Yes, it can be painted. Here's what I'd do: 1. Apply liquid Sander/Deglosser: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Jasco-Easy-Liquid-Sander-Deglosser/50298105 2. Apply primer: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Valspar-Interior-Latex-Primer-Actual-Net-Contents-128-fl-oz/3364646 or https://www.lowes.com/pd/Zinsser-Bulls-Eye-Interior-Exterior-Latex-Primer-Actual-Net-Contents-128-fl-oz/3401260 3. Apply cabinet enamel paint, semi-gloss, with a foam roller: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Valspar-Cabinet-Enamel-Semi-Gloss-Latex-Interior-Paint-Actual-Net-Contents-124-fl-oz/999918096 If you decide to spray paint, use the liquid deglosser, then Rustoleum bonding primer spray, then a good quality semigloss spray. I think it's really hard to get even coats using spray paint so I'd go with regular paint but you may be a better spray painter than I. :) Lowe's also sells a product called Cabinet Rescue. I would not recommend it. We used it in our kitchen and it does have a tendency to chip and is not easy to clean.

Better for him to hear it from you when he is 15 than to hear it from his employer when he's an adult. Or at least that's what I tell my kids. :)

Oh boy, don't even mention Caillou. That show is inappropriate for kids on a whole other level.

I know a woman who wouldn't let her kids watch SpongeBob just because she was totally annoyed by the sound of his voice Okay, so, that woman is me :leaving:

Praying for you both

These are ideas I'm considering for this week: BBQ brisket--my granny's recipe (I've never made it because I'm afraid it won't be as good as hers!), served with hash brown casserole and green beans. This is comfort food for me. Cottage pie, served with fruit Tacos, served with Mexican rice, refried beans, and maybe corn. Sloppy Joe's, served with carrots and any other fruits or veggies we have around This stir-fry: https://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/08/beef-cabbage-stir-fry/, except ground turkey instead of beef and broccoli slaw instead of cabbage, served with rice Chicken corn chowder, served with salad Instant Pot chicken and sweet potatoes

I have a 13 yo who is definitely in that stage where it's useless to ask "why". I've found it's much more productive to skip the questioning about motivations and move straight into explaining why it's not okay to do certain things. I try to explain from a logical and practical point of view. So, if this was my child, I'd say something regarding how it's never okay to throw sharp tools. Then we'd go through reasons why that's not acceptable (safety, care of tools, idea that something thrown has to be retrieved and what a pain that will be if it's thrown into an overgrown area). I also like to reinforce "real-life" future thinking ideas--i.e. when you are an independent adult (which is coming sooner rather than later), it's not a good choice to behave like this. In this scenario, I would emphasize that if one is working for pay it's not acceptable to play during that time or to treat your employer's tools poorly. Doing so will be likely to get you reprimanded or fired. I would probably have made my child retrieve the tool right away if at all possible. If the child's playing around while getting paid hourly, I'd probably revert to a set salary with partial pay at certain points of completion. That's how real life works a lot of time. I want my kids to go out as adults and realize what people are going to expect of them and their work, so I try to model that for them at home when I can.

This article has a good comparison of the different models: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/macbook-vs-air-vs-pro Personally, I would stay away from the MacBook (plain MB--i.e. not Air or Pro). While it's very light and has a nice screen display, the battery life and processor speed are comparatively poor, and its functionality is limited by only having 1 USB port. IMO Air or Pro are much better options for the money.

The best option will depend on your purpose and your budget. The Air is less powerful but lighter and more compact, the Pro is more powerful but more expensive. I think the screens and resolution are better on the Pro. I was on a pretty tight budget and needed portability over power, so I got a refurbished Macbook Air. I've had it for about 9 months, and it's been perfect for what I needed and how much I wanted to spend. The only thing I miss having is a CD/DVD drive. The drive only came with the significantly more expensive MacBook, which was way too expensive and bulky for my needs. I may end up buying an external drive, but for now I just use our desktop Mac for disks. I would suggest figuring into your budget the price of getting Apple Care if at all possible. I think deals will come out in a month or so, closer to when school is starting back. I don't remember there being significant discounts last year through Apple, though. Maybe a promo package with headphones or something?

I have a male relative who was an elementary school teacher. It was a fallback career for him. He had a Master's in another field that he couldn't get hired in, so he started teaching to be able to pay back his student loans. He is now teaching overseas--much better pay/benefits and work schedule, less pressure over testing and performance. It was ridiculous how little he made teaching in a public school. He also worked a couple side jobs and tutored to try to get ahead. This was as a single man; I can't imagine how tough it would have been if he'd had a family to support as well.

