I'm not sure about the issue with the steroids, but I went through a very similar situation with my cat. He suddenly had terribly loose bowel movements but was otherwise acting fine. My vet said cancer was a possibility, but before she did a biopsy we tried switching him to a prescription food (Royal Canin) with hydrolyzed protein. It worked! He hasn't had issues since. He must have been having an an allergic reaction to the protein source in his food. Please keep us posted on your cat. It's so tricky to get to the bottom of intestinal problems. https://www.royalcanin.com/us/cats/products/vet-products/hydrolyzed-protein-adult-hp-dry-cat-food

I also met my husband at 18 and started out with a similar concern: he's a dedicated hunter. When we started dating no one in my family hunted or owned guns. I didn't understand the appeal at all. It takes up a great deal of time and he's not much less obsessed with it now than he was when we met 20+ years ago. I'm so happy I stuck with him though. Like your dd's boyfriend, dh is exceptionally considerate and family focused, and that carries over into us coming up with solutions to accommodate his hobby in different ways through different seasons of life. (It's one thing to miss Thanksgiving when you're 18, it's another when you have a baby and two toddlers ten years later😉). I'm not familiar with racing-perhaps it's not as flexible?-but it did work out for us. Best wishes to her, whatever she decides.💗

Yes, this study suggests that if your goals include having kids who do well on standardized tests then perhaps unstructured homeschooling isn't the way to go (maybe). I would guess that most people who are unstructured dont consider standardized test skills to be a primary goal though. That's the tricky thing about a lot of the research that focuses on educational outcomes specifically. The outcomes that education professionals and researchers consider paramount dont necessarily match the outcomes that homeschoolers prioritize. There are different approaches that represent different visions of what it means to be well educated.

I was just came on here to say that I'm planting elderberries this year! I found cultivated elderberries at Jung Seed. Apparently you're not supposed to eat the berries raw though (who knew?). I'm also trying something new this year: propogating pussy willows from cuttings. So far they look like sticks I pushed in the ground, but itll be interesting to see if they do anything.

I disagree with the idea that the social sciences are "gobbledygook". Yes, studying people does pose unique challenges and there are people who overstate the generalizability/significance of their conclusions. However, as someone who made a suggestion about intrinsic motivation and growth mindset, I am 100% aware of the controversies and limitations surrounding the research. I found these things to be helpful for my kids though, so I'm fine with recommending that others look into them too.

Rather than putting any homeschool ideology first, I've found it helpful to follow research on how children learn best and what kind of an environment produces happy, well-rounded people who confidently meet challenges. For me that led to lots of playing, focusing on effective effort and fostering intrinsic motivation, and putting relationships first. We're eclectic with a classical lean, but I could see applying evidence based approaches to a variety of different homeschool styles. There's tons of research out there about intrinsic motivation, but here's an article that sums it up: https://www.healthline.com/health/intrinsic-motivation#extrinsic-motivation Growth mindset is a theory that has done a lot to inform what I do as a parent in general. Ive found that the challenges presented by a rigorous classical education fit well with the idea that kids who are challenged develop tenacity and persistence. An article on growth mindset: https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/people-who-adopt-a-self-compassion-mindset-in-2021-are-more-likely-to-achieve-their-goals.html and a book (written for school teachers but easily adaptable for home) https://www.amazon.com/Growth-Mindset-Coach-Month-Month/dp/1612436013

I'm not in it, but I'd be interested in joining!

I've been the opposite of wary about mixing up the order of topics, combining programs, and going down rabbit trails when it comes to math, and comments like this give me pause because I dont have any proof that my approach works in the long term. (My oldest two are in 8th grade). On the one hand, we may miss something important or end up with a piecemeal understanding, but on the other hand my kids are comfortable with being able to approach problems from multiple perspectives in a way that I wasn't at their ages.

I always enjoy hearing from you on math topics, Not a Number. Anyway, I've been thinking about the OP's question, and my answer is yes, like sweet2ndchance I take my kids' preferences into account, especially at the outset when I'm choosing what to use for the year. It's gotten easier to anticipate what may work now because, as my kids have gotten older, we've had plenty of discussions about their preferences. If my expectations and my kids' favored approaches come together in a resource then I will stick with it though, even if it's sometimes "boring" or "hard". If they're really unhappy with a curriculum, it's probably not a good fit. If I'm unhappy with the way math is taught (or not taught) in a resource, it's also not a good fit. It's a tricky balance, and I've combined resources at times if there was something they enjoyed but I thought could be stronger conceptually up or didnt provide enough practice.

Hi! Welcome to the board. I can't speak to FLL, but I have used WWE and would recommend it as an open and go curriculum. WWE contains short stories for narration as well as copywork and dictation exercises. I used the student book and didn't miss the teacher's guide, but if you're unfamiliar with this style of teaching it may be helpful as there's a section in the teacher's guide that explains the philosophy behind the approach and techniques for implementing it. Once you're comfortable with Writing With Ease it's simple to come up with you own narration/copywork/dictation from your child's favorite books. It's so handy to have the passages already chosen for you in the beginning though.

