I live in one of the state's top-rated districts. It's also a very affluent area, so for every kid not in our local public school there is a counterpart at a pricier outlying private school or boarding school. That makes my decision to forego public school seem less weird; lots of others are already doing it. We all live here for the amenities and community - the excellent public schools are just the gravy that help keep our home values (and property taxes!) high. My child would do well at and be well-served by our local schools. My nephews attend the local public schools, and I socialize with a number of teachers and administrators from our district. I don't homeschool for academic reasons, and the level at which I discuss that depends on who's inquiring :) even left at that, though, most people will nod and at least pretend to understand LOL. My husband was active duty when we started to homeschool. He'd cycle home from deployment but spend most of that time in the field training to go back out. The school district and I had different priorities in this situation. They were doing their job so I hold no ill-will, so I simply removed them from the equation.

I see lots of people wearing them ~ 20s, 30s, 40s, and up. I'm active in the water so I prefer board shorts, but I'd have zero aversion to wearing a swimskirt. I fall into the 30 to 40-year age set :D

I've never eaten a Jelly Bean. But should the urge ever strike, I'm now prepared to try only the "good stuff" :D

It might cost extra on the front end - buying meat in bulk and freezing, e.g. Or it might mean learning the cycle of your local stores and butchers - then purchasing reduced-priced meat and freezing or cooking in batches (to freeze). My grocery store always has half-price (or less) meats that are within a day or so of their sell-by date. My friend eats Primal and negotiates with the in-store butcher to get an even better deal. She offers to buy the entire stock and usually gets an extra 20% off the entire selection. It's not always her favorite cuts, but it's priced right to fill in the gaps :)

My siblings and I are all East Asian (so typically small in stature). We ate vegan at home, and vegetarian outside of the home. Our milk consumption was next to nil, and consisted only of dairy products used in sauces, etc. outside of the home - rarely, if ever, straight ... as in yogurt, milk beverage, cheese or eggs. I'm almost as tall as you are LOL. My sisters range from 5'4" to 5'8" and my brothers range from 6'2" to 6'5". Same parents, same lifelong diet, but very different growth patterns. A few of my sisters and I were slow and steady, much like your son. My brothers and two of my sisters had very different experiences; they had growing pains from quick spurts (which, at the time, I thought they were making up. It wasn't until I studied it academically that I came to believe they'd actually grown so quickly that it did hurt! Guess they weren't just being dramatic all those years, oops!) My kids follow the same typical diet I ate as a child, but with some extras thrown in (Chipotle and Starbucks :blush:!) We don't consume milk as a beverage, eat no eggs, and the kids probably eat cheese and yogurt at MIL's or friends' homes but perhaps just a handful of times per year, if that. My kids are very different - one is tall and has noticeable spurts, whereas the other is on the smaller side of average and has stayed slow but steady in terms of growth. FWIW, their dad is Caucasian and only 5'8". I don't worry about my own kids lack of milk because they get a healthy, well-rounded diet. Your situation sounds very similar. You may find the study of epigenetics to be interesting, too :)

I have no strong preference, but I tend towards using titles. I come from a background that is HUGE on titles. My kids aren't even on a first-name basis with each other, they use titles for each other LOL. It's all very normal where I'm from, but is definitely not the norm for where we live now (not just regionally, but the US in general). My kids tend towards using titles just because that's what they see me do, even still as an adult but when referring to my own elders. We have no hardfast rule, but they'd agree that they can't put their fingers on WHY it is so ... but it IS so that it feels "weird" to call an adult by the adult's first name only. Our culture apparently runs deep and is hardwired into 'em LOL. My kids are socially adept enough to determine what most adults prefer, and to go with the flow. That approach is fine by me. We've met some people who really don't care and some who care very much what the kids call them. The kids' default is to use a title, so that even someone who uses a first name will likely become "Miss X" or "Auntie X" depending on who it is. Well, context is important. Coming from a culture that is high on titles, it asserts your place on the ranking ladder. The ladder exists in all of society, not just the classroom; and this is true regardless of social culture, just some ethnic cultures are more open with it. Other cultures (e.g., US) prize the virtue of climbing rank, so they're more accepting to the blurring of ascribed rank. Neither is right/wrong, better/worse ... just different perspectives :). That you don't see the difference indicates the type of culture you're most comfortable or familiar with/in. To that extent, one's social culture will also determine whether you handle this issue in-house ("My kids will call all adults by the way in which I am most comfortable because I feel titles are more respectful") or leave it up to others ("My kids will call all adults by whatever that adult wants, because that's more respectful"). I'd feel taken aback because it feels more rude (to me) for an adult to be so insistent when a child is attempting to show respect in a way they best know how to. In this case, it's about an adult dying on a hill miles away from the real action. The issue here is that a child is attempting to show respect by using a title; the adult, AS the adult, should see the attempt (even if the adult doesn't view the act as respect, he/she should be capable to see that the attempt is from a place of respect) and not read anything more into it. It's weird to me that an adult would deny the title of rank, yet use that same rank to win a pissing match against a kid :confused: I don't understand it. Long answer, short: I'd feel that adult was more interested in an agenda than a relationship.