Oregon coast (Tillamook to Astoria) is one of my happy places. I'd be glad to share it with you :)

We are planning to go through the Bible together using The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study by Starr Meade https://www.christianbook.com/important-youll-study-survey-bible-complete/starr-meade/9781433511820/pd/511820 If we were doing a topical study, I think it would be neat to study a book of the Bible such as Daniel (courage in the face of opposition/death) or Acts (spreading the Gospel) alongside a missionary account such as God's Smuggler.

Praying for your mom :grouphug:

We had ours for 16 years. Last year both DH and I started waking up feeling stiff and creaky in our backs. We might have attributed it to just getting older, but DH travels regularly and didn't feel that bad after sleeping in hotel beds. I feel like we got a long life out of our mattress considering it was just a cheap set we got when we bought our bedroom furniture out of a little storage warehouse in CA when we were first married.

We like the overnight yeasted waffles.

That's pretty close on towing capacity vs. camper size. Are you going to be towing in fairly flat areas? If so, it's probably not a big deal. If you're planning on traveling where there are changes in grade that will put strain on your transmission anyway, I'd be concerned. We have a smaller SUV and a larger popup and ended up getting a transmission cooler installed in our car to increase tow capacity. I'm not sure if that's an option for your vehicle, but it might be worth looking into. Also, as mentioned above, you definitely want to get an electronic brake sensor. It makes a huge difference. When we first started looking for a camper, I read a bunch of threads on PopUpPortal to get an idea of what it was like to use one, what kinds of issues they have, model-specific tips, etc. There are a lot of hardcore campers on there, so I took a lot of what I read with a grain of salt but learned quite a bit.

Lucky Vitamin has an Autoship program. I haven't used that program specifically, but I do order from them and have always had a good experience.

This is only 7 qt but seems to be a good deal. And you could have it shipped to your local Target for free and can return it there for free if you don't like it. https://www.target.com/p/lodge-cast-iron-dutch-oven-7-quart/-/A-12143124

I try to show as many angles as possible. I also usually show my stylist a picture of what I really *don't* like/want.

Praying!

I taught in a public school before I got married. Then we moved, and I ended up teaching out of field at a private school for a short time. After our first child was born I left classroom teaching for a literacy job at a library--way less stress, better hours and pay. Unfortunately we moved again, so I had to resign that position. Since then I've worked off/on in various education-related jobs. After we're done homeschooling I have no desire to go back to teaching full-time. I've thought about pursuing a career as a librarian or speech/language pathologist, but I'm not sure it would be worth the money I'd have to spend to go back for my Master's in either field. The job market seems fairly competitive for both of those, so I'd hate to be out the $ and stuck without a job. I'm also worried about marketability as a mid-life career changer. My experiences as a public and private school teacher certainly influenced our decision to homeschool. Before teaching in a private school we thought we would send our future kids to a Christian school. After I worked at one--well, we saw the ins and outs and decided it wasn't for us. Also, my background in education helped me feel confident and qualified to teach. I know a lot of homeschoolers worry about whether they are equipped. I've never felt like that. I've had experience teaching elementary through high school students, so knew I could handle my classroom of 3 children at different ages and stages. My biggest struggle so far has been teaching reading/beginning spelling, but there are great programs published that have helped fill in my gaps in that area. That said, I know I'm not qualified to teach in all areas, especially as my kids get older, so I'm thankful there are so many ways to outsource and supplement when we need it.

Usually I wrap each shoe individually in a plastic grocery bag and stuff it into the suitcase where it will fit. If we go someplace where we'll get our shoes or clothes especially dirty or wet, I pack giant Ziploc bags (XL/10 gallon size). I put all of our dirty items in there, squish it down to get most of the air out, then zip it well and throw it into our suitcase or duffel bag.

We live in the land of no ice/no snow/no mountains or elevation whatsoever, yet DD is convinced she wants a Subaru. I think it would be bored here, lol.

Loved and want to go back: Paris, Tennessee mountains, Pacific NW, Boston/New England Liked but visiting other places take priority over returning to these: Costa Rica, Belize, Grand Canyon Did not enjoy: Cruise to Bahamas. Would like to visit: Pretty much anywhere in Europe, the Holy Land, Australia, Yellowstone

We went in September, which is part of the "green" (aka rainy) season. It didn't really rain that much when we were there, though. It wasn't impossibly hot or humid for us, but we live in FL so may be more acclimated than people from other parts of the world to that kind of weather. We spent a few days on the Pacific coast, then a few at Arenal (zip lined there--amazing!), then a couple in San Jose with some friends. There were no significant crowds at that time of year. In fact, it was kind of deserted where we stayed while at the coast. We had the pool and beach to ourselves most of the time. That was several years ago, though, so it might have changed since then.