So we got a dog. In most ways he's a fantastic little pet, but he pees in the house. (We're working on this.) In general I am able to get to it quickly and it's not a big deal, but apparently he peed behind the curtain in the family room and we didn't notice it until it was dry. I cleaned it but it still smells. What do you use to get rid of the smell? We're having the carpets professionally cleaned later in the summer, but I'd love a spray or powder or something that will work in the mean time. Also, if it's in the pad, are there any solutions? Help!

My mom pays $2000/month for her meds. Luckily she has a $12,000 deductible, so for the last half of the year it's free. It's the reason she still works, and will probably never be able to retire.

Well, we spent the last hour googling how to rescue baby bunnies and I made the executive decision not to try. The kids are heartbroken, but I can't put in that much time and effort and expense knowing they will likely die. We found mom and she's clearly been dead more than 48 hours, so they're going to be dehydrated beyond what we can fix. Either they'll survive on their own or they won't. I feel pretty cold hearted about it, but that's the wild, eh?

Well, we found the mom (we think) and she's been dead for a while. We put the sticks over the den and they weren't disturbed overnight. I hate to try, because I'm sure they'll die anyway, but the kids want to try to save them. What are your suggestions? Is a cardboard box enough? I'm doing some other research as well.

Hey 4H and animal lovers! Our terrier got into a den? Burrow? of baby bunnies last night. He killed three and there are at least four left. We haven't seen the parents since. Will they come back? If my daughter wanted to try to save them, could she? What do they eat?

Me, too. I keep going through books and hanging on to them because 'remember when we would snuggle in bed to read this in second grade and you loved it so much?!' and none of the kids even remember. :glare:

I love this, I love this, I love this. I'm going to print it out and put it on my fridge. We got the news Friday that my all four of my middle kids got into the classical charter school here, and my oldest is going to public high school. I am alternately crushed and elated. I know I need a break. We all need a break. But my visions of happy happy homeschool are dying and I am so sad. I do hope to bring the younger ones back next year, but I'm done planning that far ahead. One season at a time.

We had one, years ago, on a house we built. Maybe it's different on new builds, but they replaced our air conditioner twice in three years without a problem. (Although clearly there was an issue with the AC unit)

:hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

I'll have to see who read the HPs we just finished. We loved him, and his voices were spot on, except for Hermione. She was dreadful.

So the question is, are girls more naturally anxious or is it culturally driven? When I was in high school I got good grades and was one of the 'smart kids'. I did want to hide it - I even lied about my ACT scores to my friends. But I don't know why I did it; I couldn't say that I felt pressure from my peers not to be smart.

So the question is, are girls more naturally anxious or is it culturally driven? When I was in high school I got good grades and was one of the 'smart kids'. I did want to hide it - I even lied about my ACT scores to my friends. But I don't know why I did it; I couldn't say that I felt pressure from my peers not to be smart.

So we did the arboretum on Friday - if you haven't, you should go. It was amazing. Definitely worth the drive if you're coming from a ways off and like to be outside. Acres and acres of lawns and trees to run and play in, a maze, a sculpture garden, a cafe.. My kids LOVED it. Is anyone taking charge and planning a meet-up?

I actually think this is changing. I see a lot of morally superior quotes on Facebook about being an introvert. This sounds amazing. I need to find out if there's one in my area.

DH took all the kids to church, leaving me alooonnnee. (I went last night) Planted flowers that I bought last night, which I never do because they are so expensive. Now I'm going to shower, eat Thai food that no one else likes, and read a book. Glorious. Tonight I'm still cooking but it's stuff I like (and I like to cook) and I refuse to do dishes. I deserve it because I finally let the kids get a dog this weekend, so everyone in my family isn't making it up when they say I'm the best mom ever. :lol:

I only have my own kids to observe, but my girls seem to be more anxious in general about their performance. Also I wonder if all-girl STEM programs and the emphasis on 'girls can do anything!' is actually detrimental to some girls. There's a lot of pressure now for girls to be good at math, and for those who aren't, or just don't like it and want to put the effort in to get that way, it can be a hostile environment.

It's unfortunate but I agree that it's common, and not just with dance. My girls were in a play a couple years ago. They were in the first two scenes only, but had to wait backstage for almost 2 hours during every performance so they could be in the curtain call. Ridiculous. It's almost like the directors don't understand that they're working with children, but OTOH I don't have any solutions so...

:lol: We have such weird double standards in this country. Teens are handed out condoms because there's no stopping them from having sex, and really it's healthy and good for them to figure out what and who they like before they settle down, but they will also be permanently and horribly scarred if they catch a tiny glimpse of some guy's junk in a year book picture. Also why charge the rest of the team? It sounds like nobody knew it was happening.

"God's ways and God's thoughts are higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:9) While I have my own private ideas as to why God may have chosen this route, He nonetheless did not simply “take†ds’ life, but rather, gave him life abundant and life eternal. Ds is now more alive than any of us living on this earth could ever hope to be – for real life, real living, is to be with Jesus. We reckon life backwards here on earth. From the moment we are conceived, we are dying; but, for those who die, having lived this earthly life for Christ, their lives begin and never die." This is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing so much with us - your son's story has touched me deeply.

We do, of course. In our district, the ELEMENTARY kids are getting iPads now. My first piece of advice - if they offer insurance, buy it. I can't tell you how many of those kids broke their iPads within the first month. None of the parents like them. (That I've spoken to) The only person I've heard praise them was a third grade teacher who had 40 kids in her class. She found it very helpful to assign them some math game or what not so she had time to work with an individual student or get something ready. She also said it was easier to communicate with parents through the iPads.

Yep, the arboretum is definitely free tomorrow. I'm up for whatever, though. Chutes and Ladders is great.

I'm in! I realize this won't work for most people, but the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum apparently has free entry tomorrow (normally $13). We're going if I can confirm it. I've got to dash but when I get back I'll check into it.

:) No, we attend, too. I meant that I couldn't JUST attend. I need to run things. I agree with this, and I like how you phrased it as 'limbo land'. I like to work hard, I love to be productive. So often homeschooling is standing over my kids while they work.. not the same, but I can't just check out and read a book either. There are parts of homeschooling during which I am fully engaged - those are the parts I love.

I run a co-op. I could not attend one.

This is so me. There was a point when I would have been 42 when my youngest graduated. Then we decide to have more kids, and I would have been 47. Then we had one more and now I'll be 51. I think it's why the last few years have been so rough. It was one thing to be patient with the spilled milk and tears over multiplication when I knew it was only a few years. I can't seem to get to the 'this is my life and job' stage. I always wanted to go back to college and have a career, but who wants to hire a 55 year old? It feels like the death of a dream and makes it very hard to be joyful when I'm drowning in Cheerios and Saxon. :lol: :lol: :lol: But seriously, me too. Especially now that I have an 8th grader in school. I get up at 5:30 so that I can have an hour to be alone and take a shower, but even that hour is full of getting ready for the day and making her lunch. By 6:30 everyone is up and it's breakfast, school, chores, being with children all day. They littles start going to bed at 7, but we have progressive bedtimes at 7, 8, 8:30 and 9:30. And when the littles are in bed, I do homework with the 8th grader. That's really getting to me - I already did school all day! She finally goes to bed between 9:30 and 10, and there is usually still laundry or other chores to finish, plus DH wants time.. I'm getting to bed around 11 lately and it's not going well. I feel like my brain is fried. Great thread idea, Hoppy. I had no idea I wasn't alone. I don't know any INTJ homeschoolers IRL (although I must, now that I see the pattern). Although most of the homeschoolers I know only have young kids.. 80% bail at middle school.