Instead of school, maybe he take one or two online classes geared to homeschoolers? He could possibly chat with the teacher and other students during weekly sessions, and work at his level - not the level dictated by the state for his age. Even though he is "behind" he could seek out mentorships with others of all ages that have similar interests. He could start his own business (yard work, dog walking, pet sitting) and bring up/learn his basics (academics) primarily from real life experiences. I guess to help him transition to PS (if the family goes that way), they should help him prepare and be strong with his own talents and self worth, so he can brush off or rise above school/peer issues as they arise. It might be helpful to find a few friends from school over the summer to begin to develop relationships that are built by commonalities beyond the classroom. His friends will realize he has similar interests, humor, and boy antics. When school time comes around, they can rely on those memories and friendships instead of going by where he becomes pegged at academically.

For Pooh: Beatrix Potter? An aside: Potter's illustrations brought many visuals to my Charlotte Mason reading later in our homeschool years (they both lived in the Lake District of England). Kenneth Grahame's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS? Jill Barklem's Brambly Hedge series?

This was hard us when we wanted to learn about China. We actually used our library for this, and checked out books about food, architecture, ancient science in China, and picture books galore. I also remember doing a LOT of origami:) This is not China (Korea) but if you are doing a general survey of the region during medieval times, we loved Linda Sue Parks books, especially, A SINGLE SHARD. Also not China (Japan) the children's books that we've read about Basho have been VERY memorable and helpful to get a feel of the simple gentleness of eastern poetry and eastern flowing thoughts on the interconnectivity of the universe/earth. Have fun!

You can get her in the habit of saving 28% of her check. At her age, and for the amount of time she works, that should cover all the state, fed, SS taxes. She may want to start paying quarterly too. She needs to begin to itemize very carefully: car, tags, gas mileage, space in her residence where she stores her work items, space in her residence where she may work from, phone/internet, job flyers for publicity... a percentage of each can be declared for her businesses expenses on her tax forms. This will help offset her final tally for the IRS. It's an education in itself. She'll be light-years ahead of most young adults her age if she learns/applies all of this now - and she probably will have great confidence to become a businesswoman on her own, someday soon.

Whoa. Not fun! You could try to hang or rig a wet sheet in front of a large window at night. During the day, you can hang wet dish towels in front of a fan. As air passes through the fabric, it is cooled and will help the room you are in. Of course, close windows and window coverings to shade your interior. Grill or plug in the crock pot outdoors. Better - eat out and then visit a play place for indoor play, shakes and ice cream. Stay cool!

We had a similar accident in our part of the country within the last month. A pedestrian walked away from his car for help, and got hit and then run over, over twenty times before anyone stopped. Word has come out that the there may have been alcohol involved, nonetheless, it is terribly sad when an agenda or destination is more important than another person. The publicity of such events is a reminder of the 1960s well known/studied Kitty Genovese murder where people were not willing to become involved. It would be sad to think we need to be reminded. Or that we need a huge national case to get more good Samaritan laws and protections on the books again.

