I am going to piggyback on this thread. I was just about to post a similar question....but I need a plan a little sooner. I have a 6th grader that is finishing up SM 6B. My plan is to test her for AoPS then decide from there whether to start with algebra or pre-algebra for 7th grade. I suspect it will be algebra since many pre-algebra topics are covered in SM 5 and 6. So, I have the same question. What sequence makes sense? At this stage it is too early for me to tell if dd is heading for a STEM-y career. She is naturally good at math but it is not her favorite subject. I know that can change. I hated math until high school and I ended up pursuing a very STEM-y career and learned to really love math. So I want to keep the options open. I want to prepare her for a STEM-y path but I don't want to push too much math since it is not her love at the moment. Can you just skip the counting & probability and number theory books and still take the traditional college-bound math path sequence with AoPS or are the topics covered in those books needed for the upper-level books? How hard is it to go back and pick those up should math become a bigger focus for a child later in the sequence? I am sure once we get started, it will make more sense, but just checking out the website, I feel unsure. It seems like way too many subjects to tackle in 6 years. Is it better to go "further" or "broader" with math?

We did not begin any formal education until age 7. I did not have a real reason other than it did not seem like the right time to start until then. Until age 7, dd was very content to play and hang out. It was late summer before what would be her 2nd grade year (had she been in school) that she began to get bored during the day, so I took advantage of that and we slowly began introducing a weekday schedule which we ramped up over that year and the following. Dd did learn to read on her own before we that. She also knew her numbers but could not yet add/subtract. I do not regret the late start. She was 100% caught up to "grade level" by the end of that first year. We basically covered K-2 in one academic year....usually only doing "school" for about 2 hours, 4 days a week. I think those extra years to play and explore were priceless.

It snows 6 months of the year where I live. I am very versed in this. The liner for sure goes on the outside. Very serious snow pants (which we all have) actually has a hook on the edge of each liner to hook to the laces of your boots...evidence that it is meant to go on the outside. In the end, it probably does not matter in most regular sledding or playing situations. But for serious outside-all-day in 4 feet of snow, the liner goes on the outside!

So funny! I do always use the stove method myself. The thought of having to wash out the crockpot was enough to keep me from using it.

We are trying to learn more about ours. There is no solid build date. The city records say 1885-1899. We have photographic evidence from 1900 and it also shows up in a 1890 map, so we assume before 1890....although it is feasible that another house was here that burned or was torn down before 1900. Much of it is original....flooring, some windows, some plaster walls, stain glass, and molding. Same with the cedar siding. Obviously, plumbing, a modern kitchen, and electricity were added over time. The bathroom is in an awkward spot due to it being wedged in at a later date and the kitchen was moved away from the chimney to a previously unfinished storage area that likely served as a boot porch or cold storage in the original design. The front porch was originally open but was enclosed at some point....probably when the kitchen was moved so that the front porch could serve as the boot porch. Boot porches are pretty much mandatory here. There was an old carriage house when we moved in but it was falling down so we had it razed shortly after we took possession. Some time in the 1970s, someone added a detached garage....thank goodness! It would never pass current zoning rules so we lucked out. Garages are not common in our neighborhood. We recently discovered that our now-double-city-lot had FOUR houses on it at one point! This explains a lot because we keep finding pieces of house erupting out of the yard. Our guess is that they were simply plowed in after whatever happened to them happened. There had to have been outhouses too. I try not to think about that..... The three other houses all disappeared from photos between 1908 and 1917. There is a good possibility this was a kit house. Many in our area are. We know from historical info that our whole neighborhood was built very quickly and cheaply.....sort of like the tract housing of the 1890s. The housing was never meant to be long-lasting but is very solid. There is not a straight wall or level floor in the whole place but it does not feel cheap or flimsy. We buy shims by the case. There is coal residue in the basement and we also find it in the yard frequently. We have found all sorts of interesting things in the walls and during some attic work. Nothing valuable. We have put most of it in a weather-proof box to keep as a time capsule to stay with the house. We have added our own treasures to it.

I am still in the planning stages but this is what I have so far. Math - AoPS pre-algebra OR algebra (will test at the end of this year after SM 6B is completed) Latin - Lukeion 2 (shamelessly outsourcing that one) Writing - finish WWS 2 then move on to WWS 3 Science - Rainbow Chemistry Grammar - AG season 3 History - Human Odyssey Vol. 3 Music - Suzuki Violin If we go straight to algebra, we will take is super slow and spread it out over two years with lots of supplementation. I have no desire to get dd too far "ahead" in math. I am not thrilled with Rainbow Science (specifically the religious factor) but dd likes the format. It is the one subject we have switched curriculum every year and have actually given up some years. So even if it is not my ideal, I am willing to stick with it. We are finishing up physics this year and it has been more successful than anything else. I need a far better plan for 8th grade. Something to prepare dd for high school level science. If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears.

