We bought our daughter a set where every component came apart and was replaceable. So when her cord broke, instead of buying a whole new set, we just replaced it. I don’t recall if it had a mic though. I’ll come back later and give you the brand name in case you are interested. The brand is SOL REPUBLIC, and I believe there is a mic. The band, each earpiece, and the cord all detach from each other.

For DD 8, I’m using multiple resources because she loves math and always asks for more after we are done. Please look at our curricula and let me know if you think certain topics will slip through. Mathematical Reasoning (her favorite) - she works on 3-5 pages per day Miquon - one sheet per day, we should be done with the complete set this year MEP & CSMP - we alternate these each week, doing about half a lesson each day I also have Math Mammoth, but she doesn’t care for it, and I worry it would be too much unless I switched it out for one of the above. But - she likes all the above.

Sometimes the washer shakes a little during the spin cycle. The clothes must not have been evenly spread around the drum is all I can figure, and the detergent must’ve scooted off the edge. I never would have thought that a bottle so heavy would fall off like that. None of the ten million other things (including tide pods) fell off.... Anyhow, I didn’t think to use the litter sitting on the floor across from the dryer. Instead I found two tiny sand shovels and scooped it all up and into a tall container. I used towels to wipe up the rest and then moved the shelf and washer out of the way to clean under and behind them. Finally I mopped as best as I could and called it a night. So yes, at least I have a clean floor and a nicely wiped down washer and dryer, as well as a clean smelling room (litter box is in there for the kittens). Next time I will remember to use either baking soda or litter!

210 fl oz (minus the amount of detergent to wash four loads) spilled all over my the laundry room floor. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I spent the last hour cleaning it all up. Now I need to mop. Any advice?

Here is our other kitten. She’s much more intense than her brother.

I wonder if any other homeschooled kids were erroneously enrolled like your daughter. Sorry is has been a hassle to unenroll her.

He doesn’t have to take a gift, but it would be a nice gesture. I’d say any amount would be fine. In our area, $15-20 would be about right.

Haha! There are seven people in this house and only three cats. Maybe when the humans are outnumbered!

She’s beautiful!

I’m in love! I hope our kittens are as beautiful. We adopted two girls in the litter, but when we got home, we realized one was a boy. ??? They’ll be neutered/spayed as soon as they are old enough.

His behavior is scary. I agree with putting up cameras and a security system. We have a doorbell camera, a camera above the garage door and one aimed at the back door. It is so nice knowing who is at the door without having to open it. And-this is off topic- we recently caught our mail carrier carelessly dropping a package of lightbulbs on our doorstep that was clearly labeled fragile.

My daughter has mild cat allergies. Her eyes get itchy if she rubs then after petting our other cat, an orange tabby. So far she hasn’t complained about these Russian Blue kittens.

Why yes I do.

I know what you’re saying. It has been explained before on other cleaning topics. What I know is that vinegar alone wasn’t getting the job done. I’ve used baking side along with detergent, and that helped too but didn’t have the result that I get every time I use the method I described in the first post. ETA: My machine adds water before dispensing the detergent. Maybe because the baking soda is already in the drum, it has a chance to work alone before being mixed in with the vinegar. And then the vinegar helps a little more in the rinse cycle.

Vinegar instead of detergent.

I cloth diapered my younger two and never knew about vinegar plus baking soda. I always used just vinegar with good results.

I posted yesterday asking for help washing my daughter’s white softball pants. Thanks to those who contributed - I’ll be working on it today. That thread reminded me that I have a laundry hack of my own. I have a laundry tip to share for moms of children who wet the bed regularly. Sometimes even if sheets and bedding (and pajamas!) get washed right away, a urine odor lingers. I’ve noticed this especially with fleece blankets and pj’s made of synthetic fabric. I read somewhere about something unrelated to run a load of stinky items with a cup of baking soda (must go in the drum if it’s a front loader) and a cup of vinegar (in the detergent dispenser) on the highest temperature and longest cycle available. I decided to try it on the clothes affected with the urine smell and was amazed and continue to be amazed each time I get fresh, non urine smelling laundry. I’ve heard not to use vinegar in the washing machine because it can be corrosive to machine parts. That hasn’t been the case for my machine. I’ve used vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser for at least 8 years, and it hasn’t affected my 11+ year old LG front loader. But if you don’t feel comfortable putting vinegar in your machine, I wonder if soaking the items in a sink or bucket would work similarly.

As usual the hive did not disappoint. Thank you for the solutions. I’m going to start with what I have on hand - dawn, soft scrub and oxyclean and go from there.

What is you go-to method for getting dirt and stains out of white baseball/softball pants? Your laundry hacks are appreciated! p.s. WhiteBrite didn’t work as promised. I followed the pre-wash directions.

Seventy-five listings is a lot! Holy cow! I’ve had as many as twelve or thirteen listings at once, and it was pretty chaotic until I sold a few. No wonder she sold so many last month. No wonder she hasn’t had time to update your photos and everything else! She must be putting out fires all day long. ETA: Good luck with the sale of your home! I second the advice to work as much as possible with the assistants. That may be your best bet considering all her responsibilities.

I would express my concerns again, providing the correct information for the listing (she should have provided you a form to fill out with all the details, including room dimensions), and a request for the professional pictures she promised. Copy the broker on this email. If she fails to make the changes, you may have the right to terminate the listing agreement. I’d be most concerned about the listing price/comparative market analysis. I understand that there may be few comparable properties, but your agent should be able to make adjustments to factor in the age of the house, the difference in square footage, etc. Was she able to determine value of your property? It sounds like she wasn’t too confident if she told you to pick a listing price. You can ask for a new CMA prepared by the broker him/herself.

Can you make your own map on a big white poster board? I like the idea of adding landmarks to the map as you visit new places. My kids got plenty of experience navigating some theme parks and water parks we visited this summer using the paper maps provided by the parks. One of the older people in our family usually leads the way, but this year we had the younger ones lead as much as possible. Also, my kids (finally) finished working through this Geography workbook from the Learning Company this past year. It’s taken so long because I forget we have it every now and then. I don’t usually assign worksheets, but my kids enjoy them from this book.

The marble run is a great idea! I’m not sure about KNex though. We bought a ferris wheel set for the older girls many years ago that I ended up putting together halfway and eventually gave up on. Then we bought DS a few Super Mario Bros. sets that couldn’t hold up to his rough play.

Thank you for the recommendation. I checked online and saw that they are recommended for grades 5-8. Do you think a 9yo 4th grader (and possibly 8yo DD) could get much out of these videos?