I'm hoping your teen is not deeply troubled, and that you can get through this with grace and a renewed life together. I've counseled teens (tough, but rewarding). Without knowing you, or your teen I can't say much but give some (quickly generated) general thoughts - my best to you and yours! ~Approach counseling with the view that you are not trying to "change" her - rather, you are committed to growing your relationship anew as you can't go back or toward a fantasy/dream relationship. ~Pull the plug on all reality and talk shows. They just add to the whole teen "dramz" thing that goes on. ~On lying, call your teen out. If they say "Sarah said so..." immediately walk over to the phone and call Sarah to verify it - and do follow through. If your teen give you generalizations (everyone will be there) get a concrete list and itinerary or account of the situation. Teens often get caught up in a swirl of thought as they try to figure out where they fit in with many other people and they are able to think through scenarios that would never really play out in real life (Will Tim notice me if I talk to his ex girlfriend Sue? Should I talk to Sue because if I do Sheila might get mad because Sue didn't return her favorite pen...Sheila is Tim's sister and I want her to like me too...) . Argh. Teens often live half of their lives in their heads or as with girls, trying to figure out unrealistic scenarios based on gossip. Teens need REAL experiences. Help them move onto "real life" events and activities (mentorships, jobs, community college, etc.). Your goal is to help her find out how she can find her true life path and achieve the things she is to do here on earth (the human odyssey). ~We need to CONSTANTLY bring teens back to reality. Don't let them carry on about how someone teased them years ago (ergo they gripe that they are no good now). Help them see things that are in the past - are just that - in the past. Any teen can say that he/she is dumb, ugly or that they do not have fashionable clothes. Pull out their report card or other awards, letters, pics/videoes to showcase their talents. As hs moms, we all know there are many talents beyond books, and that you can help your teen find the true things that make him/her unique. Ugly? Well, even celebs have very ugly days (look up a few pics with your teen to help them get a reality check). Nothing to wear? Granted, styles for teens change quickly, so, maybe a new top or accessory could help them feel more up to date. While you are out - let your teen shop and meet him/her later for a snack. ~Teens don't like to be with their parents (generally). However, they do like to EXPERIENCE things. Sometimes this HAS to be done with a parent as in a skiing for a family vacation or playing a round of golf together for a charity event your family is attached to. This is a time in both of your relationships to break from parent/child parenting. It is a time to grow experiences that can be shared by both of you. Make some of those experiences special (unfortunately money is often attached). For example: if you are in a big city, tea at a fancy hotel (the Four Seasons has a high tea); go to a sporting event; find a charity to help out together (let your teen find - you follow); take a yoga class together... If your teen is sensitive to be seen with you, shop at the mall in the next town together so they don't have to run into peers that are working in the stores. Grow your relationship with dates and unique experiences. ~Have your teen make a list of good and bad qualities. Go through them. But after each quality (my hair is gross; I like my big toe) add the line "IN THE BATHTUB". It is a funny exercise that brings them closer to the reality happening right then and there. It helps them get in touch and see how silly emotions can be flipped around so quickly. ~The goal is ALWAYS (ALWAYS) to reunite the family in a way that they can all work together. If you can get to a point where you all feel the relationship is positively growing, but there your teen still has reservations or difficulties, you can throw out the emancipation ticket. When a teen is faced with a choice to stay and work on the relationship, or when they are given the option to seek that legal separation, they often do a 180 turn and re-commit to the family unit. If they choose emancipation - take that choice with grace. Your teen is more important than a tax credit, personal pride and whatever you may have as a goal to keep them home. Keep in mind, that emancipation can actually help your teen get funds for college - no family support = a second look at their financial grant/work needs. Your goal is to put your relationship with your child first. You'll both need to find the right way to do that together. Families first. Families can be together through life/forever. My best to both (all) of you!

I'm hoping your teen is not deeply troubled, and that you can get through this with grace and a renewed life together. I've counseled teens (tough, but rewarding). Without knowing you, or your teen I can't say much but give some (quickly generated) general thoughts - my best to you and yours! ~Approach counseling with the view that you are not trying to "change" her - rather, you are committed to growing your relationship anew as you can't go back or toward a fantasy/dream relationship. ~Pull the plug on all reality and talk shows. They just add to the whole teen "dramz" thing that goes on. ~On lying, call your teen out. If they say "Sarah said so..." immediately walk over to the phone and call Sarah to verify it - and do follow through. If your teen give you generalizations (everyone will be there) get a concrete list and itinerary or account of the situation. Teens often get caught up in a swirl of thought as they try to figure out where they fit in with many other people and they are able to think through scenarios that would never really play out in real life (Will Tim notice me if I talk to his ex girlfriend Sue? Should I talk to Sue because if I do Sheila might get mad because Sue didn't return her favorite pen...Sheila is Tim's sister and I want her to like me too...) . Argh. Teens often live half of their lives in their heads or as with girls, trying to figure out unrealistic scenarios based on gossip. Teens need REAL experiences. Help them move onto "real life" events and activities (mentorships, jobs, community college, etc.). Your goal is to help her find out how she can find her true life path and achieve the things she is to do here on earth (the human odyssey). ~We need to CONSTANTLY bring teens back to reality. Don't let them carry on about how someone teased them years ago (ergo they gripe that they are no good now). Help them see things that are in the past - are just that - in the past. Any teen can say that he/she is dumb, ugly or that they do not have fashionable clothes. Pull out their report card or other awards, letters, pics/videoes to showcase their talents. As hs moms, we all know there are many talents beyond books, and that you can help your teen find the true things that make him/her unique. Ugly? Well, even celebs have very ugly days (look up a few pics with your teen to help them get a reality check). Nothing to wear? Granted, styles for teens change quickly, so, maybe a new top or accessory could help them feel more up to date. While you are out - let your teen shop and meet him/her later for a snack. ~Teens don't like to be with their parents (generally). However, they do like to EXPERIENCE things. Sometimes this HAS to be done with a parent as in a skiing for a family vacation or playing a round of golf together for a charity event your family is attached to. This is a time in both of your relationships to break from parent/child parenting. It is a time to grow experiences that can be shared by both of you. Make some of those experiences special (unfortunately money is often attached). For example: if you are in a big city, tea at a fancy hotel (the Four Seasons has a high tea); go to a sporting event; find a charity to help out together (let your teen find - you follow); take a yoga class together... If your teen is sensitive to be seen with you, shop at the mall in the next town together so they don't have to run into peers that are working in the stores. Grow your relationship with dates and unique experiences. ~Have your teen make a list of good and bad qualities. Go through them. But after each quality (my hair is gross; I like my big toe) add the line "IN THE BATHTUB". It is a funny exercise that brings them closer to the reality happening right then and there. It helps them get in touch and see how silly emotions can be flipped around so quickly. ~The goal is ALWAYS (ALWAYS) to reunite the family in a way that they can all work together. If you can get to a point where you all feel the relationship is positively growing, but there your teen still has reservations or difficulties, you can throw out the emancipation ticket. When a teen is faced with a choice to stay and work on the relationship, or when they are given the option to seek that legal separation, they often do a 180 turn and re-commit to the family unit. If they choose emancipation - take that choice with grace. Your teen is more important than a tax credit, personal pride and whatever you may have as a goal to keep them home. Keep in mind, that emancipation can actually help your teen get funds for college - no family support = a second look at their financial grant/work needs. Your goal is to put your relationship with your child first. You'll both need to find the right way to do that together. Families first. Families can be together through life/forever.

