The question is does it have to look good or can it be wrinkly... because based on my domestic skills that dress is going to be WRINKLY.

Just so everyone knows I keep reading tradwife as trade wife. Every time my brain tries to figure out whether people are doing spouse swaps or if women are encouraging other women to go into the trades. I have to tell my brain trad is short for traditional...

I look up homeschool stuff (curriculum, how to schedule, organizing) and I get ads for linen dresses and how to be a "vintage" homemaker. And I wonder is wearing a linen dress going to turn DS7 into a child who will happily write out his history narrations??

At one point in school I was assigned a locker. I never knew where it was. It was too hard to use. Too hard doesn't have to be can't wrap my head around figuring it out, it can also be there's only 10 min between classes where you have to get to the locker and go to the next class and it's your only break to go to the bathroom or just take a breather hard.

🤷‍♀️ Sure, best if she didn't put it up in the first place but parents are people too and do the wrong thing sometimes. I think it says something good if her son feels 1) it's safe to tell her he doesn't like it and 2) for her to hear him and take it down.

If I read that I'd be embarrassed for the mom and the child. All of it the whole thinking we are all starting some sort of family in high school, the posting about your child's love life... Could you imagine a future employer/coworker/potential employer stumbling across that? 😬

What are the other people in your current co-op doing? Maybe form a support group with one or two of them. Also I've found traditional school kids just don't have a lot of time outside of school stuff and activities to just make connection. I'm with Ellie a lot of those I hang out with the parents while we wait for the hour activity to end but once it ends so does our relationship. The person I have a real connection with we make a point to be each other support and we hang out outside of activity. The activity is just where we met.

What do they think about their children's inability to read? Do they think it's the way it should be or it's normal or are they so clueless they don't even know their children can't read? That kind of stuff boggles my mind.

Not all homeschoolers I know think there is a problem with the academics of a public school. Other reasons I see are safety, vaccinations, flexibility, religion, and bullying. So they feel OK teaching like a public school would. There have been some that along the way they find that they can make the academics better than public school but that was a secondary thought not the original reason.

There is some unsafe stuff that I understand. I've been out and about during a typhoon (there was a strong don't go out unless you have to warning) and I have to say it was kind of an experience. I was still in the city I don't think it was life threatening in anyway (I wasn't that far from the ocean...). It's really different to be out in it versus seeing a video of it. I've also gone past the "enter at your own risk sign" at Kilauea. We went back when we started feeling the floor get a little warm (shoes weren't melting yet). I don't know how people have the will power not to go and touch cooled lava and walk on it. There was definitely a little temptation to go out and see lava.

The from scratch is pretty rare, even among my MIL's homeschool friends whose kids are in their 30's and 40's.

My parents were pretty upset when I looked into moving out when I got my first job at 22. There was a our house isn't good enough for you. My decision to stay and live with them until I was married is a point of pride for them. I had one coworker look down on me for it. Then again she was jealous of the presents I would get my mom.

Yes, actually a lot of things. Since my mom has anxiety she made a lot of things sound really scary to me. I surround myself with encouraging go for it people and I do it and most things don't seem so bad. Even when it turns out bad, I'm a grown adult I can take myself out of that situation and never see those people again.

Among my friends it's a mixed bag. TGTB is very popular. The open and go, and free aspects are the big sellers, plus it is really aesthetically beautiful. I get so many ads on Facebook and websites about online academies. They really don't appeal to me because a lot of them sound like regular brick and mortar school just online instead of in-person... If I wanted that I just send my kids to the school with a building and adults who will at least take them off my hands for a few hours. Most of the people not doing TGTB piece it together like me. It may also be a biased group since the charter school I go through leans toward John Holt unschool philosophy.

For some children yes, but then you would know it's dangerous for them. Usually there is a custody dispute going on or trafficking was involved already.

Actually in my location it does. So a lot of the low income neighborhoods are food deserts, devoid of grocery stores, the only stores around that even have food are liquor stores. Gas stations and grocery stores will not go into these neighborhoods.

For handwriting, DS7 likes Handwriting Without Tears. The font is pretty ugly, but it doesn't require a lot of handwriting. I make sure to tell DS I picked a handwriting curriculum that doesn't require him to do a lot so he has to be neat and focused for what's there. It's labeled by grade but just look at the samples and figure out what level your daughter would be comfortable with handwriting-wise. I also worked with my son at that age on scribbling to build up stamina. Since he didn't like free scribbling then I asked him to write as many name a letter or number in 5 minutes as possible. In the beginning, I also had to specify in your messiest handwriting.

I am your mother. I just get too excited over the surprise.

Depends. I definitely don't like events. I usually do like yummy food surprises. Stuff is a toss up (my weirdness is I don't really like flowers and jewelry). I don't hide my thoughts well. So I'm not good at pretending I like something. DH knows what I like and what I don't like. I don't think he's a super perceptive guy. I keep a running wish list for him of things I'd like. It's really specific with the exact items, brand, color, item number. So he can surprise me with stuff if he wants and he does. Usually though he surprises me with cake because then he knows he'll win.

Would it help to know that you get to do what you want to do and your mom gets to feel what she feels about it. It helped my relationship with my mom when I realized she gets to feel what she feels. It's not my problem to deal with. I can't make her happy; I can't fix her anxiety. All I have control over is which of her behaviors I tolerate and which of her behaviors I don't.

If this worked before why do you want to be different this time? I've seen strong and weak couples with joint and separate accounts. I think the way people do their bank accounts is just what works for them logistically. The ability to have open conversation between the couple about how to manage their money is the bigger indicator about relationship health.

Oh yes I can totally cut my tea and fun drinks expenditure. I have a tea leaf collection at home and I have a hard time saying no to Thai Ice Tea but, neither of those are needs.

My mom and MIL will share things about family members and friend's news and stuff. Small talk fodder in some ways and some ways just keeping me in the loop on family goings-on that I may not know about, not every shares all the things on social media. My mom lives in another country so those relatives are far away, so it's easier if she updates me on their things rather than me constantly google translating the family chat. MIL updates me on family members I've met once or twice and I update her on the family member that somehow only figured out my FB account so I give her the updates on her on that family (pictures, fun stuff). The weirdness of this is the statement that this ends up being a list of great achievements. I mean when I get these updates and small talk fodder it's really a mixed bag of good news, bad news and neutral news. So and so got a promotion but such and such also had a heart attack; such and such nephew might also have gotten their wisdom tooth taken out, while some family members decided to have dinner together last week. I'm getting an update on real people. Real people have ups and downs in their lives. So a great achievements list sort of just sounds like the parents are giving a Christmas card update of everything which wouldn't everyone already know from the Christmas card.

We did that with DS7 this year. Spelling solidifies the phonics. We don't miss the reading curriculum at all. We do a book that he is reading next to me so he can ask what words are (he didn't get to the part in the reading program where they cover words like psychology, Greek and Latin roots). I taught him how to use a dictionary, but I don't make him use it all the time because that seemed a bit tedious when he's enjoying the reading.

In absolute terms it'd be cheaper to feed just me, because DH eats more and needs more meat/protein in his diet (he works out a lot). However he encourages me to make more foods from scratch than I otherwise would so calorie-wise I'd spend more per calorie.