We found land, chose a builder that built custom homes, planned the house with an architect and the builder, signed off after the plans were completely done and built the house with a construction loan, moved in, sold other house. Is that what you were wanting? The general framework of how the process worked? I will say that I would hate building now with supply chains still holding things up. We were super picky, but if you can be flexible and go with the flow when you can't get things you thought you wanted, it could be a great thing to plan your own house.

Oh, girl--I hear you!! The answer is paper towels. I kid you not. Put paper towels over the bacon. It works! Your oven stays clean! I do find it takes a bit longer for the bacon to get crispy, if that's your preference, but otherwise, it is such a great way to save so much cleaning.

Cottage cheese Hash browns Bananas and peanut butter Leftovers Protein balls (you can make a couple of dozen at a time) Quiche Scones Scrambled eggs (can be made in microwave) Precooked bacon Banana, Pumpkin, or Zucchini bread Yogurt parfait Quesadillas Yogurt toast

Check these out before considering what podiatrists charge: https://www.instryde.com/

I would have to rate them as a fairly strong but not a motivated or very engaged writer before these two classes. (Also good at grammar) However, the biggest change has been in being able to identify and recognize good (and poor) writing. For instance, I'll get, "Listen to this..." and then either a very poor or very well constructed sentence read to me and sometimes a conversation about why. Then, if it's a poorly constructed sentence, we can have a conversation about what would make it better. It's delightful, frankly, because I'm a bit of a nerd and it's fun to talk about stuff like that and to see a teen excited about school---bonus! There is a big emphasis on class discussion, so unlike other classes where students are expected to write and respond to each other, there is none of that. Homework really is just reading, annotating, and writing. I would say the majority of homework is the first two. Mr. Speed breaks the writing down into small bites and gives them plenty of time to write. Honestly, if I hadn't seen the improvement in the actual writing but knew in advance that the class didn't require an essay every two weeks, for instance, I might have thought there wasn't enough writing. But I've seen such strides in both the understanding of excellent writing and the writing produced, that I'm really happy with the course as is. (I hope that makes sense and I'm happy to clarify if it's confusing.) I would say to expect maybe three hours of homework per week on average. It's of course going to depend upon how quickly your student reads, but it is not onerous. Lots of time, my kid has time to read the 90 minutes right before class and saves all the reading until that day because then it's fresh. I hope this is helpful!

Check out Roy Speed's Essay Writing and Appreciation. www.hscollegebound.com Our family has experience with both Blue Tent and this essay class and they are world's apart! Discussion boards are the pits and if there's more in college, all the more reason to avoid it as much as possible in high school!

Bump---lots of people looking for classes. Don't overlook this wonderful provider!

Bolded mine. You will find him easy to talk with and not pushy at all. I encourage you to take him up on it.

Bolded mine--I tried to be very clear about that in my original post. "These courses are not typical literature analysis high school courses." I assumed people would either ask questions or go to their website and read the course descriptions. I would say most classes aren't a perfect fit for every student. That's why we share and give our viewpoints, but then it's up to the parents and student to decide the right path. HS College Bound offers something different than many high school online courses. Some of us are thrilled by that.

Annotating is absolutely part of the course. I will say that kids are not required to hand a lot in--there's lots of discussion and it is really up to the student to do the work and participate in discussion during class.

Yes, I understand! I have older kids that did not have the advantage of classes by the Speeds. Sure wish they had!

For those of you who are looking to outsource some classes, I would like to give an unsolicited plug to HS College Bound, online classes taught by Roy and Diane Speed. Roy teaches a grammar course that's like a "boot camp" for grammar, a logical communication course and a follow up essay course. These classes are not heavy on writing, but they are heavy on reading excellent writing and discussing what makes it good writing and how to recognize it when one sees it. The students, when they do write, read and critique each other's, but they've put in lots of time before that knowing what to look for. These courses are not typical literature analysis high school courses. They will ready your student for any kind of writing. Roy also teaches a trio of Shakespeare intensives and one or two literature classes. His love of literature is infectious, he's engaging and enthusiastic about his student's opinions. Diane Speed teaches honors science courses with labs. She brings in lots of quality outside ways of helping the student understand (for instance, she might have 3 very short videos that go with the reading one week). Her classes move at a steady, but not breakneck speed. These classes are not cheap. They are high quality instruction and your student will get what you pay for. Again, I am not associated to the Speeds except that we have utilized their courses and found them very much worth the cost, time and effort.

