It seems like it has started out kind of slow. Don's newest affair was kind of a surprise. I thought he'd learned his lesson and was going to stay faithful to Megan.

Technically, bedtime is 7:00, but I voted 7:30 because in reality they are in bed sometime between 7:00 and 8:00. They wake up on their own between 6:00 and 7:00, depending on several factors.

Have you considered starting the books out aloud with her and then turning them over to her once they have piqued her interest? If that worked, I would continue doing that until she decides to start them out on her own.

It is such a relief to find something they are willing to read more than two pages of, without complaint, isn't it?! I will have to keep this series in mind for when my son is done with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. My daughter is also a reluctant reader. We finally found a hit with (it's painful to type) My Little Pony, something about Twilight Sparkle. She's reading. If I could do backflips, I'd be turning them up and down the street. I LOVE to read. I want my kids to LOVE to read. If it takes My Little Pony to get her to LOVE to read, we will buy every MLP book they publish.

I guess I don't even really know that. What is a good place to start?

What is Scratch?

My second-grade son has expressed an interest in working with computers when he gets older. Unfortunately, I'm fairly illiterate when it comes to computers. Is there anything out there -- book, website, etc. -- that would be good for teaching him about computers?

Thank you so much, ElizabethB! I have a third grader and a second grader. :001_smile:

I would like to focus on spelling with my kiddos. The lists that they are getting from school aren't grouped by spelling rule, rather they are taken from the story the class is working on that week. When I was homeschooling, I really liked AAS, but that seems rather cumbersome for afterschooling. Is there something similar that teaches the spelling rules (explaining the rules I already know to them has really helped them with past lists) similarly to AAS, but is maybe more workbook-based?

What is the rule for when to use the ou vowel pair versus the ow vowel pair? Does anyone know?

We have several who are like that. We have anywhere from 40-50 people come to Thanksgiving, so we rent a local community center. It's supposed to be potluck, but half don't contribute, so that means that those of us who do contribute end up having to bring several dishes so that there is enough food. Then, they don't want to help clean up, and they all expect leftovers. It's ridiculous.

We have several who are like that. We have anywhere from 40-50 people come to Thanksgiving, so we rent a local community center. It's supposed to be potluck, but half don't contribute, so that means that those of us who do contribute end up having to bring several dishes so that there is enough food. Then, they don't want to help clean up, and they all expect leftovers. It's ridiculous.

Butter, salt, and either plain M&Ms or Junior Mints

Do you believe that this story is literally true...the literal reason why there are so many different languages in the world? What do you teach your kids about why there are different languages?

By state law, are you required to school during specific hours? I would think that there would be nothing they could do as long as you are following the regulations of your state.

I think you've gotten some good advice in terms of giving them a snack cabinet, and that is certainly worth doing. However, I don't actually think it is about the food or them being hungry. I think there is likely something else psychological going on. If they clean out the snack cabinet before noon, I'd start seeking other explanations about why they are doing that.

Can you, through the magic of digital editing, take the full-body shot and just zoom in on her shoulders and face? That way, it's still the same image, but it looks more proportionate for the Memory Mate. I'm thinking that for a picture that size on the Memory Mate, the full-body shot will be too "far away" for a clear image. KWIM?

When we were homeschooling, my kids' main friends were other kids their age in our neighborhood. Are there any kids in the neighborhood who are around your kids' ages? Once my kids really got out there and started playing, it's like kids started popping out of the woodwork. I hadn't realized how many kids were in our neighborhood before.

My husband wasn't completely on board at first. I was finally able to convince him to let me try it for a year and then we could revisit it. By December he loved it and has been on board ever since. Maybe she could talk to him about trying it for Kindergarten? Sometimes I think that they just need to experience it before they will totally realize that their perception of homeschooling isn't accurate.

I would just like to point out that until a very recent career change, my DH was a truck driver. Granted, he owned the truck. Even still, he made *ahem* enough money to support us comfortably, allowing me to be a SAHM and homeschool our three kids. So, it really wouldn't be the end of the world if your kids became truck drivers. ;) My view on college education is this (as someone who is still paying off student loans for a bachelor's degree that I'm not really using as a SAHM): It really isn't the end all to be all. Our kids are being raised to value education highly. However, if they choose a career path that doesn't require college, we will be okay with that too. One thing about skilled trade jobs: They cannot be outsourced. We are saving what we can for college, but we aren't going to stress out about it. We will help as we can.

Another plug for Washington. :001_smile: I grew up in Tacoma. There is a lot to do in the Puget Sound area. Homeschooling is super-easy and I have yet to have a "pass the bean dip" moment. :lol:

I would not. I've lived that way before and it was very, VERY, difficult on me mentally.

It's not the government's business how a new mom decides to feed her children.

I saw on Facebook. I'm a fan of the US team page and they announced it. :glare:

I would probably just let it go. With the trip, it's a scheduling conflict. That happens in life. In terms of the class itself, I'd probably just remind my son what he is there to be learning, advise him to just do his best, and that we don't always get the reward in life. This could turn out to be a good life lesson.