Except that based on past history, next year they’ll pick something different entirely for them to wear. Unless the Walmarts here have some that aren’t listed online, they don’t have any right now. I checked websites for Old Navy, JCPenney, Walmart, and Target. JCP was the only one who had black boys’ dress shirts listed, and none were in stock locally.

My older three kids started attending a very small (35ish kids K-12) Christian school last month. The school does an annual Christmas performance. This is not a high quality performance, it’s not recorded for promotional purposes or anything like that, it’s just something for parents to come watch. And it’s not optional, they expect everyone to participate. They sent out a text to parents two weeks before the day of the performance wanting the kids to wear all black, dress shirts for the boys, with a bright colored tie or scarf. I find this both irritating and frustrating. They couldn’t have them wear their school uniforms. They couldn’t even pick navy which is one of two school uniform colors for bottoms and three colors for tops, so that pretty much everyone actually has navy clothes already. No, they wanted parents to add yet another shopping trip before Christmas to find and buy whatever clothes their kids don’t have so they can wear them exactly once (everything is open here so COVID doesn’t factor in to this at all). My boys never wear dress shirts outside of school. The two other parents I talked to weren’t thrilled about the performance “dress code” either. (And the “dress code” for the performance changes every year based on whatever the teacher in charge wants—it’s not like all black is a tradition). So I went to the used kids’ clothes store here and bought black pants and long sleeve solid black tee shirts for my boys. If they’d had black dress shirts I would have bought them, but they didn’t. I figured they could wear their bright colored ties with those and it’d be good enough. Well they had a dress rehearsal today and the teacher in charge of it told DS12 that she was going to buy him and his brother black dress shirts because she didn’t like the shirts I sent for them. Now I’m really irritated about the whole thing. Am I overreacting here (ok I’m not actually reacting...I’m just really annoyed.). Is it reasonable for the school to expect parents to buy whatever clothes they decide on for the performance? If it’s not, is there some way to tactfully complain about it?

My kitchen has all slide out drawers in the lower cabinets, which is nice. I’m another fan of cabinets up to the ceiling, though it really depends on how high your kitchen ceiling is. I don’t see this working with a ceiling that’s higher than 8’. One thing I wish the previous owners hadn’t done in this kitchen is to pick all busy hard finishes. The cabinets are hickory, and I love them, but it’s a busier pattern than any other cabinet finish. The countertops are a busy granite, the backsplash goes up the cabinets all the way around (and up the ceiling by the window) and is small thin tiles in several colors so it’s very busy, and the floor is travertine which is also somewhat busy (and clashes a bit with the hickory cabinets, but that’s another story). I’m a fan of kitchens with ONE busy hard finish (either the countertops or the backsplash) and everything else solid or close it it. One thing I’d do if I were designing a kitchen is to try to plan a layout with the sink and stove on two adjoining sides of the room, relatively close together if possible. My kitchen has the sink opposite the stove, and it’d be so much more convenient to have them placed so I could easily move from one to the other with a good sized prep space in between the two.

I think I will make them an indoor fort kit...I have 7 84” long grommet curtain panels that are no longer used. I could combine those with some plastic clamps and Velcro loops (to use with the bean bags we already have to weigh down ends) and I bet they’ll love it. I still have to come up with an idea for Grammy though. I’ll have to look up movie making kits...they’d probably love that.

Those golf balls would be dangerous in the hands of any of them lol. That looks like a super fun game, but all I can think about is how many broken windows and holes in the wall we’d end up with if we let them play with golf balls. I’m thinking about an indoor gymnastics bar like this https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pro-Gymnastics-Adjustable-Gymnastics-Kip-Bar-Horizontal-Training-Fitness-Junior-Kids-Heavy-Duty-Curved-Legs-Cushioned-Hand-Bar-Height-Expandable-Up-5/371683959?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101030227&&adid=22222222227377480863&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=470063106704&wl4=aud-1025716567856:pla-970122425268&wl5=9021219&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=259469673&wl11=online&wl12=371683959&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2af-BRDzARIsAIVQUOfJKH1hfRciWzHeutN-zhcEVLFBFvU9q3unUDVm2OKpYy9_I71uWmQaAvIVEALw_wcB. A friend has one and they loved in when they were there and want one. I’m just not sure if they’d lose interest after a week or two, or whether they’d use it to fling themselves into walls.

