Spudater, you are spot on for how things went. Then she went on a crying jag (which I think had to do also with the fact that she is behind on biology and hates it and realized that was how she SHOULD have spent her Saturday afternoon - catching up on that dreaded subject.) LOL. It is hard being 15!!!

Good morning! Drink coffee/pray Clean out fridge (and rest of kitchen) Mass at 10 Breakfast at home -(waffles and eggs) Shower Go to talk our new Catholic environmental group is hosting - inaugural event! After talk - maybe go visit my sister who has been ill Dinner is on dh - some kind of take out I think. Do Latin homework

Thanks all. I especially like the duct tape idea. LOL. My poor dd is just having a meltdown she's been on a crying jag all day. Can't figure out what it is. I don't think it is menstrual related. Anyhoo. I'm just going to lay low for now and deal with this later. Thanks for all the suggestions. We might just get some black ribbon and dd (who sews better than I) may try to sew it on. We'll see.

I think kids react to change differently. Some can be very insecure about it. A lot of kids shut down or they get to college and flunk out or get depressed. It sounds like she is doing well at school and working (which is a lot!) but there's one area where she is trying to find her footing. Is she nostalgic about her high school years? As to the prom, I would check with the folks holding it, to see if they are ok with her attending. My son had a gap year before he went away to college and he also had friends that were still homeschooling high school so he attended even though he technically had already graduated. But they might want to make sure that your dd doesn't bump an actual high schooler if the attendance is full. Personally, I would try to focus on what she is accomplishing. Chances are things will smooth out as she adjusts and gets older.

Well, she is busy being 15 which means she is in tears over mom being so unreasonable. If I tried to take a photo now and she knew I was talking about her here, she'd probably flip out. So I guess I'll have to wait to this blows over, then sneak into her closet and take a photo. Stay tuned!

Dd 15 was so excited. She went shopping with a friend today and bought herself a dress for the homeschool prom. I was not there or I would never have encouraged this purchase. It is strapless, strictly forbidden by prom rules (plus it just is too old looking for her, like she is trying to look 21 when she is just 15.) Anyway, we've had a slight altercation over it (ah-hem) but now we need to figure out how to doctor it up so it is suitable. I'm checking out wiki how and pinterest, but I do not sew at all. Somehow I have to get material to match and then someone to sew it for me. The only fabric store I knew of near me closed a couple years ago. So that's the first hurdle. Anyway, with any experience with this? Easiest way to fix? Thank you. P.S. this pinterest post is kind of what the dress looks like and these straps would work well.

Top o' the mornin' to ya! (I'm still feeling Irish!) Today: Finish up laundry I'm in a nesting mood so I want to tidy and rearrange and such today Get bagels for breakfast Take 15 yo to flute Take 15 yo to friend's house at some point this afternoon Figure out something for dinner

Thanks everyone! It doesn't have any meat, dairy, etc in the stew or the cous cous and it was covered so nothing dried out. Someone conscientiously covered it all and then just didn't put it in the fridge. I wound up putting it away. If no one eats it, I'll chuck it later. It really didn't look bad and my house wasn't especially hot last night.

Hi all, So the vegetable stew and cous cous got left out over night. It smells fine, but I am so easily spooked possibly spoiled food. What does the WTM jury say?

Good morning! I just spent an hour writing a blog post and now my eyes have snow/computer blindness. Anyway! To do: Clean kitchen laundry Watch video on G. K. Chesterton with teens 15 yo needs to do math 12 noon Mass Lunch of some sort 15 yo to math tutor Not sure what else . . . We are thinking of going to the Children's Stations of the Cross this evening with our resident toddler. St Patrick celebrations have been postponed to tomorrow.

Hey all! Is anybody going to do this April challenge of Classic Children's Lit? Here's the blog (is the blogger anyone here??) I've decided I am going to participate. You'd think with having 5 children and homeschooling for a couple of decades, I'd have read all the classic children's lit out there, but no, happily, there is still more to enjoy! I was already going to read 101 Dalmatians for the prime number square on my bingo challenge. So I plan to read that. Also, I've been wanting to read The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerof. I picked it up at a library sale a few years ago but never got to it. And since I just read my first book by Frederick Marryat earlier this year (Mr. Midshipman Easy), I noticed he also wrote a popular children's novel: Children of the New Forest. Also, the blog is going to do a read along with Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Thinking about this April challenge is making me feel lighthearted on this gloomy winter day!

