My DH is exactly the same, Julie Smith. While I track the prices and am merely horrified, he just can't accept the prices at all. Most of his price references are from the 1990s. I really should make him go out and do the shopping more often.

For those who don't shop regularly, I think the shock of seeing how much prices have risen in the past few years is horrifying. And while many wonderful things can be acquired secondhand, that doesn't negate the feeling that a great deal of money would be required to obtain them new as compared to just five years ago. When I go searching for clothes (knowing that cotton prices skyrocketed a few years back) and find adult jeans on "sale" for $35, I know I can get some at the thrift shop for less, but at the same time I can't help thinking that if my husband and I each needed four new pairs that would be $280. Around $300 after sales tax, and that's just the pants! In my mind, I start adding up all the little necessities that need to be replaced fairly often (bras, socks, etc.) that cost far more than the last time I bought them, and I realize the totals would really not be manageable for a family that is making a reasonable salary of $50,000 when you think about the increases in housing costs, electricity, etc. It is a sobering thought as we all plan for the future. If consumer goods can jump markedly in price over a mere five year span, what kind of retirement savings will we need to have in place when we are in our 70s and a pair of pants is on "sale" for $100? All right, ladies, stockpile bras now while they are a "cheap" $38 apiece!

They all go to my son's room. Last major clean up uncovered 77 Dixon Ticonderogas!

We gave up television over ten years ago. Prior to that there were a handful of shows we liked as well as numerous documentaries, also my husband watched sports. But then the era of reality TV arrived and even the educational channels changed their programming to this format. We were so disgusted by the lowbrow nature that even sports and a few series that we enjoyed could not convince us to pay $50 or more a month to support the twaddle. We have not missed it a bit. Occasionally we will revisit a TV series we enjoyed in the past on Netflix. DH keeps up with sports on the internet and we usually go to a relative with TV for the Thanksgiving games. Otherwise getting rid of TV has had a positive effect on our productivity and our pocketbooks.

Ecology and Natural History Living Books The Summer World by Bernd Heinrich (basically anything by Bernd Heinrich, Winter World, Ravens in Winter, The TRees in My Forest etc.) (high school) http://www.amazon.com/Summer-World-Season-Bernd-Heinrich-ebook/dp/B00245A4VO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1415142742&sr=1-1&keywords=Summer+World Swampwalker's Journal by David M. Carroll (or Turtle Year, Hydromancer's Notebook) (middle and high school) http://www.amazon.com/Swampwalkers-Journal-Wetlands-David-Carroll-ebook/dp/B003WJQ6N6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1415142845&sr=1-1&keywords=Swampwalker%27s+journal Broadsides from Other Orders: A Book of Bugs by Sue Hubbell (middle school and high school) http://www.amazon.com/Broadsides-Other-Orders-Book-Bugs/dp/0679400621/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1415142958&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Broadsides+from+other+orders Walking the High RIdge by Robert Michael Pyle (or Chasing Monarchs) (middle school or high school) http://www.amazon.com/Walking-High-Ridge-Field-Minneapolis/dp/1571312420/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415143254&sr=1-1&keywords=WAlking+the+High+ridge The Living Year by RIchard Headstrom (middle school) (probably available used somewhere else cheaper) http://www.amazon.com/Living-Year-Richard-Headstrom/dp/B0007E2THQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415143413&sr=1-1&keywords=the+living+year+headstrom Wild Season by Alan Eckert (food chain narrative. middle school) http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Season-Allan-W-Eckert/dp/0316208574/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415143530&sr=1-1&keywords=wild+season+by+eckert ****A Guide to Night Sounds CD Lang Elliot (great in the car. middle and high school) http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Night-Sounds-Nighttime-Amphibians/dp/0811731642/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1415143865&sr=8-8&keywords=cd+lang+elliott Discovering Moths and Discovering Amphibians by John Himmelman (both high school and middle school) http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Amphibians-Frogs-Salamanders-Northeast-ebook/dp/B00O3ZPK1C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415144091&sr=8-1&keywords=john+himmelman+discovering http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Moths-Nighttime-Jewels-Backyard-ebook/dp/B002PXSKD4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1415144091&sr=8-2&keywords=john+himmelman+discovering Animal Architects by Wanda Shipman (middle school) http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Architects-Wanda-Shipman/dp/0811724042/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415144175&sr=8-1&keywords=Animal+Architects+Shipman The Life of an Oak by Glenn Keator (high school) http://www.amazon.com/The-Life-Oak-Intimate-Portrait/dp/0930588983/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415144306&sr=8-1&keywords=the+life+of+an+oak+keator Adventures in Nature by Edwin Way Teale (middle school) http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Nature-Edwin-Way-Teale/dp/B000SI1CD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415144371&sr=8-1&keywords=adventures+in+nature+teale

Voted! It is so hard to break into publishing, everyone give her a boost!

