I did 7-7:15 for about 4 yrs while going to school during the day. 15 yrs later I still have sleep issues. I think it permanently messed with my circadian rhythm, metabolism etc. It was awful and I'd never do it again.

Tips: try to stay on the same schedule as much as possible, even on off days

Make your room as dark as possible. Seriously. Make it black.

Get a sound machine to drown out noises of the day. You're not going to have any control over people mowing their lawn, driving loud cars down the street, laughing and making noise walking down the sidewalk, knocking on your door even if they know you're sleeping (trust me, no one cares and/or they just don't get it.)

Turn off all gadgets so they don't ring, buzz, turn on lights etc.

In summer, get AC so it's not too hot to sleep.

Good luck.

sea to summit...have taken it backpacking twice and LOVE it. I normally sleep with 6 pillows, so I'm picky about this. Excellent, folds up tiny, light weight, feels close to a normal pillow. http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=Aeros+Premium+Deluxe+Pillow&o1=0&o2=0&o3=575-40

I only do it if the total isn't within my expected ballpark. I try to watch as things are being rung up so I can catch it before I pay.

Macha

my friend dressed up as a scarecrow a few years ago. It was pretty cute and didn't look too labor intensive.

Didn't the onslaught of forgotten children ramp up when carseats were turned backward for longer? Seems like that's the bigger cause...simply not being able to see the kid. I'm also not convinced all of the cases are accidents.

indefinitely

baby won't fall, let alone get hurt. I've had kids literally walk around the house in them.

It really sucks to be the kid left out...BTDT at around that age, but I echo what other PPs have said...better to learn how to face disappointment and hurt feelings now because there's more in the future. Sometimes we get invited and sometimes we don't. Sometimes there's a reason for it and sometimes there isn't.

Pick your battles. A sexist country isn't the place to live if you want your opinion to mean anything.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of people being "sketched" out by canning. Canning is an amazing, historical way to preserve food. I receive a ton of requests for my jams and pickled veggies.

Except when it's done incorrectly and it makes people horribly, horribly sick.

Ok, I admit I know nothing about this topic, but if someone opened a jar of jam that had spoiled, wouldn't it be obvious in the first bite, if not even by smell?

Botulism has no taste or smell.

You aren't going to get botulism from jam and pickles. Those are the two things you can safely eat from pretty much any kitchen, and there is no way you are getting sick. Jam is at least half sugar, and the sugar impedes bacterial growth. The pickles are brined in vinegar, which does an even better job. You can't make jam without boiling the liquid, so the spores are dead.

Its possible to get botulism from home-canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, but very very rare. I must admit I had a hard time getting myself to eat my own home canned tomatoes, so I stopped canning them and started roasting them with olive oil and garlic and then freezing them instead. So good...

Are you sure it's tomatoes that are problematic? I thought tomatoes are acidic so they're OK...and that it's things like zuchini that you want to be careful with and can them WITH tomatoes for the germ killing acid? Maybe I'm remembering wrong? I usually freeze my goods, it's so much faster. Canning is labor intensive though I do love home canned food and I have family and friends who do it (as did my mother all the time growing up.)

Anonymous wrote:Braces only became an obsession in the 80s. The folks you listed are boomers.

my aunt had braces in the late 40s and my grandparents were definitely not wealthy.

3-4 days. Four is the max.

I was reading your post and wondering why you put your elderly mom on the air mattress but then saw others raised the same question. Respect your elders!! Give them the best bed and you make do for one night while you work out other arrangements. Jeez.

Now go call airbnb and explain the situation. You should have brought your mom's luggage. Who knows what that crazy woman is doing to it right now. Sounds like a weird situation. You can also leave negative feedback on the airbnb website.

If you don't want to contribute to a step child's financial needs, then don't marry a person who already has children. It's a simple as that. You marry the parent, you marry the minor children.

I had to wait until I was 23 to get student loans (and by extension to attend college more than one class at a time) because that's the when the parents income is no longer considered for financial aid. My stepfathers income precluded me from getting aid and my parents weren't interested in contributing. I don't feel like parents OWE their kids a higher education but I do think they should contribute as much as they can...if they can't afford to then the kid will qualify for financial aid and if the kid doesn't qualify that means the parents make enough to contribute something...even if it's just book money.