Monkey bars. Katy Bowman has quite a bit of info on how to build up to doing this (since most of us stopped doing it back in childhood and then our skill atrophied) and also why it's important.

What a sweet story! I *love* the concept of the online slumber party -- very creative! One of dd's best friends moved to another country a couple of years ago. It's so cool that they can stay in such close touch via Skype and social media. She's coming to visit us for a week later this month; I'm pretty sure it will be as nonstop as what you just described, lol.

NEWS FLASH: After one of dd's friends left last night dd commented that he had 10 cats. "He had 2 cats and they were spayed, but then one had kittens." WAIT A MINUTE! I KNOW ALL ABOUT THIS! So of course we had to discuss this thread. This friend is a really great guy, but he's an acting student, and sometimes I wonder about some of the things he says. For example, he says he's at his university on a Women's Tennis Scholarship ... given the school it sounds somewhat plausible, but, then again, like I say, acting student.

Univ of Evansville has the Purple Aces. "Ace" is typically shown as a gambler dressed in purple. Sleazy, but not intimidating.

I bought it a while back and finally got around to reading it this spring. It was interesting; I enjoyed reading it. I haven't "used it" in the sense of suddenly whipping up some lit discussions or having dd read it. On the other hand, I have randomly shared anecdotes and insights from the book with others. Her designation of the Little Stinker sort of made me roll my eyes, but it certainly is memorable. I usually think of myself as a klutz when it comes to literary analysis. I could understand the points she was making, so yay me.

Also cutting off testicles ... more than once. Well, not happening more than once to the same person, but it's just something that comes up in various mythologies. Someday SWB will write a history of middle school, we hope. In the meantime, this isn't it. It's for high school and above.

Are cat gifs acceptable? https://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/the-best-cat-gif-post-in-the-history-of-cat-gifs?utm_term=.hn1BAdRlo#.cv4YaoOQ6

No clue about Wilson Hill, but we used Derek Owens Physics http://www.derekowens.com/course_info_physics.php for 10th. It is also available as an Honors class; as I recall, you have a bit of time to decide if you want to switch from Honors to regular after you get started. Dd has also been taking Algebra 2 while taking Derek Owens. When she took the ACT this spring she noted that she could solve many of the trig problems because the math had been explained in the Derek Owens class. I suspect a 9th grader who is confident in math would be fine. Derek Owens seems the sort you could email and ask whether your child's math abilities would be suitable for the class -- he's VERY approachable and VERY interested in having kids learn physics! Both of my kids have preferred learning physics before tackling chemistry, feeling it paved the way for chemistry (not that younger dd has started chemistry yet, but she has commented that she's glad she's learning various topics before tackling chemistry -- she can see the connection). They both took Biology in 9th simply because a fantastic teacher happened to be available at the time. Older dd took Kinetic Physics in 10th grade in a co-op class. Skimming the article SevenDaisies links above, I should probably note that older dd really likes vectors, and that can be traced back to high school physics. So maybe we're outliers with weird ideas of what's "fun" and "easy". Edited to add: Dd said that you only need Algebra 1 for the DO physics course -- he explains all of the geometry and trig you need. We also had a discussion of what physics without vectors would look like ... she also thought vectors were pretty easy if the explanation is adequate.

Coming at this from a different angle, we're getting more in the swing of foraging the weeds that are proving themselves able to survive the shade and the local wildlife. It helps that as the neighbor gets older (now in her 90s) she is less likely to come over and try to spray them all with Roundup. Violets have taken over most of the back yard; I'm currently making violet-leaf vinegar. We also discovered some mint. Lots of plantain. The best patch of chickweed is over near the neighbor's, so I transplanted some to a more protected-from-her location. We also have white pine -- I want to try using the needles for vinegar.

What is tomato pie?

We were out in the garden earlier to day and I was saying to dd that we needed to get that really tiny thyme -- funny it should come up here, then! She had no idea it existed, and is very excited about it. In pots we have: parsley, chocolate mint, basil, and thyme. They're all left over from last year. The rosemary died early last summer, despite all of your claims that it's easy. We also have some sort of mint growing along the back edge of our property. We just finished putting in a raised bed which will soon be home for some more basil, chives, rosemary (maybe), and whatever else dd chooses. Just as we finished spreading the soil, though, it started pouring rain, so the project is on hold for this afternoon. Great thread! Very timely! I had forgotten about lemon balm -- we need to plant some!

:grouphug:

I'm hoping the family doesn't see me smirking here at the computer -- I don't want to try to explain pondering the niche market for rubbing tinned tomatoes in a young lady's smelly butt cheek ....

