My job on Facebook is educational anarchist, but previously it was benevolent administrator of counter revolutionary agitation. Ie, teaching the little monkeys to listen, stay put, and not run off.

Wish those vets would just keep on walking, straight to the capital and open up a can of old school whoop a$$ on those losers that are supposed to be working for us. Dh is alone in his cube farm, he is the lone military guy and everyone else save the essential boss is gone. He is hitting the commissary (open only today to get rid of perishables, then closed for who knows how long) after work to see if there are any good deals to be had. Ds has a follow up MRI tomorrow at the military hospital, they called to say it's canceled until? Not a biggie, it's just to check on some surgery he had last year and we know it was successful based on how not sick he is.

Ds has only 2 non outsourced classes, but they are the ones we both love- English and history. It wouldn't be possible to find a class that allowed him to explore the areas in those subjects he wants, so they are all ours. The other subjects he is basically "checking the block" on, are outsourced. Two he is passionate about but I can't facilitate (foreign language and arts) are also outsourced, but I'm glad to have it available. I imagine next year he will have only 1 non outsourced class, and senior year, none.

We have been happy with tutor . Com, Ds found an excellent chem tutor he has used several times now. I am eternally grateful for Kevin, lol.

My oldest says he doesn't know of anyone in his high school classes without one except one Luddite teacher who hates them, lol. The school has wifi and they are allowed to use them freely in class, and often do for assignments. My youngest is totally home schooled and middle school age, but almost all of his friends at activities have them. There are maybe 1-2 kids who have iPods instead, but the majority have smart phones. It is uncool to have something other than an iPhone apparently, I expressed interest in the galaxy and he freaked out we would have him switch his phone too. Who knew? We live in a very affluent area, and most of the kids have the latest iPhone. Mine don't, too expensive, but the 4 was free with a plan so they have that.

I wish I'd thought of a helmet (bike helmets weren't even really a thing yet) when Ds was tiny. He walked at 7 months. 7!months! And ran by 7 1/2, I swear. He was simply too little even understand "no" really, it was a nightmare for about 6 months. He climbed, he jumped, he ran full tilt towards drop offs....I still feel panicky thinking about those days. Dh and I would wake up to him on our dresser, having crawled out of our bed and climbed up there. Forget a crib- ! We don't own a photo from 7-15 months without a goose egg on his head, or a cut, or a black eye. It was crazy. He is a quite sedentary 15 now, thank god, and no harm done. But seriously- I was prepared to laugh at this question u til I started remembering back, and I say get the helmet!

Not purposefully, like out of the carton, but as leftovers in a bowl of cereal, yes. True confession time: our dog eats all the leftovers. She's quite old now, but was middle aged when we moved overseas and our housekeeper was absolutely horrified we were scraping food into the food waste bin and rinsing plates in water when we had a perfectly good, very large dog to eat it. Despite being a breed known for weight problems, our lab isn't overweight, so I thought- what the heck, dogs happy, no wasting water or trash space (waste is highly regulated and very expensive trash bags must be used). We have done that ever since. She isn't as thrilled now that we are vegetarians, but she is quite old for a lab so perhaps all the table food isn't as bad as vets make it out to be. We don't give her anything cooked with onions (and that is many things) since they are toxic to dogs, but otherwise- she gets it all. We adjust her actual "dog food" accordingly, somedays she gets none at all!

I would totally do breast augmentation, if it didn't have to be redone every so many years and the weird health risks from foreign objects in your body weren't so many. And if it would not look ridiculous...which it would. I used to have small, but cute books. Nursing gave me non existent, wrinkly old toddler socks. (isn't that a lovely visual? Sorry!) But every one I ever met who has my size frame (very slight, boney) who got augmentation looks ridiculous, they look like bolted on flesh color balloons. Even celebrities (who can ostensibly afford the best of surgeons) end up looking like that- think Tori Spelling. So alas, it's padded bras and tricks for me. I suppose it's safer anyway, and certainly cheaper!

