Yep, I agree. I wouldn't spend it on the guinea pig!

I just bought a CUTE wallet & purse at Walmart with monkeys on them. They are in the purse section, but in the kid section there. My dd10 needed a birthday gift for a friend...they were each $5. Webkins also has a cute monkey. There is a whole brand of monkey stuff...I just did a quick google search and this is what I found: http://www.bobbyjackbrand.com/. Might be more the tween stage...(for some reason it just shouts attitude to me :glare:, but that's just me...my dd10 thinks these things are so cool).

Unless that secretary of education KNEW what was going on and didn't enforce appropriate consequences. As far as it being a double standard, I'll disagree there, too. It appears there is NO standard. Ah, it's a priest...it's okay, we'll let him get away with it this time.

I am thoroughly disgusted. I don't see how this issue can be so rampant and it just appears to be accepted by people?!@? What in the world? How can ANY of this just be ignored? Why aren't ALL of these priests (every.single.one.who.has.been.accused) on trial and then serving time?!? There are serious issues here. And it's not like a rare occurence--that's what gets me. Oh, yeah...Father XYZ only molested 10 kids...but he says he's sorry, so we'll just move him to this other neighborhood. I'm sure he feels bad and will never do it again. I just don't get it.

Except having an affair isn't an illegal activity...umm, molesting kids is. And if the president knew a mayor was molesting 200 KIDS, did little about it legally or discipline-wise, and then moved him to another city to molest more...you better believe that president would be in trouble.

:iagree:

Ah, that is a nice way of looking at things. It gives me hope... Thanks for the comments. I guess I just needed to feel like I wasn't alone. This parenting stuff is harder than I ever imagined it would be!

That's quite a range of ages! Hmm...my ideas aren't going to be that exciting, but maybe it will bump this for you and someone else will chime in! We don't do sleepovers, but we do 'late nights' with dd10 and her friends. They usually come around 5 and stay til 9:30 or 10. I think that's plenty of time for fun! Here are some things we've done: Movie Night with Pizza--that's the easiest thing; you could even make your own individual pizzas and let the girls choose their toppings Decorate cupcakes or cookies with frosting & sprinkles Backwards Party--invitations written backwards, kids come dressed backwards, play games backwards, have dessert first, then dinner. There are some fun ideas on the web. 'Night Games' if the weather is okay--dd10's favorite thing right now Craft night--have several crafts set up in different locations & rotate the kids around to each station Board Game tournament Service Scavenger Hunt--have the kids go around your neighborhood with a list of service things that they have to do (take out the garbage, read a story to a young child, sweep the kitchen floor)--this only works if you & the kids know your neighbors & if you have adults to go with them. Ice Cream Sundaes with all the fixins. (I think anytime the kids are involved in the making or fixing, it takes more time!) Hope you figure out something fun to do!

:grouphug: Yes, how dare she? I'm glad the snarky one is not your dd's teacher!

Well, I guess it depends why you feel the need to afterschool. If something important is lacking at the school (say grammar or math), if your child isn't catching onto a new concept, if they are not teaching your beliefs, if they are not challenging your child enough. Maybe even if you are used to homeschooling and you don't want to let it all go! The majority of my afterschooling is because I feel my kids need to be challenged more than they are at school. But if I had a child who was involved in so much extracurricular activities, I'd figure that was the area I was providing enrichment at that time, so no need to do more academics. If I didn't have any extracurricular activities, I'd find ways to fill our time with more academic--mind-stretching type of things. That's just how I afterschool. Not necessarily with a curriculum (although I have before when there was a need & I will be next fall), but simply providing educational activities and experiences as a family. At third grade, I'd say foreign language isn't a necessity. If you had extra time, it would be great. If she wasn't challenged all day at school and really needed something new to focus on, it would be a great choice. But if it's just going to push your daughter over the edge, eh, it's perhaps not necessary at this time. It can still come later. Maybe in the future, your dd isn't so involved in gymnastics and has more time after-school and you can pick up Latin then.

