My sons have both asked for triangle-shaped fidget spinners after seeing friends who have them. They asked their friends where they got them and all said Amazon. The problem is that many, many sellers have jumped on the bandwagon, selling knockoffs that take a month to ship to the US and/or are poor quality. Does anyone have suggestions for specific versions and sellers who are offering better spinners? I don't necessarily want to buy from Amazon, but I do have a Prime trial that's expiring soon so I want to jump on the free shipping while I can if need be.

I agree with Monica on the repeating with a normal tone. Also, especially when you begin having her do this, model what it should sound like and have her copy you in word and tone. You could even make a game of it where you whine and have her correct you, and you have to repeat her saying it the right way.

We have Repose Gray in a bathroom with lighter floors and couple hallways with darker floors. It looks good with both. It definitely changes tone depending on the light, so may not feel dark enough for high light areas (like your main area with the beautiful staircase). You might look into Valspar Stone Manor, Benjamin Moore Rockport Gray, Sherwin Williams Functional Gray for deeper tones.

If you have time, tour some new-build communities / model homes in your area, especially ones that are around your house's price point or a bit above. That will give you an idea of what finishes people might expect when buying.

What a neat experience! Good luck to her and all her fellow athletes!

Burrito bowls--basically you make items you would put inside a burrito (meat, rice, beans) and serve in a bowl with toppings like lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and/or salsa, etc. You could do slow cooked chicken and/or pork since those are more economical, as well as roasted or grilled veggies. If you go with pork, this recipe for Slow Cooker Carnitas https://www.budgetbytes.com/2017/03/slow-cooker-carnitas/ looks amazing. Chicken pot pie casserole--my favorite recipe for this is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/chicken-pot-pie-crumble/ Instead of having crusts, it has a biscuit-like topping. You could probably make a veggie version fairly easily if you wanted to (substitute mushrooms for chicken, use vegetable broth in place of chicken). I would serve this casserole with green salad and fresh fruit. Ground meat stir-fry--I've made this recipe from Budget Bytes quite a few times and it's so good: https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/08/beef-cabbage-stir-fry/ I've adapted it quite a bit. I use ground turkey instead of beef (usually turkey is a better price plus I think it has a lighter flavor which works well in this dish), use packaged broccoli slaw instead of the cabbage and carrots, double or triple the stir fry sauce, and use less Sriracha than it calls for for a milder flavor. I serve this with edamame, white rice, and orange slices. I'm not sure how this would do as a make-ahead but it does seem to hold well, so I think you'd be okay to make it slightly ahead of time (like the afternoon of the day you're serving it) and once done hold it in a slow cooker on low until time to serve. If doing it this way, you might cook the veggies and meat separately, put just the meat in the slow cooker on low, add most of the veggies closer to serving time holding some back for the vegetarian family.

Nope, none at all. It's frustrating to see people stating her as being the nanny as fact (ex: "How bad for that poor nanny"), without even checking to see if that was actually the case, then seeing later commenters use those same original misstatements as reason to assume that as well to go even further (ex: "I hope that nanny doesn't get fired"). So what was your assumption about my assumption? :) (Editing to add, since emotion comes across horribly online, I'm totally joking with that last sentence and mean no harm or ill will) (Another edit to say that my frustrations aren't coming from any commenters here but rather on other sites)

To the OP: Do we insist that our children only follow pursuits that will lead to a future career? Also, how many people are in the highest levels of their profession as pro athletes are? If you think about it, many childhood passions and pursuits don't lead to top jobs. Instead they work to shape character, discipline, focus, and aid in the formation of many other worthwhile skills that help children grow into successful adults. We know the statistics of students getting athletic scholarships and eventually going pro, and that is not our motivating factor for our kids' participation in any of their activities. However, there's no doubt that they are learning skills and developing character traits that will help them as they mature. For some families, because of the nature of their kids, they are well-served to be highly involved in activities (sports, music, arts, theater, science, math, robotics, or whatever their area may be). These kids are highly motivated, driven, gifted at their activity. For other families, these activities are just fun things that help them be well-rounded and healthy but shouldn't be a focus of time, effort, or money. You have to figure out based on your own children's talents and passions what type of activities serve your family best. And FWIW, it's okay to not feel the need to follow the crowd of what other parents are doing. We left an "elite" organization a couple years ago because we saw it for the money grab that it really was. We don't buy our kids the latest and greatest gear and take breaks when some people have their kids play/perform year round. We don't care how other parents do it, because we don't answer to them. You set the tone and pace that's right for you.

