The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood

My child, too. If he's ready, he's ready. If I wanted my child to learn nothing for three years (from age 3 to 6), then I'd just send her to public school.

I thought college was where you learned that you can get twice the use out of your underwear if you wear it inside-out the second day!!! My recommendations are for single serving foods: Easy Mac 100 Calorie snack bags of stuff Cup-o-soup Tuna (and can opener) and crackers granola bars Every semester, there is usually one part of a student's schedule that doesn't accommodate cafeteria hours, or the student works late into the night. There are nights that you miss dinner in the cafeteria because of a late lab (4-6pm that goes to 6:45) or a review session with the prof (6-7pm, right after the lab ends). There is the Tuesday schedule where one class ends at 12noon, and the next class starts at 1pm, and both are on the opposite end of campus from the cafeteria (15min walk one way, plus a wait in the lunch line.....) How about a comic book? Something really mindless like Foxtrot or Garfield?

Chances are, this is a medical issue. However, in addition to the other advice you have received here, think in terms of: 1) Wherever she is peeing that is unacceptable to you, you need to make that location LESS appealing to her (like the suggestion of putting a plant over the spot). 2) You need to make the litter box MORE appealing to her. This may mean cleaning out the litter box every time! For example, we have 3 cats that are toilet trained. A few months ago, one started pooping in the bathtub. (Which, if I was going to pick a non-toilet location, is preferable to almost any other place I would pick). Now we run a couple inches of water in the bathtub after we are done for the night. One cat still likes to play in the water, but the pooping problem has gone away. :D

So happy for this new life of baby Rosie to have made it this far! I, too, had marvelous milk after a C-section. Dd was (and still is) a "champion nurser" (according to our attending nurses). Colostrum came in before we left the hospital, and my milk, too, would often "squirt across the room" once we arrived home!

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: to you and your mom.

I worked as a parttime nanny for a local family (in Iowa, not live-in). I homeschooled the two youngest kids. The older 3 went to public school. The mom telephoned me that the WTC had been bombed. She was concerned that we were going into town for Recorder lessons later. I personally didn't think that a terrorist attack in NYC equated danger in smalltown Iowa, but I didn't tell that to her. She's the mom; she makes the decisions! I was tempted to see what the tv showed, but it was not my place to introduce this to the young children. That was their parents' place. After work, I went home and listened to NPR's coverage of the bombings. I had no tv, but I had never been so tempted to go out an buy one for that night. I wonder if I am less traumatized by the images of 9/11 because I did NOT see the buildings come down again and again and again on television on that day and the weeks that followed.

Do NOT let him talk to you about it. Take the "bean dip" philosophy or tell him to "talk to the hand." You are not the person to talk to; his lawyer is. Tell him, "You must have me mistaken for your lawyer," with wide eyes and innocence! This is decided by the lawyers and the judge. Sometimes, what is considered a fair amount is set by state law; not by the lawyers or the judge. If he has extenuating circumstances, then his lawyer should have argued that to the judge. This is not about you being fair or a nice person. The court has decided what the definition of you being a nice person is: accepting and enforcing the court-ordered amount of child support. Are you going to be fair/nice to your ex or nice/fair to your kids who depend upon you? What this IS about is the fact that your children deserve to be supported by both parents. The court has determined what a fair amount is. Your job is to be a good mother and advocate for your children. Again, if he has a problem with the payment amount, then he needs to talk to the judge. You're too busy being a good mom to your kids and advocating for them. If you think you will have a problem with him, talk to your lawyer now about drafting papers for garnishing his wages. Loverboy's sister went through this with her ex, and she had them drafted at the time that child support was set by the court. She kept them on her refrigerator until she needed them. (The ex lied that he had lost his six-figure job and couldn't send the child support; not true at all: he had received a promotion!)

I have not read the Kite Runner. If I was a parent, I would ask, "WHY???" When my brother was in 9th grade (public school), his class read Stephen King's Carrie. My mother asked, in her very non-confrontational and non-critical way, "Why???" The teacher explained that she required the students to read the first chapter of the book. (This is a VERY graphic scene of high school girls throwing bloody pads and tampons at Carrie in the shower after gym; Carrie is very obviously not a popular girl, and she does not understand what is happening to her body when she starts to menstruate in the gym shower). Then, my brother's teacher would ask the class if they had ever seen teasing/bullying going on. Yep! Lots of students raised their hands and shared numerous examples and situations. Then, my brother's teacher would ask the class if anyone had participated in teasing/bullying other students like that. .......SILENCE. You have to wonder what the whole class was thinking at that time, and how it affected them for the rest of the year. Sometimes you just need to ask the teacher.

