I'm sorry you're having a tough time with your daughter! Hopefully aside from the fact of going out and not being where she was supposed to be, she used her head otherwise. Those of us with younger kids will be in your shoes soon enough! At pre-teen ages we still call the parents to make sure everything is on the up and up. Does that stop at a certain age? Would it be totally embarrassing for a 14-year-old? Maybe you could consider just a call "to chat" with the other mom to see if she needed any particular snack for the night, not necessarily as a "checking up" call (even though that's what you would be doing!) Good luck going forward. Part of me dreads the teenage years...

I've never paid for an app,and there are gazillions of them. Also they are rated so you can see which ones people like best. You can search them all, or search just the free ones. Makes me wonder if your rep is getting a better commission on pushing the Windows phone? Our rep touted the advantages of whatever we wanted to look at, certainly didn't make the Droid sound difficult!

Seems to me anyone who reads and/or posts on a board of this type is making every effort to be a good parent!

First, check to see who owns your mortgage at this time. If the answer is "MERS" (Mortgage Electronic Registration System) then it's possible there is no one who can legally foreclose on your house. Google Foreclosuregate and MERS Scandal for more information on this. Second, even if you are unable to pay your mortgage, you should pay your taxes. So if the escrow is included in your house payment, you may want to write a check directly to your taxing authority (county) to make sure you are not behind on taxes. Bottom line is, if your mortgage was sold over and over again, and the chain of title was broken, the bank may have no more right to your house than anyone else. There's a way to check online if your mortgage is part of the MERS system. Here's more info: http://www.dailypaul.com/node/146238

The way I'm looking at it, is, if he got killed over there, is his sacrifice any less because he was being paid more? I don't begrudge your friend's family their joy at his return. Hopefully if anyone asked what he did over there, she would be honest and not pretend he was a soldier.

That aspartame stuff in diet drinks is no good for you. I'm amazed when parents let their little kids drink diet sodas.

Is there absolutely no accountability in this job? or is hubby pretending that his own work is both of theirs? It would seem to me that this other guy would have no "progress" to report of any kind. Maybe your hubby should document how much of the work HE DOES on his own, leaving the other guy showing little or nothing.

That's better than my 9-year-old's manuscript writing (he is now on to cursive, which is an improvement). Still, I have him skip writing-intensive exercises, or, do them aloud, or modify them so he doesn't have to re-write any sentences. We have daily handwriting practice, but I don't want to get his thought processes in other subjects slowed down by the mechanics of writing if I can help it.

Florida's tests are also available online. Just google FCAT released tests.

We've had some similar problems, though maybe not to the degree your son is showing. What has worked for us is CHECKLISTS! Mental lists (kept by me of course) have not worked, because it's too much to keep track of. So each day we print off a checklist of what has to be done to be considered a successful day. (if you know it's going to be a weird day with appointments etc. you can modify the list) We have even gotten as specifc as "say good morning to other family members" which the kids chuckle about, and that way their day starts off with a completed task. I have one ds who would not eat a breakfast without tremendous nagging, but now it gets done because it is on "the list." The list rules whether the day's pleasures can kick in. If completed, yes. If not, no. We don't have videogames etc. during the week either, but we do allow a couple hours of TV at the end of the day with a snack, so that is what they would lose for an "incomplete" day. And if the "incomplete" included schoolwork, then that work would have to be made up before the weekend, or the weekend priviliges would not kick in. (barring illness etc.) You said your son is highly motivated for the things he wants. Once he sees the connection between completed checklists and WHAT HE WANTS (sports, weekend privileges, etc.) then perhaps the motivation to complete your list will materialize. At least this has proven true for my "formerly lazy" children! I honestly though we could get it all done without structure, because they're basically good kids. But they ARE kids, and they WILL shirk if I allow it. It was my husband who came up with the checklist idea (and you really need Hubby on the same page with this so he doesn't make excuses for DS), but it has worked like a charm. It has also made our household calmer, and less stressed. Nagging annoys everyone, including the person doing the nagging (ME!). You can even make them be in charge of checking off everything themselves -- if they aren't truthful, that's a separate consequene to be dealt with later. Occasionally they will check off "practiced piano" after half a practice, and I will have to send them back to finish. "That's only HALF a check!" Hope this helps!

