I remember VegSource. Very active buy and sell board! I first heard about Well Trained Mind from the Five in a Row board. Very different approaches, but I loved both. My poor kids got a lot thrown at them in the early years while I figured things out.

I think I was here 2000-ish. The boards worked differently then. I also remember a WTM AOL message board

I’ve never had a drink in my life. It’s really a non-issue. I’ve never had anyone really even question me. I get water or soda or whatever. I don’t drink coffee either, which actually causes more questions than the alcohol. Neither is for religious reasons, or any reason really, other than it seems unappealing.

This woman used to post on AOL boards and I am amazed I found her recipe online. I printed out the mac and cheese years ago and it’s a go to: http://stephscountrykitchen.blogspot.com/2010/08/macaroni-and-cheese.html?m=1

I would be so stressed out if I was expected to wear pajamas someone else had bought for me for a photo that would presumably be posted publicly every year. I am kind of hard to fit as it is, and have a hard enough time shopping for myself.

We just moved to the Southwest (for very good, positive reasons) after a total 25 years in Alaska. I think I will grieve the loss of that beauty for a long time. I’ve been to all 50 states, and love them all in different ways, but that’s the one that has my heart.

I’ve been following your situation because we were selling at the same time. SO excited for you, and a full price CASH offer is just WOW

We deal with moose in the neighborhoods here, basically oversized deer. I have not found air horns to be effective with them. I do suggest giving an aggressive doe a wide berth, and contacting Fish and Wildlife (or whatever your local organization is called.) Specify that this is a problem doe. Probably not necessary to talk about the neighbors feeding the deer at this point. They will hopefully want to deal with the immediate safety issue.

FWIW, we are in the middle of selling our house, and our realtor said something abt a general temporary dip in interest around the time kids are going back to school. It did seem like around here houses started moving more slowly a couple weeks before school started. Maybe she’s thinking people will start looking again once school is solidly in session. I hope that turns out to be the case for you. I’ve been following your thread because our timing has been similar. Rooting for you! We are also in a quirky house. Currently under contract and really hoping everything goes through because winter in our area is NOT the time to be selling and we have already purchased the new home.

Guessing it’s on your list, but Mesa Verde is a must do for SW CO. Possibly Canyon de Chelly near Chinle, AZ on the Navajo reservation. I have not been there in a few years though, so not sure what conditions are currently. Tent Rocks near ABQ has not been open to hiking since Covid, but if that changes, it’s worth going.

I had it in April. Four days max, primarily a sore throat.

I was pro-legalization, and I guess I still am in theory. That said, once recreational marijuana was legalized in our state, pot shops sprung up on every corner. Like, there might be two on the same block. The volume was off-putting. I can’t say it’s done anything positive for the community, though the taxes were supposed to improve mental health services. Hard to say if it’s done anything negative, though it does appear that the use of cannabis gummies has increased pretty significantly at the high school. Alcohol use and cannabis use both annoy me, but I don’t think either should be illegal.

I suspect I know your daughter’s primary sport, as two of mine were in that sport, one through the senior level. Another directs a larger program for that sport. Ballet/dance training is useful for that sport, but it’s tough to find a program that really works with the demands of the primary activity. The typical dance program for youth demands increasing amounts of time as the kids grow older. Makes sense if dance is a primary focus for the child, but becomes problematic if it is a supplement. You might be able to find a program that trains at a higher level (though a good program is aware of physical development, so you do want to be cautious abt programs that start pointe early), but there will likely be increased demands for the child’s time in, say, a pre-pro program. Comp dance is going to be extremely time consuming as well, and will come with a significant financial burden. I will add that I don’t think pointe is very compatible with the sport I suspect your daughter is in. One of my daughters did advance into that level for a few years, but I’m not sure the benefit was there. My advice is to let her enjoy her current dance class (if she does enjoy it.) The group activity aspect is a benefit, as the other sport can be a little isolating. Ballet is useful, but certainly not “make or break” as far as the other sport. If you can find a good private instructor, or could arrange a class for others in the same sport that want the supplementation, that would be ideal. But sometimes those efforts are a lot of effort without much benefit.

