In response to the OP's question, I agree that when kids are young they don't need that much time with others outside of the family (it's nice and fun, but not necessary). Regarding the question above re: the book "Hold On to Your Kids", I read the book a few years ago and although I didn't necessarily agree with everything, I really got a lot out of it... Basically, the premise of the book is that the increased emphasis (and perhaps "over-emphasis") nowadays on giving kids lots and lots of time with peers is undermining the most important relationship and bond in a child's life: that with their parents. Here's a quote from p. 7 that provides a good summary of what the book is about: "For the first time in history young people are turning for instruction, modeling, and guidance not to mothers, fathers, teachers and other responsible adults but to people whom nature never intended to place in a parenting role - their own peers. They are not manageable, teachable, or maturing because they no longer take their cues from adults. Instead, children are being brought up by immature persons who cannot possibly guide them to maturity. They are being brought up by each other."

I think you're right to limit those programs... Younger children don't yet have the ability to discriminate between good and bad behaviors/attitudes/etc. and may end up imitating both. My DC don't watch that much TV and I'm very selective about what I do let them watch. However, I've observed several times that they've picked up on (and imitated) the one or two bad things they saw in a children's show instead of all the wonderful things they could be imitating... So...do be selective. Better safe than sorry!

Hornblower, that was SUPERB!! :lol: OP - I hear ya... I think that the relative anonymity of these message boards adds to that problem (some people just seem to lose all social graces when it comes to their responses - they have an agenda and you're going to hear about it whether you want to or not!). OTOH, I know people who act like this in real life too, so who knows... Either way, it's VERY frustrating. :glare:

I found finished ones at Babies'R'Us...

Congrats on going back to school! I didn't have kids yet when I completed my schooling, but I did work full-time throughout my undergrad and graduate studies so I hope that qualifies me to respond... :) Definitely get a small rolling suitcase as a previous poster recommended - backpacks can really cause back strain and once you have it, it's hard to get rid of. Don't have any experience with speed reading, but I found that reading the introduction to a chapter and the summary usually provided me with the "meat" of whatever was being covered - and I skimmed the rest. Another thing I learned (the hard way) was to pace myself in terms of written assignments. In other words, don't wait until the night before to get started on an assignment - work on it a little bit every week and you'll get it done with so much less stress. Good luck! :)

I agree - this is rude... Haven't encountered this with my kids yet, but I've certainly seen this happen in groups of adults and it's incredibly awkward and uncomfortable (whether you're included in the plans or not). I'll be teaching my kids not to do this when the time comes. In terms of how to handle this if other kids do it, that's tough. Depending on my relationship with the moms, I might address it - but if I didn't know them that well, I probably wouldn't. I would just use it as a teaching opportunity for my DC (along the lines of "this is something you should never do because of XYZ"). I'm surprised that some moms would be ok with this...

What a neat idea! I'll be checking this out... Thanks! :)

:bigear: I'd love to learn more about this too... Thanks for asking! :)

:iagree: I have learned the above (and more) from some of my unschooling friends. They do take a more relaxed approach to life, and that's something that can be very positive. It's unfortunate that the families in the video were portrayed the way they were (I think it's very possible that some things were "lost" in the course of editing that made everything look much more "extreme" - because shock value gets ratings).

Letter Factory is my 2yo DD's favorite!! Would definitely be a great (and useful!) gift... :)

We bought DS his first Snap Circuits set when he was 4.5 years old and two years later, it's STILL one of his favorite activities. We started with the very basic set (I think it had 100 projects) and now he has the 300 set and is asking for the Snap Rover. I searched around online comparing the prices through different websites - don't remember where we bought our sets from, but there was quite a price difference so I'd recommend doing some comparison shopping before you buy. It hadn't even occurred to me to make this our "science curriculum", but with the amount of time he spends on it and all the fun he has with it, maybe we will!! :)

:iagree: I know some radical unschoolers - in fact, we are very good friends with one family that is following that philosophy. Their kids are learning and they don't just watch TV and play video games all day. They also have not abdicated basic hygiene (as the second family in the video admitted to doing). Seems they found some families on the extreme end of the spectrum. It is concerning to think about what a story such as this does to the overall perception of homeschoolers...

