I'm not sure where you live but not all JC Penney Portrait Studios have closed. Mine is still open :) Did you mean in your town? Can you go out of town?

I'm not sure if this will help you, but we live in Texas. My dh has had (free) hearing aids from the VA for years. He started having a lot of problems hearing in meetings at work. We heard about a local nonprofit, The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center, and visited them. They have a guy working there whose main focus is helping people who are having issues at work. He helped my dh get free hearing aids through the state's Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services. He also was able to get a free remote microphone and a voucher that went a long long way toward the cost of a new iphone (which works best with hearing aids). I don't think it's because he was a veteran that he got the free stuff from DARS. I think it's because he needed them for work. HTH By the way, the quality is much better than what the VA gave him.

I love them ALL! Cuteness!

Oh, you know what? I bet he could wear Hawaiian shirts. That seems to be weekend casual for our area. I believe you are also near the Gulf Coast. I think they want him to wear what he would wear on a Saturday. I bet they would appreciate flip flops, too, if he's a flip flop wearer.

What if he wears a polo with jeans and sneakers? That might work.

Something like this? https://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-1-listening-learning-domain-1-image-cards-fables-and-stories/file/21946

A pretty cross?

Evan Moor has some good workbooks.

Old Navy has denim shorts with 5" and 9" inseams. LL Bean has some with 6" inseam.

Won't each child have his own notebooks, folders, and binders? Those can be personal. Things like pencils can be communal.

I never look at stanines for my dd's CAT Test scores. I only look at Grade Level Equivalents. What were those? Did they match up with where he is? You would ideally want 7.9 or better, since he's seventh grade, ninth month, approximately. As long as Grade Level Equivalents are good, I don't get too worried.

Well, it's only marginally similar, but my dd16 had spinal fusion surgery in March, and I have to tell you that I think your dfil probably should have someone with him day and night for at least a week. There are meds, not just pain, but the anti-constipation stuff, and those all need to be done on a schedule. If he's loopy or not feeling well, he's not going to be giving himself meds in a timely manner. Plus, you know, there's the anti-constipation battle after surgery. That may take a few days to work itself out. We had to ply my dd with prunes and yogurt, in addition to her prescription miralax and stool softener. Again, not the exact same surgery, but not super-duper different. Best of luck.

I have found that the art of shopping is frequently lost on men. I'm all about... did I get the best deal? How can I get free shipping? Was there a discount code I could use? And I feel triumphant when I have accomplished that. My dh, not so much. I have learned to accept this about him. It only leads to frustration otherwise.

Welcome, little one. Congratulations!

Gently, you've been there just over a year, and you've already had one promotion. I understand that it is disappointing that you didn't get this latest job, but I wonder if your expectations are somewhat unrealistic. You haven't even been in your current, 32 hour position, for a year. Promotions don't tend to come faster than one a year, and that in itself is pretty fast. ((hugs))

Oh, oops. I assumed you meant today and the beach was close by. I'm ten minutes from the beach so I assume everyone else is. Sorry. ((hugs)) ((cold wet thoughts for you))

Why not go to the beach? At least the heat is tempered by the wind, and you can get wet, which also helps. Then home for cold showers. That should help.

What worked: Mathusee Algebra and Mathusee Geometry. What didn't: Horizons Algebra and Lifepac Geometry What worked: Drawing pictures for each vocabulary word in Abeka Vocabulary What worked: "Out-sourcing" science to my wonderful husband What didn't work: Yoga for the Brain, which has random writing prompts. My dd hates random writing prompts. Give her summaries or research papers, but none of this creative writing nonsense.

Depends on the kid. Some kids do well with online learning, some do not. Mine does not.

Ah, okay. Then you should know that most dairy-free cheeses have casein in them, which is dairy. Read the ingredient label carefully. Yogurt made from soy or coconut milk exists and is tasty. They probably have some made from almonds, too, although I haven't checked into that. My dd likes soy and hates coconut. Tofutti sour cream is not bad. Tofutti cream cheese is okay in recipes, but you probably don't want to spread it on your bagel. Ben and Jerry's have vegan (and therefore dairy free) ice cream flavors now. Good ones, too, like Chunky Monkey. Tofutti cuties are yummy ice cream sandwiches. Marry Me Bars are yummy vanilla dairy free ice cream coated in chocolate on a stick. Veganaise or Nayonaise is a pretty decent mayo substitute. Earth Balance margarine is quite tasty for a butter substitute. I know these aren't lunch ideas, but they might be helpful for you :)

I love that! I don't think my dh would allow it, though. He's very conservative in home remodeling. But I super love it!

Sandwiches = bread or rolls plus any meat Hot dogs Fruit Fritos, Potato Chips, Chex Mix, Sun Chips Elbow macaroni with ground beef and spaghetti sauce Tyson Chicken Nuggets Tyson Country Fried Steak Van De Kamps Fish Filets and Fish Sticks I assume easy lunches is what you are looking for? I guess I'm confused as to what is so hard about dairy free? Are you avoiding meat, too? Is that why it's a problem? FWIW, my dd16 has been allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts since a baby, so I'm well-versed in dairy free, among other things.

No, I don't clean my kitchen every night. We stack dirty dishes on the counter to the left of the sick. We occasionally soak dishes in the left half of the sink. Dh loads dishwasher when he feels like it and runs it immediately. DD empties it when she gets around to it. We do try to keep our largest countertop relatively free of clutter and somewhat clean since that's where we do our food prep, but it's not a nightly thing. It's an as-we-go thing.

Ah, that's an interesting assumption. No, my dd's room has two laundry baskets, one for pinks/reds/purples/orange, and one for blues/everything else. If she has whites that she actually wants bleached, she throws it in the whites hamper in my room. When a basket gets full, time to wash it. We pre-sort our clothes into hampers or baskets and don't wash until we get enough for a load. So I never wash a red shirt with white shorts. And yes, that generally does mean that pinks/reds/purples/oranges only get done once a month or so. We don't mind.

Well, I only have a family of three, and each person does his or her own laundry. However, there is no issue with us being wasteful, because we don't wash our clothes until we have enough to do a full load. I don't see what is wasteful about that. ?? And OP, ((hugs)) it is not your problem, it is not your problem, you are not thinking about it, la la la la la la