Help me pick a name for a blog. I'm starting a blog with my students. They are aged 7-9. The idea is a platform where they can practice their writing skills and be writing for an audience. We did a class journal, but the parents and kids are wanting something computer based. The students ask a lot of interesting questions during class time, many of which I don't have the answers to. So, I thought the blog could also be a place for them to research these questions and write short paragraphs explaining what they've learned. But I'm stumped when it comes to blog names. Ideas?

I'm in such a funky mood. For my birthday dh took me to a super crowded Sephora to pick out some make up; it's on a shopping street I particularly dislike. I hardly wear make up. I have tons, I just don't wear bright red lip stick on a daily basis. I couldn't find anything I needed/wanted; so, then he said lets go out for dinner. We went out and he was on his phone the whole time, reading stuff (not aloud) and texting etc. -- a huge pet peeve of mine. I love that he did something for my birthday. I'm not complaining. It was sweet. I just feel sort of moody that my dh of 12 years doesn't know me better. Is this fairly common? Is it just a guys and girls from different planets type thing?

A friend with eight kids told me about his three-foods rule when my eldest was four. It's worked out well for us. The three-foods rule: each child/person can have three foods they don't like and are not obligated to eat at anytime. If it's not on their list of three they must at least have a bite's worth. No complaining or bad-mouthing foods -- someone else might like it so it's disrespectful. This rule has saved us nagging and stressing. From time to time a kid will switch out an item on his list for a different one, but they aren't allowed to change at each meal. Everyone has a list even me :) I hate eggs and always remind the kids that they are on my list. They get a kick out of trying to get me to taste them, and I emphasis that I make them even though I don't care for them because I know others like them. Dh: soup, potatoes, stew meat Me: eggs, cream sauces, emmental cheese Ds1: bananas, yogurt, chickpeas Ds2: fish, green leafy, tough meat Ds3: Squash, sardines, walnuts Ds2 definitely made sure his three were inclusive :). I think it helps too to remind kids that they may not like the way a food is cooked but that doesn't mean they don't like the food item per se. My oldest had eggplant on his list for a few years. One night at the table he was making disrespectful comments about the rest of us for liking eggplant and being generally unpleasant. So, I told him he had to eat a piece. He has liked it ever since to the point of asking for it to be included on the menu. There's hope!

As a former homeschooler: The first year I put my kid in school I had a similarly frustrating incident. I was told the reading curriculum would cover pre-reading concepts and the alphabet. After a month, ds who was already reading, was bored and distracting others. I tried asking for this to be acknowledged and was repeatedly told that Kindergarten students could not be tested for gifted-ness, but that I could talk to the principal. I did and was met with the same reply. I wore out my welcome. I didn't realize at the time that I needed to ask the teacher to "differentiate" the lesson. In the spring, a student teacher arrived and decided to test his reading level (grade 4) and he got different work during the reading period. Turns out the school was super accommodating. The formerly "difficult" teacher was very behind him to make sure he was progressing in his reading even if he had a different level than the class average. Turns out we'd just had a communication error. There was educational jargon that I was not aware of and my word choices meant other things to her than they did to me. May you be as lucky! As a current teacher: There are numerous reasons why my students do not take work home. I feel that once a student has put in eight hours of work they need to step back from it and take a break which can definitely include implementing the things they've learned in school. I'm concerned with the weight of kids' backpacks. I have parents who redo the students work or help to the point of dishonesty. I have kids who never bring the work back resulting in an incomplete portfolio and difficulty reviewing material during class time. I have parents come in and tell me how I should be doing my job. It is the school policy which I must uphold according to my contract. Parent teacher conference days are many teachers' nightmare. It often feels like a day of being tossed to and fro at sea. Each parent, however well-meaning, pulls in a different direction with his specific desires or teaching suggestions or explanations of why his child should be an exception. It is the most exhausting day of each semester for me. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm definitely more of my better self at the beginning of the day than at the end. You might try seeing if you can schedule a morning slot. I think looking at the finished work should be a natural part of the meeting. Unfortunately time slots can be mitigating. If you ask in advance the teacher should be able to accommodate you. Hope this gets resolved quickly for everyone involved. :)

Thank you. Thank you. Been looking for this everywhere. :)

I can't remember the name of this poem or how it goes. I know, a lot to go on! All I recall is that each line seems to make absolutely no sense until the reader realizes that a comma is needed in the middle of each line. Something like: I saw a bird making bread I saw a girl composed of thread I saw a ... I really want to use it with my class to teach them the importance of respecting punctuation. If it rings a bell...

