[My mom would have been 70 today.]

My mom would have been 81 this year. She was the BEST mom in the world, I miss her every day.

[Poll: Are or were you a certified teacher?]

I have a degree in Special Education and taught kids with multiple disabilities before I had my own.

 

However, I am a firm believer that homeschooling does NOT require teacher credentials.

[My dd is heartbroken and I am in a crisis!]

I think you need to directly speak to the coach. There may be an innocent misunderstanding. Don't react until you know for certain that there is problem. Screw up your courage and give him a call!

[Question about levels for Michael Clay Thompson's LA materials]

We have Grammar Island and like it, however, the teacher's edition is a huge waste of money. It's almost an exact duplicate of the student book.

[My dog was hit by a truck]

Good thoughts for the healing of your beloved dog! What a terrible thing to happen.

[Hate when you see a parenting flaw get out of hand]

I just successfully helped my 6yo drop some weight, putting her back into the healthy weight range. She never knew her weight was a problem at all. We NEVER said a word to her. All we did was make a new policy that all snacks would be fruit or vegetables. Even raisins, that have a high sugar content, at least have fiber and nutrients in them. Sometimes we made smoothies out of lowfat yogurt and berries. ALL the people in our family are expected to eat this way; it's healthier for everyone. We looked for the healthiest versions of food - some yogurt has 200 calories a serving! We don't buy ice cream any more, now it's frozen yogurt.

 

Next, we signed her up for swim team. In the summer, our local pool had a team that practiced 30 minutes 5 days a week. She loved it and the exercise was phenomenal for her. We also encouraged more walking and rollerblading.

 

Good luck! You can do it!