I know that it is way to late. Wonder how they made out?? Any whos.. Putting any type of food stuff in coolers and then in your car, truck, tent or camper is a big mistake. Store it outside in a place away from your camp. Hang it in a tree? Yea that works until they get mad and then go after the first thing that makes them madder than they already are. Which is usally the person screaming at them to go away. Bear have a sense of smell that you can not even begin to imagine. They are able to smell food even through a tin can. If they are hungery and smell food. They are going to get it regardless of what is in there way. So if you want your car, truck, tent or camper ripped to shreds. Just put food in them where hungery bears are found to roam. I live in an area where Black bear live. You learn to respect them when you are within their range. People that make their living in the woods here such as oil and gas field workers never leave their lunch in a truck or piece of equipment such as a dozer. Over the years bears have destoried many trucks and the inside of heavy equipment hunting food. Even when the equipment was left running. Burning your trash, such as tin cans or meat wrappers does not help. For a fire can be smelled for miles by bears and the scent of what ever you may be burning is carried with it. Which brings them into your camp. If you have trash. Put it in a strong trash bag and leave it somewhere away from camp. For when bears grab a bag they will run with it into the woods. Let them go if that happens. It's just trash. Same with coolers or food bags. It is just food and you can get more. Try to stop a hungery bear and you may end up just counting stiches if you are lucky.

Initially we thought changing the sheets would be a pain, but it's honestly no worse than changing sheets on any other bed. I can do it while standing on the floor and reaching onto the bed. My daughter changes them by climbing into the bed and doing the two back corners, then hopping to the floor and doing the two front corners. The mattress has a couple inches clearance on each side, which allows room for the bedding. As to possibly ever having to change the mattress, or for flipping it a couple of times a year, I made the front panel on the bed removable. Another reason was just in case she wanted a larger opening on the front of the bed. In that case I'd remove the panel (as shown in the photo below) and then simply add trim to the rectangular opening. Mongo

Hi Vesters. So many things you wrote struck a chord with me as we experienced the same issues with my SD, who is now 14. We've had custody of her since she was 5, after gaining emergency and then full custody though a very nasty battle. After DH and his ex divorced SM moved SD hours away. SD began sleeping in her bed, showering with her, being completely dependent on her mom. BM thrived on this - it made her feel needed and important. SD couldn't (or wouldn't) do or try anything on her own. SD became BM's 'bff' and confidant - all at the mature age of 3. This continued until BM found a boyfriend, and then SD was kicked into her own bed in her own room on a different floor and told to go to sleep. Once that relationship ended SD was needed again and back in BM's bed, all the while hearing about BM's relationship woes. Fast forward a few years. We have custody, SD sees her mom EOW. She's still trying to have SD sleep with her (between boyfriends) and be dependent on her. The 'bff' behavior is worsening and we're hearing all about BM's love life from SD. SD is getting stomach aches right before visitations and worrying about how to take care of her mom. All so appropriate for a mother/daughter relationship. And then there was. . . "BM also used to say things to SD (right after I came on the scene) like, "I'd never let a man come between us" and "You're the only one I need" which sounds innocent enough, but it was very much meant as a "look at your father, moving on with his life, I'll never let that happen to us." I could have written that. BM is always saying this. . . in between the men in her life. But what SD figured out about 2 years ago is that her mom is full of sh@t. She started to see all these behaviors factored around her mom and what her mom needed on her mom's schedule. She was blinded by the 'my mom needs me' and 'my mom loves me best' until then, but with the help of her counselor and a little maturity she started to figure it out. I won't say she doesn't fall back into buying her mom's crud every now and again, but for the main part she can she the behavior for who it is really about - mom, not SD. I tell you all this so you know you are not alone, and also to give you hope. Your SD needs help, and she needs her dad to help her receive it, but she can recover from this. I will tell you one thing SD's counselor shared with us that was helpful for SD and for our tongues as we weren't biting them so hard. When you say "I'm always a little uncomfortable when she talks so openly about her BM with me (because I know the "real deal"), yet I'm always very careful to make sure I speak loving and positively about her ." you need to stop. This doesn't mean speak negatively, but you don't have to put a good spin on bad actions. Don't try to make mom's bad action ok. Don't make excuses for her. Listen to SD, let her know you understand why she would be upset, help her with generalized, non leading questions discover why she's upset, but don't then tell her it's all ok and mommy knows best. Later, when she figures out mommy doesn't, you will be seen as a liar. It's ok to say sometimes mommy's get confused, or mommy's make mistakes. This is likely better pronounced by DH at first, but you need to know that you don't have to be positive. Just don't be negative, if you get what I mean. :-) Good luck. Keep us updated, and keep your chin up. You are doing the right thing.

We got a couple of large wood crates (appx 8' x 4' and 5' x 5', and about 18" deep) from The Container Store, and took off the bottom (wanted the plant roots to be able to go deeper). When we were shopping there, my husband noticed one of the crates by the employee entrance, and so asked if they wanted to get rid of it. They let us take it, and then we gave them our phone number to call us when they got another, which they did. They get these crates when they are shipped all the signs and banners for their indoor displays, and get rid of the crates. I called the corporate office to ask if they wood had been treated, and they said they didn't have that information. We don't think it is, though - doesn't feel, look or smell like it. But to be safe, I won't put any plants too close to the edges (google searching found some sites that said any leaching would be most likely be only a couple of inches in from the edge). So if you are interested in something like this, I'd suggest you contact your closest Container Store and ask. Great they are free! Marj