Thanks for all the ideas. i think I'm leaning toward Island of the Blue Dolphins. Is the content okay for third grade?

I need a book for our book club, third-grade, that has water as a theme. It could be just a story that takes place on a boat or anything that touches on water. I'd thought I was going to use "A Walk to Water", and but based on the reviews online, it seems to have an older audience. Any ideas?

My dad said I was completely potty trained night and day at nine months. I was walking at that age. None of my brothers or sisters were though. Every kid is different! All of mine have been potty trained completely (meaning no diapers in the night, in the car, at daycare) by eighteen months. I'd say take his diaper off and have a potty handy for him to go to.

I just found bed bugs in my bed! We bought a used bed frame! On inspection this morning it seems there were eggs on the frame that just hatched. Tiny little bright red buggers and my arm is covered in bites. None for dh. Arghhh! Dh just threw away the bed frame and our mattress and quilt and rug. I've washed the rest of the bedding in scalding water and put it through the drier on high. I vacuumed, and washed the vacuum with scalding water. I cleaned the baseboards near the bed with alcohol, and plan to wipe it daily for three weeks with alcohol. Is there anything else I should be doing? I don't know if I'll sleep well for weeks. I'll be waking up every few minutes to check for bugs.

Would strongly suggest NOT doing this. He is her daddy and whatever separated her parents does not claim the right to make her relationship with him formal. Speaking from my own experiences, she'll hate the awkwardness or worse yet eventually resent you or step-dad for the consequences even if she loves step-dad too. He can't take her biological dad's place. He has his own.

I guess to the doctor we go.

Ds (6) has patches of spots all over his body for the past few months. This last week I noticed more patches than usual. They look like goose bumps. They don't itch or bother him. Has anyone seen this before? Could it be a possible food allergy? They heal up rather quickly, but reappear somewhere else just as fast. I put a picture of the spots on his leg.

Asterix and Obelix

I'm looking for a debate on evolution versus creation. The ideal would be one where a geological observation is presented and both sides discuss why and how that same observation fits their theory better. I would like my son to be able to make an educated inclination. I don't personally care which side of the debate he ends up on. I hold to the theory that both sides are wrong. I saw the Ken Ham vs. Bill Nye one but it wasn't really what I was looking for. If anyone knows one, much appreciated.

Currently, all three of our kids are in public education full-time. My husband and I were home schooled and naturally thought we would continue moving in this direction with our own children. Before the kids were born I had used your complete curriculum to home school a large family whose parents were unable to because of family circumstances. I was hired as a sort of nanny but did all the educating and ordered the curriculum and everything. I discovered your curriculum and was very partial to it as a hands-on type of education since my own was a fill in the blanks type that taught me information but didn't require much reflection or inquiry on my part. When I had my own kids I began with your curriculum and all was going well. Then our family decided to up and move to Paris so the kids and ourselves could learn French. In order to get the full advantage of our time here, the kids are enrolled in the public school full time and I've gotten a post as a teacher. At first I tried doing all the subjects in English as an after-schooler, but it was very tiring for the kids. Slowly, I started dropping subjects, and letting go of the program I love. In a way I was bound to it, and it was refreshing to relax a bit too. SOTW has become a bedtime story. We talk about the chapter we read each night, but no longer follow the scripted questions. Having done it so many times with the Activity Guide though, I understand how to make the most of the questions we discuss and guide them to remember and reflect on the main events of the chapter. Still I was disappointed that they were not doing the map work and learning to give a full summary for their writing skills, but just yesterday ds(9) said he is starting a blog summarizing each chapter of SOTW and combining it with media and maps from online and the corresponding chapter from the Kingfisher Encyclopedia. I was so happy that he is doing this and that it is his own idea! Math has totally disappeared. They are top of their classes due to a good foundation and I encourage them to come to me as soon as they are not 100% sure of how to manipulate the numbers so that I can give them a visual explanation, but that is all and rarely happens. I've dropped the Latin in favor of the French. Science we continue to do but in a lighter way. I still follow the general idea. I have all the suggested books. The kids do the experiments and just add a labeled picture and explanation to an ongoing poster on the wall. The only thing I've kept up is the language arts. The rest has blended into our activities and is not recognized as "school". I am taking a hands-off approach to their "actual" schooling. I think because I have a broad view of why tests are given and why exercises are asked of the students, these things are not stressful. When I get their exams back to sign I ask the kids if they now understand the things that were marked wrong and am able to explain them if not. Many of my friends are extremely stressed about grades, but I know that I could pop them out of the educational system and home school them if the situation warranted so that's not the case for me.They are doing well. I think the first few years following the Well Trained Mind has given each of the boys a strong foundation. They know how to learn and I appreciate that. A ripple effect of learning your educational approach has been that I conduct my class differently than many teachers. I incorporate a lot of your curriculum ideas into my classroom, and the results are very positive. I suggest your book to parents I know who are wanting to get more involved with their kids education. I feel the Well Trained Mind does a very complete and thorough job of summarizing what should be covered in an education and how to go about it. I have also suggested SOTW to many people for their own personal use. When we were in the States I know that three different libraries bought a copy per my suggestion. Another ripple effect is that all my kids love history due to your engaging narrative.

