If your theory holds true, you might check thrift stores & goodwill for older, thicker inserts. I've seen them more than once.

That's a great idea! I was just coming around to the idea that a 10-hr period may require a "heat up leftovers" game plan rather than "walking in to a hot meal." Thanks for challenging me to think outside of the box!

@Seasider too Is this the carnitas recipe you're talking about? https://damndelicious.net/2014/10/10/slow-cooker-pork-carnitas/ Apparently there are two websites with the words damn and delicious in it. 😄. I was only familiar with this *.net one before this thread.

I'm looking for some new crockpot recipes for those days when I'll be out of the house for 10 hours straight. So far we've tried Cowboy Beans or Ham 'n' Beans Black Bean Soup (using a timer to delay the start of cooking as there's nothing that needs refrigeration), Pork Shoulder to make Pulled Pork Sandwiches Can you help me with some ideas, please? ETA: another recipe: "Baked Potatoes" (using a timer to delay the start of cooking)

OP, have you done anything since the last post about the homework? Have you talked to the teacher yet? I think that you could use these last 6 weeks to your advantage by staying at the school as long as you set boundaries with the teacher. If you say DD only has to do 2-15 minute increments of homework, then work towards getting those time periods whine-free and full-focus ... the habit of attention. I think this will set you up well for homeschooling in the fall. And for the handwriting, perhaps you can take a sample now, find goals to work on, and then see at the end of 6 weeks if she's improved her handwriting by meeting those goals. Then, assuming she does, give her a BIG bag of candy! The goal is improvement not perfection.

I think the 3rd edition TM are easier/cheaper to find than the 2nd or 1st edition. So if the TM is important to you then limit your search to 3rd edition (red cover) student books and not the white cover books. (But if you want a white cover edition, I have one to sell ... cough, cough ... because I wanted a reasonably priced TM too 😄. )

Here's a link (these BHG are a different style than the BHG first mentioned). I think the key to avoiding sagging shelves, no matter what brand you choose, is to keep the horizontal span short between vertical supports.

My phone autocorrected that way once too! I thought it was appropriate, too, and continue to use it with my close friends who also use SF. A second vote to use Advanced Editing to give you more control.

Here’s something else to think about: In this school year, has your daughter developed a network of close girlfriends such that you could setup play dates with them next school year if you homeschool? If so, then you could have the best of both worlds with homeschooling. If not, then maybe the social aspect is not as important to her as you think. If playing barbies isn’t YOUR thing (it surely isn’t mine!) maybe you can spend time together doing something *you* like .... like cooking or baking or hiking in nature or whatever.

Would they keep her inside for recess if she's working the plan that you agreed to since it's not willful disobedience? .... And (insert devil horns here) what if they had a whole classroom staying inside for recess? That might be a daily, visual reminder for the school to address the homework issue.

Regarding the homework level, why don't you talk to the teacher and create a plan for the remainder of the year too make it manageable? That way you show the teacher that you want to comply. Homework doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing deal.. So for example ... If math is supposed to take 10 minutes, tell the teacher for week 1, you'll set the timer for 10 minutes and see how much your DD can get done. Then for week 2, you'll ask her to do 1-2 more problems within the 10 minutes. And you'll keep going that way until you meet the goal for all the problems within 10 minutes. Or alternatively you could ask DD To work for 1 more minute in week 2 and then an extra 1 minutes in week 3, etc. Plus it sounds like they are relying on rote memorization - so maybe promise 5-10 min of rote memorization of math facts (blech, not my cuppa tea - but if that's what they expect in order to achieve that pacing .....) This way you set the boundaries but at the same time you are working on getting to the next level. Perhaps if the teacher sees that you are diligently working toward the goal, (s)he will be more understanding. And maybe promise to work on it over the summer so that by the fall when 2nd grade starts, she's at the level she needs to be.

Lots of resources and links and gift ideas here: https://engineering.purdue.edu/INSPIRE/Resources

Can you suggest a versatile, non-athletic shoe(s) for a 4-season climate? I'd prefer to keep my shoe collection to a minimum. What have you found that gives you the most bang for your buck, shoe-wise?

those are all good ideas. What about salsa? seasoned salt? smoked paprika? A1 sauce, if it's vegan?

I just stumbled across some episodes on CAPD over here: https://www.littlegiantsteps.com/podcasts I haven't listened to anything from this podcast; I just thought of you when I browsed their titles.