We were in a similar situation with an extracurricular activity several years ago. We chose sanity over excellence. My dd was quite good but was never going to be a professional in the activity so we were OK with taking lesser instruction. Our decision may have been different if it were something that could really go somewhere long-term....but probably not. I have little tolerance for that sort of drama and even less for anything that is verbally/emotionally abusive to the students. "Artistic temperament" is not an excuse for unprofessional behavior.

Is does not bother me. People are entitled to invite whomever they want to whatever event. And invitees are free to accept or decline for any reason. I may not be able to attend a kid-free event so I might graciously decline an invitation. As long as the inviter graciously accepts my declination, we are all good. I had a kid-free wedding for multiple reasons and I do not regret it one bit.

Can you have a contract drafted that spells out a grandfather clause for your current dog, just to make triple-sure? As for future dogs, I don't think there is anything you can do. Should the HOA adopt a rule against a particular breed, I believe you will have to adhere to it.

It is my opinion that the school officials are not reading the rules correctly. The parents fear this as well. They are very concerned that their dd's NCAA eligibility could be at risk and I think their fears are founded. The study-hall "solution" the school originally offered up appears to be a violation of both NCAA and MHSAA rules, which is why the parents fought for another solution. The school even said she could sit through those study halls and do her homeschooling (actually college) work. But the parents were too worried about her losing her NCAA eligibility....thus the mickey mouse classes. It is a very bizarre situation but I am guessing it is common as small schools with limited time to research are trying to navigate lots of rules and the new virtual school options. This would all be unnecessary in a larger area if there were any other avenue for the girl to play her sport for her last year in high school. But there is not. So, they re jumping through all of these hoops so that she can play for the 8-week season. I do to think it is worth it myself, but they apparently do. I only brought it up as an example because I think wise parents need to be doing their own homework and not relying on the school officials to be protecting themselves or the children involved from violations that are found after it is too late.

We have only one tiny private school within an hour's drive and they are not MHSAA. They are happy to have homeschooled children on their teams. The reason they are happy is because even when every single kid in the school participates, they still struggle to have enough kids to form a team. We are talking a basketball "team" that is grades 6-12, co-ed. So, great if you just want to have fun playing basketball and get some exercise. Not so much for a homeschooled 16 yo boy with real talent at the sport, for example (that is not our situation FTR). On top of that, we would have to sign a very stringent statement of faith in order for my child to participate which we are not willing to do. Sigh. The public school certainly could allow more participation, they just do not want to. I can understand why. It is a hassle and there is no incentive for them. Like I said, we have given up and have decided to just find other ways to fulfill sporting opportunities. But we are close to one family that has a very gifted athlete. She happens to be gifted academically as well. As a result, the school long ago ceased to have adequate courses for her to take. They even limit dual enrollment and AP opportunities so that was no longer an option. So her parents wanted to homeschool.....but still allow her to participate in her sport. This became a problem due to the MHSAA rules and the school's own rules. So, she takes mickey mouse "virtual school" classes while sitting in the school library for 66% of the school day. She finishes those in a fraction of the time, then does the work for her own college classes that do not qualify due to limits on dual enrollment. It is pretty crazy. It seems like a huge hassle but she is in the running for some serious D1 college scholarships due to her athletic talent and this is the only way her parents could find to hobble through her senior year without wasting the whole year academically. The school's original solution as for her to take 6 out of 8 periods as study hall (the remaining two being gym and choir). Once I knew about this particular case, I decided it was not worth further investigation for my own child.

I can't answer all of your questions but I have done some research on this for MI. First, be aware that the rules are just the minimum requirement. The district or private school itself might have tighter rules. Ours is somewhat hostile towards anyone doing anything non-traditional and simply will not work with anyone outside of the traditional student with one exception. if you are enrolled as a full-time student in the district that can be through the virtual school option. BUT the student has to take those virtual classes while physically at the school. They define "full time" as 66%. So, theoretically, the other 33% could be other classwork outside of school, however no one locally has successfully made this work. My dd desperately wants to participate in school sports (we have no rec leagues for common sports here.....small population) but we have waved the white flag because the district simply will not work with us. And even if they did, to meet MHSAA rules, she would have to take 66% of her classes at the school or through the PS virtual school. The only loophole I could see is if you found a private school that defined "at the school" more loosely.

