I finally read The Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America Stylish by Linda Przybyszewski. It was discussed on these threads about a year ago. The book mentioned a shift coming that would include more formal dress. I haven't noticed a shift-- other than a few teens who like to wear suits on a day-to-day basis (much to the astonishment of their families). Is anyone else noticing a shift? Even at a recent Renaissance Faire --jeans and t-shirts. I would guess that with more people working from home, the casual, anything goes dress code will continue for the foreseeable future. There weren't really any concrete modern suggestions in the book. (Forgivable, as that wasn't the book's goal.) I was also a bit disappointed in the author's photo -- I had hoped for a great example of modern artful dress. No such luck. The book did, however, do what it set out to do. It is a delightful history of the Dress Doctors.

The Devil in the White City is on my list. Thanks, both of you, for the warning. Good point! :laugh: I'm thinking a porch swing and/or maybe an old-fashioned tree swing might be nice, though... (Adding to my spring to-dos...)

We loved A Child's Garden of Verses! "The Swing" was a favorite. Such fond memories of reciting it on the swings! The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson How do you like to go up in a swing, Up in the air so blue? Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing Ever a child can do! Up in the air and over the wall, Till I can see so wide, Rivers and trees and cattle and all Over the countryside— Till I look down on the garden green, Down on the roof so brown— Up in the air I go flying again, Up in the air and down!

What are your thoughts on the fall blends? Have you ordered the holiday ones yet? I'd love to hear reviews on those as well. So far I like the Spiced Orange better than Autumn Breeze. The Autumn Breeze had too much going on or conflicting scents or something... I'm not quite sure. I haven't tried the Pumpkin Pie blend yet.

Another factor to consider is support. Many families I know -- especially ones with several children -- have extensive support networks. The parents aren't doing all the driving. Older siblings, other family members (such as grandparents), friends, nannies, neighbors, carpools, etc help make things happen. Sharing the time commitment makes a big difference in making multiple activities feel doable. There are many factors that go into deciding what is too much for a given family -- a list of activities alone doesn't tell the whole story.

That reminds me -- Lord of the Rings! My precious....

Princess Bride for me too. For books -- Snippets of Pooh, Beatrix Potter, etc. And, of course, the first line of Rebecca... At home: Daily -- Tea (including herbal tea -- aka tisane) Occasionally -- Spiced cider, hot chocolate, hot carob Elsewhere: Usually tea, but sometimes coffee.

:laugh:

Me too! Habits and time-management. (Not that my copious reading about either is always reflected in my life! ;))

I think this pretty much sums it up. There is not enough time to do every possible worthy, nurturing pursuit -- whether at home or elsewhere. Each time we say yes to something, we are saying no to a world of other opportunities. It's no surprise we all say yes to different things.

I think that was said tongue-in-cheek. At least that's how I read it. Although for some it's not far from the truth...

I suppose you could write them and let them know the best way for the company to support and "be there" for you in the current political environment is to offer a steep discount! ;) But truly, how bizarre!

We also prefer print publications. Holiday time is when we choose and purchase our subscriptions too. Have fun deciding! Mental Floss might be another one to consider. It's fun and much less serious, but it still has lots of current events, history, and trivia.

I would say that your second paragraph is a type of habit "training" --finding what works in a given situation. Training one's self to develop good habits in a new environment. Habit training probably means different things to different people. Actually your first paragraph of starting young children with predictable routines can be viewed as habit training too. It's just semantics, though. Habit development could be used instead. Thanks for your thoughts! Anyone else?

Ah, that may be the difference. We view many of the activities as family life and part of our homeschool --not as something separate. Perspective matters!

Regarding boredom... Although I agree with downtime, time to contemplate, be alone with one's thoughts etc. There is also value in pursuits that can't be done in the sphere of one's home. Is it just a matter of location? If the child was able to go into the backyard and do the activity, would that be acceptable? Is it just the inconvenience? Sometimes a hobby or passion is found at home -- sometimes it's found elsewhere. Coping with boredom often means finding a productive way to spend one's time. Not all productive ways to spend one's time are found at home. What do you say when a child says they want to take up a sport or hobby that requires them to be out of the home? Do you dismiss it as an *activity* and tell them they need to stay home and learn to overcome boredom? Isn't that what they're doing? Many *activities* require dedication, hard work, imagination, cooperation, etc. It's important to look at what the activity gives, as well has what it costs. A random time filler is far different from an activity that fulfills many important aspects of life. Looking at OP's list, I'm seeing swimming (double points for exercise and safety), music lessons/practice/perfomance, riding (exercise and so much more), and fine arts. All of these offer myriad benefits. Staying home doesn't always equal a wise use or best use of time.

Thanks!

Thanks! I might move it to the any/all seasons list.

I find threads like this incredibly valuable. It's important to realize that all our lives look very different, so caution is advised with comparisons. One student may have 9 or 10 credits with 1 outside activity. Another student may have fewer credits with a variety of activities. Problems can arise when the former feels they should increase activities because the other student has more. Or the latter feels they should increase credits without understanding the full picture of the the first student's life. Context matters. (The above is obviously more of a high school scenario. In lower grades it's more often the parent doing the comparing. Nevertheless, I always find threads like this helpful for perspective.)

I don't think asking if it's too much necessarily means it is. Many things could prompt us to ask that question. A comment from someone else, reading of someone else's schedule that is very different from ours, trying to find the root of a problem (which may not, in the end, be schedule related at all)... There are people who ask the opposite: Am I doing enough? That doesn't automatically mean they aren't. Sometimes they are actually doing too much! Asking a question doesn't necessarily mean the answer is obvious. It's also important to clarify "too much". Too much time away from home? Too much money? Too much time not doing schoolwork? Too much structure? Too much social activity?

Not specifically about finance, but it is mentioned in the book... Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin. I think I like this book better than The Happiness Project, but it's been several years since I read the happiness one, so my memory is fuzzy. To be fair, there were parts of The Happiness Project I enjoyed, but other parts -- not so much. Both books are quick and light reads. Sort of bloglike... One aspect I like about her books is her mention of other books related to the topic, many of which are more substantial than hers. Rubin's books are worth reading in their own right and to find other resources.

Charlotte Mason's recommendations for habit training might not sit well with today's teens. (Understatement.) A more modern look at habits can be found in Gretchen Rubin's Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives. She examines various habit personalities and how we can encourage and support habit formation in those personalities, while acknowledging that ultimately the person has to want to change. Anyone else have any thoughts or resources related to habits?

Travel time really makes a difference! Someone with a five minute walk or ten minute bike ride would be able to do more than someone with a one hour drive or two hour bus ride. We spend more time traveling than at the activity sometimes.

It might be helpful to have times (including travel times), but it really depends on the individual personalities involved, as well as course loads and other commitments at home.

It might be helpful if we explain why we enjoy the publications. One aspect of The Week that we enjoy is that it pulls from other news outlets. It is a curated national (U.S.) and international news digest. Instead of a long article written by one source, there might be several paragraphs pulling from various media outlets on numerous sides of the issue. We find it balances nicely with The Economist which has much more in-depth articles. We have several other subscriptions, which often vary from year to year, but those two are foundational.