I think Singapore is good at teaching the "why". Beast Academy is very good at teaching "why" as well, but I am not sure if just having facts memorized will get you past the pretest (it starts at a challenging gr3 level). If your child can pass the pretest, I highly recommend BA.

FWIW, there are benefits and detriments to both kinds of parent/child relationships. When you have a mini-me, it is easy to accidentally assume things about the child's desires/goals/dreams, and they are so pleasantly compliant that you have to be vigilant not to steam-roller them into taking the paths you want them to take. When you have a high-energy opposite, it is draining and you have to make a strong effort to connect in different ways, but you don't have to worry as much about them not self-actualizing because you got in their way. They are strong personalities. :) Also, I have kids with similar levels of "giftedness", but they each look totally different from the other. I thought you couldn't get more opposite than my first two, then we added a third and we found that there is an alternate universe where opposites can consist of 3 diametrically-opposed things. You talk about late speech, but the actions of your younger child show a lot going on in that little noggin. It is not particularly unusual for kids who focus on motor skills to to lag in speech - and vice versa. So beware. However intellect pans out, once you are able to get past your need to re-frame the present and future (no more "if not" fantasies or "but"s), you'll find that passionate children can evoke equal passion in moms who love them. I say this as someone who has had to re-frame her future - it takes effort, but if you put in the effort it is worth it and your mental shift will come.

Do you mind sharing a link for the high quality b-complex with mthf?

Yes, your computer or phone or tablet probably already has a fairly decent speech to text feature. Hunt around.

I think that in 50 or 100 years we as a society are going to roll our eyes at ourselves for how we on one hand train children to shoot others and glorify it, and on the other hand wring our hands and complain about people shooting one another. I LOVE videogames and grew up playing far too much. Now, they are realistic simulations of very violent behavior. I think it is ridiculous if we don't acknowledge the connection. Of course there are other issues at play in society, but hours and hours of visually realistic training in violence that many kids have must contribute to de-sensitization.

What do the pages look like? I don't see any samples.

We liked this too. If the killing is too much, though, I would think you should just wait on it. There isn't a lot of killing in the book, but it isn't a friendly book - it's conniving, violent, and full of evil deeds.

Just thinking "out loud" a bit, but I would think that the bankruptcy would also play into the legal ramifications of your sister's obligation or not. I suppose they didn't declare the portion of your sister's house an asset of theirs? This would be documented, and could help your sister.

What sentence tracking books are you using? I would be interested in resources like that.

I believe you have that mistaken - that would be Feburary. As far as what to do, I'd: Find a good book list (Book Shark, Ambleside Online, Sonlight, etc.). Read aloud and discuss as usual. Find one open and go writing program for the older kids (whoever writes - WWE, perhaps?). Continue with math as is. To have LA be measurable, if the writing program isn't sufficient for you, you could do one book study a year. Let everything else be however until you are no longer so burnt out.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a very fun book (and was not traumatizing at all to my sensitive child).

In our area car dealerships partner with schools to do test drives - so for the fundraiser, for every person who test drives a vehicle the school gets $20ish. Meat is also a popular fundraiser.

So, what happens if you just let her be really upset about something but don't "fix" it? Like if she thinks there are roaches in her bed but there aren't and you just hold her and let her cry and freak out but don't DO anything about it? FWIW, sometimes when a brain is so used to searching for and finding answers, it is hard to just FEEL the FEELINGS and let it go. There is catharsis in a good cry. It is part of our job as parents to be with kids through their problems, but sometimes we end up trying to solve their problems for them and that doesn't actually help as much as letting them accept the futility of the situation. ETA: I agree that her current levels of anxiety are affecting her life, but having pursued testing and evaluation in a child for anxiety the answers we ended up getting were the books you have been recommended, in addition to Worry Dragons and What to do if your Brain Gets Stuck, and then if it all isn't enough medication. Also, has your daughter tried playing an instrument? It can be very challenging and centering.

I highly recommend watching a Gordon Neufeld video on anxiety in children. I watched a series with some friends (it was checked out from the library) but if you can't get it that way there appear to be at least portions of it available online. Like any resource, not everything will apply to you or your child, but there were really good bits for me about the positive role anxiety plays in life and how we can help kids get past the fixation on fear and onto courage in the face of fear. ETA: The one I watched was "Making Sense of Anxiety in Children and Youth (4hr)"

Yeah, I was reacting to Franklin Graham. I agree about not really wanting to think about Muppets (or people, or any combination thereof) getting it on, but it is pretty standard for TV sitcoms.

I don't think there is a lot more sexual content than there was when we were kids - but I think a few of the lines are a bit more blatant than I recall (DH had one go over his head that I found a bit overly much, so I guess I have a dirty vocabulary/mind, which may have made it worse than it was). I think that 95% of the sexual things mentioned would go over my kids' heads (and so does DH). I saw the Franklin Graham thing and figured he'd be embarrassed by his review and realize he should have waited until the thing actually aired and watched it himself before saying what he said. The show isn't about animal on human sex - Fozzie and the girl's relationship is a parody of interracial couples and the parents' objections. It isn't a wholesome show, but it also isn't any more of an abomination than the other adult TV sitcoms out there. The original Muppets are not particularly wholesome either. They're fun and silly and lots of other things, but they tend to make sex/drug jokes. I agree, Kermit's new girlfriend really bothered me - I don't know if it is just that I'm not ready to see him with a new pig or if she really did sound and look super creepy. Meh - it wasn't bad or good - I told my DH to record the next few too and we'll see if we keep it in the DVR (he wanted to axe it).

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We have in the past had the routine of soup with toast (cheese or garlic) after church. It heats quickly and is easy (and when we had the routine, it took the thought out of it - no "what will we do").

Robeez are great. For my very deep-footed child, I found the Skidders that are a sock with a rubber sole to be GREAT shoes. I was so sad when he got too big for them. Stride Rite and New Balance Wide are other more regular shoe alternatives.

"Sorry" and "Can't do it" both imply things that could possibly be fixed and/or regret/that you are stuck. FWIW, since they are trying so hard to have you come I'd just take it as flattery that they would like your company at the event(s) and move on.

Oh, but don't give up on picture books even if she loves chapter books. There are so many good ones out there - and often the language is very interestingly complex. I don't think I ever stopped reading picture books as a child, and have continued on through with my kids as well - but adding the chapter books in has been fun (and made it easier to not run out of good books so quickly!). :)

It really depends on the kid - and you build up to longer chapters. I had one that could sit through ANYTHING at 3yo, one I don't think I tried chapter books at 3yo (my first), and I have one 3yo who is just now getting interested in chapter books.

Yeah, or about 3/4 of the ones we've done so far center on the Mediterranean, so we could combine a few. :)

The seven year old in my house says, "I wish I could copy or stamp all the maps from Story of the World on the walls in my bedroom. That'd be AWESOME." :) Happy to be back at it again, I see.

There are probably a lot of things that need to be done that would be useful for your daughter to learn and be helpful with in the move. Personally, I'd get started on one core subject (math, perhaps?), and keep that up throughout, while having the oldest work on other practical moving tasks.