@Not_a_Number No specifics in mind. Peter Gray is just an example I threw out there. Like, I could put out there "I like eggs" and share an egg recipe, and there is probably someone who has really strong opinions about whether liking eggs is a good or bad thing, and have I considered the impact of industrial egg production and how it intersects with the needs of inner city school lunch programs and what about the kids with high cholesterol, huh?! And no, I haven't considered any of that. I just thought I'd share a recipe about eggs and maybe other egg enthusiasts could share their recipes for egg dishes? (This is the part where someone chimes in that my egg analogy doesn't exactly work because "Reasons" and I say "Ok, well, you have a nice day then...").

So what would you call it then? I find some of those threads exhausting because there can be an element of "gotcha!" to them. I could write "Here's my opinion on XYZ after reading this book by Peter Gray", and there will be someone ready to pounce with "Well, what about this? And this?! AND THIS!! DID YOU EVEN BOTHER TO CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS OF XYZ ON ABC?!?!". Well, no, I hadn't considered that. I didn't realize I had to? Maybe I'm shallow because I do not deeply analyze every angle of an education philosophy book before stating my opinion on it. ETA: Or maybe I'm just at a point in life where I'm tired of arguing, lol. "You think my opinion is garbage and my writing lacks style? Alright, well you have a nice day, then" is where I'm at these days.

This also factors in to why I do not participate in a lot of education threads. It often feels like I am walking into a dissertation defense. I'm not a scholar of Sandra Dodd, John Holt, SWB, or anyone really. I'm just a parent that has read several of their books and has some opinions on what they've written based on how it fits into my life. But good luck to me if I post that opinion and am not prepared to cite specific works to defend that position. I want to have a conversation, not participate in a scholarly defense. Maybe that makes me shallow by WTM standards.

Winters here are usually pretty mild. I'm thinking we might do some geocaching this winter. Maybe dig out the telescope and look for stars at night. The basic plan is to continue on as we have for the last 7 months: work on some house projects, work on hobbies, schoolwork, play games, play with the pets. Truthfully, I'm kind of bored, but it is what it is.

I have put some of the extras on doorknobs as decorations, but I did get rid of the Darth Vader stocking, lol.

Now I'm curious. What are they using that isn't discussed here?

As for decreased activity on the education boards, it's probably several factors. These boards were started when homeschooling was much less common and there were fewer ready-made resources for parents. You mostly had to DIY it or adapt school books to your needs. But you weren't alone in that; everyone else had the same needs. It's not like that anymore. We don't all homeschool for the same reasons and don't all have the same needs anymore.

I had oodles of big opinions about home education when my 12 yo was little. Now that we're in year 7 of this grand experiment, I have to admit that I no longer enjoy hashing out curriculum recommendations for 1st and 2nd graders. Like, all my homeschool advice really comes down to "How's your relationship with your kid? What have you done to improve that? Because I think if you fix some stuff there, your 'curriculum problems' will mostly go away". I read posts on fb where both kids and mom are screaming and crying at each other all day over writing or math, so could someone recommend a new curriculum that "will work". No, I really can't recommend anything because I don't think the curriculum is the broken thing in this situation. I think a lot of newer homeschool parents are very much into their idea of a homeschool "lifestyle", and it seems very superficial based on what is being offered up on social media. I don't know of anyone outside of WTM forums who home educates for academic reasons.

I made a needlepoint stocking for DS12 about 3 or 4 years ago. Stockings were not something I realized were a big deal to me until after my in-laws bought kiddo a stocking that was nicer than the one I had bought him, (we were so broke that first Christmas; I think I spent $1 on each of our stockings, and they were cute but not fancy). I was so upset but it seemed like a silly thing to be upset about, so I said nothing and put out the nicer stocking for kiddo, but it's always bugged me because I really wanted to *make* him a stocking. Since then, he's received multiple stockings from relatives. I have no idea what to do with all of them! When he received a Darth Vader stocking (???), I was like "Forget this! I am making him a stocking. I'm his mother, dang it, not everyone else."

Oh, I'm so incredibly sorry about your son. I wish I could offer you something more than words on a screen. I am thinking of you. ❤️

I have to admit I am confused about steel calculators. The calculators I am familiar with are either battery powered or electric. Was the steel model definitely a calculator or was it perhaps an abacus?

I would use those top shelves for big packs of paper towels. Store anything bulky and light up there, so you don't bonk your head getting it down! Do you have a grabber tool? It might help getting stuff down from the top shelves. Grabber

Did anyone ever make dump cakes? Dump a can of crushed pineapple into a glass baking dish. Then dump in a can of cherry pie filling. Sprinkle a boxed cake mix on top. Top with a stick of butter, sliced thin. You can add nuts on top if you like. Kiddo made one last night with me and eyed it suspiciously, but it's pretty good! lol

Steve Vai, Randy Rhodes, Yngwie Malmsteen are all excellent guitar players.

Not really housekeeping, but it's a small thing that helps. We prefer to eat brown rice, which takes a long time to cook. I make big batch in the Instant Pot, and then freeze 1 cup baggies of it to last a few weeks. When we want rice with dinner, I pull out a baggie and reheat in the microwave for a minute. It's like those frozen rice steamers you can get at the grocery, only much cheaper.

That is exactly how estate sale companies run. They do all the work and prefer that the home owners are not present during the sale, (people get insulted/hurt feelings when they hear people haggle over their things). For the companies I've worked with, if you tell them the goal is to get the house emptied and top-dollar is not a priority, they will absolutely get that house emptied. And you get money at the end! Winning!

Fold the laundry as soon as a load comes out of the dryer. It is easy to find 5 minutes to fold a load. It is not easy to find an hour to fold a mountain of laundry that has been waiting for days.

This is incredibly tone deaf, considering the fires on the west coast of the US. How dare you!? 😉

You mean, you drink beverages from aluminum cans?! Don't you care about brain health?!?!

Ahem. Aren't you forgetting someone? Shouldn't you also make enough cupcakes to donate to the senior center, homeless shelter, battered women's shelter, fire and police department? I mean, how could you be so self absorbed!

She should consider calling an estate sale company. They will do all the work for them AND she'll get a check at the end. If she tells them the goal is to empty the house, they will get everything sorted, priced, and staged and unload everything. Even the things you think "No one will want this", they will get sold.

Oh, I'm sorry. I was involved in the cleanout of a hoarder property once. Once was enough. It's emotionally and psychologically draining. Would you be able to pay a professional company to come out and empty the house? It might be worth it.

Yes, the time(s) I've abandoned a cart, I do try to put it on the grass strip or somewhere it won't smash into another car. I'm not totally callous, lol! Now I just always part near a cart return.

My standard "new mom advice" is to always park near a cart return, even if it means one is in the furthest spot away from the store. No mental and physical gymnastics about how to get everything and everyone in the car AND put the cart away. Full disclosure: I have left a cart in the parking lot when I was in a bad mood.

I already got mine this year. I will take kiddo in this week to get his and gently nag DH to get one. I was inconsistent in getting flu vaccines in the past. Not any more, since I learned that flu can spread asymptomatically, too.