(I've thought about posting this many times, but don't think I have yet...) Long story, but we are *thinking* of driving from VA to UT, then CA this summer for a family reunion. We'll be camping and we'll have our great border collie. Oh, did I mention I'll be doing it alone?! ;) My husband will fly in for the reunion, then fly home to work. We'll take four days in the middle of June to get from VA to the Grand Canyon, then go to Lake Powell. We'll visit family in UT, then CA for as long as we'd like. Sometime after the 4th of July we need to get home... My girls (twin 10 year olds) want to backtrack the Lewis and Clark Trail??!!!! I'm having a hard time finding out what there is to *see* exactly. That would mean driving from Southern CA, to Oregon, across Idaho and Montana to North Dakota, down through South Dakota and over to St. Louis, MO. From there it's a straight shot home. I'm trying to figure out how to do this without breaking the bank. There are SO many possibilities, it's hard to narrow it down to a few stops. *We'll have our camping gear with us and I'd love to camp, but I can not do full days of driving after sleeping on the ground. So, we could drive, sleeping in a hotel, drive, camp for a few nights, drive a little, sleep in a hotel, drive, etc. Does anyone have any advice on where to stop from Oregon to St. Louis? Do you have any tricks for eating cheaply while traveling/camping? We are not the most frugal travelers, but we aren't super picky. If I had a map of Whole Foods locations, we'd be set. I just know we can't eat out every meal for that long of a stretch.

Can you use the hose outside (depending on your weather)?

He's also cute!!! ;)

He sings "Your Body is a Wonderland."

Ha! We LOVE John Mayer!

I'm trying to plan a trip to Boston in late May to visit some historical sites. Is two days in the city enough? I know we want to do the Tea Party ship and the Freedom Trail. Is Plymouth Plantation worth it? I remember going when *I* was 10 and thought it was awesome, but we live in VA now and my girls have done Williamsburg, Jamestown, etc. If Plymouth Plantation is not worth it, I'd rather skip it and save a day and quite a bit of money. My girls are 10. They eat all this stuff up and can't wait to go. They are super good travelers, so I'm not worried about walking or anything like that.

When I was teaching kindergarten, I got the bright idea that I should also teach the kindergarten Sunday School class. 5 year olds, six days a week. Not a good idea.

Yeah, I think this sealed the deal for me.

Thanks for this. I know I have to stick it out, simply because my guilt over quitting would be worse than the anxiety, plus my girls would be really disappointed. But, I have definitely learned my lesson. We are not signing up for anything next year!

This particular group I committed to lead for the year gives me such anxiety! I think partly it's because I'm not that interested, partly because now I know it's not a group I would have chosen for my girls to be in, and partly because it takes a lot more effort than it is worth. It goes by so quickly, but on the days of our meetings (today) I have such bad anxiety, we can hardly get school done! It's completely irrational! Three more months. Exactly.

Here she would be on K. In CA she would be in first.

I second this book. I also liked Nourishing Tradtions, even though I didn't agree with it all.

Also, this is one of my favorites, but it's written for parents and teachers to help kids navigate social situations. http://www.amazon.com/Its-Much-Work-Your-Friend/dp/B000WMOFA2 It has taught me empathy for what my dd goes through.

These two came recommended: http://www.amazon.com/Social-Story-Revised-Expanded-Anniversary/dp/1935274058 http://www.amazon.com/Picture-Teaching-emotion-communication-children/dp/1885477910/ref=pd_sim_b_1 I think I've decided on the second one, but it is pricey...

We had a tiny backyard on our subdivision, but we were a block from the park. We used the backyard for the hot tub and a garden, and spent playtime at the park. I didn't have to maintain the park, so it was perfect. :)

I was just looking at the social stories books on Amazon. If you google autism and social, you'll get a lot of good ideas. (Mine isn't autistic either, but a lot of the social stuff still applies.)

Yes, I have to remind myself of this frequently. School made our lives more difficult (I have a dd with sn). I guess it's not so much hsing vs psing, but stressing/researching/trying over...well, not. I have a lot of mom friends who just do what works best for them and don't stress about it they just let it go. It's like they just function within the system- school, clothes, food, pop culture, life in general- and they don't think a whole lot about doing anything different, because it seems to work for them. I don't know. Maybe sometimes I just wish we were "in the box" people. We aren't.

same

Our PE teacher mixed speed stacking with Brain gym at our old school. It was great and the kids loved it. She always had the kids start in a circle and she started with three cups until they got it, then added a step each time from there. A lot of times the kids took turns with a partner so they could watch, then practice.

Huh. I guess we misunderstood each other then.

Are you still using it? What did you like/not like?

My girls love to read and they love history. They read a book a week for school and more on their own. I already have our booklist started for next year. We'll be in year 4 of SOTW, 6th grade. Looking at Core E though... I love that it is planned out with the vocabulary and other exercises already there. It just seems so streamlined. Is it worth it to get it and do it secularly? Is that possible? Or should I just start writing my own version...

Just try to let it go. The meat lady at Whole Foods made a comment like that to me once and now every time I get meat I secretly give her the death stare. I'm sure she has no memory of it. You usually can't change the minds of people like that with one conversation, so don't waste your breath. (But you have my permission to give her an evil death stare the next time you see her!)

Wait! OP is asking about snacks to send to school. Duh, cupcakes!

I have a child with ADHD and she needs a lot of protein throughout the day. If she was hungry and I gave her a cookie, I'd pay for it.