive to just purchase a new table ($250). I'm going to XYZ store to pick it up today, let me know if you want to ride along and then help me put it together. I've got your favorite beer on ice." If they don't respond and insist on paying, then I'd say that for the bargain price of $250 you found out what kind of people they really are.

I wouldn't refund her unless you described the books incorrectly. It doesn't sound like you did, so I wouldn't have any more to do with her.

I think this is a new (free) biology resource for those who have iPads/iBooks. Units 1-7 are available free on iTunes. Looks interesting but I don't know much else about it. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/e.-o.-wilsons-life-on-earth/id529004239?mt=13