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/

We like Telling God's Story: https://welltrainedmind.com/p/telling-gods-story-year-one-combo-pack/

I think you're comparing apples to oranges. Athena's has live classes with the teacher and whole class present. You can participate asynchronously in some courses, but the price reflects that the teacher is there live every week at a specific time and the students are having a live discussion. Students complete assignments which are assessed and given feedback by the teacher, which takes additional time throughout the week. Looks like Jam and Youth Digital involve watching prerecorded lessons where the student works at their own pace. Great for learning some things, but if what you're looking for is a lively discussion about big ideas, those won't meet that need.

Homeschool Buyers Coop is having quite a few sales. Here's a link to one: https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/cover-story-sale/?source=138339

Man, I love this place! For a short-term/vacation rental I think it's kitschy and amazing and perfect for a getaway for rich hipsters. I can't believe the consensus is to paint the wood!

I think if you anticipate teaching several of your own children who have dyslexia, and you don't want to pay for tutoring, you may want to invest in training for yourself. I know Lindamood-Bell offers occasional workshops, so you could be trained in Seeing Stars. I believe when I last looked, it was somewhere in the range of hundreds rather than thousands to do this training. (Or, you could apply to work in one of their clinics for a summer and actually get paid to be trained. You can't quit after the training- you'd have to work the whole summer, but at least you'd be getting paid.) I'm not sure what in-person training would cost for the other programs. If you don't want to pay for tutors or training for yourself, buying Barton materials would probably be the next best thing. I would look at it as a medical expense.

This might help: http://www.weighandwin.com/ Also, for me the best thing is having a buddy to check in with- report exercise & eating to.

Mine is doing Aristotle Leads the Way this semester and I think it's really good. You can do the bare minimum, which is reading a couple of chapters each week and doing a short writing assignment, or you can do the many "Highly Suggested" and "Optional" assignments. This class is taught by the founder (Dr. Kirsten) and she includes about 30-40 optional assignments and resources for every week of class. So you can keep it shallow or go deeper, depending on what you have time for. Agreed that the main draw is having other kids to discuss the ideas with. Some of the kids in this class have really gone above and beyond with completing their assignments, so that's good for my kid to see. You might look at The Potter's School for something more hands-off. Tried an upper-elementary writing class this summer that was a dud, but we might try again in the future. Here's a recent assignment from Athena's: Conflicting Cosmologies On p. 109, our book mentions that Aristotle (384-322 BCE) was very important in biological scientific advancements including taxonomy which is the classification/organization of organisms. Aristotle's classification system didn't quite work for all types of organisms. Later scientists used the classification ideas to come up with more comprehensive taxonomy or classification systems. Carolus Linnaeus (1707 - 1778) was a Swedish scientist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of taxonomy - the Linnaean classification system. Explore the links about Aristotle's classification and the Linnaean classification system in the Highly Suggested section to discover their differences and then answer the question in the forum below. Knowing what you know about Aristotle, how do you think he would respond to the Linnaean classification system? Do you think he would agree or disagree? Why? Answer these questions in five interesting sentences. After you post, read through your classmates' ideas. Respond and ask a question to at least one of your classmates about what s/he wrote. You may also write about what you liked about their post.

Seconding LiPS. It gives labels to the sounds that call attention to the feeling in the mouth, position of tongue and lips, and whether it's a voiced or unvoiced sound. For example, "t" is a "tip tapper" while "ch" is "fat pushed air." You use a mirror to help see the difference as well.

Maybe something that supports from below like a bustier, torsolette, or strapless longline bra?

Huh, I have never heard that. I'm Googling how to improve adrenal function, but do you have any favorite pointers?