I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[CyndiLouWho]

I’ve thought about doing something like that. So did you do the genealogy to see his nationality? I’d love to find my birth mom (the dad wasn’t in the picture) but every time I mention it my adoptive mom gets kind of weird. She never says anything like “don’t do it” but I can tell she wouldn’t be super comfortable with it. I have a letter describing my mom though and it’s amazing how similar we sound on paper

DS was adopted from China so he’s 98% Chinese (he could have been a mix of different Asian genes) but giving your kid up for adoption is not legal in China so kids are “abandoned” (many times by a parent watching to make sure the child is found, or by leaving a baby at a hospital or police station) It is becoming more common for birth parents to submit DNA to various sites. 23&me is more common in China, I would guess AncestryDNA is more common in the US. DS did 23&me, I did AncestryDNA. It’s too bad your mom is uncomfortable. I worry more about how DS will react, than my feelings.

 

[Haley R]

Thanks to all. For some reason I thought maybe there was a different new “thing”. I’m drinking from my CIPpy cup on the grAAvy train. I can’t believe I just wrote that.

.
Yum. Crunchy

 

[Haley R]

I have a friend that stops at hotels to use their bathrooms instead of fast food places, since they are usually nicer. We usually just stop at fast food places.

I just go in gas stations or fast food places. I’m really not that picky. I think my dad said it because I’d always come out talking about how the bathroom looked lol

 

[GlamMistress]

I have an MSR now!!!

I was clicking around my Hilton Amex account - I always had the option to upgrade to the Aspire. I was considering it... then I noticed I also suddenly had the option to upgrade to the Ascend. 150,000 Hilton points for $3k spend. No credit pull and won't hit my 5/24 status? Why yes, I think I'll help myself.

Do have to pay the $95 AF

So glad I still haven't made my final cruise payment yet. Holla!

 

[trenty]

I'm losing my mind! New YNAB is a total disaster for me. I've been trying really hard since Jan 1 and it just doesn't work for me. Right now, for example, my SW Premier balance is -10.00...as in a positive balance. That is reconciled in my accounts column. But in the budget it shows a red
-$10 and says I need to budget another $10 to this account. What the what? Another example...disney visa used by DD19 has a reconciled amount of $72.23 balance. Again, correct in the accounts column, but in the budget says red -$337.09!!! Um no, I don't need to budget an extra $264.86 Mr YNAB because I only owe $72.23 as you are aware from my reconciled account!

I need new software recomendations. Auto import is important, and why I'm not just going back to old ynab.

I never used YNAB. I do like Every Dollar. I find that it is super easy and user friendly. Both DH and I both have the app on our phones so we both have access to our budget and know what we can spend. You can also use it on a desktop.

 

[Haley R]

DS was adopted from China so he’s 98% Chinese (he could have been a mix of different Asian genes) but giving your kid up for adoption is not legal in China so kids are “abandoned” (many times by a parent watching to make sure the child is found, or by leaving a baby at a hospital or police station) It is becoming more common for birth parents to submit DNA to various sites. 23&me is more common in China, I would guess AncestryDNA is more common in the US. DS did 23&me, I did AncestryDNA. It’s too bad your mom is uncomfortable. I worry more about how DS will react, than my feelings.

I just don’t want to pay a bunch of money for something like that and it be completely wrong. I won’t technically know any different but I’d like to know it’s accurate

 

[wendow]

Lastly, my DS is turning 18 this week and has no credit history. What would be a good card for him to start with? He would love to travel.

Is your DS an AU'er on anyone's cards? In college yet? Here is how I did things with my dd:
~added her as an AU'er starting at 15yo,
~opened her own Chase college checking at 16yo (yes, they allowed a college account at 16)
~applied for a Discover IT student card one week after she turned 18yo
~applied for a CFU 6 mos later
~applied for a CIP 2 mos later

If your ds is not an AU'er, I'd add him to your cards, as long as you have good credit, right away. Get him his own bank account if he doesn't have one already. Maybe in 3 mos, try for a Discover card. That is a fairly easy card for students to get as a first card.

 

[Albort]

Any Amex SPG Luxury card holders or Amex SPG Biz card holders get their new cards in the mail yet?

 

[wendow]

I just don’t want to pay a bunch of money for something like that and it be completely wrong. I won’t technically know any different but I’d like to know it’s accurate

I did ancestry.com. It was less than $60. My bio-dad got my mom pregnant as a teen and then wanted no part of raising a child. I've always known who he was and even reached out to him once. His family comes up in my ancestry list but only those who have had their dna done through the site. You can upload your results to another site to get more hits but I've not done that yet. I totally think these tests are accurate. Many on my mom's side have been doing this and the info we are learning is pretty amazing (it seems in backwoods TX and LA in the early 1900's, people were pretty bored and weren't really honoring their marriage vows...!).

 

[palhockeymomof2]

I just don’t want to pay a bunch of money for something like that and it be completely wrong. I won’t technically know any different but I’d like to know it’s accurate

My daughter did the Ancestry DNA in January....came back pretty much as expected....55% German, 25% Polish...then French etc...she did the trial on it looking up relatives....etc...

