Dh is not obsessed, but ds wants dh to play with him sooooo badly that he ends up playing quite a bit. Then they argue and get annoyed with each other. The other day I was on the computer in the same room with them and had to keep reminding dh "It is only a game. Ds is only 7 years old."

I would love links! Those golf shorts just might be exactly what I have been looking for! I read something brilliant the other day about finding an outfit that works for you, buying a bunch and just wearing the same thing every day. This is my new goal in life. I want to find shorts/shirt combo that I can mix and match and wear 90 percent of the time in the summer. My days in the summer are mostly spent outdoors, taking the kids to swim, tennis, and golf, going to the park, bike riding, etc. We live too far north for my taste, so we really milk every minute we can of summer. Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions for me, I am all ears. I hate shopping and really need someone to just tell me what to wear!

How timely! I almost put this on fb as a "first world problem"- my refrigerator is spitting out crushed ice whether you push the crushed OR the cubed button! It just started this a couple of days ago and I am finding it very frustrating. I never used the crushed ice option because it kindof spits it out crazily and doesn't all end up in your glass. And here is a seriously embarrassing confession- it didn't even occur to me to open the door and get the ice until I read the OP. How stupid is that? I guess I can start. But the kids can't reach that high, so the issue will still annoy me. Netflix keeps telling me it "can't load my lists". If I pick someone else's profile it doesn't have any trouble, but it doesn't like my profile.

They do have a lot of skimpy suits, but I bought this one last year and I LOVE it. Like, I love it so much, I went back and bought it in another color. http://www.target.com/p/women-s-1-piece-swimsuit-black-merona/-/A-15125773#prodSlot=_1_9 I hope I linked that right!

I've had a couple of people ask. I loan them y copy of WTM and answer any specific questions. I had invited people over to look at the curriculum that I have. I tell them about any groups in the area that I know of and make sure they are aware of homeschool Facebook groups or email lists.

I would read the books first! Both the books and the TV show are awesome. I guess you should start with whichever you don't want spoilers for. The books give you a lot "more" than the TV show which I guess the the way it is most of the time. Maybe watching the show first would give you pictures in your head for when you are reading? Apparently, I have no advice!

I agree with choosing one thing and doing that for awhile and then adding other things one at a time. I recently started using Foundations from Logic of English with my 4 year old and we are having lots of fun with it. (I started her a little early because she was begging for her own school) I used OPGTR with my first and it is good, but very dry compared to Foundations. It is very colorful with lots of fun suggestions. I used RightStart for math with my first and will use it again with dd. I really like how hands on it is. When my first was in K, we went for a walk every day and I just pointed out things to talk about. Leaves, seeds, rocks, water, etc. We covered an amazing amount of things that way!

You could always start a family hiking club or whatever your family enjoys. Find 1 or 2 other families go a couple of times and then start inviting more people. Share the info on homeschooling email lists/Facebook pages, etc.

So sorry! I have a tip about changing babies who try to grab the poop, though. I change mine on a towel on the floor and have one of his older sibs kneel above his head and hold his hands. They talk to him, lean down and kiss his nose, etc. and he just loves it. He giggles and giggles and doesn't even notice that I am changing his diaper!

I would have been weirded out before the card. I can't imagine someone telling me to call a third person and invite myself over! I would ignore the situation completely. I would be very friendly if I saw them in the neighborhood or wherever and I may even have tea with the woman IF she invited me herself. If they saw me and asked why I hadn't called I would just say "oh, things have just been so busy lately, you know how it is."

Mathmarm, I didn't want to quote your post because it is so long but I wanted to thank you for it! I found it very inspirational. There were a few things on your list that I could do better and a couple I hadn't even thought to do (talk to the kids about the budget- I have littles, it probably would have occured to me t some point!) Anyway, thank you! This is why I love these boards!