I'm so sorry -- that must be so frustrating! It really does sound like a hormonal issue/ metabolism issue. Even though you're getting bigger, it doesn't sound as though you're being nourished. I hope your endocrinologist can help you straighten it out.

:party: Congratulations to her! And to you, too!

:laugh:

I wonder what happens with the pH of your mouth when you swish oil around for 10-20 minutes vs. ... well, pretty much anything else you do with your mouth. I think about that because of Dr Ellie's comments about using xylitol to change pH. Also, I wonder if it's partially something about the mechanical swish swish swish going past your teeth and gums. The cells are getting a different load on them than they would if you just went about your day. Sort of like a little massage. Could it be that it isn't just the chemistry of the oil or whatever nutrients are in your saliva, but also the mechanics of the loads on the oral surfaces? I started thinking about this because Katy Bowman has been going on and on lately (on Facebook and Instagram) about how we use our teeth and jaws so much less than our ancestors did -- we've outsourced much of our labor to reduce plants/animals into digestible food. She notes that this puts different loads on our teeth and jaws since they aren't called on to do the work they used to do; body structures that are used less tend to be weaker. Also, does the oil has any anaerobic coating action or do something else odd to bacteria when it's there for such a long time -- not just passing through on a chew-and-swallow, but hanging around for quite a bit. I have lots of questions that come to mind while I'm simultaneously swishing and chopping vegetables to pack a salad for lunch. :coolgleamA:

Here's the thing, though, about the oil -- there's nothing else I could stand to swish that long. Mouthwash would irritate my mouth. Water just turns into a giant gritty spit bath, and I would be weirded out by not getting the perfect temperature of water. The texture and viscosity of the oil is okay for me in a way that other swishables are not, plus I think something happens as the mucous combines with the oil and becomes sort of ... soapy? I have a really, really strong gag reflex, too (has anyone ever suggested brushing your tongue to you? yikes :ack2: ). It took me a few tries to find a bland enough oil. Olive oil was really bad for me. Coconut oil was moderately better. I started by just doing it for a minute or so, and not much oil, and built up from there. I guess my body gradually began to trust that I wasn't going to try swallowing the oil, and now, like I say, it's about like chewing gum.

I do it with sunflower oil. I'm fairly erratic with it -- I'll do it for several days, and then forget about it for several days. I do it while I'm puttering around doing early morning stuff like feeding animals and packing lunches -- usually about 10 minutes or so -- it's something that can be done absentmindedly, sort of like chewing gum. I don't use coconut oil because I react badly to coconut. It helps clean my teeth and stop plaque build up. I think it gives a bit of a gum massage, too. .

:hurray: Wow, that's great!

Dd20 loves peanut butter, so we usually have a jar or 2 around. Dh and I aren't interested, and dd16 loathes it. I *do* like almond butter, and will occasionally eat that. And dh goes through phases of enjoying other similar things like sunflower butter or walnut butter.

Over the years: Scouts Irish Dance (competitive) ice skating archery horseback riding piano voice acting, including Shakespeare camps musical theater technical theater baton swimming tap dance ballet aerial silks church youth group choir My parents required all of us to take piano with the option of switching to another instrument after a year; MIL was a piano teacher, so dh and all of his siblings also learned piano. So, yep, we required piano for our kids. Swimming was also a requirement. There have been a myriad other things they've wanted to do, by the way. For example, dd16 is pretty sure she should take up cello and parkour this summer, plus possibly some form of martial arts.

Our neighbor, who is a good friend of my kids, was on kid's Jeopardy. She had lots of fun. She had a watch-party at her house when the episode was aired, and that get-together was on the local news, so that could've been another opportunity for publicity for interesting things like snake advocacy.

Dd's thoughts: Avoid the performances by Bolshoi -- they're impressive technically, but boring insofar as acting (would be great for kids who are planning to become dancers). The Nutcrackers that have Mother Ginger might be more fun for kids. Sleeping Beauty "is basically a bunch fairies dancing around in variations until you want to stab your eyes out from boredom" -- sort of like the Nutcracker but with fairytale characters in lieu of the land of sweets. Dd was just cast in Sleeping Beauty, and doesn't want to watch it other than reviewing the variations she needs to learn (their director is taking liberties with the story line to streamline it and make it more fun for the kids in the audience). Edited to add -- you might just select some segments of it, then, rather than slogging through the entire thing. For example, we watched a youtube of Svetlana Zakhavora perform Aurora's 3rd act wedding pas de deux ... technically awesome, but amazing lack of personality. Although it's Bolshoi, she highly recommends watching it just because it's really breathtaking technique.