I agree with the above. I think they sound different enough not to be easily confused, and I would use the traditional spelling. Beautiful name!!!

Oh, thank you for this post! Our 15 year old is sometimes so fuzzy I cannot figure out what to do with him. He loses things all the time, gets distracted walking to'from the bathroom, and is so scatterbrained I was beginning to wonder if he will ever be able to function safely in society! :lol: He is my first teen boy, so it's been quite the learning curve for me.

Anyone have any experience with CAP? My DS15 picked up a flyer for it at his tutorial and is really interested. I know our area has a pretty active CAP squadron. Just wondering if anyone's teen has been involved before and how their experience was. TIA!

Prior to this, we would eat vanilla Greek yogurt with granola in it for a "healthy snack". SO. MUCH. SUGAR. But I thought I was giving them a terrific and healthy option.

Our kids are 13, 15, and 19. Watching the film really helped motivate them to do this! It's so gross! :lol: Our boys also work out a lot and have been hearing about how eating better paired with working out makes a bigger difference, so they were in. We did what I refer to as a modified Whole 30. We did Whole 30 EXCEPT we did eat some quinoa and rice (we switched to cauliflower rice which is delicious!) and we had couscous once too. I did not cut out butter, but we switched to unsweetened vanilla almond milk when it wouldn't be gross. (I used 2% milk in scrambled eggs because vanilla flavored scrambled eggs sound :crying:.). We cut out bread and white flour stuff. No pasta. We didn't have any yogurt, but we did have some cheese (because we can't live like barbarians!). I didn't cut out things like ketchup or salad dressing, but we tried to use with more moderation. ZERO soda. That was HUGE. It took a lot of change for us to do this. My kids are used to getting their own breakfasts and lunches, but I got up and made a healthy breakfast for us to eat together. Kids packed lunches in the morning in Ziploc containers so that when they got hungry at lunchtime, healthy food was ready. We ate out A LOT less. (Fun fact: grilled chicken nuggets and waffle fries from Chick-Fil-A are totally compliant!). Upside: We ALL feel SO much better. I am shocked at how much better we feel. DS13 is far less quick to frustration. Less snarking with each other all the way around. Lots more energy. All together I'm guessing the five of us will have lost a little over 30 pounds this month. We were really never super hungry either! Downside: Expensive if you aren't efficient with produce and meat. (We weren't always on top of that...) I HATE cooking, and I cooked dinner most every night (whereas before I would weasel some take out). It took me a lot of time and research to find foods that were healthy AND edible. Pinterest was a life saver. There was definitely some gastro-intestinal adjustments in the early days. :laugh: Lots of reading food labels. So many things I would pick up and think, "This will be good!" was actually full of sugar. Ugh! Overall, this has been one of the best things we've done as a family! I'm almost nervous to have the official month end, even though we are going to try and continue eating this way. The kids buying in on the front end was huge. They just knew if they went out in the month of August, they needed to eat before they went (although I wasn't going to wig out if they ate something "bad") or they could eat healthy when they got home. They all actually want to continue eating this way, but with a few "cheat" times now and again.

My husband was done after our second bioDS was born. Being "done" wasn't even a thought on my radar. It was a rough few years navigating that. Eventually our hearts led us to older child adoption. I've come to realize I will never feel "done". I would be the old lady who lived in the shoe. It helped me emotionally when DH had the big V. I stopped getting my hopes up each month (we used birth control, but I always thought about/secretly hoped for a potential fail), and I recognize that barring a major fail we are DONE adding babies and children to our family. Now I get my baby fix by helping out younger friends of mine with babies. It gives me my baby fix, and I can still remember how HARD those baby/toddler years can be and I hope I can give my friends a little break. It feels like a win/win. I am SO not ready for grandkids...let me rephrase that, my KIDS are SO not ready to give me grandkids. :laugh:

We watched this film as a family and are just finishing up a month of "healthy eating". We cut out sugar and refined flour and processed foods. We limited dairy and I didn't get crazy about condiments. (Someone can pull the ketchup bottle out of my cold, dead hand.). I don't know that I can quantify it in terms that would be considered scientific, but the changes have been pretty radical. Not just weight (although we have all noticed a change in weight), but energy, temperment, habits. Do I think That Sugar Film is all factual and perfectly scientific? Maybe not. But it prompted us to make some changes that have yielded some positive and amazing results. I think we always have to be careful not to blame one solitary factor for health issues. I think cutting out sugar made a difference, but I also think the change in our eating schedule, our snacking, our water consumption, etc. contributed to what we consider a successful month too.

