Really? My son's high school prints up a directory of every student, parents/guardian names, addresses, phone numbers and email. You can opt out of all or part of it (I don't have our address listed) but from what I can tell, most people just have all their info in there. My kids didn't attend the local elementary or middle schools, but I've been told they print out the same directory. It get handed out to all students. If you go into the guidance office there are piles of them in boxes. I remember back in the 1970s and my mom complaining that 'no one RSVPs any more' so I expect this is a problem that has always been a problem

I wish they had been able to catch him alive. A lot of good work could have been done in studying him..what led to him making these decisions. Of course Texas has the death penalty and I am sure they would have exercised that power, but still, it could have been worthwhile. He may have been good at making bombs, but not so good at disguises. The pictures of him from FedEx are pretty darn memorable. He was wearing an obvious blond curly wig and gloves. He was definitely going to be remembered and caught after that. And FedEx has cameras all over the place. I'm not certain if he thought he could outrun the police or if he felt so powerful by then that he though the cameras didn't matter. But, yeah, the homeschooling aspect is not good. And it makes me crazy that today everyone on social media is suddenly an expert on homeschooling. If you try to address anything as, you know, an actual homeschooler, no one wants to hear what you have to say. I've long ago stopped saying a word. I wonder if his family knew that he was dangerous or if they every considered trying to get him help. And that poor first victim. The family said that he had been murdered but LE publicly floated the idea that he killed himself. They have since apologized, but there is going to have to be a reckoning. Weeks passed and nothing happened, leaving the bomber emboldened to kill again.

Yes, when they were quite a bit younger due to friends. We have always explained it like they do at our church: There are all kinds of families. When they were young age they described as "We know some 'mommy and daddy families' and '2 mommy families" and '2 daddy families'" and they also knew that sometimes parents don't always live together but they love their children...that one (divorce) was actually much more difficult to explain. My younger son found that to be a little bit upsetting

wear shoes that are very easy to take on and off...because you will have to take them off during security. And wear sock unless you want to walk barefoot through security. And don't have chapstick in your pocket because they will take it from you. Put it in your bag of liquids in your carry on and take it out when you need it. Oh, and don't put your ID in the little bin that goes through security like I did. Keep it with you. The woman was super nice about it and let it slide but she did warn me not to do it again. I had two little kids and it was like 3am and I just stuck everything in my pockets in the bin. You want to put everything in it except your ID, lol

It's pretty state specific. My state doesn't recognize it, but if a couple has a child in common they both have legal responsibilities that are recognized and enforced no matter what their marital status. I'm not really sure what is gained by abolishing it in states that do have it.

Yes, Coraline, Odd and the Frost Giants (a family fave)...Neverwhere? Maybe. It depends on the 12 year old. I would probably suggest Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy and Hunger Games first. If those have been read and digested..again..maybe? Neverwhere scared the bejeepers out of me, lol. But my older kid was reading Stephen King short stories at 12-13 and loving it. I just got my 13 year old Gaiman's Norse Mythology book for his birthday. He likes it very much and its taking him time to plow through

Derek Owens physical science and some chemistry added in

Well, my son has been taking expository writing through The Well Trained Mind Academy. Expository Writing 1-3 uses WWS 1-3. We have loved it and he's had a very good experience with it. He has learned a whole lot and enjoyed the classes. I use the teacher's book for WWS 1-3 to check his homework. I should add that Expository Writing doesn't teach grammar or mechanics. If that is the issue then Grammar for the Well Trained Mind is scripted and assumes no previous information

Pony tail and he's never been adverse to clipping it back while doing homework etc

I've done this with one kid and starting it with another. The biggest, and only challenge, was getting up on time and going to school every day, lol. Every other kid is in process of making a huge transition from middle to high school so my formerly homeschooled kid didn't stand out in any way. They all have trouble with time management, they are all socially awkward and transitioning from early puberty to full fledged teenagers, they are all meeting new friends. The teachers clearly expected a very broad range of skills, even in the honors classes, and taught accordingly. It was really just the getting up and being on time, and the reality that when the third week rolls around that you actually have to keep going, lol.

It's super inaccurate. But, that said, it is very difficult to do accurately. Determining calories burned is a very tricky thing to do, taking into account your hydration levels, respiratory rate, fitness level, age, how much sleep you have had...it's not easy. But it's nice to get a rough idea

we did all of those as well! ...but, I SWEAR that in 8th grade the choir director had us singing the Gordon Lightfoot song Sundown! We were ok with 'Dust in the Wind" but that one had us feeling more than a little awkward. I mean...imagine an entire middle school choir, and this one was all little girls, singing "I can see her looking fast in her faded jeans/ She's a hard loving woman got me feeling mean". I kept saying to my friends "Ummm...do you know what this song is about? No, I mean do you KNOW what it's about?" And then we followed up with the Rainbow Connection. Man, the 1970s were weird.

Just as much as my (now ex) British brother in law was DYING of laughter seeing people wearing tshirts saying "shagalicous". Oh, and don't get him started on 'fanny packs" And my dh has certainly seen some folks in Japan wearing tshirts and hats with....provocative English phrases on them

Differen is a retinoid. It's the first retinoid to be available without a prescription. I'm not sure what the active ingredients of proactiv are, but it's probably very similar to other OTC stuff. My son has a script for differen and it's 10$ copay for about four times the amount of what is sold OTC. I'm not sure how much longer it will be covered by insurance though. My son is using an antibiotic with Differen. He needs both. We've tried stopping one and then the other and the inflammation and acne always comes back.

My kid ended up at the dermatologist. But one of the best things we found was using plain old Cerave foaming face wash. Most soap and cleansers, even those that claim to be gentle, are quite basic..meaning a ph of over 7. However, our skin is about a 5.5, so slightly acid. It's called our acid mantle and we need to protect it. If he's breaking out then he needs to take extra care of it. Using stronger and stronger soap and cleansing products just strips the acid mantle off again and again. The skin replaces it, but it's vulnerable to irritation and drying until it does. That tight feeling is the feeling of skin that's been stripped of it's acid mantle. Some skin will over produce oils in response so washing makes it even oilier. However, using a low ph cleanser will clean your skin but protect the acid mantle. Cerave is a low ph cleanser that is easy to find. We actually switched and only use that for all our cleansing needs. My son's acne calmed right down and so did my other son's eczema. My son ended up on a script for antibiotics and adapalene. Adapalene is now available OTC for about 10-12$ at 1% which is the same strength as my son's prescription. It really, really helps. However! It also makes him photosensitive. It must be used once a day, every day, at night (light makes it break down) and you MUST commit to sunscreen all the time. My son got a bad sunburn walking to school at 8am in February in upstate NY. Honestly, the sun isn't even out at 8am in February! He is very, very careful about sun protection now. With Adapalene (or Differin) it's the long game. You see immediate results but then usually a purge from weeks 2-4 and then a real improvement from weeks 6 on. It can be used every other night if it's too drying. But you can't just use it for a couple nights and then stop. You can get it on Amazon and I've seen it at my supermarket. But please use a sunscreen, you are in danger of damaging your skin if you don't.