Well, homeschooling in a temporary housing situation with the materials I decided to use is far more difficult than I expected. We're pretty Waldorfy/CM usually and I think all workbooks would have been much easier here! I need some accountability for the days we can actually sit and do our work. My oldest teen is basically independent and I just help her when she needs it. Math-2nd and 5th graders done, Teens on their own and I'll check that later. Spelling-2nd grader done. English-5th grade Jr English lesson done. History-2nd grader done, some Japanese history/Sadako/Origami with the 5th grader. The preschooler knocked out about 10 pages in her workbook, too. :lol: Did anatomy and French late last night with the oldest, and will do that with her again in a bit. Later-walk along the river, seeing an Underground Railroad house, and PE (Krav Maga) with the oldest.

Well, yes, it is far "worse" or more mature. There are at least 4 sex scenes, the execution of one child, the murder of a bunch of people, cannibals, zombies, gore, guts, animal death... But to me the worst is the psychological impact. The Walking Dead can be taken to mean two things: Is it the zombies who are the dead walking, literally? Or is it the living who are inevitably going to die? I don't want to give too many spoilers, but it's firmly dystopian/post-apocalyptic with a lot of the difficult themes of what it takes to survive in that sort of situation, and the ways people change in response to stress and their lives threatened. What does it mean to live? To me this is too difficult for children, but good fodder for discussion for older more mature teens. I've read the comics, though, so I get a bit on my high horse about watching it for gore vs. watching it for the themes and characters. I tell people if you want gore, just watch Z Nation. If you want to really examine human nature, watch The Walking Dead. But many kids are not emotionally or psychologically ready for that. Personally, I do let my teens watch now. But they've only seen the (to me more mild) first season and two episodes of season 2 so far. I'm unsure if or when I'll let them see the newer seasons.

Yellow Fever :lol:

Well, I certainly had no intention to let my 10 year old watch it. But I let her watch one funny and not "bad" episode with us when the little kids were gone (I have seen them all a ton of times, so knew this one was ok). Well, my dh took this to mean she could watch with the big kids whenever she wanted (despite my telling him otherwise) and it took me a season or two to realize they were watching when I was gone. :cursing: At that point it was too late. But honestly? I watched far worse as a kid and she's not bothered at all by it, so I guess no harm done? I'd be very hesitant to let a 9 yo watch. If your 9 yo likes creepy things, I'd start with some Tim Burton, Helix (prewatch), or X-Files.

It's really cool. I haven't done any martial arts since I was a kid and my dd has taken several years of aikido. It's such a different style and fully about defense at all costs. My dd has a habit of being too nice, so I think it's good for her to learn not to be nice to your attacker if you're truly in danger. But we shall see. I know I just couldn't hit her when we were practicing. The teacher kept telling me to hit harder and I'm like "She's my KID I can't hit her!" because my muscles just were not cooperating. lol

Ohhhh I didn't know one was even coming out. Yay!

I'm out of likes. :cursing: So I just want to give a big :iagree: :iagree:

They show real ones on the news and in books a lot. But even on TV, they always come with explosives. ;)

Some people deal with more muscle soreness than others. Mine is really bad-like hurts to even touch me anywhere after I exercise for days and days. But for me, it pays off in better sleep, more muscle tone and strength, and the mood boost. I would start gentle and use lots of epsom salt baths. :)

I'd so no to trampoline. Way too much physical force and pressure to stretch the ligaments holding your bladder, hips, and uterus. Sounds like a recipe for pelvic organ prolapse with all of that relaxin in your body.

No kidding. Not to mention, I have the picture up. I'm looking really hard and I have to say: 1. Where are the explosives? They do realize bombs need something besides a timer a la action movie, right? And even then-what's going to blow up: the polyester meeting the aluminum casing? LOL 2. COPS know what a bomb looks like, right? Aren't they trained in at least basic knowledge that a circuit board and wiring you can use to make a battery powered crappy flashlight are not actually what makes up a bomb?

