Good to know! Dd has never tried one of these but we will be sure to avoid them.

Thanks for the advice! We have found that most advice seems to be for thicker and courser hair. I have stick straight hair so am no help at all!

Fluffier and curlier. The odor discussion was just to explain why the no-poo method, which is often recommended for curly hair, is not an option for dd at this time. I probably should have left that out but find that it is often the first suggestion for curly hair care. ETA - I'm just looking for affordable shampoo, conditioner, and maybe product that works well for fine curly hair. Affordable being the magic word.

I have been vegetarian my entire adult life and even vegan at times. The building blocks of the meals I prepare tend to start with whole grains which are higher in protein. I try to limit pasta because we end up eating enough refined grains when out of the house, but in your example of spaghetti, I can make that a filling meal by using whole wheat pasta and adding red lentils to the sauce. A typical dinner in my house will often include some whole grain as the base. Brown rice and millet seems to appear the most often but in a given month barley, polenta, buckwheat, farro, spelt, etc... also make appearances. Legumes are also a staple. I would explore some of the other beans out there aside from the ones you have listed. French and red lentils have a very different taste than plain brown ones. Split peas, green and yellow, make great soups. Chickpeas can be added to anything, including salads. Then there are lots of others to explore, navy, pinto, adzuki, etc..... The above makes inexpensive but nourishing starts. Then I add the more expensive items in smaller quantities to compete the taste. Nuts of all kinds, avocado, cheeses, eggs, dairy, etc.... I don't follow recipes much anymore so just so of put together what I have and what I am in the mood for. Tonight I am making millet as the base of the meal. I am going to roast up some broccoli and sweet potatoes to put on top of the millet. Then top with an "asian" type vinaigrette. This will keep me full all evening whereas I am usually looking for a snack a couple of hours after spaghetti....even with whole wheat pasta.

Dh and I, as well as every adult we are around, have serious potty mouths so dd and the other children in our lives have heard it all. I still think it is very inappropriate and would likely complain. In the OP's case, I may wait to complain until after the semester ends or do so anonymously in the effort to respect her ds's wishes. With our without swearing, the call-outs on FB are not OK. It would not be about the words used but how they are used.

Odd question but Goggle is just tossing up very expensive options. I'm hoping to get some we-live-in-real-world suggestions. 14yo dd has very long, curly, but quite fine hair. She only combs it, while wet, with a wide tooth comb. In summer, when it is humid, it looks curly and healthy looking and she is pleased with it. In the winter, with low humidity and forced-air heat, it quickly turns into a stringy mess. Winter hats make it worse. She only combs it (with a wide tooth comb) when wet and currently does not use any product. The few "curly hair" products she has tried tend to weigh her hair down or make it seem greasy to her. She uses normal "eco-friendly" shampoo and conditioner. She did the no-poo thing for years. Her hair seems to behave the same. But even if it did make a big difference, it is off the table because she is an athlete and has to actually scrub her head and thoroughly wash her hair daily due to sweat build up. Rinsing with plain water (as is suggested for no poo people who work out) just does not cut it. She actually prefers this method (she likes to use low-impact products) but I insisted she use shampoo once the funk got out of control. It the summer, she does switch to apple cider vinegar for "conditioner" and that works fine. I suspect that a shampoo/conditioner combo specifically for this type of hair and perhaps some product would go a long way to improve the situation. Because she has to wash daily and uses a lot of shampoo/conditioner to cover all of her long hair, I need something that is not terribly expensive.

Ugh. Dd starts classes in April. I am terrified. Anyone know if you have to inform your insurance for the permit stage? If so, has it been people's experience that rates go up right away or do they wait until full license time?