I was back at work by 18 months, and traveling for 2-5 nights per week anywhere from 2-4 weeks per month. My kids were heavy nursers, but continued nursing well through the preschool years despite the many stops/starts my job caused. If anything, it's probably the stop/starts that kept them on the boob for so many years! Agreeing, though, that kid personality will factor in; as will kid's reaction (internal or external) to mom's vibe (internal or external) about the whole thing. Tough call, but when in doubt - don't? ((hugs))

I did. I was out and about until the days I delivered. With my eldest, I spent the week before my due date moving my little sister into her dorm. On the 3rd floor. In a building without any elevators. That's when she stopped being my favorite LOL.

:iagree: That sounds yummy. Because of your drive, I'd be careful about using something that's already a bit ... soft/soggy? ... such as green beans. I think you'd risk them turning to complete mush with a long drive. Anything you cover will continue to steam, but those would be especially fragile I'd think. Unless it were something intentionally stewed, land maybe a casserole would fit that? (I don't know, I've never eaten a green bean casserole. Is that one of those things that tastes better than it sounds? LOL) With something roasted, you can undercook very slightly to account for extra steaming during a longer drive. Or maybe a bruschetta? That would survive a drive and be ready to serve at any temperature from hot to room temp to cold. That's my trusty standby :).

Whoa - that looks professional! Love the neckline and 3/4 sleeves, but the fabric totally makes the dress. I want the big girl version :D She looks like such a cutie in that first picture - I know posed pictures serve a purpose (so says my own mom), but those candid fun ones are always my favorites!

DH enlisted in the military straight out of high school. His job doesn't have a civilian counterpart in the civilized world so when combat-related injuries cut short his military career, he had to figure out what (else) he wanted to do with his life. His disabilities limited him but he eventually found a government job that brings in six figures on its own and didn't require a degree. Plus he still draws military pay. And during his deployments and hardship tours I moved home with family and we invested his BAH into rental properties. All of our properties are paid off, so today they represent pure profit. His career choice and path effectively bring in three incomes. I do have a F/T job but that income is allotted to the support of my family of origin - not our nuclear family. We've always been able to live off of his income alone, even before he was injured, thanks to our income properties. They actually bring in more and cost him less! than I do :D.

I'd pick Zagreb, maybe Split. We're more partial to Central and Eastern Europe, in general, though. Easy train access to the big cities in Western Europe has never been important (even when we were living in Western Europe LOL). We looked into buying there, but the politics and bribery were so rampant that we decided to stay far, far away from it (as foreign investors residing out of country).

Routine safety? Probably not. Unexpected safety? Probably so. I always bring a car seat. It's a huge hassle, but so is traveling in general these days. I could justify not bringing it, I could justify bringing it - at the end of the day, for me, it's an issue of "better have it and not need it, then need it and regret not having had it" -- at least in terms of safety. I've made plenty of trips alone with multiple kids across many time zones. The whole experience is inconvenient ::shrug:: so isolating one aspect of it seems -to me- to be more along the lines of trying to justify leaving the seat at home. I don't care what others do, really, but this is one of those divisive issues that people sometimes take personally if you do differently than they do. Just make your decision, and own it. Don't try to rationalize it or justify it -to yourself, or to anyone- just go with your gut. Accident? No. Incident? Yes. Both turbulence (extremely more likely to happen during summer months and particularly trans-Pac flights) and even decompressions. Are they common? Thankfully, no. Would not being in a seat save a child if it did happen? Absolutely, yes. And as a current flight attendent, I agree with everything MtnTeaching said ... but most importantly the above. Excellent and informative post!