Another thought -- if there is any kind of safety problem due to the overbooked class sizes -- the city employees would be insured. Not sure about your status as a club member volunteer. I really don't like this mix of They Get the Money, You Get the Responsibility!

If this is unusual behavior, you might want to consider something medical. Also, medications can cause people to act funny! But, if he's been this way for years, well, the ignoring actually sounds like an improvement over the constant sniping! I wish you the best trying to deal with this! :grouphug:

Soap on a rope would be so much more useful when he's hungry. Or, maybe a garish tie. Seriously, this is a gift that I as the cook in the house would love even though I cook!

My fourth and sixth graders take 2.5-3 hours daily to finish their work.

Just speaking to the maps issue, we have been doing "geography" as a separate subject. We only do it once a week, but so far that has seemed like plenty. It gets rotated with other once a week subjects like health and typing.

Hmm, maybe I should try baking my own. Haven't done that since i helped Mom as a kid. What's the best way to get started? The easier the better, if this is to become a routine part of our lives. What would you suggest?

At my kids' former school one of the other moms told me her 3rd grade daughter started reading a series from the school library aimed at the elementary age group. Apparently it had a sex scene in it! (so sorry I don't know the name of the series, I have boys) This resulted in a talk with her daughter that was more extensive than she preferred to have at that age, and also a talk with the librarian. Who for some reason did not find the book inappropriate? This is an elementary K-8 school. :confused:

You can always check that link to see how many sex offenders are in your zip code. Most neighborhoods are safe, I would think, but you never know.

Okay, maybe asking for a "Lightning Lit" equivalent is a tall order. How about, is there a Lit program for upper elementary (4th/5th grade) that you really like? Or maybe it would be better to ask, how about a reading program you're really fond of? How about CLE reading for fifth grade -- would that provide some challenge and excitement for a strong reader in 4th grade? Just wondering what others of you may have had success with out there, anything your kids really enjoyed for a reading/lit program. :biggrinjester:

I'd be totally guilt-free on this one. Good move for you and your family! And, due to the lack of aggravation vis a vis her not showing up, it may save your friendship to boot! So I'd say it's a bargain all the way around.

My 6th grader is doing 7th grade Lightning Literature this year, and LOVES it. (so do I, to be honest!) Well my 4th grader sees all the fun he is having with it, and says, "why can't MY literature be as fun as that?" Well, I don't want him doing Lightning Lit just yet. He's an advanced reader,so doing 5th grade level work, but I'd like to save Lightning Lit for next year, at the earliest, with him. So, does anyone have any ideas on a fun and interesting Lit curriculum for a 4th/5th grader? Right now we are doing some Progeny Press guides, which he gets through fine, but doesn't find as fascinating at the Lightning Lit. Thanks! :party:

On Amazon, some reviewers seemed to be suggesting you need a "teacher's license" in order to get the teacher manual? Can homeschoolers get them?

But people suggested arch supports INSTEAD of going to the podiatrist -- or do you have to see a podiatrist whether you want orthotics or arch supports? I'd like to try the cheaper route first!

There is usually some self-interest on the part of the government for encouraging things like loan modification. Once you get more than a few foreclosures in a neighborhood, then values start plunging. That isn't good for the remaining homeowners, nor for local governments. It isn't good for anybody, actually. Also I'd point out that many businesses are walking away from commercials properties as a "business decision" -- if they're far underwater on it, then it makes no business sense to hang onto it. They walk away and it seems that is viewed in purely a business light, no value judgment attached to it. With homeowners it tends to be viewed differently, and people have a tendency to think the owners must have made bad decisions to be in that situation. For example, home prices in Las Vegas (a particularly hard hit area) have dropped 58 percent since the peak, and a full 73 percent of homeowners there are underwater. (wow!) You could argue that the "bad decision" was choosing to live in Vegas, but still. Is anyone saying tsk, tsk when a company makes the decision to walk away?

Where do you get arch supports?