That looks like it's straight out of the catalogue! It's looks great and very inviting too.

We will see if the teachers approve the contract today. The mayor seemed to want them to vote on it before they had time to think about it. My little sister is out there everyday with her big sign and red t-shirt. She was here on the weekend grading science quizzes in anticipation of going back on Monday.

Oops, now I have to ask a question, sorry about that. OK, In what movie do John Turturro and Sam Rockwell have a tomato fight?

In the Highways, in the Hedges... I love that movie!

The daughters of the Pater Familias! eta: AKA Everett McGill

I think it's best to hang up immediately, the second you realize it might be a prank call.

Those were awesome! Your son's accent is not bad.

Other. Breaking the Waves. I don't think it was a bad period for movies though. I remember seeing a lot of great movies in the mid-nineties.

I hate these threads because there are always nasty comments about teachers in them. My sister is on strike today. She is a CPS teacher, who teaches science and math, on the south side to be precise. She didn't want to go on strike, it's not a vacation. She still has to go to school, plus she doesn't want this interruption to her classes. It sucks for the teachers, too. Both students and teachers will have to make up these missed days. However, what they've been doing to CPS teachers is not right. They have already put up with a lot and didn't strike, but there comes a time when enough is enough. We do not want to go back to a time where the working class "should just be thankful to have a job". We don't rebuild a strong economy by sticking it to public school teachers.

I found Ross Greene's book very helpful. It's called :The Explosive Child: Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children.

Some of my son's favorite games are Stratego, Frog Juice, Loot, Zeus on the Loose, Monopoly and Monopoly City, Five Crowns, Yahtzee, Chess, Euchre, 7 Families and Clue. He just got Dominion for his bday but we haven't played it yet so the youtube link above should come in handy. It looks really complicated, but I'm sure it's just a matter of getting the hang of it.

My son likes it on: crepes waffles bread Krisprolls graham crackers I will occasionally have it on Krisprolls that I dip in tea, but they have to be Krisprolls--not those things they sell at Ikea.

swellmomma, why do you hate me?

I think people who homeschool as a last resort can feel very far removed from other homeschoolers. I had a friend like this once who told me, "I'm not like you, I didn't choose this, I would send her [her special needs child] to a school if I could." I think she felt very alone because the other homeschooling families she knew were doing it by choice. Her other child went to school. Yet, these reluctant homeschoolers are sometimes put in a position of having to defend homeschooling. I'm sure it gets frustrating sometimes. I can see why it bothered you, Rivka, but I'm not sure she thinks you are doing anything wrong. I can see why it would feel that way, though.

:lol: I love that you posted this knowing that plenty of people here wouldn't like it either. My parents had more money when raising my (much-younger) little sister and she was raised with many of those things on the list (not the bullying one). She was raised without religion, without punishment, but with nice clothes, got a new car when she turned 16, did whatever extra-currics she wanted, etc. Meals were very flexible, she was a picky eater. In high school she was heavily involved with volunteer orgs, becoming the president of her school's Interact club, working every year on Relay for Life and volunteering regularly at a safe house for teens. She also did phone banking and other political work during the 2004 election. In college she continued volunteer work, helping the local community and doing recruitment for Teach for America. After graduation she did Teach for America herself, teaching physics and biology on the south side of Chicago. Too bad my parents ruined her!

Yuck. I can handle loud kids. I don't think badly of a kid who is all upset about something. But, I couldn't handle hearing kids get spanked. That family would drive me crazy, I'd probably have to close my windows! Will they be going back to school soon?

Hoping the best for you, no matter what. :grouphug:

:grouphug: and good wishes for you and your children no matter what the outcome. Also, no matter what the outcome, you will be OK. Your children will be OK. They have you and you have them. :grouphug:

OP, my younger sibling and I are almost 13 years apart in age (with no siblings in between us). My parents took a really long time deciding about having a third child. I know at the time my mom felt like an "older mom" (she was only 35!) but that's because she was so young when she had her first two. My other sibling is 4 years older than me so we weren't exactly playmates either. I am close to both of them. There are advantages and disadvantages to any age gap. I have an only child and I think there are advantages to that as well. There are many things you can do with an older child/teenager that would be more difficult to do with a little one along. When I was a teenager my mom had a toddler, so she wasn't always available when I needed her (and I don't mean needed her to make me a sandwich, I mean needed her to be there for me). However, my younger sibling brought a lot of joy to me during those hard teenage years. There is no one right answer.

Yes, I'm sure in France I was thought to be a "maman fusionnelle" though no one quite said it to my face. I was asked when my son was 15 months when I was going to start sending him to daycare already so that he could get used to being in a group setting (and without me). I really liked the film "Etre et Avoir" and felt so bad for poor little Jojo! I liked the teacher too, I thought he was pretty good with the kids.

Sounds like a fun day! My son's birthday is tomorrow too! But he will be turning 11. He'll be getting some LotR legos. I can't believe there are 3 on this thread who have a child turning 8 tomorrow! That's so cool.

:lol: Tea time, c'mon grab your friends...

math-u-see

Jennifer in MI

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