I wouldn't postpone astronomy now if he's interested now because you're saving it for 4 years down the road. The astronomy he is capable of now will not be the same astronomy he will be capable of four years later. He can always do astronomy again in 11th in far more depth after he has had the appropriate science. Or he can push physics to 11th and dual enroll in electives for 12th. Since he is more physical-science-inclined, dual enrolling for a semester of astronomy and a semester of geology would round out his education and expose him to some cool fields of study.

I don't think astronomy is a bad idea at all, but I do think some exposure to chemistry in middle school is helpful. I think doing signs and seasons with a brief middle school chemistry (acs has a free 8-10 week curriculum; plan it at times of the year when you historically have bad weather) would be pretty reasonable for 7th grade. I think general science would be pretty repetitive given as you just did Rainbow I and you plan to do physics next. I actually think that leaving 11th unplanned until you get closer is a good idea. You've got bio/chem planned so he's set for most colleges, and he might develop a sudden interest in something when you'll be happy to have that slack.

Congrats! Here's a cool article about why some people see nothing-nothing-nothing-sudden drop (also jibes with my personal experience) -- http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/

The other reason is that the membrane also thickens as eggs age, resulting in them being easier to separate from the shell. If I am trying to make hard-boiled eggs, I want them to age in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.

They're fine. The floating just indicates the egg is old and has lost its liquid, not that it's gone bad. You'll see this if you boil and peel them -- the air space will be larger.

Another option I haven't seen mentioned is to give them 9th grade classes (if they can handle them) and keep records as such, but on paper put them as 8th grade. If they want to graduate earlier, they will have the classes and records they need to graduate, but if they want to graduate later, they are still fine for that.

+1 for what Lori said. I really would not put a math-bright child through a year of material that they already know. It would seem like it would really solidify the concepts, but for some math-bright children what it really encourages them to do is to get used to not thinking very hard and to already knowing everything, so that when they are expected to start thinking and learning again it is more challenging. For others it makes them careless and sloppy. If you run into any troubles, you can either use two days for a lesson or (if she doesn't do well on a test) back up and redo the last week of lessons.

Well yeah. Among people who are interested in cooking there is plenty of knowledge, probably more knowledge of esoteric techniques than ever before. Among people who lack the cultural background and whose parents raised them on fast food and prepackaged food (my mother fostered one girl who had never seen a fork before, because her mother did only prepackaged finger food -- the girl was in kindy!), there is an utter lack of any kind of knowledge beyond possible use of a microwave.

I love facebook. I'm way too shy to actually pick up the phone and call someone to catch up, and if it weren't for something like fb that allows me to interact on my terms I'd have lost track of all those people.

I'm not sure if you've gotten one yet (we're having finals so things have been busy) but another option is buying a cheap, used TI on ebay, if a calculator is not specified but a graphing calculator is recommended. I got my last used replacement for $10.

I would. There are certain things that are more common in specific ethnic groups and if her medical chart is wrong they may not think to look for them.

I'd investigate to see if he's recently started or stopped any medication (I had something similar happen and it was due to a switch in brand of oral contraceptive). But after that, given that his DIY resources are currently not working, I really think this is something where I would start seeing a counselor now before it spirals out of control. If it resolves quickly with the stress from the work situation off, he can always quit going.

I also think that when people have been raised eating a certain way, telling them that that is unhealthy is viewed as an attack on their upbringing and their caregivers who were, after all, only doing the best that they knew for their kids (in the main part).

Maybe you are indeed hungry? Increasing calories by 100/day and giving yourself a bedtime snack with some more volume would slow your loss, but not as much as the nighttime snacking you're currently doing. I'm not sure limiting carbs would help you with the snacking. I mean, yes, all those treats wouldn't be allowed under low-carb, but they're already not allowed under your calorie-controlled diet (because they're excess) and that isn't serving as enough of a deterrent for you right now. If you know you lose at 1100, realistically, the worst that will happen at 1200 is that you won't lose and will stay where you are.

Related to the excellent explanation above, being able to move smoothly between -(g-4) and 4-g is something that people tend to struggle with in my lower-division classes at the college. It is a subskill worth practicing if your student struggles with it.

Whenever you go low-carb, you tend to drop several pounds immediately. This is not real fat loss, it is just water, and that group of pounds will come back immediately when you do eat carbs again.So if you're trying to use low-carb as a short-term diet and then go back to a more standard eating pattern that you know you can maintain weight on, you need to go like 5 lbs below where you actually want to maintain. That's also the "fast loss" that people are talking about. My weight-loss diet tends to be low-carb by default simply because it's meat and vegetables and not much else.

Not only are their criteria a bit strict, but by their criteria it would be absolutely impossible for more than 40% of people to live a healthy lifestyle, because a healthy diet was categorized as 'in the top 40%'. While I'm willing to consider that currently not being in the top 40% means that you probably do not have a healthy diet, I really don't like defining health by a relative measurement versus an objective one.

I think exercise also indicates (to some extent) the amount of spare time/mental energy a person has to put into a healthy lifestyle. Someone who really doesn't have time to exercise because they're swamped (e.g. working two jobs and caring for kids) is probably going to have less time/mental energy available to cook dinner from nutritious ingredients instead of going for a box of kraft.

This is really something where you have to feel your way. When I used to throw my back out all they'd say (after they ruled out mechanical malfunction) was 'if it hurts, stop doing it'. If he was up for an hour or so today, try two tomorrow (it's not an emergency or I wouldn't say this). If the pain increases, go back to one hour.

Exercise is variable as to whether it will make me hungrier or less hungry. Where it really helped was with the IR/PCOS. I started exercising (for fun) years before I started trying to actively lose weight, and both of them got much, much better with heavy and regular exercise even though I was still obese and with a crap diet composed mostly of junk food and soda. So it helped far more indirectly.

Personally in a car of that age, if the dealership isn't getting anywhere but you're confident in your own ability to handle a sudden breakdown, I would start putting money away now towards a new car but continue driving this one locally until it croaks.

I had State Farm roadside for years and lost it due to the same thing. Admittedly I do drive junkers. I paid for AAA premium and so far it has been worth every penny. My junker blew the engine out of state and they paid for a one-way rental to get me home under the trip interruption coverage. I did have to pay upfront but they sent a check for the refund quickly. Sparkly, if you have the space in the car I would make sure to get a full size spare rather than a donut. It is SO. NICE. to be able to swap out the tire and just keep driving rather than having to get to a tire shop within 50 miles. It always happens to me when I'm late somewhere.

While you're investigating medical avenues, can he split up his time in the office? It sounds like he is not too bad in the morning but staying up all day is causing him to hurt a lot. Can he reorganize his day so that he can lie down for at least an hour and rest? It seems the lying down is helping his back.

Whether the GPA follows is totally dependent on the school, and this includes not just the college that they end up attending but also any possible potential graduate and professional schools. Many graduate and professional schools require transcripts from all colleges and universities attended and recalculate the GPA based on their rules. It is wisest to assume that they will be following you and work accordingly.

Agree with Kathy. That chapter would also make an awesome enrichment chapter later on. Sometimes with enrichment chapters I do 'read it, do a few problems, read the solutions to the problems, understand what they're asking and why it works, but this isn't on the test'.