We, and everyone we have done this with, love love love the Destination Imagination Instant Challenges. If you google this, you will get tons of them, but here's a page to get you started: http://www.cre8iowa.org/resources/instant-challenge-library/ Look at the task-based list for building projects, but we enjoy both types. They are cheap. We have a box set up with all of our popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, plastic cups, etc, etc... most projects use the same basic materials. Once a month or so, I host a handful of homeschooled kids for a friendly competition using the Instant Challenges and it is hands down THE MOST FUN EVER!!! according to the kids.

I don't have any advice, except to say that bluetooth is known to be pretty wonky. My phone occasionally forgets either my garmin watch or my headphones. Then it's a question of turning devices on/off, turning bluetooth on/off, telling phone to "forget" the accessory, then re-find it, telling accessory to forget the phone, then re-find it. It's crazy annoying and often times the fix just magically starts working 2-12 hours later. Go figure.

I really liked this book for anxiety- https://www.amazon.com/What-When-Worry-Much-What/dp/1591473144/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=child+anxiety&qid=1553598224&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Exponents are touched on in 5a during the prime factorization section, quite early on. It is a very light overview. I did a lot of spin-off lessons because the into to exponents is too light, IMO. (I'm using standards ed.)

I think there is still research to be done here, but here is the claim of Dr. Jason Fung who wrote the Complete Guide to Fasting : - Calorie restriction in the presence of insulin will slow metabolism (i.e. small frequent meals that keep insulin constantly raised, but whose total calories are low) vs. Calorie restriction in the absence of insulin will have no effect on metabolism/BMR. So it's presence/absence of insulin which determines changes in BMR from calories. Most of the fasting "experts", Fung included, do not recommend having a tight window on a daily basis. They instead recommend ADF (alternate day fasting) where you eat normally (meet your BMR requirements) on day one, then on day 2 you eat only one meal (or even zero meals), which should naturally cause calorie restriction as well as low insulin for most of the day. Longer eating windows like 16:8 and 18:6 are fine as a general maintenance plan or during ADF on the feeding days. The frustration with ADF is watching the scale make wild swings and only being able to see a long-term trend... this makes it harder to tweak things, so you have to commit to the long game. I have also seen recommended a daily fast with a stricter protocol (20:4, 23:1) with one re-feed/over-feed per week. So let's say your BMR is 1500, you might eat 2000 on your re-feed day.

One of my issues with keto was that I just couldn't mentally get past the idea that legumes or sweet potatoes belonged on the "bad" list. I switched to IF because I wanted an option that was more compatible with everything I've been reading about longevity diets. I do believe keto is a very healthy intervention for people trying to lose weight, dealing with insulin resistance or diabetes, and especially people needing to see immediate improvement in glucose numbers, etc. Yes keto!!! But it's not a longevity diet, according to the research we have available. One of the nice unexpected benefits of IF is that I have an improved ability to "see" what I'm eating. It's easy to sneak in "a little" empty carbs (white foods) at each meal and snack. But if I'm only eating 1-2 meals, I have a strong desire to make every bite count. Out goes bread, in goes lentils and sweet potatoes! I've never head any fear of fat (thank you, long line of family matriarchs who resisted the margarine movement for 3 generations!!!) and happily toss things in butter, olive oil, and coconut milk or oil. I enjoy meat, but dont' need nearly as much with the beans. I'm never hungry. Even when I do 23hr fast and 1 hr eating (weekdays), I eat because I miss food. lol. I would like to go longer just to see when my hunger kicks in, but haven't yet. I don't know if this is because I did do keto off and on for 6+ months so I have an improved metabolic flexibility (ability to switch easily between carb burning and fat burning without strong symptoms of discomfort/hunger) or because I'm still eating high fat and my carbs are "slow carbs", or beecause I just naturally have a lower hunger sensation. I've also read a lot about how hunger works- it comes in waves and is often times a habitual feeling based on past meal timing. So when I do get a bit hungry, I just wait and within 10 minutes of doing another task, I've generally forgotten. I'm still cooking 3 meals and 1 snack per day for my family, and unless it's one of my favorite foods, I'm not even tempted. Good luck! Hunger should abate as you get used to the new schedule.

Probably not quite what you're looking for, but Neverending Story?

@Patty Joanna made some great points. My husband is the type of habitual person who does a task for 30 minutes a day, every day. This goes for any of his hobbies, as well as bigger tasks like doing taxes. He prefers to do 30-minute chunks, and he is incredibly consistent. I, on the other hand, want 2-3 hours, maybe once a week, for those type of tasks. I want to see a project through to a natural endpoint, which requires a solid chunk of time to be concentrated. When I get the writing bug, I write 2-4 hours a day, for a month. Then it's like the urge has passed, and I don't write again for months. I have great admiration for the way DH is so consistent, but I'm just not that type!

I really enjoyed the book Atomic Habits and think it could be applicable here. It will help you discover why certain priorities are consistently getting dropped or pushed aside, and how to fix that. I would NOT enjoy having my life scheduled out as described in the OP, but it is a good exercise to remember that we only have X hours in the day, so it's literally impossible to do X+2 hours of stuff. This can help with priority setting, while letting the actually daily flow be a bit more flexible.

My best guess is that about half my children will seek university 4 year degrees or more, and half will seek skilled trades. I think both are great options and the Swiss education system is set up nicely for post-obligatory education options.

I'll respond to this since I also skip dinner. They were weirded out for a bit, but I just explained I feel better when I eat earlier in the day. After a week of sitting at the table and drinking some iced green tea while everyone ate, nobody even noticed anymore. 🙂 I do not talk about weight loss with my kids because I am not technically overweight and I don't want to get into complicated explanations about wanting to look a certain way (I look better at 115 than 130, but both are technically "healthy weights" for my height) because I don't want to wake up "body consciousness" in children who are utterly free for the moment of those thoughts. Hopefully, that makes sense.

My understanding is this: Anything other than water breaks a fast because it will require processing by your digestive system, liver, etc. Having said that, here is how different things break down when it comes to what breaks a fast: - If you are fasting for weight loss, consider anything that raises insulin to break a fast. This means you could have coffee or tea with a bit of cream in it. Milk is more likely to break your fast metabolically because it contains milk sugars. Some also say a mug of bone broth is acceptable, as it contains very few calories but helps keep your salt up and provides a bit of amino acids. With a weight loss goal, you are attempting to keep insulin very, very low for extended periods of time, in order to re-sensitize your body to insulin and allow more time for your body to call on stored energy. - When fasting for autophagy, protein breaks your fast. So again, a source of fat in coffee or tea is "ok", but bone broth probably not. Also, munching some undressed salad greens is probably ok. But autophagy has become a huge buzz word, without very many human trials to pull from, so this is mostly based on best guesses by doctors. If you absolutely cannot make it, you can google "fast-mimicking diet" to come up with a meal that might tide you over without raising your insulin significantly. BUT, it will almost certainly be a high calorie meal, so you'd have to be careful and fit it in. Another reason I chose OMAD is that at 5ft1, I just don't get a huge calorie "allowance". I also have ZERO interest in counting calories. I am a big eater, and can easily fit in my 1200 or so calories in one meal or one meal + snack. Rather than trying to count calories out, I just eat until satisfied. The days I exercise are typically the days I add a snack.

Some we have really enjoyed at 10-12 years old: Gregor the Overlander series Green Ember series Where the Mountain Meets the Moon series

Are you related to my 10yo??? 😂 Good luck.

Observation 2 was a LOL for me. Mine are like this, also with books. "What was that really good book I read a while ago? I can't remember what it was about, who the main character is, or any other detail, but surely you remember it, mom?"