My favorites are: "FLEN": The black crusty residue that accumulates on the necks of old ketchup bottles "DOORK": A person who always pushes on a door marked "pull" or vice versa "SLURM": The slime that accumulates on the underside of a soap bar when it sits in the dish too long

Technically it is incorrect. It's just so widely done that it has now become acceptable - like "curriculums" and "I could care less" and dangling prepositions. :tongue_smilie:

I cannot STAND it when I see "cirriculum" and "grammer". Then there's "sorry to be whinning about this" and "starting Kindergarden" and "I was born in the 1960's" and "she got 2 A's and 3 B's on her last report card". My office sign outside reads: "Sale and Retention Center". :glare: I cringe whenever I pass it and only wish I could etch that "s" at the end of "Sale" into the metal. I'm a total grammar snob and word nerd. I will whip out the pen and fix the spelling and apostrophe errors whenever I get the chance. p.s. My friend's dd just got over an infection - she's taking her to the doctor tomorrow to see if there's any underlining issues. :blink:

I believe any "minority group" has the tendency to be somewhat defensive. Whether it's race, religion, sexual orientation, weight, parenting decisions, or school choice, we all believe we have the right to do and be what we want without others making an issue of it. Our natural instinct is to become defensive when we are are questioned or put down. After a while, we almost come to expect a rude comment and our defensiveness automatically kicks in. I get defensive. Mostly it's internal and I've learned to smile, nod and pass the bean dip. I believe ignorance is abound in this world. Sheep follow each other not understanding really why and they refuse to find out. We probably all just need to lead by example and hopefully the ignorant will slowly get it. :)

Hey we're in Queens. We go out to Smithtown to visit my mom every few weeks and I spent 30 years "summering" in Wading River. I love the north fork and the LI Sound. There are several very active hs groups out your way.

NYC - about 8 million. My section (Queens) has about 2.2 million.

I used to stop and explain throughout the Ambleside readings, but I just read somewhere not to do that. Children are to hear the stories with as few interruptions as possible and they'll just pick up the meanings of the words they don't know. Of course, if they ask, then tell them. The narrations should be a good clue as to how much they understood and followed. I'm still geared toward explaining as we go along, though. But, I have noticed it messes up the "story vibe" and ds's eyes start glazing over at me when I veer from the book. I'm going to try and stop doing that for a while and see if it matters any.

I loved reading about your grandmother. Thank you for sharing that. I'm so sorry for your loss.

I couldn't even imagine doing that to my kids. My son is 8 and we do about 2 hours a day. It's very doable. And he sleeps til after 9am, eats when he's hungry, and goes to the playground every day for hours. We cover all subjects throughout the week and he is above or at grade level in everything. Our days are fun, laid-back, and yet extremely productive. I strongly suggest letting your kids actually be kids. Here's how we fit it all in (I posted this a few days ago in a Schedules thread): Silent Reading (daily, 10min) 1 Readaloud* w/narration (daily, 10min) Poetry (daily, 5min) Copywork (daily, 15min) 2 Readalouds w/narrations (daily, 15min each) Math (daily, 20min - or when TT5 lesson ends) Add to history timeline (2 or 3x/week, 5min) Grammar Workbook (3x/week, 15min) Map/Geography Workbook (2x/week, 15min) Spanish (1-2x/week, 10min) Latin (1-2x/week, 10min - we may drop this for now) Artist Study (1x/week, 10min) Composer Study (1x/week, 10min) Nature Study (1x/week, outdoors, up to 45min - this is not even considered schoolwork to the kids and we don't worry about how long it takes) *Readalouds are from AmblesideOnline and can be history, science, geography, biographies, or literature. I set a timer for each 10 and 15 minute block. We only continue further if he wants to. We also do science experiments, art projects, handicrafts, health, PE, and tons of field trips and outside classes throughout the year. I don't schedule these because they're usually spontaneous. :)

:001_huh: The sun helps your body produce Vitamin D. It doesn't wash off.

Thank you for responding to the mom whose 8 y/o wasn't reading. You posted some links about dyslexia. I clicked on one and was mesmorized on it for 4 hours. I read all I could and watched a 3 hour seminar on dyslexia by a woman named Susan. I realized that night that my 8 y/o son has dyslexia. No doubt in my mind. I stopped counting after checking off the 26th symptom. We will soon be getting formal testing done. I've already bought some books and written out pages upon pages of the "right" way to teach him. It was like the decriptions of dylexic kids just up and smacked me in the face. I didn't know dyslexia entailed all of that. I thought my son was being lazy, uninterested, and purposely annoying. Boy do I feel sad about that. Once again, thank you for posting something that has been a tremendous help to me and my family. I feel a light bulb has gone on. :001_smile:

I'm pretty sure it is supposed to be the short a sound. I think regional dialects have skewed the sounds a bit. Pull up a you-tube video of Jamie Oliver saying ham and pan and it's the same "a" as in cat. :tongue_smilie:

Our rising 3rd grader's day will look like this: Silent Reading (daily, 15min) 1 Readaloud* w/narration (daily, 15min) Poetry (daily, 5min) Copywork (daily, 15min) 2 Readalouds w/narrations (daily, 30min) Math (daily, up to 30min) Add to history timeline (2 or 3x/week, 10min) Grammar Workbook (3x/week, 15min) Map/Geography Workbook (2x/week, 15min) Spanish (1-2x/week, 15min) Latin (1-2x/week, 15min) Artist Study (1x/week, 15min) Composer Study (1x/week, 15min) Nature Study (1x/week, outdoors, up to 45min) *Readalouds are from AmblesideOnline and can be history, science, geography, biographies, or literature. We also do science experiments, art projects, handicrafts, health, PE, and tons of field trips and outside classes throughout the year. I don't schedule these because they're usually spontaneous. :) We intentionally have short lessons and free afternoons.