Last month she received an email from a girl..who was adopted and looking for her birth Mother....saying she’s pretty sure her grandfather was my Dads brother so asking about his kids...my daughter give her the daughters info

Turns out my cousin..who we never saw gave birth in 1975..and gave this girl up for adoption...they met last week so a happy ending

On the flip side my husbands brother and his wife would be very upset if their daughter(now 21) went looking for her birth parents

 

[calypso726]

Any Amex SPG Luxury card holders or Amex SPG Biz card holders get their new cards in the mail yet?

Not yet for me or DH.

 

[afan]

I just don’t want to pay a bunch of money for something like that and it be completely wrong. I won’t technically know any different but I’d like to know it’s accurate

I wouldn't worry about them being wrong, there's too much going on with it for it to be. My mom and I did ours because it was the only way for me to figure out what was my dad's side since there's no male that could do it. It said we were related It was all pretty much what we figured it would be. We both added our stuff to the other site that compares multiple sites tests but only if the person has done the same. There's far off relatives but no one close. That's part of the gamble, you could do test x they do test y, you upload to the site that compares them and they don't and you never find anyone.

 

[Limes96]

I made reservations through my CSR portal for the Wyndham Garden next to Disney Springs. Since it’s one of the Disney friends resorts (whatever they’re called, but they get the perks like emh and 60 day fp’s), can I put my confirmation number in MDE? I made the reservation last Saturday, but I haven’t yet been able to get my confirmation number to show up on the Wyndham website yet. Do I need to call Wyndham for that?

 

[afan]

Ear preview! I've got everything ready to iron, sew and glue. I know understand why people love their cricut's so much after cutting this stuff out by hand.

I'd love opinions, critique's etc, unless you just think they are ugly in which case I don't care

For the first pair the back will for sure be purple along with the headband but I'm not sure I'll put the words on the back but I probably will. The bow will be ribbons and will use all 4 colors I think. Yes the one i is black because I don't want to cut it until I'm ready to glue because I don't want to accidentally lose the dot.

For the 2nd I'm unsure about the nose and the frown. I think it looks weird but I've already gotten one vote that they are cute. The bow is a pretty shimmery blue fabric that reflects other colors when it moves. The fabric is a light blue satin which will also be the headband. I was going to put a saying on the other ear but the letters were too small and hard to cut out so I'm back to the idea of a cloud with blue tear drops falling but I'm not loving it and am open to ideas. I don't want to use Joy, she annoys me to no end.

The last pair I'm doing two of, one to wear and then one for the auction that they'll do. The headband will be the same orange. I still need to cut out the black piece that goes under unplugged but every time I do it breaks cause the felt is too thin to do it. The G's look better close up but do need a little work as well as the E, they still have the paper on the back which is part of the problem. The Dis logo is 4 layers of felt including the letters. I think it'll be ok and not look too weird once it's on a stuffed ear. I'll glue and use clear thread to tack them just in case. And real glue not hot glue, which I will also use but it has it's place

Thanks!!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

What’s wrong with asparagus?

Now I can’t stop thinking about the grilled bacon-wrapped asparagus skewers from Bengal Barbecue in Disneyland.

*adds to list

Yeah I’m pretty picky. The only vegetables I like are broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans. I can’t say corn because Dh says “it’s a grain” and potatoes are “a starch”. Even though I like both.

Corn and potatoes both nutritionally/calorically starches. Botanical designations aside.

What?? Peppers, onion, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, cabbage, avocado, okra, spinach????? You don't any of those? Potatoes are a vegetable but aren't nutritionally great.

Potatoes are much maligned, they contain lots of potassium and more vitamin C than oranges. I’d pick potatoes >corn nutritionally speaking. They both have more calories than non starchy veg like green bean, broccoli, greens, etc.

This. I can literally sleep anywhere at any moment. DH can't and is super jelly that I'm sleeping seconds after my head hits the pillow. LOL

I’m like your husband, my husband is like you. Sometimes I want to stab him as he lays there sleeping
DS complained the other day that DH fell asleep while DS was talking to him.

Growing up in the South, a gas station was literally the last place you'd buy ready-to-eat food. McDonald's and any other fast food was far preferable to the garbage in a gas station/convenience store. You were better off going hungry. So this fascination with convenience store food is quite lost on me.

Not a Southern thing to be wary. Lol. Last year one day I picked DS up from school and stopped to get gas. He was “starving” so I gave him a couple bucks to go into 7-11 to get a snack. I finished pumping gas and go inside to find out what was taking him so long. I found him standing in line eyeing the roller dogs. Umm heck no. Made him pick a much healthier bag of chips.
On a trip through WI last year, we did stop at a massive gas station that had a huge market/prepared food area. I was actually impressed with the amount and quality of stuff. In addition to a gallon sized Icee, you could get everything from pie to chicken to salad to one of our fave beers, New Glarus

 

[Alexle2007]

Maybe my pork issue is from my visit at age 4 to my aunt and uncle's hog farm that I don't really remember. I never liked visiting them at meal time because it was always pork on the table. Thankfully the last time I visited it was a fish fry and a white fish so I was ok. Visiting family in MI was always hard because there'd be stuff I didn't like and one uncle wanted to make me eat the peas because his kid's had to. Umm last time I checked I'm old enough to make my own decisions thanks. I still have no idea what the meat was that I ate at a cousins because no one said and I'm still slightly concerned it was deer or something but I think it was beef but I don't know.

