Yes! I agree. I have a friend that just picks through her daughters gifts and sends the rest to the Goodwill. Her mother got wind of this and told her she's going to stop buying things for the child and my friend said, "Please do!"

I love this! "Kid culture" That's exactly the word I was looking for!

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

OK, I had a big back story typed out, but then I realized it doesn't matter. Basically, I love my mom and she is SO generous, but she has a history of crossing boundaries. What do you do when Grandma buys your kids clothing you don't approve of, NOT because of morality issues, but just because it's a style you think is inappropriate/over-the-top trendy/too mature? It's for a 9 year old, so if it quietly disappears, dd will say something and Grandma is sure to ask. Do you just toss it in the closet and let it get it's wear (maybe only when Grandma is here)??? What do YOU do when your kids get gifts that make you uncomfortable, no matter the reason? (Again, not a morality issue or anything against our religion, etc.) At what point is it bad enough for you to intervene? For instance, I have a friend who doesn't allow Hannah Montana, period. But what do you do with the gifts and how to you make sure your kids are appreciative and the giver isn't offended?

Binge Mommy guilt Binge Wife guilt Repeat. Still trying to figure it out. We just moved and I don't know anyone. I've dug myself into a rut and need to get out!!!

What we had tonight... Tofu, yellow squash, red and green bell peppers, and an onion all sauteed and served over brown rice. We also love beans and rice- black beans, brown rice, a little onion and a cut up tomato mixed all together. Mmmm Pasta with homemade sauce of either canned or fresh tomatoes, garlic, and onions with either meat or a hearty veggie like squash. Before I quit my job to stay home, a regular meal for us was some sort of meat like a chicken breast or pork chop, a side like potatoes, pasta or rice, and two fresh, green veggies. Now we strive for recipes that will stretch our meat without sacrificing quality. I always buy the bulk packages of organic spinach and we have sauteed spinach with a dash of balsamic almost 4 nights a week. We love spinach and broccoli. For breakfast we love steel cut oats with bananas and a bit of milk or whole wheat banana pancakes (the Hillbilly Housewife recipe). For what it's worth, I spend less on groceries than I ever did and I buy almost 100% organic and/or local. Now that I have the time, I can plan better meals. When I worked and had extra money, I spent a lot on convenience items- still very healthy, but more pre-made things. I just have the time now to be smarter about my purchases. Money or time, right? :) Oh, and *for me* it seems like shopping at Whole Foods is MUCH cheaper than a regular grocery store because instead of only one or two organic choices, I have a gazillion and something is always on sale. I still buy staples at Costco like organic sugar, butter, etc. I only sometimes buy organic chicken there, only because we have access to local chicken here. Costco is an hour away now, so I only buy what I can store and I only go about every 6 weeks.

You're a teacher, you get the dynamics multiple children can create, you know how to differentiate and multi-task. I had several offers like this last year, but said no to them all because it was our first year homeschooling. If we still lived in our old state (we just moved) I would have said yes to about 2 of the 8 families who asked me. I knew which kids I couldn't handle. :) One of the reasons I loved the transition to homeschooling was the focus on my own kids and doing things in our own time. I know which kids/families would fit in well and which ones I wouldn't touch with a 10 ft pole. :)

I've seen Zoloft do some scary things to kids. It made one of my first grade students extremely violent. It just doesn't work for all kids. Good luck.

I second this recommendation! It's a great book and it's written for therapists, so there will be a lot more info than in other parenting books. Also, I love Sensational Kids and they take a different approach, giving a narrative of a day in the life of a dyspraxic child, followed by interventions and therapies.

This is actually illegal in some states, but many teachers do it anyway. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Those are the kids that need to go run around! Duh!

Um, isn't a cell phone in a sauna kind of dangerous? If not to the human, then at least to the cell phone??? Maybe she'd been in there a bit too long...

She's talking about not allowing families on food stamps to use them for soda, junk food, etc. Remember, this is a "what would you do" scenario- it's assuming we had some control over the system...