My ds (8) LOVES the Dangerous Book for Boys. It has so much cool handicrafty stuff in there.

OMG, I so totally did that. :w00t:

Scrunch your big socks over your jeans. Headband. T-shirt with collared button-down over it (untucked) and a big belt over that. Green and/or pink neon anything. "Frankie Says" shirt. Tease and spray that hair way up and out. Use too much blush, blue mascara, and pink and blue eyeshadow. Spritz on some Love's Baby Soft, Giorgio, Poison, or Obsession. Wear roller skates over your shoulder (complete with huge purple pom pom affixed to the laces). Feather earrings. Acid-wash jeans would be a plus (you can write the word "Jordache" or "Sassoon" on the pocket). And do your lipstick like my friend Peggy used to do: pink frost outllined in black. :tongue_smilie: :lol:

Some blogs have a button that allows the post to become a "sticky". Otherwise you will have to publish the post, then go back in and set it to publish at a future date. Supposedly it then remains as the top post. I guess if you want it there indefinitely, you would need to put in a really future date, lol. Never tried it myself. Good luck.

Not being nitpicky, but: "Throughout most of its history in English myriad was used as a noun, as in a myriad of men. In the 19th century it began to be used in poetry as an adjective, as in myriad men. Both usages in English are acceptable, as in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Myriad myriads of lives." This poetic, adjectival use became so well entrenched generally that many people came to consider it as the only correct use. In fact, both uses in English are parallel with those of the original ancient Greek. The Greek word mūrias, from which myriad derives, could be used as either a noun or an adjective, but the noun mūrias was used in general prose and in mathematics while the adjective mūrias was used only in poetry." (Usage Note from Dictionary.com) Originally Posted by WordGirl I know I'm fighting a losing battle, but no matter how many times I hear it in common usage, I always cringe when I hear someone say, "in regards to." :tongue_smilie: It's "with regard to", right? That drives me nuts, too. I also hate "supposably", "irregardless", and using "I" incorrectly ("Please put Joe and I on your list") AUGGGGHHH!

We do classes with the homeschool group that cost between $5 and $10 each. These include (anywhere from one time to maybe a 5-week series) classes and workshops at environmental centers, the botanical garden, Central Park Urban Rangers, park learning centers, Zoo School, science centers, various museums, art galleries, the planetarium, local historical societies, libraries, farms, and art or science co-ops at local community centers. We do these classes maybe 2 or 3 times a month (along with other various field trips, tours, and activities). The kids love them, they learn a lot since it's usually all hands-on, everything is within a 15 min drive (or 20 min subway ride), and the price is right. I don't rely on these as the bulk of their academics. Not sure if this is what you're talking about, though.

We have: a black-capped conure (parrot) named Lucy a small bullfrog named Bean an anole lizard named Boa 3 goldfish (forgot what the kids named them, lol)

Yes and yes. I always know the families well.

Although a curriculum is the whole course of study you use for all subjects, you can still have a math curriculum or a science curriculum. "Curriculum" can also mean a group of related courses in one particular field. So a science curriculum would be everything you do for that subject. Hmm, but what if your entire science curriculum consists of 1 text and nothing else. Is it still considered a curriculum? :tongue_smilie:

Not one minute of regret. My dd (almost 13) is a competitive dancer. She's been dancing since she's 3 and competing since she's 7. The experiences she (and we've had as a whole family) has had is beyond superior. She's danced at major venues (Mad Sq Gdn, Radio City, Arthur Ashe Stadium, IZOD Center, Six Flags, etc), has gotten classes and kudos from famous dancers and choreographers, and is so passionate about it all, that I can't help but know this all has been worth it. She will be auditioning for a performing arts high school here in NYC this year and has lots of long-term goals in this field. Yeah, we've spent a fortune on lessons, costumes, entry fees, hotels, shoes, tights, makeup, hair accessories, rhinestones, travel, private choreography, and now even vocal lessons. Dh and I don't mind a bit - we enjoy it with her. As far as missing out on other activities, she's had opportunities to pursue other things, but never had the interest. My oldest dd (15) was the one who preferred to try it all throughout the years (gymnastics, dance, aikido, guitar, cooking, etc) and now wishes she had stuck with one thing so she'd be great at it now.

For me, my 9th grade Algebra teacher was exceptional. He was passionate about what he taught, very strict - but very respectful to the students. In turn, we were respectful to him. I left that class with an A+ and a new love of math. The only teacher worthy of praise that one of my kids had (out of dozens) would be my oldest's 3rd grade teacher. Dd transferred from Catholic school to public in November of that year. This teacher (and the kids!) made dd feel so welcome. Dd went from straight Ds to straight As on the Honor Roll within a couple of months. Dd participated in so many activities on the encouragement of this teacher. I cried when the year was over, lol. If only all teachers has that amount of dedication, passion, and joy in what they do. But unfortunately, these are very few and far between.

What helps me is a daily B-Complex vitamin, a protein-heavy breakfast, lots of water throughout the day, and sticking with my easy cleaning routine. I swear a clean house just lifts you right up.