You just described a few examples of kids in the Endangered Minds book. The prognosis isn't pretty. If you are close enough, maybe buy it for her?

I had a cat like that. We basically ran out and got a kitten because after two weeks the last half of his tail still dragged on the ground when he walked to the litter or food, which were the only times he walked. We worried he wouldn't live another week. He was soooooooo happy. That kitten didn't have to clean herself until she was about a year old because he would pin her down and clean her. What was funny was that his name was Junior because he had been brought home as a kitten for the same purpose. I thought it meant I would have 2 cats for life, but the last one was selfish and was happy to be alone.

I am mostly torso, so even though I am only 5'6" I often buy tall pants for the crotch length and hem them. Tall swimsuits are necessary. My favorites are the Land's End elastic waist cords. I don't think I even need to get talls. Even though they are elastic waist, because they are cords you don't really notice.

The plays are really cool. I loved them as a teenager. Once I got into them more I learned that some of them are only known about because the backside of the pages were used in Egypt for things like inventories. So, we can only guess what happens in parts of them because a mistake had been made and the Egyptian tossed that page. "The Clouds" is probably OK for high school, although it has sexual content. I think the insight into Socrates makes it worth it.

This is a side-benefit to me of homeschooling. I get to round-out MY education. I don't know how I missed "My Father's Dragon" and I had never read any book by the "Blueberries for Sal" author.

Yeah, I saw that too. It seems pretty exciting. I am very much a Christian, but I prefer Secular materials as long as they aren't anti-Christian. I'd also rather just buy what I need.

Even knowing all this already, I would happily live in Australia. I love my neck of the world, the DFW area. But if I couldn't live in America, Australia would be my top three choices.

My parents worked hard to provide a united front, although dad didn't fret and mom did. I think DH thought that he could be the lenient parent, but he was shocked that I was OK with things like her climbing high at the playground as a toddler. So, we are about equal.

Oh, yes, weighing is critical for flour. Humidity levels can change how much you get otherwise. When I use a printed recipe I convert the cups to grams using a website that has the weight of a great many different types of flours. But, for you, you probably have the weights figured out just right by now. DH and I are doing Medifast, but when in maintenance I will be shopping for a mill. I considered it before, but I didn't know if it was worth it. The extra info was helpful.

Thank you for the My Father's Dragon recommendation. We finished it last night. It had not been on my radar. I had been calling it "The Dragon Book" and DD is reading just enough to be confused because none of the words in the title looked like it might be the word "Book". I am so happy the library has #2 on the shelf.

With your grain mill, is there a noticeable increase in quality of the bread?

I think it is pretty cool that his eye was good enough to recognize an excellent painting. He was a poor man who paid a lot of money to him for the paintings. I had an expensive painting in my closet for a few years. My father used to work for a giant company that invested in art to have around the office. During the years it took to build a new headquarters, employees took the art home, and this little one of a ship ended up in my room and I took it with me when I moved out. I don't know why, because I never really liked it. When I bought a house, my closet had this mysterious nail so I hung the painting there because it was easier than pulling and patching the nail. Eventually dad asked for it back, and I was shocked that it was actually worth something.

There is a whole book "Games for Reading" and you can make them at home.

Yes, it is annoying when 'people' say "Don't worry a child won't starve themselves". At one point I got so desperate I even turned in a WIC application even though I knew I didn't qualify just so that I could talk to a pediatric nutritionist.

What about installing a few closet rods on your patio? I have one in my laundry room and it works well. The holders for the rod that I use has the rod slip in. So, you could easily remove the rods is you wanted to sit in your patio.

I totally agree with this. I was really looking forward to buying a core. About half of P3/4 had been in my childhood library, so I was able to buy the rest for around a $100. We were ready for P4/5 but then they wanted extra money for their reading and bible program since they'd made them mandatory. It wasn't that much extra money, but it made me mad. It also made it easier to cobble together what I needed for cheaper, even buying new from Amazon. We have the bible study thoroughly covered, and I hate the disconnected scripture passage method of bible study, and she was already beyond the reading program. I also figured at this age, we don't really need a schedule. But, I really thought we would eventually be able to buy a Core and be happy with it. But it just keeps getting worse and worse. Maybe in a year or so they will realize the error of their ways and change.

I have a question. I seen reference to people's gifted kids that they didn't go through reading levels (or at least some didn't). That the kid was not reading, and then learned to read, and then could read almost anything. Until that registered in my brain, I thought that was normal. I was even confused by AAR talking about more levels (There is a posted question where I asked what the heck there was to teach after the kid was reading). I think my analogy was learning to ride a bike. You learn to ride a bike, and then you do it. Is it unusual to not go through reading levels? Side note on the previous post. Battling with the school librarian, I know it well! I have a personal theory that there are two kinds of librarians. Both feel strong emotions when they see someone checking out lots of books. One kind is very happy, the other thinks that books should only be read in the library. I even developed a test. Find a big stack of books you are interested in. Big big stack. Carry the stack across the library. Note which librarians are smiling and which are frowning. Only talk to the smiling ones.

