We are all in the same state, but spread out throughout the state, so different clinics/vaccination sites.

My mom, brother and I all got our first shots today - didn’t plan it that way, but that’s how it worked out. My mom and I had Pfizer, my brother had Moderna. My sister-in-law got her second Moderna shot and isn’t feeling the best today. My brother has pretty bad asthma, and nearly died of an asthma attack two years ago, so I’m relieved that he got his shot. The clinic where I went was very busy, but appropriately spaced — it made me happy to see so many people getting vaccinated. I feel like there might be a light at the end of tunnel.

I am so very sorry.

Sorry to hear you’re having poor service with DO! We have not used them for a few years but they were prompt then. Have you tried Mr. D?

I personally really like Derek Owens. The teaching is excellent, but it also teaches good study habits like taking notes to a lecture. We also have Beast online, and while it’s fantastic in its own way, it doesn’t teach those executive functioning skills in the same way. DO would be a great segway to a more middle-school style of learning. If cost is a concern, you can grade yourself and pay half price.

One of my most vivid childhood memories ...

Good question. I also need to create a middle school transcript for my son who will be applying for a private high school.

This is very true. My son is in basketball season right now, playing for his private school, and he has practice 2-3 hours a day, 6 days a week. He basically does school, homework, basketball and (not enough) sleep. During fall football season, it’s similar. He wants to play AAU basketball this spring, Covid permitting, so the dynamics will likely be similar, but with full weekend tournaments. He is an above average student (As and Bs) but doesn’t love academics. FWIW, as a 5th grader, he was much more academically-inclined but sometime between 6th-8th grade, he lost that academic orientation. I don’t know, maybe it was puberty brain. Not saying the same thing will happen with your DS, but I agree with others that it’s important to think about an off ramp if his goals change.

You could also look at the same package on Bookshark’s site - that would exclude the Bible portion, but it would also exclude the missionary biographies and perhaps that’s something you want? Another idea is to purchase the instructor’s guide used, purchase/check out the books that interest you, and disregard whatever portions you wish.

These are the books that turned me into a reader. I devoured them in elementary school! We lived within driving distance of several of their homes and visited them on family vacations. I have such good memories of reading those books. Several years ago, I read Little House in the Big Woods to my kids. It went fairly well, although I did edit a bit on the fly. My kids showed no interest in the other books and I didn’t read the others to them because they weren’t that interested and there are SO MANY good books to read and just not enough time. Another childhood favorite, Anne of Green Gables, has become a favorite of my daughter, as well, though.

What hard news to receive. Praying for a miracle!

Praying for your dad.

I have hidden a large portion of my extended family on FB over the past year due to beliefs that Covid is fake and rabid political beliefs. I’m really not sure how to interact with these people IRL once I actually see them.

It is fantastic that Oregon is prioritizing people with disabilities. We have a son who is developmentally disabled and medically complex with a history of very severe respiratory issues. There is still no word on when PCAs and other caregivers, much less families of those with disabilities, can be vaccinated here. I am hoping it will be sooner rather than later.

Homeschooling is not new to us - this is my 8th year, but we’ve always had some combination of homeschool/public school/private school for our 4 kids. Due to all of the uncertainties regarding Covid and our youngest son’s complex medical issues and absolute inability to do any form of distance learning, we pulled him out of public school this year to homeschool. It’s not easy, because he is profoundly disabled, but I’m thinking that without a vaccine for children anytime soon, we may end up keeping him home another year. The health issues are definitely a concern, but if there continue to be changes to the mode of instruction, that would be very disruptive for him. Any amount of distance learning is a no-go for him. He has a 1:1 aide all day in school, and the kind of assistance he needs can’t be replicated on a screen. My daughter previously attended a homeschool hybrid program at a private school, but I’m not sure we’ll send her back either. From a distance, I now see that the families who attend there are the type of families who aren’t likely to vaccinate themselves or their children. Mask wearing is done, but only to fulfill the law, not out of a real belief that masks are an important public health measure. For example, tiny face-shields are permitted. They just cover the nose and mouth but leave a large gap between the shield and the skin. They technically meet the requirements of our state’s mask mandate, but I can’t see how they do a whole heck of a lot of good.

Wondering this, too!

My son’s private high school offers both distance and in-person school. The distance kids are required to come in for final exams. If they wish, they can take the exams in a private room or in the classroom. It’s a small school, about 250 students, with about 25 cases of Covid so far. They are pretty strict on masking and say that contact tracing has shown that transmission has not occurred in the classroom, but during lunch, extracurricular activities and in the community.

If you want free, our public schools allow part-time enrollment via distance education. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure that anything worth doing is going to cost some money.

We spend a week each summer at a lake with extended family. I’ve already booked our lodging. The cancellation policy is pretty liberal so while I’m pretty sure we will be able to go, it’s good to know that I can cancel if we need to.

We typically do not wear shoes in our house. Most of us go barefoot but will usually put on socks or slippers in the winter. I do have some clean sneakers that I use on my indoor spin bike.

That is just wrong. :(

I agree that chat is a great option. I try to use it whenever I have an issue with Amazon and it seems to be the most efficient way to solve a problem.

That is shocking. I’m so sorry!

I usually bring my bike out into the living room and use our big TV but occasionally just use my iPad. I use my iPhone for the Wahoo app which shows my heart rate and cadence.

I don’t think it would work very well. On a spin bike, you can control resistance and simulate hills, flat roads and declines by changing the resistance. The coaches call out when you should increase or decrease your resistance and cadence. I haven’t used a trainer, but I am not sure you can do that on a regular bike on a trainer.