Mom In Training

I want to get my sixth grade son some cool stuff for Christmas this year, but I don't want to get him stuff that he won't wear because it is not "cool." What brands of clothes and shoes are in style for middle school boys? Like what are the things you really want to get for Christmas? I don't want to ask him, because I want to surprise him!

My mother-in-law has cancer. She has undergone treatment and is stable for now. The cancer has caused severe bone degeneration, so she can not work or do any heaving lifting or much bending. She has no money and is living on Social Security disability and food stamps. She currently lives with my brother and sister-in-law, but their house is smaller than our new one, and they are tired of her living there. She tends to discipline their children and is very opinionated. She and I have had arguments in the past, but in general, I can tolerate her. We do not have the option of her living on her own at this point. What rules would you suggest to help my family, including my nine and five year old, get along? Thanks!

I am moving and the home inspector said that I needed to reline my air duct boots. I am not sure what they mean by that. Our heating/cooling vents are on the floor and they are covered by registers. There is essentially a metal box there that a duct goes into. What material do you use to reline it and how do you do it?

We will be driving through and need a place to hop off the Interstate for a night's sleep. We will have our small dog with us, so pet-friendly would be good. Breakfast would also be nice.

My daughter is five and her big brother has DS that she really loves. We are thinking about getting her one for Christmas. She wants a fashion design game and mentioned Imagine Fashion Designer. I want to know if that is appropriate and easy enough for her to do on her own. I would also like some other options for a fashion design game that would be good for her.

Which of these is easier, cheaper, better looking, etc? If you have done it yourself, your feedback is especially appreciated!

I will be coming to an event on the University of Maryland campus this summer. I want something close to the university that is clean and inexpensive. It doesn't have to be fancy...just clean and safe. Do you have any info about this hotel?

I bought two dance skirts on ebay. The seller claimed they were high-quality, elite dancewear. Turns out, they were from Wal-Mart! The actual highquality dance skirts retail for $16 each. The Wal-Mart ones are only $6. So basically, I got screwed because I paid $20 (inc. shipping) for what I thought was $32 + shipping worth of dancewear. In reality, it was about $12 worth of dancewear I could have purchased at my local Wal-Mart!!!

Now the seller wants me to ship the skirts back before she refunds the money. She claims she bought them on ebay and they didn't fit her daughter, and she just copied the listing when she posted. There is no previous listing for these though. I think she was just trying to scam people.

Anyway, what should I do? Should I pay the return shipping? I sort of feel like that will leave me essentially paying about $5 for the "privilege" of getting screwed by the fraudulent ebayer! What do you think?

I am looking for a game to get for my husband that my eight year-old son can play too. They enjoy playing shooter-type games together, so I want something that will allow them to play on a team together. I also want a game that is not too violent...no blood, prefer non-human victims, etc. I would love one that was rated E for everyone, but T for Teen is probably okay too. I have heard conflicting stories about Metroid Prime 3: Corruption about two-player off-line play, but that is sort of the kind of game I am thinking of.

Thanks for your help!!!

The media has reported that they were at a grocery store, but I was wondering which one. And what kind of car were they driving that caused the killers to be interested in them? I am not trying to blame the victim; I am just curious what kind of car would draw those sickos.

I am looking for real people to tell me about the schools, crime rate, community spirit, cool things to do, etc. I have two children, ages 3 and 7. I am interviewing for a job in the area with Publix SuperMarkets. Thanks!

I need to indicate that something was mailed to the wrong place. I am designed a form, so I can only use one word in front of the checkbox for simplicity and space considerations. MS Word is flagging "mismailed", so what is the alternative? Mis-mailed? Mis mailed? Another word choice I am not thinking of? Your input would be very helpful!

We changed the interior from the basic first house to the Designer Condo about a week ago. The appearance hasn't changed all that much. How long does it take for the transformation to be complete? Is there something we can do to speed it up?

This is something my MIL keeps saying and it is making me crazy! I tried to find something on the web to refute it, but I couldn't. Supposedly some lady who was a chef told her this stuff, so she is now freaking my kids out about Hershey's! Any ideas where this idea might have come from?

My son likes to play the Afican Safari Wildlife Rescue game, but you have to buy food and medicine for the animals using Nick Points. Where can he find more Nick points? We already know about the Rugrats Go Wild hunt for the characters game. Are there other easy ways to get Nick points without buying stuff?

Thanks!

We have drop down menus that appear when you mouse over them. They were created using basic Java scripting. The problem is that we are a state agency and must be section 508 compliant. Is there a way that we can create the same type of Java script menus that will work for users without a mouse and for those with screen readers?

My best friend is getting married in Pacific Grove on Monterey Bay. I am not from the area and neither is she or her friends, so we need some help with a location for her bridal shower. It will likely be on a Thursday evening or Friday afternoon. We would like a restaurant or a tea room where we can have a private room to play some silly games and hang out. There will probably only be about 15 people there. Any ideas???

My best friend is getting married in Pacific Grove on Monterey Bay. I am not from the area and neither is she or her friends, so we need some help with a location for her bridal shower. It will likely be on a Thursday evening or Friday afternoon. We would like a restaurant or a tea room where we can have a private room to play some silly games and hang out. There will probably only be about 15 people there. Any ideas???

I live in Oklahoma City. We have gotten a couple labor only bids in the $1500-$2000 range. We got a quote from a guy today that will do it, labor and materials, for $3500. The space is about 8 X 20. For that, he will insulate and sheet rock the three sides that are not next to the house and the ceiling. He will also install a sliding door, a single glass door and a window. Basically, he will finish it to the point where we can just paint and put in flooring. Does this sound like a fair price? Thanks!!!

Pacific Grove is near Monterey.