Auntie M-Thank you! I appreciate your kind reply. Actually, I did ask her some specific questions last time we were together. She seems to have an answer for everything. I have already realized that we are not meant to hang out. It's not a positive experience. I will continue to be kind and welcoming to her, but I will not initiate any playdates etc. I actually feel really sorry for her.

Did I just get chastised for asking an anonymous question? How is my anonymous question any different from any other anonymous question on this board? People are posting questions about neighborhood kids...neighbors....other families...work questions....mother in laws...etc. Anyway....back to life.

I've been thinking "run far away" too! The sad thing is that we are new to our area and they are our only homeschool friends. I'm fooling myself though, she is not truly a friend. Friendship needs honesty. She definitely pretends that they are living an amazing life...always on the go, always happy and bubbly, constantly buying new things. I usually leave our playdates feeling discouraged and boring.

Don't know if this will help, but my dad(who is a senior) can't stand kids. He grumbles and mumbles everytime they are around. Your neighbor reminded me of him. Maybe there would be no pleasing her.

Oh man, my heart goes out to your little man. My mama-bear blood is boiling. I can't believe that the other mother just blew it off. So hurtful. My ds would do the same thing...go back and play with the meanies. My ds 8 was chased off the playground by a girl with a stick....there were other kids watching, laughing and pointing at my ds. They thought it was hysterical that my ds ran away afraid. The mother came over and did nothing. Errrrghhh.

They are living together with their children. They wear wedding rings and state that they are married. I'm totally perplexed. She said that instead of filing bankrupt they have stopped paying their credit cards and the husband is paying the wife child support(almost his whole income). The child support protects the money from the creditors. What irks me is that they seem to be very wealthy with a full bank account....yet they are not paying credit card bills. They live a very wealthy lifestyle. This is a new friend to me, my anti-trust flag has gone up.

I keep wondering if they are really divorced, but pretending to be married. Hmmm?

My girlfriend recently shared that to avoid creditors taking her dh's income her dh is paying her child support each month. Basically, she gets all his income, but in the form of child support so that the banks/credit card companies can't touch the money. Can you actually be married and receive child support from your husband? I'm having some red flag thoughts about some things she has shared....that being one of them:001_huh: Please educate me.

I remember that they offered free shipping on $25 last year. Any idea if it's a regular thing?

I've noticed the same thing. My friends who have decided not to homeschool this year have all voiced some sort of burnout. With that, I'm trying to restructure my mindset and our routine...hoping to avoid burnout.

My ds 8 does not draw well at all. It doesn't bother me. He does not enjoy handwriting or fine motor work of any kind. My dh reassures me that he did not enjoy those things either, but he enjoyed other things. As a pp said...we each have our strengths and weaknesses.

Don't feel bad! We moved from a city that had co-ops and homeschool groups(which we were involved). I have felt less stressed in our new city...not having those commitments. I believe there are co-ops and groups around, but I'm enjoying being anonymous and free for a bit:tongue_smilie: Having lots to do can be nice, but it is also a bit overrated and tiring(from someone who has been there/done that). Feel better?

Any more updates about this book. It looks really good, but it's a little $$ (with shipping). Curious if you like it.

Really? Was it posted by the original author?

http://www.beatrixpotterbooks.org/childrens-books-for-dumies-2/ It has me so frustrated.

My 8 yr old ds seems young for his age. I could relate to everything you mentioned, though my son is younger. Like you, I'm really fine with it. It just stands out more and worries me a bit when he is with other boys his age who seem more mature. I'm wondering if it is more of a personality thing and less of a maturity thing. Do you know what I mean? My dear friend's son always seemed a bit young. In fact he reminds me of my son. This boy is now 14. He still seems young for his age, but he is polite, does fine academically, is just a great kid. He may not be as "mature" as his some of his peers...but maybe that is a good thing?? Hope you find encouragement from these posts. I know that realizing that I'm not alone in this has encouraged me.

:iagree:

I paid through paypal. I feel sort of bad for the seller. I'm guessing she called it a workbook by mistake. Whatever happened, she did state it was a workbook...and it was not. I'm going to give her until tomorrow and then send another email. It's making me a little apprehensive to buy used again. Frustrating!

So, I sent the seller an email yesterday.I showed her in quotes where she said that it was indeed the workbook. I told her that it must have been a mistake and asked if she meant to send the workbook. I have not heard back from her. :glare:

Yes!! I feel freeeeee from the co-op commitment.....that summed it up perfectly:lol:

It's funny....I had just been thinking to myself "wow, this pool is great. Things are going well here" and then wham....we get pooped on. It seems like everytime I start to think positive about anything...we get "pooped on". :glare: I guess I just have to suck up my germ-phobe thoughts and get back in the pool. :tongue_smilie:

:iagree: Wish I could go back and have a "do over". I'd be way more relaxed about first grade.

:tongue_smilie: I'm not a big fan of town pools. Growing up we have always had a family pool, it's all I've known. We recently joined our town pool and we were pleasantly surprised. Everything was going great, my germ-phobia about large, public pools was fading....and then....someone pooped in the pool. We went to go swimming on Sat and found the pool closed due to the recent "poop finding". They did a shock treatment and were opening again within the hour. We have chosen to avoid the pool for a week. Now I'm totally grossed out, but I realize this is life and things like this happen all the time. Though they shouldn't:tongue_smilie: When would you feel safe to return?

I purchased Everyday Graces for 1st grade as well. I'm happy that I have it in my library, yet we have not used it yet. I think it depends on your dc's attention span and interests. It's filled with great stories, but they were a bit too long for my dc. My dc are still fans of books with pictures. Try and look for an online sample. I'm pretty sure that I purchased ours from Amazon at a reasonable price.

Relaxing more and stressing less. We are also going to do part of our math(MUS) together on the chalkboard. We are going to try and have more fun with it all. Not having a co-op to prepare and go to this year is exciting me as well.:001_smile: