I agree. I met my bio mom, 2 sisters, a brother, a passel of nieces and nephews etc. I am pretty sure I have more 1/2 siblings and would be fine to talk/meet them. It is interesting to see nature/nurture at work. Then again, I am the kind of person who can pull myself out of a situation and look at it from the outside. I have more of a proble looking at things from an inside perspective, If that makes sense. Good luck! Faithe

Me too. And I would definitely bring him. Dd's best friend is a boy. I know they are probably going to end up together. We love him. He is part of our family and would be invited to come with us if she wanted him to.

Me too!! I am training right now to do a 1/2 marathon....or at least poking at training for it. I have done 2 obstacle races and really love them. They challenge every part of your being. I like that! Good luck in your training! It is amazing what we can do when we set our mind to it.

I have had girlfriends and boyfriends on trips with us. We have always had the friend sleep in the same room as the same sex siblings or in a common open room like the living room. Built in spy system. Seriously, if teens are going to mess around, they are not going to wait for vacation. I think it is good for getting to know the boy or girl and having them in the context of family. Have a great vacation!

I am minimalist except when it comes to books....and I have pared those down lately. I would love my home to reflect that however, I am outnumbered by the inhabitants of our home. Dh and kids are all " collectors".

Did classes this week at the gym. Cycle clas Monday, Tuesday, wednesday. Monday: sculpt, Tuesday power-lifting, Wednesday: barefoot class. Today depends on the weather.....if it stops raining, I will run. If it keeps raining, I will do some HIIT intervals indoors. Oh, I also bought a new fitness toy.....a Wahoo heart rate monitor that transmits to my phone. I love it. It also transfers data to map my fitness, and works with my map my run app. Best part, I got it on a great sale! I love gadgets! What is your favorite?

Woot!!!

My mom was a nutter to the hilt. It was only on her last few years that she was totally bats. She was a good person who meant well, would give you the shirt off her back, did not have a prejudice bone in her body, and never said bad things about other people. In her last few years, she became very selfish and self focused, nagging, etc. she drove us all absolutely crazy, but we could still laugh about it. She had a good sense of humor, and would probably laugh at it herself if she realized how completely bats she had become. Lol. Anyway, I hope I become a sweater, kinder, nicer kind of bats when I am old. That is my hope anyway....and until then, my kids get the crazy, full of spunk and spitfire me.....

There are so many posts about our insanely, crazy, cuckoo, nutso Moms and Dads..... It leaves me wondering what my kids will be posting about me in 20 years. I hope, at least, they are mildly entertained. That is all.

I am generally happy. I am also generally unhappy, if that makes sense. I am sorry for many of the choices I made when younger because ey have effected every part of my adult life...and have made things hard for my children as well. I am very aware that choices do effect happiness both long and short term..however, that said..I have learned to be content when I have a little or a lot. I have learned to be joyful in good times and bad. I have learned to have peace in the midst of a storm. I trained myself to be in the now, and not fret too much. So, yes....generally speaking....I am happy.

I agree. My kids know the degree is not optional...however, their degree might not be their dream degree to begin with, but one where they can earn a good living while pursuing their passions as adults. This has worked beautifully for my oldest dd's ...one a graphic designer, the other a registered dietician. Both are in fields they love and their good paychecks help them to continue in their heart pursuits. My oldest son is a trained and certified heating technician and could get his plumbers license if he wished to. He is also certified as a personal trainer and swim coach/ water safety instructor/ lifeguard...which is how he is making money right now, while pursuing an amateur kickboxing maui thai career.. He is also slowly working on his degree in business. Ds#2, is a certified A/C refrigerant technician, water treatment specialist and is a plumbing apprentice. He is also pursuing a degree in small business/ entrepreneurial studies and will be formally studying Hydro-engineering once he takes a few more math classes. He is a straight A student. He is the plumber who always has his copy of Lord Byron close by :-) It is not an either/or situation in this world, but a both. If you are willing to work hard, really bust your butt, you can have both an education and a well-paying career that is not necessarily on the beaten path. We can not outright pay for our kids college educations, but, we can provide them with the tools to earn money, pursue their degrees and have an income to cover their costs. Getting a technical certification that helps pay for the cost of college, gives you skills and some hands on experience is a win/win situation.

We have a trade business. My husband is very intelligent, yet does not have a college degree( one credit shy! ). Our problem is hiring trained, educated, individuals. It seems any kid who cant make it in the academic track is pushed into the trades program. Imagine the caliber of applicants we get! We are working on highly technical equipment! Our hires have to take certification courses, work with clients, logically troubleshoot issues with equipment, write paperwork, bill clients etc. Our country is going to be in some BIG trouble if trained skills are not given respect and $$$. Trades are not for losers! Trade schools are not for dummies! My kids are very intelligent. My boys have been trained by my dh, taken trade courses etc. they work in the field while in college. We hope they will take over our business when we retire. 2nd ds is probably the guy to do it. He is the brightest in the bunch! He is studying water treatment, hydro engineering and also small business entrepreneurial skills. He is going to be in high demand, as our trade is becoming more and more technical.....with fewer and fewer skilled people to install and repair equipment. It is a tough business. Clients are huffy and sometimes treat the guys like morons who couldn't get a job, so get in there and fix my furnace! ( which they do not know how to do even with their trust fund and multiple degrees.). Now, I am a very academic mom! I believe everyone should be introduced to beauty first! Beauty should be the foundation on which we build the rest of our education. And what is more fun than a plumber with a copy of Lord Byron in his bag??

