I voted good mom. I think it is Ok if it happens on occasion. Let's face it - sometimes studying for a test is more important than a class. My son was away from school for a week - he missed a lot in 2 classes, and very little in the other 2. Sometimes yard work, sleeping and even playing with siblings is more important that studying. My 10th grade son has a lot of homework, and these downtime activities are important. Balance is a good thing in life. As long as you do not fall into the habit of rescuing her, I have no issues with what you did.

south/eastern Ontario. I bravely have some in. I have been putting them in around June 1st for years, but I am finding that I am still harvesting tomatoes into September and even October - when I am battling early frost. We shall see what happens!

Is the book case in back attached? If so - 100. If not - 50. Is it wood? If it is real wood the price might go up. It is cute.

While I am sure exercise is good for posture in general, I don't think it is going to do much if it is scoliosis. Have a medical provider keep an eye on her back. Fwiw, my sons curvature looked far worse than an X-ray revealed.

Thanks! I have tried the coffee - it seems to help (it certainly does not hurt). I bet exercise would help. Scheduling it might be an issue - and I doubt it can happen in the morning - but it is worth a shot. Thanks for the book recommendation.

Hello What has helped your older child or teen the most in handling their ADD symptoms? I am particularly looking for non-medical tips. I appreciate medicine works for some people, and I am not against it, but I am not there yet. Specific symptoms that are causing issues: -disorganisation (of binders, not taking notes properly, not asking important questions) -lack of sustained focus Ds works so hard at some school work (he is in high school for the first time this year, and that might be playing into things). It is frustrating for me as I know if he could get a grip on some of the above issuess, he could cut his work time by half. OTOH, I am glad he works hard, and I am glad he is learning to work hard, but still…I am not sure this pace is sustainable

I have 2 that never erupted, and one I needed to remove. I have another one that is very partially erupted - it is a bit of a pain to clean, but until it causes me pain or infection, it can stay.

I add more grated cheese on top, and some bread crumbs, before baking the whole thing for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

May I add woody herbs to this list? The worst pain I was ever in over food was caused by a dried thyme stick stuck in my gums between my molars. Ouch! I had thought my tooth had splintered -and a splinter was sticking out!

right off the top of my head: better mother. I did not read the article - based on what others have said I am not sure I am missing anything!

other: too much busy work, not enough substance

For those of you who have been HSing a while….. What do you think you have done a really good job with - and what has been a weak area - in relation to HSing? Think big picture…. My family's positives - excellent general knowledge, empowered children/teens, and an intact love of learning! My family's negative: organisation and discipline (discipline with regards to good work habits/focus, etc)

I am newish….I thought an actual kitten died! I am glad it was simple misuse of an apostrophe :)

It all depends on cost. We have a Mac Mini because we did not want to shell out $$ for a new Mac (and we did want new). We have it hooked up to an old PC screen and keyboard. We love it. The only slight glitch to not having a mac keyboard is instructions (to do abc hit xyz key) do not work. It is a minor glitch.

I would expect the state to be willing to invest any money it would in foster care for these girls into a live-in nanny, so the family may stay together.

I have 3 kids - 2 in school (teens) and one at home. I am quite close to being an USer. I like an active board - and this one is active! I also like the diversity of well formulated opinions I find here.

I will whine with you. My Dh brought home the flu over a month ago. Everyone got it - and in my youngest it morphed into pneumonia which involved a 5 day hospital stay. People were well for a few days after coming home from the hosptial, and then 3 of us (out of 5) came down with a nasty cold. Today is the first day everyone is well (I have a little bit of the cold left - but am trying hard to will it away!

Getting along with others (who may have very different viewpoints on how to do things) is very tricky. I tend to think if you have put together the co-op and have rules/expectations laid out - it is presumptuous to come in and try and change those. I have been co-leading a Brownie and Spark group for years. The girls always have free play at the beginning and yes, it gets loud. The vast majority of the girls love free play. We have a new girl, and didn't her mom yell at all the kids last week to "use indoor voices" - um, excuse me? Don't impose your way of being on an already existing, fairly happy, group. As per you second line, I have definitely seen that happen. Many people can fall victim to stereotypes - USers don't parent and allow illiteracy to flourish; structured HSers coerce kids into work and KILL the love of learning :tongue_smilie: It very much goes both ways. I do think it can be very hard for even the most articulate among us to argue that we believe WTM or USing is the way to go without ticking someone off. At the end of the day - my own goal is happy kids/ happy adults who are capable of meeting their goals and thriving in our society. How I get there is gravy.

atm…. Rory Gabe

I disagree - somewhat. I do think many kids can catch up quickly - but it is best done before they enter school. Entering school with deficits would be difficult, as the child needs a catch-up plan, not the regular curriculum. Moreover, they might get poor grades in the beginning, which can affect their self-esteem on this issue.

I was going to let this go - but I find I can't as I do not want USing misrepresented. I am very close to an USer and have hung out on an USing forum ( a moderate one, IMHO) for years. My comments above in blue. Of course, all this does is show the variety that exists among USers! It is hard to pigeon hole a system, and I think USing is a harder system than most to pigeon hole.

Well, yes. I think all ways of education have boring aspects. Many USers I know know argue being bored and learning how to self-entertain or find the next thing to excite you is part of the process. It involves developing intrinisic motivation to get a move on, as opposed to external motivation to do so. It is not always so clear cut, of course, and people of all ages get in ruts…. The idea is often: "you are bored? What can you do to fix that? Do you need help with this issue?" as opposed to parents deliberately keeping kids very scheduled so they do not experience boredom.

If you child is willingly doing it - it is USing. If you are making them do it - it is not USing. That is it in a nutshell.

I think a solitary cat is fine. I have seen cats get along, and I have seen then avoid each other. If you really want to get two cats, get them at the same time. I would not bother with 2 cats, though.

Does the one year old nap consistently every afternoon? If so, do HSing then. One less child to deal with. I would then tinker around with whether to incorporate the 4 year old into HSing or whether to try and get him to self entertain for the block of time. You can also tinker around with whether to be literally on top of him as he works..or to give him a bit of space. Mine worked better with a bit of space (it is hard to whine to mommy if mommy is not in the room;) ) Show him how to do the math. Get him to do a small number in front of you to show he does know how to do it. Assign 10 questions (or so) and then leave the area while he does it. Be very close by and listen for sounds of not working, etc. Go back in the room the moment he is done for instant correction, etc. As per housework…I do hear you! It is hard to look at messy rooms and not clean them. You must work on it though. At the end of the day, one hour of school work is not going to make or break whether your house is clean. An hour solely devoted to school work will send your child the message that school work is important. Hold it sacred.