Coming back to this only because I am currently in an email war with a college student who thinks I should grant her a one week extension on a significant project deliverable because she "had a calculus exam last night." They have had five weeks to complete this assignment. These are lessons that are best learned well before college. I denied her the extension with my usual lecture about my very clearly stated policy on my syllabus and the invitation to turn it in late with a 30% reduction in grade. She is going to "talk to my supervisor." Good luck with that..... In the end, the goal is for the students to learn. And I am glad there are providers that are more lenient that have students who do catch up when they fall behind. But many college instructors are juggling hundreds of students. Trying to manage grading when things are coming in late is extremely taxing. I have to hold the line to my policies or else literal chaos will rule my classes. I am not strict about this to prove a point or "stick it to" the students. I am strict because I have to be. I am beginning to think that the pleas for extensions and exceptions that I am seeing in increasing frequency each year is coming from more lax policies in high schools.

Several years ago, I had to buy a collection of books off of Ebay in order to get a single out-of-print cookbook that I wanted. So I had 11 other cookbooks that I did not want and planned to donate. One was a gelatin-based recipe book from the 1960s. There was a deviled egg jello mold recipe that still makes my stomach turn to think about it. It is exactly what it sounds like. And looks exactly how you think it would. I couldn't bring myself to donate that book. It has been making the rounds as a gag gift within my circle of friends ever since. I made sure to put a nice post-it flag on that page so that everyone can share the experience. Seriously.....mustard, mayo, PAPRIKA, and hard boiled eggs.....in JELLO. For proper presentation, it must be sliced like meatloaf so you can see every layer very clearly.

I do not own a microwave. My current house had an over-the-range unit when we moved it. Until we removed it years later, I used it as a cabinet. It was a great place to store bread and other items that my cats think are cat treats. My mom still cannot understand how we manage without one. It is like she did not live half of her years before they were even invented. It is not like I am cooking over an open fire in the yard every day or something. Sheesh.

This must have been the cookbook my mom had. She fully embraced the microwave when they came out. Instead of boiling veggies to death, she nuked them to death. I had no idea I liked veggies until I moved out. One meal that graced our plates at least once a month was a slab of ham, nuked to death on a plastic plate, a pile of asparagus, nuked to the point of being more of a "slime" than a once-living plant, and rice-a-roni....again nuked. If it was a "special occasion" we got a slice of processed cheese over it all. Ironically, the food was stored in the oven to keep it warm while the other items were nuked. I really cannot believe I am still alive.

We have found that dd's instructors are always happy to help her come up with a plan as long as it is addressed beforehand. As an instructor, I only have a problem with people not planning ahead and then asking for extensions. I think students are far better served by working on the front end and asking for assignments to be opened early rather than asking for extensions and trying to catch up afterwards. Not only is it easier for the instructor to deal with but also far better for the student.

I wanted to add that I teach (in-person) at the university level. I am always flabbergasted that students think they should be granted extensions because they had to work or go to a basketball game or had a cold or or or..... I have found the best way to address this is to allow extensions to anyone but with a 30% reduction in grade. Students with legitimate reasons for needing an extension, such as family emergency, serious illness, etc...., can still meet with me to negotiate due dates without penalty. But this policy allows me to skip listening to someone's sob story about their dog eating their homework. I simply point them to my policy on the syllabus and wish them better luck in the future.

Agreeing with recent posters in that dd has only asked for an extension one time in all of her online classes and it was due to a death in our family. As an instructor, I would try to hold the line to avoid asks as much as possible. Many kids taking online classes have complicated schedules as that is sometimes the reason for seeking online education to begin with. My dd travels a great deal, often in places with no cell/WIFI access. Part of the reason we homeschool is to accommodate that travel. She could not do the things she does within the framework of traditional schooling. I feel it is her (with our help) responsibility to make the class work around her schedule. Dd's instructors do not even know that she has these commitments that require her to be on the road for 1/3 of all schooldays. This often means taking exams early and working ahead. She has taken exams in a McDonald's parking lot so we can poach the WIFI. She is in one class where due dates and assignment details are often changed at the very last minute. This means she has turned in items that ended up being "cancelled" or turned in more work that what ended up being due. It is annoying because I feel the instructor should have her plan together better than that. It kind of sucks that a diligent student who is trying to make her schedule NOT be the instructor's problem gets bit by being "responsible." But ultimately it is on dd to deal with that. I can definitely see how quickly it could get out of control for an instructor that was too accommodating with extensions. The best safeguard against this is to have a clear schedule and firm policy. If assignments and other required items are available with large windows, I think it is reasonable to deny extensions for all but very serious situations.

