Ravin, I feel your pain. We started private school just over a month ago. Since then, he has missed three days for illness (I don't think there's been a day yet that the entire 6th grade has been there); we've done several hours of homework per week, some meaningful but much of it busywork; and had approximately umpteen meltdowns over the long day, the homework, and anything else under the sun. Overall he's adjusting okay and he has a decent attitude about it. But between all that, and adding in fundraisers, a fairly long drive to and from, and making sure nothing else slips through the cracks... seriously, I think I spent less time actually educating him, *and* I got to stay in my pajamas longer. :)

Aimee, I'm glad that you're home and things went well. I hope the pain subsides soon, my heart goes out to you. Let your family pamper you for a while!! :grouphug:

I read that comment, how hilarious that's your mom!! :LOL: Katie, I loved it! Cute (animal loving) guy, tropical island, and a doggie... what's not to like?!? :D

My husband's parents had a chow mix that was the sweetest dog. Until one day she snapped and brutally attacked her companion dog who had been like a mother to her. The vet told MIL that wasn't the first time he'd heard of a chow doing that later in life. It was awful. She was put down that very day, and thankfully their other dog recovered and had a few more good years. We said we'd never get a chow as it simply wasn't worth the risk... likewise, I have met some pit bulls that are very sweet too, but I feel the same about them in regards to risk. If that's "discriminatory" then so be it.

I'm so sorry your baby was hurt. Our standard poodle big guy loves other dogs and wants to play with them all... He doesn't understand when one reacts to him aggressively and we've had to steer him clear, on occasion, of an unfriendly meeting. Hope that he recovers quickly, and definitely make sure the incident gets reported and documented by authorities. You're absolutely right to stay very far away from this dog and his owner. :(

I haven't been around for a while, but I have been reading! Yesterday, I read "The Paris Wife" by Paula McClain, and really liked it! It's the fictionalized account of Hadley Richardson, the first wife of Ernest Hemingway, and their relationship. So by armchair traveling to 1920's Paris, I guess I inadvertently hit upon the current theme!! :D Other than that, I've been reading a lot of Amish fiction and cozy mysteries. I've completed 65 books this year!! To continue in the setting of "The Paris Wife" I might read either something by Hemingway or perhaps "The Great Gatsby" next.

:iagree: Except I think the most I'd be able to manage even on a bet is about 24 hours!! :svengo:

Thanks, friends! This week is actually going better. They've started a bit of differentiation in math, and he's started with a group for TAG, and they're going to do what sounds like a really cool year long project. We may be on to something... ;) Bottom line is, he seems happy. That's worth a lot!

DS loved them here too, from about ages 7-10. Now at almost 12, he's kind of outgrown them, but refuses to part with them. They are very kid-friendly in presentation, and some kids find that it hits the sweet spot for going deeper in a topic while age appropriate.

So after much ado over the decision, DS started private school about 3 weeks ago. The days are very long for him, and he's not exactly challenged yet. And by not exactly, I mean not at all. :) But he's adjusting fairly well, and has made some friends. My adjustment is a different story... :lol: We all decided this would be best, and we will see how it goes. But I miss you all here... Talking about curricula and wrestling over prealgebra decisions! 😠Part of me hopes this is a good long term fit for him... And part of me misses him like crazy, knows we can do more on our own, and would like to pull the plug and regroup at home. I'm not convinced that we won't be back. Anyway, just wanted to say hi... Hope everyone's year is off to a good start!

Oh, Tibbie. :grouphug: I'm so sorry you're all dealing with this. Much love to all of you!!

I totally get the trepidation... I was in your shoes a couple weeks ago. I'm glad all went well for them, it sounds like a terrific opportunity!

I can relate. DS returned to school after three years of homeschooling. I miss him, I feel kind of lost, and I may or may not have had just a weeeee bit of a meltdown today. :leaving: It's a hard change. And I only have the one child, so no one at home. This is sort of an experiment... we had a difficult time with the decision, and it's a less than perfect fit for him (although some good points, definitely). I'm not 100% sure he won't be back home at some point, but I'm trying very hard to be fair, patient, and open minded.

