Thank you!!

You may have already handled this, but if he has qualifying scores, it shouldn’t matter too much who you choose as the recommender as long as they know him. We just used a family friend who’s known my kids since they were babies.

Just popping in with a Harry Potter reference – I think it it was on my third or fourth time through the books before I had a second thought about what Voldemort means when he asks someone to “milk†his snake. ðŸ (Nagini). Hey look! There’s a job listing for it: http://www.jobmonkey.com/uniquejobs/snake-milker/

We moved when I was 9 and the new neighbors took my brother and me out for a movie and McDonald's- their treat. It clearly wasn't a big deal for them, but I was astounded by the generosity, especially coming from people we'd only known a few months, and I'll never forget it. I knew my parents couldn't (or wouldn't?) ever do the same for our friends. Now, I love treating my kids' friends. The money isn't a big deal for us, we all enjoy the extra company (and yes, we do have LOTS of family togetherness and memories with just our nuclear family!) Some of their friends are not as well off and wouldn't be able to reciprocate in the same way. That's not a concern for me at all. But I would be appalled if any of them were silently judging our values just for extending the invitations (as some in this thread seem to be doing.)

I'm truly baffled by all the negativity. If they enjoy her son's company, that doesn't mean he's being used as "entertainment" as if he's a plaything they own. Nor does it mean they're unable to do anything without inviting a friend, or that they don't understand the meaning of family, or that they're shallow people with materialistic values. It's Just. An. Invitation. Some of these responses remind me of Sheldon fretting about being given a Christmas gift: "You haven't given me a gift; you've given me an obligation!" I have a friend who often comments that slim/fit people she knows have "different values". Her evidence? They're slim & fit, so they must obsess over every calorie, neglect their children in favor of hours at the gym, and take perverse pride in turning the heads of the "normal" women's husbands. Do any of y'all think that's really the case for most people who aren't overweight?

Wow. Can't you just politely decline? I mean, if you want your son to experience a snowy day with your family rather than his friends', just say so. Being extended an invitation doesn't mean you're obligated to accept. Grudgingly accepting and then complaining about what you've missed out on seems like a very odd way to handle it. If you declined these invitations on behalf of your son, the other family would probably move on to invite a different friend, perhaps one who will happily accept and appreciate the experience unreservedly. As a kid I would have loved the opportunities your son has been offered. I have more resources now as an adult, and I often invite my friends' kids to join us to use our memberships at theme parks, museums, etc. Often people accept, sometimes they decline, but we always have a great time with whoever can join us. If I knew one of them had a problem with me extending the invitations, I would stop. Certainly I would want to know if someone who accepted invitations actually resented it!

Choremonster works well if your kids have their own devices they can use. It's an app that helps kids keep track of their chores and when they have to be completed. You can have multiple users use one device, but then they have to log in/out. We used it for a while and included the kids' independent schoolwork items in their chore list. They're begging to start using it again but I'd have to rethink how we do it. It gives points for completing tasks on time and the parent can set up rewards the kids can redeem. But you can't remove points for any reason.

I was pregnant with my 2nd, and a stranger at a party asked if I knew what I was having. I said it's a boy and we already have a girl. Her immediate reply: "Oh, so did you try different sex positions to make sure it would be a boy this time?" :huh:

I just noticed Math Mammoth is 40% off on homeschool buyers co-op, ends on 5/1: https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/math-mammoth/?source=138339

Here's a couple of books that he might find interesting: https://www.amazon.com/Rumors-Another-World-Earth-Missing/dp/0310252172/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492133788&sr=8-1&keywords=rumors+of+another+world https://www.amazon.com/Finding-God-Waves-Through-Science/dp/1101906049/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= That last one is by a guy nicknamed Science Mike who has podcasts and a blog as well.

High around 60 today, sunny at times, some clouds and wind at times. The temp dropped this evening and I saw a 30% chance of snow for this hour. In Colorado.

Stand and Deliver https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_and_Deliver A Beautiful Mind Good Will Hunting The Imitation Game Proof And a couple of lists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_about_mathematicians http://www.imdb.com/list/ls050940841/

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. Overall, I think it's helpful to think of your own health the way they explain what to do in an emergency- put on your own oxygen mask and make sure you can breathe, then turn to your little ones and help them with theirs. 23 years is a long time to suffer from severe depression. Have you had a good therapist as well as a psychiatrist? Ever tried EMDR or otherwise addressing any past trauma? Or something more drastic like electro-shock therapy? I have a friend whose severe depression responded to nothing except finally, as a last resort, she tried electro-shock and is finally functional and content.

I bet they'll eventually show the video recording in movie theaters. But it'll probably be after the national tour is done, which will be several years. Fathom Events puts out Broadway shows in theaters. They're showing Newsies in February, which I believe is a few months after the national tour finished. http://fathomevents.com/