So ... can we talk more about the Giver vs. Hunger Games? I've read The Giver; it's on our to-read list in the Fall. My child turns 12 in the fall, is an avid reader, and will be reading it alongside his cousin (who is 8 months older and will be reading it as a public school assignment). I haven't read HG, have no real familiarity with the story line (and no real interest), but have been told by a number of IRL friends with kids similar to mine that they won't be allowing their own kids to read it. These are people I tend to see eye-to-eye with, and whose opinions I respect; they've all read HG and some have seen the movie as well. Assuming it must be REALLY bad, I just figured I wouldn't even go there. My son hasn't asked to read it or see it, yet, but my nephew has. I told him no, for now. I've never before vetoed a movie or book. Both boys first read the HP series around age 8-9. They've re-read them several times since. I haven't read those either, I went off of the advice of others before buying the HP books. They discussed amongst themselves and with other adults, but I never discussed the HP books with them. I have no clue what they're about, other than magic. So, if I'm okay with them reading The Giver ... most likely I'd be okay with them reading HG? I really don't want to read or see HG for myself to determine. I'm picky about my own books and movies, especially with limited time to do either :D I'd rather just be mean and say no, but reading some posts here has given me pause to reconsider the HG veto ... in light of its comparisons to The Giver, anyhow.

Mine are like this, too; my parents will say that I am as well LOL. Asta's post was pretty spot-on, too. The thing is, sometimes they just won't get it until they're on the receiving end. I treated this as a lesson to be learned - we studied the art of conversation (it's like tennis - back and forth!), how to read body language, and learning to be comfortable with periods of silence (we started at aiming for even just five seconds of peace!) To that extent, when we were out in public we'd people watch and study strangers. Sometimes I'd point out people we knew, and what I enjoyed about conversing with them and what made me re-evaluate how I conversed with others (which is code for "using the behavior of others as an example of what not to do/who to become"). But what it's really have to come to sometimes is this: "Honey! I love you, but I can't give you my full attention. You either need to be content to share it with {my task at hand} or to wait until I can focus on what you're saying!" -- sometimes it comes out in exasperation, sometimes much more nicely. Sometimes it causes tears, but sometimes it's not easy to teach the important lesson of respecting the needs/wishes of others. It still needs be taught, IMO. I'm usually frank with my children. I had a conversation with my then-5 year old about how he was constantly going (sometimes to me, usually AT me) and that quite honestly I tuned him out about 80% of the time. Who wants to be talked AT??! Get a plant (or a blog LOL). He'd get upset that I missed hearing important stuff, but when it was muddled inbetween a bunch of unimportant "fill the silence" and "empty [his] brain" kind of stuff ... well, what did he expect, really? I'm my own person, and I'd like to have time with my own thoughts -even time to formulate one!- I don't want a running commentary of his. Even though it wasn't his intention, it's rude. It's even disrespectful. It's not who I want to send out into the world as a representative of our family. I wish him to be interesting, but able to allow others the chance to be interesting, too. I used the radio as an example. When it's on in the background all day long, does he remember the last three songs we heard? No; he's aware they're playing and he knows the radio is going .. but what has he done? He's tuned out the specifics, and it's become white-noise to him. Why does he do that? Why does he think that any listener (be it to the radio, or to him) would do any differently? Or mightn't they ...? Good discussions. Not just one, a few, before it really clicked. Making relevant connections went a long way. It also helped that we had an IRL example in my MIL. He tunes her out because she's always talking and usually about nothing. She is extremely uncomfortable with silence, and chatters incessently to avoid it at all costs. I grew up in a house that meditated, and even though we were a large family there were definite periods of silence - I enjoy silence. Another IRL example is my BIL, who rarely says anything; when he DOES talk, people listen. It must be important, if BIL's going to speak up about it - right? My son thought about it, and agreed with my assessment of our two relatives. I asked him to take a little self-inventory: you love them both, but who do you try to sit by at dinner? whose phone calls are you more apt to avoid? I explained to him that most of us fall somewhere in between MIL and BIL. I explained that conversation truly is an art, and it needs to be taught and learned (though some are gifted in its nuances without study, most are not). I wasn't judging him, I wasn't scolding him, and I wasn't out to hurt his feelings, but I wasn't going to let this important social lesson go untaught either. I shared with him the aspects of conversation I, myself, had to work on -especially at his age- and even the parts I'm still actively working on improving. It helped that we're very close with our family, and that in general my kids aren't smart arses who'd interpret our family study as free rein to start mocking MIL. I've had the same talk with three kids, two of them in the 5-6 year old age span. The third was older. All have improved, but -like me- remain works in progress LOL. At least we're all now AWARE, which really is all you can hope for :D If all else fails, start humming some Depeche Mode*. I do that with the two older kids, who roll their eyes but "get it" and reel it in LOL. Be honest, even with the 6 year old. Explain to them why you're tuning them out, involve them in thinking out creative solutions so that their needs -and yours- are each met without stomping on each other's. Consider this an important life skill and lesson, that isn't inherent and takes both instruction and continued maturation. In our house, we don't listen to the radio in the car - it's talk time (unless I'm lost, then it's silence!), we also schedule full-attention talkfests during bathtime, and I spend a good 30 minutes laying down with my now-6 year old at night listening to the every thought she held in during the day ;) and they work really hard during the day to not interrupt me and my thoughts. Much like Asta suggested, we came up with a plan so that all of our needs were addressed. It's not perfect, but it's a definite improvement and we're all the better for being made more aware of others' needs. *"Words like violence, break the silence, Come crashing in, into my little world. Painful to me, pierce right through me, Can't you understand, oh my little girl ..."