I took up martial arts at age 36 after watching my kiddos enjoying it. We were told by our instructors that "everyone can do the splits" and "everyone can kick head high". On more than one occasion I had an instructor lift my leg up head level to "help" me see I could do it if "I took more yoga and practiced at home". I explained that I had taken physical therapy for hip issues when I was as young as seven years old, but that was dismissed. Two hip surgeries later and I am looking at a total hip replacement in my near future because I was born with something called "FAI" when the bones that make the hip joint aren't formed perfectly. You can google it, but basically 40% of the population is born with FAI, and it is no big deal...until pushed past where your joint can safely rotate. I tore my labrum, had surgery to repair the tear and shave/reshape the bones of my joint, had a second surgery when the sutures holding my repaired labrum together tore, and am looking now at a third surgery to possibly remove the labrum altogether because it is so torn up from martial arts. When my surgeon heard about my experience at this particular martial arts school, he was NOT happy. We promptly left. Sometimes people who are educated in some areas don't know what they don't know. There are people who literally CANNOT do a split. Their hip joints aren't shaped correctly for that kind of rotation. The video absolutely makes me sick. That coach's head is about the only thing that could get me to try a head kick ever again.

I'd like to add: 1. Don't book a plane ticket for a week's stay when we've already told you we are only available for four days. 2. Do NOT show up with THE FLU FOR A WEEK. And if you decide to do show up with THE FLU, stop asking why you aren't getting "snuggles" from your grandkids...who are 13, 15, and 19 and have passed the snuggle phase... I swear I followed her around with our diffuser and Lysol 24/7. I have not yet recovered, and it's been nearly 6 months.

We were in the path of totality today and it really was AMAZING! In 2024, my parents will be in the path of totality so we will probably go up that way. My kids will be grown by them, so although I will probably invite them, I can't promise they'll go! Ideally, I would LOVE to go up and have my Uncle and Aunt take me out on Lake Erie in their sailboat to watch the eclipse then. I can't even imagine how amazing that would be!

My DS15 has also expressed interested in the military. I bumped into a recruiter out and about and asked his recommendation on when to visit the recruiting office. He recommends that at 15/16 a student takes time to visit ALL military branch offices, even if they have one specific branch they are most interested in now. That gives them some time to hear from all branches and think about it. Closer to 18 will be the more serious discussions at their top choice.

We live in one of the places with the longest totality. I am SO over it. We've been warned to expect nearly a half a million people in town, there were ZERO rental cars in our state for DH to rent for a business trip, we MUST get all our gas and groceries before the end of the day today or we may run out...blah, blah, blah. It's almost as bad as when they predict a half inch of snow down here. :laugh: I bought eclipse glasses about a month ago (and they are legit), but the mad scramble for last minute glasses may be more fascinating to watch than the actual eclipse. Several businesses (and one very prestigious university) handed out fake glasses by mistake. The only thing on ocial media anyone is talking about is eclipse glasses. People are lining up for HOURS at businesses who have them for sale. They are the new Cabbage Patch kids for the eyes. I DO think the actual eclipse will be kind of cool to see. But all the ruckus around it here is making me a little crazy.

