Oh that is interesting. I haven’t seen that anywhere. However, I wouldn’t expect it in my area of the Bible Belt. Drinking is pretty taboo. I can’t imagine people relaxing in a bar in a grocery store when there is a chance they could get “caught” by neighbors or acquaintances or their pastor 😂 We finally got wine in grocery stores a few years go but no one really makes eye contact in the wine aisle. Haha.

I think it can also work if you are very low income and the school meets need. (With the caveat that schools define “meets need” differently). I do think if you are very low income and are confident that a school is good with need based aid it can be an option. I also think you are able to back out if the money really doesn’t work out. We have never done it as my kids have not been drawn to the more competitive schools but my feeling is that it is good for full pay folks and for low income but a tough thing for those in the middle who really need to compare offers. Like I said, we haven’t done it so take my opinion for what it is worth. But that is my take on it.

🙁 I hate that. This board is so great for advice and opinions and suggestions but I hate that people can be so harsh. I will post, as carefully as I can, something that seems uncontroversial and then brace myself for harsh replies peppered in with the helpful ones. And those mean comments seem to come without fail. It is hard to post anything without being taken to task as stupid/selfish/shallow etc.

@QuillI am no fashion expert but I think those shorter dresses are lovely (without the cape) and you will be able to show off your nice figure and be a smokin’ hot yet appropriate MOB. 🙂

Yeah I feel like the plexiglass/glass covering might be more trouble than it is worth. At the moment I am finding myself glad, at least, that is didn’t pay a lot for this table and hoping that it might soon be gifted to one of my adult children who could be setting up house soon 🙂 This is not going to be our forever table, that is for sure!

I feel like those dresses are very young and seem more like bridesmaid or prom dresses. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that type of dress for a MOB. I think that you could find something more MOB but still form fitting and elegant. I don’t think it has to be frumpy! However I think you should wear what you want and makes you feel good- with the caveat that you give your dd veto power. I don’t know that I would necessarily give my Dd veto power over my clothing at a wedding I am paying for- but I think going outside the box like you are I definitely would make sure dd was ok with it. It is entirely possible that I live a very simple life around simple folks and have never been to a wedding that this would be MOB attire. This could be more acceptable in your local culture than in mine, for sure. I hope you find something you love and have a wonderful wedding.

Probably not the dumbest because I am sure I have bought plenty of dumb things but the most recent is our dining room table. I was focused on size and color and the chairs that came with it and wanted it before Christmas. My options were limited but I found something I liked and met all those specifications. But- it has decorative grooves in it and they constantly collect crumbs and dust and debris. We just had pizza for dinner and Dh was cleaning up and vacuumed out the grooves. I feel stupid everytime I look at that table. I am low fuss/low maintenance/very simple and I somehow ended up with a dining room table that needs such special care. I’m going to buy a hand vac just for the job. I’m trying to stop feeling bad about it but I feel stupid everytime I go to wipe down the table 🙁

I know a fair number of people who would not identify themselves as Q followers yet are always pushing all the theories. When pushed for more info or discussion they fall into the “I’m not saying it is 100% true but a lot of people are saying it.” Like if enough people say that a certain politician is a pedophile there must be something to it. That and “girl, do your research” seem to be standard lines of those that follow it without explicitly identifying with it. I am so curious about what is driving these people but I can’t do more than gentle prodding. It is enough for me to think about moving though. If you don’t know any of these folks you probably think they are just total nut jobs that never leave their basements. But they are teachers and police officers and nurses and accountants , etc. Apparently they are also middle aged homeschool moms because people seem to automatically assume I am one too.

