Good running shoes! Get evaluated at a running store for shoes for your feet and gait. Also, running on sifter surfaces like grass, rubberized tracks, can be softer in your body than the road. And cross training is great. Addimg something Swimming and biking are great ways to help build up endurance without the pounding.

There is one by us, but I have never attended. It seemed geared to kids younger than mine and most of the families know in it lean on the unschool side of Homeschoolers. Some of their activities look fun though.

https://smile.amazon.com/Great-Graphs-Sensational-Statistics-Activities/dp/0471210609/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1505397558&sr=8-4&keywords=Great+graphs

We like Great Graphs

I have the same question. My son loved the Data and Statistics chapter in AOPS prealgebra. He wants more. We have also done Great Graphs.

Singapore Math SOTW RSO Phonics Pathways AAS

DD 1- practically from birth. Seriously had to wake her up for most of her feedings. I let her sleep 8 hours at around 6 weeks of age. DS - about 3 months DD 2 - about 6 months All were breastfed

My DH is Apple and I am Android and we use Google calendar. He set it up and it is nice to be able to see the calendar on all my devices, including my computer.

So, I read the TJed book and thought some of the big ideas sounded nice, but not practical. The math, in particular, did not seem like it would work. Anyway, I mostly forgot about it until I moved to Utah, less than an hour from where the DeMilles live. After living here I finally understood the strong objections and emotional posts I would see on here. I won't go into it, but it has made our personal lives difficult here. Besides a couple rare kids, I have not been impressed with the kids being homeschooled this way. It may just be their way of doing it, not the method at fault, but the results are not good. I have met many 8-10 year olds who can't read, older kids who can't do basic math, and overall difficult behavior from the children. One friend, who I met during her couple years of not doing TJed, has boys who are significantly behind. She went back to TJed at one point, but put her kids in school this year. The oldest boy is in hours of private tutoring. All boys were placed a year behind in school. Your results may vary, but overall I would be careful.

I would love to only have a five minute drive, but that's not realistic. Our drive times are mostly 10-15 minutes. Track/cross country is 20 minutes away. I wish it was less, but it is worth it for a better group. We used to live in a big metro area where everything was at least 20 minutes. We moved to a smaller area so we could have better commute times.

We do a fun day. We do it on Wednesday. Art, read aloud, memory work, devotional, computers, etc. We have been doing it his way for many years and it works out fine. A lot of these were subjects I was never getting to, so I had to schedule them. Reading aloud once a week has worked out fine for us. I dislike reading aloud more often. They all started reading so young that I stopped reading to them and this is the only way that has worked. We do picture books and chapter books. Memory work once a week has been fine too. You have to do what works best for you.

This is why we moved and my DH changed jobs a few years ago. He used to never be home for anything. Now he works 5 minutes away and is usually home for lunch and dinner. Huge difference in how I feel too.

So, confused. The director is now offering for me to be on the casting committee for all future productions. The music director even sent me a text about it saying she thinks it would be great, I would bring a different perspective. What do they mean by this? Are they afraid I am going to quit so they wanted to offer me more? (I did not say anything about quitting in my email.) Or does he think I will see that my kids don't deserve better parts? (Not likely since I can tell we value certain qualities differently.) Or do they really think I would be good at casting?

After reading the email my DH felt, as you pointed out, that the director has a certain type he looks for my DDs are not it. He didn't say there is anything they could do to increase their changes at getting better parts.

Well, I sent the director am email about my girls. With the help of my DH, the email was very good and tactful. I received a response and learned that hard work, diligence, memorizing, etc doesn't mean anything to him when casting. (Which explains how kids who don't even bother to memorize audition pieces are still getting leads). I was told that getting bad roles is just the nature of theater. He also said that my older DD was too tall for a kid part but not tall enough for an adult part, so she couldn't be cast for any larger roles. Which means he did not even look at her because she is the third tallest girl in the cast. As for the younger DD, he said that she is sill young and older kids get priority for leads. I think he still thinks of them as the shy little girls he met 4 years ago. How I wish they liked swimming, or track, or math competitions.

For those that asked... It is not the most talented who gets parts, although the VERY talented do get good parts, some of those that get good parts are pretty awful singers. Boys always have priority. He wants boys to keep coming so they get as many good parts as possible. Parts that could go to either gender always go to a boy first before more talented girls. For example: My DS has done only one play and he got a pretty big part, even though he didn't want a big part.He was actually pretty bad, you couldn't hear him and he was only 7! He even had a whole song he had to sing... And he sings monotone. They ended up doing the song Acapella because he sounded so bad. That one play he had more parts then older DD has had altogether. You guys are right, I can't believe I haven't said anything or done something different.

You're right about the burning bridges. We will probably not quit because it's just not who we are. Also, instead of double casting they do two totally different sessions. One starts next week and performs before we even start next month. We do tend to end up in the sessions with the favorites and more talented kids. But often we can't switch because of other conflicts in our schedule.

