We did 5 weeks cross country when the kids were 5, 9, and 11. We drove from NJ to NC to visit family for a few days then drove to TX, up through CO, then UT and WY…then drove back home through SD. We visited National Parks, had planned stops, and some days we just stopped when we saw something that looked cool. We camped most nights. I think we stayed in a hotel three nights total. It was wonderful! If I wasn't spending weeks every summer listening to my kids play Irish music all over the place now, I'd do that trip again in a heartbeat!!

:party: Congrats to you both!!

My ds has made a cigar box guitar and a didgeridoo from PVC. He is looking into guitar building courses at the moment but has not yet decided on one.

So sorry you are dealing with this. I have never experienced a teacher who was obviously biased toward a certain student or students to where they are short changing one student for another. I have seen teachers discontinue lessons with a student who was repeatedly coming to lessons unprepared to where the teacher felt it was wasting the parents' money and the teacher's time and effort. Maybe DS10 should have his lesson first to make sure he gets his full time then if teacher goes over on DS11 it will not cut into DS10's time. What does the teacher mean by "DS11 have to put in a lot more effort because he is 11 already"? What does the teacher feel he needs to rush or catch up to? I am having a hard time understanding why a teacher who knows your parental expectations and the child's expectations for music study would say something like that. I know as a student progresses, more is expected. There are more pieces to review as they learn more pieces and more technical skills to practice and master as one becomes more advanced. I also understand a teacher expecting mastery of technique and skills prior to moving on but I do not agree with putting a time limit on when a piece should be mastered (unless the child wants to work toward a certain goal like having a certain piece ready for a recital or something). Every child is different in the time it takes to master the skills required to play an instrument.

We have not been to England but travel to Ireland yearly. Unless your time of year is set in stone, airfares are significantly lower (we paid half last year) if traveling in October rather than July/August which is peak tourist travel time. Once we flew and drove three hours…not a good idea. Jet lag and lack of sleep from overnight flight equals miserable. I suggest staying in town near the airport you land at, spend the night and you'll feel better driving the next morning. I would recommend B&Bs rather than hotels. Breakfast is included, costs are not more, and you get to know real people who are great at giving you travel tips for their area. We are still friends with the people we have stayed with. We use a credit card that does not charge an exchange rate…also use it at ATM machines. We have AAA and I exchange a bit of money before we go as well. I never go with tour companies…like to travel on our own and see what we want to see. Dingle is awesome…be sure to check out the live music in pubs! The drive to Dingle is crazy scary going over the pass…one lane road with cliffs and ocean…but beautiful. The B&B owner we stayed with in Kerry suggested not doing the Ring of Kerry because it is so tourist-y and the Dingle peninsula is more beautiful. There is a mansion in Killarney (Muckross House and Gardens) which was a lot of fun…a living history sort of place with a long walk through the grounds, people making bread in the village near the mansion, and an old abbey. In Dublin, the kids like Dublinia (a museum about the vikings). The National Museum in Dublin is free and shopping on Grafton St. is fun as well…we go to a cheese shop and purchase some for a picnic in St. Stephen's Green. From Dublin airport, take the bus into the city to the Trinity College area and most of the tourist stuff is within walking distance. I suggest not driving in Dublin…one way streets, constructions, lack of parking…not good. There are a number of hotels right in the area within walking distance of Temple Bar/Trinity College…a search (hotels.com or something similar) will let you know the least expensive.

By perfectionistic tendencies, do you mean you feel as if the teacher is pushing and expecting more practice than they are willing to do or do you mean they expect "perfection" before moving on to the next piece or skill? I know my dd's long time teacher (who we just left about 18 months ago) had high expectations for all her students but she expected them to progress at whatever rate they were capable of (or interested in). She expected certain skills to be mastered before moving on but for some students that meant one lesson and for others it might mean months of lessons trying different activities to bring about mastery. She seemed to respect and enjoy all her students, even those who had many interests so did not put in as much time as they might have or those who for whatever reason did not progress quickly. One thing I appreciated most was that though my dd progressed quickly, this teacher did not rush her through repertoire at the expense of good technique…it seems sometimes there are teachers who like to be able to say they have an "X year old playing Y." She also never pushed dd to do competitions. She mentioned it twice when she thought dd was ready but when dd did not have an interest in classical music competition, she did not push at all though the last year or so of lessons, I think she probably felt dd was "wasting talent" by pursuing folk music rather than classical violin. This teacher was a Suzuki trained teacher…don't know if that has anything to do with it. Dd changed teachers this year because she had "outgrown" her other teacher. She has more interest in pursuing her folk music than classical music so that played into the teacher we chose. Had she wanted to pursue classical violin, we would have gone in an entirely different direction (though looking at dd's progression with this teacher, we might have made a less good decision if we had). We were very honest about dd's expectations and interests with this teacher and she is working out wonderfully. Dd loves her lessons, is picking up repertoire quickly, and her teacher is wonderful during lessons with the degree of insight and depth she provides. Lessons are 90 to 120 minutes of focused "work" and dd is very happy with the mentor-style relationship they have. This teacher is younger and just beginning her own studio after graduating from a top conservatory but has been a substitute for her own long-time teacher (a very highly sought after teacher in our area) for years.

