And, I thought the correct pronunciation was incorrect. I hear that (correct) pronunciation so rarely!

Done! Good morning, everyone! ETA, thanks, @Slache...that was so much fun to watch!

I make a ham/gruyere pie that is full of savory goodness. And, I have the ingredients (well, I’ll use a different cheese, but I am just that type of cook=). Thanks @theelfqueen

Our experience, which may not help you since ds became a rabid IEW fan: At that age, our previously well-written son turned cold on the subject. Blank paper...tears! It was very unexpected. I purchased IEW student B videos (changed name), and he soared. He was so happy that he no longer had to, in his words, ‘figure out what to write’. IEW, which I do see that you have tried, turned writing into a very logical, mathematical even, process. One he could do alone, with me only doing very minimal writing. The only teacher-part of the IEW program that I used was the advice that mom become editor/not critic. I ONLY marked his paper based on the rubric for the assignment, leaving content itself alone, as they suggest. That is how his growing up brain was functioning, needing explicit instructions and wanting minimal interaction from me about writing. He said all through high school, where he used IEW on his own (we just couldn’t do it together), that he was so relieved not having to be creative and had a process to follow. Now, he is still quite the math thinking person, but hopes to write a book someday. I cannot believe when he, as an adult, recently said that he really enjoys writing!

Great line - I am gonna borrow this!

Done! Another beautiful day here - may everyone enjoy theirs!

Mini charcuterie tray this evening. Oh, with a hot toddy!...after Mass & a simple meal of ham & biscuits.

Happy Birthday, @SeaConquest! I am heading over to your house @Spryte. I thought about heading to find @popmom’s cabin, but not only would that be kinda creepy, I hate being a third wheel. But, yum, you all have excellent taste!

Perfect - thanks!

Our school was not relaxed, although maybe in the grades you are mentioning. We read aloud a lot. No before bedtime stories here. I read aloud to them before & during meals, at the park, waiting for food at restaurants, all afternoon long sometimes. They were allowed to do anything while we shared our book - legos, draw, build with clay, even look at the pictures in other books. They got hooked on the audio book, too, during required afternoon quiet time (audio book & in room or try to take a nap...which they had no intention of taking!). The non-fiction book love was fed by me who made sure to direct them to the non-fiction part of the library and buy an occasional book used on (the new, then) Amazon of their particular interest du jour. They liked series (hardy boys, magic tree house, Famous Five, American girl, etc), and they were motivated to read them because I refused to read them aloud (some books are not meant for the adult to enjoy along side IMO). By 2nd/4th grade, like your DC, ours were enjoying print in the ways described above (and their screen time was very low, easier to do when I also did not have more than a desktop), but they weren’t reading alone any more than yours are. I do think that reading skill has to catch up to comprehension. What I mean is that our children were so used to getting it coming at them quickly by read aloud that reading fiction was too slow. That is what a good series can do. I really like the suggestion of @kand, to read enough chapters of a fiction book to get child hooked, then leave it for them to finish. My first avid reader was in third grade before he read a whole book to himself. It was A Lion to Guard Us. His skill had progressed enough that he could read it with ease, and it wasn’t such a simple story as many early reader series books are (which he thought many were silly). We both read it & teased each other that each would be the first to finish it & we’d hide it from each other. Good memory. If you read to them, listen to audio books at home or abroad, get them fiction in topics of interest (maybe doing a 15 minute quiet ‘book look’ time together each day), you’ll raise readers. ETA - not all of our dc read to themselves a lot or much at all now, though. I still think of them as readers, because they listen to podcasts/audiobooks and read articles plenty. It is because the more hands-on hobbies they had made listening more efficient than reading.

😹Perfectly said, exactly this. Keep treating your kitty.

I went very early Saturday morning. It looked like the day before Thanksgiving at 3pm - Crazy busy!

Bacon, a good choice @Ali in OR

First, do not stop monthly medication for at least a year. We never will stop again, even through winter. The fleas that may be in dormant stage can hatch up to six months later. Vacuuming daily keeps them from staying dormant (perhaps wrong word), forces them to hatch and then get vacuumed away. Any fleas that do hatch later or get past your vacuuming efforts will no longer find a host b/c of animal medication. They may bite a human, but we are not really their hosts, as they will not be able to go through their life cycle on us. Best wishes! ETA - We decided against spraying indoors, it really is unnecessary. Especially for your level of (non) infestation. For above reasons...the fleas will never find a host again in our home...so they won’t hang around. We’ve decided on the monthly animal treatment regimen instead of other routes other people may take.

I’m eating beer cheese & sriracha nut thins. Yum!

The only meat I make in the IP is ribs...fall of the bone tender. My pot is subject to giving a BURN warning and shutting down, so I cannot brown meat in it first, and all meat goes on a trivit or in basket. I love my IP now for things it can do better than all my former ways of cooking the item, so ribs, eggs, Mac & cheese, pasta with meat sauce, thawing/browning ground beef (in basket) only.

Good that both you and DH want a dog. A dog just about always falls 100% under the responsibility of the adults in the household - children, no matter how old, how willing and how well intentioned are not responsible enough or in the stage of life to take total charge. So, I tell everyone to only get a dog if you and DH are willing for the dog and its care to be totally yours. Children helping is a bonus. Aside from that, I would be concerned with DD17, but probably ‘I’ would get a puppy. Small, and all the criteria that @ktgrokmentioned. I hear ‘rescue’ and think ‘problems’, but I am not well-versed on that, just my limited experience. Also, although puppies are often universally enjoyed in their rolly-polly-ness, their immature/not-necessarily problematic nipping and jumping may be a trigger for DD. It annoys us, and we have no fear of dogs. Also, if you get a dog, take @Spy Carup on his offer to explain how to teach a dog to have a soft mouth. It is so important. Finally, I would be sure that older DSs were totally on board with never, ever kicking or hitting your dog. That can really ruin any good training you are working on. Even puppies could push their buttons.

Hugs

Done! Cotton and Timmy, the sheep say, “May everyone find something good in each day!” ETA, Yes, Timmy, I apologize. I know you are a goat!

Young adults! I do have the interesting book, coffee table book, religious item, and clothing item for each, though. (Plus that pillow for Ds=) So, probably with a little cash thrown in, I am actually done with them. For our eldest, for a fun gift, I found electronic drum sticks at Bits & Pieces. Silly, perhaps, but it is something he will fiddle with at least when here visiting, and be worth a little fun. They were just under 20 dollars. So, actually, I need ideas for the grandparents.

There is something about getting some exercise in first thing in the morning. I agree with @alisoncooks and think you should keep at your former time and rearrange his math if necessary. Your needs sometimes takes precedence. I am not juggling homeschooling anymore, but the dog/kitchen chores always came first, and I could never figure out when to get exercise in alone. Since mid-summer, I hop out of bed, dress & walk out the door to walk - right past the dog. It has been great - the dog hardly knows what to think! (DH takes dog out when he gets up, so she doesn’t strictly ‘need’ me then but if I stop to do anything at all for her first, my routine is doomed...and I do not want to take her b/c of some logistics)

Done - what a beautiful morning! Happy Day, Everyone ☀️

Done - the first year ever that the time change worked in my favor! Beautiful dawn!

Thanks for the reminder!!