Start writing a new story you like better. However, change your already written work to a white font so it just "disappears." It will still be recognized by the validation program. You have written these words in November, so you get credit for them. Type in a line and start your new story above/below the line with the new stuff on the other side. To be fair, you should still plan to tell your story from beginning to resolution to be considered a winner. You only just have to squeeze that into less words. :D

Is there a valid reason your dh isn't intervening? Perhaps I am interpreting this incorrectly, but is he staying out of it for the wrong reasons? I cannot for the life of me think of any reason your MIL should be denied anti-nausea meds. If she is lucid, why is the nurse calling your SIL? Something stinks here. Sounds like she has totally bullied the nursing staff. That, personally, would have me donning my flame retardant suit and doing what I could to set things straight. Or at the very least, get some real answers out of the medical staff. I am sorry you are dealing with this. I find myself wondering who will be caring for dear SIL in her advanced age...

:iagree: As well as change her POA. Many people have separate POA and Medical POA's (MPOA). If she is observably clear-thinking and there is no potential for problems if she has something for nausea, and medical staff concurs, your MIL should get what she requests! Go up the chain to the charge nurse/doctor if necessary (he he he while your SIL is away and busy with her "real life," of course). :grouphug: You just be sweet to your MIL and try to not focus on that other one. Remember, in the end she is the one you're serving, not really SIL.

When pigs sprout wings and he!! freezes over, maybe.

Great video! I'll have to look for more Numberphile offerings.

We LOVE LOVE LOVE our gerbils. We have a sister pair, so if we are out for any length of time, they keep each other company. DD7 has them responding to the sound of her voice, she has handled them daily and they are quite tame for her as a result. They are wonderful "classroom" pets! We do a weekly weigh-in and record that, set up play bins and observe their antics, put fluffs of different colors in the aquarium and watch how they mix it up over the course of the week - we really are enjoying them.

I made it to 1679 for Day 1. Little bit made it to 43 words and confidently let me know she would be raising her word count goal from 500 to 1000. We'll see how long the enthusiasm prevails.

I wouldn't mind that many people, but the dogs would do me in. We are all dog lovers but half of my immediate family has been cursed with dog allergies. It's hard for me to enjoy the day when I'm doling out the albuterol. It does make for a comic scene once we get home, each of us stripping to our skivvies in the garage to keep the dander out of the house.:D

Agree on a separate time, but if your kids can handle it, actually do it afterwards. Lets your kids go out of the Christmas season on a high note and eliminates the chance of any kid accidentally making another feel left out by spilling the beans about an awesome early gift. We have done big gifts on Jan 6, King's Day.

Field trips! That's what fills our days, that and good films and read-alouds. The "hard core" academics get done in a fairly short amount of time; I think 90 minutes of focused work is quite reasonable at this level. We are getting everything checked off our daily list. Honestly, I am tracking hours and our field trip numbers far outweigh the other categories (of course I can tie most of 'em back to a core subject area if necessary). We LOVE learning this way! ETA - Oh, I forgot science labs. If we have a spread-out-and-get-messy science lab session, that goes beyond the regular 1.5-2hrs. But we love these, too, so it doesn't feel like pencil to paper school time.

Oh, I always thought Della and that blond private eye guy had a thing going on! Paul, was that his name?

Before the Penn State debacle, I would have thought this course of action to be rather over-reactive. However, now I would do just what Faith has suggested.

Spaghetti & meatballs, green salad, garlic bread Taco bar Lasagna Grilled chicken breasts (toss in a ziploc with marinade til you're ready to grill) These are all things that can be prepped in advance. For desserts, just keep ice cream on hand. Or bake a big batch of cookies before they arrive.

