It would definitely bother me that people working in my house thought it was okay to let strangers tour the house, that is bad judgment on their part.

We never got anything itemized, but they could be including a per diem, which is often higher than the what you would actually spend on food if you are being frugal, as well as mileage at ~$.55/mile, which adds up quickly depending on far away the trip is. ETA: they could be adding coaching fees (their pay) to that, as well.

I would probably send $100 so that she could purchase any necessary food/snacks on campus and in the airport and maybe a couple of souvenirs on the outings and not have to worry about running out of money.

These all have removable cups and I love some of these styles - not too revealing, but still super-cute! https://athleta.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=1076564&nvt=Left Nav&nvt=Swim&nvt=CATEGORIES&nvt=Tankini Tops

If you’re talking about hitting a car while it’s moving, take pictures and leave contact information. Door dings are a little more subjective. I’ve had dozens of door dings in my life and no one has ever left a note. My husband, on the other hand, has none, but he parks on the far end of every parking lot to avoid them.

Spray in colors will work fine on dark hair if she uses enough of it. Both of my kids have a medium brown hair and we didn't have any luck with semi-permanent colors showing up well without bleaching first. If you have a Sally Beauty nearby I would take your daughter over and they can pretty easily assess what your best bet is.

I purchased a used microfiber sectional that originally came from Macy's that I adore. I paid probably 10% of the new price and it has been great, so I would absolutely consider buying used again (but I do only buy name brands so that I don't end up with someone else's cheap furniture that is going to fall apart on me in 6 months).

You are correct that nobody would ever say no to that, but most people would never ask it because they would feel guilty because in the back of their mind they would probably know it was wrong. (And who is to say the barista would not be assuming it was for the person to put in their coffee anyway? Would the person be asking the barista if they could take the packets for later use by another guest in their house? I'm guessing the barista would still say yes, because they wouldn't want to challenge a person over a sugar packet, but it doesn't mean they would agree with it.)

I would just wear running shorts and a tech shirt, but I see a lot of women wearing capri length leggings and tech shirts. I've always assumed it's because they wanted more coverage as the temps would be too warm for me to wear capris, but I could be wrong. Also, get a good, supportive bra if have any sort of chest!

I would speak to the instructor and ask if she will make a statement that saving spots isn't allowed. Why should one person be able to come in and set up for four others? If they want to be together, they all need to arrive early. I would not address it with the patron unless I knew that the instructor was going to back me up. Good luck!

Depending on how much effort you want to go to, you could definitely soft-stage it (shower curtain, towels, art work, candles, etc in various rooms). If I were doing that, I would remove everything before the renter took possession. We sold an empty house a couple of years ago and our realtor strongly suggested we do it.

Frequently, shipping charges do not reflect actual shipping costs on eBay. The seller should charge whatever was agreed upon at the time of sale, unless there is some extenuating circumstance that I am missing.

We had Mannington Adura Max (purchased from a flooring store) installed in our basement and love it. It's thick, indestructible and beautiful. My husband installed Home Depot Allure Traffic Master in our old house and we loved the look of that as well - we ended up moving too soon to know how it will hold up. He also installed a very cheap product from at the base of our basement stairs (purchased from one of the big box stores) - the quality was definitely lower than the other two products and it was noticeable. If you are getting something for a high traffic area do you research and make sure you're getting a decent quality product.

Agree that staying in IL might be easier, but if you do want to stay on the St Louis side, the specific area I am thinking of is the Drury in Brentwood. It's right off of I-64 and I know there is Chipotle nearby. It's also a very nice part of town, with a ton of shopping and dining - and it's close to Forest Park if you have time to visit the park and/or zoo.

Check out the Drury Inn, there are several in the area.

Ours was pretty similar to everyone else's - about $5500, a small discount for paying in full. We had a lifetime $1k insurance max and paid the rest from an HSA.

I'm not sure there is a good way to address this without the very real possibility that the entire group will implode (or that there is a spin-off group, in which you are not included). I think if I were in your shoes, I would probably not even attempt to host at my house the next time my month came around and just name the restaurant and accept that whoever shows, shows. That way, you get to see at least your good friends and there is no worry about a lot of work for a few people or having to back out of doing it at your house due to turnout. I understand that your feelings are hurt and I don't have any good suggestions for that, other than to commiserate that is stinks that we never really leave high school.

Sounds like you are at the JW Marriott - that's really close to the canal (and the convention center). Connor Prairie is cool, but going to be a bit of a drive from downtown. There is also the NCAA museum if you have any sports fans. I've never been, but Rhythm! Discovery Center sounds interesting. Both are walking distance from your hotel. Also, if you are going to the Indiana Dunes the water will be cold, but as long as it's a warm sunny day, there will be plenty of people swimming

If the weather is nice, you could walk the canal (about 3 miles). There are no stores on the canal, so take water if it's warm, but it's a very pleasant walk.

I would talk to someone about the bus situation since it sounds like that would be important to you. Make sure it's something that your kids will actually be able to utilize with relative ease (and not be stuck waiting somewhere to the point that it becomes more trouble than it's worth).

Thanks!!

I helped a booster club become a 501c3 several years ago. The IRS created an "EZ" fom of the 1023 a while back, which is the the most time consuming part of creating a 501c3 and has made the process significantly easier. There are revenue limitations for using that form, but I can't imagine that would be an issue, unless your daughters are planning on seeking funding on a large scale. There are plenty of checklists online for the exact process and there are also plenty of examples for things like bylaws and articles of incorporation. Good luck!

I had something somewhat similar to what you describe (though the episodes were not quite so close together) a few years ago. One day, I heard on the news about a peanut butter recall - I checked mine and I had a tainted can and it was what I ate for breakfast almost every day.. I threw that away and I was not sick again. Any chance there is a food that is making them ill and they keep eating it and getting reinfected? Long shot, I know, but I thought I would mention it as I felt like I was going crazy because I couldn't figure out why I kept getting sick.

Yes, and we all loved it (but we love Broadway, in general)! We had excellent seats in Chicago and paid $300/seat. A few days after I bought our seats, they opened a new block for a few months later and our identical seats would have been $100 less per seat. Ugh. We bought our tickets four months ahead of time, so had plenty of time to anticipate the show.

Yes, I believe it’s unreasonable to expect a delivery person to carry 40 pounds of cat litter 80+ feet rather than utilizing the driveway. I agree that putting a box down at the end of the drive for deliveries would be a good solution.