NFL dirty dancing was the best! So funny. Alexa was good, too.

Yep.

Both, but if you phrased it is it a sport or an art, I would say art.

I am incredibly sorry for your loss. You couldn’t know the end from the beginning, but you ran your race so, so well. She was well loved, the most precious thing in the world.

I don’t see any part of that interaction as a problem. I do think it’s just generally a dumb idea to put your family on tv/interwebs. You’d think he’d know better.

20% for stylists. So a $20 haircut would be $4, but I usually round up to $5.

I’m so sorry. We had a year like that. Four in 4 months. ((((Hugs))))

Around here it’s actually close to the same price to hire out laundry service by the pound.

And for some people, an opioid is actually the healthiest drug to be on. My dh has extreme reactions to benzos and neuro meds, but taking an opioid has zero effect on anything but the pain. It’s really weird. Give him neurontin and you’re dealing with a psych ward patient, give him Percocet and it’s equivalent to me taking a Tylenol.

Oh, duh. I should have thought of that.

This really worries me because dh absolutely needs opioids when he’s in a flare up. Often for months. He always cuts back off at some point, but I don’t feel even a little bad when he’s on. He has zero “high†reactions. It just cuts the edge off of his very legitimate pain. About 18 months ago he went to the ER in serious need after getting hit by a baseball on his injury and they turned him away. It was inhumane.

Wouldn’t it be easier to fly to a pot state every few months than pick up your whole life?

Grandpa died Large pay cut 2 car repairs Son’s nurse quit, leaving us in a real lurch Health insurance hike Can I have a do-over?

Yay for the check. Boo for the dumb expenses. We have had the crappiest month relative to unexpected expenses.

I missed their ages. I was writing with younger kids in mind, but if they’re pulling moms into this, they’re not too old for the full treatment. I would hope that they could handle conflict on their own, but I just did this last summer with my 13yo and her long-time friend because a situation had been brewing for months without resolution. Sometimes adults are needed. Plus, once us moms are involved, I feel like I end up needing the resolution so it doesn’t affect my own relationship with the other mom.

Time for a conflict resolution talk. Get the other mom and dd together with you and your dd. Tell the girls that you’re bringing them together to discuss the incident and reconcile. I generally have whomever brought the issue to the moms go first. Have them state what happened. No interruptions. Prompt with questions if needed. Ask them how it made them feel. Then have your dd do the same. Talk through any conflicts in the story. Usually a few questions will give you some clarity. My experience is that either 1) the kids have 2 different perceptions of the same action (ei: one thinks she was talking normal, while the other thinks it was yelling), 2) in the remembering/retelling we tend to not focus on our own actions, and often forget to include them, or 3) someone is lying. IME #3 is pretty rare. Whatever it is, don’t make a big deal of the mistake. Just get it clarified and move on. After sharing the stories, if you have kids who are accustomed to taking responsibility/apologizing, their errors are usually pretty obvious to them. I ask the first kid what they feel like they should have done different and what they would like to apologize for. Actually, I usually start with my own on this step because this is a well practiced thing in our house and I can count on them to do it with very little prompting. Usually apologies are given and forgiveness acknowledged. Help with a script if they need the assistance. Then switch to the second kid. Lastly, this is where parents come in and give any guidance. Try not to make it a lecture. Reaffirm their friendship, that we all make mistakes and have to ask for forgiveness sometimes, that you’re proud of them for taking responsibility for their actions (hopefully!). Hugs and send them off. This is a process I’ve been through many (Many!) times. Do it enough and they’ll start to be able to do it on their own :-).

Trader Joe's sells them. That's all I've got.

Gross. He creeps me out. SaveSave

When we moved, we found an OBSCENE number of pencils in our couch. It was impressive, really.

I would drop the sugar completely. Table sugar is going to send your glucose levels out of whack, even in small, measured amounts. That puts your body at a deficit right at the beginning of the day.

I love Hanks for this role. It’s totallg in his wheelhouse. I’m not worried that they’re going to make Mr. Rodgers seedy, but I do think the centrality of his Christian faith will be watered down into some moral smoothie. Even when Hollywood tried to represent Christianity positively, they completely miss the mark.

All the time! Rosie especially drives me crazy. 1000 likes for Rosie! (and SWB, of course)

SWB, my hero.

We just went through this this month. (((Hugs))) I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t see the ages of your kids, but having done this a few times, my suggestion is to say it as simply and straightforward as you can. Remind them that they might feel like crying sometimes, and they might see you crying, and that’s ok. Follow their lead. I had one ask me for a sandwich after learning the news (years ago). That’s ok.

And for a child (and family, quite frankly) who has invested all of their hopes and dreams into a sport, the thought of becoming undesirable to the powers that be feels a whole lot like eternal damnation.