Thirding American Eagle. I love their boot cut and skinny jeans.

I'm an ENFP and I definitely prefer smaller communities. HOWEVER, I can be picky about dynamics. Intimate groups can be full of drama, which I'm really averse to. I'm an extrovert in that I thrive on social interaction, but that interaction is most comfortable one one one or in small groups.

There are several carols on this video you may like

My 9 year old is like this. I have to sit with him when he does chores and remind him what he's doing. I had to stop thinking of his chore time as a time where I could get other things done. I usually sit with a basket of laundry and fold it while giving him step by step instructions on his chores. It's exhausting, but it's helping with his focus. If I can't sit with him, I give him very small steps like "get your shoes and bring them to me. Don't do anything else. Say 'get shoes' to yourself over and over so that you don't forget." Then at the end of the day I close my door and say "Ok now Dad's in charge for the next hour." :D

I don't think teasing is a love language. I grew up in a very sarcastic home and it was not fun.

I do this all the time...resisting the urge today!

I know how you feel, but I've gotten to where I'm so happy and believe so strongly in what I'm doing that the financial hardships and the side-eye from other women just don't phase me anymore. I was always interested in academics and passionate about my education, but I still wanted to be a mother more than anything else. I think it's important for women to have options but there's nothing wrong with an aspiration to be in the home. Obviously you're doing a great job if your daughter aspires to be like you!

Lil woodzees are great. We have the tree house and love it. I think the calico critters would fit just fine in it.

I use the Turbie twist but I have to use two (trade after 10 minutes) because my hair is really thick.

I've never tried this before but it could be interesting: http://www.new2homeschooling.com/2012/04/welcome-to-hogwarts-correspondence.html

I know this is off topic but I think it would be really good to seek some counseling for her. Good luck to you all.

I think WTM is having a cyber Monday sale.

Posted to quickly... Weight watchers has portion plates and serving spoons. The designs are subtle. I'm sure you could try those or try something similar.

I recently lost 25 lbs and a big part of my strategy is eating half of what I want and then waiting 10 minutes to see if I'm still hungry. I hardly ever am. I'm tracking wright watchers points, and this had really helped me to understand how much I need to eat rather than how much I want. I still eat small portions of stuff I really like.

I first read that as "Trump recipes". It was confusing. :)

We just did this!!! It was a huge relief.

http://putacupinit.com/chart/ This chart compares a lot of the available brands. I had to try several before finding one that works well for me.

https://welltrainedmind.com/samples/ If you go here and click on "writing with ease instructor text". There is a great explanation about how kids develop skills with narration.

Ok so first of all let me say that I'm not naturally organized and I really have to work at it. I've tried several kinds of planning from flying by the seat of my pants to planning every subject in an electronic program. The file folders are the best thing I've found for me. Essentially, I have a little file holder with section for each child. In that section is a folder for each week I want to teach. I don't put dates on them, just a number, so this week I'll be starting week 5. For things I can plan ahead of time (WWE, SOTW, FLL, OPGTR), I gather what I need for that week and put it in the folder. This means I print the worksheets I want and tear things out of the workbooks all at once and put them in the corresponding folder. Workboxes seem say too complicated for me, so I got each of my kids one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Five-Star-Stay-Put-Pocket-72113/dp/B003O3IUT8 Each week I pull from my file folders and put everything they will need into their fivestar folders- math worksheets, handwriting pages, maps, index cards etc. Then I print out an assignment sheet for each day and put it in the little pocket in the back of the folder we teach 4 days a week so here's an example of an assignment sheet I made: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yhuDWTUVoqIAf8OPJ5wQJ3maLDmSFG9Ae9UIyW_bTrE/edit?usp=sharing So in his folder that week he had the workseets etc that corresponded with those assignments (Every week I just use the same template and type whatever we're doing that week.) When I pulled my son out of school, I only had a weekend so I only planned for one week of school. As I've had time, I've slowly built up my planning. I really only plan one month or one unit at a time, but since so much of my programs folllow a four day a week schedule, I only have to plan for math, history and science. One reason I used this system is that I can plan a week or a month out and still stay on track. The reason we number the weeks is so that if we need time off we can do that without getting "behind". I just move from week 4 to week 5 whenever we're ready rather than on a specific date. Writing, Math and reading always get done. Science, history, and grammar are more flexible so if I don't finish an activity I either carry it over or I skip it if it's an "extra" type thing. My kids each have a shelf and every week I put the books they'll need for the week, including novels and library books, on the shelf without any extras. This saves a TON of time and I no longer here "MOM WHERE'S MY MATH BOOK??" 17 times a day. (Yay!) Now that I'm a little caught up, here's how planning goes for me: -Grammar, writing, reading - already planned, just do the next lesson, 4 lessons per week: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JZ5LRVHz6gdiSEWSe_l8ymVNTYc07dzHnqqmRIzlb8U/edit?usp=sharing Science, my kids are doing a nature study together so here's the plan for that: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yAfRq-CqLnBKbbGlNoSAp5YBgm9DCKl3fl7cG0q65tU/edit?usp=sharing As you can see, I only have a few weeks planned, but I don't like to plan the whole year because I never know when the kids will decide that mice, or geese or whatever are just the bees knees and they want to spend two weeks on them. History: Right now we're studying Ancient Egypt. My son is crazy about Egypt so we're spending a long time on it. Other things we only do a week or two: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cK1Xy4RArCTiZ6IpykqFrh0g19cjGcd_0-O2gxrbjEY/edit?usp=sharing Again, I make an outline and go through and plan more thoroughly as I can So I hope that helps. Mine is a system of organized chaos, but it works for me. I like to be as flexible as possible while still getting things done.

How old is your daughter? We are using WWE with both kids and it helps a LOT with this. My son is 9 and struggles with narration but has improved a lot with this program.

I really love the filing/ crate system. We sent my 9 year old to ps for a few weeks before settling back into homeschool. It's a lot of work up front but then it's grab and go. I can post more about what we do if you're interested.

I've been off since June. I was going to check in once the election was over but now I'm staying off indefinitely. My mood and outlook are significantly better when I don't sign in. Relationships too.

Has anyone tried this CD? I'd love to hear your thoughts/reviews. https://welltrainedmind.com/p/first-language-lessons-audio-companion/

Another Iowan here. This is so senseless and sad. Many prayers for everyone involved.