I have been away from this board for almost a year (not exactly sure why) and am surprised this thread is still going. This is the thread that I first read and connected with news reports that gave me the push to start mild prepping for the pandemic in February 2020. For that, I say thanks.

@happysmileyladyI am so sorry for your loss.

We have stayed fairly isolated and I have not had it. Thankful. @busymama7have you been vaccinated yet? I have heard anecdotal evidence that some people have long haul symptom improvement after vaccination.

Kansas City area is not what anyone would describe as liberal, but no one here asks me about my religious beliefs.

Some religious homeschooling groups are intolerant. I won't be a member of those groups either.

Yes! There is a difference between between having a strong sense of faith and being pushy/evangelical. You can see that difference in curriculum too.

I think there is an undercurrent of anger that there are not more wholly secular homeschool materials. I get the irritation. I, too, wish the perfect science or history program existed. However, I will not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Climbing to Good English is a beautiful and effective grammar program. I will not completely discount it because one question out of 50 says something about "God's beautiful flowers." Instead, I just explain to my kid that an Amish person wrote this and has a different point of view. It is fine. I actually like my kid to understand that not everyone is the same.

See, Nancy Larson doesn't teach it either (and it is for K-6 approximately). Technically it is neutral, but when you lay out the posters of the different animal groups for your kid to see you can just say "see how life started in the ocean and then animals evolved and partially moved to land and then evolved more and fully moved to land..." I can't imagine teaching high school biology without evolution being woven in, but little kids learn more basic things. The parts of a flower are the same no matter what. I was not taught much about evolution in PUBLIC school until 8th or 9th grade. I took many science classes at a public university and had no problem with the concepts or doing well in the classes.

I know exactly what groups and who you are talking about. I am an atheist, secular homeschooler and I had to leave those groups there was so much intolerance. Just because someone has a faith does not automatically make them an inferior authority on a topic or a bad homeschooler. I would never use YE science or an overtly religious history program (Notgrass), but I can get over/edit a little religion in a math program (like Horizons), strongly edit and use an overtly religious math program (CLE), understand and explain to my child the religious references to the beauty of God's creation in a non evangelical program like Climbing to Good English, expand a neutral science program (LOVE Nancy Larson) to add in materials and references to evolution, or use a creative writing program that has some separate religious materials (WriteShop Junior). Religion is not the point of any of those materials and I tolerate other people's points of view. I know that as the teacher, my view has the most sway on my child. He lives in my house. I got so irritated with how overboard/intolerant those groups are to the mere mention of religion, I went in and deleted them all one day. God is not an offensive concept. As long as no one is pushing religion on me and I fine. Live and let live. Many, many excellent material are written by people of faith. Those intolerant homeschoolers are missing out.

On Hulu, you can watch DCI Banks. Really great detective show.

Our nation desperately needs widespread testing--both the antigen testing (have it now) and antibody testing (already had it).

Be sure you wash and thoroughly dry the blankets/comforters before putting them away. If they are still being used, I would wash them daily (a pain, I know). Get nail brushes (or cheap $1 toothbrushes that you mark with a sharpie) and have the kids use them. Help the little ones. Cleaning under nails is important. ALL the hygiene/floor cleaning/bathroom scrubbing (which you know).

Fit and Fresh makes all the things for that... https://www.fit-fresh.com/