If anyone wants to be my buddy, I am kalmia at NaNoWriMo too.

This is a nice wooden one. Made in Maine. http://www.amazon.com/Drying-Rack-Wooden-White-Pine/dp/B0000TR5MW

Is it possible to contact the parents directly? I'd certainly want a heads up from someone if a real need was identified in my child and it wasn't being met. You'd have to be a bit of a sleuth to figure out which kids belonged to which parents in town, but it could be done. You could just mention it and send them a list of phonics curricula to work on at home and a list of tutors in their area, at least then you wouldn't feel like their needs were being totally ignored. Or you could give each child a handmade pack of phonogram flash cards to take home and study. If you are worried about the parents storming in to the principal and using your name, just contact them after you get your letter of recommendation.

I always let nature be the guide. Don't go out with preconceived lesson plans. Let what you discover out there inspire the learning. Take photos. When you return home you can use field guides to look up identities. Also get picture books from the library about creatures you have encountered. Let them dig and play. Here are a few nice resources for young children: Small Wonders by Linda Garrett http://www.amazon.com/Small-Wonders-Nature-Education-Children/dp/1584655747/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414940026&sr=1-9&keywords=hands+on+nature Nature for the Very Young by Marcia Bowden (curriculum) http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Very-Young-Handbook-Activities/dp/047162084X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414939659&sr=8-1&keywords=nature+for+the+very+young Hands On Nature by Jenepher Lingelbach (curriculum) http://www.amazon.com/Hands-On-Nature-Information-Activities-Environment/dp/1584650788/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414939807&sr=8-1&keywords=hands+on+nature Nature Hikes Golden Books (vintage Golden Book read aloud: just read a short section each day) http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Exploring-Earth-Book-Adventure/dp/B001V0MTKM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414939872&sr=8-1&keywords=nature+hikes+a+golden+exploring+earth+book And my book (which I hope it is okay to mention as it is on topic) from Royal Fireworks Press. Nature Study for the Whole Family (not a curriculum but a philosophic "how and why" of nature study with plenty of examples of nature study in action and the benefits of nature study) http://www.rfwp.com/series/nature-study-by-laurel-dodge#book-nature-study-for-the-whole-family

How do the covers work? I tried to upload a photo and the reply was that the file was too large. Do you have to design them yourself on a graphic design program?

I've been at loose ends since the kids went to brick and mortar school in September. NaNoWriMo seems like it will be the external motivation I need to get that novel that has been percolating in the back of my mind since graduate school going. Thanks for the reminder guys. Now to get something on the page so I can feel successful on the first day.

My son wants the very same thing. We are not discouraging him. Sure, he may never make a movie for Disney or Pixar, but animation counts as a tech career and is often paid as such. Video game developers need animators. Animators also make animations for commercials and advertisements (advertising is not going away lol!) and educational software and online educational content often make use of animation (this field will grow as textbooks disappear). And using social media, individuals have a much greater chance of selling their own creative animated movies directly to fans than ever before. Anime and "geek culture" is booming. I don't see this as more risky a career choice than other slightly uncommon paths. Sure it isn't doctor/lawyer/teacher secure, but those paths aren't for everyone. Of course, it is best if the student studies both the artistic side of animation and the programming side. That programming expertise is always in demand. And a young woman from my old town interned with a motion capture animation studio (nowhere near Florida or California) in our area as a high school student. She got into animation school in Florida and landed a job with Pixar and got a credit on a major Pixar children's movie that she started working on immediately after graduation. Once in a while, it does happen. You just have to choose a school with an inside track to the studios.

There are timeline cards in the back of each Story of the World activity book.

We've liked Image Grammar and Killgallon. MCT has an inexpensive CD of "thinking" exercises in grammar called The Magic Lens CD of Loops. http://www.rfwp.com/series/grammar-the-magic-lens-program-by-michael-clay-thompson to go with Magic Lens 1. Magic lens is much more in depth than Voyage.

Is it this one? Not watercolors but gorgeous paintings. Cow Malachy Doyle http://www.amazon.com/Cow-Malachy-Doyle/dp/068984462X/ref=sr_1_69?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411573830&sr=1-69&keywords=%22Cow%22+picture+book

If you care nothing for fashion but want quality clothing that holds up try Duluth Trading Company. Their shirts are longer than the retail shops. The colors stay bright through years of washing. Some of the "workwear" like firehose pants etc. is too stiff to be comfortable so stick to their casual clothes. This is the only company that I have found that has clothing that lasts more than one or two seasons. http://women.duluthtrading.com/store/womens-home.aspx?src=G005099&admkt=&mkwid=sz3fezFtS_dc&pcrid=57669521041&pkw=duluth%20trading%20women&pmt=b&gclid=CjwKEAjwtIShBRD08fKD1OWSik4SJAAuKLov0OUuA7Epv8Y0zMpCoJpN6ZldGJlsXQKXLKc6C4aFyhoCN1Tw_wcB

