I was around 8, and we were visiting my grandparents for the first time in about 5 years, along with my aunts and uncles. My grandmother made several pies, and during the first round of pie, I had apple, while everyone else had pumpkin or pecan. I gagged on my first bite of pie, and declared it was yucky. I was scolded by all of the adults, and I was declared spoiled and ungrateful. My grandmother made a show of taking a BIG bite of the apple pie, only to then spit it out herself. It was discovered that the sugar canister had been refilled with salt buy one of the many cooks in the kitchen, and the apples had been mixed with more than a cup of salt! I got a big apology.

For Irish dance: I think about $1,500 for lessons over the course of the year. Weekly, that is 2-3 regular classes and a semi-private class throughout the school year, plus 2-3 team classes, with teams practicing together for about half the year. Also, another 20 hours of dance camp for one week in the summer. In addition to lessons, we pay at least $500 in competition fees. Shoes are at least $300 per year, depending on growth. We paid for a team dress and a solo dress, annually that works out to around $500, which is low for Irish dance, but I usually buy them used and do our own alterations. Add in another few hundred dollars for tights, wigs, etc. This weekend we are going out of state and staying at a hotel for a big annual competition. So, I guess the total cost adds up to about $250 every month, and it is totally worth it for us.

Well, we chose to buy a crappy condo in a fairly safe neighborhood, rather than a better place in a neighborhood with higher crime rate. MIL was held up at gunpoint in her driveway when DH was a kid, and he wanted to move away from that area when he was ready for his own kids. In the last few years, someone shot up a pizza parlor in Dh's old neighborhood, and in researching schools there, I found a report of a handgun left on a window sill (to get around the metal detectors). There have been many many other shootings around there, mostly gang related, but the bullets are indiscriminate.

My kid also started AOPS Pre-Algebra at 9, I believe after finishing BA 4B, since the other books were not out yet. I found we could not keep to my pre-determined schedule of 2 days per sub-section, and just had to develop a routine for the book. AOPS was usually done Monday through Thursday, and we did different math on Friday. The kid consistently chose it as the first subject of the day. At our pace, we did 5 chapters per semester, and finished in 3 semesters. The kid liked to do the following, fairly independently, which usually took 2-3 days, with each day ranging from 45-60 minutes, with a brief check in with me at the end of each math session: -do the initial problems -read through the solutions/explanations -watch the corresponding Richard videos online, usually with me (he is fairly animated, which helped keep the energy up) -do the exercises -review the solutions to the exercises -review the sub-section with me -do some challenge problems, which we sort of took turns choosing If we had not done other stuff on Fridays, I think we could have gotten through the book in 2 semesters, but I think the pace was good for us. In addition to learning Pre-Algebra, my kid had to learn about ways to tackle more difficult subjects, and we had to address a struggle with perfectionism.

When I need state specific information like that, I can look up my own state rules. It wouldn't occur to me to look here for that kind of assistance.

We gave an inexpensive smart phone, under $100, as a birthday gift at age 11. That was a month before starting middle school (a 30 minute drive from home) and they were at dance practice 4+ days a week. They are on our plan, but need pay for the difference if they exceed the plan limit (that happened once, and the kid paid the $10 overage fee). They originally used it mainly for texting me, then a few other relatives, and for playing music. Then they started using it more as a hand-held internet device, reading blogs, watching you-tube, etc. Now at age 13, they actually make phone calls to school friends on it, and keep in touch with people met at camp, etc. Almost everyone in their grade seemed to have a phone (including some very expensive ones!) by the time they turned 13. They have made friends online, including a couple that we met up with at a museum for a few hours while visiting DC over the summer. That turned up my anxiety level quite a bit, but they handled it well! I reserve the right to inspect the phone when I want to. I don't need/want to know everything they do and say online, but I want to be sure they are being safe, physically and emotionally. We have talked a lot about good internet use guidelines. I checked the phone more frequently when they first got it, to be sure they were following the rules, and to determine if I need to tweak the rules. I have a basic rules such as no posting identifying info in online forums, including selfie-photos. They now use a self-drawn avatar, which is fine by me (hmm, maybe I should have them draw one for me too). A couple of photo violations last year resulted in a punishment of losing certain functions of the phone (they had to turn over the chip to me in the evenings), but they could still keep their phone to listen to downloaded music.