You could be very simple I guess, and just wave your hand around in the air (or use a dish of dirt) and then use place examples of where air has higher concentrations of your elements. For example: sulfur (Hawaii/volcanoes)m lead (Beijing's goal to cut these emissions or talk about 19th C factories), iron (center of the earth or a meteor crater), and so on... But here are some practical items: Iron - a rock from the yard (those tinged red usually contain iron); take a magnet and run it above the ground that is between a curb and the tar on a road (you'll pick up iron and actually, meteor material!) Lead - lead shot/bullet; lead from a high quality drafting pencil; cheap kids jewelry and toys (if you haven't already found and banned them from your home); chalk made in Mexico had lead in it last year Carbon - diamonds!; scrape the bottom of a fire pit/place or burn some paper and use the ashes Silicon - most car/hinge lubricants; caulks; lotions, creams and cosmetics; some of the new silicon bakeware; a piece of glass Sulfur - many toilet bowl and drain cleaners contain sulfuric acid; some common medications contain sulfur (no - don't use this one...); a firecracker; gun powder Chlorine - chlorine pool tablet; a drop of a cleaner that contains chlorine; salt is a mixture of sodium and chlorine Tin - tin foil; old toys (tin banks); Altoids mint tins; mercury thermometers contain an amalgam of tin and mercury; the flaky stuff on the back of an antique mirror contains tin/mercury

If you can (if it isn't too late or involved), get it filled. If it needs to be capped, get it pulled instead. Your DMD is capable of doing this in office. Often with baby teeth, the nerves are well on their way to being deadened at that age - and often a topical gel is all that is needed to pull the thing out. Good luck!

Put it in a roaster at a low temp and bake it until it almost falls apart. Save half for ham salad or ham steaks. With the second half, cover it in jam and baste with juices, or make a brown sugar/favorite cola paste and cover the second part of the ham with it, letting it bake another hour more (this can be done in a crock pot as well). Yum!

Bad diets make sugar bellies (big guts). A sugar belly can happen at any age (our kids are not immune). Just as adults need to limit their sugar gram intake to 30 - 60 grams per day, kids also need to cut back on their intake. High protein diets work not so much that they are protein - rather, because they naturally cut out sugars. Most people can eat anything and lose or maintain weight as long as they keep their sugar gram level within a low range. Exercise helps too - in boosting the ability to utilize sugars in an efficient manner.

i loved, Loved, LOVED Sonlight Core 3 for American History. We purchased and read all the history materials when we were doing SOTW 3. It was a nice "fit" and it fulfilled my desire to beef up our American studies. I will be reading the books again this year, this time with my third grade son, I am looking forward to having the reading discussions with a "boy" (the last time around it was with my daughter). We have not purchased from any other Core series. We've enjoyed using our library and reading off of many classical reading and living history/science books for our history/science cycles. Many of the Core 3 books were just not available in our library system.

