Does she just want a little local summer job before going off to college? She should make a list of every fast-food place, ice cream shop, grocery store, and restaurant in town. She can go around and ask each establishment if they are looking for employees. Many places use online applications these days, so they might ask her to apply online. My 16-year-old very recently applied to four places (Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Noodles and Company, and a frozen yogurt shop). She had three interviews, with two maybes and one definite yes. She has never had any work experience. So, depending on your location, it might not be that hard to find a job.

No. Your neighbor is being unreasonable. You're probably better off avoiding him until he calms down.

I would still send a letter and gift card and chalk it up to "good neighbor relationships."

Praying for you, Kari. Thank you for sharing Tim's memory with us.

It's 7:23 here, and I'm praying for Ricky.

When my daughter was younger and I'd take her to the pool, I would very often bundle her up wet afterward and whisk her out to the car. In the winter, I'd just put a snowsuit over her swimsuit and take her out. It was infinitely easier to do that than deal with locker-room issues. We'd be home in five minutes, and she could take a shower in her own bathroom.

You might enjoy reading the hundreds and hundreds of reviews for the different books over at Amazon. I personally don't have an opinion about the books' accuracy, but I do love the vivid illustrations. They stay with the reader almost longer than the words do.

Interesting observation -- I'd never thought of that. Thing is, you can be a princess and do a tremendous amount of good in the world.

Kabalevsky's music is gorgeous. My favorite piece of his is "Fairy Tale." Here's a YouTube rendition of it:

This is an interesting story. A professional photographer wanted to celebrate her child's fifth birthday, so she dressed her up to look EXACTLY like strong women of the past. The photography is beautiful, and it's an intriguing idea. Just wanted all of you to see this and comment about it. I have mixed feelings about it, because I can think of many "strong women" who were never famous, who never sought fame or world change, but were still amazing. http://www.dailymail...h-birthday.html

Often the articles are posted online. You might want to check and see if the article and photo are on the Smithsonian Magazine website. Congratulations!!!

Is she going to grow any taller, do you think? Because at 5'1" and 135 pounds, and with a stocky build, she *will* need to watch her weight all her life. I second the recommendations for a nutritionist. She should learn early on what is an acceptable calorie count for her. Do you perhaps (I'm saying this respectfully) feel that she's rejecting her genetic heritage? If her older female relatives are heavy, do you feel that she's rejecting them?

I don't think it's a little game at all. To stray does mean to wander away. Yes, your children were thinking divergently, but the fact remains that they got the answer wrong. They may not have been familiar with the word "stray" and therefore tried to make words that they did know fit into the sentence.

Most children are exposed to these things in their schools. When I was growing up, we learned the rudiments of many sports in P.E. class, we sang and read music in music class, and did art in art class. I didn't take many lessons outside of school -- it wasn't the usual thing back then to take out-of-school lessons, except maybe piano lessons -- though I did participate in the church choir and bell choir. In high school, obviously, there were many, many more opportunities, such as the school paper, the yearbook, musical groups, sports, and clubs. If my parents had kept me home to educate me and not exposed me to those experiences, I would have been far poorer for it. I'm glad to have received the exposure at school.

Dear Touched Traveler: Have you researched to see if the resort village has a history of "ghost sightings?" Or if there's anything unusual associated with the village? Or, possibly, could the room have been infested with bugs?

P. S. Would you be able to get access -- maybe from Amazon or Netflix -- to a really good movie this evening? Like Lonesome Dove (my go-to favorite) or something else that will take your mind very far away from your present surroundings?

You're special to me, TM. I always look for your posts because I value the wisdom that they contain. You're an important member of this forum. Even if your (grr...so-and-so relative) doesn't recognize it yet, we do. Sorry to hear about your surgery. Pain and helplessness have a way of making us feel very small. It's only an illusion that will pass; your strong, wise, true self will be back to normal in a week or so. Please post more often!

That's awfully harsh, Lisbeth -- the OP said the grandmother is trying to be fair.

Wow, how did that happen! I was just posting a link. I hope having a video on here doesn't use up too much space in the chat room.

Thank you both! I used the coupon code, and I watched the little segment on Bill Gates (available on YouTube). Here it is if anyone else wants to see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EliIWEfDJyw&list=PLjlnbdCliaJFfrTj5V_pdAGMWO4baxJns

Has your son visited the international school? Has he met the other students, and sat in on a class? Basically, does he really know what he's signing up for? How familiar is your husband with the international school? Has he taken the tour as well? What online program are you looking at? Is the "official transcript" what you really want as you consider this option? There are test prep books for the SSAT. My daughter took the test last year, and she went through a test prep course offered by her middle school. It would be wise for your son to work through the test prep book if he's planning to take it. I can certainly see benefits from going to an international school, and that is the way I would lean, but I would definitely want to learn more about the "culture" of the school (is it very academic? are athletics glorified? what is the bullying policy?) before I signed my child up.

Bah...I still want to call it The Teaching Company! The DVD set I want is on sale, but I'd like to get free shipping, if possible.

Thank you, OP, for introducing this thread. I love book discussion threads!

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You can always recycle the used paper.