Which schools will you be visiting? I would have different recommendations depending on where you need/want to be.

I just pulled up an old post of mine on this topic from a few years ago: I think Mathematics, A Human Endeavor is not so much a textbook as it is about the love of exploring mathematical concepts. It reminds me of the approach used in the math circle dd goes to when she has time. The math circle leaders explore topics outside of the scope of a typical math class. To give you a better idea, here are the chapter titles, plus a quote from the author's introduction: 1. The Mathematical Way of Thinking 2. Number Sequences 3. Functions and Their Graphs 4. Large Numbers and Logarithms 5. Rectangular Polygons 6. Mathematical Curves 7. Some Methods of Counting 8. The Mathematics of Chance 9. An Introduction to Statistics 10. Some Topics in Topography "Although a quick glance at the table of contents suggests a rather sophisticated treatment, the topics are presented in a way that requires a minimal mathematical background and maturity. The exercises emphasize inductive thinking and discovery and, because of their strong intellectual interest, are the type that attract students. It is not assumed that students who use this book know how to solve even simple equations or that they have much acquaintance with geometric figures." We did parts of MHE last year when dd was 8 years old and in a regular 3rd grade public school math class and I was supplementing at home. We did Beast Academy 3A-3D that year as well, and she loved them, but she wanted more challenge this year. We are now homeschooling full-time at age 9 and doing AOPS Pre-Algebra with the textbook and Alcumus but not the on-line course, since I want dd to be able to work through it at her own pace. We continue to mix in MHE and have added Zaccaro's "Becoming a Problem Solving Genius." *editing to add that we also got our copy from the public library. I was able to keep it for about 2 months at a time, with renewals.

As others have said, this dancer's cough itself is not necessarily a problem for the people around her. Given that she has been undergoing regular care for her medical conditions, I doubt there is higher than normal risk to the other dancers. I would hope that no one is coughing into the faces of others, and that everyone washes their hands normally anyway. My kid had a pneumococcal blood infection at age 2, and has had pneumonia 3 times between ages 7 and 12. The blood infection was pretty bad, and scary, and resulted in the health department making a bunch of calls. I have picked up a bit about what causes the infections; apparently the germs are very common and lots of people are carrying them around without a problem. It seems that the people who develop an infection from it typically have other health issues that create an environment for it to take hold. So, my kid's immune system sucks. The asthma doesn't help. Dh was considered to be at risk of developing pneumonia after he broke 6 ribs, and it hurt like **** to breathe. He had to do a bunch of lung exercises in the hospital and in the weeks after he went home. I think WE wore masks around him for a bit.

Absolutely! When our kid had surgery this year, we even requested that the kid be able to listen to music in the recovery room, while coming off the anesthesia. The nurse who was monitoring our kid kindly popped the earbuds in over and over as needed when our kid had the shakes.

For a 2-3 hour holiday open house, I would probably do a dessert party, with a mix of sweet and savory desserts. Everything would be sized to fit on a small plate, with things like cakes pre-sliced. I would include some cheeses a fruit, maybe as part of a chocolate fondue table. For beverages, a hot cocoa bar and hot cider.

What does he sleep on at home?

My parents split up when I was in high school. Dad lives in west Texas, Mom lives in Florida. I relocated to New England, and stayed due to Dh's family being here. Dh and I are planning to separate soon, but our kid is just starting high school next year, so I don't plan to go far during the next 5 years. MIL is planning to move in with Dh, and I suppose she expected that I would take care of her, but I will not be around for that. The house is next door to more of her family though, and there is much extended family in the neighborhood. My dad's extended second family is large. His wife wants to move across the state to be with her newest grandchild. My brother lives in that city that they are moving to as well, so there will be family around to keep an eye on each other. My mom is also remarried, and getting ready to move to another state, which they probably expect to be their final home. It is closer to me, like 4-5 hours away, maybe. I am not sure if I will move closer to her when the time comes. We will see.

