What about gradually shortening her nap by waking her up? So start waking her up after 1½ hrs for two weeks and see what happens, then maybe an hour. I wouldn't go shorter I guess. You could even start with a 2 her nap time. I don't like to wake up kids (yikes!) but perhaps wake her with a snuggle, a bath, a snack, tv time, etc. Something that doesn't require a lot of interaction.

I feel the need to share with you the sentence my ds wrote for today's imitation: The fish swam into the castle, dodged the axe, grabbed the sword, and beat the dragon. Great minds think alike! Now that you have completed one full set of practices and activities, a lot of them will repeat in following sections pertaining to specific parts of speech. Perhaps he will find it easier the next time he encounters a practice or activity? I modify quite a bit in our house, both spreading out the lessons and doing a lot of it orally. My ds gets a sad, defeated look if I ask for too much writing.

Isn't there something where you crush some ice in the blender, ad the condensed milk, and then blend in fruit- mango or strawberry? Check Google.

Wow, that sounds really neat! I seem to remember a board member a while back whose family lived on a sailboat. There is a current member whose family are OTR truckers. There are also lots of threads about homeschooling out of a suitcase, and the like. I don't know how much of this applies to high school aged kids, though. You will probably want to think about what you plan for afterward. Meaning, I'd you're oldest will want to head right into college on your return, you will want to keep entrance requirements in mind. Check out the high school board for discussion on that.

Well, if you decide the caffeine was not the culprit I can tell you that the return to coffee is lovely. Stay strong, and take a nap if you need it.

Oh golly, I always thought it was a personal failing of mine, my bitter inner self getting out. Sorry to hear it affects other people! I, like Sparkly, gave up on cukes. Good luck. You sound much nicer on the inside than I, so maybe it is just the watering thing. :-)

I notice that response with my NT kids. Dd used to yawn during reading, now during math, and ds started yawning during Spanish recently. They are fine in other subjects preceding and just after, so for mine it is some kind of perceived difficulty thing. Even knowing this and having watched the phenomena for a few years now, I struggle not to take it personally.

We've been playing Forbidden Island. It is a cooperative game and my youngest teams with a grown-up. She keeps track of the water level marker, holds the treasures as the are collected, etc. So she is participating but not totally playing, although she does hear everybody reason out the moves.

I wonder if having the mango slicer thingy would have saved the two geriatric mangoes on my counter. I refuse to buy certain fruits and berries unless I have a specific plan for them, but not everyone in my house feels bound by that rule.

Liberals try to impose their values too, sometimes. We read the story in middle school. I remembered liking it, so reread it as an adult and was surprised to find the scenes of tension. Those were not what I picked up on when I read it in middle school. I'm pretty sure we just did the short story, though. The reread was definitely the shorter version. Perhaps the book spends more time on this issue?

Thanks, Rose. I'm breathing a bit more deeply. I will put my head down and focus on building basics for the next three years. My dear-ds, though, is so pencil averse that what you are describing sounds fantastical. Can't wait to see how it really turns out for us!

Can someone help me understand these lists? Are your middle schoolers going to read, analyze and compare all the books in your list, just read a selection of the books, or something in between? Mine are going to be in fourth this next year, but I'm looking at the lists thinking that even my strongest reader couldn't handle the longer lists and get anything else done in the year.

Watching my young daughters has shown me that even if I get thinner, I will always be curvy. This has put me more at peace with my body. I can work on slimming down a bit, but I have a more realistic end goal in mind that doesn't include skinny-style jeans.

My dd's beginner class (ages 4 and 5) occasionally got stickers. I agree with the general outrage and disgust. I would ask for "clarification" and wait, smilingly to see if they are considering a change.

We just listened to The True Meaning of Smekday and the voice actress is excellent!! Plus it will cover a quarter if your drive time. It has an alien who calls himself J.Lo., a hover car, and a visit to Happy Mouse Kingdom. The middle drags a bit.

Secular science - Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding

Enjoy the silence. (cue DM) It can be another sign of love that you can sit and enjoy each other's company without having to fill the air. Try not to let it stress you. When I have time to really listen to the news or podcasts I find it a lot easier to make adult conversation.

When we spent some time with philosophy I used the website Teaching Children Philosophy. I don't know if that would mesh with the book you have, but it is free and uses standard kids books.

We scheduled it three days a week. I read one section, then we did the review questions and narration. If it was the end of a chapter we also did the map work. I strewed the suggested books for independent reading. We did an occasional craft if it struck my fancy. Every few weeks we spent some time working on the big lapbook. My kids will still pull that out to peruse occasionally, so that was worth it for us. Every 10 chapters, or do, we put cards in a timeline. That also helped with review and to show where events dwell relative to others.

I love the snarky responses, they give me courage and help me feel prepared. My favorite response had been to just nod. They usually get flustered and fill in their own reason, and since I'm still nodding we ask just move on to silence.

Toys Go Out (short) Odd and the Frost Giants (1 1/2 hrs) The True Meaning of Smekday, (6 hrs), the voice actress is fabulous, there is passing mention of the Holocaust

Amazingly nervy! Some of these responses are great! Be careful you don't accidentally give them an opening - "Oh, diarrhea doesn't bother us! Little Joey has had -something gross and communicable- for years! We'll be right over!" "Sure! Come over! Big Bob just bought a while freezer full of meat from a guy who was just driving by in a pick-up truck, if you can believe it! You come here for dinner Tuesday nights at 8:30 and we'll come over every weekday between 10 and 4." Cut off all contact.

I read this book a while ago, but first read the sequel/prequel about her grandmother. That book helped me maintain some empathy for the mom at the start of Glass Castles, although I couldn't maintain it. Perhaps I am just too removed from the author's situation. I was struck by the scene toward the end where she is scolded by her professor for saying that perhaps some people choose homelessness. It hadn't occurred to me at that point even as I was reading the book that her parents might have been choosing that.

I remember having to avoid the urge to walk tippy toe. Put some weight on the heel before you out the balk off your foot down, although not so much you snap off the poor thing. Perhaps focusing on posture would accomplish the same thing.

I had to check out a thread with that title. I can't offer much, except that I listened to an Ln Our Times podcast from the BBC recently about Strabo which mentioned Herodotus in passing, and I wonder if they would have anything for you.