I like moccasins with the furry inside. I don't wear skirts much, but they look ok with the couple long straight ones I have. I do have boots that I love to wear with shorter lengths, though. I also like ballet flats, but they aren't particularly warm.

When I took my dd11 to get a cat scan, the nurse told us during check in that they would have to run a pg test if she had already started her periods. I realize this is probably needed in some sad cases, and is just a general policy, but I still responded with shock. Unfortunately, dd was sitting right there and was in shock as well. It doesn't help that she's super tiny at 4'6" and 60 lbs, which just made it seem absurd, but thankfully she hasn't started yet.

My eyes are moving too quickly tonight, because I first read "at home medical transplant courses" Yikes! Sorry, I have no advice to offer you, but had to share, lol.

First of all, thank you on behalf of allergy kids/parents for being flexible enough to include this child in your class. It is a rare experience for a food allergy kid to be able to experience such a class safely! Definitely find out first of all how severe the child's reactions are and how sensitive the allergy is. Food allergy symptoms can range from a skin rash to stomach problems to asthma reactions to full anaphylaxis. Sensitivity can range from airborne to skin contact to actual consumption as far as what is necessary to set off a reaction. Nut protein is very sticky and can remain on utensils even after going through a dishwasher, so if a child is very sensitive this could pose a problem. I imagine if the child is this sensitive the mom wouldn't have signed her up for such a class, but I would certainly check to be sure. As far as the ingredients you listed, the oatmeal shouldn't be a problem to find, but the others would all require careful label checking or a call to the manufacturer. I personally would be uncomfortable with the almond meal especially because of cross contamination. Occasionally I find tree nut products that are produced in a peanut free facility that my son is allowed to have. Personally, I would allow my son to take part in a class if the ingredients were peanut free, but I would have to remain there for peace of mind. Obviously, all the children will be washing hands for a cooking activity, but I might remind any who had eaten peanuts/peanut butter to be extra thorough.

This is the first thing that went through my mind, too!

Glad to hear you had a great trip! You made me hungry for Imos - haven't had it in awhile! We were in Cincy for the conference a couple years ago, and dh had a great time there entertaining the kids while I attended workshops. We keep saying we'd like to go back and take in a Cards/Reds game among other things.

Yes, has her coach helped you look through a USTA schedule for appropriate events? Does she play with the orange ball, green ball, or the regular yellow ball? In USTA 10 and under most tournaments now play with the orange ball(low compression so it bounces slower) and on a shorter 60' court. If she is used to a full court and yellow ball then you may want to skip 10s and go right into 12s. The green ball is a transitional ball that is used in some 12s tournaments. Also, tournament names are a clue to the level. Satellite/novice are beginner level, open is the next level, followed by challenger. Endorsers are a tougher tournament that can qualify players for the super in a district. You can also qualify by your point standing. Try to get a hard copy of the USTA schedule because it has all the abbreviations in the front. BG means both boys and girls divisions for the tournament. (18-12)s means 18 and under, 16 and under, 14 and under, and 12 and under singles. Same for doubles. Also, make sure she knows the rules and score keeping, because you cannot coach them during the matches(not sure about 10 and under-we never played those).

I completely agree with what has been said about not making any sense when responding to a question. Also my dd11 has her eyes opened but not looking at anything - kind of like someone who is drugged. When my ds had night terrors as a toddler it was very different - his eyes were very wide open and unblinking. The two are similar in that it's impossible to wake the person, at least in our cases. I would definitely consider a bell or alarm on the door if you don't wake every time. My dd once went into the bathroom and got into a freezing cold shower while sleepwalking. And I would say the top bunk is probably not a safe place for a sleepwalker, although they do seem strangely coordinated somehow. She tends to sleepwalk when overtired or preoccupied.

I"ve heard similar reports in our area but have no personal experience as my dc have been exclusively homeschooled. When I was in ps high school (late eighties/early nineties), we only watched an occasional movie in English Lit for Shakespeare. I think Romeo and Juliet and one of the histories. In history or science we watched the occasional educational video clip that went with the curriculum, but never a Hollywood movie. I think my parents would have been shocked by that.

