My dd sort of presented as dyslexic, and didn't learn to read until a year ago (she's 9 now). One companion problem mentioned on the dyslexic sites is something called scotopic syndrome, which intrigued me because my dd said the letters on the page were often shimmery. Basically, people with this syndrome perceive white much brighter than average folks. Anyway, for her, what worked was using books on the Kindle Fire and changing the background to black with white lettering. Finally, the letters sat for her! So, she started to read. I eventually did black letters on blush and then switched to traditional books with white paper and black lettering. Once her brain knew what the letters should look like "seated" (her words), she could then start to train her eyes to make dark letters "sit" on white paper. She's now reading within 3 months of grade level, as I had her tested last week. I tell you her story for two reasons. 1. Keep poking around and reading about different issues if you aren't in a position to have your child tested immediately. You may hit on something that will work for her in the interim. 2. A child who doesn't learn to read until late doesn't necessarily stay behind by the same gap once they do learn to read. My daughter made up 2+ years in exactly one year.

Got caught at a mall at lunch on Saturday after a painful bout of jeans shopping. Ruby Tuesday saved the day -- steak, spaghetti squash and asparagus. It was good!

Such sad news!

Wait, I can get on the no milk wagon, but not the whole no dairy thing! Grasshoppers (heavy cream). Some crazy Blue curacao variant of Grasshoppers we made a Christmas with coconut rims -- again full cream. And then there was my Mom's Brandy Alexanders....WOW! Cream never packed such a punch...

OK, maybe this would be a reason to have a margarita early in the day! :cheers2: Cheers! (reference to margarita thread)

Read back. We didn't say "no liquor." Just no margaritas. Too show-off-y at 9:30 a.m. :smilielol5:

Honestly? I just forget about my role as teacher/mother for a night. I make a nice dinner, based upon what my dh and I prefer*. My husband makes us a stiff drink, or two. We crank up the music and dance to the music of our youth (70s/80s) for a couple hours. I usually need this twice a month during the school year. :o *We don't let the kids go hungry, but if all they want is soup and cookies, that night it is OK!

Yeah, even I can't come up with a good reason for a margarita at 9:30 a.m. :laugh: Just wanted to add, if you want a "Blue Lagoon" look, feel free to use blue curacao in place of the triple sec/Cointreau.

Your kids don't swim. Nah. Not in a million years. Once they knew how to swim? Sure. Just my $0.02.

A crazy Excel spreadsheet that totally works for me, but would probably drive a sane person nuts. ;) It took me 2 years to get it uber-functional. It's a lot less pretty than it was...

Blackboard user here. It's 3' x 4' freestanding. I can't imagine not using it. I used to present for a living, so a blackboard is my whiteboard and flip chart replacement. At minimum, I do my daily "preamble" using it, to tell my kids everything we'll be doing for the day, and to review what we learned the day(s) before. The children use it for SM textbook problems, working on paragraphs or other English assignments, etc. I guess we don't do as much copybook work as others would. Oh, we also have two magnetized surfboards that are whiteboard marker friendly. We use them too, and I post their daily list of assignments on that, as well as my 3rd grader's nightly homework. I like having everything moveable though, so nothing is mounted to a wall.

Try www.lastminutetravel.com for hotels. My kids like art and science, so in addition to the great historic sites, we like the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Barnes Museum*, the Franklin Institute, and for a combination of both, Drexel U's Academy of Natural Sciences. Last time we were there on a Friday, my kids hunkered down with the college students and drew a couple of the dioramas with them. It was a great time! (We were staying nearby, and I got their drawing pads and pencils and returned when I saw what was going on). Oh and the Rodin Museum has been redone. We haven't been yet. *May be a waste of time with really young children, but the outside is pretty neat if you are on the Parkway already.

Have you tried something like lastminutetravel.com? I plugged in your dates and Savannah, GA and here's what came back for hotels. I don't know what you mean by "very cheap" but maybe you will see something there that makes sense. Try a couple different locations that aren't generally where college kids or families go -- cities and such. The only travel agencies I know of anymore do package travel and groups primarily. :grouphug:

:grouphug: :grouphug: I don't have any advice, but I did want to say you sound like you have your head on straight. Keep on being you!

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Funny how two folks can look at the same thing differently. I consider every state I've lived in mine! So, we'll do NY, CT and PA history too. Basically, I like coloring and short road trips. :D

Another thing is that the states usually add a component of state history. So how can that be implemented practically? Take them to your state's historic sites as field trips. Take a couple photographs. Have a talk about them each time you return. As they get older, have them write a short report. I found a coloring book about our state, and we use that too, including inspiration for some more obscure sites in the state. :coolgleamA:

Hang in there! My story: Our current dog is now 6. She needed a lot of help in learning to attach when she came to us at a year old. Luckily, having been an adoptive parent, I could recognize the signs. I did the work, but I didn't want to do the work. I was tired! The dog didn't like me, and I didn't much care for her. But, we ran together. That was our "thing." About a year ago, she finally decided to play with me! We now play and goof around, and are really good pals. Just be there. Magic happens in its own time. (FTR, we waited a couple years after our last dog died before getting this one, so even with waiting it can still not work right away). :grouphug:

Believe me, when my kids were small and my dh was travelling, it was a godsend. Pizza and a glass of wine...sigh...

I'm not a big user of delivery. But when I do use it, I tip well, 'cause our guys will run by the liquor store for ya as well. :cheers2:

Hey, I took your spot! :seeya: I liked everywhere I lived, but each time I moved, I was a little clearer about what I wanted and enjoyed. So mine was like a path leading to the coast. But I feel like I found the right culture along the coast for me here. It's not hard living here for me, despite the last 24 hours. ;)

Ours are broad and general. I do review them, and find that in addition to our overall history studies, I can cover off what is missed with a couple of library books. :-)

If I had waited, my dd would still be in 1A and finally progressing. As it is, she's finished 3A and suddenly all her addition/subtraction math facts clicked, while she was knee deep in multiplication/division! I can't explain it...I'm just along for the ride. :D Oh and I should say that my younger just finished 1A, and he picked up his addition/subtraction math facts very quickly. I'm anticipating a real slog with him through multiplication/division, given that my two are about opposite in every way. ;)

The only reason I would attempt to get faster in your instance is because you always run on the hardest surface out there. The speedier one is, the less one's joints are bearing the full weight is how a couple of folks who've studied sports medicine have put it to me. That being said, it doesn't sound like your routine is taking any toll on you, so, if you have no reason to change, then I wouldn't worry about what other people have said to you. Happy running!!!

My advice is to brush up on landlord/tenant law for the state in which your property is located. Don't assume that the mgmt. co. knows all the ins and outs of the law. The more heads working within the law, the better. Also, can the manangement company go onto the property now and document current condition for you? You may already have a problem on your hands. And you may not. But, it would be good to know where you stand as you go forward.