I have an almost-11 DD, and she's a hot mess. She loves Harry Potter, and I find myself thinking a magical boarding school sounds pretty darn good right now! :001_huh: I will have to try the melatonin, my DD used to always fall asleep well, now she is up until almost midnight, and always tired. Also she complains a ton, everything is *huge* and life-ending, and cries at the drop of a hat. One night a few months ago after she burst into tears and ran wailing to her room over her sister watching a Barbie movie, DH turned to me in panic and said "What is wrong with her?!!" Poor DH. He doesn't like to hear about puberty and hormones, but I guess its better than thinking she'd gone stark raving mad!

My youngest was a super clingy crier, too. She lived in her sling, literally, until she was 3. Or a backpack if I had to cook something. She was just super high needs. If it makes you feel better, she is now way more independent and self directed than her "easy", went to daycare older sister. My inlaws swore the sling would make her delayed in walking, etc but she is the most athletic child you ever met- she just won regional championships for rhythmic gymnastics this past weekend. Do what ya gotta do, I say!! SHe is 6 years old, it will be fine. Really. The baby will grow, just "squeezing in" school is fine at this age, you will make it! I promise!!

If anyone has any more links to this sort of swimwear, will you add them? I saw a suit that was tank top, but hish, with a dress sort of over the wetsuit-suit. Sort of like the wholesomewear suits, but much, much cuter. I used to wear a bikini, and I'm not particularly modest, but I HATE swimsuits! I am super tired of worrying that something will pop out, or needs trimmed, or feeling self concious. The loose dress over the top looks lovely.And they were custom made- the LE suits would be great if they made my size, but they don't. If anyone knows what suit I saw (LOL!) let me know! I want it!

(((sigh))) The only thing she will read on her own, without me scheduling ala "school", is Goosebumps. Currently, "Say Cheese and Die...Again!".Oh, and her Animal Crossing DS game, there is reading on that.:tongue_smilie: She could not *be* more different than her big sister!

Congratulations!! We just had our Regionals, its that time of year!

As to kids activities, maybe soccer is different (we've never played). But if I interfered in way, shape or form in my DD's gymnastics practice, that would be their last practice, LOL. The coach is the coach. She has complete control of the class and students, and I really can't imagine ever, ever, ever going onto the floor to intervene if my child is being disruptive or another kid is or anything. Gives me heart palpitations just to imagine- it would go over like a "fart in church" if you get what I mean!! If a coach doesn't have control of their team/practice/students, its time to find another coach.

You know, I almost can't wrap my brain around how *different* my girls lives are from mine. No school. School was the formative experience of my childhood, really. (I kind of think that is sad, now, actually!) It occured to me just how much of my personality and outlook was formed by attending a traditional, instutional school. And actually, a lot of things in my life are a direct result of rebelling against that, LOL, like hsing, my line of work when I worked, etc. And how our society as a whole has been so shaped by the common experience of institutional school for the past 100 years. And how my kids are not getting that. What does that mean for their future? How are they different in some fundamental way than I am, having our childhoods shaped so differently? What will these kids (there are a significant number of hsers these days) be like as adults, as members of society, as leaders? Does it actually make any difference, or is it just an educational method with the end result being an educated child, regardless of delivery method? I used to think so, but the longer I do this, and the more I reflect on my childhood, the vast majority of Americans childhoods, and that great influence of institutional school. And what it would be like for that not to exist! WIll it change the way they think? Influence their lives? Does it matter? What do you think?

Isn't urine sterile anyway? Blood and saliva certainly aren't, but if its mine...:drool5: eh, not so gross. And now I got to use the drolling smiley!! Yay me!! I already had a type A flu this year, so I am hoping I'm at least a bit protected. So did one DD, and the other has the most amazing immune system ever. So we should be good. Except for DH, but he's leaving the country Sunday, so not my problem if gets ill. (THank you, thank you for that small mercy- men and sick...'nuf said!) I probably won't be trying this, but it doesn't squick me out.

