Lands End has really cute tankinis and 2-piece suits that are mix and match, so you can get what fits. My almost-15-year-old DD usually finds several styles that she loves, and we can find swimsuits that actually fit. Definitely buy when they are having sales.

My kids have used Mr. D. Math for Pre-Algebra through Algebra 2 and we love them. You can do live online classes, live in-person classes through a co-op, or asynchronous. They have live help sessions with teachers twice a week regardless of which delivery method you use.

My DS is applying to USNA, USAFA, and USMA for the c/o 2024. What year is your DS now? If he is a junior (graduating high school in 2020), you need to jump on things and start doing a LOT of reading and research now. If he's younger, you have a bit of time. I highly recommend that you read every page on the USAFA website, paying attention to each link and drop-down menu. Many of your questions will be answered just by reading. I also recommend that you spend some time on the Service Academy Forums website, and search through their forum posts for any questions you might have (99% of which have already been asked and answered). We have also been attending Academy Days and Admissions briefings through our local Members of Congress for a couple of years now. Each time we go, we learn another helpful tip.

One of my cats who lived to be 18 was hyperthyroid for years. We used pill pockets (soft treats) to give him pills for years, then a "pill popper" when he didn't want to eat the pill pockets. Once he got used to the meds, it wasn't a big deal. The thyroid medication was also very inexpensive.

We have the Adam's Map of History as well. DH & DS built a simple shelf to hold it along a long wall, and we just keep a portion of it folded. We get a LOT of positive comments from people who visit our house who are fascinated with it! We bought it when my kids were elementary age, but they still refer to it even now in high school.

What math has he taken? My DS took the ACT for the first time in July after his sophomore year (after Algebra 2), and math was his lowest score. He re-took it in December 2018 (halfway through junior year) and it went up 2 points (after taking College Algebra). He is almost finished with Trig AND Pre-Calc (both college classes) this semester, and his math score went up another 2 points. If your DS hasn't gotten that far in math, don't worry just yet about his scores. If his other subtests were good, spend some time practicing and prepping for math, especially the pace. My DS is also hoping to go to an academy. USNA invited him to a CVW this spring, which was very motivating. His preliminary applications have been submitted for the class of 2024.

I would have your student dress in a way that they will be confident in their appearance. What if you show up wearing shorts and t-shirts, but the school representatives are dressed business casual? Would that make your student feel self-conscious? Could you find something that is comfortable, lightweight for the heat, but still looks a bit more professional? For my DS, that usually involves khaki pants, a short sleeved button down shirt, and shoes that are a bit nicer than sneakers but still comfortable for walking. When we've taken just general campus tours, we wear whatever's comfortable and heat-appropriate (we live in FL). But when we are meeting with someone specifically, or it's a more specialized visit, we dress a little nicer.

Our A/C runs almost year-round. I think we turned on our heat for about 3 days this past winter. But I don't think our outside temps got below 40 degrees more than that during this winter either. We've already had temps near 90 this spring. ETA: I'm in Tampa.

I'm a bit behind you because my kids are still in high school, but I totally understand this. I have gone back to school and the challenge of school has been very helpful for my own sanity. My goal is to be ready to go back to work full time when my youngest is either a senior in high school or freshman in college.

My 11th grader's math score improved by 2 points, which is awesome, and his other scores were very good. He really needed to improve his writing score, which won't be released for a while, but I am pleased with his scores.

My 11th grader took it today for the 3rd time, so no nerves here. He really only needed to improve his writing score, so that's what we've been focusing on, and we anticipate that his math score will naturally come up now that he's nearly completed Trig and Pre-Calc. We will see in a few weeks!

In addition to weekly online class meetings, Mr. D. has help sessions available twice a week with a live teacher. Students log in online, then chat (verbally) about the course/section/topic for which they need help, and the teacher walks them through it, showing them on the screen, then letting the student work through the problem on their own. There are also pre-recorded videos for each section.

Mr. D. Math has once a week online classes and has recently been NCAA approved. I think it may be a good fit for what you're looking for.

We had a tankless water heater for a while but replaced it with an old fashioned tank. It took a very long time for hot water to reach our shower, which was on the opposite side of our (ranch style) house. We have very hard water, so we had issues with sediment buildup. And because we don't have gas service in our area, we had an electric version, so if the power went out, we had no hot water at all. I've heard that the gas tankless heaters are better than electric, but that wasn't an option for us.