Congrats! :) I would second the recommendation to follow your passion (while keeping in mind eventual employability, assuming that's your goal). Sounds like your passion is really in working with young children. If I were you, I would listen to my gut regarding getting into teaching (you mentioned being hesitant) and instead pursue O.T. A degree in history is not likely to lead to working with young children (not impossible - but not likely). Regarding undergrad programs that would position you for a Masters in O.T., I have no idea. I'm sure the college/university can provide some guidance on that. On a personal note, I did not pursue my passion when deciding my major but instead focused solely on what would make me employable (I have a B.S. in Business Administration and an MBA). My passion was Psychology, but I didn't think that would get me a good job. I've been extremely well employed the last 18 years (so my strategy worked), but I never truly felt fulfilled in what I was doing. I'm now pursuing a certification to become a Life Coach - so I'm back to Psychology. Perhaps I should have started with that. Oh well...! Good luck! :)

When DS was around 18 months old, he started climbing out of his crib at night. We bought a crib tent and thought it would take care of the problem. In our case, that just added to his fun - he made a game out of tearing up the crib tent (he would bite a little hole into the netting with his teeth and then rip it up). I'd come into his room in the middle of the night and he'd just beam at me, proud of his "accomplishment" (he couldn't understand why mommy wasn't just as thrilled!)... :glare: So...after going through THREE (!!) crib tents (at $70 a pop - and I did sew each one up a few times before buying another new one) we finally gave up. He eventually lost interest in this new-found skill of climbing out of his crib and things returned to normal. You could give it a try - if your little one isn't into tearing things up, maybe it will work... Good luck!!

We eat quite a bit of cauliflower, asparagus, and broccoli - all steamed (no brussel sprouts though - I don't really care for them or the gassiness they tend to produce ;)). Steaming is easy and keeps more of the nutrients (and flavor in my opinion) in the veggies than some other forms of cooking. If you're not familiar with steaming, you can pick up a steamer basket for a few bucks at most supermarkets (probably costs $5 or less). To steam, fill a pot or pan with enough water so that it just barely reaches the bottom of the steamer basket. Once the water comes to a boil, add vegetables and place a lid on top to cover and reduce heat to medium. Most vegetables will be ready in less than 10 minutes (just check after about 5-7 min. and gauge it from there). Sometimes I serve them plain (they taste great when they're steamed!) - other times I'll make a simple sauce like an herbed butter sauce to go with them (basically just melted butter with tarragon or other herbs sprinkled in it - doesn't get much easier than that!). My kids also love sweet peppers (mainly red, yellow and orange) - I just cut up a bunch into "sticks" and put them out for snacks or as a side dish with dinner. HTH! :)

I would toss it too...

I feel your pain! Awhile back, I lost the drip trays that go with my Foreman Grill (which I use constantly). They were missing for months and I couldn't figure out where they went. One day, one of my kitchen drawers was stuck and I had to take it out in order to put it back on the tracks correctly. And lo and behold, I saw my drip trays! They had somehow slipped out of the drawer and were sitting in the space behind it for about 3 months!! That probably wouldn't happen with your waffle iron, but it could happen with a lid for a rice cooker (if you were keeping it in a drawer somewhere). Good luck!

Would she enjoy a trip to a day spa? It's always fun going with a friend - you could chit chat while you get side-by-side manicures, pedicures and/or massages... :001_smile:

We live about 15 min. outside a large city on 5 acres in the woods. We've lived here for almost 10 years and love it for all the reasons others have already mentioned. The one drawback for us is the lack of nearby neighbors for our kids to play with. So we do make the drive into town and to friends' homes regularly. I would love for DS to just be able to "run over to the neighbors" but that just doesn't happen here. So we do more driving in order to compensate - it's not too big of a deal for us. Recently, DH and I started talking about moving into town. At first, I was super-excited about the prospect. But then, I started looking around and thinking of all the things I would miss if we no longer lived here. And I had a renewed appreciation for all the wonderful things about where we live. It's definitely a matter of personal preference and figuring out what's most important to you...

Same here! Don't have anything to add to the above, other than chiming in to say we struggle (daily) with the same issues and we just keep plugging away... So it's nice to hear from some of the more experienced homeschooling moms that it does (generally) get better with time!

I think I was 4 or 5 when I had my ears pierced (I grew up in Europe so could have been a cultural thing). My DD is 2, very "girly" and loves jewelry. I don't plan to suggest that she get her ears pierced but don't see any reason not to if/when she asks and is old enough to understand what's involved.

Not sure yet... My aunt is scheduled to come visit us (from Germany) in 10 days. We're hoping this will all be resolved by then, but apparently there was an airline employee strike (in Germany and possibly other parts of Europe - don't have all the details) that was post-poned because of the ash cloud and they plan to resume that strike once the ash cloud situation is resolved. So...we'll see! Hope your DH makes it home soon!

Sorry, could you repeat that? I was talking to myself... :tongue_smilie: Hope the morning gets better!!

Sorry to hear you're losing your B&N! I haven't heard anything about B&N closures (or their reasons for closures) so not sure whether it's a regional thing or not. We have two in our town and they're always packed, so I'm assuming they're doing ok here and will stay. And although there's always the online option, I agree that it can't replace the experience of just browsing in the book store. I've spent many happy hours in one of their comfy arm chairs with a Starbucks coffee in one hand and a good book in the other. I'd miss it if they left!!

:iagree: So sorry you're having to deal with this, but I think you're absolutely handling it the right way!!