I feel the same way about eggs. In 5th grade, we watched them go through the whole incubation period and hatch into baby chicks and I never wanted to eat an egg again. (My only exception is baking brownies or cake with them.)

 

[liloca]

I looked at that one before. Can you review it? We’ve never done legoland because so close to Disney...plus we never rent a car. I’m a bad mom.

@disneymagicgirl

I really enjoyed my stay there! I would say it is comparable to a Value resort at Disney but with a separate kids sleeping area. I loved that! You could fit up to 3 kids! The pics of my kids on the floor- that is in front of the adults bed.It was probably a Queen.


The rooms are in these Cottages/Mini Houses. 2 rooms per house and there is a playground in each section which was great! We could just open the doors and the kids could play/run around! The room is Lego themed which my kids loved it!


The pool area was great, there was a sand area, bigger playground and a zero entry pool. The pool is small comparing to Disney resorts but they have the giant Lego pieces that they play with!
Buffet breakfast is included and was better than expected. My son has food allergies (eggs and peanuts) so we arrived right when they opened so we were not worried about cross contamination. They had bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, pancakes, French toast, breakfast burritos, biscuits and gravy, fruits, yogurt, some pasteries, bagel, white bread and individual cereal bowls.

Cons: The pool only opened at 11am and unlike the Legoland Hotel this hotel is across the street from Legoland. So you need to drive. But is literally just across the main road and they do offer a shuttle.

Legoland is soooo easy compared to Disney. It was weird having to look at the map but after a few hours I did not even need the map anymore.

Again I totally recommend if you have a Lego fan like my DS.

 

[amalone1013]

Any Amex SPG Luxury card holders or Amex SPG Biz card holders get their new cards in the mail yet?

I got a Brilliant card when I upgraded last month but no new card for DH yet. And no new BIZ cards.

I made reservations through my CSR portal for the Wyndham Garden next to Disney Springs. Since it’s one of the Disney friends resorts (whatever they’re called, but they get the perks like emh and 60 day fp’s), can I put my confirmation number in MDE? I made the reservation last Saturday, but I haven’t yet been able to get my confirmation number to show up on the Wyndham website yet. Do I need to call Wyndham for that?

When we stayed at the double tree MDE recognized the regular Hilton confirmation number. That was booked direct with Hilton tho

Ear preview! I've got everything ready to iron, sew and glue. I know understand why people love their cricut's so much after cutting this stuff out by hand.

I'd love opinions, critique's etc, unless you just think they are ugly in which case I don't care

For the first pair the back will for sure be purple along with the headband but I'm not sure I'll put the words on the back but I probably will. The bow will be ribbons and will use all 4 colors I think. Yes the one i is black because I don't want to cut it until I'm ready to glue because I don't want to accidentally lose the dot.

For the 2nd I'm unsure about the nose and the frown. I think it looks weird but I've already gotten one vote that they are cute. The bow is a pretty shimmery blue fabric that reflects other colors when it moves. The fabric is a light blue satin which will also be the headband. I was going to put a saying on the other ear but the letters were too small and hard to cut out so I'm back to the idea of a cloud with blue tear drops falling but I'm not loving it and am open to ideas. I don't want to use Joy, she annoys me to no end.

The last pair I'm doing two of, one to wear and then one for the auction that they'll do. The headband will be the same orange. I still need to cut out the black piece that goes under unplugged but every time I do it breaks cause the felt is too thin to do it. The G's look better close up but do need a little work as well as the E, they still have the paper on the back which is part of the problem. The Dis logo is 4 layers of felt including the letters. I think it'll be ok and not look too weird once it's on a stuffed ear. I'll glue and use clear thread to tack them just in case. And real glue not hot glue, which I will also use but it has it's place

Thanks!!

OMG the Carousel of Progress ones! I cant wait to see them all

 

[afan]

chickenpox salad

Please tell me this is a typo. If not, what is it?

Also, I thought potatoes were pretty ok for us in moderation like anything else. Plus they are so tasty and versatile.

 

[pix13dust]

Is your DS an AU'er on anyone's cards? In college yet? Here is how I did things with my dd:
~added her as an AU'er starting at 15yo,
~opened her own Chase college checking at 16yo (yes, they allowed a college account at 16)
~applied for a Discover IT student card one week after she turned 18yo
~applied for a CFU 6 mos later
~applied for a CIP 2 mos later

If your ds is not an AU'er, I'd add him to your cards, as long as you have good credit, right away. Get him his own bank account if he doesn't have one already. Maybe in 3 mos, try for a Discover card. That is a fairly easy card for students to get as a first card.

Thank you! He does have his own savings account, he’s starting his first job in 2 weeks and he’ll be in college this fall. He’s not an AU’er, despite using my cards all the time, lol. I’ll add him tomorrow.