Good morning! It is another day of winter here (this is remarkable because we've barely had any winter at all!). It's cold out! Today Grocery run to make sure kids have food while I am out. Latin at co-op 15 yo has lit class on line 18 yo has English class at 4 I must read, read, read to catch up with City of God study this evening Both kids take the NLE this evening. Babysit little guy while his mom is at her ESOL class

We had soup and sandwiches for dinner: pizza subs and canned lentil soup. Teens are now making popcorn for dessert. Sorry Jean that you feel so overwhelmed. I don't know if this will help, but sometimes I still do the thing where I put on a timer and tell everyone to hop to and TIDY SOMETHING as fast as they can until the timer goes off. It is good way to get something done so that the cluttered mess doesn't depress as much.

I completely forgot I also have to take a mom and her little guy to a drs. appt. And ds is out of medicine so need to get to drugstore too. I also will spend the majority of the day in the car driving all over kingdom come.

Woke up too early. Boo. Hiss. Read City of God Plan meals for today and tomorrow Make appt with vet Make driver ed appt Prep for co-op take 15 yo to math tutor shop Take 15 yo to study group at some point study for NLE with teens P/u 15 yo and take to voice lesson (1/2 hr earlier than usual. Mustn't forget!) Dinner ??? TBD

Melissa, I'm rooting for you from the other side of the world (Virginia USA)! I'm glad someone is listening and trying to support you in your efforts to be good parents to needy children!

Thanks for the feedback, ladies!

I have a friend who had six kids in a small townhouse. They got a couple bar stools and two kids sat at a counter (I don't think it had an actual overhang). The kids would take turns sitting there for dinner and being 'waiter' for the rest of the family (because it was too hard to get up and move around the table). You could also be like the olden days, feed the littles ones early and put them to bed and everybody else eats later! Or have kids eat all at once and you and dh eat later!

I was just thinking the same thing. Our local CSA has teens come and help out. Also I know a kid who did volunteer grounds maintenance work at our church. Our contractor had his young son come help when he was out of school So maybe your son can fetch tools and help haul stuff for a contractor, if you know of someone.

Poor kid! He really got hit! I would just operate on the assumption that he is going to need a course of study designed just for him. I don't know how much you've looked into this, but he probably just won't be able to sit and do workbook stuff, multi-step problems, etc without lots of accommodating. Grade levels might not make sense for him. There's a book on classical ed with special needs at Memoria Press. Maybe reading stuff along these lines might help you come up with alternatives to RX? https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/special-needs/simply-classical/ Anyway, best wishes. I remember being so overwhelmed with my kids' difficulties. Even a year ago my now 18 yo seemed so difficult, but things have leveled out and gotten better.

I just went to a fundraiser for a theater camp for low income children and this was exactly what they served!

Was he diagnosed ADD? Does your doctor have any non-med recommendations? That's where I would go first. Exercise does help with focus, structure does help with focus. Things like chewing gum while doing seatwork helps with focus. How old is he? Growing up also helps with focus! I had to sit next to my oldest son through high school We were seriously afraid that he wouldn't be able to make it in college. However, that turned out to be good training for him! He just needed years and years of training in terms of how to cope with focus and details. Fortunately, he overfocuses on music and he went to a music conservatory. Hopefully my 18 yo will follow suit, but he also has spectrum and depression issues. For him actually, he focused better after getting on sertraline, though that isn't specifically an ADD med, but his depression and anxiety were also causing problems. He is still ADD but not quite as bad. Hang in there!

Be careful with the caffeine. My son gets tachycardia from stimulants. I agree with Okbud. Exercise has been proven to be just as effective! Lots and lots of physical activity, a regular routine to the day, don't demand a lot of sit down work, instead stand up and write things out on a white board, do lessons orally, short lessons. Neither of my sons could do meds. It was hard but they learned to compensate. My oldest now (24) does drink coffee, but he hated it when he was young. My 18 yo with the tachycardia, doesn't though. He does struggle still with focus and needs lots of coaching.

Oh my goodness, Melissa. I hope things smooth out with new arrival. Wonder what the teacher did that made him loose it? My dd works with LD kids and has had to deal with kids who act out; no emotional control. It snowed! Our first snow; bit it is not a nice snow. Mixed with freezing rain, very heavy and people are losing power. Please, please don't let us lose power! The teens co-op was cancelled for today. 15 yo who dreads biology every week, is very happy. Plus both kids had group projects due in Government (I love their teacher but she does have a thing about group projects which I personally can't abide). Anyway, teens were scrambling on that so they are relieved. I think we might use the extra time to 1) sleep in (I already did, letting the teens sleep in longer) 2) study and then maybe take the NLE to get it over with. I was going to wait until Thursday. 3) Try my hand at making cheddar cheese crackers.

I think they would lose a lot of nutrients if you cut them up too many days before hand. You can keep cut up carrots and celery in cold water in the fridge and they stay fresh for a couple of days.