I am currently teaching Apologia Biology at a co-op and have decided to use Dr. Wile's Discovering Design with Chemistry for next year. You can actually download the entire first module, along with all of the Comprehension Check (same as O.Y.O.) questions and Review questions (same as Study Guides) from the publisher at https://bereanbuilders.com/ecomm/product/discovering-design-with-chemistry/. My opinion based on a quick read through of the book is that the tone is very similar to Apologia Biology but it's meatier and (obviously) very math-heavy.

I haven't had a child take this course, but I am currently teaching Apologia Biology at a co-op and purchased the Advanced Biology book to look through when I was deciding what to teach next year. I decided that it had too much chemistry for my students to handle, so I will be teaching Chemistry next year, and will consider teaching Advanced Biology the following year.

My son is a high school cross country runner. He was initially diagnosed with shin splints, but after several months of conservative treatment, we saw a new doctor who sent him for an MRI. The MRI confirmed that it was a stress fracture, not shin splints. He went into a walking boot for 3 weeks, then PT for several months, then started back slowly.....only to end up with another stress fracture. He missed his entire sophomore cross country season and most of track season. He started training last summer VERY VERY slowly, ended up having a pretty good junior season, and is now up to full speed with track. OP, since it has been so long for your DD, I would consider asking for an MRI just to make sure you aren't dealing with something more serious. FWIW, the first doctor we saw was an orthopedist, who ordered x-rays and nothing else. We switched to a Sports Medicine specialist, who immediately told us that with the level of activity (read: inactivity) DS was at when he first saw him, that it was most likely a stress fracture since it just never healed.

We've been there too with my FIL. It was exhausting to stay one step ahead of him mentally to make sure he didn't hurt himself. When we finally got him settled into a memory care unit, he really thrived.

Another vote for Analytical Grammar. Grammar Planet was just introduced as we were finishing up AG, so we never got to compare the two. My kids did AG Season 1 during 7th grade, then Seasons 2 and 3 in 8th grade. I'm convinced that it has helped with SAT/ACT scores, as my DS got a perfect 36 on his ACT English, and DD (who is currently in 9th grade) scored high in English as well on the PSAT (which is the only college-entrance-type exam she's taken so far). Analytical Grammar was thorough and very straightforward. I scheduled grammar 3-4 days per week, and since it is written to the student, they just picked up the book and did the work on their own. I checked their work, corrected any mistakes, and moved on.

We stayed in Boston last July and it was very easy to use public transportation to get everywhere. We looked into Airbnb inside the city, but found that most did not have air conditioning, which was a no-go for us in July. (We live in Florida, so we are used to hot summers, but didn't want to risk it. Turns out they had a heat wave while we were there and temps were in the 90s.)

I also recommend Mr. D. Math.

My son is a student there now. Feel free to PM me as well. The Tarpon Springs campus has a lot of dual enrolled students and the professors there are wonderful. FYI, SPC recently changed their admissions policy so that new dual enrollment students will only be accepted from residents of Pinellas county. We live in Hillsborough and currently enrolled students are being allowed to stay through the spring 2020 semester. My DD who is a high school freshman will have to do her DE at HCC.

Another wimpy Floridian here. Last year was the first time in about 5 years that we had a freeze in Tampa, and that was downright frigid for us. It's supposed to get down to the mid-30's this week.

My DS is a junior who has just begun the process of applying for the c/o 2024 at USNA, USAFA, and USMA - and will probably apply to USCGA as well. One thing that hasn't been mentioned so far, that has been very helpful to us, is to start researching your congressional district's Academy Days. Because the appointment process requires a nomination from a member of congress for almost all of the SAs, many MOCs host admissions briefings and workshops at least once each year, and they are a wealth of information on the application process. If your DS submits his email for the USAFA's Future Falcons email list (as well as the equivalent mailing lists at the other academies), he'll receive notifications for online chats, local admissions briefings, and other events, many of which include representatives from several academies. If you feel that test scores may be a hindrance, I'd consider having him take the SAT or ACT this year so you have a baseline. Then plan on some targeted prep or tutoring on his weaker areas. He has plenty of time to work on testing. If he starts taking ownership of the application and nomination process and really wants to continue to pursue USAFA, let him! My DH & I have remarked to each other that the process of pursuing a SA, even if he doesn't get an appointment, has been VERY good for him up to this point. He's stepped up his physical training, taken a more active leadership role on his cross country and track teams, taken a heavy course load with dual enrollment and AP courses, and later this year will be practicing his interview skills before we get to that step in the process. So far it's all been good.