We've been sans Costco since last January. After years and years of having a membership, it's been a hard habit to break! I'd say go for it, especially if you can stick to the basics (eggs, cheese, milk, butter, meat, and bath/kitchen products). When we were Costco shoppers found it hard to resist the huge bags of Jolly Ranchers, the handy snacks for the kids, and especially hard to avoid the frozen ready to eat, easy to prepare for lunch, meals (chicken pot pies, corn dogs, bagel bites, etc.). All that "bad" eating disappeared when we stopped the membership (read here, I had to cook more responsibly). I believe we could easily go back to Costco now, and that we could resist the temptations with our renewed commitment to eat healthier. However, I'm finding now, that I can do better budgeting and stocking up by carefully shopping in the "regular grocery store". It's certainly NOT as convenient - but if you have the time it can be done. If you do decide on a membership, here's some advice: SHOP WITHOUT CHILDREN (well, unless your children are the type that don't ask for this and that on each aisle). Also, at the end of the year for your membership, stock up on as much as you can for the next three-six months or so - and reapply for membership when you begin to run out of your Costco favorites. In doing this, you can stretch out the payments to every other year rather than on a yearly basis.

meld...not melt

We always have vanilla ice cream and fresh/frozen fruit available to make shakes and sundaes. It's always a VERY good day when there is a pan of freshly baked brownies and jar of hot fudge around! If I need an emergency quick dessert or fruity side dish, I ALWAYS keep a can of each in the pantry: cherry pie filling, pineapple bits, and mandarin oranges. When they are (drained) and mixed together the result has always gotten raves. It can be served right away - unlike some of our other favorite fruit salads that are better when they sit around and melt. The cherry concoction is even better when mini marshmallows are added.

Early on most responses were generally positive, or politely guarded. My mom just admitted LAST WEEK that she was concerned when we first started six years ago. Bless her, she never said a negative word - she was always positive. She openly praised us for how the kids have "turned out" on her last visit here. As for comments now, they border the comical to me. Almost always, when people find out we homeschool (especially neighbors or church members that have sort of known us) the response is, "You do? They're so normal! What do you do?". I take those incredulous questions as GREAT compliments:) To have "normal kids"!!! (as compared to what?) It just cracks me up:)

Seconding Benadryl or a prescribed decongestant. A simple salt saline nose spray can help get things moving around the sinus cavities and ear tubes too. Hope he has a good flight!

I hope you find comfort soon! It's double hard to stand up to many men - I imagine it may have been a whole different spectrum of feelings if you had stood up to a woman. I wouldn't let up on the "justice bone" especially if in your heart you know it was the right thing to do (how else do some people learn?). If it helps, try to think of it as one of those bumps in the road... you just need to ride over it (no stopping to think about it) and go on with life. If you need to learn from this - just avoid the next bump in the road. Live in the present - that bump is in the past.

Over the years, my nose has hunted out the following dead stuff... here are a few clues that might help: ~mice have a strong musky scent but quickly go to a faint sweet smell ~lizards have an acrid, sort of garlic/onion smell that goes musty over a day or so ~birds just smell foul (no pun intended) - they smell like rotting compost and used horse hay You can cover the smells with peppermint or tree tea oil on cotton balls - just stash them in a few corners and freshen them each day needed. I hope everything returns to normal soon!

