I'm glad to see this thread because I'm feeling uncharacteristically lazy and unmotivated today. It's soooooo gloomy and damp and gray and blah here in the PNW. But now that I've checked in here I WILL go and do my 60 minutes on my bike and go on a walk with my husband. I will do 30 bike, walk with husband, 30 more bike. Then I'll check back in here. Now I have a little motivation.

The teacher explained herself well and I believe her. It makes complete sense that she would have had the child do an abbreviated presentation so the next children would have time to share. She ran out of time. That's part of why I left ps teaching. There was never, ever enough time!

Is there a crisis? Really, not sure what you mean. (That sounds snarky, but I don't mean for it to...) Public schools are part of a large public system and will always have problems -- just like any large government agency. So, no, we that's not why we homeschool. I wanted flexibility and independence. That's all. I don't like big, impersonal, one-size-fits-all institutions.

Oregon Coast

Even that skirt could look stylish and up-to-date with the right shoes -- I'd probably choose boots. I do think almost any skirt requires a certain shoe for it to look right.

I had a jumper when I was a ps teacher, too! And, yes, it was a current style at the time. Our school staff even had matching embroidered tees to be worn under the ubiquitous denim jumper.. It was just a given that everyone (or almost everyone) owned a jumper. :) Then came the demin shirt. Now that was not my favorite. I felt like I was wearing a prison uniform somehow. I'll take the jumper or the skirt over the denim shirt, personally.

I love a denim skirt because it's a sure and simple step up from plain old jeans. I can add boots and tights and a denim skirt to any top I'd wear with jeans and, ta-dah!, it's an outfit. In the spring/summer, just add cute flats or wedge sandals and you have the same result. They're an easy way to extend your wardrobe -- lots of bang for the buck! Here's another cute look: I have this in white denim and wore it several times a week last summer. http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Clearance/Womens-Skirts/A-line-Full/WG455/Womens-Everyday-A-Line-Skirt.html?NavGroupID=13

Hmmm... I don't see it as sexy -- just stylish and fun. My goal for this thread is to demonstrate the fashion value of the denim skirt and to inspire its use.

I wear denim skirts. I have a few. One is white, one is dark wash. They look good! Here's the idea: http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Clearance/Womens-Skirts/Midi/WG512/Womens-Chic-Denim-Skirt.html And they're on sale! So, if you need a denim skirt to fit in with a particular homeschooling crowd, now's your chance.

I would call and speak to a nurse. I bet they'll move her well-child check up and get her in right away.

Honda Pilot. We love it. Our old, old van finally died. We still wanted lots of seating potential, but I didn't want another van.

Very pleased here as well with Windows to the World.

A good exercise day! Bike 60 min Walk with husband on dry night 40 min stretching

I've been doing my hour of biking each day --feels great. Also trying to add 3 mile walks with friends/husband when time allows. Also, I'm committed to stretching after each workout and am really noticing more flexibility. Very motivating!

Yes. This is how we do it. The boys know the deal. Their rooms must be picked up daily -- I check them, and nothing else is done until the rooms are decent. Not perfect -- just decent. That means no trash, clothes and shoes put away, no dirty dishes, bed made and generally tidy. This no longer takes much time, because they keep it decent each day. :) And, yes, get rid of stuff. Do it on a regular basis. We do not keep stuff that doesn't fit easily in a drawer or on a shelf. No piling, no stuffing, no putting-in-a-bag-until-we-find-a-spot-for-it.

My boys know that this is not THE way to write. I tell them it's one way to write. It's straightforward and functional. It is certainly not expansive and explorational and brimming with beauty. But, it is a great tool to teach a student to communicate clearly in a structured fashion. And for now, that's my goal.

Jumping in here again. I think it depends very much upon the approach of the school in general. Are they strongly emphasizing (almost requiring) early reading? Is it essential to be reading in kindergarten in this school? What are 1st graders expected to be doing in September? What do they do with kids who can't keep up? Is there a good option for those kids? Are other kids in his same boat, or is he really off on his own? Often there is great support for later readers at public schools and those kids can do just fine. In some schools, however, there just isn't funding for remedial reading. (Often, schools in higher income areas don't have as much funding for extra help.) What I'd look for is a school that welcomes and expects kids' different rates of progress and is prepared with lots of positive support.