I don’t have any idea other than to be careful. I know someone who was trying to make it as a financial planner. He is a good salesperson but he didn’t understand what he was doing at all 🙁 We would chit chat about money stuff and I would explain things to him that I just learned from managing my family’s simple finances throughout our marriage. I’m not even talking about investing specifics. I remember explaining to him the advantages of an HSA account for example. I also knew some things about his personal life- like he didn’t have life insurance. It just left me really skeptical about financial planners in general. He didn’t last long which is reassuring but he did counsel people for awhile under a famous name company. I guess I would try to get recommendations and make sure the person had been in the business a long time. This guy wouldn’t have lasted but he was very personable and would have lots of recommendations from people that just knew him. It can get complicated just getting older and having older kids either in college or launching (or half launched).

I'll be mean too. This sounds like time for mom to decide what they are doing and enforce it. Once they get on the program and are responsible, then they get a say in what they do. The more responsible and cooperative they are, the more you listen to their input. But the maturity to make that decision themselves needs to be displayed by doing their job as it is at the moment. Math has been the biggest hurdle in our homeschool. We ended up with outsourced live classes. My dc are fine if they are in a live class where they need to pay attention because they could get called on and when they have due dates set in stone. So, I'm really reluctant to go with a video based program. My current senior is doing Derek Owens Calculus this year. He started in WTMA math in 7th grade and this is his first non-live math class. He is doing well but he is very mature and in all other college classes. He would likely not have been able to handle the freedom of DO when he was younger even though he is really strong in math. Balking at live classes and anyone else grading sounds like maybe that is just what they need if they can't get it together for Mr. Ds. I think now might not be the time for asking their opinions but rather for you to tell them how it is. Wow, that sounds really mean. But getting your kids on track in math and removing this source of frustration is actually pretty kind, really.

I’m a big fan. My current 7th grade dd started in 5th and she has now taken Latina Christiana, First Form, and Second Form Latin, Narrative, Chreia/Maxim, and Ref/Con Composition, Middle School Science 1, 7th and 8th grade lit, 6th grade math, prealgebra, and Classical Studies 1. She has really enjoyed all the classes. I feel like they are challenging and worthwhile without being too hard. She has taken 5-6 classes without being overwhelmed. The students are rarely on video. Once in a while they will turn their cameras on at the end of class or to present something but that is rare. It is generally just the teacher visible with students on the text chat. Teachers exert various levels of control on the chat and it seems I hear my dd going on mic to speak nearly every class. My dd is going to try a cottage school next year and might just take science from MPOA. She wants to try the in person classes but it is no reflection on MPOA. She is sad to leave her teachers there and I would go back to MPOA without hesitation if the cottage school doesn’t work out. There is good info on the MP forums but you won’t get much negative feedback. The administrators and teachers at MP post on there and they are so nice I don’t think people post much negative. But you could ask your questions there. You might get pms with more honest feedback. I’ve also seen more critical feedback on the MPOA families FB page so that is another place to seek info. Just realized this was a really old thread!

I have a kid that got through in five semesters + summers. He graduated in December at 20 yo. It really isn't ideal and I would have much rather he dug in and did more in the regular length of time. My oldest and next ds will have the same amount of de credit as this one but they have taken and will take the whole four years and just make more of their time and scholarships. I really would have rather he spend more time, go deeper, get a second major, do another internship, etc. However, this particular child just wouldn't have done those things no matter how much time he had. For him, it was a sprint to just be done. In the back of my mind I always worried he was just a distraction or a a setback away from just not finishing at all. So, in his case I think getting the degree and moving on was a good outcome. My 20 yo ds really is probably more mature than most. He lives 500+ miles away and is very independent. But he is still just 20 yo. He has to find his way. He'll find it, I'm confident, and he has a degree in hand. I'm very proud of him and am confident he will be successful. However, I still think he would have been well served to take some more time. But he has never been one to do things the way his mother wants! I don't know the details of grad school or what your son is studying. I just wanted to chime in with my experience. Those years are pretty big developmentally for alot of boys and college is not a bad place to be while you grow. 🙂

No. I might have been jealous at some point when my kids were younger but by the time I had a house with multiple teens I really was desperate for them to go to someone else with their problems. I know that sounds terrible and of course I would want to help them in any way I could with any serious issue they had. However, it did become exhausting to be everyone's primary. I could see myself when they were young being jealous if they went to dh or another dc instead of me but by the time they were young adults I was really hoping if they wrecked their car someone else would be the first phone call! None of my kids are super close but at this point I would be so grateful if they were that I would not be jealous at all. In fact, I guess that came up recently. One of my kids was exposed to Covid and suspected he had it and he confided in a sibling before the test came back. He did have Covid but I wasn't jealous at all that I wasn't the first one he told. I know he wanted to talk to someone else before he had all the details and I am plenty happy he sought to spare me extra worry.