Yes, I did start this and I'm sorry I backed out so early because I'm very passionate about this, but my very dear friend's husband died yesterday and it has taken all my energy. I typed and retyped answers to @HS Mom in NC but I couldn't say what I wanted to say to her and stay nice because of the other stuff swirling in my head. It was clear to me when I came back to the thread and she had accused me of having only a fundamental understanding of LGBTQ+ issues and you were proclaiming you were proud to have informed yourself about top surgery from a thread on a homeschooling forum that I wasn't even going to get you to listen and I needed to direct my emotional energy toward my friend and her children. I'm feeling like a terrible ally to have backed out, but I do only have so much emotional energy, sadly. The last thing I will say is that you keep repeating that people are not receiving "actual medical advice" because of the use of the term top surgery. That is false. The use of the term top surgery does not prevent people from getting medical advice.

I posted a link above that helps explain much better than I can. There are nuances involved. The purpose, to most allies, in using respectful terms, is just that, respect. It's clear you don't approve. I get that. I'm sorry. But I don't have the emotional energy today to help you see that it is, indeed, offensive.

I called Quill out because she said and that, from my point of view is wrong (I posted a link to a very interesting and respectful article above, which discussed the nuances) and by saying "we in society politely" as though she doesn't really respect anyone transitioning, but she's going to pretend to, but using air quotes, perhaps when she says it, or rolls her eyes, perhaps behind the person's back. We do this all the time with words. We no longer call people retarded or Negro--but we certainly don't roll our eyes and say, "We in society politely say "special needs" or "black"" when discussing one of those populations without knowing we've crossed a line. I think Quill is dismissing transgender folks and I'm calling her out. As for you @EKS saying that I don't mind you calling surgeries mutilation, I have no idea where you got that idea. I said: I clearly said I would NEVER call that mutilation. Perhaps I'm not seeing what you are seeing?

Top surgery is not just used by "polite society"--it is also used by medical professionals. Here's a link that might be helpful: https://www.allure.com/story/top-surgery-mastectomy-difference There was a discussion a few months back where Quill jumped onto the fact that people like her nephew were having "top surgery" and not calling it was it was. I see this "polite society" comment as piling onto that sentiment. It's possible that Quill (and many others) don't fully understand how offensive it would feel to someone undergoing the transition to say that we are only using the term "top surgery" to be polite. I'm hopeful that reading the above article will be helpful. My MIL and SIL and several friends I know have had breast reduction surgery. I would never refer to that as mutilation. It was something they needed to do to be comfortable in their own bodies.

At face value, this is extremely offensive and dismissive. Perhaps you'd like to retract?

Similar to the one posted by amiesmom https://www.potterybarn.com/products/fireplace-candlelight-holder/?cm_src=WsiPip1&recstrat=View-View-1%7CVCB-GRP-AFF-QNT

What a brilliant idea! This sounds lovely and very, very special. One word of warning: the graduation gowns that come from some big retailers are sometimes very, very cheaply made and wouldn't stand up to embroidery. I suggest you check very carefully into the material before purchasing. Even better, have one made if no one in your family sews.

apples and peanut butter

We have our installed right outside a window under a deep porch. They still move, but not as much as they would installed at the edge of the porch, for instance. I love the sound!

I'm not a grandmother, but in my circle there's a Nanny, a Gigi, a Bunny and a Pippa. ETA: and a Granny

This. This is my fear. I desperately wish hospitals could triage non-Covid patients over non-vaccinated Covid patients.

Well, not for everyone. There will be deadly consequences for many. Needless deaths, at this point.

My high schooler would like an app with the capability of scheduling quizzes, tests, project and assignment due dates all in one place, preferably with a way to mark things off as complete. I think keeping track of all homework there would be helpful, such as read Said Book pages 89-135. They have a PC and an iPhone. Thanks for any suggestions!