We adopted our DD19 when she was 13 years old. Because of the unique international adoption process with her home country, we had to home school her for several months legally. That is what started our homeschooling journey with all three kids - we pulled the boys out of PS (they had just completed 3rd grade and K) and began homeschooling all three. When Dd came to our family, we didn't realize the scope of her challenges, and because she was just joining us, the first year was mostly focused on bonding and not academics. Eventually, DD was diagnosed with ID, FASD, PTSD, anxiety, and attachment challenges. She is not outwardly oppositional or defiant, but (bless her) she could teach a doctorate level class on the art of passive-aggressive behavior. This manifested mostly in school time (and never, ever with my husband or in his presence). One of her biggest challenges is asking for help. She cannot ask for help - as in, if she was on fire and you were standing next to her with a fire extinguisher and a smile, she would burn before asking for help. This became a HUGE hurdle during school time as I tried to evaluate her abilities and teach her. The mother/daughter relationship for her is also challenging due to her past, and adding the extra component of "mom as teacher" was a hurdle we just couldn't seem to find a way around without behavior issues that would consume our day. After year 3 she and I were both really burned out, and school time was more about managing behavior than education or life skill practice. We had her evaluated by our local public high school, got measurable and concrete information about all her intellectual special needs, and heard what they school could offer her as far as services. This information and meeting helped my husband understand the behavior challenges he would hear me talk about (but never witnessed...). We opted to send DD to public school where she spends most of her day in a Comprehensive Development Classroom, although she audits one class with her NT peers. I was terrifed to send her. I didn't know if it would increase her behaviors at home or damage our already fragile relationship. It was a scary decision to make and walk out! But...it has been the best decision we have ever made for her. She responds very well to her teacher and aides (I will say, we have the greatest teacher in the world for her), and DD and I spend our time as strictly "mom and daughter", which eliminated one large area of stress in our relatioship. It was also one of the most terrifying decisions we have ever made for her. ;). We were very concerned about a number of unique issues she deals with, but her teacher has been VERY good at listening to us, partnering with us, and maintaining close communication with us. But we didn't know how it would go...it was a huge leap of faith. For US, it has been great - for her, for me, and for her brothers who now have more of my attention and energy that previously went to managing her disruptive behaviors during the school day. But I know every situation is unique. The most comforting thought I had as we were making the decision to enroll her was that we could always pull her right back out if PS didn't seem to be a good option for her. It wasn't a choice that had to be for the rest of her educational life. That made the decision feel (slightly!) less terrifying.

We watched Das Boot this year with both DSs. GREAT flick - it is set in a German U boat so WWII, but lots of drama. I watched it in my college German class, and although we turned on English subtitles for the boys last year, it was great for listening to the German. LOVE it. I'm going to ask my sister (she has a masters in Germanic Literature and Languages and is my secret weapon for all things German even though I studied it also). Let me see what she may have to add!

Three times. 1. Lived in an apartment and heard a car squeal to a stop and a man and woman arguing. The man was threatening to kill the woman so I called 911. Fortunately the police showed up and deescalated that. 2. Following a severely impaired driver on the highway. They had to keep transferring me as we crossed counties. He finally exited and we never saw if he was arrested. 3. My carbon monoxide detector went off and I was home alone with two toddlers. Probably would have normally just called the local fire department, but nearly lost my parents, sister, nephew, uncle, and cousins to carbon monoxide poisoning in the little country church where I grew up one Sunday. I do not mess with carbon monoxide. Turns out the detector was malfunctioning and not even the firefighters could get it to shut off.

You may not have time to get this and maybe they wouldn't appreciate it, but you can request a flag that flies over the US Capitol to give as a gift with a note saying the day it flew over the Capitol. I believe it is free??? We are planning to get this for our DD's foster family from Eastern Europe.

Our DD has learning and intellectual disabilities, and we wrestled with this for awhile also. We did end up going with an iPhone for our DD, but we turned off the internet option and link any apps she wants to my husband's account so she can't add anything without his password. She plays a few games on it, but mostly uses it for texting. We like that there are a lot of apps and options we can add as she gets a little closer to some independence. Totally agree with Daria.

We start school in early August here. They just voted in our district to close schools the day of the eclipse. We are in the second longest viewing area for totality in the country, and the amount of traffic coming in that day will be astronomical. (Ha! Sky pun!) The schools didn't want to compete with that traffic for busing the kids home. There are a TON of events/viewing parties here that day, and I think the distrcits figures kids will possibly skip school that day anyway so they voted to close.

