That's apparently what happened to me. I was tested as a kid, and my mom always refused to tell me my IQ. She said the psychologist called it "so high as to be statistically inaccurate". To this day I wish I had that number! Dunno why... self-validation? (I'm a classic gifted kid who melted into the average... lots of self-doubt now that I'm an adult. That's another thread, though.)

Oatmeal's great for milk supply, it's filling and comforting, only takes a minute to warm a bowl in the microwave, and I could eat it one-handed!

I don't know of books to recommend, but based on my trip out there last fall, I'd suggest you look into or discuss a few topics: John Muir (Muir Woods is just north of town) International shipping (the cargo ships are amazingly prevelant. If you can, go across to Oakland and see the seaport - should be very popular for small boys.) Homelessness/mental illness (I was expecting g*y issues everywhere, and was surprised that it really wasn't. I was totally stunned by the homeless/mentally ill who were everywhere. I think you'd want to prepare a 7-year-old.) Chinese immigrants (it's not just Chinatown - you see people of Chinese descent everywhere) Biomes (are they still called that? different environmental areas, anyway. Just driving down by the beach, seeing the sea grasses... way different for this Kansas girl) Look up the history of the cable car system... fascinating story of how it started because one man saw a horse fall & be killed, and he decided to do something about it...)

My grandma always used the clear polish on us, but I always thought it just numbed the skin a bit. Learn something new every day!

We're near-enough neighbors, then.

Have you seen FlyLady's on Facebook? I can read her testimonials & the daily Flight Plan without getting swamped in emails (and I'm much more likely to READ what goes by on FB instead of filing it under "To Get To Eventually") We have a course called Practical Life. I (in theory) alternate between home-ec skills and homeowner-type skills -- which of course require much practice! :D

Must go subscribe immediately!

This is why we chose to school year-round. We can take a break whenever we need to, rather than waiting until "vacation time". I'm quite sure the Swann's results were a function of their curriculum choice. In the "skill" areas where we just finish one workbook and move on to the next, it's very easy to accelerate. In "explore the topic" areas like history or literature, it's very easy to slow down to the point you quit moving forward altogether!

When you do a job, be it big or small Do it well, or not at all. Proper prior planning prevents p*** poor performance.

I do this, too, and DH hates it. It's funny, but nightwear that wouldn't embarrass me in front of the firefighters (or on the 6 a.m. news!) isn't what he considers appealing. :lol: Keep the cars cleaned out, too. You never know when someone's going to say "toss me your keys and I'll move your car".

My daughter fell in love with Magic Tree House at that age. I had to do quite a bit of explaining and supplementing, because she just didn't know what a lot of the stuff they talked about was (I don't think she understands Night of the Ninjas to this day). She did much better with the ones that came closer to fantasy.

How do you get the mail carrier to take them? Everything I've read says that anything over 13 ounces must be taken to the post office - and to the desk, not just dropped in the box.

With the headache of dragging three small kids to the very-slow post office, I kept missing shipping deadlines. I figure I'll make up for it when the kids are graduated and I have several thousand books to post! :lol:

I've been collecting Grade 1 books for a couple of years now, and when I get one in DD will often thumb through it. Then I put it away until "it's time". The exception is the reference books - the encyclopedias and stuff. In fact, I've picked up enough of them at the used curric. fairs this month that I need to clear off a bookshelf to put them on.

I have one, and it has pics in nearly every post for interest, but none of them are my kids. Yup, it's purely security.

I don't know of a whole lot of young kids who can educate themselves with a library, first. Even my own, who certainly haven't been sold the "go to a good school" bill of goods. I find this a much bigger problem at the adult level. Folks who just don't understand they can learn anything they want to, with some time and effort in some books. (Cue Well-Educated Mind commercial. :lol: ) Seriously, it drives me bonkers, particularly when I catch myself doing it. I have a burning desire to figure out a bunch of theological concepts, where they come from and why they're still important, but every time I pick up a book my eyes glaze over. Then I catch myself surfing for a seminary that I can attend that requires neither time nor money (neither of which I have! ) :lol:

In case you haven't noticed, there are 3,518 PAGES of posts. He noticed. Now he wants to ask: "If these people have this much time to post, who's schooling the kids?!" :lol::lol::lol:

True story! Just last night, as a matter of fact. DD has been trying to figure out the difference between a predator and a scavenger. I figured it was a great illustration for her. It must've been a hungry bird. It let us sit there, just one lane away, for several minutes, until a motorcycle pulled up behind us and scared it off.

And yes, we were a bit early - the "last frost date" isn't until this weekend, but I figured we'd cover the at-risk stuff (just peppers and tomatoes). One of the nice thing about a SFG is it's easy to toss a blanket over if need be! Still need to get our cucumbers, but they haven't started arriving in the nurseries yet. Think I'm going to buy a couple other transplants for things whose seeds didn't germinate. For some reason, I have way more trouble with that than Mel says I should (90% rate? Ha! More like 20%)

LOL my second car was a stick. My parents actually picked it out & paid for it (with insurance proceeds from my 1st car being stolen). So I caught a ride home from college one day, took a 15 minute lesson in shifting, and drove 3 HOURS back to school! (It actually wasn't bad, because you don't have to shift much on the highway. But oh, did I sweat the toll booth!)

She'll go through weeks at a time where she just doesn't give a d**m. ;) The thing I watch is her free reading. When she spends days choosing the TV instead of a book, I know it's a phase-thing, not a I-hate-school thing. That make sense?

:iagree: Me too. `Course, most days my vision is "comfy, quick, and clean". How come I've never seen them do a challenge for this?

Man, this feels like such an embarrassingly rookie question! Our local homeschooling bookstore is closing in a matter of weeks. (Yes, I've been spoiled!) Now I don't know where to go to buy the stuff I need that doesn't come in big bundles - Explode the Code, Spelling Workout, etc. We do have one Christian bookstore that has a fairly large educational/homeschooling department, but it's awfully classroom centered. My only idea is Rainbow Resource. Where else can I try?

That's one to save for the portfolio!

I get shorts with white socks and black combat boots. :glare: