Well, at least we can all be at fault together. :cool:

Yep, you heard me. Those of you on here who indulge in a Mike's hard lemonade to unwind. I would never have known about it if it weren't for you. And so this I have to say to you: thank you! :cool: After a busy Production/Tech week for my kiddos' play and an afternoon of tiring labor moving furniture yesterday, I'm about to crack open a Mango Punch flavor. And it's all because of you. What do you have to say for yourself?? ;)

{{HUGS}} because it sounds like you might need one!

I do try to encourage those I see with special needs kids. Once when I took myself to a movie there was a couple behind me with their son, who was autistic. After the movie I confirmed what I had thought and I let them know how well he had done. I figure we all need to encourage each other in public when we can!

What I did say was, "You don't live with my kids. Their issues ARE real." But my hackles were raised so I ended the conversation as fast as possible.

flyladydotnet has stainless steel water bottles. they are fantastic! No leaking, keeps water cold. And, no, the water never has a metallic taste! Well worth the purchase!

Personally, I do not tolerate the kids stepping on books, and especially not throwing them. I knew a teacher once who was let go from her job for throwing a book. People can get hurt! I'm sad for you. I can sense your frustration. Praying that things get MUCH better by you finally discovering what the root issue is!

Yes! but it never does, sadly.

First, hospitals are notorious for having 'out of network' physicians work on you, especially in the ER. I constantly have to argue with providers over this - I'm sorry, next time I have an emergency I'll make sure to STOP what I'm doing and make sure the attending physician is IN NETWORK. Seriously. Second, I know someone personally who has an ACA plan on her family. Guess what? It did NOTHING to cover her daughter when she was on an internship out of state and had to receive medical care. How does that help anyone?

Give the woman a break! she also says in the title that it's a VENT. Let her vent, already!

Had someone who should have known better say to me tonight, "I think you're making a mistake, personally, thinking your kids have issues." Now that it's too late for a snappy response, of course I've come up with one! I think if a 'next time' presents itself, I'm going to say, "You know, you're right. That was a mistake because it's obvious the person with the issue is you, who has no empathy for those that truly struggle." I bit my tongue on a lot but my mama-bear was riled up! Now to find that soothing music . . .

Please remember that YOUR journey is not someone else's journey and vice versa. I think so many of us tend to get hung up in the comparison trap. One of the reasons we homeschool is BECAUSE of our differences. I'd like my gifted 10yo son to be further along in his math but he's not. He's gifted linguistically but not mathematically. And the emotional maturity disconnect that comes with that is astounding. BUT that is our journey, not yours. All any of us really do is what we THINK needs to be done. We can't ever truly KNOW until AFTER the fact but we do the best we can anyway. Do the best YOU can do and don't let anyone make you feel down about it! The very fact that you're concerned about the whole thing means you're doing just fine! You are doing what YOU need to do for YOUR child/ren. And that's what counts!

Yes, it is possible! I know because I am 45yo and have lost 30lbs this year! Part of it was through changing what and how I eat (went mostly Paleo, gave up gluten/wheat completely) and part is through exercise, 30-60 minutes per day for 6 days a week. Helps with stress levels and depression, too! You can do it!

Joy, sounds busy! My kids are 16 and 10 and neither has an ounce of independence it seems. I constantly have to keep on them to get schoolwork done. Attending to everyone's needs can be exhausting, especially when you neglect your own. Please take time to take care of you or you won't have the energy to take care of anyone else. Ask me how I know! :P

Sorry about your health, Jean. That always trumps everything doesn't it? Hope you feel better soon! And, I know it's asking a lot (it is for my kids) but here's hoping your kiddos can step up and do some work independently.

Happy Monday! I've missed you all so I thought I'd open the Lounge for today. May change the name eventually but this works for now. How is schooling going? Here, it's fits and spurts. Every time I want to get us on track something derails the train. Last night it was that neither dd nor I slept well or fell asleep easily. So it's a later start to our day than I'd hoped. Actually, I'm letting dd sleep until 9am. It's been an 'out of routine' weekend already for my Aspie kiddo. Today looks to be no exception! What was for breakfast? Here: left over pancakes and syrup, with a side of Maple glazed ham for me. What are you looking forward to this week? Here, I have the idea in my head that we're not going to do ANY extracurriculars this week and simply focus on getting some school done but we'll see how that goes! Talk to me! :bigear: PS I may not reply to your posts but I will read them. My shoulder has been really bothering me for about 2.5 days straight and it's even bothersome to type!

We stopped with less than I'd hoped to get done. BUT I knew I couldn't realistically expect more to be done tonight. Plodding right along . . .

I still need to do prep too! Might not ever get to bed at this point!

...with your kiddo? Mine is a bit behind in everything but especially with homework in an outside class. So, we have reinstituted Sunday homework sessions. Anyone else?

Relax, mama. You will do just fine. I will tell you what I tell every first time homeschooling mom: the first year is a lot like the first year of marriage. You will now be spending more time with people you thought you knew only to discover their quirks and idiosyncrasies previously unbeknownst to you. This first year of homeschooling is more about the relationships than academics. And that's okay. You can do this!

Greetings, one and all! Just thought it might be fun to pop in and open the Lounge for the day! Have you started school? How's it going? here: yes, but via fits and spurts. I'm not sure we'll ever get on a routine but I keep trying! Are you using a set curriculum or piece-mealing? Yes and yes, here. We started out with Sonlight this year and will most likely still use some of the books but not the schedule. This was a Core I already had. 16yo dd is in US History/Lit class that takes some time with her homework, plus she's doing college level Algebra and science so we may not get to anything else besides daily devotions with her for several weeks. For my 10yo ds we'll be using Old Fashioned Education (it's free and available online with access to many, many public domain books). I'm going to do my best to get us on a schedule starting tomorrow. What's for or what was for dinner? Here: we're having breakfast for dinner. Breakfast ham (bought on sale at Target), plus scrambled eggs and fruit. What's something interesting you read today? I read a comment on Facebook in which someone stated that "People homeschool for religious reasons and faith is the antithesis to knowledge." Really? I told him that 1) Not everyone home schools for faith-based reasons, 2) Faith is not the antithesis to knowledge, and 3) if he's so interested in the facts, he should get his facts straight before posting! Talk to me! :bigear:

Like a true cat. Hope it makes you SICK. :001_tt2:

I just want to STOP and really recover but I don't feel like I can do that. *sigh* Who has the chocolate??

SKL, I keep having this conversation with God: I'm NOT having any more kids, tubes are tied. Can we please just be done with (Aunt Flo)?

*sigh* Don't mind me, I just need to come visit somewhere peaceful and where nothing is truly expected of me. While I normally love holiday weekends, this one just seemed to suck the life out of pretty much all of us. There was at least one schedule activity, outside the home, every day *Friday: Dance rehearsal *Saturday: dance recital, husband and son went camping, daughter and I did birthday shopping (both days I was sick) *Sunday: daughter and I spent all day prepping for her Sweet 16 and the party was that night *Monday: exhausted, even the men as they returned home, and, for some reason the kids' drama teachers scheduled class that afternoon Today, the daughter (who is on the spectrum is still exhausted but has homework due for an outside class tomorrow; son is evidently still exhausted because simply asking him to help with the dishes has caused multiple meltdowns, and I have ZERO patience with anyone, including me, so I know Aunt Flo is on her way. Lovely. Please tell me I'm not the only one in Tuesday's Twilight Zone!