:iagree::iagree::iagree:

One the one hand; my husband can't spell his kids names with the exception of our son. They have the same name. My dh is the sweetest, just can't spell, bless him. On the other hand; my sil WILLFULLY mispells my names as if, by shear force, my name will bend to her will. hahahahaha! My name is Rebecca and she insists on spelling it Rebekah. Cracks me up. Love her to death.

Go cheer on your boy.

Yes. THis is normal.

So needed this!:D

I am a mean mom. I don't accept sloppy work. I don't expect my kids to do more than they are able, but after a few times of having to re-do assignments my kids handwriting "improved" tremendously. :D I do have them write out a nice grade-level poem about once a week for handwriting practice.

You can make your own! I saw a cool one someone did on pinterest.

My kids do science in a nutshell kits together. We largely base our studies around what the older is doing. I just find younger sources on the same topic for the younger.

I did 5 years of violin with dd starting at almost 5 yrs old. SHe loathed and at 12 still loathes the violin. Hates it with a passion. She enjoys hearing violin music here and there, but would rather die than play one. After years of torture I finally let her choose her instrument, acoustic guitar, and she happily plays it at least an hour a day. She also taught herself to play the ukelele. I never have to remind her to practice. I strongly believe that music should be a part of a well rounded education. I also believe that, if possible, a kid should be able to play the instrument they choose. Such a huge difference! My dd will look up music to play. She is constantly asking to go to the music store to pick up more books. It is a beautiful thing to see a child enjoy music. I always wanted to play the piano or violin myself. That just isn't who my daughter is.

I thought my kid would be better suited to the violin than the guitar. After 5 awful years of lessons we signed her up for guitar. She plays it every chance she gets. I learned my lesson. If a kid shows an interest in a particular instrument, let them try THAT instrument. Guitar is great! My dd asked for a ukelele for her birthday and taught herself to play it. We love listening to the happy music she plays on both instruments.

I just asked my dd if she has heard of those books. I got a blank stare. Yep, we read them all.:D

Have you brought this up with your dd's behavior therapist? I bet you can work on some middle ground. Big hugs to you! I have a dd7 with autism. She will let me put whatever I want on her (she is like a little hanger for my fashion sense) hee, but she insists on wearing the unicorn hat, a hat that looks like a unicorn's head, everywhere. Last week she told another girl in her coop class that she was glad her dog died because dogs scare her:tongue_smilie:. One step at a time I guess. :grouphug:

As one who expects high academic achievement in their children, I also expect my children to help with the housework, go to church, do a sport, have friends, etc. I make my kids listen to and read lots and lots of storybooks. I still manage to teach them to cook, sew, garden, camp, create, do service, etc. I didn't delay. I taught my kids to read at 4 and they always have a book with them. I could never regret this. BTW, I don't actually see a trend in our culture toward pushing academics. Most families I know push sports, looks, and popularity. Just like what they see on tv.

Yeah, no way. I would never leave dh alone to entertain my mom. Tell him to invite them when he is available to be with them. If he makes a stink you have a bigger problem than just the il's

These are kids acting like kids. Don't get wrapped up in the drama. give dd a hug and move on. We all grow up. Some of us are not so nice but most of us mature.

tamale pie. not as good as some of these other posts. i am drooling!

Wow, I didn't know people still used them. I just aerate and mix dry ingredients with a whisk or use a a metal sieve.

yes. you can see the label on the footbed.

Of course it is enough. THe point of teaching a kid to read is so they can read. I let my kids read all they want on grade level. I had them work on a book just above where they were comfortable a little each day. I ask questions about each book to check comprehension. 100 EZ is all the formal instuction I ever did. My 6th grader read at a college sophomore level last year. My dd7 reads at a 6th grade level.

Good choice on nixing the party and chores. That would be my reaction. If an adult steals a car they don't go to jail except to go to a wedding kwim? You won't regret nipping this kind of thing in the bud at a young age. Keep up the good work!

I am still driving our Honda civic (98) everywhere. It has 150,000 on it and runs like new. A honda is a great investment if you want reliable. We haven't had any problems with it.

I have a tantrum throwing autistic 7 year old, a 40 pound linebacker of a 2 year old who likes to run off and get in trouble, and a tween. Hahahaha! If I can do some activities anyone can;). We do have to be creative in some ways. We do a lot of carschooling (We listen to sotw, language, and audiobook cd's. I also have a car bin for bringing along books, paper, pencils, etc for doing in between activities or to do with 1 kid while the other is doing their activity,) Our homeschool has a different structure and schedule every day, but the kids are thriving. As for costs, you would be amazed at how many scholarships are out their for low income families especially with sports. I have also heard of people bartering or trading for music and art lessons. We use a charter school for some great onsite classes with the school (our choice) and funds to pay for other activites.

Chicken korma or butter chicken are always popular. Aloo gobi is yummy (it is like a chickpea curry. You gotta get garlic naan. I want a garlic naan pillow.

We did suzuki before dd switched to guitar.

For what it's worth I prefer the regular teacher's manual to the hig for singapore math.