Completely agree with this. Thank you for posting it, Ravin. Of course, if a child wants to accelerate, and it's his/her choice - go for it - I wouldn't say otherwise. We've gone the above route though, because that's the direction DS has taken us. He tests PG, but for him it doesn't always mean he's working way above grade level (unless it's at his request or it is obviously necessary) - it often means that he's going deeper, wider, or totally following his own curiosity. (For that reason, I rarely post on this board, since he's often not "accelerated" ... but I lurk here, because of the PG issue, to find inspiration and glean ideas.)

You are bilingual German? What about helping a German company that markets to the US "englishize" their brochures, etc? There are a few German based companies that could use some help.

I'm in!

You may have one already, but when we had a large patio (in addition to the existing deck) put in it was like adding another room to our house. DH built a beautiful fountain next to it and put in a swing, and we are out there nightly. The kids even like to swing softly to wind down from the day.

Oops, I checked this after putting them in the freezer, Bill, but will go do the smell check now. Good idea. Laurie, you make it sound so easy! ... I'd normally take your thoughts and bake them - but our oven is kaput. New one doesn't arrive till next week! Figures. :)

Thanks, Bill. I think freezing them is a great idea. I forgot that's an option. And it means I can go to bed instead of cooking tonight! Yay!

Thanks! I think I'll boil them now, but no clue what to do with them after! That might be another thread!

Does this earn a special WTM badge? A "Would you eat this?" thread? :tongue_smilie: Cleaning out the fridge, I just found 2 shrink-wrapped packs of organic chicken breast. The use-by date is today, May 6. Six chicken breasts - aack! I am a fairly new carnivore, so my meat know-how is lacking. Obviously, we're not going to eat them today, but I could cook them? And eat them tomorrow and/or the next day? We are waiting on a new oven to be delivered, so I can't bake them and get them in the fridge before bed. But I can use the stovetop, crockpot or microwave. What can I do with them? Help!

This sums up anything I'd have tried to say, only better!

Love your contenders. :) Have to add another vote for the French side of St Martin. Love it, love it, love it. Depending on where you stay, it can be very quiet - we've basically had our own private coves several times, and avoided the beaches with umbrellas, etc altogether.

Hoping for some new ideas here, too! DS and the neighbor kid have been really into the Fort Kit I made DS for the holidays. Super easy to make - just google "make your own fort kit" and you should come up with tons of suggestions. I went with the no sew option. Basically it's just a few sheets, some big clips, some rope. I used a grommet tool to put grommets in the sheet at intervals to make it easy to use the rope. Added some walkie talkies, and the boys are set. This month's Family Fun had some ideas - a sheet with a tic tac toe board put on with painter's tape, then 2 different colors of frisbees to use as Xs and Os. A felt target to hang, throw whiffle balls covered in velcro. Bubble guns are fun, not sure if those are too young for your kids. ETA: bean bag toss games. We have one called, I think, Bucket Blast.

Vacuuming stairs. Laundry goes without saying.

:grouphug: Maybe you can find a counselor in your area who is familiar with adoption issues? I don't know where you are, or if that's an option. I think the more openly he can communicate about it all, the better - with you, and with others. Maybe you can offer him the option of inviting his birthmother to visit, rather than going there? That would feel safer. Our kiddos adoptions are open, but not without drama/issues of their own, so I can only imagine that your kiddo's situation is multiplied exponentially. And reunification even as an adult is difficult, and fraught with emotions - DH is going through it right now, it's a slow process for him, and I've seen him run the gamut of emotions in ways I've never seen in 25 years knowing him. It's been astonishing to me, to see it all, from my very well adjusted, confident and comfortable in his (adoptive) family DH. Would your son consider reading some books on reunification? I think there are some out there for teens, but it's been a while since I've researched. More :grouphug: .

Yes, they make them. I usually give my stepmom a regular Mother's Day card though, but she's been a mom figure in my life for 25 years. :) I think she'll be touched if you do it!

We freecycled ours. Ugh. Not necessary.

Help. (That was uttered in a squeaky voice!) Party is in 3 weeks. [Gasp!] Designated Party Planners are a bit behind in the, ummm, planning department. I'm thinking of offering assistance, but don't know where or how to begin. I would be wading into an unorganized in-law thing, but at this point, I'm thinking there needs to be some help, and witnessing the chaos is making *me* lose sleep at night. Guest list is right above 80, though there are apparently 50 more who have not RSVP'd yet. So far, the facility is reserved, but that's about it. No food has been ordered, though it has been decided that they don't want it catered. They know basically what they want to serve, but no idea how much to order, etc. Or how to go about setting up/cleaning up as people eat. Birthday cake has not been ordered. Decorations not purchased. Do I offer assistance? Is there a "how to throw a party" primer out there somewhere, with a list of what to purchase and how to pull this off quickly - and nicely? Anyone have some good ideas? Blogs? Anything?

White dish towels with hand prints in fabric paint, so grandma can have little handprints in her kitchen.

Wait for wood. :) I have been tempted by Billy at times, especially since seeing some beautiful pics here, but have always resisted. Particleboard out gasses, and it won't work for our family, though that doesn't impact everyone in the same way.

Hmmm, I think our kids might be soul-mates, right down to choosing the 2x4 over the iPod. :) I totally agree with all of the above suggestions. Here are some more random ideas that I think my Tinker would love: Supplies and instructions to make something like this. Or this one, with pool noodles added, looks like fun! Speaking of pool noodles, they have been a big hit here lately - you might add those to the tinkering kit. Oh! And is she on DIY.org? She might love earning badges there, and you could start her off with supplies to make some of the projects you think she'd like.

I'm so sorry.

I think it's a good idea, and worth a try. My newly 9 yr old boy is a reluctant reader. He does not enjoy it, though he loves audiobooks - I suspect because he can be active while listening. We listen to a lot of audiobooks here. We recently listened to D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, and I was shocked when he ran to the bookshelf and read along. He followed along for the entire book. Twice! The choice of book was his, this was just for fun, so I'd definitely let them have input into the audiobook. We also do MCT, and I have him read along for that, too. That's fairly new for us, so that may have contributed to the enthusiasm.

Coming in a bit late here to say that I, too, would love to see your ideas! :)

Would he enjoy listening to the audiobooks? At that age, we did SOTW via audiobook (Jim Weiss), and when kiddo was tired of coloring the pages while listening, he'd draw pictures, use playdough or thinking putty while listening, etc. Sometimes he'd listen and set up scenes with his playmobil figures (we have a lot of historical playmobil figures). We treat the questions, etc in the AG as jumping off points for discussion. Are you doing activities? Projects? Those always help here, too. Maybe you could add in some videos - there are some lists around here somewhere of corresponding videos online. That might help, too.

I had a nickname as a child, and didn't successfully change it completely till college. But since then, the only people who still use my nickname are family members who knew me as a child. That's okay with me. My brother had a nickname that he changed in college, too, FWIW. I don't think anyone calls him by his nickname now, other than our mother. A nephew recently started going by his given name, rather than a nickname, and he seems to be making the transition well. It's harder for family, but again, he's very graceful about family slip ups.

At those ages, I don't think there's too much free play. Have you read the pre-K and K sections of WTM? That might be a good guide. At that age, I kept any lessons very short, optional (meaning if it wasn't working, I had no problem shelving it for the day), and fun. You don't want to instill dread at the thought of "school." That will stay with your kiddos a lot longer than missing a few reading lessons at that age. I did this, too! I wrote on a variety of surfaces, too - index cards, windows with window markers, sidewalk chalk outside, anything to keep it fun and fresh.