I was "online" long before most people had heard of the Internet and have never heard of using aliases as a security precaution. Years ago I participated in online forums where pseudonyms were prohibited, with the though being that by using their real name participants would be more civil. This seems to be an example of the fine line between prudence and paranoia. We just saw a major security breach where a company's records were compromised. Certainly the only information released wasn't a list of email addresses. So now somebody has a list of email addresses, names, company affiliations, and the like. What good does having a fictitious email address do those people?

My interpretation of #7 is not necessarily asking 'how was your week(end)?' but more digging for information, like 'what do you do all day?' or 'is your dad dating anyone right now?' or more personal questions about their lifestyle & things. We all want to show an interest in what our kids do, but digging for information goes beyond that. and inviting the other parent in. I guess it depends on the history, but if you move to a new house and the child wants to show mommy or daddy their new room, what harm would it be? It doesn't mean you have to invite them in every week or to stay & visit. When SD wanted to show her room to her mom, I wasn't thrilled with having her in my home, but it was five minutes and she left. and of course, she invited us into her house when she moved because DH wanted to know where SD was staying. It was how he found out that BM was living in a one bedroom loft instead of the six bedroom house she previously claimed. When DH told her SD shouldn't be sleeping on the floor, she finally set up a bed for her in an office. I don't think it's unreasonable to check out where your child is living/sleeping. and there are always going to be things that we don't want to risk never seeing again. SD took all her video games to her mom's house. Then when she wanted to play with them, she got upset because they got lost over there and she didn't have any at our house to play with anymore. DH explained that she's free to take things but it's her responsibility to bring them back or deal with the natural consequence of not having them anymore, (and of course reminded her that if she doesn't want things to get lost, don't take them) but the choice is hers and she thinks more about what she takes and won't take anything she values a lot. (I did purchase her inexpensive clothes & shoes that are her 'weekend' clothes because she can't afford to lose school clothes there.) And part of that problem has also been resolved by not giving SD things we don't want her to take. We buy things that she can use here but they are not 'her' property, they belong to us and she gets to use them. Birthday & Christmas gifts are 'hers'.

At my last house, I had a chain link fence between my neighbors and myself in a tight row-house situation. I wanted a LOT of privacy. I also could not afford the time and money and energy for a fence redo. I went the shrubs route, it worked well. There are many types that are easy peasy to prune, can't hardly go wrong, like ninebark, spirea, arborvitae, yew, various viburnum, butterfly bush, fothergilla, etc. Those were some bushes I planted. Actually, I also had a row of raspberry bushes that I trellised up against the fence that were nice looking and gave me a nice edible product, and in another spot a climbing rose! Looked ratty in winter though. That's why I had a mix of evergreen and deciduous shrubs. There are also bushy maples, (commonly called "hedge maple" can't remember the scientific name), and quite a few other trees, such as crab apples, that can be pruned into a tall hedge. Just be careful, apples and cedar shrubs (juniper, for example) don't mix, they are co hosts for cedar apple rust, a fungus which can cause a problem for both plants, unless you buy varieties that are immune. Currants also carry a rust fungus that hurts pines. The nice thing about a shrub border is if you ever do get the money to replace the fence, you don't lose the foliage, or at least most of it.

I agree with Carolina K&B. It looks as if you can extend the cabinets out to standard 24" depth. After the prep work, I'd go to Lowe's or HD, get an unfinished sink cabinet, 24" wide, which you can paint or stain. Use an inexpensive 18" undermount sink, with a remnant from a stone yard, or use a sealed wood top. Leave space for a 24" fridge. Order a pull-out filler from Amazon (or from whatever supplier has the best price), and use a piece of 3/4 board for the front panel, painted or stained to match the cabinet. Size a shelf to fit a small MW, and get the upper cabinet that matches the sink base. Paint or stain the same, or mix it up for a cottage-y look. Buy a wine cubby insert for one side of the sink cabinet, and a trash pull-out for the other. Hack the toe kick for extra storage, or have the cabinets custom made by a local cabinet maker. Without the MW, fridge, and coffee maker, it's not a kitchenette, it's just a place where the artist stores his canvases and cleans his brushes. 6" Rev-a-Shelf pull-out at Lowe's 12" Trash pull-out at Lowe's 23" wide mini-fridge at Amazon, SS 20" wide mini-fridge at Amazon, but ... Oh my gosh, how cute is this? And check out the MW that matches it!