The rock-jumping thread reminded me of my own "overreacting or not?" issue. Dd came home from the church youth group's annual camping trip last year with a story that next year the leader wants to do this "cool" exercise with them. He wants to take them into the woods after dark, drop each one off by themselves, and leave them to sit absolutely still. The purpose is some sort of sensory deprivation/experiencing nature thing, and I think vaugely some sort of trust thing (though I think mostly it's because he did it as a kid at a school camping trip and thought it was cool ;)) We're social friends with the leader (who is a 27yo married father of two young boys), so I casually asked him why he thought this was a good idea. (Real casual, huh?) It ended badly - and I went away feeling that he was completely ignoring and maybe even ridiculing my concerns. So, am I overreacting? I'm a small-town/rural girl, but didn't grow up on a farm or with woods to play in. I like to hike, but I respect and fear the wildlife around me when I do. I think sitting absolutely still at night could set you up for an animal encounter that the typical adult, nevermind teenagers, wouldn't be prepared for. Or am I being fearful and silly? So the camping trip will come up again in August. He's probably forgotten all about it, but unless you talk me down, I might not let my dd's go without a signed, notarized statement that they won't be left to sit alone in the woods after dark.:lol: I should say - I'm normally pretty permissive on the topics that come up here. My kids are moderately free-range, ride bikes around our small town, and heck, I probably wouldn't have batted an eye at the rock-jumping stuff. (But dd wouldn't have been talked into it - she isn't a daredevil by any means.) But something about this terrifys me! So am I overreacting?

:iagree: and I'm in Ohio. If you don't have a separate reporting sheet with only the composites, mask the rest of the page and make a copy with only the relevant parts showing. The individual parts are for your use to know what to work on.

I agree with other advice given, but I'm wondering - what is his typical approach to pre-marital counseling? Has he encountered couples with one ambivalent partner before? Does he have a criteria outside of which he cannot in good conscience agree to marry the couple? And would this couple fall into that category? I'd think having mom calling to arrange the pre-marital counseling is pretty unusual in itself. Sounds to me like she's actually asking him to make him ready to marry this girl. Some frank discussion with everyone involved will probably be needed to allow the boy the ability to make up his own mind.

Thanks, all. We'll talk to the coach and the pro shop for suggestions. My parents had a set that a friend gave them for mom to use if she ever wanted to try - they seem to be the right length for dd. I'm think they're good enough for her to play and see if she sticks with it for any length of time. The bag with them has got to go, though. It's enormous and way heavier than the more modern ones (and no stand.) I feel more confident looking for a used golf bag.:D

This isn't exactly a s/o of the free golf lesson question, but close. Dd(15) has just started playing - with a local city course golf camp. She loves it, and wants to keep playing. Soooo... what am I looking for in a good used set of clubs for a beginner? Any particular brands/styles to stay away from? Any particular features to look for? Any recommendations at all are most welcome - even pointing me to a good information website would be great. TIA!

I'm accustomed to saying & hearing /kw/ - in central OH for all my life. But now that I think about it, I think the "w" is pretty subtle, but definitely there.

We've rented houses on Topsail Island in the town of Topsail Beach (south on the island) for many years - it's quiet and secluded, lots of families, not too many partiers (a few, sometimes). It's within driving distance of the aquarium and Wilmington attractions. There's a turtle hospital and small local museum in Topsail Beach, but not much else in the way of attractions (which has been great for our family, but others might be bored.) I've also rented at Sunset Beach - beautiful place! Although I went with xdh's extended family, so not the most pleasant trip.:lol:

LOL - I went to high school in a building that had been designed with open classrooms ~5-10 years before. It had failed miserably by the time I was there, so we got all these half-a$$ed demountable and portable walls in a futile attempt to enclose and separate the classes. It DID NOT work effectively! Funny thing - my dad sat on the committee that built these buildings.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I had to google Anzac biscuits - they sound yummy... I'm making banana bread this morning, dd will be making puppy chow (Chex muddy buddies to those people whose school mascot is not a bulldog:D) And I'm off to look at gluten free and vegan recipes - great idea! And yeah - last time we did this, two moms brought box-mix brownies. :confused: Which sold only slightly better than the box-mix muffins with fake blueberries. :confused: The girls are raising money to travel to Savannah, GA this summer.