I'll be sure to let my son, the captain of his travel ice hockey team, know that he will never attain the high pinnacles of wisdom and virtue the classically-minded athlete will achieve.

My absolute favorite part is when the baby comes rolling in. You know the saying "funny cuz it's true"--that should be the tag line for this video. Who hasn't been interrupted and/or embarrassed by their kids? I hope that all people involved will not be hurt by the attention and look on it as a sweet reminder of how imperfect all of our lives are behind the scenes. My only complaint is not even with the video but rather the comments that automatically assume the woman is the nanny and not the mom/wife.

One of my children recently was grounded from all screens for 3 weeks (for school related reasons). This child tends to be an all or nothing type, so it was a good break. Said child was only allowed to use an old iPod to listen to music; other than that no screens at all. We even switched part of the child's curriculum that is an iBook to a print copy that, thankfully, I already owned. This was a punishment rather than a fast, but it had some great results and kind of "reset" this child from always defaulting to a screen when being even slightly bored. Now that the punishment is over and screens are allowed again, there is still a tendency to want to get online or play games as a procrastination tactic. But it is way less than before. Some creative, athletic, and educational pursuits that had gotten put aside in favor of screen time were picked back up during the enforced fast, and the child is continuing to work on them after the fast. Our typical rule for screen time is not during school hours and not after certain times at night (this varies bc our schedule is so variable). That first part can be hard to enforce when they are doing online tasks as part of their learning, though. We have no problem telling our kids during times where screens are normally allowed that it's time for a break and for them to go outside and play! Screen time is a privilege and not a right in our home. We are looking into getting an online time manager like the Circle by Disney because it's so hard to track who's on what screen for how long and for what purpose.

Years ago, when I was pregnant with our first child, DH was pumping gas while I waited in the car. Someone drove past and hit the car and my husband. Thankfully it was nothing super serious, but our car was significantly damaged (door wouldn't shut properly) and we incurred medical bills. We ended up having to take the driver to small claims court to get his insurance company to settle the claim. It was such a pain and took much longer than it should have to resolve, especially for something so minor. We ended up having to drive about 4 or 5 hours round trip with our infant to go collect the check from the insurance company's regional office because they kept telling us the check was "in the mail" (you know what that means...sigh). To the OP--glad your DH is going to be okay. Bicycle accidents are scary! Hope you have a smoother experience than most have who have shared here. But definitely be prepared to fight and stay the course.

It sounds like you have a great plan already underway. Making sure to get the bathrooms cleaned is always one of my biggest tasks. You already have that under control, so the rest will fall into place. Some of the tastiest meals are simple and what you listed sounds good! If guests throw you off while you are cooking, can you prep things ahead to help simplify the process? Like chop all the veggies you need or whatever and then put the amount you need for each meal into separate containers or ziplock bags that you've labeled what they are for. Pre-cook the meat for spaghetti (if you are using meat). Sides don't have to be complicated--raw veggies (carrots/broccoli/cauliflower with ranch for dipping); raw fruits; salad from a bag; steamed frozen veggies seasoned generously with butter, salt or seasoned salt, and pepper; french bread warmed (serve with a dish of olive oil sprinkled with pepper, oregano, basil, garlic and/or balsamic vinegar for an extra touch that is super easy), cracker/cheese/seasonal fruit plate. Another thing to do if you use recipes is to print out or photocopy, then check off with a pen as you use ingredients and complete steps to keep from losing your place.

In the past our children only went to camps where we went with them. Now that our two older children are teens, we feel it's okay for them to go without us with groups that we have vetted and have found to be trustworthy. All three of our children have martial arts/self-defense training and have been taught about how to handle if someone tries to do something inappropriate. To the OP: Definitely look into family camp. We've attended one for the past 5 years, and it's been an amazing experience. We get all of the fun camping experiences--campfires, hiking, archery, crafts, etc.-- without some of the worries that a sleep away camp may bring.

The Darling Dahlia series by Susan Wittig Albert. It's set in a Depression-era rural Alabama town and features a group of ladies who band together during hard times. This series is considered of the "cozy mystery" genre so it's not incredibly deep, but it does highlight strong female characters and touches on historical and cultural issues enough that it doesn't feel super fluffy. These books have been my palate cleansers, so to speak, between heavier reads that I've taken on in the past couple months. Another book that I was surprised to like so much, as it's definitely chick-lit, was The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan. It's about an English woman who is being downsized, realizes her calling is matching people with books, and ends up buying a van to turn into a mobile bookshop. There's a typical romantic element (sigh, of course) but I can forgive that for the charm of the rest of the story, especially its setting. On the non-fiction side, what about something by Bill Bryson?

