@hordol, just want to chime in with the others: You will be surprised what a broad spectrum of choices are out there when you start looking. You can find or make your choices work for you, rather than the other way around. First of all, have you read The Well-Trained Mind? (I know you're here on this forum, but some people join the forum without actually reading the book!) If not, start there. If you would like some specific curriculum recommendations, just say so - and we will inundate you. 😉 About your extraverted child, my daughter is the most extraverted person I know! We find ways for her to be homeschooled and to hang out with other kids her age - and we do not live in a big population center. There are ways for extraverted kids to be happily homeschooled. Please don't give up on all co-ops. I like what @lmrich said - you can make your own. Before Covid, we had a co-op that we loved. There was a very wide range of Christian doctrine represented, but we all respected each other. There were a few hiccups, but I think that we all loved each other's kids so much that we wanted to work through those hiccups. All the kids became each other's cousins. We moms were all extra aunties. It can work well. Best wishes to you!

"Light but not too cheesy" might be very subjective, but in addition to the ones mentioned earlier, you may also want to consider these: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Any of the All Creatures Great and Small books by James Herriot.

Thank you to all of you! I'll definitely take the Xanax. I feel much better about going through with this procedure since you all chimed in with your advice. The MRI is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. I'll make sure to update afterwards!

Thank you so much for all this great advice! I'm sorry that you had to go through such an awful time, though. I'll definitely think of these things when I go in to see if I can avoid them.

Pretty sure that they don't offer the movie goggles. Earphones were the only thing that was mentioned, and it would probably be hard to keep goggles from falling off or fitting in the little face opening on the table. But thank you for the suggestion - I hope that it helps someone else! I hope that your son's MRIs get better and better every time!

I want that guy as my tech!

See, that just shows how out of touch I am. I still think of CDs as current technology. I don't even have an MP3 player. 😉

Oh, that would make all the difference! Thank you for letting me know!😀

Thank you all! I should have added more info: I know that I can not bring in my own CDs. I already asked the office staff because I thought that an audiobook or a nice long symphony would make the time fly. It's also a closed machine. My husband and kids will come. Thank you all for the encouragement!

Update 2/23: Thank you all for your encouragement, everyone! It went fine. I asked for the Xanax (though I don't think I will need it again next time), and asked them to put the classical music station through the headphones (hoping with all my heart that the station wasn't in the middle of The Philip Glass Hour or something like that!) As it was, the MRI machine was so loud that I couldn't hear the music at all. Next time I won't bother with music but ask for both earplugs and headphones. The hardest thing was that for the first few minutes I was breathing so deeply (to calm myself) that it was interfering with getting a good image. It was hard to breath shallowly for that long! Special thanks to @Alte Veste Academy for the link to the breast MRI video. It helped a lot! (And I now know exactly what you were talking about when you mentioned the plastic tray underneath your face.) And more special thanks to @Katy. The Xanax made me pretty dizzy, too, but your warning prepared me for it. Now, on to the breast surgeon for the next step! ----------------------------- Hello everyone. My first breast MRI is scheduled for early next week, and the nurse wants me to think through if I will need an anti-anxiety medication (Xanax) ahead of time or not. I don't think that I have claustrophobia, but I've never been stuck in an MRI machine before, and am a little scared of having a trapped feeling while inside (particularly since I'll be face down - that seems uncomfortable). I've also never had an anti-anxiety medication before, so I don't have any idea if it will actually help or not. Would any of you give me your experience? Many thanks!

Wendy, sometimes a "like" isn't enough. Your list is amazing!

From my son to your son, "That's pretty cool!"

Thank you very much, WTM! I really appreciate the virtual hugs. It's so good to know that I'm not alone. I think that you and prairiewindmomma are right - I've been running on an empty patience-tank for a while. I love your idea of coding for output! I'll talk to my husband and son and see if we can brainstorm a way to take this idea and make it work for us.

Wow - that's telling! I know that some families love MP, but no curriculum can be right for everyone.

Thanks for the encouragement to hold on and for the hugs, Green Bean! I do spend time on the SN Board, just haven't posted in a while.

Oh, prairiewindmomma, you understand! Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. We have often considered public school for him, but it never feels like it's quite the right decision. We're taking everything year by year, though. What I love about this forum (that I can't find in real life) is that those of us who are moms of neurodiverse kids can all commiserate: Our kids can be wonderful, talented, bright, loving, generous, cuddly... and HARD all at the same time! And we love them like crazy, despite how hard there are.

This is a question that I have looked into in the past. I have not found any school-aged program that adequately addresses non-western music. There's a reason for this: Non-Western music is different from Western music on very, very fundamental levels in the organization of melody, harmony, and rhythm. It would be hard to do it justice in the same course. What I've tried to do has been to expose my kids a little bit on my own, just with YouTube videos and the like. (One important caution to be on the lookout for: Much pop music coming from non-Western areas of the world is really based on the framework of Western music, just stretched a little bit to sound "local".) But even for me as an adult with a keen interest in the physics of music, since I've been steeped in triadic harmony and simple rhythmic meters all my life, it's hard to wrap my mind around the organization of non-Western music. Good luck!

Thank you, Prairiewindmomma! You know what it's like, then! Thank you for the reminder about taking care of our own health. You are absolutely right! My main exercise during the winter is our rebounder. At least with that I can stay at home while exercising.

The Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters. I'm not a fan of mysteries, but I do love stepping into a medieval English monastery every time I pick one of these books up. The language is beautiful, too. (For anyone who is intrigued, start with book #2, One Corpse Too Many. The first book has a completely different flavor, and some of the best series-long characters are introduced in book #2.)

@Spirea, I know that Christmas is long over, but I thought of this thread when we discovered this beautifully illustrated version of Around the World in Eighty Days. (Sorry that the link is only to Alibris and you can't see the cover. The ISBN is 0304317691.) The illustrations are relevant 19th century paintings, drawings, photographs, and postcards. (I never knew that Edward Lear was also an artist!) We got it from the library, but we may seek out buying this book ourselves, it's so fascinating! (I'm not sure how familiar you are with this novel, but I wouldn't feel right not warning that there are some attitudes reflected in the language that we don't hold in the 21st century anymore. For all that, we love the book as a great adventure story.)

Sorry I was away from this thread, everyone. I realize now that I should have just trusted my gut: There was nothing wrong school-wise. Sometimes being Mom is harder than being Teacher.

@Garga, you understand! Thank you! Thank you for your understanding, @Clemsondana! Thank you for your experience with MP, @Spirea. I'm with you on wanting a real vacation, too. Hi @prairiewindmomma. Your suggestions are great, but one thing that I didn't mention at the beginning is that the angry kid has an ASD diagnosis. I can't go for a walk and leave the kids at home themselves. The usual consequences just don't work. But I hope that your suggestions help someone else in this situation.

Sorry, everyone. I realize now that this is not a "General Education Discussion Board" question. It's just about trying to get Mom a restorative break from the challenges of parenting.

Caffeineandbooks, this is a great suggestion that I have tried often with my kids, but it doesn't work. They will find a way to yell through the walls. If I try to make them do something that they don't want to do, it doesn't result in peace for me. 😉 But I know your suggestion would be great for others.

Rocassie and Frances, thank you for understanding! I realize that I really can't let out my breath with relief unless my kids are absolutely out of earshot from me. Your breaks away from your kids sound heavenly.