Well, in choosing an on-property hotel I would consider are you mainly wanting to spend time in the parks? Or do you also want to enjoy some nighttime entertainment outside the parks? Although we always take our kids, we enjoy staying at the Boardwalk or Yacht and Beach Club for their close proximity to Epcot, which is a fun place for adults in the evening. Walking through shops and enjoying the atmosphere in the World Showcase is fun for dh and I. The Boardwalk area also has evening entertainment like magicians, jugglers, etc. and a dueling piano bar and ESPN Club. The Swan and Dolphin are both options near the Boardwalk area, too, but they are not Disney owned, so make sure you are aware of which perks they offer and which they don't. We have never stayed there with our kids, but dh recently did when there alone for a conference. He says they don't have the "Disney" feel of the other hotels, but they are very nice. If you are mostly interested in spending as much time as possible in the parks then you might consider a resort near your favorite park. Or, save money by staying at a moderate or value resort if you aren't going to spend much time there.

I think that seems like a reasonable scenario given their ages provided they are comfortable with it, there is someone nearby for emergencies, and they know and follow all rules. I left my two dc home alone for the first time at ages 10 and 8. I started with just a short trip to return library books down the street - 5 minutes. Then maybe 10 or 15 minutes, then 30 minutes, etc. i also began by putting on a movie or dvr program, which is a treat here because we dont do much screen time. My oldest is very confident and calm in a crisis, and my youngest is very good to listen to him when they are on their own. It's really totally different than when I'm around! Also, we have an alarm system with burglar and fire protection. I never leave them alone when I'm going to be very far from home, though. I like to be able to get home in 15 minutes or less if they need me, but its not an emergency - like one of them starts feeling sick or something. My dh works about 10 minutes from home, so he could also run out if really needed.

I'm reading through Study is Hard Work with my 11 and 13 year olds.

I'm reposting this from the general board because I didn't get any responses. Hopefully, it will do better here:) I'm looking for something to do over the summer with dd, who will be between 5th/6th grades. Her background is Singapore PM 1-4, then Saxon 6/5 this year. She finished early so we are going through the PM 5 A/B (text only) at a fast pace for the last six weeks of school. I like to keep my kids doing some math over the summer, but I want something more self-paced than starting PM 6 A would be, which is what we will be doing in the fall. I like what I see in the samples of Key to..., but I'm wondering how much time it takes to get through each book. I'd like to cover fractions, decimals, percents, and measurement. I see that each topic has several small books available, so maybe I could pick a couple books from each topic to get through? We would work on math four times per week for about nine/ten weeks for 30 minute sessions. Any advice on how many books I should get? Other ideas are welcome, too.

I have to wonder what the best age to wait until is? I suppose 5 was due to learning to write, but I was a similar case and am fairly certain that they picked incorrectly. When I still switched hands in K, my right hand was chosen for me. I was always told to use it or redirected. Now, whenever I learn a new skill I learn it left-handed. This is true for both fine motor and gross motor skills. My grandfather and some of my first cousins are lefties as well as my daughter, and no one in my dh's family is a lefty. My only complaint is that neat handwriting always was a struggle for me. I don't really have a particular handwriting, actually. I have several styles that I use, but none of them are very pretty.

We liked Riddle of the Rosetta Stone. This is not on your list, but both of my kids liked The Golden Goblet (hist fic) when we studied Ancients last time. They were 3rd/5th that year.

I'm looking for something to do over the summer with dd, who will be between 5th/6th grades. Her background is Singapore PM 1-4, then Saxon 6/5 this year. She finished early so we are going through the PM 5 A/B (text only) at a fast pace for the last six weeks of school. I like to keep my kids doing some math over the summer, but I want something more self-paced than starting PM 6 A would be, which is what we will be doing in the fall. I like what I see in the samples of Key to..., but I'm wondering how much time it takes to get through each book. I'd like to cover fractions, decimals, percents, and measurement. I see that each topic has several small books available, so maybe I could pick a couple books from each topic to get through? We would work on math four times per week for about nine/ten weeks for 30 minute sessions. Any advice on how many books I should get? Other ideas are welcome, too.

Not long ago I remember someone here mentioning her daughter seeing something inappropriate or frightening in a PSR class, but I can't remember who it was. I believe it was an older grade, but I do have a friend whose daughter's first grade PSR class was told that Santa does not bring children presents. It was in reference to a lesson on St. Nicholas, but that is something for parents to discuss IMO.

We also use Faith and Life as our religion curriculum. Our parish priest was fine with us preparing for the sacrament at home with this as our resource. We also organized a day retreat for our children with a parent at a local religious community. There were several homeschooled second graders in our parish that year. Our archdiocese has a homeschool organization which organizes sacraments for homeschoolers as well through a chaplain. I'm not sure that this is typical, but it is an option here for those who do not have a parish that is cooperative toward homeschoolers. Another resource to look at is faith folders for Catholics. They have lap books on specific subjects like First Holy Communion and the Holy Mass that may be helpful in your preparation.