Here's the weirder part - it might not bother me at your house because I can identify where the hair came from. That makes it MUCH easier for me to keep the freak out inside. It's the unidentifiable hairs that WIG ME OUT (no pun intended). I think it makes me feel like I am at a crime scene where this is a random hair and no one to match it with.

Hair. Not. Attached. To. Bodies. Seriously. If I go on vacation, walk into a hotel bathroom, and see a random hair sitting in the tub it is GAME OVER. Pack it up. Go home. Fun will NOT be had. I don't know what it's about, but hair not attached to bodies is my #1 freak out thing. If I can identify where the hair came from, it isn't so bad. But still. Ewww. People who do not pronounce the double t's in words like "mittens" and "kittens". When it is cold out I do not wear "mi-uns" and cats do not and have never had "ki-uns". Talking on the phone. THAT was a real problem when I was a receptionist... :huh:

The routine! DS15 is studying U.S. History this year, and we are using Oak Meadow for the first time. It doesn't have a text, so I've pulled several sources for him to choose from for each lesson. We're even using the musical "Hamilton". I'm interested to see if having a variety of sources piques DS's interest more than World History last year. He's also interested in the military, so we will focus some on US military history. DS13 is studying the World Wars for history, and I've put together most of that. I LOVE history, and World War II is kind of my jam, so I am excited to tackle that with him. DS15 is doing a tutorial again, this time for geometry and chemistry. Jazzed not to be teaching those two classes and very jazzed his class schedule doesn't start and end within a 15 minute time frame as our PS DD19. Basketball practice also will not be 1:00-3:00 PM during the season...do NOT get me started on what THAT did to our homeschool days...

My parents are both retired public school teachers and when I was stressing about not finishing up one of our books for homeschooling, they both pointed out that they didn't finish all of their textbooks more years than not in 35 years of teaching. I stopped stressing about it then. ;)

This is an interesting post for me to read. We have DD19, DS15, DS13. All three have smart phones. None have internet access on their phones. We have told our kids from day 1 of getting their phone that the rule is that we have access to their phones whenever we feel we need to check them. They don't have phones in their bedrooms at all, and phones are put in the living room each night. Each of them can choose one social media outlet. They all three have Instagram (DS15 tried Facebook but couldn't believe all the drama so he left there), and the rule is that they have to "friend" us (or whatever it's called on Instagram). Our DD19 has special needs that limit her ability to make wise choices in this area. She has chatted with 40 year old men who ask her for her address, pictures etc. We talk about it ALL. THE. TIME. She says she understands, but she just cannot tell people "no" or set healthy boundaries. At one point she was in contact with the person who murdered her family member and was giving out information and wanting a relationship with this person. This all happened when we thought she was old enough to make her own choices and deal with the consequences - before we realized how much of a lifelong struggle she would have with setting boundaries and what a GINORMOUS safety issue this created. It is so difficult. She appears to be a typical teen, but she just doesn't have the ability to safely navigate this stuff. She thinks she does, she appears that she can, and that's the hardest part. DD19 has zero privacy on her electronics. None. We read all her texts and check her social media and the chat features on her game apps and chat features on video games. I ahve never lost an ounce of sleep over invading her privacy or the privacy of others. The upside is that our younger boys see that we check her devices and I think they just assume we check theirs. I would if I felt a need to, but so far we haven't seen any. But we are redonkulously watchful. We have had to tell DS15 to take down an Instagram post and talk about why it might be considered offensive to some. We tell them all the time not to post anything their grandparents would be embarrassed to read or that would make a college go "meh".

Rumikub and Dutch Blitz!

We've been to GWL in Mason (and used to live within 15 minutes of there). We went off season also and it wasn't too crowded, but I don't remember how much we paid. It was very nice - I don't remember it being dirty or run down at all. There are a TON of restaurants/grocery stores/shops just a few miles away on 275. We ate there and broght our own groceries in to save money. It isn't in the area, but we have gone to Wilderness in the Smokies several times and LOVE it. It is dfinitely cheaper than GWL and has pretty much the same to offer.