I also think Special Olympics would be a great idea. Many schools here also have Unified Sports and Best Buddies programs that perhaps would also be a great fit. Unified sports here is a daily gym class plus afterschool games, meets and sometimes dances. Best Buddies is similar but is more social. Because it is a more narrow age range perhaps that would be a better fit. I know Special Olympics can include adults and kids but Unified would just be peers. Another option would be to see if there is a branch of the TOPS soccer program nearby that also has a mentor type program for special needs kids.

I do about 90% of my weekly shopping at Aldi and I probably save about $100 a trip versus other area grocery stores. We have Stop and Shop, ShopRite, Price Chopper and local IGAs that I sometimes shop at as well. We also have Trader Joe's and Whole Foods but I wouldn't ever consider doing an actual weekly grocery shopping at those stores - They are far too expensive. I use them for specialty items. Aldi's version of Fig Newtons are the best - Much better to me than the name brand and they are only .89 a package as opposed to around $3.00 a package for the name brand in other stores. They also have seasonal things that I would never treat myself to at other stores because they would be too expensive to just throw in the cart. Things like Meyer Lemons, Snapdragon apples, etc. I especially love the German treats around Octoberfest and Christmas.

That is completely unacceptable. If an elementary level teacher did that here there would be severe consequences. I have seen teachers use positive examples in classrooms but it is never the work of a current student. Usually it is a student from prior years and names are never apparent. They also do use peer review here in middle and high school but if a student wasn't taking it seriously and wrote "fail" or something similar on another students work they would get a zero on their own assignment. I've actually seen that happen. I am however referring to experiences with public and private prep schools. Other private schools like parochial schools are a whole different story in my area. I've heard some crazy stories as they do not require teaching certifications of any kind. Not that it is necessarily a problem but it can be more difficult to hold teachers accountable.

Is she in public school? Many students in ps with ADHD are able to meet with counselors (or paras) to assist with EF issues. I know some that do this daily, going through their notebooks and folders to clean them out and work on organizing and planning. Others meet weekly and/or monthly. Sometimes they plan out and prioritize upcoming assignments, other times the counselors help them to clean out their lockers. Often a disaster of a locker can dampen the best intentions of staying on track. Are any of these services available to your dd?

At our schools you cannot volunteer in the classroom other than as a chaperone or to help with a holiday party. There are paras and tutors (and sometimes student teachers) to help with any instruction. I did however volunteer for years at the library in the upper elementary school. I helped with shelving books/book check out, so the librarian had more time to focus on the lesson of the day.

There may be other factors or laws at play. In my town you need a minimum of 2 acres to build a new home. A large 55+ community was built a few years ago and they were given special permission for higher density housing based on the 55+ mandate. If younger people or families moved it in would violate the zoning laws and I assume lead to fines.

Colorforms - Do they still make those?

I absolutely agree!

I have nothing too crazy this year, but whenever I give a gift that is a little wacky, or I'm unsure of how it will be received, I sign it from the dog.

The VoTech high schools here are actual hands on training. The students are working towards licencing and apprenticeships. By senior year many are spending part of the day working and when they graduate most are ready for apprenticeship and/or full time employment. It is the primary path most tradesmen here have towards a career in a trade. I've never met anyone who went to a Vo-Tec college. My point was if you weren't 100% committed and wanted to leave college as an option those paths exist as well at these schools. We do not have county school systems. Almost every town or city has their own school system and the trade schools are regional. For example my town has about 5,000 students in K-12. If my kids wanted to go to a Vocational school they could pick any vocational school in the state, but only those more regional would have busing available. To include busing they could pick from 5 "regular" VoTec schools which provide the usual (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, cosmetogoly , hair, culinary etc). There is also a maritime school, an agricultural school (actually I think two), an aeronautics school and others I'm not as familiar with. I'm not sure what you mean by forced and tracked out. When I was younger kids that weren't good students (and sometimes had behavior issues)were assumed to be going to a vocational high school. I don't know how much of a choice they were given. Now, the option isn't really as much of a stigma. there are high school fairs where students chose their options and programs like they would college.

Wow - That's not the case here at all. Kids who have no interest in continuing to college usually go to one of a multitude of vocational high school options. There is everything from maritime vocations, to automotive, electrical, hvac, plumbing. culinary, cosmetology, agriculture, etc. They then continue through a variety of programs that include hands on training, apprenticeships and licensing. Some students do choose college after vocational high schools if they can find a program that makes that work for them. I do think that when I was younger (70s and 80s) many students were really not given a choice. Now there are so many options that students aren't forced towards the trade route or a specific trade. I think this is one of the reasons schools here do so well. Those students not interested in academics really aren't as well represented in the non vocational public schools to pull down test scores and graduation rates. But it is also the reason that community colleges here are so poor. I've never met a tradesman who didn't attend a vocation high school and get their training there. Why pay for something when the superior option is free.

I've never been to a potluck or anything called a potluck. I've participated in a number events where I needed to bring a food items to feed a large number of people, but there has always been a specific sign up where you can see what's needed and what everyone chooses. I've also been to less specific events where everyone brings an app to share for example. Relying on luck sounds like a bad idea.

We have a cute blond jogger who is probably in her late twenties. She is usually wearing bright pink or tie dye running gear, and she smiles and waves to every car that passes. One of my male friends thought for about a year that she was only waving to him, until he overheard other people discussing her one day. I think he was a bit heartbroken.

Yes - Here the cutoff is Dec 31st and holding back/starting later isn't that common.

Most of the kids I know with birthdays Sept through December are going away to college at 17 so it really isn't that unusual. I was 17 as well and my son will be 17 when he starts. I don't think it's as uncommon as you think it is. The not driving is probably not an issue either as many college freshmen don't have cars on campus (depending on the school).

If you have a Dunkin Donuts nearby they do a Box of Hot Chocolate just like their Box of Joe. They give you the container already filled, and the cups and lids. It's easy, just maybe not as inexpensive as buying the mix and cups and doing it yourself.

My religion is Reform Judaism and I have no issue with attending events in churches. I've been to numerous weddings, baptisms and funerals, and I've even been a bridesmaid a number of times in church weddings. I've never met another Jewish person who would have had any issues either, excluding Orthodox Jews. To be honest though, I've had very limited exposure to Orthodox Jews.

OK - I finally got mine today from Amazon. I do like them - They actually look like jeans if you hide the wide waist band. I'm 5'10" and I ordered the 14 long. The length is great and they are comfortable. Thanks for the recommendation!

I actually usually order them for him at American Eagle. He doesn't like rips though and the options without them are more limited.

Ok, Well I just ordered a pair for myself. I've actually been shopping on-line for jeans for my son who is a 32 x 36 and can't easily find jeans in stores, but he can wait.

He has always been a favorite of mine -- so sad!

My Experience is similar and I have parents and grandparents with college degrees. It wasn't until I was older that I realized that People chose not to go to college. I thought it was just the track you were placed in. After middle school kids who weren't serious academically always went to one of the vocational high schools. Every person who works in a trade that I know graduated from a vocational high school program of some sort. Those that remained in the public high school or went off to an expensive prep school went to college. I've never met someone who went to any sort of a trade school school after high school. I expect my kids to go to college because I know that they need a degree to get a job that will adequately support them. I would have been fine with them going the trade route but they are in public high school now, not vocational high school, so they are past that decision in my eyes.

Oh, and I am not a librarian. For 26 years I've worked for a company that works with libraries across the country. At the time I opened the account I also volunteered in my dc's school library on a weekly basis.

Every time I see your name I think "right here," because I have a Cairn Terrier that looks just like the Toto in the movie.