In our house we had a pass-through area where there was a half-wall but no cabinets. I think the previous owner might have had a small temporary storage cabinet there. That's where we kept the portable dishwasher when not in use. The dishwasher had a countertop-type shelf on the top so it came in handy for prep space in our tiny kitchen. It kind of functioned like a moveable island or cart that could also wash dishes. :) The way the kitchen was set up and how the water line was installed, there was no way to install a standard dishwasher. We eventually were able to install a dishwasher but only after completely remodeling and reconfiguring the entire space.

Buyer beware. Unfortunately, low fares like this come at a cost to the employees and the airline industry as a whole. Norwegian has circumvented the labor laws of the US and other countries in order to pay its employees less than standard wages. http://www.alpa.org/news-and-events/news-room/2016-04-15-DOT-norwegian-air-decision-exposes-flawed-US-aviation-policy

My son is hooked on a pottery-making app. He was introduced to it by one of his buddies. My older son and his teammates are also fascinated by it. It's funny to see a bunch of active, athletic boys sitting around a tablet, using a virtual pottery wheel and painting virtual pots.

Our former house had no dishwasher. We only had 2 young children at the time and DH traveled a lot, so I managed without one. When I became pregnant with our third, we ended up getting a portable dishwasher. That was wonderful! Now our life situation is a lot different. We have a dishwasher now but if we were back in the spot where we didn't, I'd try really hard to not get behind and have an "all hands on deck" approach, i.e. nobody leaves the kitchen area until all have helped get the kitchen completely clean. The kids are much older--2 teens and a tween--so they can help out but they also eat a lot more. They also create more dishes randomly throughout the day as they grab snacks and such. If someone creates dirty dishes outside of mealtime, ideally that person is responsible for cleaning up and leaving the kitchen better than how they found it. If they don't have time to clean up after themselves, then they don't have time to eat something that dirties dishes. They'll need to grab a different, self-contained snack (raw fruit or veggies, sandwich eaten off of a paper towel, etc). I take that same approach when we have a day full of activities. I try not to fix a meal that dirties a lot of dishes when I know I have to run out the door right after to take the kids somewhere. With all that said, I have dirty dishes in my sink at various times throughout the day on most days and don't feel bad about it. Okay, maybe a little bad. But I do try to finish each day with them all washed and either put away or in the drying rack. When everyone is getting ready for bed, I'll put on my headphones and listen to podcasts while I clean up. It's actually kind of relaxing and I've started to look forward to this time.

My husband isn't even a workaholic but the nature of his job requires him to be gone several days at a time. I haven't seen him since Sunday morning. He's supposed to be back tonight but probably after we're all in bed. It definitely stinks. :grouphug:

That image seems to come from this website: http://www.freetimelimited.com/20-vintage-wedding-dresses/ It's described as a vintage 1910 dress so it's probably one of a kind or very rare. If you do a google image search, you can find pics of dresses that are similar but maybe more accessible for purchase. Also, check out etsy

A magnetic easel and large alphabet and number magnets, large paper, fingerpaints. Our kids have one from IKEA that they put to good use for a long time. Play kitchen. There are small, tabletop versions if you don't want the full size. Magnatiles Castle Logix game We got our niece a balance bike and helmet for her second birthday, but I think this is a great gift for ages 2-4.

I subscribe to this blog: http://dontsalt.blogspot.com The author has lots of great recipes and product recommendations for low sodium options. I was going to possibly need to go low-sodium for health reasons and found this blog to be encouraging and helpful.

American has a baggage damage policy: https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/baggage/delayed-or-damaged-baggage.jsp He needs to file a claim at the baggage office at the airport right away.

We've had Oral-B for years. We got them at Sam's Club about 10 years ago and they are still working well. Our model is the Triumph Professional. It's so old they probably don't make it anymore. If I had to replace them, I'd probably get the Oral-B Pro 5000. We bought Sonicare for our kids and they broke after a little more than a year--the rubber seal around the brush head holder disintegrated which caused the entire toothbrush to not work correctly. After reading many reviews, that seems to be a common complaint with Sonicare. To replace those we bought a set of Oral-B's from Costco (this model: http://www.costco.com/Oral-B-Pro-Care-2000-Dual-Handle-Rechargeable-Toothbrush.product.100120039.html ) and those are doing well after more than a year of use. We buy our replacement heads at Costco. They come in a year's worth pack and usually go on sale at least twice a year. They are on sale right now, so I'll stock up now for all of us.