I can relate. We have a leash law in our neighborhood. My one dog for some reason does not like little dogs, especially poodles. I don't know how many little dogs have come charging at her off their leashes. I have ended up carrying my 35 lb. dog home from the walk to avoid the attack poodles. :glare: _______________________________________ This is our experience, too!!! Little dogs *hate* our Lab. She has been attacked by ****-zhus, to the point where they are literally hanging off her neck with their teeth buried, when we lived in Mississippi! So she isn't real fond of them, as you can imagine. When we are on a walk, I cross the street or move off the sidewalk and pull Cleo close. She is well behaved and doesn't pull, etc, and I also tell the person that Cleo is not friendly to dogs. 9 times out of 10, the person walking the little dog lets it alllll the way out on its leash, where it promptly lunges as poor Cleo. Then Cleo gets up, her hair raised, growls, and the owner of the little dog (who was warned repeatedly and whose dog started it) picks up poor Fifi and looks at me like I"m the owner of a viscious killer. Puh-leeze. We walk at night mostly to avoid this, actually. Dog parks are fine, as the dogs off leash are better behaved, and mostly big dogs, anyway.

The Talisman!! He'll love it! Its my favorite SK book, I've read them all. I started at around 11 or so, and I'm not warped...much. :lol: I also really enjoyed It, The Tommyknockers, and The Shining. And the Dark Tower series, though they peter out in the last books. Some of SK stuff is fab, some is schlock, little is "literature", but they are very entertaining.

Well, if it *is*, I'll put my money on North Korea. 'Cause, this is one lousy biological warfare agent. And those crazy north Koreans are known for their amazingly bad rockets, satellites, and government economic policies. (Vinalon, anyone??) Its gotta be them. :lol:

Girl at gymnastics practice tonight is running a fever. Her mom got home from New York yesterday, her dad from Dallas Sunday. She complained of not feeling well (I was sitting right there), mom felt her head, said she was hot but "needed to practice for regionals". I swear to Pete, if my kid gets sick and misses *her* regional meet, I am getting my fees refunded from the gym. I have asked them repeatedly to follow their *own* sick policy, and they never do. We got strep, and stomach flu TWICE, from this same family. They are clearly not going to keep their precious Germ Factories home unless the gym makes them adhere to the sick policy, so I hold the gym responsible at this point. Can you tell I'm more than a little pi$$ed off?????????????? :angry::angry::angry::banghead::cursing:

We have the Monterey for my almost-8-year-old, and she *loves* it. Very comfy, keeps an older but wee kid (she's 40 pounds) safe!

Our insurance paid for new seats, right away, and then the people hit us' insurance (that is some twisty wrong grammar, right there!) reimbursed our company. Call your agent, but they should replace them fairly quick.

Aw, I'm sorry. My girls really want chickens when we move back to the states. Its sad to lose a pet. :grouphug:

I am probably similar to you, I think. But I have the opposite viewpoint- I don't mind feeling "unwelcome". I mean, I wouldn't mind a bit having knock-down-drag-outs on political subjects, hot topics, religion (or the lack thereof) etc. I don't care if people disagree/are not like me. I *do* mind never being allowed to defend those positions. That, I mind. I would feel more welcome if the PTB allowed those of us not like the other (like from Sesame Street!:D) to have a say. Or at least defend whatever dearly held belief is the whipping horse du jour. But when that happens- poof- thread is gone. I imagine this one will be soon, too. But honestly, I hope "they" read it. Because I mean this so sincerly- this everybody-be-friends crap is not working. Only the minority of opinions ever get shut down. Is that *really* the face this homeschooling method wants to put on for the interwebs??

Thanks Perry! My youngest (the one who I am 99.9% sure also had the flu when I had it) is the only one I am concerned with getting flu, health-wise. And just because she's the youngest, no immune issues or anything. I have been a hand-washing FOOL all day. We listened to Diane Rheme (spelling?) on the way up to Baltimore this morning and it was an hour of...you guessed it...swine flu. So now the OCD is kicking in, LOL.