I can't think of anything that would have killed me- obviously due to vaccines I never got measles or polio, but not everyone died of those, so? I think my vaginal breech delivery of Ds would have gone a whole lot better way back when, simply because someone would have been available who knew how to deliver that way. I have had quite a few UTIs and a few kidney infections, so possibly that may have done me in in pre antibiotic times? Other than the UTIs, I am really remarkably healthy, and always have been. The women in my family all live to a very ripe old age, and genealogy shows that to be true back a few generations. So I suppose I'd be a-ok, just pissed off all the time due to lack of indoor plumbing, sanitary supplies and chik fil a!

My 12 yo Ds hates school. He does his work, willingly if not happily, but he doesn't enjoy it. I tried for years to find fun! Engaging! Child led! Stuff to use. His preference is actually Calvert, because he likes having it all laid out, check it off, done. I feel like a hs failure sometime, but it is what it is. He doesn't read either, unless for school. He doesn't enjoy it. He's getting an education, and he isn't unreasonable about any of this, he just doesn't like school, schoolwork, or anything except his pursuit of physical activities. It's just who he is. If tomorrow he could choose to be done with school, even knowing a 7th grade education will get you nowhere, he'd probably do it. Thankfully my oldest is a passionate lover of all things academic, so there's that to fall back on.

Oh no! She sounds sort of crazy. The ignoring you is...odd. As is possible cat hoarding. I'm a big animal revue type, so if they had a good home I'd be inclined to leave them and just get new kittens (no shortage of kittens in this world) but she seems like not such a good spot for them. Can you get the person you got them from to come with you, as proof? But if she ignores you- yikes! I don't really know, animal control? That's just pretty crazy, for a neighbor. I'm sorry, what a mess!

I was asleep (west coast) and my best friend called at a very ridiculous hour and told me to turn the tv on. I had a newborn and a toddler, dh had been gone in the field for a month, and I was pretty grumpy. I also didn't understand what in the world she could possibly mean. It was so unbelievable. So I got up, because now my oldest was up, grumpy, and flipped on the tv and literally the first thing I saw was the plane hit the second tower behind Katie Courics head. I was glued to the tv the rest of the day, until I got a call recalling me to my reserve unit. Headed there, kids in tow, as I was on maternity leave, dh was gone and I knew no one. Not a fun day, to say the least.

This is cracking me up, which I feel is appropriate since I had one too a few years ago. They gave me Valium, but as I have Metabolism From Hell, it only last about 10 minutes as it usually does, even though I took it in the room before they started. The procedure itself was mostly just weird and scary (I kept imagining it sinking through and melting my intestines or something, anatomy is not my strong suit) but the recovery sucked way more than they let on. Take it from me, don't over do it!

Older Ds had outside classes all day and so I took him with me to work on school while younger Ds danced. Just as he began an online test...phone rings, and niece, across town, is weeping and panicked because she has started her period and can't get ahold of my sil. So I rush over (Ds lost his work on the test and I will have to email to explain he needs to start it over) and get that sorted. Poor thing, it's always a nasty surprise no matter how ready you are, and having your (boy) cousin there (he was waiting in the car but came in to use the bathroom and she was mortified he was along) and being at ballet...gah. I felt so badly for her, not exactly ideal but then, when ever is a first period? I cheered her up some by showing her the "red badge of courage" commercial, at least. SIL will be a wreck when she finds out she couldn't be contacted (her job is such she often can't, so I am second mom) and so I feel bad for her, too. And just sort of melancholy- all these kids are getting so grown up and I'm weepy. Niece cried about growing up, and I cried because she is growing up, mine are growing up, it's just so bittersweet. Lately it's just a constant overbearing thought- time with them is almost gone.