Have you tried a steroid nasal spray? In the late summer/early fall, I can take all the antihistamines I want (and I do take Zyrtec), but I still can't breathe without a steroid. The nasal sprays aren't systemic but provide a great amount of relief for your nasal passages. Most are prescription but one, Nasacort, just came out OTC. Start with one spray per day on each side and give it a few days. Ideally, if it works and you'd like to use it in future years, they recommend that you start using it a couple weeks before allergies typically get bad. And as others said, lots of hand and face washing, shower before bed or whenever you're "in" and settled for the day. Good luck. :)

We may be settling in after all. Yesterday and today were much better. Last night he cheerfully came home, had a snack and did homework, and then went to tennis. Today he ran errands with me and even carried all the groceries inside! And seemed his normal cheerful self. Now *I* just need to settle in and not miss him so much every day! ☺ï¸

That's partly why I pushed him to go to tennis... I figured the activity and fresh air would do him some good!! I don't think this is solely physical for him... it factors in, since he's not used to being out of the house 8-10 hours per day! But I think this is mostly still a mental/emotional adjustment.

DS just started 6th grade at private school after three years of homeschooling. This is our third week of classes. There are things he enjoys about it, along with a few points we're watching... a typical mixed bag. :) But the days are SOOOO long for him. I know that's common when starting back and we're giving it some time. But right now, and in the foreseeable future, we barely have the energy to get his homework done and handle all the logistics, let alone his normal extracurriculars or any meaningful afterschooling. Tennis started yesterday, which he loves (just a 1-2 day a week thing, not a heavy schedule)... he begged to skip it and come home after school because he was just exhausted. (I made him go anyway, big meanie that I am, and he ended up having fun, of course.) I'm sympathetic to him... it's been a huge change for all of us, and I know how long those days can get, especially when he's not being challenged yet, or moving at his own pace like we did at home. I just hate seeing him lose interest and energy for the fun things. Did you have this problem with the transition? How long before you got "used" to the long days and hectic schedule? Any hope for me that eventually he'll want to not only go to sports practice but also maybe do some computer programming and read a book for fun?!? :)

That is good news, and heaven knows you deserve some! :grouphug:

DS started school a couple weeks ago. As of right now, I have no plans to work this year... I am taking some me time, coordinating activities, volunteering for a few things at school, and trying to get some projects done around home, mainly decluttering and organizing. And as EKS said above... I'm not totally sure we won't be homeschooling again, so I don't want to change things up too much just yet. We're considering this to be an experiment.

Following along.... I have the same freezer problem.

Just to clarify, are we counting basement? (I know you don't all have them. But here, if you say you have a 1200 sf house, people are usually counting the main floor(s) and not the basement.) We currently have a house that's just over 1200 sf, plus a full basement, which I suppose is around 2400 sf counting all the space. It's not an efficient layout so it's not exactly our dream house, but designed differently the space would be plenty. So we currently have about 400 sf/person, or 800 if you do count the basement, but it's not all easily usable space... if that makes sense.

Angela, we have a variety of things as well. DS has completed the KidCoder Visual Basic (Windows Programming) course, and they're working on the TeenCoder Java course. We also got him a Raspberry Pi and some related books to play with. He also just completed a summer game design course taught locally in the community. I agree, it'll be nice to focus on the extras. Academically we could have pulled off another couple years at home, but I will be glad to get him settled there.

Hi everyone! Joining you on the afterschool forum, as my DS 11 will be starting 6th grade next week at a private school. We went back and forth for *months* trying to decide whether to continue at home or move on. We finally determined that since we knew he would be attending for high school, it made sense to get him involved now so that he would be used to the routine, make friends, join activities, etc. I'm glad to have the decision made... it's bittersweet, but feels good to be moving forward in our future direction. We're not going to do a ton of afterschooling at first... I want to give him time to adjust to his new schedule. We will continue to do his programming/technology courses at home even from the beginning, and will probably add in a bit more later in the year. Good luck to everyone as you start the school year!!