Does she have LD's/disabilities, or just a lack of education? If there are LD's, you need to be flexible and adjust as necessary... I have gotten 4 foster girls who were terribly behind up to date using phonics pathways, reading pathways, Rod and staff grammar. Also lots of Explode the Code and Beyond the code. Math, I'd do TT. Science-- what kind of science does the GED cover?

I defrosted some ground beef so probably beef stroganoff.

Husband-- who travels to Japan, china and frequently has to drive around people from singapore and korea when they visit here in Texas says this: When they come here, they want to try and see local things. I usually take them to Steakhouses, good burger joints, etc.. American type food. Their favorite thing they always ask to do is go to a gun range and shoot. (there's a stereotype that all texans own guns, so they do ask to try it...) They always ask to go to a mall and shop for jeans to take back. (my question-- are jeans hard to get there? LOL) Edited to add: Hubby said fondue is fine. It will not be a bad thing for the wife to be there, BUT if nobody else's wife is there, then tell her to stay home. THAT is awkward. He said not to freak out. This is not a big deal, that the people will be excited to be there, trying something new that it wont matter. And that most S. Koreans are aware of American customs, etc... (although they always ask us to teach them to speak like a texan... Ya'll! LOL )

I always tell them that they couldn't afford me. :laugh:

I'm assuming he has had an intelligence test? I have a cousin who is insanely intellingent, yet flatly refused any schooling. He would never voice it (until he was in his 30's) but to him, it was too easy to BOTHER doing the work. He felt the questions were so stupid, to bother answering. The material too dumbed down to bother. My aunt bought him college textbooks and started her own "curriculum". He went from doing nothing to doing only things that were challenging. He would refuse to write a paragraph about his summer but would write huge papers on a complex solar system thing.... (way over my head) I have heard of other kids like this. They are extremely brilliant but shut down when the material is too easy... My kids are not like this, but I hug you for your efforts!

Thanks ya'll. He drove me nuts today, I guess I had ENOUGH! LOL I did a search on this site and found an old thread from December that had several great suggestions on books. I spent $60 on amazon, LOL All on dealing with teenager books. Hubby laughed. :D

I would skip the email. You said they are a nosy family. They are going to press, nag and demand details.

You know-- when you're pregnant, you read all the books about babies and are somewhat prepared for all the baby stages. Everyone has advice on the toddler stages. Young elementary ages are pretty standard, and you think you are an expert at this whole parenting thing. Then they turn 13. NOBODY told me about teenagers. I knew they would eat alot. I knew they would have weird clothing taste. But I was NOT prepared for the attitude!!! I was an only child, who was NEVER allowed to talk back, have any negativity towards my parents. My 13 year old is driving me nuts. One minute, he's happy and sweet, and kind, and hardworking. The next second, he says everything is too much work, he is driving everyone nuts, he is demanding to be treated like an adult (without having earned it), whiney, complaining, talking back, questioning... In this house, we have never allowed the talking back/questioning, whining, negative behavior. So I don't know WHY he thinks it's suddenly ok? And my husband is always taking his side, saying that it's MY fault that he is only acting this way because I'm not letting him be an individual. (yet when I do, he gets worse!) Let me be clear to my husband and everyone else-- I will NOT raise a snarky, rude, disrespectful son! So if I have to be mean all the time, fine. (grumble, grumble, grumble...) I'm so sick of being the mean one. I'm also sick of walking on eggshells too. I'm not going to tiptoe around my own house acting like a cheerleader so my 13 year old wont get moody. I need books or a support group for parents of hormonal teen boys. Or a cattle prod and duct tape. Or some STRONG booze.

I recommend you get at LEAST 3 opinions. No two treatment plans are the same. No two kids' teeth are going to be the same. But I will tell you we had quotes for my kid that ranged from $4000-8000. In the end, we went with an ortho who had an excellent reputation (I did alot of research and asking around) that was middle on pricing. While we don't have alot of money, a GOOD doctor is worth something in this situation. Youngest had quotes for $2000-4000, but his teeth aren't as bad as his brothers. We'll start his braces next year (waiting for the medical flex spending to kick in fo rnext year, LOL)

Boy I am following this thread! I hated my idiot contact at WW (there's only 1 in my area I'm told..), tried the online and just couldn't "get it". I have some health issues that make it compicated-- mostly blood sugar related. I cannot do no carb/ too low carb either. To the person that did the HCG diet-- that sounds INCREDIBLE. I'd love to hear about it, but worry it would make my health suffer even more.

if my aunt asked to measure my chest, I would freak out. Doesn't matter the age. I'd drop it and never mention it again, unless she approaches you.

Carne Guisada cookin now... :drool5:

I could and have done it in the past. It's NOT FUN.. But we don't buy fish. We hate fish. other than the occasional tuna, we don't eat it.

lastnight-- pizza tonight-- crockpot chicken drumsticks, potatoes and onions. probably cook some carrots too. Kids are asking for a dessert, so I might do the ww spice cake mix/canned pumpkin thing... they love that.

our OA elections are not until March. I'm frustrated today. Son is DONE with life. He just won't get the items signed off... He missed this month's BOR's because he didn't bother to get the items signed off and set up his Scoutmaster conference in time. I just opened his book to ask him if/when he was going to get them signed off, since there is a meeting tomorrow. He just rolled his eyes and said he'd do it-- eventually. Where did this attitude come from??? Son was super-excited last year to join OA, but because he was 1 day short of his 1st class BOR, he wasn't eligible. Now that he's eligible, he has no desire to join. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH! what the heck is wrong with my child? Seriously, I don't make it part of his curriculum. I don't FORCE him to do anything, but as he finishes things, I do suggest he get it signed off. He goes on the campouts (his choice, not mine). He goes to the meetings (his choice, not mine) Yet he doesn't bother to get anything signed off? What the heck? He turned 13 today and I swear it's like a switch has been flipped on the whole attitude thing...

