ETA - what a good sized baby, he must look a month old=)

Congratulations!! Looking forward to a picture!

Yes, that exact thread. It is such a basic stitch, and I usually do not like variegated yarn,,,this is such a good looking pillow for being ‘basic’ and ‘masculine’. Thanks, @Jean in Newcastle, too, you have probably pushed me over the edge. I will use @Kareni’s suggestion of telling him that he can use it here or there! I mean the worst that can happen is his wife gives it to the thrift store some day...to bless someone else=)

Praying for them!

@regentrudeI totally get the ‘decades before I was able to get rid of at least some of my mother’s handmade gifts.” I guess I really want to make something homemade AND practical. I sleep on a quilted sham (very soft fabric) when I travel, as it is so much nicer looking to walk through a hotel with that then a regular pillowcase, IMO. The only part of it that bothers my (sensitive) face is the small ribbon flowers on it. I think quality matters. So...that does make me ponder whether or not my stitching/quilting would be comfortable, as I do not have the piecing down pat & the seams running in different directions could be uncomfortable.

Thanks @regentrude - the joy of putting things in his room for him (usually leave groceries in there for him to take LOL) is real, I would enjoy making it, and he would use it when home...maybe. But, I just had a thought...I quilt a little, not really good at it, but I am not a perfectionist. I could make a quilted sham out of nice, soft cotton for him to rotate out with his regular pillow cases/shams. He changs frequently d/t history of acne, so I imagine It would be put in the regular rotation. A simple quilted sham might be a little more complicated, but would probably not be more time intensive than crocheting the pillow.

Maybe I can make the throw pillow for his room, the one in our home that he stays in rarely. B/c I would really enjoy making this pillow - it is good looking - and I would use it...having discovered the need for throw pillows when reading in bed, etc, in recent years. Then, when he finds it there when staying at Christmas time, I can tell him to feel free to take it to his rental if he thinks he’d use it. Hmmm, that feels kinda like a silly cop-out haha, why can I not make up my mind!=)

That is a good point. He would be a very gracious receiver, whether he decides to use it once it is at his place or not=) I guess he comes by his practicality honestly, as I am sometimes a little too practical. I mean, it is a good looking pillow, he can always throw it on his sofa one day!

He is a grad student, living on his own (sharing). I do want it to be a surprise. So practical of a soul, yet likes being comfy. I am only torn b/c it will be a commitment, as I am finishing my first ever Afghan for a nephew now, and ‘long’ projects are new to me. This should be fairly straightforward. Thinking of this pattern: https://christacodesign.com/2020/06/11/lombardy-pillow-a-free-crochet-pillow-pattern/

We repainted paneling in a rental that we purchased for my mother to rent, many moons ago. It was along one side of a hallway and one wall in LR. Although I was extremely skeptical about how the paint would look, it was lovely - I just couldn’t believe it! Everyone remarked on how nice it looked. Didn’t hurt at resale, but it was a neighborhood turning toward the rental market. If this was in our forever home, though, I would want to make it drywall.

I need to decide this soon, as ‘tis the season, and all. Thinking of a crochet pillow, smaller than a standard for DS to have in his room away. He is a minimalist, but I know he likes his arm rest pillow. DH thinks he would not use it and that throw pillows are for sofas. What says the hive? He already has a scarf, so would not use that. A blanket would be redundant, as well as too big of a project.

I’m in. Thank you!

We use Arm & Hammer’s Multi Cat. I try other brands, even the ‘World’s Best Litter”, and always come back to the Arm & Hammer b/c nothing clumps and reduces smells better IMO.

It is wonderful to see your daughter - I know you miss her! Thank you for sharing!

That was a beautifully written tribute. I am sorry for your and your son’s loss. Thanks for the advice.

Thanks so much...these are all great suggestions. I especially love to tie in geography whenever possible, so I will definitely use your stickers/map idea!