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

1. I got engaged after dating my husband for 4 months. I was 20. My mom threw up for two weeks before the wedding. We've been married for 10 years. :) 2. I have a license to be a school administrator and am convinced homeschooling is more difficult than anything I will face in the public schools (I will go back eventually). 3. Growing up, I knew several homeschoolers. I thought they were all unsocialized, sheltered weirdos who never left the house. :lol: 4. I knew SO MUCH about parenting before I had kids. Now, I know very little. 5. I was the drum major in high school. 6. My kids eat organic, nutritious meals and snacks and they love fruits and veggies. Once they're in bed, I eat Oreos. Analyze that!:tongue_smilie: 7. I stay up way too late and can never understand why I'm not a morning person. 8. My children know not to make any sudden movements before I've had a cup of coffee in the morning. 9. My husband is the fun one. 10. I was raised by a dental hygienist, so I have OCD issues when it comes to teeth. It's bad.

:iagree:

Then there are the parents who put Coke in baby bottles. I think there is a huge spectrum here. It took me 4 years to undo what my daughter's birth parents did to her in the first 4 years of her life. Four years to get her BMI back to a healthy and stable level. We are an extremely glutenous culture in a country where food is cheap, cheaply made, and widely available. I do think the government plays a HUGE role and should use that influence for good. A lot of our European friends comment frequently about how their countries would never dream of putting certain food items on their shelves. Part of the reason is that in countries where they have socialized medicine, there is an incentive to keep the population healthy. Nobody is going to make money off sick people like they do here. What the government could/should do as far as control is super controversial, of course. However, what they could start (and they have) doing is educating parents. Schools play a huge role, as well. In fact, here's an article I just came across today that address the common "we don't have enough money to eat healthy" excuse. http://www.takepart.com/news/2011/08/17/back-to-scratch-cafeteria-lunch-goes-old-school

We just moved from our 4 bedroom 3.5 bath house with the yard across the country and we are (temporarily!) renting a 2 bedroom 1 bath farm house. We have two kids and we love to travel. For us, there has to be a balance. I've found that we really don't need a lot of room, as long as we are comfortable. I need clean and fairly new. I need a nice kitchen. I've quickly realized what I miss about our house and, honestly, it isn't the square footage. BUT, I need to be comfortable. What about a compromise? Buy or rent a 3 bedroom and take more reasonable or infrequent trips. We did a week in Hawaii with two kids when I was teaching and I think it came to $4,000 total. It was totally doable to save that money over the course of the year. BTW, if you love to travel, you love to travel. I'm shocked at how many people I meet who have never left their state or don't understand why we would spend so much money to travel. But, they are living in fancy houses or buying boats and going boating every weekend. So, it's all about what you value and enjoy doing with your family. Just some thoughts! Be comfortable, love your home, but don't become too house poor because you will feel trapped.

Life insurance, and quite a bit of it, thank goodness. Best money we spend each month. Depending on how we were all feeling I'd either keep homeschooling and move closer to my family, or I'd go back to work and put my kids in private school.

Can you just move her up a grade, then?

Honestly, on Day 2 there is usually little work going on and kids are still trying to learn routines, etc. The work will kick in and hopefully the teacher will be able to provide a challenge. If you are committed to having her there for the year, I'd focus on helping her stay positive about school. You don't want her to develop a poor attitude, thinking she is "above" the classwork. You can always supplement at home. 11 kids in a class? I'd say you scored! Sounds like it will be a great year.

My husband lasted 3 days at the cheese factory when we were in college. Think hair net, irrigation boots, and a hard hat mixed with the smell of spoiled milk. :thumbdown::thumbdown:

I don't have time to read the other posts, but I just wanted to send you hugs and share what our doctor said... My 8 year old dd still wets the bed. She has no liquids after dinner and uses the bathroom right before bed. She still sleeps in a pull up. He said we could try the alarm, so we did. It woke her up every night for about a week. She was SO tired, we had to stop. (BTW, a lot of what I read says not to wake them up). The doctor said it only works for 50% of kids. He said medication is temporary and is not a fix. He really encouraged us to just keep limiting liquids after dinner, having her pee right before bed, and being positive and encouraging. It's just NOT something ALL kids have control over. He said everyone outgrows it by the time they are....ready?.... 21!!!! Oh, and when I asked him about it before she was 8, he said not to even worry about it until she was 8 because that's the age when a lot of kids outgrow it naturally. So my advice would be to buy some Pull Ups and let your kid sleep. :)

Ahhhhhh, thanks.

If they aren't SUPER solid on their facts, then YES, get the flashcards. They are cheap and well worth it. You'll organize the facts a particular way that makes memorizing them easier. The flashcards are used daily, for each lesson. It's one of the reasons I love CLE. They are essential for us, but my kids needed to master their facts.

What does full quiver mean???