I have a couple and wear them frequently. I do not consider them "outerwear." They are just another layer of a regular outfit. They do not have to match the shirt/sweater underneath. It is very cold here, even indoors, so the extra layer around the core is great for taking a chill off. I put a coat on OVER mine when going outside. Again, that extra at the core can add 20 degrees of warmth to a normal winter coat. But if you don't like the way it looks or feels, put yourself out of your misery and don't wear it!

Can you construct a seasonal boot porch?

Yeah. Me too. As someone with a "misspelled" name myself and the parent of a child with a "misspelled" name all I can say is sorry that it bothers you so much. There are too many potential reasons why people choose alternate spellings to list in full. In my case, my parents were trying to "feminize" and traditionally male name. In my dd's case, we were updating a traditionally "old fashioned" name. Neither is a big deal as far as I can tell. I have been "dealing" with my name for 40 years and it really is not a big deal.

I really question the legality of this policy. I can see it if the students sign something releasing such info to parents, which very well may be the case.....does anyone know? But otherwise, this is illegal. At the university in which I teach, parents would not have been informed about any legal matter. Campus authorities or counseling personnel would likely highly encourage the student to contact their parents but they would not do so without consent. Unless we redefine adulthood, this will not change. It does not matter how crucial the information might be, it is simply illegal to share that with anyone without the (legal adult) student's consent. It sounds like you would like to see adulthood redefined which would be more on the law-making side and less on the university-policy side. Or you could advocate for more universities to have permission-to-share-with-parents policies. But that would always have to be voluntary, of course. Adults are adults....even if they don't act like them.

My 11 yo dd is currently taking Lukeion 1b. After completing 3 years of Latin for Children at home, the entire first year of Lukeion is technically review. But I am glad we started at the beginning. This is dd's first online class and they are pretty strict as far as timelines and expectations. Starting with mostly review has been a great transition. And I really don't think you can go wrong really solidifying those basic building blocks.

It may be very sad but an adult is an adult. The law is the law. It doesn't matter if the person in question is 18 or 75. And the financially dependent argument does not hold water either. A 65 year old parent might be living in their adult child's house and be 100% financially dependent on said adult child, but the police still have no obligation to inform the adult child. The same applies to a spouse that is 100% financially dependent on their husband or wife. I teach at a university so I have had this argument with parents over the years. They believe that since they are paying the bills they are entitled to grade information. While, I understand how they feel, the actual contact of service is between the university and the adult student. If the parents want in on grade info (or legal info or medical info or mental health info), they have to make that arrangement with the adult student.

We have a 2005 CRV and have been very happy with it. We wanted the smallest and most fuel-efficient car we could get that also had ample cargo space. We haul a very specific collection of items on a regular basis and it all had to go in without cutting into the passenger areas. We also live in a very very snowy and hilly location so it had to handle well in those conditions. This fit the bill. We bought it new and unless something unforeseen happens, I can see us driving it for another 10 years. We have not once gone off the road or gotten stuck in it which is very rare around these parts. The ONLY thing I can say we do not like, and the RAV-4 shares this, is the rear door. They swing outwards instead of up. The concept itself is not an issue, but the weight of the door itself seems to be too much for the hinge. This was probably made worse by us because we had a hatch-mounted bike rack that added more weight to the door when fully-loaded. It has also been hit in this area twice over the years which likely contributes to the problem as well. The door still works just fine but we are concerned it will eventually fail and it does rattle while on bumpy roads. It is going in the shop next week to get a new hinge. $300. Dh was not happy with the cost until I reminded him that this is the only repair we will have had for over 12 months and that a single month's car payment for an adequate replacement (and used at that) would likely be more, he quit complaining. We get about 30 mph highway. Much less in town....because snow and hills. I have heard good things about the RAV-4 and Element too. The Element only seats 4, which it what took it out of the running for us. I really liked the "theater seating" for the back seats so was disappointed when we had to move on. The RAV-4 had slightly less cargo room and did not fit the items we need to haul as easily (yes, we took these items with us when we test-drove cars....). All three (from that era anyway) have a tow limit of 1500# and that really is the limit for our CRV. We frequently tow a 1500# trailer and that is the max of what we would be comfortable pulling.