Ohhhh I need to get the third! I can't wait! I finished The 8th Day and The Inquisitor's Mark. Both quite excellent juvenile fantasy, but enjoyable for adults. :) I started The Bones of the Earth by Scott Hale and it is...weird. I like weird, but this was beyond my weird limit. I sat it aside and I'll think about finishing it later. Instead I picked up Swan Song by McCammon. I'm barely started, though, so no review yet. We got our newly illustrated Gaiman boxed set, too! Yay!

I hope you feel better. And Laura, you too! My teen dd and I went to the Intro Krav Maga class Monday. Well, that totally stomped me. Luckily it's a review week in the Beginners class, so it probably was the best time to try. I felt like a total wimp, you know those dreams where you just hit at the speed of a snail and just as gently? :lol: But it was fun. We are signed up for one month before we move. My dd actually jammed her toe during class just while running (!) so we aren't going back until tomorrow so she has time to feel a little better. I finally got my child bike seat, so 4.5 miles on Sunday and another 7 miles today. I'm not walking very much according to my fitbit, despite spending every day at the zoo or museums for hours and hours. I think maybe it's messed up.

These are all great ideas, thank you so much!! Now I will have to sort through and fit in as much as we can.

Oh my goodness, yes. I have one of those. Carpet in one room-light beige. Guess which room they always always always migrated to to puke in? I started hanging around when they were done eating and actually picking up my puker so she'd puke in the toilet or trash can. That's interesting and I'm pretty sure she hates me for embarrassing her. There are a LOT of good healthy options out nowadays besides Purina. We use the Pure Balance (?) that is grain free. I have one cat with a fish allergy, so we have to be careful what we pick, but I've seen many more grain and additive free cat foods that are much more affordable. Especially when you rescue pets or are on a limited budget, don't let something like needing to get the most expensive wet food stop you. I buy the affordable grain free kind (the ONLY kind my cats don't hork up everywhere) and just add water for my kitty with a genetically small kidney and my other cat that gets UTIs (if he steals fish, but just in case). Wet food is really great for elderly and young cats, and those with kidney issues. That said, it gives my cats wicked gas. So I just pour some water in their dry food and they think of it as a personal goal to drink all the water before it de-crunches their yummy morsels. ;) Scratching posts-very helpful and many options nowadays including ones you can strap onto your furniture without damage. I personally have a play scratcher with arch for them to rub on. It has replaceable inserts. However, I've had cats all my life and almost never use the scratchers because I clip their nails religiously and use Soft Paws for my rascals who keep scratching. They aren't necessary, but trim their nails if you don't. The vet can show you (probably free at your visit) how to cut it and it's super easy. Litter- First remember that cats all have preferences, partly borne of what they grow used to as kittens. My youngest cat is more flexible in options than my elderly 15-17 year old cats. I have super picky cats and this is what my 5 cats have agreed upon and why (though EVERY experience is different): This setup (Breeze) is wonderful. Very very little to no tracking, less work, less smell. However, my cats hated the texture on their dainty little paws. :glare: My cats HATE most of the natural/eco options. I can't get the stink of having one of the first corncob litters and the perma-stink of old ammonia pee. My cats thought it stunk of pee so bad they stopped using the box. However, there are some better options nowadays. My cats seem to be ok with this one right now, but I'm not sure how long it will last. It does track, but is less dusty and more renewable. ETA: Two days in a small area and this stinks wretchedly despite being cleaned several times a day. It smells like an uncleaned barn in there. This litter box is very handy. This one is good for reducing tracking. If you have a cat who perches or raises their butt when peeing (a lot of males do), this is a disaster. My cats peed straight to the join and it would drip out every flipping time. Gross. Watch where rims attach to the box if you get one. This has been surprisingly helpful though I would have thought it was gimmicky before. A litter mat is very helpful. This one can be washed in the washer with bleach (very helpful!! a lot will fall apart or become not waterproof in bleach). Inexpensive and VERY GOOD to keep tracking down. My elderly kitties didn't appreciate it, though, so my younger cats used them before we moved.