I can't help with much else (and I know all too well the stress and squeeze of making the time requirements and financials of a kid in serious extracurriculars!) but the bum shoes- sell them! If they aren't going to work and are non returnable, it's worth it to search out dance or ballroom boards and try to sell them to the giant footed boy dancer every studio seems to have. Ours does, a tapper too, his mom spends serious $$$ on custom shoes. I am sure you could sell them and recoup at least some of the cost, it's worth trying anyway.

I have very thick hair, but I do this all the time for waves and it works great! I keep my hair mostly dry, I just mist it with some water from a bottle but it's barely damp. Otherwise it would never dry. I spray hairspray on the waves when I take it out in the morning, but using gel when rolling it would probably work really well. A tip- put it way on the top of her head, it makes the waves fall better. You look weird since no one wears a bun like that, but ive found it makes the best waves to have it smack on the top of your head. You can also do 2 or 4 sock buns (use kids socks so they are smaller) for tighter curls. I love this easy, no heat method for curls, it does take some practicing though.

I looked it up, and the actress who plays mishil is the lead in queens classroom! One thing about historical dramas, they often use archaic words or titles and explain them in Korean...but not the English subtitles. It's very frustrating for the non Korean speaker!

Whoa- worlds colliding. We love, love, love k dramas here! A recent one we loved, not historical, is the queens classroom. It's fairly new, but on drama fever. I could bore you to tears on Silla dynasty history, I have a masters in Korean studies. Anything specific you wish to know? I haven't seen that drama yet.

The distinction is important, IMO. When we first began home schooling 11 years ago, it was what most think of as home schooling- no oversight save state regulations for home schoolers. We moved overseas, and back last year. Now when people hear home schooling, they automatically assume "online public school" and are chagrined we don't take state tests, have an oversight teacher, etc. Because every other "home schooler" they know does. The common perception of what home schooling is has changed, drastically. I feel this move to offering state funded online schools is a way to curtail home schooling freedoms. I don't normally subscribe to tinfoil hat theories, but I fear a mandate to the state funded online schools is where this is all heading. I don't want to keep anyone out of support groups, or anything like that, but I do feel keeping the distinction is very important.

I love to take baths on Friday nights, and it never fails to thunderstorm. I thought the whole thing was a myth, but one night I googled, and yep, it's true. So now that I know for sure it's dangerous, I can't do it. Before I could just plead ignorance!

Well crap, I'm can't link because I'm on an iPad and also stupid, but I read an article (on yahoo or google) about a woman whose house was auctioned over a ridiculously low missed payment on property taxes or something- it was 8$. Really. She didn't know, the interest ballooned, and they auctioned her house. It was ridiculous, but the article pointed out that it happens more than you'd ever think. So missing even one payment certainly could have ramifications like the bank taking the house back. Some banks are notoriously crappy with mortages, and can and will take a house (which they can resell for more if the market has picked up) for very "fine print" reasons. I'm sorry you are going through a stressful time. Money is my number one stressor, and I wish for both our sakes it was not so!

I told my son he did well by politely telling him to have a good morning and walking away. Ds has a sarcastic streak a mile wide, (I wonder where he got that?!), so his self control was admirable. I never thought about dementia/health reasons. The guy isn't really all THAT old, I'd guess late 60s or so, I was just being mean when I called him an old codger. I guess it's good my children take the "do as I say, not as I do" thing to heart.

I just snorted! How true.

My boys walk our dog every day around lunchtime. Today they came back and said the neighbor down the street wanted us to know he doesn't approve of home schooling. Apparently he stopped them as they walked by, asked if they were home schooled, and then said "well you should know I don't approve of home schooling". My oldest just said have a nice morning and they kept walking, and my kids are 12 and 15 so it's not like they are small, but REALLY?! He has never spoken to us at all, we do wave driving by but that's the extent of the relationship, and that's the first thing he says? And why would a) the kids give a flying hoot what the old codger thinks and b) would I and c) you say that to random kids walking by?

Oh goody, slut shaming! My favorite pastime!