Call it Sleep by Henry Roth Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

I cook at least 75% of our meals from scratch. I do think that for some busy families buying already-cooked, healthy food is a good option. I even think that the once-in-a-while, bad day, emergency trip through the KFC drive-thru is okay. But the author's argument that if all people cannot achieve a societal ideal, that ideal should be thrown aside is laughable. Joel Salatin, outspoken farmer and author of Folks, This Ain't Normal, has a reply to The Slate article in Mother Earth News. http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/slate-family-dinner-zb0z1409zsie.aspx#axzz3CZkBhNXD

I have found Denise Eide's (Logic of English) teacher training videos extremely useful. There are 22. And if you want to watch her introductory video to see what her program is all about first:

In the international business climate it is a benefit to be a night owl. My husband regularly has Skype meetings and phone calls with his coworkers in India at 1 or 2 am US time. When we lived in India we found that people rarely arrived at work before 10 am (though that might have something to do with the traffic!) I noticed this late start to the workday when we lived in NYC too. Most people straggled into work between 9:30 and 10:30 am. Of course NYC has nightlife which my coworkers partook of, heavily. Where we are now everything is closed at 8 pm. Most people arrive at work at the unholy hour of 8 am. I do find it very annoying that I am not able to shop at night like I was in NY. It was so much easier and quieter to go grocery shopping at 11 pm. My husband and I are both natural night owls as are our children. I don't even feel awake until 3 or 4 pm and am most productive and happy between that time and 2 am. However we can adapt some to deal with early morning requirements and will have to when ds begins brick and mortar high school in the fall. However, I always make appointments I have control of for 1 pm or later. No need to stress myself out. People do associate late rising with laziness, but I think they also associate night people with creativity which is not such a bad thing!

I clearly remember being read to by elementary school teachers. Of course, picture books in Kindergarten. I also remember a dreamlike sequence of read-alouds that would happen right after we came in from recess. I am sure Island of the Blue Dolphins was among the titles. I was in elementary school in the 1970s. I am sure our middle school teachers did not read aloud to us. Middle school began in 5th grade. Jim Trelease has a couple of chapters about the teachers using read-alouds in The Read Aloud Handbook. (A complete aside, I just came across the 1982 edition of The Read Aloud Handbook and unlike the modern version which is choppy and full of studies and sidebars, it reads like a single passionate essay advocating the read aloud. The book list isn't as complete, but I greatly prefer the writing.) I believe the students took turns reading aloud as they were learning to read. I think this also stopped in middle school, but I do remember one occasion in middle school when we had a substitute who asked us to take turns reading aloud in our social studies book and one boy decided to pretend he was a terrible reader, slowly sounding out the words he knew perfectly well. I recall feeling very sorry for that substitute teacher. Of course with a town as small as ours, I'm surprised she didn't call his mother to report his poor progress in reading! Other responses in this thread reminded me that I had a math teacher in 7th grade who read The Hobbit aloud to us. He was let go at the end of the year for not teaching enough math. Sigh, we loved him. Also my high school teachers would read aloud short passages of literature we were working on, often to introduce the day dramatically, but they never read complete books.

Both! All! Fresh sweet corn, newly picked, is ambrosia and should be consumed in all ways possible during its short season. The very first week it ripens is the best. When I was a child I would eat a dozen ears for lunch! Now I could make a meal of four. I also eat it as a side dish, the difference being that there would be fewer ears. If I was serving it to guests, I would only serve it as a side dish to guests, as a heaping plate of corn on the cob would be too unusual to those who didn't grow up with a cornfield in the yard. And I will say it with pride: Fresh sweet corn is better than a cupcake any day or night!

First of all get one without an ice maker! Mine is always making odd filling and clunking noises. http://www.viewpoints.com/expert-reviews/2013/11/04/avoid-noise-in-the-kitchen-with-these-popular-quiet-refrigerators/

Isn't there a theory that intermittent reinforcement works better than constant giving in? That is the reason gambling is so addictive. So occasionally letting them pick out a toy or treat at the store is actually going to make them more likely to beg on subsequent trips than either never letting them get a toy or always getting them a toy. I was very good with my first child and never let him have anything off the list. If he had money to spend or we wanted to buy him something, it was during a special trip to the store just to do that--never on a grocery shopping trip or unrelated activity. He is 14 now and never begs for things in stores. With my daughter I was tired and sometimes got her a little treat to keep her occupied in the cart and no surprise she is a beggar! I think if you are going to say no, say no immediately and never change your mind or habit. The smart little kids will sense weakness and gamble that their begging will be a success if there is any waffling. Separate buying pre-approved things for the kids into separate trips may calm the whining during errands.