I think it would be useful to answer some of the same questions regarding what you would share with a close friend, to contrast it. For what it is worth, some of the questions are life-stage dependent. When I was dating I would talk to my siblings about that stuff, but with a spouse those conversations just aren't as appropriate.

It is fun and would be appropriate for both.

I found it easy to use in the old format. The new format seems difficult to me unless you stick exactly to their schedule (since the information for each book/subject is put together for each day). As far as the big binder goes, you can always just put one week's worth in a small binder and switch that in and out at the end of the week.

FWIW, dogs can live with benign lumps for a very long time. It could be really bad, or it might not be.

If the food is kibble, try wetting it. That got our older dog eating again.

One thing that might work would be to have something simple like a Rod and Staff drill book and do one drill a day. Then she would be practicing the facts. It would be quick and separate from her real math work.

Well, having recently had a 2.5 year old in the homeschooling community just die under those circumstances, I'd very emphatically say SPECIFIC ADULT RESPONSIBLE - not even just an adult around. If I were you - I'd fence in a yard for the little kid.

Sorry if it sounds like I think you should go deep on death stuff - just wanted to point out an interesting resource you might find useful for some discussions if/when the time seemed appropriate.

National Geographic has some really interesting stuff going on right now regarding life/death/afterlife/god. Not just the Morgan Freeman thing, but various articles as well. http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/the-story-of-god-with-morgan-freeman/ FWIW, I understand the desire to protect from the anxiety trigger, but it has to be done in a such a way that you are building towards tolerance. Death is not going to go away, and hiding it will likely only increase the anxiety around it. BUT, pre-bedtime probably isn't a good time for books with any death in them. ;) Lesson learned on that one, eh?

This book would be neat: http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-X-rays-Animals-Jacqueline-Ball/dp/1607101459/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1460585185&sr=1-3&keywords=animal+x+rays I have the human one. I also have a collection of animal xrays that are not a book, and I don't know the name. I'm sure I got them from Amazon or Acorn Naturalist. Found it! http://www.amazon.com/Roylco-R5910-Animal-X-Ray-Size/dp/B000CBSN0Q/ref=pd_cp_14_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0J7DM00GV4CNXGWAX64N Kids can look at and do their own comparing of the anatomy. Very hands on.

This is a pretty good book: http://www.amazon.com/What-When-Brain-Stuck-What-/dp/1591478057/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1460504212&sr=8-5&keywords=what+to+do+when+you+worry+too+much

If you want to see class stratification in America, go between two major cities on plane, train, and Greyhound. Each mode of transportation clearly serves a different socio-economic class. As far as safety goes, if your 17yo is relatively street smart, it'd be fine. If not, proceed with caution.

Smart But Scattered is a book that has ideas for how to help a child "learn to think" or develop executive functions or compensate for troubles in that area. Additionally, we've been told to script activities - YOU talk OUTLOUD about what you are doing. You speak your inner thinking-voice, and they hear it enough times that they learn to talk themselves through problems. As far as evaluations go, I understand the leeriness, but I agree that an evaluation can be very helpful. For us it was a combination of "I turned out fine" and "that's expensive". However, I am sooo glad I found a way to make it work for us to do the testing. It was very insightful.

This poem came through my feed today and I thought you all might enjoy it. Here's the start and a link. I am tired, defeated, a nightgown-clad Sisyphus making waffles and eggs, ... - See more at: http://www.literarymama.com/poetry/archives/2016/03/sisyphusian-condition.html#sthash.AaviTVnb.dpuf This is why we want to teach the kids the classics. So they can identify the timeless nature of our human struggles. ;)

Um, he's only wearing a t-shirt promoting an evil force jockeying for world domination. (HYDRA in Marvel Comics/SHIELD TV show).