OH MY! OH MY! OH MY!!!!! I am super-excited!!! I was talking to my neighbor who is super-weird (kidding!) and actually likes to clean. She has little babies and no time to clean. She just came over to my house to suggest a BARTER-- she asked me to babysit 2 days a week, and she will clean my house 4-5 hours a week for free. (i'll do the clutter, she will do the CLEANING) I am super-excited. I hate cleaning, mopping, vacuming and all that stuff.... I think she is getting the raw end of the deal, but she insists she needs a break from her kids and this is better for her.

Spent $45 on printer ink but will get that reimbursed. spent $3 on one thing of yarn... other than that, plan to spend a little on son's birthday gift (new phone to replace his very old and feeble one) Might buy a mattress if we can find a good enough deal-- ours is 18 years old... it's time. LOL Hubby has threatened to move into a hotel or something if we dont get a new mattress soon. It's in really bad shape.

My oldest (13 in 6 days) is needing to schedule his scoutmaster conference and BOR for Life. He doesn't seem to be in any hurry, and it's like pulling teeth to get him to do it. he missed the deadline for this month, so it MIGHT be next month. He has every eagle-required MB done except Camping-- and he just needs to finish a few of those requirements to get done. I hear about kids earning EVERY merit badge-- HOW? I mean, how do you motivate the kid to even WANT to do that? My oldest is only willing to do the required 21 merit badges. I try suggesting one's that I KNOW he would love-- like welding-- and he rolls his eyes and just says he has all he "needs" for eagle... uugh. My middle son (11) crossed over recently. He is tenderfoot working on 2nd class. He's frustrated because the ONLY thing he needs is to finish for his 2nd class rank is the 5 mile hike/10 mile bike ride. Hoping we can get that done next week so he can stop nagging me about it. LOL (that requirement the troop allows the boy to do with family , then come in and show print-off of the route and times,etc to get signed off)

Oh, I could just hug you for starting this thread! I'm about to have to run out the door, so might come back later and add more. Kids LOVE homemader corndogs. Cheap hot dogs (75 cents) batter recipe from allrecipes.com some sticks-- I use either craft sticks or kabob sticks-- I can get them super-cheap. Under $2 for the whole family. Breakfast for dinner is cheap-- pancakes (from scratch IS cheaper), eggs... I'm in such a rut lately... I'll be watching this thread closely for good ideas! :D

I recommend researching depression era and ww1 and ww2 era cooking. they made do with very little and often large families. My grandmother would tell me stories... potatoes, pasta, rice, beans, oats and bread went with everything. It filled people up and was cheap. any cheap veggie they could buy or grow was used at every meal. I know about picky eaters-- I have one that is VERY underweight. And it's a struggle. But when money is tight, I tell him that the menu is gonna be a little more strict than usual, and he's just going to have to eat like the rest of us... If he's hungry enough, he WILL eat.

I get your point, to a degree. Our troop does have merit badges offered occasionally. While Boy scouts is supposed to be BOY LED, that is only to a degree. Boys do not lead the merit badges. The adult MB counselor does. The counselor will explain the requirements, tell the boys what they need to do to be prepared, and leave the "homework" up to the boys to complete and expect them to come back and get requirements signed off. there's no silver platter there. the boy is doing the work, not the adult. The boy is definately learning to communicate and deal with teh adults. If you were to leave it up to a boy to: 1 find a mb he's interestd in taking, 2 finding an adult WILLING to teach it to a group of boys (many are willing to sign off one or two requirements, getting them to TEACH a group most do NOT want to do!), 3 getting the SM approval to make an announcement about the MB and have the ASM teach the mb class (some troops are HARD to get that with-- ask me how I know! LOL), 4 then the boy willing to make the announcement (young one's are so shy) and get the kids excited and willing to join? Nope. Sorry, none of the scouts at my 100+ boy troop would go through all that. They will wait for summer camp, or find a MB University and take it there.. Sorry for the typos, typing with an intense migraine. no desire for spell check, lol

Hank Zipzer! Seriously, my son who is severely dyslexic LOVED these books. Clean books, about a VERY clever boy who cannot read or write well... He started reading these when he was at a 3rd and 4th grade level. Written by FONZIE-- Henry winkler based on his own struggles as a dyslexic kiddo. Everyone I tell about this series absolutely loves them. Start with book 1 and work your way through the series.

My kids always went to kid stuff, never to "big church". It's pretty commmon to see kids do that when they come to big church for the first time. I think it's adorable! Don't be embarrassed! This is not a homeschol kid moment, this is a regular kid moment!

All 3 of my boys went through that stage. They LIVED in basketball shorts and pants. (I hate them, but it was the only thing the kids would wear... LOL) All of mine outgrew it eventually. :D It's not a forever phase. Was just talking to another mom today about this-- I think alot of kids go through this stage.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LOL It's a MAJOR stress in my life! We already do so much from scratch. I'd love a CHEAP recipe/idea thread... I can never think of anything when it's time to cook. I get mental block or something... I rarely buy pre-made anything--- when I do the kids act like it's Christmas. LOL We even make our own corn dogs (I can make 16 corndogs for about $2)