My son got an Xbox for his birthday. He is 10 and would love some friends to play with on Minecraft. If you have kids that he can play with, please PM me. He likes both creative and survivor mode. Thanks :) Amy

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You did nothing wrong. If the girl and her mother need to feel uncomfortable and awkward, so be it. As for you, hold your head up high and just move on. This mother never even asked to hear your side. That says a lot about the situation to me. Hugs.

Thank you very much! :)

Well, I wouldn't call it colorful, but "The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study" by Starr Meade is hands-down my favorite. It is written to the middle school, young high school crowd. http://www.wtsbooks.com/common/pdf_links/Meade_V1Intro.pdf You may find other samples and better prices elsewhere. We own all four volumes. Love it!

Which standardized test should I give my 4th grade son? The results will be for me & shared with his end-year evaluation. I'm having a difficult time deciphering the differences and benefits of each test. I would appreciate any feedback. TIA! FWIW, I'm leaning toward the SAT10 - but want to make sure. I like that it's online and seems thorough.

As far as, "I hate school" -- doesn't really phase me. My son hangs out in his pajamas, cuddling me, eating, and has a cat in his lap. He doesn't have homework - ever. I don't feel bad for the little man. As for spelling out loud, I find doing it orally has better retention. It is harder to spell something out loud than write it. With my son, I go through the list, about 15 words a day. I put a check next to the words he misspells. When we reach 10, those become written words that we study.

When I was on FB, I had friends from elementary, middle school, high school. It was crazy! I'm going to be 43 & had friends from 2nd grade, lol.

I would do something nostalgic. Things that were popular from her birth year. Things that were popular when you two were 14, etc. Maybe even a video birthday wish from you. Another idea - tell her 50 things you love about her of 50 of your fondest memories :)

Trust in The Lord with all of your heart Lean not on your own understanding In all your ways acknowledge Him And He will make your paths straight Proverbs 3:5-6

My son had mono when he was two. I can't tell you for sure the symptoms because he had so many other illnesses going on too. He had trouble eating and was tired though, I remember that.

Great ideas --thank you!!!!! :)

Every Sunday we have a group of 8-12 people here to watch a TV show. I provide a meal. I don't make it a potluck, it is something we do and guests just bring drinks. I would love some cheap meal ideas. Here are my last three, please help me add to it. Potato soup Rotini with meat sauce and garlic bread Chili Thanks for your help! :)

The older my children were, the less family or friends expressed concern. Your little boy is only 5, right? As he gets older and your MIL sees how much he is learning, she will stop. My in-laws were concerned when we said we were homeschooling. They would quiz the kids in the beginning (so annoying!). Funny though, this year when my daughter went to public middle school, my FIL was very concerned that it was the wrong choice, lol. So, I'd say we won him over :)

This is what we have dealt with this year. My daughter went to school & for the first time, my son and I have struggled to find our own groove without her. It hasn't been awful, but what is normally pretty easy-going for us has been like trying to tread water at times. My son loves homeschooling, and I love having him here. But without my daughter, it has been a transitional year for both of us. They did most subjects together and played a lot during the day. That has all changed now. We are figuring it out finally & getting our own routine and discovering how to best meet his needs. Also, where we live now, the homeschooling community is quite small. In Charlotte, we had classes, co-ops, weekly field trips, activities, etc. Because we are in a small town now, the opportunities are much more limited. I've had to really step it up to meet my son's social needs. Anyway. That stood out to me! :)

My kids are literally in the sprinkler as I type and our air is on. I wish it had snowed here. Even just once.

My daughter went to public school this year. She loved homeschooling and was actually torn about the decision. It was a very happy transition though, as she has always been easy to homeschool. She honestly just wanted to try it & I didn't want that to be a big regret that hung over her. We live in a very small town & I like the schools well enough. I'm friends with all if her teachers actually. We decided to simply try middle school & I told her she could come home if it wasn't what she expected. She is still there & on the honor roll. She can come home anytime, but I imagine she plans to stick with PS. My son will dual enroll in 6th grade most likely. We live in FL and a lot of home schoolers in our area utilize this option for band or choir, etc.

Sequential Spelling. We bought the wrong level for starters. Secondly, my son can spell anything. It literally was a time wasting subject. We dropped it.

Well. My son is using time4learning at an accelerated pace, alongside time4writing. He is in 4th grade. I'm surprised to tell you that we totally love it. I ordered it as a last resort because schoolwork was just not going smooth for whatever reason (read: drudging along). I'm not sure that we will use it for 5th grade, but we will definitely continue with this combo throughout the rest of our school year. I feel with the pace we use T4L it is fairly comprehensive (well, aside from writing - so we add in T4W). We do the extra projects and print off the worksheets, and he completes the assignments in writing odyssee too. It even has art, which is pretty cool. We only add in reading, foreign language, bible, recorder, and outside sports. For a smaller one I would add in penmanship as well. They do have spelling lists per grade that you can incorporate too. Anyway. It's working for now, so I'm sticking with it :) I can't tell you about other grades though, only 4th.

Eh. I don't dislike it. But I would not have picked it. It's Amy. And it's spelled super plain. When I was little, I never spelled it correctly (Aimee. Amie. Amey). In the 70's there was like fifty Amy's at my school too, which drove me nuts. To set myself apart, I signed EVERYTHING "Amy the Great". lol. I guess I had an ego in elementary school. I still sign cards to my parents that way, just for fun. In middle school, I tried to change it to Elizabeth & I wouldn't talk to my friends if they didn't address me as such, lol. That didn't last long.

Wow. She is a witchy woman as far as I'm concerned.

Big hugs to you. No advice, but I will pray for you. ((((Hugs))))

Whenever my husband and I want to help someone (family or friends) we always ask, "Are we helping or enabling?" In your situation, I would base your decision on that as well. That's a tough place to be with your in-laws. I'll be praying for you.

No. I hear ya. Our house is really drama free and pretty peaceful. When talking about discipline, I'm highlighting issues and lumping scenarios. But it isn't a daily occurrence here. And it's hard to say I'm totally anti-punishment because I have had to play that card. But it isn't normal, nor preferred. And I also don't view punishment as totally horrible, it's basically the result of a negative behavior that resulted in a negative consequence. It beats me yelling at my kids or losing my cool. But again, I'm talking about circumstances that are rare, not the norm. The most drama I've experience of late was my son balking at schoolwork. It was mentally taxing to debate with a nine year old about why school isn't optional. I actually threw my entire curriculum out the window and switched it all up. We are both happy now. Problem solved.

On a side note ... When we lived in CA for a year (Sacramento) I went on a women's retreat to the beach. I grew up going to FL & had no idea that the beach we were headed too would be so different! I packed a bathing suit, shorts, sunscreen, lol. It was freezing cold and the waves were huge and choppy - rocks everywhere! I was very ill prepared to say the least. I had to borrow socks and clothes from someone :)