I second the suggestion to buy the teacher's book for Fable and use a notebook for your child's written work. I wish I hadn't purchased both the teacher and student books for Fable. I'd add that the teacher's book, in addition to having sample answers, provides the passages for dictation. You wouldn't have those with the student book alone. As an aside (in case anyone else would find this helpful) my older kids are using Commonplace, and in that case you could get by with just the student book but not just the teacher's guide. Each student needs his own books too, because by that point they're editing passages in the workbook. (Basically, what applies to Fable may not apply in subsequent W&R books)

I agree 100%.

I am a parent of a kid on the spectrum and it's still tough to know how to respond when certain groups or therapies come up, maybe even more so because there's an assumption that we must fit a certain mold/follow a common path (much like assumptions people make about homeschoolers in general). I'm not comfortable with ABA or Autism Speaks, but as a parent of my specific child I'm still in absolutely no position to decide what's right for anyone else. Unless someone asks me for my opinion directly, I agree with innisfree and lecka.

This is too funny! Theres still hope for you!🌷The answer to your question depends on what you mean by wildflowers and how big your pots are. Most native prairie plants, even the ones that grow well from seed (like purple coneflowers or black eyed susans), have very deep roots. That's what makes them so hardy, but it's also what makes them ill suited to small pots. You can grow them in pots, but the pots would need to be quite large to accommodate their roots. Coreopsis is a native that does grow well from seed and can handle slightly smaller pots; it's more compact. If I had a smaller space (like a window box) I'd steer clear of the seed mixes and choose individual seed packs of plants that thrive in containers (nasturtiums come to mind). Wishing you future success and a newfound green thumb!

10 years later...Between awful weather conditions around the country and increased volume because of covid, it has to be an extra stressful time for UPS drivers right now.

I have quite a bit of experience with native prairie restoration and I'd give it a try. They'll likely be fine as long as you've kept them relatively cool and dry. Something to keep in mind though is that those wildflower mixes are often not all natives and can take over if you're planting them in an already established garden.

Yes! I wondered if she was truly going to go out like that! Your point about the baking shows sparked a realization for me. We've been watching the older episodes of The Great British Baking Show, and the judges strike a nice balance of critique and praise on that show as well. One of my kids struggles with perfectionism, and I wonder if it's been helpful for him to watch the contestants handle their challenges and feedback with grace. I hope so😃

This is so true. I had a parent who insisted that the people around him have no boundaries. I didnt realize how much I associated being nice/acceptable with being a doormat until I married dh and was afraid to speak up about anything. By the time I'd finally muster up the courage to say something about whatever it was, I'd be so nervous. Dh's reasonable and understanding responses taught 20-something me that it was fine and even necessary to tell people what you wanted and have a dialogue about it. Healthy people appreciate that and have boundaries of their own. I wonder if the person the OP has in mind (if there is a specific person) needs reassurance that they're safe and will be heard. That can make a huge difference.

I was bothered by the mom's "you are so talented and gifted" comment. The sentiment is nice. When parents say things like that, their intentions are good. In this case, she's reassuring her daughter that she's capable. But, in my experience, telling kids how smart and talented they are can create kids who are afraid to fail. Im happiest seeing my kids challenging themselves without fear of not appearing to be the best or smartest, and I model that for them by trying difficult things and having a sense of humor when someone is better than I am or it ends in disaster. (Thinking of some culinary debacles🤣) I also suspect, given the age of the girl, that she realized it didnt look the way she'd intended it to. Id gently acknowledge that, because I want my kids to trust me to be honest them. Like Moonhawk, I'd focus on the effort, how much fun we had, her effort, her persistence.

I only vaguely remember celebrating them as a kid, but my sweet MIL didn't know about them until she had children and made sure that dh's was extra special. She's carried on that tradition with my kids. For my dd's golden birthday, grandma got her a wine glass decorated with golden paint and all kinds of other little gold themed presents in a gold box.

This is great! Thank you! I was prepared to catch him not doing my accent right, but he nailed it. In high school I worked in a touristy shop and out of town people would always comment on my accent. As a teen I was self conscious about it, but now I find regional accents so interesting.

I did a half hour of yoga this afternoon and it felt really great. I sometimes feel like I'm going to be too restless to slow down enough to do a more meditative workout, but those are the times when I'm most glad I did.

Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding isn't exactly like Teaching the Classics- it's written as lessons to be done with your kids-but the spirit of it felt similar to me in that the author offers ideas for incorporating scientific discovery and conversation into your daily life. He also integrates the subject areas so you can really get a feel of the connections between physics, chem, bio...It wasnt the only curriculum we used, but it made me a better science teacher and opened my eyes to everyday opportunities to "do science".

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear this.😥

I'm not sure that the course would really be all that alarming. Reading between the lines, they're suggesting that the focus of math instruction should be on the process rather than the result. I doubt anyone is suggesting that the results don't matter. Math isn't purely objective. There isn't always a right or wrong answer. It also looks like they're focusing on promoting deeper understanding and, in my limited experience, that usually does mean focusing on the hows and whys more than on getting that answer down. Overall, I'm encouraged to see that districts are thinking about these issues to address math disparities between white and minority students.