It has been years since I read it, but I think I agree that her lack of access to educational materials was perhaps exaggerated. One doesn't just magically make that ACT score while deprived altogether of educational opportunity. I do remember the part about community theater and thinking it odd based on how she painted her family that she would be supported in that opportunity. I dunno. I found the book riveting, as I said above, but in a trainwreck and not particularly healthy sort of way.

I looked into participating when my older children were about that age. It was too intense for us! While I wouldn't require a child who had an aversion to it (especially at this point in my parenting journey), I would be tempted to overlook how I feel about it personally for her sake.

That is wonderful. Our ACD was purchased and given to us after one of my children went through intensive treatment and partial hospitalization for OCD. The mom of the family that purchased her had worked at a psychiatric hospital before becoming a teacher, so she has a lot of compassion for mental illnesses. The only child of this family was killed in an automobile accident a few years before that, and they started a scholarship fund in his honor. (My nephew was the first recipient.) My dd named her dog after the son. She's a special dog!

Yes! I used to worry about her biting because ACD puppies are SO nippy, and she's still on high alert all the time. (She is simply not going to ever be cuddly or that dog that will lie by your feet and relax with you. She likes pets and is affectionate, but she is STILL moving all the time.). The nipping is gone now that she's a mature woman of 7, but she still likes a good round up. 🤣

You're good!

Thanks for weighing in, everyone. I did read Educated and was riveted by it. My overall opinion, though, is that it would've benefited from the passage of time. It definitely felt to me like confused memories. That's not to blame Tara--just to say that maybe she should've waited a bit to publish. I was really curious to see if anyone here has actually read the mom's book, but I guess not.

Because of where I live and its importance in the music world, it's not terribly unusual to see Grammy award winning artists at Publix.

This is Tara Westover's mom, and she says she was pushed to finish her memoir to "set the record straight" on some things Tara wrote. Anybody read it and willing to share thoughts? https://www.amazon.com/Educating-LaRee-Westover/dp/1735486507

What a sweetie! We have a heeler and her body looks heeler-ish, though our girl is much stockier (which may be due to your girl being underweight.)

Beautiful!

I feel this way about most home improvements we made in our last house. We completely remodeled our kitchen, and the 2020 shutdowns (everyone was home to work!) allowed us the time to cover our ceiling with tongue-and-groove whitewashed planks. It was sooooo pretty. We also added a copper apron sink. then we got a wild hair and sold it a few months later. our "new" house (which we've lived in for three years now) has a very dated kitchen, and I reminisce longingly about the one we left. Some day. . .

Our ACD (blue heeler) tries to herd anyone in our pool out of it. She barks and barks and circles the pool repeatedly. She hasn't saved anyone from drowning, but it's not for lack of trying. 🤣

I think of classic children's lit as comfort reads. Top of that list for me would be Anne of Green Gables, though actually anything by LM Montgomery will work. (I especially love some of her adult novels!) For adult authors, I'd have to go with Leif Enger and Wendell Berry.

That is a lot, @KidsHappen. You're doing great. Ultimately for yourself, of course, it is a personal decision. (((HUGS))) and much strength on your journey.

My teens have worked restaurants (chain and local) and a grocery store. While they had to jump through the hoops of the chain restaurant, I'd say that in all cases (save maybe one, but this place has very high turnover and not great management) it helped to have a contact at that store. One of my teens is in process of going to work as a docent at a local historical site, and going in person helped there, too.

You said it much better than I did. Thank you.

My perspective developed through twelve intensive (& intense) weeks of partial hospitalization, months of ERP therapy as well as years of CBT and other therapies, and ongoing conversations with friends our family made in hospital. We are all extremely sensitive to the difference between clinical diagnoses and the flippant use of the term, but of course, others outside our circle certainly may see things differently. One may certainly use "I'm OCD" or "I'm so OCD" and mean the clinical diagnosis, but my experience has not borne that out through conversation. We have had occasion to help a few other people who suffered with what turned out to be clinical OCD just by sharing our story, so it's not something we've kept under wraps. Conversation has abounded. As always, though, YMMV.

I have years of personal experience with OCD and treatment, including hospitalization. The only time I've ever heard someone say they "are OCD" is someone who is most likely using it to denote a tendency toward neatness or control or whatever. This is not OCD. It could be OCPD, but OCD has certain psychological and behavioral markers, and just liking everything to be so-so is a far cry from OCD. Every person to a one that I know (and I know quite a few with clinically diagnosed, life-altering OCD) would never say they "are OCD," but instead that they "have OCD." I think the consternation around this comes not so much from the actual terminology as it does from conflating something that is a personality trait or preference with something that can be debilitating and often requires medical intervention. Claiming that one "is OCD" because they have to have certain things a certain way (but isn't accompanied by compulsions or doesn't actually affect daily life in a real way) reduces something that IS life altering to what seems to just be a preference. I hope that makes sense.

I have some credits to spend. I am a heavy Hoopla and Libby user, also. I like to spend credits on classics, kids' books we might listen to again, and must-listen new books with long waiting lists that I purchase on a whim. I like literary fiction, historical fiction, mysteries (but nothing very gory or scary), and sweeping sagas. Of course, in audiobooks, the narrator makes all the difference. Does anybody have any recommendations for me?

I finished the audiobook of The Moonshiner's Daughter by Donna Everhart this morning. It's a coming-of-age story, which is one of my favorite kinds. It deals with some heavy topics (outside of what's indicated by the title), including binge eating. I found the voice of the protagonist to be perfect for her age and her emotional reactions to her life's tragedies to be realistic. The only thing about it I didn't like is the ending, so it gets 4 stars from me.

Thanks @Indigo Blue for sharing! I just set it up (the free version). I've used various similar apps over the years but this looks like a really good one .

My girls are into comfy, but generally they like logoed things. My younger dd is a thrift shopper but she tends toward classic/vintage-y stuff. My college student buys stuff at local boutiques so not much in the way of national brands really. They both wear random thrift store T-shirts advertising random stuff. 🤪 I'm no help. Lol.

Work project deadline moved up by 1.5 weeks, just when I really needed to be doing other things 🤪🤪🤪

Gorgeous! I'm considering going back to a shorter bob for the summer after working the waves/curls for a while. 'Tis the season!

Wow! That's quite an undertaking to do alone! My sister had it and was in no shape to do anything alone for a while.