eaglei, I'm so sorry to hear of your husband's sudden passing! May the Lord hold you close and give you much peace and comfort.

I think it is definitely doable, especially if the student didn't prep much prior to the first test. My ds was able to raise his sat 100+ points from first test to second test. Prior to the first exam he had done some prep with Khan Academy. In between the two exams he did an SAT Prep class with Mr D Math, worked through the Princeton Review SAT Prep book, and did several practice exams. Do you have a ballpark idea of what you think he's realistically capable of scoring? My son's first test score was below what I though he was capable of (based on my realistic assessment of him after homeschooling for 10+ years, not a pipe dream!), so that was strong motivation to push the extensive test prep and having him take it a second time.

💙 Praying for your whole family today. You are grieving a huge loss, be gentle with yourself in this hard season. ((((hugs))))

I'm in NE Indiana and just so...frustrated. We pretended everything was "normal...fine" for too long. The governor's moving in the right direction but way too slowly. I expect most of Indiana's counties to be red by next week. On a positive note, both of my boys' universities have handled this pretty well, just hoping they can make it two more weeks to the planned end of on-campus instruction.

Indiana COVID dashboard is a good resource: https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/ Bloomington area (Monroe County) looks better than a lot of IN right now, but generally speaking Indiana is in trouble. Not as bad as IL & IA yet, butI'm very worried. 🤔

Just repeat after me.... stay away from the comments....stay away from the comments....(this is me talking to myself EVERY time I start reading comments. It's never good 😧).

We like these Adidas duffel bags: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B073JTWVNW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1. Reasonable cost, they hold a lot, and seem to be holding up well. I don't like duffels with wheels because the frame takes away one of the big advantages of the duffel bag - packing compactly together in a vehicle.

Feeling so unloved here in Indiana. 😉😂

I'm so sorry to hear this, Scarlett, and am praying for all your family. What a kindness from strangers - that is amazing. Your parents are blessed to have you and other family members willing to drop everything and care for them. Praying for safe travel for your sister and a good recovery for both your parents. 💙

You're not under any obligation to give them a gift (no invitation, no obligation). Since it sounds like you will continue to have a relationship with them in the context of this group, I think what you need to think about it in terms of the relationship going forward. And I don't have a clear answer for what you should do, just that your response will impact the continuing relationship. For example, will this situation remain an unspoken issue/elephant in the living room in your relationship with them? Will giving or not giving a gift make a difference there? What kind of value does this relationship have for you and what are you hoping it will be going forward?

I don't have any advice for the situation, but just want to express my sympathy in the loss of your son. Praying for peace and comfort for you and your family.

Praying for you, your family, and your school today!

I would love a PM too, please! This is what happens when I try to limit my time online....hmmmph. @Not_a_numberso sorry you were on the receiving end of bizarre and unsettling actions.

I love David French, so I'll try to listen to that one in the next day or two. It looks like a good one!

Praying for you right now!

Family vacations are not necessarily relaxing for me, and all my kids are teens and pretty self-sufficient! But they are enjoyable in many ways - I love to see new places and enjoy the time with my family. So they're good, and a break from the normal routine, but can be quite tiring! I don't think it's selfish to recognize that a truly relaxing time for you would be getting away without any responsibilities. And it's wise to recognize what kind of expectations are reasonable for your family trip.

I have tried to time it with a presidential election year, since that seems to raise interest with my students.

Claire, I'm really sorry that things are working out this way for your son's wedding. Praying that you and your family can walk through this with graciousness and peace despite the huge disappointments. And I do hope that one of those dresses from Amazon is just right for the occasion!

Just seeing this tonight - I am praying for your dear little boy, and for you!

I love it!!!

Praying for your family. 💙

I've got nothing in the advice department, unfortunately, but I can (and will) pray. It's got to be so exhausting to deal with night after night! I will pray for your endurance and for a quick solution. 💙

We use a twin air mattress with a foot pump. My boys don't mind sleeping on it and it's pretty easy to set up and take down. The foldable mattress looks comfortable and easy...do you have enough space for it?

You might want to order more than one, because you never know what's going to look and feel best in person!