This reminds me of when people put a treat on a dog's nose then make them sit there with it like that until they make a sign that they can eat it! I feel sorry for the dog, let alone a child. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty strict, and I have been known to give the "No more talking until some food is gone" order when no one has taken a single bite after ten minutes of nonstop chatting, but this image is just pitiful.

These are some books I have on my list for 6th/8th next year. We are studying American history, so our lit reflects that somewhat. The Witch of Blackbird Pond Johnny Tremain The Call of the Wild Out of the Dust The Hiding Place The Giver I'm thinking of using Total Language Plus guides. They will be reading more books, but this list is what I'm looking at for actual formal study.

I recommended A mostly because of the comments that you made about your specific 5th grader. I know many 5th graders use B, but it seemed to me that your dd was a bit on the reluctant side and would also be brand new to the IEW terminology, etc. Age might make a difference, too. My dd is on the young side - she is still 10, and we are in our fourth quarter. On the other hand, some families have 5th graders who have been 11 for almost the whole year. I don't know where your dd fits on that spectrum. I'm not sure about video samples at the booth. They might even have some on the website; I honestly can't remember. Will there be any IEW speakers at your convention? You might consider attending a workshop, if so.

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience! You had to deal with terribly rude behavior. My oldest went to preschool 2x's a week for 2.5 hours a day when he was four while I was at the gym. He would have gone to the playroom for 1.5 hours anyway, so I figured, "Why not?" I was homeschooling him the rest of the time, maybe about 10 hours a week of formal work total. Part way through the year the teacher asked me if I realized that he could read. Well, that would be pretty hard to miss! Of course, I realize my child can read. She informed me that I was going to allow him to get too far ahead, and that would make K difficult. I was only too happy to tell her not to worry, we weren't planning to put him in K anyway! Homeschoolers can never make these people happy. If her speech improves too much then she will probably be in danger of becoming a social outcast due to her perfect enunciation! For whatever reason they are threatened by homeschooling, I think, and it comes out as meanness. Sorry you had to deal with it today.

I would definitely visit the IEW booth at your conference. They have been very helpful to me and will clarify any concerns about choosing A vs. B. You can also see the theme books in person to see if they have enough instruction for you. I definitely recommend the TWSS, though. It has been the most beneficial to me in guiding and in grading my students work. The yahoo group is a great idea. Also check out the IEW website for live webinars that feature Andrew giving more instruction on each of the units. You can post questions to be answered, too.

I have both History of US and American Odyssey, too. I've decided to do AO, because HO has worked so well for us for the past two years. I wish I'd found it for 5th, because we kind of drifted a bit for ancients. The only guide for AO that I know of is through K12, and its only available if you enroll - it's all online. I bought the guides for HO, but ended up not really using them at all, because they felt like busywork. We read each chapter, then the kids outline on their own. Dd 5th does a one level, while ds 7th does a two to three level. We put dates on a timeline and choose people or topics to write a short summary about. We don't do much map work, but we are using a separate world geography this year. If you are about to finish SOTW 1-2, could you start SOTW 3-4 now as an audio book (you mentioned you were getting the audio, too)? Maybe as just an audio you could get it finished before you need to start AO in the fall? I don't know anything about your schedule, so maybe that wouldn't work for you, but I know we can go through SOTW pretty quickly in the car alone. I have gone through AO, and I think it's going to take a good amount of time to cover, as it has 41 chapters, I believe. I'm not sure I would want the distraction of SOTW at the same time. Of course, I'm going to have a 6th grader tagging along with my 8th grader, which makes my situation a bit different. Also, I think having the overview of SOTW completed before American History might be helpful. Just my perspective!

It sounds like your girls are three years apart, and your older is more of a natural writer or possibly just is more willing to write. If this is correct, then I would hesitate to put them I the same level of Student Intensive. My dd is in 5th now, and we were advised to use A for her this year at the IEW booth. There is quite a change in volume of writing expected from A to B. I was also told you only need to do one SI then you can do CCs from there on, even when you jump to another level, so that might impact your long term plans. If you have the TWSS for you, another option is to use SI-B for your dd8th and a theme based course for younger dd. that would be more cost effective than buying two intensives, and your younger dd would probably be ready for SI-B in 6th. Fun and Fasinating Facts, Fairy tales, Myths and Fables, or the NarnIa book would be options for her age. We did F&F Facts our first year of IEW with a 5th & 3rd grader, and found it a great way to get introduced. We are planning to use Elegant Essay between the B and C levels. I think once this book is covered it becomes easy to integrate literature and writing because your student will understand how to form a thesis on any topic whether its literature, history, or science.