I am also a Recipezaar fan. Let's just say that I don't deal well with change. Of course, every time Newsweek magazine changes editors, their format changes, too, and disgruntles me. I haven't canceled my subscription for Newsweek in nearly 20 years.

Your children are so lucky to have parents that care enough about them to homeschool them. There are lots of families that cannot afford to send their kids to even the activities that you are doing for them. There are other families that cannot afford the time commitment (because both parents work, and the kids are in daycare until past 5pm). We do what we can, and it sounds as if your family is aware of the situation and is doing the best it can. There is NO substitute for the time and attention that you -- their mom -- is giving to them as a sahm and primary caregiver AND home.

shovel

I have not read either Anna Karenina or War and Peace, but in my early twenties, I read many, many, many classics for fun. (Yeah, I needed a hobby, or a boyfriend, or something.) Whichever you choose, this is my advice: 1) For W&P, I have heard that there are a ton of characters. If you choose to read it, start a sheet of paper to list the characters and a few things about them to keep the characters straight. This is also a good strategy to introduce to our kids when we read "The Westing Game" with them. 2) Do not be afraid of Cliff's Notes. Many of the classics I read, I bought/read the Cliff's Notes simultaneously. I got SOOOOOOO much more out of each book because of it. The Cliffs often summarizes author biography and historical context. The standard (but not always) structure of Cliffs is to summarize the text, chapter by chapter (or a group of chapters) and then to discuss the historical or symbolic nature of the text (which is something I am not good at). This is helpful if you miss something important in the text, or if there is a period of chapters that simply draaaaaaaaags (like the 5 chapters of Les Miserables that discusses the Paris sewer system. Yes, 5 CHAPTERS). You inspire me to start reading classics again!!!

You do need to cover the pictures a lesson ahead of when your child does the reading. This program also teaches comprehension. I recommend that you check this book out from the library to see if it is a good fit for your family.

She's not quitting. She's just taking a different and more efficient strategy to accomplish what she needs to do (get an education).If anything, she has found a more effective way to accomplish this goal: homeschooling. If this is a viable plan, she should be applauded. If your DH was in a frustrating job that was going nowhere, would he be a quitter if he found a better way to meet his career goals (and family responsibilities)? If your DD was in college and decided to change colleges or majors, is she a quitter? (The average college student changes their major 5 times in 4 years!) If you are willing/able to homeschool her, bring her home. Just the fact that you are asking these questions from your OP tells us a lot about the situation.

Bigger ticket items: cars appliances computers This doesn't mean that we drive Mercedes or Porches...but we are saving up for a NEW Toyota Corolla. (We drive so few miles. Loverboy's car at 7yo just passed 40K miles. Used toyotas with 80K miles were only a few thousand cheaper than new ones). Appliances: I believe that you get what you pay for; and if you are investing that much money into something, you should get what you want.

lol I have 4-5 friends who work there as instructors/professors!

Our library and librarians are the best! The absolute best! Just today, my friend S and I were commenting on how awesome our library is! And how lucky we are!!! 1) Everything can be done online: a)browse catalog b)reserve books: they pull them off the shelf for you c)renew books d)check to see what is overdue e)can sign up for emails of recent releases of types of books (mystery, scifi, chicklit, etc) or new dvd purchases 2) The bookmobile a) brings reserved books b) staff knows our names..and I don't even carry my library card to the bookmobile c) staff homeschools their kids d) telephones us if the bookmobile is out of service and renews our books automatically in this situation e) no overdue books if the bookmobile is out of service or on vacation f) is air conditioned g) has a stop at the park 3 blocks from our house; a perfect family outing! 3) Our library a) staff knows our names b) allows community rooms free for public use if for nonprofits or events open to the public (like knitting club) c) shows tons of movies in the auditorium d) books music groups once a month e) books music 1X/week in the "Bookends at the Bandshell" event every summer at Bandshell Park. f) provides volunteer opportunities to special needs and disabled individuals g) allows one to renew books multiple times (unless requested by another person) h) will let one work off fines by shelving books i) collects Campbell Soup Labels j) allows food and drink anywhere in the library; it is a good place to stop for a packed lunch and some playtime with the kids k) has auto repair manuals online that you can access from home 4) Our Childrens' Room: a) offers childrens' programming from infants through teens b) has a special teen loft area, and has teen "lock-in"s at the library c) has Harry Potter film festivals d) has awesome reading programs with prizes from beanie babies to books to swim pass coupons, free cookie coupons, ice arena coupons, free ice cream coupons....plus special drawings like "lunch with a librarian" or "ride on the bookmobile to get ice cream." e) has an infant reading program in the summer with prizes that....are NOT for infants (like dinner for two at a nice restaurant). f)has a playroom that consists of puppets, a lego table, a puppet box (and puppets can be checked out!), and many, many toys! It's a great place to go on a rainy day! g) can check out board puzzles, childrens' musical instruments, flannelboard sets of books h) has its own mascot and book written about it (written by my friend Kay!) http://catalog.amespubliclibrary.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=12835J4X7572L.18153&profile=main&uri=link=3100018~!413490~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&ri=3&source=~!horizon&term=Marner%2C+Kay.&index=PAUTHOR i) has Spanish, Russian, and Chinese story times for children j) has little cards of common topics of story books on their wall: toilet training books, going to school book, new baby arriving books, popular CDs of preschool actions songs k) has a few computers for computer games that the kids can sign up for. This is a good way to preview childrens' software before buying it! l) offers Friday afternoon movies for the kids all summer long m) staff puts customer service first: their first job is to help people to find what they need and use the library to the fullest....no matter what else is on the desk that needs to be done! Keep in mind, this is NOT a major metropolitan library. Our town is ~50K people; half that when the university students leave for the summer. They were recently evaluated and told that for the volume of use the library received, they needed a building twice as big! ETA: has homeschool "lunch bunch" activities...that we haven't gone to yet.