Love Pentime.

Great workout yesterday. Ran 2.5, walked 1.0....then HIIT drills at the gym with dd. Today is rest day then back to the gym for me Monday.

Some people get one of these kids.....I have 2. It is the most frustrating, hair pulling, makes you crazy thing ever! What we did with my older ds was call homeschool done at 16. At that point he had more than a high school level education. We had him learn the trade of our business. It was basically a disaster and ruined his relationship with dh. He did learn a ton, but he was still him.... He was also a swimmer. Loved swim team, loved the pool....so I encouraged him to get his life guard and teaching certs and since we knew the manager of aquatics at the Y, to apply for a job there and go to school part-time. He did that....and again....could have aced his subjects but, he refused to do the work. He didn't hand in homework or would put off doing his papers. After the 4 th semester, he quit and moved to the city for a full time job at a Y down there. He stayed about a year, then tried to come home, work with dh and start school again. After5 months...back to the same old.....so, back to the city and his job. He is doing really well. He is happy. He is healthy. He is swimming, body building and kickboxing semi professionally. He is not on drugs, he is self supporting, he does his thing. He is so brilliant, but he is not willing to work harder than just enough to get by. These are his decisions....we can't change the person he is. Anyway, now I have ds 9, who is ds22 jr. Only with a bad temper and attitude. ( ds 22 is very sweet, pleasant, smiley, gentle). I am at my with end trying to force this one into school work when I know it is an effort in futility. This child is brilliant. Has the vocabulary to prove it. He has been reading since he is 3 yet refuses to read anything but magazines or blogs on the computer. I finally found he will listen to audio books while playing Legos. He will not do his math, but memorized his times tables in days. I am at a loss. I have no good advice even though I have been there and I am there again except.....spend more time with your dd...the one who WANTS to learn. Do special projects, watch movies pertaining to HER studies, bake or craft or whatever she likes to do. One of my biggest mistakes was focusing on what he was NOT doing to the neglect of working with my kids who wanted to learn. I will not do that again. I am there...he knows what he needs to do. There are no consequences other than him falling behind....because he refuses to do any sport or outside activities. If I take away treats, he gets them from dad. I don't worry about punitive. If he doesn't do his work, he doesn't learn. Somehow this kid still manages to score in the upper 90th percentiles on his tests and he also will pass all of his quizzes and tests for the week.....he is learning somewhere! Just in his own way. I focus on my relationship with him and giving him the life skills he will need to navigate the world....but the push/ shove/nag thing does not work. The take away stuff does not work. The threaten thing does not work.reward systems do not work. Honestly, it wouldnt make a difference if he were in school or not. My oldest proved that to me. I will be reading this thread closely hoping I can find something to spark my younger son so he does not end up with such a defiant attitude as an adult. I do not see where that attitude helps with their position on this planet. I want my kids to have a good life, I do not see defiance as a good character quality, yet it is the one character that is so tough to form and shape into something useful for them and their community.

Regents are still here, but I hear they may be phasing them out. I don't remember where I heard it, so that may be a rumor. The teachers here have their hand full implementing common core....not a happy one in the bunch.

What she said. Really!

:-(. What a bummer! Hope you feel better soon.

Hunter and Lori D....thanks so much for the links!!! I have my reading cut out for me this weekend. :-). Got my books pulled and ready to start something on Monday :-). Check in here...I am sure to have questions as I read. ;-) thanks again,

HTT???? Now you've got me. What is this??

Lol! No barging! We have been bouncing ideas off each other for years! I am not sure....how is that for a clear answer! My youngest son is ummmmm....quirky. I have not had him tested or diagnosed as of yet....that is one goal for this year....he is very intelligent, needs very little repetition, and easily frustrates. He needs a straight to the point curriculum. For now, I have been doing the lesson part of the math and LA with him, then the quizzes and tests. He aces every one of them. Kind of expensive when you are skipping most of the lessons and exercises in a book! I believe he is gifted Asperger's. That is my feel anyway. My next ds needs all the review and then some. Can you say yin yang? Lol! Total opposites! So, he stays with CLE. My oldest still homeschooling is staying with CLE until graduation. It is just easier on our relationship. This is what you have to do to finish...Kwim? So, that is my answer :-). Yes and no. Anyway, as for my youngest, I think the WYCNTK books will be better and to the point, short CM type lessons....and I don't have to think too hard about it. My thinker is somewhat cracked....it is coming back, but I definitely am organizationally challenged now. Before my last huge flare up, I could write my own lesson plans, teach grammar through writing and copy work/ dictation, find cool projects etc. Now, I lose the darn workbooks if I let them out of the room! Frustrating, but trying to find my new normal....

Oh, I have the older hard copy editions. The ones with different color sponge paint.

Thanks for your reply Hunter. More questions....do you do a lesson from each chapter daily....iow, put a sticky note in between subjects and cover several a day? Imnow this sounds stupid, my brain is having organizational issues....and I think these books would be so helpful right now in finding gaps and introducing material I did not yet over with my youngest....who is a challenge, to say the least. Thanks again for your input. It is very helpful!

I have the entire set, yet have never used them.....they look nice, but how do I translate them into lessons?

I lean with you. ;-)