The connect-4 game seemed to be in pretty constant use at my kid's afterschool program at a K-5 school. The rules can be explained in seconds, and game play is quick.

Dh and I have very different memory styles. My memory is very image based, almost photographic, and emotion based. His memory is more of an ear for dialogue, and "fact patterns" (he is a lawyer), but if something is not important to him, or he doesn't like the answer, it appears that it doesn't register in his memory bank. Also, he lived his entire childhood in one house, and he had extended family living in several houses on the same street. Memories and stories were shared, retold, again and again. We still live in his hometown. He runs into and remembers people from kindergarten. I grew up moving all the time, and haven't seen anyone from any year in school for at least a couple of decades. My nearest relatives are at least 2000 miles away. Due to some medical treatment, I have forgotten certain kinds of memories. I joke that now I can re-read all my favourite books again and again and be surprised each time. We both suffer from PTSD. I was just thinking earlier today that our marriage would have been much happier if he could let go of bad memories, and if I could do a better job of retaining good memories.

13 yo, 8th grader in ps: Competitive Irish dance, 8 hours of lessons per week. After school theatre, performing in a Shakespeare play. Preparing applications for high school, including compiling an art portfolio. Most free time is spent working on drawing technique, especially using computer based programs. Figuring out how to complete 30 hours of community service for school requirements. Trying to work on helping shelter animals.

Oh yeah, I have that too. They didn't line everything up quite right when they closed up. I still feel a pinch now and then, but not as much pain these days. The baby is 13!

I sometimes feel a pull at the base of my rib cage when I bend or twist. It is like something got caught and twisted and then didn't go back the right way. It can lead to abdominal spasms that are super painful. I have to apply pressure and stay very still. Does it sound like that? I had some tears/pulls in that area after an extended illness with really bad coughing. I also have a hernia, but in another area (weird gap/misalignment leading into stomach). I am slowly falling apart over here.

It is hard to know without more info. I can say that I feel my own emotions very strongly, but hide them well. Coworkers have said that I always appear calm, even in what they find to be extremely stressful circumstances. One of dh's relatives asked him if I was stuck up, since I don't share a lot of info. I am highly introverted, and I internalize everything. That isn't especially healthy, psychologically. This could be a good time for an evaluation for your child.

My first memory of the expression "cutting down the tall poppies" was in an essay about (the lack of) gifted education opportunities. I am 95% certain the author referred to it as an Australian expression. Anyway, the author was not in favor of the cutting the poor poppies!

Dh is an attorney who occasionally handles estates. I sometimes type up the paperwork. Rules about inheritance are state specific. In our state, it would not matter who is listed in B's will; since he predeceased A, the money from A never goes into the estate of B. Instead, it goes to B's descendants. Editing to add that in the cases in which a minor (under 18) was inheriting, a guardian, usually the parent, was required to sign all the paperwork on the minor child's behalf. The guardian was the one responsible for setting up an account for the funds, and we mailed the guardian a check.

Dh gets his white shirts from Brooks Brothers. He does wear undershirts, but they do not show through.

I did most of the same things you did when I first visited NYC. On another trip to New York, much shorter, when meeting friends from Philly, we chose the Cloisters as our meet-up place. I loved it! It was easier than going into the city, and it was a very nice spot to visit.

I think it varies, depending on how invasive the removal process is. Once the nail area is fixed up, the pain is much better. My kid skipped less than a week of practice after a small infection around a painful ingrown nail, and was doing Irish hard shoe toe stands that weekend.

Maybe it's too practical, but my 13 yo dancer would be happy with some pedicure stuff. Dancers' feet take a real beating. I also buy books about dance anatomy, etc., and various practice music as needed. Maybe an itunes (or similar) card, or a dance mix cd?