Hey Perry or anyone else knowledgeable: I have a question about flu!! I got the flu a few months ago, and while I don't recall the whole designation, I know it was Type A...somethin somethin.There were some numbers in there. Anyway, my youngest DD got it, too, I think, but only I had had a swab and a bona fide case. What I wonder is, are we less susceptible to this swine flu, which I read somewhere is also a type A flu?? Is there a sort of immunity, a la chickenpox or measles, from certain strains? Or is it too varied?

See, I wouldn't even mind if a "state" hs convention included all the family-integrated-skirts-submission stuff that is so popular now. If only that wasn't *all* that it included!! I would love, love, love to see a convention with it *all*. The unschoolers. The Catholics. The Christian Heritage types. Have workshops on Creation Science! Have workshops on living the Liturgical Calendar! Have workshops on Rosetta Stone, Seton, Charlotte Mason and Bob Jones! Bring 'em ALL, and let us decided what we'll attend. What bothers me is the organization(s) who narrowly define what is hs'ing. I can make up my own mind, thankyouverymuch. It isn't just being non-secular, its being Christian of only a certain persuasion that bugs me. I get that many people want to hear that- great! Have at it! But denying vendors/speakers/religions who don't share that view attendance...well, that just stinks. Its become a power play (You can't sell at *our* convention! Neener neener neener!) instead of us all supporting each other in the common endeavor: home schooling!

Here is my blog post about Pony Penning with some photos from our trip: http://b-sfamily.blogspot.com/2007/07/pony-penning-2007.html

We loved it!! It was one of my "life list" experiences. I had heard about the crowds, etc, but truthfully, it was fine. We even camped at Tom's Cove, in a tent, and we are *not* campers. But it was really great! We just sprayed a lot of bug spray on us. We waited on the street to see the ponies come by all muddy, instead of watching them swim out from the island. SO COOL!!!The fair was awesome- so hometowny and just straight out of the book. We even ate at the Fireman's benefit dinner like the book! The auction was crowded, but cool. We could see fine. Then we went to see them swim *back* to Assateague, and thats where I got all my swimming pony pictures from. The swim back is much less crowded, though we did get there early. We have been to Assateague in the winter and seen the ponies when they are not being rounded up for Pony Penning, in their natural state. its awesome- you walk through the woods, and there in the distance is a herd of wild(ish) ponies! But prior to Pony Penning they are rounded up in pens for vaccinations, etc so you won't see them free then. Truly, it was a dream come true for me, a life-long Marguerite Henry fan. GO. I made our camping reservations at Tom's Cove in January I think, but if you call today you might still be able to get some.

Call anyway! ANy dentist worth seeing will at the least call you in a prescription for pain (the good stuff, not Motrin!) and some will meet you for emergency root canals, etc. I take my mouth pain very seriously- I'm already freaked out by just the thought of it, so I need my dentist to be on the same page. There should be an emergency number for a dentist, call it, they will call you back. I've only had to do it once, and I felt sort of bad, but he was very understanding and told me that any dentist worth seeing doesn't want people to suffer. Good advice, I miss that guy. If you are in Mississippi I can give you his number!!

Too funny! We had a pattern in math this fall that used letters- like AB, ZY, CD, etc. DD was really stumped, so I told her write out the alphabet and then look at it to figure it out. My 7 year old did not know the alphabet- like, the order of letters!! She can *read*, but apparently never learned the abc song or forgot it, because she didn't know past a,b,c,d. Not one of my prouder moments, LOL. The good news is, it took about a minute to learn the song, but...geesh.

...so says my 7 year old DD, while watching Spongebob. In today's episode, Spongebob and Patrick become parents to a baby clam, and Spongebob stays home to be the mom. He's asking Patrick for a break, while ironing, bouncing the crying clam, cleaning and doing other mom things. DD says, in all seriousness, "Moms don't need breaks! Spongebob isn't a real mom I guess." :lol::lol::lol:

My DD is a rhythmic gymnast, and they all wear back warmers because they stretch their backs so much, it helps to keep muscles warm. Its a thick piece of fleece worn around the waist/lower back. DDs is actually a neck gator of DH's, LOL, but the "real" ones Sasaki sells are like $40 and it works, so...! I've never seen artistic gymnasts wear anything around their backs/waists, only rhythmic gymnasts, so I have no idea what it could be!