But has there ever been a time you didn't like one of your kids very much? And how did you change that? Of course, I love ds12. The reality is that I love HIM but his attitude and behavior are the parts I don't like. We've had a rough week with lots of arguments and lots of Mom-losing-it-yelling moments. I feel sad. I don't want this to be how our relationship is. How do you feel the love again when you're kinda worn out & tired of it all?

I have found sports team experiences difficult for my kids to form lasting friendships...I don't think just being on a team is going to form the friendship. It takes a little extra effort--perhaps you could choose one or two of the kids that you think might be more likely to be a good friend to your ds; get to know the parents; and invite them over (one at a time). Or make plans with one family to walk over to the park and have treats together afterwards. Or find another Mom to carpool with to practices and then invite her son over afterwards. Our sports team experiences have been better when my kids have a friend they already know on the team with them...the initial foundation for a friendship has already started and then the team experience is something fun to do together. I used to always be signing my kids up for things thinking that they will make a new friend and that friendship will continue after the sport/class...but it has rarely happened that way! I really think one-on-one playdates is a good way to get the ball rolling.

I actually typed out a response earlier today, but the server was busy so it didn't come through! I taught an after-school class at my kids' school last year to prepare the kids for the National Geography Geography Bee. We took a different continent/region of USA for each week and did a variety of things: --We always had a snack that was from that area or a country (usually very simple, like chips & salsa...) --Labeled maps, colored countries, labeled cities, rivers --Talked about landforms, important geographic features (showed pictures, found location on map, wrote down geography definitions) --Another Mom brought a CD she had, Geography Songs, and the kids could learn the countries within that continent by the song --We divided into small groups and rotated in little activities: geography puzzles, Professor Noggin games, the Scrambled States game, the National Geographic board game, a fun game that was a huge map & was played like Twister, etc. You could also print off assignments from the internet on geography or crossword puzzles on geography terms. --I also tried to do some physical activity--like jumping jacks as we named the capitals of states; or a bean bag toss onto a large map & name that country; etc. I really like having the kids break up in small groups & rotate--it seems to fill the time and keep them all busy more than large group discussion. You might want to look at the Geography Bee website for some more ideas. I think there was a teacher section that I perused to get an idea of what I wanted to teach. If you have computer access during the class, or even just to suggest to the kids to work on at home, check out http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm. Good luck! I hope someone else pipes in with some more suggestions for you!

"The most important work you will ever do will be in the walls of your own home." (Harold B. Lee) "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Thumper in Bambi "For every worry under the sun, there is a remedy or there is none. If there be one, hurry and find it! If there be none, nevermind it!" (Unfortunately I don't know the author of this little poem, I memorized it back in high school & can't remember!)

Yes, yes...call! Who cares if it turns out to be nothing! Still call! :grouphug:

In a yummy salad...with greens, black beans, rice, tomato...

We used it as a great example of what NOT to do for our kids. They became so annoyed with how their friends always did this, and we had enough conversations about how it was rude and not enjoyable for others. We also taught the kids a way to handle it--first, try just being nice and say something like, Oh, wow. That's great. If they keep going, try saying something like Yeah, I like to do that, too. Isn't it fun when x and y happens? Maybe change the subject, maybe ask a question about how they learned to be so good. It takes a little thinking on your toes, but what a great skill for our kids to learn! If the kid keeps up the bragging...then comes the "So?" And then give them the words to explain to the kid why it's not nice to talk like that all the time.

It makes perfect sense to me...well, I guess if it made perfect sense I'd know how to handle it, wouldn't I? :001_smile: But I'm right there with ya! Dh and I have talked a lot about how we need to determine which things we need to relax a bit on. Obviously, we need to relax on some things, yet we still feel he needs guidance & limits. Just like you said, trying to decide which issues to step back from...and how far back to go. That sums up exactly how I'm feeling. Most of our problems stem from ds12 being angry about having to do all the things that he just has to do...shower, get ready to leave on time, complete assignments, turn them in on time. I've tried creating routines and having a way for him to just look at a list/card to know what else needs to be done. That seems to help us a little bit--takes my 'voice' out of the equation. It's just part of life that he needs to do these things. I've tried to let him have some control with these types of things--hmm, I don't care what order he does them and I don't harp on him doing them, it's just expected that they are done by a certain time. You know, he'd rather play the Wii all the time and not have to do anything, but that's just not an option. (Now then, everybody else he knows is allowed free access to electronics...so to him I am being completely unreasonable in enforcing any limits on such things...) Then there are the times when I know he is tired & frustrated and just doesn't seem able to handle it. It always seems to happen when it's least convenient. And it kind of reminds me of the toddler years! (I also have a two year old...and they both seem to be acting in similar ways!!!). I feel a little like I'm walking on eggshells...never quite certain when he is going to just completely lose it.