I have very limited time with these children; they are not my own. I cannot take them on field trips. Although I am tutoring them in reading, math, and penmanship, I find myself teaching them many other subjects that spring up during our conversations together since I had so many years of teaching my own children at home. Being a professional dietitian eons ago, I had access to and utilized hands-on presentation materials in teaching. Now, with the myriad of videos on YouTube and the lesson plans available on Teachers-pay-teachers (just to name a few ‘modern’ sources of ready made teaching materials), I was thinking some of you may have utilized some of those types of resources and share them with me. Even games someone may have used to complement their teaching. That’s what I have used WTM boards for since 2005 (or 6?), to gather ideas so I did not have to reinvent the wheel. I appreciate the sources linked above, like the NE wheat council materials, etc, that will provide me with some slick-professional resources to complement the casual, yet informative discussions we are having. BTW, tomorrow, we will be discussing Twinkies (while feasting on them, of course=), watch a YouTube video of Twinkie factory processes, and dovetail it right into the NB wheat materials. I want to emphasize that all of their food has an origin other than simply their cabinet or the grocery store. Food labs are, unfortunately, the source of a significant number of ingredients in the items in the typical person’’s diet...the food lab is certainly a major source of Twinkie ingredients! I plan to introduce the food lab to them, as well as the farm, in some way. I hope to instill the understanding that the closer to the farm a food is, the more wholesome (relatively speaking).

Our dog prefers soft toys as well. We like Invincibles, as @gardenmom5 mentioned. We also love GoDog toys - we've purchased these on Amazon...cute and study! We try not to let our dog destroy toys, we rotate her ropes (another soft favorite) and her GoDog animals for fun and to limit damage. When alone we only trust her with sturdy ropes. Congratulations on your new pup; we would love to see a photo of her! What's her name?

I love that the second resource you sent: https://ndwheat.com/consumers/educationalactivities/ , has a link (under Useful Links at very bottom) a link to ‘team nutrition’, which is nutritional information from the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Although it is detailed for meal providers, there is a lot of good nutritional information there that can be used as a jumping off point for discussion beyond food manufacturing to nutrition. With our own children, I talked about food and where it comes from all the time; even junk food has origins to the farm - chocolate from the cacao bean, potato chips are very thinly sliced potatoes...even twinkies have their origins in that wheat production up above. This opportunity to share with another family is so much fun! I like a small dose of junk food, but knowing that some foods are more directly connected to the farm motivates me to eat healthier - I hope it helps these children I am teaching do that sometimes, too.

Awesome @HeighHo ! I like the it also incorporates good nutrition, as I intend to teach more about that to my charges, as well.

I have been searching all morning on past threads and internet, but just haven’t found what I am looking for. Perhaps you can help. I would like to teach a few children (PreK - 3rd grade) where food comes from. I do not want to plant a garden or go to a farmers market, as many of the resources I am finding suggest. I want to teach them to the fact that their bread comes from wheat grown on our vast prairies, their hamburgers come from a cow, and their bowl of fruit has been grown and harvested and shipped very far away sometimes - perhaps even in other countries. I do not really want to start with the idea of supporting local or ethics of farming, but the fact that the crackers and spaghetti sauce on the grocery shelves begin on a farm (somewhat=). Thanks! Things I find added here, that you can google: ‘We grow corn’ Book, Kansas Corn Heinz.com under ‘Grown not Made’ tab

I try to switch to a new dishcloth/towel every evening after dinner cleanup...or more! If dishcloth is smelly (because I hadn’t swapped it the night before, or was used on tough things), I give it a good dish soap cleanse and rinse before I ... Then, I place dish cloths/towels on lower half of the standing drying rack I always keep up in laundry room (upper half is for clean clothes...if needed). I wash the dishcloths/towels twice a week - on a hot/pre-soak load w/a little borax.

Oh, I am doing some tutoring. Further discussion with the family proves my former understanding to be untrue - the child is further along in reading than I had realized. Re: your link, I had just found that lady’s YouTube this morning - I like her! That Happy Cheetah program is so new! I hadn’t realized that it had just come out. Looks really interesting.

Thank you, @forty-two, for your explanation! I think that SYS will be better suited for the student I am working with. (The student is further along in reading than I had realized). But, I like your explanation for how to combine them; I will consider that for use in the future. Thanks!

I would like to hear experiences with this reading program for a first grader, just beginning to read. Earlier phonics instruction was unsuccessful. Thank you!