Yes, we thought so, too! To be clear, my son was older than many of the younger kids who start VT earlier. He was doing well until he hit a wall with higher-level reading material. Turns out he is a really bright kid with mild tracking, visual processing and visual discrimination issues and was able to compensate in other ways, until he hit long, timed reading assignments. I knew something was amiss, but was totally shocked to discover that his reading level was so low for his age. And like many of the posters here, we had received great reports at regular visual acuity exams. It took some learning evaluations to get a recommendation to the developmental optometrist who then uncovered the issues. I believe that he was able to make quick progress because he was older, and a consistent, cooperative patient. I also believe that the physical exercises to remediate primal reflexes were an essential part of the therapy plan - our OTs were terrific! He is currently reading The Odyssey with no problem (well, not any problem other than the challenge average kids face when engaging ancient literature!). It is a darn shame that insurance won't cover this treatment - the outcomes seem to be quite measurable. We were able to funnel a portion of it through our medical savings account, but still...we ate a lot of beans that year!

We've seen this in our house. I'd want to rule out strep. Did Dr FIL look at dh's throat?

Glad to hear you had no problems! Our ML told a tale of woe - someone had just over 50K words, started the validation process just before midnight, stepped away from the computer (you see what's coming here, aye?). Short of words at 5 minutes after midnight. Not a win.:tongue_smilie: However, they did say if something dreadful like this happens, contact a ML right away, apparently if you are really an authentic participant and short due to program error, there are fixes. ETA - I went over to the YWP site, will sign dd up tomorrow. Decided on a 500 word goal for her (7, almost 8yo, very verbal kid).

I had to face this possibility with a cancer diagnosis a while back. Yes, I think I am ready, but I could not return to work full time AND maintain the household without some changes. I believe we would not continue to home school (I say this knowing that we have an option of a wonderful private school nearby and a substantial life insurance policy). I did realize that I actually was not really a good candidate for the workforce after being a stay at home mom for 15 years. My field was very specialized and times have changed. As time permits, I am doing some studying to enable me to be ready to go back to work when I am no longer home schooling. It is a good feeling to know I am on the road to being better able to generate income should that become necessary. Current challenge is to get presently-healthy hubby to take out long term care insurance on himself NOW, in case there is a recurrence (yes, he qualifies now, but may not if he waits much longer). I want to be able to afford home health care, because the scenario of him needing full time care and me needing to maintain the household and kids' schedules at the same time... that is overwhelming to me.

Well, then, let me add another success story. Twenty-six weeks of VT. An advance in reading/reading comprehension of 7 grade levels between start and finish. Longer sustained reading time. No more headaches while reading. We are believers!

I for one will pray that this "speed of light" action continues long enough to see you relocated before the worst of the winter sets in for the season!

Went to our regional kick-off meeting yesterday. The Municipal Liaisons let us know that the word count validation program on the NaNo site typically reads manuscripts submitted in Scrivener about 1000 words short. There was another word processing program they mentioned having a similar challenge with, but I cannot remember which one (seemed to me it was not one of the more commonly used ones). So, just a heads up. Validate early in case you need to add a few last minute words!

Yikes! That is scary! (And I see your downstairs slider was apparently undamaged...)

Can I vote for both? I like 'em all! I do think the caramel ones are just a little easier on my aging teeth than that crackling red candy. Yum, now I am craving them...

Went through Hurricane Charlie and saw century oaks completely uprooted and down across cars and houses. Without a doubt, we'd be sleeping on the ground floor (assuming no basement). Blanket and maybe a plastic shower curtain can cover the glass slider, just set up camp across the room from it. Hope all your concerns and preparations are for naught...:grouphug:

Ok, thanks. I will carve out some time to wade through the YWP site. My dd is 7, getting close to 8yo. I think 500 is a good goal for dd, too. Five words to a sentence, five sentences to a paragraph, 1 paragraph per day for 20 writing days in November... 5x5x20=500. She won't follow that paragraph formula precisely, but I think that helps me see that the goal of 500 words is reasonable. Thanks!

I still cannot find it - is this on the regular site after logging in, or only for registrants via the Young Writers Program?