This pertinent article just came up in my feed. http://www.relevantmagazine.com/reject-apathy/things-no-one-tells-you-about-going-short-term-mission-trips

Having been the teen soliciting assistance, and now being an adult on the fence about the validity of youth "mission trips", I deeply understand both sides of the letter issue. Generally, part of the principle behind the fundraising is that you actually shouldn't just pay for everything yourself, but that God will provide part of the money if serving in that way is a part of his will. It is also considered an opportunity for people who will not go and do the work to be a part of God's action in the work. Usually, I recall that kids were expected to pay 50-75% of the cost, with 25-50% fundraising (usually most of that group projects). In the OP's situation, it sounds like you don't feel led to support this trip. Most people don't. Unless these people are always donating to your kids' sports or trips or whatever, I can't imagine why they would expect you to donate to theirs. FWIW, perhaps the parents see this as an opportunity for the child to turn back towards the church and form relationships with other youth who share the values the parents feel their child may be straying from. Perhaps this child is willing to go, but it is not their idea and they are not willing enough to financially invest themselves in it 100%, but the parents are fronting the self-pay portion and the child is willing to do the regular fundraising. I don't know the situation, but also I will generally say that I've found that some communities think nothing of soliciting funds for various things for children, and it is expected that parents will hit up their friends for sports or the like, so in a community like that this would also be a very regular type of question. It's an easy No if you're not interested. Just like that carmel corn or the wrapping paper.

The Summer Day, by Mary Oliver https://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/133.html

Having trouble reading doesn't negate your daughter being smart or bright or even gifted. It means that reading is really hard. There are a lot of different ways to approach each area of struggle with dyslexia, but you might like to read the book Dyslexic Advantage to get a more positive spin on the whole thing before you get too bogged down in remediation. For what it is worth, you probably didn't know how hard it all was for your daughter BECAUSE she is so bright and is working so hard she is able to compensate for her struggles. As far as what to do - pick ONE thing. That is my best advice. You can't do everything, but you can do ONE thing. Choose a program and go with that, be sure to have fun with learning in areas that come more easily, and plug away at the really hard stuff little by little. If everything is going along smoothly after a couple of months, maybe you will be ready for something else or something more, but try not to rush or feel pressured. Rome wasn't built in a day, and dyslexia is not remediated in a day either. ETA: If you want a specific program - we had immense success with Fast ForWord. I feel like they should pay me for how glowingly I talk about them. They are not a good fit for everyone, though (and I believe they are boring as anything if your child has played any real fun computer games these will be a hard sell). You can look on their site and see the activities and see if they target what might be helpful for you.

Sounds normal to me. Exhausting, but normal. It sounds like, for whatever reason, this story time thing is making him really anxious. Is it possible that he is misunderstanding the verbal communication you are having? Because the in/out yes/no stuff you are talking about - with the back and forth switching of opinion - seems to happen here, however if I wait more and dig deeper, it is a misunderstanding of the questions or situation. The desire hasn't changed (usually), but they don't understand what I am discussing about the issue, and will say or agree to something they really don't want, then will be upset about what we are doing. It feels insane (the yes/no/yes/upsest). When I figured out what was going on I have found that generally not expecting a change in main opinion, but expecting a misunderstanding in speech has helped tremendously and I find my formerly fickle child is not so flip-flop as I thought.

I'm not sure how it all plays out for you, but one of the big things I have learned about dealing with anxiety in our kids comes from Gordon Neufeld's work - the idea that anxiety can be an asset, and that feelings of fear and frustration can be good. It is what we do with them that can get us stuck or cause problems, but having the feelings is good and useful. So, supporting the child in their feelings, perhaps seeing the good side of the feelings, then also emphasizing the idea that courage is pressing forward through the feelings.

I think it is a trend. We have done one program. I'm not sure if it made a difference for us or not. We had amazingly positive results with a different online program that targeted reading, and it seemed appropriate to try the second program our school offered because of our great results with the first. Our experience - it is games to practice skills - ours were focused on working memory. I am not sure if there was a transfer to areas other than the games, but perhaps. We have seen improvements in spelling, but we also found a better spelling curriculum to use, so there is that.

I loved the Sweet Tart Jelly Beans last year - I need to try to find some before they are gone again.

You should google "stealth dyslexia".

Would it help for you to tell him what the questions are before you read (I'm thinking of SOTW)? Then he knows what he is listening for. What do you do when he does this? I have found that when my kids are not able to answer questions (I let one question slide, but if it is more than one), we just listen to the material again. It is probably easier for me since we use the audiobook. I have not needed to do it too many times before they have worked a little harder to pay attention. I don't do it as punishment, though. I do it as - well, let's listen again closely and see where we can find the answers.