I live in the red zone. As in, I had a piece delivered from Wayfair and I absolutely made sure to be home when it was delivered so none of my neighbors saw a package from Wayfair sitting on my porch. I wish I was kidding but I am not.

Right. I said if the worker tests positive he would be back to work sooner than if he just served out the longest possible quarantine. I totally understand a negative test doesn’t mean he can’t still get it. My thinking being that if he is positive he might as well find out because it could shorten his quarantine.

Oh yeah- I meant if he tested positive himself. We’ve had people in this situation be a bit relieved to have it because then they can get back to work sooner 🙁

I might have missed it but has the worker been tested? Seems in most of these cases the fastest way out of quarantine is if the worker himself has tested positive.

@katilacCobra Kai is one of the highlights of the past year for dh and me. Silly premise but such a good show!!

Thanks @fourisenough. I'm pretty excited about this option. I was worried about how next year was going to work out and this seems like it will be a good fit. No idea what the workload is going to be like for the cottage school (I find it impossible to compare workload expectations with other people) so we won't know until we are into it how that is going to go. Blue Tent seems like it has enough flexibility to work into her schedule while still having a live teacher on the other side.

Has anyone had math with Blue Tent? I had a son take an English class many years ago when they first started but I haven't had any Blue Tent experience since then. My dd will try a cottage school next year (for 8th grade) that meets two days a week and teaches everything but math so I need a class for her but scheduling will be tricky. Looks like the once a week meeting time for Blue Tent Algebra 1 will be workable. Currently my dd has a fantastic math teacher for prealgebra at MPOA and that will be her first choice but the scheduling likely won't work out. Any suggestions for an online Algebra 1 class that is a little more flexible than classes with two meetings a week? We have found, as a family, that we really need the outside accountability on math. My dh is a math guy, and can answer questions, but we really have done better with outsourced math. My dd also seems to need alot of practice. Her MPOA class really has heavy homework but dd is doing well and building confidence and enjoying math more than ever. So we aren't afraid of a heavy workload but twice a week 90 minute live classes might be tough to work in. I am also considering Derek Owens if that is the only option that will work but a live class really is going to be the preference. I hadn't thought about Blue Tent until someone mentioned it on another thread. So, thoughts on Blue Tent or some other provider with just a once per week meeting or a flexible or asynchronous schedule?

Same. I was wondering if maybe it was something just available to current students (which we are not and never have been). My dd is going to a cottage school next year but she will need an algebra 1 class.

Yes...pretty much. They are an updated style from the ones I bought a few years but the same basic concept. I've probably had mine for five years now and they have held up well to daily use.

I don’t know about the best ever potholders but the best ones I have owned are Food Network brand from Kohl’s. They are cloth but have silicone on them. They don’t feel stiff and rubbery like a fully silicone one but they are really well padded and grippy. They also are in pretty colors 🙂 To me these were a splurge but I’m sure I bought them with typical Kohl’s coupons/sales and didn’t pay full price. I grew up using dishcloths and towels as potholders and then upgraded to fancy dollar store ones after I got married 😂 but those really didn’t provide protection at all and you had to move very quickly to keep from being burned. So, to me, these potholders are a HUGE upgrade.

I’ve been around here for at least 15 years I think and I have posted a lot but no one would know me from the chat board. On the College Board I’ve been really open about the colleges my kids have gone to and activities they are involved in so I would be more recognizable there.

Cats