I had a daughter who did precalc in 9th, followed by Calc AB (homeschooled), dual enrollment Calc 2 and 3, AP Stats (hs) and AP Comp Sci (hs). Her undergrad degree is elec engineering and is currently in a PhD BioMed engineering program (for background 🙂 ) Your son’s school seems to have a wonderful array of advanced options. We struggled here to find appropriate courses at the end, even at the local college, so that was a downside here. A potential downside (that did not materialize for my daughter) is finding a tutor capable of helping a high schooler with advanced coursework should trouble arise. I also advise that your son review lower level math prior to the SAT, and definitely do a soph year SAT to see how the math goes. They can get surprisingly weak on the skills tested in the SAT. All that said, I get the impression that getting ahead in math may be more about his innate competitive spirit than a real desire to know more math now? Which is fine, but there may be other things that could challenge him if that is the case.

Penn State. It did appear that many applicants with similar qualifications to my daughter (4.0+ GPA, AP classes, leadership, etc) who did not submit test scores were being admitted to the main campus. My daughter was admitted, but was being required to enroll at one of the satellite campuses for two years. There were others like my daughter, who submitted scores and found themselves with similar offers (satellite campus or summer start). These were anecdotes, so who knows in the big picture whether submitting scores mattered or not. But it was the one school (out of many she applied to), where it seemed test score submission *might* have negatively impacted her.

My daughter recently started college in Pennsylvania, and, YES, they were everywhere. They were actually flying into us. I saw the informational flyers hanging that encourage killing them, but it does seem like there are far too many for that to be at all effective.

Test optional is such a tricky situation. My applicant last year had scores that were good, not great, and it was tough trying to figure out what the best strategy would be for her. I tend to think that for unhooked applicants (and probably homeschoolers), submitting test scores does matter, If you are not submitting test scores, particularly to a very selective school, the rest of the package needs to be exceptionally strong. There was one school last year where I do think submitting test scores possibly hurt my daughter, based on online anecdotes by a large number of applicants. If your daughter is not a STEM major, the high reading score might help her.

I just had 13 years of SI joint issues resolved with a chiropractic procedure called Nucca. It was unexpected, as I had actually gone in because of a hearing issue after reading some anecdotes about the adjustment helping people with Meniere's Disease. There were x rays done prior, but the actual adjustment was painless and took 5 minutes. Did not do a darn thing for my hearing, but the constant back/glute/leg pain I had for 13 years (since falling out of a truck on my back) was gone. The continously contracted muscles on my left side completely relaxed! My carpal tunnel tingling has improved too. It's only been a week and a half, so we will see how this goes long term, but I am in awe of the initial effectiveness. I guess the issue was my neck the whole time. Just throwing that recent experience out there. It is bizarre to be pain free after so many years!

I started following this woman on TikTok and have made several of her "Hungry Lady Salads". They are so good! https://kathleenashmore.com/category/salads/

Well, I will say that after two years of light use (hard surface flooring and area rugs), my Miele seems to be giving out. I took it in for repair and they have not been able to identify the issue. So, I don't know. I feel like I have tried all the vacuums at this point. I just want a vacuum that is straightforward to use (I hate multiple buttons and gadgets that don't stay attached with the vacuum) with decent power, and parts that I can find readily without a special order.

I don't have suggestions on wording, but I'd start with getting a referral to a psychiatrist, as opposed to a general practitioner. The best results will come when you work with a therapist as well. If you can identify a therapist that fits well first, they can likely recommend a psychiatrist who will understand your concerns.

Yep. Well meaning family practice docs led my mother into a valium and xanax addiction in the 1980s/90s. I really wonder what her life could have been like with decent mental health care.

For a while there, rescues tended to label a lot of dogs "Lab Shepherd". We rescued two sets of "lab shepherds", twelve years apart 🙂 Our first set did seem to look like the label was accurate and they were great dogs. The second set did not look at all like the label. We DNA tested the second set eventually. They had different fathers and not a bit of lab or shepherd, lol!

Seriously, what a fun family memory!!

If he is physically unable to move, one possibility is functional neurological disorder (previously called conversion disorder.) It can present in a number of ways including paralysis, tremors, seizures, even blindness. My daughter gets tremors that were quite disabling at one time, and my mother would get seizures. I have more experience/advice if you decide this might be an issue. Hugs to you. My experience with my kids was that the college years were pretty intense as far as mental health issues.