Excellent point. Anybody want to brainstorm ways to make this transition? Especially as ds12 is my oldest, I'm noticing that I really DO need to make some changes here. I know that I can't necessarily change HIM, but looking for ways to change MYSELF so that I'm not contributing to the problem, but am able to calmly guide him through the emotions he's dealing with. Anyway, this transition from 'little kid parenting' to 'young man guiding' is exactly what I need to figure out. What do you ladies think? How have you made this transiton? What are some steps you have taken to loosen the apron strings a little bit?

Check out ridemax.com! For under $20, you can print out itineraries for your days at each park. You enter the dates, they consider the typical busy-ness of the park for that day of the year, you enter the rides you really want to go on, you enter what time you want a break, etc. It is amazing! Seriously, we paid for the Disneyland one a year ago--and were absolutely amazed at all that we were able to get done. The thing we loved is we didn't have to think about anything--we just headed to the next thing on our agenda. We will do this again--FOR SURE! It was really the coolest thing in the world. Another thing...about FastPasses...we hadn't realized before that you can have more than one fast pass at a time. You can use them anytime during the day--even after the supposed come back time has passed. So if you get a fast pass for one ride that says "1:00 - 2:00 p.m." that actually doesn't have to be used DURING that hour, but it can be used ANYTIME after 1:00. Now then, once the 2:00 hour has passed, you can get ANOTHER fast pass for another ride. SO...what this ultimately means is you can gather fast passes all throughout the day and then use them all up later in the day/evening and you don't have to wait very long. (I have to add...I am a RULE FOLLOWER...and didn't want to do anything that broke the rules or was 'cheating'...so I asked several different employees if this was okay...they all said it was fine.) I'd say to check with an employee--just in case--as it has been a year since we used this. Just ask, so if I don't make it back in between "1:00 and 2:00" can we still get on the ride? (And just for the record, the fast pass machines would NOT give us another fast pass until that hour passed...but as soon as the hour passed, they would). If this isn't clear, I can try to explain it better...

I'd suggest setting up a quiet time in the afternoon...where your girls need to be by themselves in separate rooms doing quiet activities (reading, drawing, coloring, books on CD, etc). Start with 30 minutes and increase it until at least an hour. Then you go in your room, close the door, and do whatever you want for that time! No catch-up on chores, no phone calls (unless you WANT to do that), just time for YOU to re-charge and enjoy yourself. Actually, in your case, I'd also enforce another half-hour later in the evening...or put the kids to bed with books an hour before you want their sleep time to be. Hey, you can stay up, but you have to stay IN your bed and be quiet. This is a little Mommy time...

Hidden somewhere on a decorating a teen's bedroom website (in other words, I'd have no idea how to find it again!), I saw a bedroom where they had taken hundreds of ribbons and used them as a high border around the room on the wall. Like 8-10 inches down from the ceiling, but all around the room, much like you might put up a wallpaper border. So there is something to think about!

I agree those pictures look pretty awful. I'd have to add, however, that I think part of the problem is the kids themselves. Many of them wouldn't eat healthy food if it was put in front of them! They WANT chicken nuggets, pizza, hamburgers, etc. I've always wondered how much of the food goes to waste anyhow. Many kids are too busy chatting to eat!

Congrats on a job offer! I don't know anything about SC, but just wanted to cheer with you!:hurray:

Wow...that checklist was informative. I am feeling a lot of those symptoms! Can I ask a dumb question? Is having your thyroid checked a simple blood test? Like you go to the doctor for a check up and he orders a blood test to check the thyroid? Or is it more involved than that?