Still thinking about this. My older son is 11. He is highly self-motivated and competitive but that is starting to wane now that puberty is starting. I give him choice where reasonable. For example, I pick the curriculum and timeline for completion, but he can do them in whatever order or on whatever days he pleases. If he is having a crappy day, I cut him slack and we drop a subject or two. If he is reading some book he can't put down, the assigned reading can wait. If he is especially cheery and helpful in the kitchen, or decides to help his brother with a lesson to give me a break, he gets thanked and rewarded nicely. Some of his "work" is disguised as fun, such as ChessKids and garden chores. Any chance yours wants an old-fashioned penpal?

This was only year 1 or 2 for you right? Give yourself GRACE and a pat on the back! No one knows how to do it the first year. It took 3ish for me to be fully in my groove then I added a kid and moved one into middle school and had to regroup. Lol!

4 younger siblings, 25-34. All the sisters have kids. They all speak to me but not all to eachother. The only brother confides in me. Two sisters are close, mostly because of life circumstances and region. It's definitely a different dynamic than growing up, where there were 2 microfamilies because of age spacing. The ones that don't really talk aren't at odds so much as one person doesn't think she has much in common with anyone anymore. So her interactions are limited across the board. We are in a few different but touching states and it's basically expected that if you are riding the interstate, you stop by either coming or going. But it's not always done. I do think two of my sisters' husbands are giant man babies. I am pleasant towards them but also often annoyed. We were/are close enough that all of my sisters were welcome to be in the room at any time when I had my first child. It ended in a C section but they were all there at some point. I kept the older kids for 2 of them when they had subsequent babies, and drove 9 hours to help the third immediately after she had her first in a new state.

We have always used Rod and Staff English and love it.

Jumped 20c overnight. 4.46-4.49 now.

$200 in car repairs here now. Womp womp.

We do 1-2 VBS programs. Usually where we attend, as well as the big church in the next town that does a great one. We schedule playdates with friends. Usually 1-2 a week. Make regular Dunkin and library days. Local springs and sprinklers in the yard. Garden work, mini home projects, organizing. Crafts and science kits. Movie marathons, recipe testing, and bonfires. We don't do bucket lists or anything crazy. We just kind of fill in our spaces usually occupied by school work with other things we'd like to do but don't always make the time for.

Positive results usually don't show so soon. And positives are notorious for not being positive enough for CDC. LLMDs will treat with known bites, reactions, and partial positives.

Acute symptoms are a great warning system and she has a really good chance of having zero long-term effects. I hope you get a longer Rx Monday.

Hi all. This is my last day with driving restrictions but I still have a lift limit and am supposed to limit activity quite a bit. The kitchen counters are bugging me but I can only do anything light for 15 minutes at a time then I feel wiped out. Since school took a few hours... the counters will wait. 😕

Not only is it not rare, it's not limited to certain regions. My friends and I all had limited travel and known bites in FL.

Known bite and fever is reason enough. @Spryte I had Lyme and bart. Then some of my friends tested and had Q fever, RMSF, babesia, bart, and Lyme between the two of them.

The rash actually does not have to appear in the place of the bite. It's good her body is warning you. I would definitely get her on antibiotics. If blood work is done, ask to check for other Tick Borne Diseases as well, such as bartonella, Q fever, etc.

I had chronic Lyme diagnosed 5 years after a known tick bite. 5 years of increasing neurological symptoms. There are many kinds of ticks and other insects that can transmit Lyme and as many as 18 other diseases that look/act like Lyme in most cases. The standard response to acute Lyme symptoms is 2 weeks Doxycycline for adults, 2 weeks of other antibiotic for children. I am sorry I can't recall which one, or when you cross from one group to another (12 years? Certain size?). Also of help would be dry brushing, lymph massage, sweating, and Epsom salt baths. And of course, probiotics.

I definitely cannot put everything I buy at Walmart or Target under "groceries". I wouldn't really truly know if we busted a budget on food or something else. If I bought shoes or air filters or gifts for a niece, it definitely shouldn't count. In fact, I recently went to Walmart with a $100 GC. I planned to buy groceries only but needed a few small, random things. My total was $116 and I immediately knew it was primarily the "others" (gift bag, food storage container set, aluminum foil, ice tray) that put me over.

It would literally never cross my mind to question why someone wears rings on any finger. Wear it.

Upstream? Obvious swimming connection and might imply hardship but more about bettering oneself.

Does she want you to say anything? My oldest son had a misunderstanding at a church event where the male leader embarrassed him by responding in a way that showed he did not understand the situation he was addressing. (Long story.) My son was embarrassed, annoyed, and a little angry. We talked about how the situation went wrong, how adults can mess up, how it would have best been handled, and what he could do about it. In the end, he preferred I say nothing being this was a one-off bad experience and he wanted to move on. He knew how he wanted to respond if something like it happened again with the same adult or any other. I am satisfied with his decision. In regards to doubting her... well, we all mess up. We misunderstand words and misinterpret intentions. Kids are notorious for forgetting important pieces of information or not noticing them. She could be 100% right on every detail, or she could be paraphrasing, or she could be coloring the experience with her embarrassment. It's not mean to politely ask if OP is sure she got all the facts. It's also not cool to work to find a way to turn the tables and humiliate the teacher.

Thanks for clarifying. Honestly I read it twice and read "kiss and get over it" instead of "kiss and get it over with". Seeing your edit made me realize my mistake.

As in "kiss and make up"? IDK. I would have to have a feel for the person and possibly understand the reaction of the kids he was speaking to. Not the best phrase in the situation, but I wouldn't assume he meant it literally.

We have groceries, pet, and household (can be paper towels, toothpaste, anything from hardware store, etc). My husband also drinks soda and always has. It is just part of the grocery bill.

Hello all. I am still inactive post-hysterectomy. No driving or bending or lifting over 2#. House is mildly messy but DH is helping. Only things on my list are read the Bible and pray and rest. Hope everyone has a good week.

We had a flash flood and hail yesterday and lost some plants as well. I also balanced the budget app today and realized I overdid it on Thriftbooks and essential oils while I was laid up and bored. Yikes!

Yes

I had not read the bit about wet food/kibble plus wet. Ours wasn't yet 4 years old and ate a mix of wet and dry together. After the devastation we experienced, we have decided to never again have a breed prone to bloat.