We have: laser guns Nerf guns galore large swing/play set bounce house We had a ninja course that they liked but DH disliked it and threw it out. They’d love a trampoline but I’m afraid someone will seriously injure themselves on one...they don’t follow rules well and realistically, I’m not going to be able to enforce a two person limit unless I spend all day every day sitting outside by the trampoline. We have a four seasons climate. They have a few sleds but we don’t ever actually go sledding so they just drag each other around the yard. Maybe next Christmas (or two) an above ground inflatable pool will be an option. I’m afraid one of the little ones will drown if we get one before they’re old enough to swim a little and have some common sense.

I’m trying to think of group gift ideas for my boys (there’s five of them, ages 2 to 12). There’s not really any museums or activity places around here so it needs to be more along the lines of a toy they could all use or indoor/outdoor play equipment.

I’m trying to come up with kitchen-related gift ideas for myself. I know I want a Dutch oven and a 9” square baking pan. I really wanted a Pampered Chef stoneware square baking pan to replace one that got broken a few years ago, but apparently they don’t make them anymore. Any suggestions for a good stoneware baking pan, or another that will bake evenly and not over-brown the bottoms of baked goods? I’m not a fan of Teflon or things that are hard to clean. Also, what other kitchen-related items do you love? I don’t need pots and pans or bakeware. I have thought about one of those wire roasting baskets to use in the oven but am not sure if they really make a difference over just roasting something in a pan.

My husband occasionally has to jump start vehicles for work (in a car lot), and this is what he buys. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0753MF4Q8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I’m trying to make gf rolls. While I was trying to figure out how to get the milk the right temperature without a thermometer, my 2 yo helpfully mixed the yeast into the flour. I’m supposed to pour the warm milk over the yeast which was in a hole in the center of the flour. Can I add the milk to the whole thing and mix it in and still have it work properly, or do I need to start over? I’m not sure I have enough flour left to make a whole new batch so it might have to be a half batch if I start over. And while I was typing this out my 2 yo helpfully cut open another package of yeast and poured that into the flour...sigh. I can scoop that out I guess.

I believe they’re currently having a half off special for Black Friday. We got our subscription earlier this year through Homeschool Buyer’s Coop...I think it was around 40% off. The app is pretty glitchy though and we haven’t used it much. Amazon has a new unlimited service for Audible...you might see if they have anything you want. It does NOT include their entire catalog though. Or have you looked at Scribd? They have a really great selection. It’s $10/mo. It’s supposedly unlimited but high consumption of more popular titles can cause restricted access to many titles until the next billing cycle begins. There’s always something to listen to/read...just not necessarily what you wanted to listen to right then.

I’ve read that after 2 years SARS had reduced in severity enough that attempts to make a vaccine were abandoned, and that this is fairly typical of coronaviruses. Still a ways out from two years with this one though.

My nutritionist, who spends a lot of time looking at research of all kinds (all her recommendations are research-based), told me last week that they (idk who “they” is) are recommending 10 mg/day for most people and 40 mg/day for healthcare workers.

https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-28/a-room-a-bar-and-a-class-how-the-coronavirus-is-spread-through-the-air.html I think people are more likely to change behavior after seeing something like this than by seeing published studies.

Did the adults in A and C who haven’t have COVID have negative tests, or not test? To me it seems likely that they’ve had it, possibly with very mild symptoms, if they share a household with someone who has. Seems very likely the kid got it when his/her parents had it. In the end you have to do what you feel comfortable doing. Is asking the adults who haven’t had it to isolate fully before the event, or test beforehand, a possibility?

A bunch of people I know have it or have had it very recently. My parents have it, both mild cases (very mild for mom). They’re mid-60s. An older couple we know has it. They’re both in their 70s. Idk how bad their symptoms were but neither required medical attention and they were mostly recovered after a week. I know a couple young adults who have it currently, several people in their 30s and 40s, a 50s, another 60s, and several kids. All mild to moderate cases.

If it doesn’t clear up you might consider using an activated charcoal and ground flax seed pack on it. I’ve successfully used them for an abscess before. I’ve read a number of stories about charcoal packs clearing up antiobiotic-resistant infections.