Thanks for everyone's comments. They were all very helpful. And I know hard work and diligence don't equal talent, but I want my kids to think it's important. Yet it seems to mean nothing in our recent experience. Many of the leads show us late and never know their lines, yet they keep getting cast.

I have wondered this sometimes... She also memories easily so she might just stand out because she knows all the parts and is confident. But her dance and voice teacher and even the director think she could do this professionally. Maybe just bad timing for her look, age and the plays. My older daughter, however, has no shot as a professional. But would like to teach dance one day. I was told by the music director, who doesn't get much say in casting, that she was cast as a dancer before auditions this time. So they probably didn't even notice she was one of the best when they read lines this time.

Yes, the same kids gets leads over and over again. They have mixed it up a little bit, but hasn't worked out for mine. There used to be one play and year, now two. The thing with my younger DD is I get people coming up weeks later talking about how amazing she was. She stands out even in her small roles. It leaves me so confused. Maybe I am upset too because the directors are always complaining about the kids not knowing their parts, missing or being late, and speaking too quietly. And I am sitting their thinking, my girls don't have any of those problems. I got the quote about hard work from that stupid mindset book, I think. But my son has the same problem in sports. Until he had different coaches last year.

UPDATE: You are were all right and I was an idiot for not listening to you. I feel like it is time to cut ties with this theater group, but my girls don't want to. It will be hard, but it is probably time. There is a long story update in the last post. Original: In your experience, does hard work and following all the rules get you anything? In jobs, sports, theater, dance? For your kids? My kids seem to never get the parts or make the team, etc. even though they never miss practices, very rarely a few minutes late, work very hard, practice at home, etc. For example: My girls have been a part of a children's Musical theater group for 4 1/2 years, about to do their 7th play. We were there since they started, in their back yard! They have never missed a practice and only been late once (like 7 mins, carpools fault). That always have all their lines and song memorized before the first rehearsal and they learn and remember choreography well. All their paperwork is filled out perfectly on time and I help back stage. My older DD is always very well behaved and works hard. My younger DD works very hard, but occasionally gets crazy with the other kids. The directors are always telling me how they great because they always know all their parts and they are always loud enough to hear. The director and audience members are always commentimg on how talented my youngest is. Older DD is a decent singer and good actress. Younger DD is a good singer and great actress. Both project very well. They both take dance and voice lessons. There are usually 25-45 kids per play. Most play everyone gets at least 1 line, some plays there are a few who get no lines. My older DD just got a part with no lines and no singing at all. She is a dancer. It is the 3rd time she has had no lines. The most she has ever had is like 5-6. I think she has had like 20 lines and solos total! She is soooooo discouraged. She will be 13 in a few months, and she is the only one her age, that has done more than one play, that hasn't been a lead.(I know because I am on the board in charge of publicly and programs). My younger daughter has faired a little better. She has always had a least one line. But her line and solo count is not much higher than her sisters'. I watched thier audition, through the window, and they both did really well. Their singing was not their best, but good. Now one has zero lines and in has 1 solo line. We are so discouraged. They have nothing to practice to make them excited to do the play. One doesn't even sing any songs with the chorus. The other does but already know them all because it's their favorite Musical. I have no desire to work on posters or programs. I just want us all to quit! Practices don't even start for a couple of weeks. I feel like this keeps happening to us in all their activities. I have always tried to teach them the importance of hard work and now I am wondering if I am just setting them up for disappointment their whole lives. I want to rip down the stupid poster in our school room that says "Talent is the Result of Hard Work." I thought maybe they want to get rid of me, but they keep giving me more assignments and responsibilities. ETA: DDs love performing. Don't want to quit performing, but our really upset about feeling like nothing they do is good enough UPDATE: a year and a half later You are were all right and I was an idiot for not listening to you. I feel like it is time to cut ties with this theater group, but my girls don't want to. It will be hard, but it is probably time. There is a long story update in the last post.

We didn't use any programs. They played on Starfall and we read phonics books like Bob Books. All three kids were reading by Kindergarten.

We are at a conservative studio where the costumes and moves are all modest. Sometimes hip hop dances at the studio are a little saucier, but not bad. Costumes never show bellys and most have sleeves. Our teachers just believe kids should be kids. They tend to do all styles in a more musical theater version. Love it. Don't know if we could ever find a studio like it anywhere else.

Our studio recommends them. They only use them in one if their two weekly classes. Not everyone has them. I think it's been good for my daughter. Sansha sells cheap ones if you don't want to pay much.

No special dinners here, you have to eat what was made. But I always make sure everyone likes at least one of the items made for dinner. I also encourage trying everything, but don't force it. They choose and make their own breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Honestly we've never really had problems with dinner doing it this way. Sometimes they don't eat much or only pick out the parts they like, but they seem fine with it.