The 17 yo works, is training for cross country and needs to finish her Girl Scout Gold Award. The 15 yo has driver training, mows lawns, plays soccer and needs to work on his Eagle Project. The 12 yo is trying to read 8000 pages for summer reading along with 3 camps (church, GS, health professions) plays softball and has her own farmer's market business. The 8yo is playing softball and doing a little summer school work to stay fresh and 3 camps (church, GS, Jr Naturalist).

You are not a failure!!! My children did not read my life script or care to take part😉 I envisioned awesome high school years but they never made good homeschooled friends or had any social life to speak of. They flat out have tried high school this year and loved it and excelled and made friends. Now my 7 th grader wants to go. Roll with it. You are doing the time honored mother role of doing what is best for your kid, not what you want.

Dh works FOR the hospital and our coverage is more than $1500/month. When dh and I got married it was about $50/month and one of the perks of working in healthcare. Now not so much. If dd (24) bought her works offered insurance (she's a teacher) the premium would be a whole paycheck. Not feasible. Ds makes approx $15,000/ year as an EMT. He makes too much to qualify for HIP so I continue to cover him too. At 36 when they age off our insurance I'm guessing they will have to do some sort of HSA.

I am thrilled today is the last day of school and yet....my baby is done with 2nd grade. I won't ever use all those books again, the 12 yo is making noises about trying PS next year, the freshman will learn to drive this summer and next year 17 yo will be a senior. This life stages stuff is hard. Bittersweet. Next week we'll be immersed in summer crazy ( which is better than school year crazy) but this morning I'm going to wallow in coffee and chocolate to cover the pain 😄😋

At 9:30 on Thursday I was driving to a Mom's Meeting I run.

Yes.

Dd the teacher likes a thank you card. Nothing beats sincere thanks. She gets tons of coffee cards and mugs. She says a Staples card for all the supplies she buys would be great.

My suggestion instead is a woman's defense class. Ours stressed how to avoid problems to start. They also addressed what to do if that fails. A weapon of any kind without training is often worthless.

Oil and just repeated opening and closing.

One of my kids is like this. Those people are born that way. I, and my other kids, missed the genetic bullet train.

I think the whole " passionate" thing is ridiculous. I think just enjoying something is fine. My kids have done many things- sports, arts, music, clubs.library events. Our family tends to believe all out throwing oneself into something with special lessons and camps and travel leagues is not a healthy option so other than two seasons of homeschool basketball ( which had mostly day travel) we keep things low key and " just for fun".

Can I vent even if it's an old thread? My dh simply refuses to take care himself. I intellectually know he's a grown up and I can't make him change. I don't try but inside I'm grrrrrr. I need to get over it. I must positive talk myself. I'm seriously worried though.

Sometimes knowing you aren't " supposed" to do something makes it more appealing. Being tired or stressed definitely increases that. I do find something salty and spicy helps ( for me pickled jalapeños). I don't crave sweets but a plate of melted cheese.

:grouphug: continuing to send positive energy your way.

Most of my friends have the " mom" cut. I am 53. I've noticed the 30 year olds' version is the straightened with layers. Hair styles really do seem to be contagious among age groups. I have what I term "Brave" hair. It has a life of it's own. I also had purple tips and now have pink peekaboo highlights you see when I put it up. I just go with it. If it were short it would look like I had been electrocuted.

For a cinnamon spice w/orangish- Constant Comment For refreshing herbal-Tazo Refresh Mint For bedtime -Celestial Seasonings Lemon Jasmine sleepy time. NOT the original which tastes like grass! Like everything else you have to try stuff to find out what you like. Maybe try a variety sampler. If there is a Teavana near you go taste test some things.

For a cinnamon spice w/orangish- Constant Comment For refreshing herbal-Tazo Refresh Mint For bedtime -Celestial Seasonings Lemon Jasmine sleepy time. NOT the original which tastes like grass! Like everything else you have to try stuff to find out what you like. Maybe try a variety sampler.

I think the culture of non-health is all of the things we've addressed. I can only speak about the specific folks I know. Most are farmers, the guys do manual labor and the women have low paying factory or customer service jobs. My town has about 1000 people and is surrounded by farms. Grocery options are a couple shelves at the gas station. There is a McDonald's five miles outside of town and a bar. Getting food you didn't make a plan for is not super easy unless you want to drive 20 miles. I think it's a combination of being told what you've always done is " wrong" so you must be stupid, a general feeling that the government and wealthy professional types look down on them, habits, lack of time and the reinforcement of everyone in your peer group behaving a certain way. I brought a spinach salad to a church carry in. It went untouched and I got 3 different comments that I hadn't brought my brownies. Message received! Most people like to be validated, fit in with their " tribe", continue comfortable habits and have all that be the path of least resistance. I, of course, am the odd duck who must swim up stream.

I totally agree that culture makes a huge difference. All the things we are talking about-exercise, whole foods, etc are mostly seen here as elitist, snobby, and ridiculous. For better or for worse they are seen as things " city people" or " rich people" or even worse liberals do. I don't think I can explain how deeply a dislike of those things runs.

I hang out with farm folk and factory workers. Almost everyone I know over the age of 15 is heavy. It is such a norm here that when someone isn't heavy or loses weight they are assumed to be sick. (I believe we are the 7th fattest state and rural. This is the land of cream of soup carry ins.)

I wonder if it's not that exercise burns calories but that a more muscular form simply increases basal metabolic rate which is where most calories are spent. It wouldn't be fast more of a drip,drip,drip that adds up. Perhaps it took my body a certain level of exercise to tip to more muscle and that was the 'shift' I felt.

Yes, for ME there seemed to be some sort of internal shift. I had to be working out pretty strenuously for that to happen. It took time to get there. I framed it as healthful though, even when walking was all that was going on. After researching this topic while beginning to lose weight I thought my experience was odd, but I have met others who seem to have found a movement tipping point. It's like suddenly the body " switches on." I haven't come across any scientific studies to support that so maybe it is just my perception of a mental shift. I was just glad to find more anecdotal evidence in your comment.

I need to read but the answer is it takes my attention. I don't mind working out but I really have to concentrate on eating. If I allow myself I have no shut off valve. I can eat a whole family Danish or big burger, fries and milkshake and not even feel bad. I wish I had better internal cues but I don't so I need to use external cues ( counting, measuring) to stay where I want to be.

Yes! I need the reader to move along at a good pace and " do voices". I guess I want it to be a little like a play. When I find a reader I like I'll search for them and not just the author.

My oldest dd came yesterday and we played. Hugs from kids, coupon for a free pizza from 17yo ( she won it but hey, why not). My 22 yo texted me. My 12 yo was the star. She made turnovers and cleaned the house. Dh worked 12 hours so he wasn't here.