You have my prayers. DD has something else (low HGH), but those ped. endo. failure to thrive visits were scary for me.

A friend of mine moved to the Center of Australia for a job. He was having a hard time finding work, and had been happy when the job opened up. After he accepted, he casually asked why it was open. Previous had been camping and one of those three deadliest snakes bit him, he ran and it chased him down and continued to bite him. The employee benefits for people at that site included a 24/7 critter removal service.

It sounds like the ladies-who-lunch have unilaterally decided for the neighborhood. I would suggest that people vote for the sign idea with their wallets. Those that like the idea should pledge what they think it would be worth. Those that don't want one, should vote by not contributing money. If people don't pledge enough for the sign, then it shouldn't happen.

Well, the first thing I do is transcribe them. That is when I do most of the thinking, and making connections, and organizing in my head. During lecture, my brain would go into what I called "open funnel" mode. Basically, a data download analogous to the early years in Classical Education. Transcribing would match the middle-years. Because they are loose-leaf I kept them in a tiny 3-ring binder where each binder was one chapter from one class. That binder also had all the homework from that class. I will admit that there were times when my mind would wander because nothing of significance was said and notes included a grocery list written on the side. But, I do think a person should error on the side of writing too much. I used this method when I went back to get my Masters in Engineering. I had been working for awhile, so I was very worried I wouldn't be able to hack it with my non-agile older person mind. I will never forget the first class. The professor is saying all this stuff I didn't know already. I am writing furiously, papers are practically flying because I am filling them so quickly. Everyone else in class is relaxed in their chair. Some people were taking notes, some people just had the printed lecture notes in front of them. I thought "Oh, No. Everyone else already knows this stuff, I better get studying" On the elevator after the first test the other students are talking about a particularly hard problem. The knowledge that made that question easy was in that first lecture. I think the other students thought that they could remember what was said, so they didn't write it down. But, because I wrote and transcribed it, not only did I remember, but I knew which lecture it was in. The next semester my notes turned me into the star student. This class had open note tests. The test was a few real-ish life problems that needed a solution. So, it wasn't just a matter of finding the right formula and plugging in numbers. Everyone else did so miserable on the test, that he handed it back and said to do it at home. On my test, I handed it back unchanged with the comment that I stuck by my original answers except for problem #X which I'd realized was wrong leaving the room. I mentioned that I had discussed what the solution should have been on the way down the stairs with some fellow students, but I hadn't realized that we'd be given back the test. The students formed study groups by country-of-ancestry. Not only was I invited to join every group, I think I was the only white American that was invited to any of the others. This was at a major league Engineering school. although not one of the top three. But, really, my feelings won't be hurt if no one does this. I have a young daughter that I will teach to do this, and she will have a huge advantage like I did if no one else does it. So, I'd rather it not catch on.

prayers

74 posts and STILL NO LETTER. (Shamelessly posting so I don't miss the update. Because I just know the letter will be boring, and the thread will die once we know what it is)

Too many brats? Blasphemy! I understand, though. I saw some german-style natural-casing hotdogs regularly $6.50 for under $2. They were almost past their sell by date. I cleared them out, which was I think over 20 pounds of hot dogs. I froze them, and they all got eaten, eventually. But it did seem like there was nothing in the freezer except hot dogs for a while. I think hot dog buns are too bread-y. So I chop up brats and hot dogs and put them in a warm cheese tortilla.

I would never live somewhere with an HOA. I do have friends that have paid out-of-pocket for a percentage of things that the city should really have taken care of. That has happened because they lived in LargeCity where the street quality is inversely proportional to the property taxes paid. My husband has been battling committee-run-amok in his mother's neighborhood. The neighborhood dates to the very early 1900's. My IL's moved in in the 60's. People move into the neighborhood and want everyone to spend lots of money to beautify the neighborhood doing silly things like the sign in the OP. They say they are there to stay. But they always move away in a couple of years. Note, it is already a very nice, pretty, desirable neighborhood of friendly people. The agitators just want to increase the value of their house. My parent's neighborhood has a committee, but not an HOA. The committee started a few years ago when the neighborhood was negotiating gas rights. The city offered to add these little signs which said which division they were. The committee accepted, even though many in the neighborhood objected. It just seems that these committees tend toward the silly but pretty things.