I think it is essential for a student to be able to write clear, well-organized essays. IEW teaches that. I have a 'natural' writer who knew nothing about how to structure a 5-paragraph essay or a compare/contrast paper or how to narrow down one of his looooong stories to something manageable. I think that even gifted writers will benefit from have some formulaic structures at hand. I used them all through college -- essays tests were a breeze for me because I had done so much structured writing in high school. I understand the reluctance to make writing too formulaic, but sometimes a formula is just what is called for -- and I want my kids to know the formulas.

As with any curriculum, adapt as you see fit based on the needs of each child. My kids have used it for several years and are now competent, confident writers who can pound out organized outlines, paragraphs, essays, stories. I am very pleased. One of them used it pretty much as written. I adapted and tweaked it for my more confident, creative writer.

I see now that you already know all about accutane -- oops. Didn't read carefully. My pediatrician had nothing helpful to offer, but the pediatric dermatologist was excellent and so helpful. I'm glad we went early enough to prevent lots of scarring. He does have a bit, but nothing like he would have had had we waited several more years. How does your daughter feel about her skin? I think that's important to consider. If it doesn't bother her too much, and it isn't bad enough yet to scar, no reason to hurry to a dermatologist. She can always go later if she needs to. So sorry you're having to deal with this. It was harder than I would have thought, especially since it started so early. I worried so much about just how bad it would get.

My son used accutane and has had incredible results. He skin looks perfect now -- smooth, completely clear. It's hard to believe, really. His acne had gotten out of control. :( I really felt for him. He sure didn't like the dry lips during the treatment or the initial breakout at the beginning, but he is now so glad he did it. His acne had started when he was only 9. The Dr. said that was not unusual for someone who is headed for cystic acne. Dr. said some people have cystic acne for 20 years. He used retin A and a topical antibiotic with success for several years. Then the puberty hormones kicked in and nothing would touch it. We tried all kinds of natural approaches -- like many that have been suggested here. Wonderful that those work for some, but just wanted to share the success we had with the accutane in case you decide that may be necessary.

I used to teach ps K. It's only January. Half-way through the year. He's got time. I'd suggest some daily review at home in as lighthearted a manner as you can muster. I know you're feeling so worried, but try to keep it fun-ish and pleasant. He mustn't feel miserable and stressed, or then you'll really have a problem. Part of our reason for homeschooling was our very academic neighborhood ps K program. My son was not ready for that, or for the high-pressure first grade curriculum. The school principal bragged at the tour about the whole student body working a year ahead. I knew that was not going to work for my kids. I'd keep at it with the support at home until April or so. Then ask questions about 1st and perhaps reconsider. Ask the teacher how many other kids are in his same 'boat.' If he's truly far 'behind' the other students, this may not be a great spot for him. My son was a slow bloomer. He's now doing very well. But he would not have thrived in a high-pressure K-3 environment.

If you have insurance to cover it, I'd suggest a visit to a dermatologist. If there's really a problem (like my son had) she'll probably be able to tell, and also provide lots of helpful information. Nothing OTC helped my son, neither did zinc or eliminating dairy or any of those nice, natural ideas. :( We had to use meds from the Dr. Now his skin is beautiful. I'm very thankful we had coverage for a dermatologist.

I don't have much weight to lose (5 pounds of holiday indulgence weight) but I'm very happy with my plan so far. I'm exercising an hour each day. I am enjoying it! Not only am I burning twice as many calories as I had with my 30 min/day, the hour feels like a respite and break from all my responsibilities. :) No snacks, no sweets, no drinks but water and coffee, and small portions of whole foods is my diet. I have no snack foods in my house whatsoever (to the dismay of my children) because they're just too tempting. I've lost 2 pounds since the 1st of the year and hope to be done by early February.

That's what I tried to model for my students. When religion or politics or whatever came up (as it inevitably will) I'd say something like "Bob's family believes such-and-such. Be sure to ask your parents what they believe." I usually even tried to let parents know what kinds of subjects had come up in class that week. In my weekly letter I'd include something like, "a student mentioned his family's fun celebrating Diwali. I explained a bit to the class about Diwali. You may wish to discuss it with your child as well."