We recently got a couple of 5 year old ferrets from another hs’ing family who said they couldn’t keep them anymore. They apparently neglected to disclose that both ferrets have some health issues. I haven’t taken them to a vet yet (they have an appt next week), but upon googling it appears that the female ferret has adrenal disease and the male has insulinoma (basically his body can’t regulate his blood sugar levels anymore). The female seems happy enough but is losing hair pretty rapidly. The male doesn’t seem to be in pain and is eating well and friendly, but he’s becoming more and more lethargic and having more trouble getting around because his back legs aren’t working well (which is a symptom of insulinoma). Google says the insulinoma can be treated with twice daily prednisone, but he probably won’t live more than another 6 months even with treatment. The adrenal issues can be treated more successfully with a medicated implant, but I don’t know how much it will cost (probably at least $150 each time, hopefully just once a year), and I don’t know if the vet will require a bunch of tests first to confirm she has adrenal issues (tests which apparently can cost upwards of 1K). I cannot spend hundreds of dollars on these ferrets. We have over $3000 of out of pocket dental and vision costs for our kids over the next two weeks. I don’t really know what to do here.

We use the Target brand scented cat litter. We’ve tried a few others and it seems to work the best of the ones we tried for odor control, and it’s not too bad dust-wise (but still enough that I make them change the litter in the garage). I got litter mats for under the boxes and nothing gets tracked out of the area.

I have a set of 18/10 stainless steel Kitchenaid pots and pans. I’ve had them for almost 15 years and they’ve held up very well. I keep hearing about the how much better the really nice pans are (Le Creuset, All Clad, etc), and am trying to decide if it would be worth replacing a couple of my most frequently used pans with nicer ones. I do cook a lot but don’t enjoy time-consuming or fiddly cooking, so mostly I’m sautéing or frying. My in-laws have high end cookware (from my recollection it looks like All Clad stuff but idk what the the brand actually is) and I haven’t particularly liked using theirs because the handles are slippery (mine have grips) and they’re heavy and hard to move around. Am I likely to notice enough of a different with nicer pans to make it worth buying them? The set I have is similar to this one https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-Stainless-Steel-10-Piece-Cookware-Set/dp/B000LZ9YY2 but the bottoms aren’t copper and he handles are a bit different.

My older 3 are going to the Christian school for the rest of the year. I guess we’ll see how it goes.

I am absolutely positive that some/many kids are far easier than mine. My mom has told me multiple times that my siblings and I were a lot easier than my kids (and she's not saying this in a mean-spirited way at all). I have a friend with 5 kids in a similar age range to mine. I don't think it'd be an exaggeration to say that I put about 3x more effort into parenting than she does...it's the difference between a bunch of really laid-back NT kids, and a bunch of non-NT kids with intense temperments.

Now that you mention this, I think part of the reason I have so much trouble accepting this is because my family didn't have any of these issues. I think my dad fits the criteria for adult ADHD, and he's a poor speller (though reads well) so maybe the dyslexia comes from him too, but it all skipped me and my siblings. I have not been able to find anyone in either my extended family or DH's who is or appears to be dyslexic. DH's family doesn't appear to have issues with ADHD either. I was a fairly compliant, highly self-motivated kid with good executive function, so having all these kids who are nothing like me, and nothing like the kids I thought I would have...it's hard to take in.

I have health issues also, which makes things extra hard. Sometimes I think I could probably handle the kids if only I could function normally myself.

It works reasonably well here to set up a this-before-that structure, and they don't get the "that" (which is something they want) until the "this" is done. For example, my kids need to get their daily chores done before breakfast. About 10-15 minutes before breakfast is ready, I remind them that it's chore time, and that they don't get breakfast til their chores are done. And sometimes we sit down to eat without someone who was messing around and didn't finish their chores. Usually this only happens once in a while now that they know they won't get breakfast til their chores are done. In your case, I'd set up "brush hair" as something that needs to be done before breakfast. If she argues, write it on a list on the fridge and just remind her that the list needs to be completed before breakfast (it's a lot harder to argue with a list than with mom). You can do the same thing for schoolwork. Set it up so once her schoolwork is done properly, she gets to do something she wants to do that you can control whether she does it or not (we use game time here).