How about just undies? We have a no nakedness in the kitchen rule here ... I suppose your naked day could coincide with Eat Out day? :D

My husband has his CCP. He almost always carries, even to church. He gets extremely frustrated with well-meaning people rolling out the red carpet for their vulnerability (his words, not mine). But what really chaps his hide is having his rights as a law-abiding citizen trumped by irrational fears brought on by those who deliberately break the law (his thoughts/words, not mine). I don't share his enthusiasm or comfort level or desire/need to conceal carry, but since he fit the parameters set forth in the OP I'm answering on his behalf using his words. He loves him some gun talk, and right now he's lovin' him some PQR, too :D.

:iagree: Good grief. But again - it's not uncommon for my culture, despite our strong filial ties, so apparently peoples' mileage will vary. Considerably LOL. I've benefitted greatly, and hold no ill will towards my parents, for being sent to live with relatives at various points during my life. But, my parents see wisdom in the collect (as do I.) They weren't going to limit our opportunities on the altar of independence or the delusion that they alone are capable of -or even always the best and only ones for- loving, guiding, and mentoring us well. So family culture will play a role, too. FWIW, I'm not Christian. I've never been, but I married and am raising Catholics. I do understand that this -belief in eternal salvation- is extremely important. It's definitely a hill to die on (apropos for this coming week?) so if that's the main concern ... keep the child home, unapologetically. But if the parent isn't worried about the athiest challenging the Christian beliefs of the girl, why rule out an opportunity based on an unlikely what-if?

In my family and in my culture, this is very common. I would send my child to live elsewhere for his/her benefit, or the benefit of our family - without hesitation.

In my family, this is all very normal. The only people who get annoyed are the newly married-ins LOL. This is just how my family operates, even for those of us that live locally, so my OUR standards - yes, you're being unreasonable. But my family is not YOUR family. Your sister is a big girl, and so is your mom. So -on their end- why does there seem to be a major breakdown in the communication process regarding this dinner?! Good grief! They're wanting to plan it, without really planning it. (I'm that sister, BTW, so on behalf of relatives like us ... it's a personality flaw, we can't help it and we don't do it on purpose just to annoy you, promise!) Your options at this point are to graciously allow them to use your home for their party -whether you're in attendance or not- or to decline the invite entirely and say that maybe your contingent can drop by the aunt's or your mom's after the meeting. Either way, if this is unreasonable for YOUR family, you still decide how to let it affect you. I think there's a fine line to walk between asserting your feelings about how this all went down and straining relationships (I don't think it's worth that, because now you know how this stuff will go down in the future and you can head off any problems earlier). FWIW, though, this is my problem with this whole texting/FB/short bursts of multi-tasked conversation things. She needed to formulate a plan and thought from the get go, and email or call in one swoop. Not work this in from her smart phone during 30-second opportunities over the course of several days. It's like nobody can focus anymore, and it drives me bonkers.