When my oldest was about that age we had a little routine that we did. We would go for a walk, the same walk every time and at certain places we would do things. For example, at the fire hydrant we would race to the sign, at the bridge we would hop like bunnies, where there was a raised edge on the boardwalk, he would walk on it like a balance beam. We would run around the gazebo and throw rocks into the river. The same thing every time. We did it for a different reason, my ds needs to burn energy- the walk was 2 miles and there were two parks that we played at. He's just one of those high energy kids. But the same idea could work for you, if he jumps and skips and gallops, he'll get stronger. I don't know about the daring part though.

I totally agree with this. Except I do think some things are funny, like the food that looks like something else (mashed potato cupcakes) But I don't get the whole offended/upset thing. It's not funny, but it's not worth getting offended or upset. I would get mad if my dh jumped out and scared me though. I hate that. I get startled on accident often enough- he better not do it on purpose!

It wouldn't bother me. Maybe ignoring the accomplishes might, but that would depend on the relationship. Of course, I may be one of the annoying people. Every single baby I see, I think is the most beautiful baby in the world. And if I know the family well enough to hold the baby, I will gush about how the baby is the most beautiful, wonderful, sweetest, etc. I csn't help it. I really believe it. I even believe this about random babies that I see at the store or whatever, but I am not socially clueless, so I keep my distance. I do always smile and if I catch the parents eye, I will say something simple.

If you want super easy, get the frozen steam-in-bag veggies. You just put the whole bag in the microwave for a few minutes and they're ready. They are much better tasting than canned.

I love the Azteca brand tortillas. They are super soft!

Good luck. Definitely buy lots of layers and good quality coats and boots before next winter. Whenever my dh interviews someone from farther south, I ask him if he gave them fair warning abut the winter.

I totally agree with what other people have said about your dh and his attitude/your relationship. But about the vacation- if you are not going to go, I would try to get excited about what you can do while they are gone. (Full disclosure, I would be thrilled, elated, and ecstatic if my dh were to take the kids and leave me home for a week) Make dates with a couple of friends to go out to eat or see a movie. Stock up on your favorite foods, get a stack of new books, load up your Netflix list. Take bubble baths. Take a slow nature walk. Work on a project that you have been putting off. Get a massage or a mani/pedi. I am not trying to minimize your feelings. They are totally justified. I just wanted to give some advice on what would help me keep a good attitude. (I am in a different life stage though, mine are little and needy, I can't even imagine having teens! Life will be so much different when I can leave the house without getting a sitter!)

Different families have different comfort levels. But both of those shows are waaaaaay more family friendly than Blacklist. I haven't seen Chuck, so I have no idea how that compares.

Have you tried Psych? I haven't watched it while thinking about if it was appropriate for kids, but it's not very dark or sexually explicit. Eureka might also work- it has a mystery element, but it is also science fiction. ETA: Not detective/adventure but Switched at Birth, the Fosters, and Hart of Dixie are all pretty family friendly. The first two would have lots of opportunity for discussions of social issues, if you were so inclined. Gilmore Girls is awesome, though your husband and son may not care for it, it could be a fun girl time show!

Congrats!

When I took a child for an embarrassing problem, I wrote out all the information in a letter to the ped. I gave it to the nurse, who gave it to him and he read it before he came in. I think it helped keep the embarassment to a minimum.

Amen!

The kids drink water or milk. We sometimes buy OJ. I drink tea. Dh drinks water. (Until January, I had a serious Pepsi addiction and I drank Pepsi all.the.time.) Everyone kept telling me that I would feel SO much better and have SO much more energy and lose weight. That was not true- I do not feel better at all, probably worse and I have not lost any weight.

I attended Baptist churches when I was growing up and I can say without fear of contradiction that they did NOT believe in YE. I am absolutely sure of that because my pastor was my dad. I was one of those dinosaur obsessed kids when I was little and he indulged it by buying me all kinds of books and stuff that said "millions and millions of years ago". He is not the only one. ETA: I have also had the experience of people saying "what the heck are you talking about?" when asked about YE. One of those is an elder in his church (reformed)