So DH is headed to the Quebec area for business in the middle of January. We don't have a true winter where we live. What kind of coat should he get?

I put mine on a broiler pan and broil them in the oven.

First, you need to find where they are. We had them in a couch we purchased and caught them early enough they were still contained to just there. Check your bed. Bed bugs typically choose one person to bite and continue feeding off that person and also not everyone reacts to the bites. My hubby is very allergic to them. No one else in the house is apparently. Continue sleeping in your room on your bed. If you have a small infestation limited to the one room, you don't want them to go in search of food and spread throughout the house. The BedBugger forums are a fantastic source of information. We treated with a steamer and DE, checked religiously for 60 calendar days and called it good. We've had no more issues.

I have a 15 yr old and 17 yr old here. Bedrooms are there business as is their laundry. I would also be letting go of the shower curtain thing and the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Unloading/Loading the dishwasher once a day would be on the chore list that they could alternate weeks, etc. The washcloths I would take issue with, simply because they will start to mold if left in there. I have 1 teen that is actually responsible, with pay, for the dishes, trash, and feeding the animals because he wants spending money and can't work yet. The other teen has a job and pays her bills so she doesn't really have any responsibility beyond cleaning up after herself, cooking meals when I need her to, and running errands. She also chauffeurs her brother around for me as needed.

My 15 yr old is getting tabletop gaming stuff, a popcorn popper, onesie pajamas, a couple of movies, some cologne and a good razor.

Precisely what I was saying. If you go to school for an Associate of Science in Office Technology, you can absolutely get hired to do office administrative type work. If you have a Bachelor of Arts in English, they will pass right over you because they don't want to pay more than $8-10 an hour. I know multiple teachers who are stuck as subs or working retail because they can't even get hired on in Preschools, because again, they want to pay $10/hr for preschool teachers. Not $30,000-$40,000 a year. You can't eat and pay student loans on $10/hr.

Most entry level jobs in our area won't hire someone who is degreed any higher than an associates because they either a)have no job experience or b) are over-qualified because they have a higher education.

Anyone know how to get my hands on one in the next couple of days?

Who have you used for online ordering and how did they turn out?

I have a friend with a GSD that is extremely well trained. She doesn't go to public stores, etc but her owner has does extensive work with her. I've helped provide distractions (food, noise, fun toys), etc. She always obeys her commands. I take her running with me sometimes to help her work out and as personal protection (she's a giant so her size itself is a deterrent). She follows the command of anyone who has hold of her lead, even with her owner providing distraction also. A dog does not have to go in public to be well behaved and trained. (That being said, I do understand the need for training a working service dog to do their job in a grocery store, etc if they are helping retrieve items, etc).

An outdoor cat is likely NOT going to tolerate being locked up inside for months. We have tried to convert 2 former outdoor cats and have ended up with mangled mini-blinds and screens as well as door dashers. If the cat were left alone in the friend's house, it would likely become feral within just a few weeks. If the neighbors are willing to care for her where she can stay home in her own habitat with regular interaction, it would likely be best.

Our old co-op was pretty religious and yeah, most of them would discourage friendships. Our current co-op is inclusive and our more religious families would welcome you with open arms because they specifically chose our co-op because they wanted a diverse environment for their children. We have Christians, Jewish, Atheists, Wiccans, etcc all in one group and amazingly, we all get along swimmingly.

They bought a garden shed and call it a cabin so they got their kids back but CPS is still in the picture. They are still continuing to live in squalor (dirty property, no baths, etc) and their most recent pregnancy ended with a hospital born emergency stillbirth (remember, no prenatal care). The oldest son has since had a baby with someone and they have a garden shed too.

Around here, I really don't think they are that common. I only know of a couple people and 2 of those were people I reported myself because of severe neglect issues (children were removed until the situations were remedied). My kids have gone to the ER with multiple head injuries, neck injury, broken finger one time, broken collarbone another time(at 2 years old).......I've never so much as seen a hospital social worker interview me. I explain how the injury occurred to triage, the doctor, etc and have never had any issues, even when I have expected them.