What specifically is it about the one church that has caused you to leave a few times? <-- Rhetorical Is it that you just don't jive with the people, or the opportunities are lacking, or ...? I'm wondering if it isn't something you can soldier through, by choosing to see it through different eyes -- might it be an obstacle that's been placed before you to help you to grow, whether divinely or otherwise? <-- Rhetorical, again! I'm not Christian; I've never been. To that end I'm unqualified to even weigh in here. But I do have a spiritual faith, and I've hit my own inconvenient speedbumps on the journey. Little annoying factors that kept popping up until I decided that they weren't ever go away if I didn't tackle them head-on. In my case, one was a situation very similar to yours -- moving to a small town, limited places of worship - particularly for my faith, not really anything wrong with the nearest temple other than it just wasn't "me" and we didn't click, you know? Well, by living in the Bible Belt and not affliliating myself with a worship place, I opened myself up to all sorts of Christian evangelizing! I realized that the temple nearest me may not be the best fit, but that for whatever reason we were planted nearby one another and darn it all if we weren't going to grow together (if not on one another LOL). The theology was sound, and that is what mattered; the fellowship and relating to the larger religious community eventually followed, though neither overnight nor without getting my own hands dirty. Truly, I was a young woman worshipping with a bunch of crazy old coots who were culturally different and historically discriminatory towards my ethnicity. Now I love the old farts. It's taken time, much time, and effort, some effort. They'll even begrudgingly admit that they love me, too ;):D. I think friendliness is often enough to get the ball rolling, but you can get that anywhere outside of church. It's nice to have AT church, but church isn't the only place to find it - right? Yet, why do you go to church? For spiritual nourishment, ... your personal religious truths ... IMO even the friendliest church can't beat that in the long run, and -down the line- you risk finding yourself feeling stuck with a group of lovely, friendly people who aren't able to build you up and help you to grow in your chosen faith. If you have to compromise, err on the side of your theology. :grouphug: Especially if you wish to pass on your faith to your children. (Though, maybe you're open to them being any denomination? If so, and if they're the one's seeking, ... I suppose I'd change my answer to yes - you can suck it up for them so long as you have a bona fide outlet for your own spiritual needs ... be that an online component or literature or long-distance mentor or whatnot.) I've not regretted having faith that the speedbumps I encountered were carefully placed by a force/power greater than me, and realizing what I needed to do was hurdle over them rather than walk around them in another direction.

My kids have the same issue, and for years we used just plain baking soda ... but then that was TOO plain for my little dental divas! This has been a staple for a very long time: http://www.amazon.com/Toothpowder-Daily-Care-Mint-Ounces/dp/B0006ON9NA It's a tooth powder, which I prefer, and even the mint flavor is very mild. The kids found Tom's to be very strong tasting, and we tried every toothpaste under Creation before they settled on this brand. This brand also offers two other flavors: anise and cinnamon. I prefer cinnamon but the kids all prefer anise.

My oldest goes through spurts like that. He and I have the kind of relationship where gentle honesty goes far, so I'm able to call it as I see it. And 90% of the time, that's: "It's not hard. You're lazy and don't want to put forth the effort." And I can truly relate to that feeling. And my kids have seen me struggle through that very feeling, in my own studies and extracurriculars. So it's not viewed so much as an accusation or judgment, but moreso as a problem that needs to be worked through. Sometimes that working through can be creative ways to get the same work done, and sometimes it means just sucking it up and doing it LOL. So that's just how we approach it. My kids don't have me on any kind of pedestal, I'm down in the trenches with them working through some of these qualities and behaviors that need addressing. I make no secret of my shortcomings, and therefore I make no secret of theirs. We push through it however appropriate. ((hugs)) It's a giant PITB to be a work-in-progress. Even moreso when our kids are LOL.

My husband started out only tolerating our homeschooling, so he was an easy target for those who poked and prodded the decision. But even then he was great about maintaining a united front. My husband's job was fairly nomadic and involved significant periods of time away from family, so most of his colleagues were happy to take the "We net more family time together" response and drop it; they felt and understood that POV. When people pushed further he'd try the self-deprecation thing: "Well, it's either tuition now or therapy later, and insurance will cover the therapy" or "The agreement is she doesn't tell me how to do my job, and I don't tell her how to do hers" or something like that. It was kind of a dumbed down speaks-to-people-in-the-vernacular kind of effort -- along the lines of joking about how excited PS parents are that summer vacation is almost over, you know? But he was always allowed (and it was sometimes preferred) that he just use me as the bad guy. "This is my wife's ballgame, and if I didn't trust her to do right by our kids I'd have bigger problems than whether they do school down the road or in my living room."

My kids don't. Neither do I. I'm not opposed to television/technology, and my kids don't struggle with self-moderation. For us it's more about keeping the bedroom as a sleeping space. We don't charge phones or keep computers or anything else electronic in there, either (including alarm clocks). Our bedrooms are for sleeping and resting.