Lawns are a lot easier than you are being told. There are two extremely popular grasses in the south. One is bermuda and the other is St Augustine. Bermuda is a fine bladed grass which requires extra care every week while St Augustine grass is a coarse bladed grass. There are two kinds of bermuda: one is a hybrid which only slightly resembles the "wild" varieties, and the other is common bermuda which is started from seed. This bermuda seed is the only grass seed that makes sense in the south. If you mix the two kinds of bermuda, it will always and forever look weedy. The two different kinds of grass just look different. The hybrid looks really nice most of the time. The common looks so-so most of the time unless you really spend a lot of time and money on it. Really both require a lot of care when compared with St Augustine. Bermuda is a FULL SUN type of grass. If it is in the shade of a building, fence, or shrubbery/trees, it will thin out and look poor. Bermuda can go dormant in the winter and when it does not get regular water. St Augustine comes in many varieties. The common variety is rarely seen anymore. The others are all hybrids with different degrees of tolerance for shade, disease, and drought. St Augustine is the only grass in the south that can tolerate much shade, and it can tolerate a lot. In full sun it becomes very dense and very resistant to weeds. The Floratam variety works best in bright sun but will be a little thin in deep shade. When selecting St Augustine what matters most is what's available in your neighborhood. If you find some of a certain variety, please write back and we can explain the pros and cons for the ones you can get. One interesting thing about St Augustine is that you can care for it such that it will wipe out other grasses. All it takes is proper water, mowing, and fertilizer. The difference between proper care for bermuda and St Augustine is slight but important if you want one or the other. If you start with just a few pieces of St Augustine, with proper care it can cover a yard in 2 years. If you want instant lawn, this won't work, but if you are patient, it will work. In fact I just bought a new home with no grass and will be doing the same thing. Sorry I'm being called to dinner. There's more to say, but you might have some more questions.

Dad has GOT to take a more active stance. Bio-Mom doesn't get to dictate all of the terms just because she has primary custody. The problems you describe are serious, and heading down a nasty, difficult road. If Bio-Mom doesn't change her ways, this child will be one of those 'never grow up, live at home' adults who can't hold down a job or maintain an adult relationship. I know Momma loves her 'baby', but it's going too far, waaay too far. Is there any indication that the child isn't capable of doing for himself? Any signs of a developmental disability? Since he's old enough to be in school, I'd schedule a conference with his teacher. Or rather, I'd make sure your husband does it, then show up there yourself "to be a supportive wife and stepmother." It'll be walking a tightrope, but it's necessary. See what types of difficulties he's having in school, of if he's able to cope there, but just not at home. Whether or not to include Bio-Mom is a tricky issue -- Maybe talk to the teacher first on the phone so you get an idea of whether or not she has the same concerns you do? If she does, let her be the one to take the lead with Bio-Mom on ways to encourage independence and self-reliance. If the teacher isn't concerned, it could be that stepson's behavior is specific to your household -- which would be a whole 'nother can of worms. (If you have the same last name as the child, odds are good the teacher won't even know you're the step-mom until you tell her -- Which of course, you'll do at the 'appropriate' time.) There are ways to encourage a child's independence without saying "You have to do it yourself." Try showing him once, then asking him if he can do the next one. (Make sure it's something small and simple where his chances of success are near 100%.) If he's slow to comply, be 'unavailable' to help for a few minutes -- maybe "as soon as I get back from the bathroom" or "take the clothes out of the dryer" or "stir the pot for dinner." He'll probably rather do it himself than wait. Or tell him how much the 2 year old looks up to him since he's so much bigger, and ask him if he can show the little guy how to do something. (Never mind that it could be the reverse...) Letting him know what to do, then walking away and leaving him to fend for himself can be a very effective strategy. Praising small advances, looking for good behaviors to reward, and admiring 'big boy' things may also encourage the types of behaviors you want to see. Good luck - and hang in there. Above all, try to remember that the little boy's self-crippling behaviors are a result of his mother's actions, not (yet) a character trait.

I might look for a lamp that could move forward on the chest enough (without danger of toppling off) that the shade just hides that thermostat. Place it just a couple inches to the right of where it is now, or move the whole chest to the right a bit. It won't affect the functionality, esp if you use an LED bulb = no heat. Then look for a large piece of art, or a couple of stacked pieces to fill in over the right side of the chest, as shown above. Another idea is a gallery wall incorporating the thermostat: I would trade you those beautiful folded blankets for the star wars lego decor my grandson has decorated my house with! eta: I was just looking at it again and think Cyn's idea to switch the cabinets would work. You could then place the floor lamp in front of the thermostat and just ignore it.

Thank you for posting photo. It could be jade, but not absolutely sure: jade has, usually, woodier trunk and it is more upright in growth. But these could be fresh cuttings, so the stems are still softer. Maybe you can repost photo in few days, when plants recuperate somehow. I can't see anything black/dark in the photo - where is it? I think I see bit of sunburn on 1 leaf (circled in red): It may be on other leaves, but I can't see for sure. Looks like plant in pot behind has similar sunburn. Definitely take out of full sun, and start with dappled sunlight, moving into more and more every fwe days to acclimatize. If I may suggest, that soil should be improved for better dainage. Simplest way is to mix in lots of sifted perlite. It should look similar to this: (Photo by one of our members that also lives in Florida, IIRC). Do not water until soil mostly dries up. To find out, use a wooden or bamboo skewer or chopstick, or even pencil. Insert deep into pot (at least 3/4 deep), and leave in for few minutes. When pulled out and is dry - time to water. If damp, wait with watering. Succulents usually recover easier from underwatering than from overwatering. You don't want to keep them overly thirsty, but they do not need watering as often as many other plants - they store lots of water. Jades are very easy to root and grow, but constant and excess water will kill them by rotting.