We do not do this although one of our cats has a relentless obsession with our toothbrushes. It takes three people, protective gear, and special equipment just to clip their nails. I try to look at their teeth periodically because one had dental issue years ago and I cannot even manage to do that. However, my dd cat sits for a few families and there is one with two cats that has her brush their teeth daily. The cats have been trained to do this and seem to enjoy it. There is "toothpaste" and apparently it tastes good to these cats so they are all about it.

This varies widely by state and district. Our state requires access to "specials" for homeschoolers. Band would be considered a "special." My local district is extremely hostile to homeschoolers. They know they have to allow "access" to band (and other similar classes) but they make it so incredibly difficult for families that try it that none have made it more than a few months. Your best bet would be to find someone who has experience in your own district before your dc get their hopes up.

That, and significantly later, is common in my circle and most of us still have little kids. It tends to be seasonal though. In winter and school nights, evenings end by 10pm. In summer, the sun doesn't set until 11pm and most of my circle are university faculty/employees who are either off in the summer or have reduced/flexible schedules. Those nights can go on forever, especially if an epic game is involved. You just pick up your sleeping kids from the puppy pile on your way out the door. The older kids tend to be night owls and stay up playing their own games or watching movies together. ETA - I frequently turn in and go to bed before the last of the guests depart. That is also not unusual for our crowd.

Thanks everyone. That is what is looked like on the site but I wanted to be 100% sure. Our district is the only test site within a two hour drive so if they switch to during-the-school-day testing, I assume another site will have to open up to accommodate the students from all of the other area schools.

I just finished combing the College Board site but cannot seem to find definitive answers to two questions I have: 1. Are the subject tests like the SAT in that testing sites are "public" and anyone who registers can take the tests there? My local school district has a testing site and is hostile to homeschoolers. They will not allow homeschoolers to take the PSAT or AP exams there. As far as I can tell, they have to allow homeschoolers to take the SAT. Is this also true of the subject tests? 2. Can more than one subject test be taken in a single day? Thanks!

This is true of the training in my neck of the woods too. Dd's team was jumping through hula hoops down hills and clocking each other with swim noodles from the time they could stand on skis. As high schoolers they still incorporate play into every practice. I'm a little jealous, actually. Winter sports are very important in my community. Most kids do not even remember the first time they were on skis (snowshoes/skates/etc....). My family of three currently owns 20+ pairs of skis, 5 pairs of snowshoes, and no idea how many pairs of skates and sleds. You either embrace the climate here or move ASAP.

More funny playfulness from Norway (and Sweden). I never get tired of this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH-zVXN8OMg

Dd asked her coach about nordic combined tonight and discovered there is a team within two hours of us that does this! So, I guess now I know where they find these people after all. There is also currently a movement on her team to "Klaebo" up hills. It is driving the coaches bonkers.

We are surrounded by biathlon people so that seems completely normal to me:) It is the flinging one's self off of a jump that just doesn't fit the personality profile of the nordic skiers in my life. I really hope it did not give my nordic skiing dd any ideas!

Dd and I discovered a sport we did not know even existed....Nordic Combined Skiing. Where on earth do they find these people?!?! We are deep into the nordic ski world. How could I not know this was a thing?

Now you all have me scared too! We are planning for Intermediate Algebra next year and we do not take the classes. I have been able to help dd when she struggles up until now but I do NOT have a PhD in math (or anything else for that matter). I am hoping that since dd has "grown up" on AoPS that my meager ability to help will not be needed often. Dusting off my 30+ years old geometry skills has been traumatic enough!