I am a photographer, who at this point, is just shooting weddings with my dh. We are in negotiations :) right now about me taking on more clients, particularly kid clients, which is what I am best at photographing. It works well because I am only working one day a week, usually Saturday, so our nanny comes one day for 10-14 hours. I can do any retouching/editing at night after they are in bed. We have a gallery in our house where we meet with clients.

I have this! I never knew it had a name. The first time I noticed it was in college when we went camping in the mountains, I took a shower and the water was cold and I got hives. I used to get hives when I would run outside in the winter. I get them now if I go outside with the kids then take a shower. They really, really hurt, like I have to scratch and then I want to cry because it burns so badly. Seriously, I thought I was crazy, that no one gets hives from cold.

We always have the sides we eat at Cracker Barrel, green beans and fried apples. We are having this exact meal tomorrow night, mmmmm-mmmm! Have you tried Paula Deen's "Not Yo momma's Banana Pudding", it is truly divine.

http://www.bekahkates.com/modules/cart/products.php/nav_id/198/page/1/id/24409/name/PetuniaPickleBottomBoxyBackpack I had this Petunia Picklebottom for my last two. I love the way it looked, the size, the zip off changing pad. The fabric was beautiful, but it was brocade and the stroller straps picked at the back :(. Two of my friends had PP vinyl that was sturdier and easier to clean.

Yes, ds 7 outgrew an egg allergy that was anaphylactic. DS 4 outgrew a milk allergy by age 1.

My kids do not get snacks unless they eat their whole meal, they can go back and finish that meal. Ergo, my little two never get a snack. They don't get a choice at meals, eat what I've fixed or not. My little two still don't eat dinner half the time. My four year old will eat a huge variety of vegetables, including sautéed collards and roasted asparagus, but will eat hardly any meat or fish. My two year old will eat any fruit, oatmeal, cheese, and chicken...sometimes. I just think that some kids are not going to eat, it doesn't matter what method you try. My seven year old will only eat baby carrots and green beans for vegetables, he's been repeatedly offered every vegetable under the sun. I've even taken him several times to Earthfare and let him choose a new and exciting vegetable, then a recipe containing said veggie. They make him gag. If you push it, he throws up on the table. I figure one day they'll eat...or not...but at least I've done my part :).

I taught sixth grade for 3 years and the middle school teachers joked about our years being "the lost years". 90% of them were just...lost. Their focus was lost, their attention was lost, their homework and gym uniforms were always lost. We just diid the best we could but we repeatedly told frazzled parents, it will get better in eighth grade, and even better in high school. We had seen the proof :).

Oh, gosh, when you said tutu, I remembered a video I took of my ds when he was little in a tutu. He would have been such a pretty little girl ;).

I have painted a toenail once or twice, pink, we don't have any other colors. My dh is one of the original metrosexuals, so pink and purple is not even on the radar as a "girl" color. My dh is a photographer who wears a lavender bow tie and lavender argyle socks to photograph weddings. I remember when the term metrosexual emerged and my brothers were like, "that is so (dh)!" :lol: Our eldest picks up on dh's cues and recently told me he only wants to wear skinny jeans, his favorite pair being these bright blue ones from H&M.

Girl, we know a female Quinn IRL and Quinn from Glee is a girl.

It has been hard for me to find used Singpore, so I just buy it new at Rainbow Resource. If I buy the whole year's worth, I get free shipping. I really love Singapore, so I plan to use it with my other two. We don't actually write in the workbooks, I put a transparency over the page and he uses a Vis a Vis marker, so I won't have to buy anything for the next two. I was afraid the workbooks wouldn't match the HIG by the time my other two get to them because A is a year ahead. Eventually, I guess I will be able to sell my books as P and J move through them, right now people charge nearly as much for used Singapore as new :).

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/winter-storm-pax-latest-news-20140210 I was just about to post/complain about the sucky weather headed our way, booooo! I am done with snow, I cannot remember a winter here where we have had more than one snow. I am done with snow days and the cancellations that result. I am done with my pool full time opening being delayed because they don't open full time until the schools get out for summer. See you later, winter, it was a nice visit...

My seven year old went to a birthday party where the mom took the boys to see it opening night (brave, brave lady :)). I asked him if he like it, "Yes." Do you want to see it again? "Can we see Frozen again instead?" :lol: So I'm not sure if he loved it or not, but he definitely loves Legos. I love the new Yoda Chronicles, it is the only cartoon that I can stand to watch.

It makes me think of the fish in Pinocchio. ETA she was a very cute fish :).

We took our double stroller and rode the metro, so the littlest didn't have to walk. I took lots of snacks and water and pacis and blankies :). Piper took two naps (she was not quite 2) while we strolled outside. It was cold, but not unbearable, at the zoo. They had their winter coats and hats and we under blankets in the stroller. We are taking them up to do pics with cherry blossoms this year, I am so, so excited!

We took ours to the Natural history museum, the air and space museum, and the zoo last year (in Feb). Jackson (then 3) really loved the natural history and the pandas :). Asher (then 6) went to the bureau of engraving and printing with dh and really liked that.

My 7 yo boy hates crafts, but loves games.

My littles have basically all day long, Jax's preschool takes about 20 minutes. 7 YO has an hour before we start school, and from lunch on if he works diligently from 8-11:30.

My 7 yo (1st grade) is in Singapore 2B. We do all the textbook problems together then he does all the workbook problems. He does all the CWP and one mental math drill per day. He has math memory work for CC and he has to fill out one multiplication set per day.

I NEED the HIG, even for first grade :blushing: . I use almost everything in there, from the teaching tips to the games and reinforcement. I am thinking about skipping the textbook for the next round, which would save me about $36, I can look at the workbook and make my own examples on the board for practice, I think. He loves the CWP, he flies through the workbook (correctly), and then complains that he is bored, so the word problems are a fun little challenge for him. ETA: I also use the Mental Math nearly every day in the back of the HIG. I don't think I've seen it in any of the other books.

I am spending about $115 a year on Singapore (A/B HIG, workbook, textbooks, and challenging word problems). How much are other curriculums? I don't know if $115 a year is a lot :confused1: .

No, not controversial here, nearly all of our friends who do not hs or private school send their kids to A charter. I think there are 7 or 8 here in Greensboro.

Those were really helpful, thanks! I am terrified of teaching writing, it's the only thing that really scares me about homeschooling. Thankfully, we are in CC and they use Essentials to teach writing, but those links are things we can be doing now :).

If we have been home all day (and he's not getting home at 9:00 like he usually does), I am wearing yoga pants. Someone will inevitably smear peanut butter, yogurt or snot on me at some point during the day. I would rather that be yoga pants than "real" clothes.

My boys wanted Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys from Ninjago. I pointed out that a) Piper is a girl, and b ) I'm not sure when they are applying to Duke and Wake that name was going to win friends and influence people on the admissions board ;).