The first rule of cats is: 1. Every single one is different and you never know what to expect. I would caution you about going into this expecting anything other than a forever home despite the cat not being like the textbook and memes show. I have pukers, non-pukers, dainty cats, stomping messy cats, loud cats, nearly mute cats, feisty cats, and genteel cats. IMHO, that's part of the fun. They have personalities, likes, dislikes, and are usually wonderful. And yes, watch your glassware for some cats. I have one who is a jerk who likes to knock everything over. Most don't from my experience (and I have/have had a lot!), but you'll regret it that time you leave your water out and your notebook is ruined.

Dh is a professor. I'd say it's mixed pretty 50/50 with people we know. I have expired healthcare certificates and I'm something like 1 class away from obtaining my Bachelor's Degree (we moved due to dh's work before I could finish). Dh has advanced degrees. Only two people in my maternal family have degrees past high school. Dh's family has 3 people with degrees. Many of our friends are musicians and artisans, so degrees are not really common there. That doesn't mean they're not successful. I think I know far more people with degrees who do NOT use their degree or work in their degree field than do use them.

I am in Cincinnati for...awhile. I'm not sure how long. Other than visiting family, I haven't lived here for a very long time. I'm trying to find things to keep us busy, particularly learning activities. I hate driving in traffic, so I'd really like things I can do during school hours or in the evening. We've already joined some of the homeschool classes at the Museum Center (I've been a member for years and I've been over 100 times since I was a kid). It doesn't look like there are any separate homeschool activities for the art museum, so I'm trying to figure that out since I don't really have childcare or another parent to watch the younger/older kids. Ren Fest is going on, and there's a Russian Fest this coming weekend. The Newport Aquarium is a bit above my price range right now. Does anyone have any other "musts" for the area for Fall (we'll probably not be here winter/spring)? I'd say within 30-45 miles of Cincinnati, preferably anything to the NE of town. I'm trying to find maybe an apiary or a farm we can visit. I won't be here long enough to join a co-op. They don't have to be directly homeschool related, but just something to get out and do. :)

It depends on quality. I would never buy a house with soft pine floors again, but I prefer hardwood to laminate. If it was good laminate then I wouldn't blink an eye at the difference. I would NOT buy an all tile house, though.

Not a big deal, just figured I'd mention it. :) I think it's used a lot in slang nowadays and people don't think of it. I prefer "Grammar Police" but I'm sure that might irritate some, too!

I have two kids with LDs and I admit I post annoyance with spelling/grammar sometimes. Mostly it's the text speak that is barely comprehensible. I'm not talking about a misplaced comma or phonetic spelling, but blatant disregard for the audience. Luckily with autocorrect on most typing devices, it makes these things much easier on people like my children. I tell them there's no shame using it, and I even have words I spell wrong every.single.time. It's not that we feel superior for the mistakes, but the meanings sometimes really do need clarified. Also, the humorous memes can help some kids. My son (ADHD, Dyslexia) has a wicked sense of humor and appreciates the Oatmeal cartoons about grammar. :) However, can I respectfully request you to reevaluate using the term "grammar nazi?" I have family who died in the Holocaust. I really can't stand the term used so loosely, and I know many others are bothered by it as well. A semi-relevant cartoon. Note that the cartoons on this site sometimes contain crude humor or wording. http://xkcd.com/1576/

Apples and Pears, Bear Necessities, and Dancing Bears did it for us! My kid loved the British dry humor and it was much more to the point.

I find keeping exotic big cats to be extremely cruel. On that basis alone I would not be happy with it.

Oh wow. :(

FINALLY a new season of Les Revenants? I'm so excited!!!