This happened to me a couple of years ago when I took Cipro. No rupture, thankfully, but I did go to a podiatrist, had and MRI, took anti-inflammatories, and wore little orthotics in my shoes for awhile. I was limpy for a few months. Wendi

I need to choose some curtains before I decide which color(s) to use, but I think we should all post pictures of our projects when they're done. I'm planning to paint a Queen Anne-style coffee table and matching end table, a "governess table" (a high, delicately shaped end table), and possibly some shelves/trim in our family room. I'm still in the Pinterest stage :D of doing some redecorating. Wendi

This looks like just what I need to paint some furniture for our living room! Wendi

Oh, Joanne, I'm so sorry to hear this. It breaks my heart. :grouphug: Wendi

Ooohh! I love Totoro! (I have a Totoro wallet!) And you did an amazing job! Wendi

Oh, my son, too. This is what makes parenting him so hard. Wendi

So I guess I should be expecting gifts from our rabbits, then. Wonder what they'll get me? Eh, it'll be all chewed up, whatever it is. :001_smile: Wendi

Yikes! I guess you call a pharmacy or somewhere to make sure you're okay? Be careful, you! :001_smile: Wendi

So, dh mentioned again last night the possibility of us getting a pet bird. I had several parakeets (budgies) when I was a kid, and I remember them as being fun and easy to care for. I am interested in something a little bigger, perhaps a cockatiel. I was reading a website, and it listed all the dangers to pet birds. I knew about Teflon being a problem, and I'm interested in replacing the few Teflon pans I use anyway, but is it really dangerous to use any scented items at all? Like a candle, or a plug-in air freshener? Any recommendations for me? Is a cockatiel a good choice for us? We want a bird that will be friendly, like being held (hopefully), cheerful and reasonably "noisy" (chirping, singing, talking). I don't want a large parrot; I'm not ready for a 50-yr. commitment! Wendi

The news report mentioned that the kid has special needs. Wendi

I like ours. It's quick and easy to make a smoothie for one, and since you blend it in your cup, there's less clean-up. (I have had the problem someone else mentioned, though, where the liquid leaks down into the base. I wish there was an easier way to clean that up.) I've also used it to grind coffee, and to make a peanut and spice mix that one of my recipes calls for (Nigerian Suya - you should try it!). I've even used it for pancakes (the larger blender attachment). Definitely worth the price for us. If I had to pull out a full-size blender, then wash it, every time I wanted a smoothie or homemade frappuccino, I'd never do it. But the Magic Bullet is small, efficient, and less clean-up. Wendi

I'm still not sure about everything, either. So far, I'm thinking: Math: finish Kinetic Algebra midyear; do first half of Kinetic Geometry Literature: probably Intro to Lit Analysis (syllabus from IEW using Windows to the World and Teaching the Classics), with some American lit. audiobooks thrown in Grammar: Continue using The Magic Lens (just started it midyear) Vocab: Start using Word within the Word History: not positive, but probably Prentice Hall United States History Japanese: Beginning Japanese Electives: Logic (Any recommendations?), graphic design and/or computer programming Government: Any ideas?? I figure with the election, it's a good time to study government. My son has struggled with math, but is making good strides now. We just started Algebra a few weeks ago, and I'll have him continue to work on it over the summer, so he should be done with it by Christmas break. Then on to Geometry. Literature and writing are also still hard, so I'm still shopping around for those. I'm going to use a couple of the Movies as Literature units over the summer (mostly for discussion), and I am toying with the idea of just using Movies as Literature for our lit program next year. Wendi

My son has now been using Kinetic Algebra for three weeks. He's doing well, and he likes the format a lot. I think instant feedback is very important for him, and the program certainly has a lot of help built in. He likes the application sections, using the math in real-world situations. The other day, he actually said, "Can I do my math next? It's actually fun." I think this program is working great, and I like that there's no work involved for me! :001_smile: Wendi

My son's responses: 1. SINISTERRRRRRRRR (Furries In A Blender Remix) - Renard 2. Clothes Wendi

Here is a flamboyant cuttlefish.