Bleach only for cleaning. It is the only thing that actually kills Norovirus. Clorox wipes don't actually have bleach in them. Use Clorox Cleanup.

I have always found that my cookies spread more, are thinner, and chewier with margarine. The edges tend to be crunchy, rubbery too (if that makes any sense). I'm a diehard butter only user.

We're the opposite here. DD has had severe allergic reactions to everything BUT Always. Like severe. Like looks like someone scorched her with an iron severe. We use cloth here now though but keep Always for backups in the car, etc.

Yeah, no...we always file a report. Period. And if I witness an accident, I stop to see if they are okay and fill out a witness report also. I have given testimony multiple times to insurance agencies. The only time I have seen the police say that a report doesn't need to be filed is on private property. On public thoroughfares, the Police should be called to determine if there were any traffic violations that caused the accident. If someone rearends another vehicle, they usually get a ticket for following too closely.

This is the biggest thing to me. I realized with my kids early on, that I am the one who meal plans, grocery shops, and cooks the meals (well back then anyway). I NEVER cook Asian food. I hate it. I rarely cook eggs because they make me sick to my stomach. Tried a few Indian dishes and either the recipes sucked or my taste buds do.........don't cook them either. I am in 100% control over what gets cooked in our house and it's always food I like. If the hubby wants Chinese, he grabs the kids and they go eat while I pick up fast food. There are only a couple of foods DH doesn't care for. I don't fix them either. Why force my kids to eat things that the smell, taste, or texture makes them gag, etc and make them hate eating it even more? Even not requiring No Thank You bites hasn't meaned they are super picky as almost adults either. The meat hater is the most adventurous eater in the house. She loves ethnic foods. The super picky sensory eater regularly adds foods to his repetoire. He tries at least 1 new food a week. He may not like a lot of them, but he tries them. On his own. No forcing needed at all. He asks for them.

I have a wetbag under the sink. We put used pads in there (without rinsing). I then dump bag into the washer with a scoop of off brand Oxiclean and an All Free & Clear pod, put on a hot cycle with an hour soak, 2nd rinse and extra spin. I also throw mine in the dryer. I does wear them out quicker but since I sew our's, I don't mind replacing every 15-18 months or so. It usually costs me about $20 a year to make them since I use scrap fabric from other projects for our toppers and someone gave me a big stash of PUL, so all I have to buy is the Zorb.

If they don't like what I cook, they are free to find something else to eat in the kitchen. PB&J, cereal, veggies, etc are always available. Now that they are teens, there is frozen stuff, etc that they can cook themselves if they don't like what I cook. Food is never made an issue here. I cook, they can eat or forage. We have WIDELY varying tastes. One hates meat, one cannot tolerate most veggies, DH & I lay off the carbs. I usually try to make sure there is at least 1-2 components of a meal that each person will eat. I don't cook casseroles, soups, and usually avoid one pot meals so that people don't have to pick around anything.

I sew my own, but I would advise buying a couple of different shapes and toppers to sample because the best fit is highly dependent on body shape and flow. Our pads with Zorb fabric are much thinner than those with flannel/terry inners. My DD prefers Minky toppers because there is literally no staining. I prefer cotton toppers for daytime use for sweat reasons and minky heavys for nights.

Hubby recently traveled to Canada and is appalled that we don't have Poutine as a staple in the South. So my Canadian boardies, gimme your best Poutine recipes so that I can keep my old man's belly full and happy.

If the girl has been cleared for school, she is not contagious.

I wanted to come back and say this RE: age differences. My husband and I are 12 years apart in age. We met when I was 16. I had a crush on him. He said, "No way, Jailbait!" Our paths crossed again when I was 21 (but I was dating someone else) and again when I was 25 and him 37. We've been together ever since. Age differences are fine........when everyone is a grownup. He readily admitted he thought I was adorable at 16, but wasn't gonna touch that with a 10 foot pole.