Some thoughts... Google book or book club conversation starters for the classical books you are reading and get a list of starter questions. There is a handy pack of questions called "Table Topics" that can be purchased from here: http://www.tabletopics.com/bookclub.html These can be used for any book, and are very general in their approach (great for beginning Socratic discussions until you get the hang of it). As you use pre-formed questions or Google question lists for specific books, you will begin to understand how the Socratic discussion is not centered around a Q & A format - it's more of a controlled conversation. It's a true conversation as you and your child grow in your discussions. It has been helpful to me to pose the FIRST question using a who, what, why, where, when or how approach. AFTER that first question, I've found it best to echo the answer back for further elaboration, rather than ask, "Why?" or "What did..." questions. That said... You can use the "why technique" (I don't know the real name of this) to really dig deep with your student. Keep asking why? why? why? to each of their responses. Challenge them to answer honestly. Often the conversation will often stray from the book using this technique, but the end result is rewarding in its own way. Keep a general list of virtues near until you are very familiar with its contents. As you are discussing characters you can "throw out" a virtue (kindness, courage, valor, compassion, etc.) to deepen the discussion. Stay ahead in your own reading of the classics. Look for book lists and read through them. Look at book lists provided by classical books based colleges such as St. John's in Andover and Santa Fe. Reading the books on their lists in the order presented will help you begin to see connections between works, and writers of each era or genre. Don't be afraid to read outside the classics (Stephen Covey's books, Multiple Intelligences, Little Men, Little Women, Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare, Lonesome Dove, The Chosen, etc.). TJEd, has a reading list for adults called 5 Pillars. Most of the books on the 5 Pillar list are gems for realizing a variety of parenting techniques - without reading dry parenting books. I've found the books I've read from this list helpful as we enjoy the classics. The books you choose, are not meant for your older children/teens to read (although they can for fun). Instead, the books are for you while your students are delving into the classics. As you read, you are able to bring in this external information to the Socratic discussion. The goal is to help your student make bridges between books, between disciplines, between time/eras, and between cultures. The external information you are able to bring in, helps your child realize that the classic being read at that time is not a sole entity. That is, it can be compared and contrasted with other books and life applications across time and cultures. It's hard to describe how they have helped, but I'll try... ~Potok's The Chosen compares two rabbi fathers - one rabbi, parents his son using silence (he views God as parenting His children in silence), the other rabbi, parents using both religion and secular resources (his view is that God sends the law, but also sends some extra helps along the way). As you read books beyond the classics, your own syntopical reading will provide much fodder for your Socratic discussions. As I read The Chosen, I was often thinking about many of the classical human odyssey stories (mans quest to find home/God). As we discussed, I asked, "Was that done in silence?" "Were other worldly options considered, or was it by faith alone?" ~If you read Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, you can use the different intelligences in your discussions. (You can do this with Covey's books too, or the Who Moved My Cheese? book and so on). For example, you could ask (as was asked of me recently), "In Romeo and Juliet, which of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences would you say Mercutio had?" Your student might answer "Bodily-Kinesthetic" (sword fighting, great fun in early friendship, etc.). You could talk also, about impulsivity (Mercutio wanting Romeo to go to the ball), or how Mercutio's free spirit balanced Romeo's expected/established comportment. Your are killing two birds with one stone when you use practical self understanding books - children learn styles of learning or life issues as they are discussed alongside the classics. ~Little Men is a book about a cottage school. I often thought of my own little cottage/home school as I read. Little Men has practical advice on teaching life skills and how to bring out the best of children even when they are at their worst. ~Little Women is great to pull out when your young girl is going through a trial or realizes an accomplishment. I've read this with my daughter in chunks over a year. When she was teased about homeschooling, we read the chapter of the time Amy was humiliated. When my daughter had trouble developing a skill, we read about Beth's struggle with piano playing. ~I loved the parenting advice in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: read a page from the Bible and Shakespeare each day; teach children fairy tales so they have a place to go to during times of fear; discuss myths with children to help them learn discernment; learn a practical skill; follow your passions; save money; buy a piece of land, and so on. The advice within has been used in generations before, and after. As an aside, while reading this book, I was able to share with my daughter that Charlotte Russe is a dessert - not just a teen clothing store:) ~Asimov's two volumes on Shakespeare fills in tons and bunches of background information (Cliff Notes - the big book - is a great help as well). ~Keep up on your own reading myths and fairy tales - and bring this reading out into your real life as you visit art museums or look up pictures of art. The stories show up in art over and over and over. If you (and eventually, your child) are well versed in myths you can easily understand their visual interpretations in art (and film and music). Children that know what happens to men that cannot answer the question posed by the Sphinx, will be able to decipher the foot, hand gestures and facial expressions as they go through the variety of paintings of Oedipus done by Ingres and others.

Chiming in - we loved Geraldine McCaughrean's Odysseus too! Seconding in on Padraic Colum's Children's Homer as well.

My eight year old son asked if he could quit homeschool and devote his time to solving PI... I give him cudos for thinking outside the box on this one:)

$2 We did $5 for a couple of "trauma" cases (one tooth was knocked out sledding, the other, wrestling). But of course, this is only if there is blood gushing...

We freeze flour to kill any possible larvae that may be in it. We do the same for oatmeal. We bag it up in gallon ziplocks or containers and pop it in until we need to fill the kitchen canister.