I've thought about creating an elective for ds based on zoology. He could join the zoo's teen volunteer program, do some reading on endangered species, interview some of the zoo staff that work in the conservation area, and write a report or make a video sharing what he learns. Wendi

In my husband's company, there is an annual bonus if certain goals are met during the previous year. Every employee gets a bonus; the amount is a percentage (around 2.5%) of their pay. Wendi

:iagree:

Aww, poor little one. And poor you! I'll pray for an excellent recovery, and that you can get some rest, too. :grouphug: Wendi

We love southern California! We usually stay in Encinitas. The beaches are beautiful, and there are tide pools to check out at low tide. You can rent surfboards. Legoland is nearby, as is San Diego, which has its amazing zoo and other attractions like Sea World. La Jolla Cove is lovely for kayaking and snorkeling. You will see harbor seals and sea lions, as well as other marine life. If you want to go to Disneyland, I think it's a couple hours drive. We love the Encinitas area, and go there every other summer. Wendi

That lawsuit is ridiculous! The fact that she won makes me angry. We have nutrition labels already, people. It has about the same calories and fat as peanut butter, doesn't it? Less protein, obviously. Seriously, people, think for yourself! How are the manufacturers responsible for not announcing in their ad that a product consisting primarily of chocolate and sugar is not any better for you than a candy bar? I love Nutella. But I'm adult enough to read labels and make choices. Wendi

Cats generally like to be "on" something. If you lay a clean item of clothing on your bed, the cat will come along and lay right in the middle of the clothes. I swear, if you put a piece of paper in a room the size of a gymnasium, the cat will find and lay on the piece of paper. They also like to get in things like boxes. So I suggest you experiment with things you can place on the couch that the kitty will sleep on. A folded fleece blanket, a small round pet bed, a shallow box, etc. I've seen special pet blankets at the store that claim to attract pet hair to keep it off your furniture. That may help keep kitty in one spot on the couch, and keep her hair a bit contained. Also a non-couch option, like one of those cat condos, a cat bed on a chair near a window, etc. She may just be using her paws to climb because she's too little to jump onto the couch; when she gets bigger, she'll probably just jump up. If you just want her to stay off, besides the spray bottle, another thing to try is noise. We trained our cat to stay off the kitchen counter with one of those Boggle games. We'd pick it up and shake it; he didn't like the noise. We just left the game there on the counter to deter him when we were away. When are you going to post a picture of your new baby? :D Wendi

The plan so far: Math: Finish Algebra, start Geometry (Kinetic) History: Finish U.S. History (need a new curriculum) :glare: Government (1/2 credit): ??? English: MCT, plus the Literary Analysis syllabus from IEW using WTTW and TTC Japanese: Beginning Japanese (Tuttle) Electives: probably graphic design/using Illustrator, drafting/technical drawing Help! Wendi

Jenny, Your history plan sounds intriguing to me. Will your son do some written assignments, too? How will you assign a grade? I'm still trying to figure out how to grade a subject if I don't use a standard textbook. :-) Wendi

We're finishing up ninth grade, too. There have been some successes, and some failures. My son has Asperger's and ADHD, and there has been some significant drama this year (he was kicked out of our co-op after the first semester due to behavior issues; he has had some personal conflicts with friends, too), as well as me driving him three times a week to neurofeedback for the past few months. (It's helping, but it eats up a lot of time, since the doctor is 30-40 min. from us.) Major success has been math; this was a huge problem at the beginning of 8th grade. He had reached a point of frustration so severe that he cried every day and often had meltdowns over math. He redid pre-algebra for the first 3/4 of this school year, then I started him on Kinetic Algebra, and he's doing well. No more stress about math. Major failure, surprisingly enough, has been history. We both like history a lot, but it's hard to find the right curriculum. I like America: the Last Best Hope, but ds gets bogged down in long chapters without illustrations or headings, etc. He wants a regular textbook. So with all the other stuff going on, he's really only completed about half of his U.S. History credit. So next year, we'll finish it along with government. We both really enjoyed using "How to Look at and Understand Great Art" from the Teaching Co. We're going to use some of the lectures this summer to practice note-taking from lectures. For English, he's been doing The Magic Lens and we've been studying the writings of C.S. Lewis. We've done a lot of it with me reading aloud or listening to an audiobook (on the way to all those appointments) and discussing. As an Aspie, analyzing literature is difficult for him. But we have had some good discussions. Over the summer, we're going to do some of Movies as Literature. For science, we're finishing up Physical Science, which he did half of at our co-op. He's doing okay. We're not going to do science next year; we'll concentrate on history and literature. We'll keep on doing math through the summer, as well as doing some Movies as Literature, and having him read some novels from a list I'll come up with. Next year will be: Finish Kinetic Algebra and start Geometry. IEW's intro. to literary analysis syllabus (WTTW and TTC), along with more Magic Lens finish U.S. history and do government Japanese I some kind of graphic design, drafting, or similar Wendi