My kid learned long ago not to even ask for anything at the concession stand. Especially at sporting events that SHE is participating in. Her sports require a lot of energy and junk is just a really bad thing to feed someone while they are competing and/or recovering from competing. So, we always pack fruit and veggies for recovery time, almonds and hard boiled eggs for pre-competition, etc.... She has competed in some meets in which there are "no outside food" rules.....mostly so the club in question can make money off their concession stand. We ignore those rules. I would be happy to follow them if they offered anything healthy at all. Some do not even have water! I double-dog-dare a club to call me on it:) There was one blessed meet in which the organizers had baggies of pre-cut veggies and little containers of hummus and ranch. I don't call ranch "healthy" but at least they tried. I bought a few bags even though we brought our own just to show my support. They sold out by the end so it must have been a success. But I feel your pain. Most people don't want healthy options and most of these stands are supposed to be fund raisers. I think cuties, apples, and bananas are likely to be hits. You can feed the leftovers to the athletes at the end of the event. Tea bags (caffeine-free) with hot water and water bottles are good alternatives for parents who don't want to pump their kids up with hot chocolate or soda. Both have a long shelf-life too. I have seen some clubs buy a huge vat of big pickles and sell them individually for a HUGE mark-up. For some reasons the kids get a kick out of them and they are pretty nutritionally harmless. Good luck!

Thanks everyone. I think more than anything I needed to know that this is not uncommon. I do sit with dd for all math assignments (and other trouble subjects)....usually doing my own job on my laptop or bills or menu planning or whatever. So I am always immediately available to answer questions. It seems that I seem to catch her staring off into space frequently and have to remind her to get back on task. Or she will (out of the blue) ask a question about shoelaces or bees or garbage trucks....indicating that her mind is far far away from math. She is also allowed (and encouraged) to take a break any time she feels her concentration waning. She can either take a 10 minute break for a snack or just to get some movement out of her system OR she can also opt to move to another subject altogether and come back to math. What she seems to need to stay 100% engaged is for me to not just sit there but to actually watch her every move with my 100% attention. She seems to want/need constant feedback. This is what I am considering trying just to stop the drama and help build her confidence up. Right now, she thinks she is "bad at math" because she is getting so many assignment problems incorrect. I can point out that her mistakes are almost always not-conceptual until I am blue in the face but all she sees is 50% WRONG. Dd is on the late end of the blooming-curve so I suspect things will get worse before better so I want to minimize the damage. I too could never ever me a middle school teacher....especially MATH.

My 11 yo dd is bright and generally a pleasure to be around. We are starting to see a little "tweenish" behavior but nothing serious yet. Starting at the end of last year (5th grade), I started to notice an increase in times when she was unable to focus. Especially in math but also in other subjects from time to time. The lack of focus results in day dreaming, time-wasting, and then many simple mistakes. On bad days, she can get half (or more) of her math assignment incorrect. And that is after spending more than twice the time I expect the assignment to take. The mistakes are almost never conceptual. They are almost always simple arithmetic errors, not reading the instructions/problem carefully, or messiness that results is errors. She is always required to fix all of her mistakes so there is no incentive to rush. This is a bit maddening to me which I suspect contributes to the problem. Our schedule is tight (I work outside of the home part-time and have a fixed schedule) and when she gets into these foot-dragging modes, we are not able to cover what needs to be done. I know this is not an uncommon problem, especially at her age. But, the issue has gotten more severe as time has gone on and we are now at a point where math is causing daily drama and tears. We have tried using different materials and methods, but it is not the presentation that is the problem. It is doing the work in whatever form it happens to be in. She simply balks at anything perceived as an independent math problem. If I am sitting right there while she works through each problem, she is fine and efficient. She seems to need constant feedback to stay on task. She does not need me to do the work, give her hints, or write things down....she just seems to need her brain dialog to be received and validated by someone to stay focussed. It happens in other subjects but to a much less frequent and more manageable degree. I do not feel the math concepts are too hard for her. If anything, I suspect she is naturally good at math. I know that silly mistakes and lack of focus can be the result of boredom. But I cannot shake the idea that she has to master the ability to catch her own mistakes and to learn to be careful and neat before attempting to accelerate her math progression. Due to the focus issues last year, I decided to do Singapore 6A and 6B this year instead of moving on to pre-algebra like many do. I thought a low-pressure year of mostly-review would give her space and time to learn to be more careful in her work. I cannot tell right now if the issues we are having are the result of boredom or a true inability to focus. She cannot seem to articulate if this is the case when asked either. Because I see the same pattern in other subjects, I suspect this is not boredom-induced. Which leads me to my plan..... I am thinking of going back to being her dedicated sounding board through all math assignments (a la 1st grade). This very long post is seeking the advice of people who may have gone this route. I worry that she will feel it is a regression. If you have done this, did you regret it? Did it help? How long did it take to work back to more independent work? Is there such a thing as late-elementary-onset-scatter-brain that they just come out of on their own? At the very least, I would love to hear of others that have experienced this and come out the other end using whatever path worked. I have heard many a public school teacher say that 6th grade is a black hole so I am not surprised to be here. But if she were in school, I fear she would be failing math.

Have you tried using a neti pot? Sometimes flushing the irritants out of the sinuses helps to recover faster.

I edited my response to make it more obvious..... Ha ha!

Me too!