Mashed avocado. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I was tired and emotionally upset when I posted. Needless to say the title was confusing and weird, and I don't think I expressed myself well. Thanks to all those who read through all that understood that this wasn't a post to debate the value of pork, to convince ds to eat pork, or to rail on ds's friend, but to get advice on regaining the trust of ds. I grew up very distrustful of my parents and it wasn't happy. When ds questioned my motive in serving the pork, it hurt. I wasn't sure what to do so I posted here 😊. I decided to talk to him. I told him it hurt when I worked hard to cook and plan a healthy meal and was met with his distrust. I explained that we are not from a religion that has dietary restrictions. He said he wanted to do what his friend did. I told him when he is with his friend that would be a kind and polite thing to do, and that I also appreciate kindness and polite behavior. He walked away looking as if he was going to cry and didn't want to talk to me that evening. I don't think 5 year olds understand I believe versus you believe/ agree to disagree. There's right and wrong to them. But he has been very kind and polite to me since then, and we talked for a long time tonight about the fun things he did with his friend today and planned a play date for them. So we're good.

I'm not meaning to compare the child to my adult friend, but rather the parents' viewpoint. My friend, who also has young kids, has an others may we may not attitude. The idea that no one else should either is new to me. I hadn't anticipated it. By the way, this kid is sweet and friendly, often invited over, a good friend of my son and I intend to keep it that way. I don't think he is trying to be mean. He has been taught this belief and to feel strongly about it. His friendship is very important to ds as ds is very shy. This is not meant as an attack on this kid! Regardless, I feel there is a distance between myself and ds that didn't exist before. I want to be close to him again and I'm not sure how. This has also been an emotional roller coaster week in general.

I after-school. My kids go to public school. Today, my ds informed me that he no longer eats pork. This shocked me; I'm still not sure what to think. Apparently, this has been going on in school for awhile and has finally spilled over to home. I asked him what he would do if I made spaghetti and meatballs, his favorite meal. He didn't pause. Told me he would refuse the meatballs and eat only the pasta. I asked him why since he likes this meal. He said he liked it only because he didn't know it was pork. And that it is disgusting. Apparently, his best friend at school is Muslim and has been very vocal about his own refusal to eat pork and the relationship between them is threatened if my son continues to eat pork. Also the Muslim boy gets a lot of attention at school needing a different meat option when the meal is pork-based, and he makes comments about how gross what everyone else is eating during the meal. We, as a family, eat pork at least once a week since it's a cheaper meat and I am comfortable with the way it is raised by those from whom I purchase it. I'm very bothered. I have a close Muslim friend, but her family is extremely respectful of our choices as we are of theirs. I thought I had a few more years before dealing with this type of peer pressure. He's only five. I'm afraid that I am only seeing the tip of the iceberg and that ds is being led to believe that he is a lesser individual because he does not adhere to certain religious practices. It hurts me deeply to think that he believes I would prepare and encourage him to eat something awful. It hurts me to think that he was bullied into this diet choice and even more to know that for the first time he feels that I have tricked him into doing something wrong. I don't know what to do.

Theatre tickets.

Bazaar If they like math.

Once when I was visiting a cancer patient after a bone marrow transplant, a hospital staff worker offered her something from the hospital kitchen or something from Wendy's. When I asked about the fast food option, the worker explained that at that point it was more important that the patient ate than what he ate.

I usually boil a very little water, then add my chocolate. It seems to mix better! Then add all the milk I want. It tastes good.

Mathilde, Madeline, Alanna