What would you want to buy?:D

Someone else posted her dc's response when they were being quizzed. Maybe it would work for your ds: "Why do you ask, Grandma? Don't you know?"

Sadly, around here it's often the parents that are influencing, or at least encouraging the ostracizing. In my 12yo's social group, there are several moms who are so desperate for their daughters to be part of the "in" crowd that they encourage them to exclude friends who aren't helping their social standing. I think the idea is to drop the "loser" friends before the girl gets excluded herself. The irony is that most of the other kids know by now to stay away from them because they're not "nice"! These parents are the same ones to sit and complain about the "mean girls" without even acknowledging that they are the ones creating them!

I had a harder time with 29 than 30. By the time I actually turned 30, I was pretty much over it. Now I'm 42 and wishing I was 30! I'm trying to apply that idea proactively now, practicing appreciation of my 40's because 50 is right around the corner!

I always wish I had had the presence of mind to ask this question whenever I come away from a "socialization" conversation with non-homeschoolers! And to directly copy a comment I've made here before - David Guterson turns the "socialization" question on it's ear in his book Family Matters: Why is segregating kids in groups of 20-30 of their peers for years at a time with limited and contrived interaction with other generations a natural way for kids to be "socialized"? It would be entertaining to listen to your questioners try to answer if you turned it back on them!

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano - 1789, 265 pages. Autobiography of a former slave who had been captured in Africa.

You forgot "other"!!!! I always hit the coffee pot first - to get it brewing, then browse the internet while it's chugging away. Then I get my first cup and finish browsing. ETA: Or if I had the presence of mind to set it up on delay the night before, I pour my first cup and sit down to browse. So it's simultaneous!

My daughters learned with a combination of the two in p.s. The method was primarily phonics-based, but they also learned the Dolch lists of sight words. FWIW, they both learned fairly effortlessly.

:iagree: And with the back seats folded down and middle row removed, you can lay down 4'x8' sheets of plywood & drywall!! :D I picked up 2100 boxes (that was 175 cases) of girl scout cookies in mine, but my most astounding feat was packing 35 cases of girl scout cookies, 2 folding carts, a card table, 4 girl scouts and two adults into the van! I also transport 2 adults, 2 kids, tuba, trombone, and a full week's worth of groceries - which is important for our grocery-shopping-after-band-practice routine. I am constantly amazed by what we can haul in that thing.

:iagree:

The more that I think about this, the more I'm convinced that what they "knew" was that the series would end with Jack lying in the same place and closing his eye. The rest of it - Jacob & MIB, purgatory in a "flash-sideways" was determined as they went.

A mom in our GS troop made pecan and lemon bars for a bake sale last year that were fantastic - and went quickly. They were ooey-gooey and looked and were delicious! (But maybe pecans aren't cost-effective?) Sorry I don't have recipes.

I was sure that I saw Walt in the group scenes in the church at the end. If it's hit Hulu yet, you could check me on that. :D Now that I've slept on it, I'm not quite as disappointed. The Juliette/Sawyer and Charlie/Claire reunions were worth it. :lol: (But no Desmond/Penny! They left that up to Hurley.) But like "mother" said in the mythology episode - answering your question only leads to more questions! Where did the people on the plane end up? What kind of life did they lead? (I assumed the wreckage at the end was the original crash, too - it just looked too familiar.) Hurley and Ben's short exchange at the church leads me to believe that they lived for some time on the island. And was Kate speaking for the fans when she said, "Christian Shepherd? Really?"

Way back around season one, the producers assured us that the island wasn't purgatory - but as a pp said, that's exactly what the "flash-sideways" seemed to be. OK, so the island wasn't purgatory (or hell), but they worked it in there anyway! I will say that I'm glad they found a device to bring everyone back together again.

Nope - I would have preferred it, too. It was a perfectly fine ending, but I don't think it was as clever as the previous seasons have been, KWIM?

I think they devised a "loophole" to make it about what they said it wasn't. (Did that make any sense? I'm trying not to spoil too blatantly!)