Glad you got home safely! Just be glad everybody in Houston didn't evacuate like with Rita. :)

Was that with Rita? :eek: We were living close to Rice U at the time, and got about 1/2 " of rain. We went without power for about an hour in the middle of the night. Praying for safety for all of you.

Do you have a party store? They may have it in the party favor section. You could do a Google Image search and print them at home (just don't let the Feds know :):) Otherwise a teacher's store would have them.

Fabulous as usual Janice. :)

Goodness, I didn't realize Houston was going to be affected till I got an email from our old neighborhood saying trash and recycling pickup would be cancelled for tomorrow and Wed. We didn't even get that kind of communication during Rita - guess they felt everybody was well informed already :) You all stay safe and batten down the hatches. We'll be thinking about you!

Happy birthday! Is this bag your mid-life crisis? :) Either LL Bean or Lands End will be great. You can throw them in the washing machine (gentle and line dry) and they come out great :)

That's what I was thinking. Go give that girl a big kiss. Right now. Love your solution BTW - you are so creative! :)

http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/2008/07/29/students-make-costly-mistakes-with-financial-aid.html I couldn't help but think how this parallels some lottery winners who are broke a year after winning. Maybe Budgeting 101 should be a required class for all scholarship winners.

:) Actually I'm enjoying the learning curve, just trying to juggle all the testing and transcript aspects for next year (dd is a junior). I have to admit the early years are immediately gratifying - I used to hear "this is so FUN", this is SO fun" "THIS is so fun" about 20x a day. I don't hear that so much anymore :):) but I do still see those lightbulb moments. Priceless.

You'll know when it's the right time to outsource. You'll probably have a "bridge" when your ds will learn independently, you'll muddle through checking his work, and then you both will know it's time to let somebody else take over the formal teaching, whether via an online class, a coop, or a local college course. You'll both get beyond your wits' end with the current situation, you'll likely mourn the loss of the simplicity and ease (to use your words) of his younger years... then you'll move on. Really it will be okay - just another step in his growing and learning. You'll move more toward the guidance counselor role :)

I know Fiskars makes them - I own about 3 pair :) Try a craft store, Joanns or Michaels.

We *all* love Pentel mechanical pencils here. They are easy on the hand and don't seem to break their leads nearly as much. Staples had a pack of 2 for about $7, not as good a deal as MB but ..... :)

I liked the redemptive side to Hiding Place. I think both *might* be traumatic for a sensitive child, as both talk of horrors of mankind. But to answer your specific question about death, Corrie survives the concentration camp experience.

Last night during our walk my dd and broke out in song "God On High, hear my cry" :) BTW it's coming to the Fox in Atlanta in September. We used to live in Atlanta, and would make a trip to do this (wrapped with family visits, etc) but September is already too full.

Poor thing, those ears can hurt. I would try the hair dryer, I don't think it's too late. Also I have used hydrogen peroxide and alcohol in the ears, lie down for a few minutes while the H2O2 sizzles. Seems to work wonders :)

I think of it like "Phish" :)

There's a book called "How to Survive your Freshman Year" or something like that, it was written by upperclassmen - so these ideas were fresh in their minds. Or to be more fun/frivolous, "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss :)

Try Coldwater Creek, they have lots of long skirts, at least online. Not sure about the store. Plus they always have a good selection in their outlet. I just got an email this week about free shipping, it ends Sunday. Code is WXH3831. http://www.coldwatercreek.com

Right, we didn't discover MODG till last year. I'd road trip to CO any day with you! You're always welcome here - we'd LOVE to see you. You might want to wait till all the workmen are done though :glare:

How fun!! Just sing along with them on "Don't stand so close to me" :) :)

That may be right, I have to admit I didn't look at it that much - it's really "open and go". If you decide to go with MODG let me know and you can have our books. I don't think we're going to do a 4th year here... Yes the workmen are doing what SHOULD have been done before we moved in. Grrr.... we're getting there. Remember I'm enjoying the dry air (trying to think positive here). :)

Or earlier in that passage "Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow"

Can you call the pool to clarify whether you need to pay to sit? Honestly I would think the pool staff *and* the library organizers would be thrilled with more parental supervision. In your shoes I would NO way let my 4 yo be in the pool w/o me. I guess you've already committed to paying for the youngest, so really the consideration is the $8 for you.

Gift card to a bookstore? Craft store?

I'm dense here (I have workmen at the house so I'm not thinking clearly) but what is IB? As for the NLE, the thing that prepared E. the best for that was doing previous tests, they're at the website. She did the first (6? 7?) units of Henle I in a year, finished the book last year, and has just started the 2nd book. We didn't have MODG for the first year but it made a world of difference last year - having a schedule made sure she was on track (and that Latin got done to begin with :):) ETA she did NLE I two years ago, and II last year. So you're ahead of us in that department :)