This was me, although with a lot less support from my parents than you have already given your daughter. I just erased a 6+ paragraph story about it and had a good cry, even though my story is from 25 years ago. It took me two times through drivers' ed and 4-6 attempts at the DOT's driving test to finally get my drivers' license, but I made it. And of all we kids, I am the only one to have not had a major accident (fingers crossed that this luck continues). Your daughter will make it, too, and she is lucky to have a mom that is as supportive as you are. I have a second chance at a parent/child relationship.

:lol::lol::lol: Is there any medical reason that he is on an oatmeal kick? I'm just thinking of pregnant moms that crave bananas and later learn that their potassium has been low, or the infant that nurses ALL THE TIME....but as a teenager learns she is hypoglycemic and the doctor tells her that she needs to eat several small meals a day rather than 3 big ones or infant/toddlers (6-24months) that don't show a lot of interest in solid food, and only want breastmilk....and then it is learned that they have severe food allergies (and every month that they stay on breastmilk and avoid solid food helps their immune system to figure itself out so the little one can grow out of it). You may never know the reason...but he may just need this for now. If he's going to pick one food, you could do worse than oatmeal.

:iagree: If your child goes off to college...the immunity/illness issue starts all over again. Anybody here hoping their kid will go off to college? In the meantime, are you being a "stereotypical":rolleyes: homeschooler and keeping your kids locked up in the house, away from other kids 24/7? Or do they go to Sunday School (or other religious training), music lessons, the science center, library activities, nature center activities, sports teams, 4H/Scouts/Campfire? Is it time for a "spin-off" topic about how may activities our children participate in each week?

:iagree::iagree::iagree: Please see if there is someone local that has this curriculum (Math-U-See) so you can borrow the DVD so you can see Mr. Demme teach this lesson. It is GENIUS! Make sure that you also catch the lesson where he teaches time telling, too!

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

Not everyone loses weight while nursing. I didn't...but I had lost between 10-20 pounds (compared to my pre-pregnancy weight) during the pregnancy (at delivery) from eating so healthy. (I am 100pounds overweight in general). I know I'm not the only one. Some women just hoard the calories when nursing. Dd is 3.5, and I still haven't lost any more weight in spite of keeping a daily food journal, eating whole foods most of the time, and rarely eating out (sometimes 1X/month), and breastfeeding on demand. But I'm pregnant again, and I haven't gained anything either.... Be good to yourself and your baby at this time. Try watching your calorie counts...but be careful that your milk supply doesn't suffer and drop off because of not enough protein or liquid. Kudos to you for being a BF mom!

You did the right thing, and it sounds like you have some new strategies to work with your ds's behavior. I do not have a ds11, and I have not worked with a lot of boys that age. I HAVE worked with "adults" (in age only, not in behavior) who do not understand the link between good attitude/work habits and privileges. They put themselves first (before the 4yo in their lives). Partying is more important than paying bills. Having friends over (and friends' kids) that are abusive to their little boy is more important than protecting their little one. (DHS has even been called in and documented the repeated abuse and repeated bruising/biting from friends' kids). Disclaimer: I am not implying in any way that your son would grow up to be this way if you didn't cancel the trip. I'm just saying, kudos for you for having some consequences for his behavior! GO MEAN MOM!