I am sure there must be discussions of this sort on here somewhere but a quick search didn't give me exactly what I wanted... Has anyone designed their own approved syllabus for either of the AP English courses who is willing to share what they did or are going to do? Dd is going to take AP Music Theory through PA Homeschoolers next year and I am trying to decide if I want her to do an English through them or self study to cut out any busy work. Not sure how heavy of a schedule school-wise will work at this point with everything else going on in her life. Also, if your dc took one of the courses through PA Homeschoolers, how many hours per week did they spend on the work and were the courses live classes or was there a "delayed" option for those who travel? Thanks!

I have dd signed up for the delayed option of her class because we travel often. Her instructor allows her to participate in the real lectures whenever she is able and she has the delayed option for when we do not have internet or are on a plane during actual lesson time. So, it really is the best of both worlds. She gets the interaction with the other students/instructor the majority of the time. We discuss times we will be traveling with the instructor and dd either does the work ahead of time or makes up the work depending on which is easier for the instructor each time.

I have raised beds full of different herbs: cilantro, basil, parsley, thyme, sage, chives, rosemary, and mints of different kinds. We also grow tomatoes, eggplants, peas, and salad and kale in the raised beds. In our regular garden: raspberries blackberries strawberries blueberries asparagus potatoes (white, red, and purple Peruvian) onions tomatoes radishes broccoli rabe watermelon cantaloupe zucchini green beans cucumbers yellow squash beets Brussel sprouts

We live in a very rural area so kids can't really go anywhere one on one until at least one is able to drive so neither of my boys went on a one on one date until they were 16/17 (one had an older female friend). They did go on group dates and school dances and had girls over to the house. My rule for girls at the house is no closed doors. Not sure what will happen with dd as far as dating goes. Feels like it was easy with the boys. They didn't push to date earlier and sometimes go long periods of time without dating except my oldest ds has dated the same girl off and on for the past three years and they have been pretty steady for the past year +.

Congratulations to her...and to you as well! :party:

Congratulations to your ds! Awesome!

I think you give them to tools and self-confidence to "compete" on a level playing field with the other adults in their field. My dd has never liked to be looked at as "young" or "little." Even when she was a tiny 5yo, she got angry whenever anyone at a music session offered her a low to the ground stool or chair so her feet would reach. She wanted the tall stool so, "nobody will notice I am small." (Ha! Like that could have happened.) In her eyes, she has always been one of the musicians and not really felt like she had to rush to do something before she grew up. It is only now that she is in her early teen years that she talks about wishing she were older so people would take her more seriously. To her, being looked at as the "prodigy" or whatever word you want to insert there, upsets her. It makes her angry when people talk to her like she is a child…every once in awhile someone organizing a gig will try to explain things to her in a way that to her is condescending. Even so, I have worried about her making that transition so have worked on finding her other musicians to perform, arrange, compose, and discuss music with (sometimes they are close to her age and sometimes not)…ways to broaden her skills beyond simply playing music. I've helped her find resources for music theory and music history as she's asked so she knows the jargon. I let her advocate for herself when the situation is right for that…more and more as she gets older so that soon I won't be needed to do much of anything but provide transportation. I feel it makes others take her more seriously when she is able to let them know her ideas and what she wants, rather than having her mommy do it for her. One example, she is doing a five show run in another city for St. Patrick's Day where she will be playing with people, most she knows but has never performed with and others she doesn't know yet. When one performer sent me a message to begin discussing repertoire, I gave dd his number and let her work it out with him. As she gets older and older, I step back more and more. I don't allow her to use her age as an excuse for anything. If she wants to perform, she needs to be as prepared or more prepared than the adults. I've heard parents at competitions telling their child they didn't place because they just moved up an age group and are younger than others…in those instances, the real reason has been because that particular child was not as practiced and prepared as others who placed so I don't understand giving them that "out" based on their age. I am much more blunt with dd (in a loving way of course).

My dd started competing (music, not academic) when she was 6yo. Her teacher suggested she go to meet other young people who had the same interests…we had no idea dd would win (we were clueless as to the skill level of others and the age category was under 12 so how could a 6 year old win). I didn't know if winning that first time out was a good thing. I thought she won because she was cute, little, and might have been the best 6 year old fiddler that judge had ever seen, not because she was the best fiddler under 12 in that competition. I was worried it would set up in her expectations that she "should" win every time out which is not a good thing especially with competitions that have subjective adjudication. That competition was a qualifier to go to Ireland to compete in what's basically the world championships. We knew she would not win at that level but, because I thought she won due to being cute and thought it might be our one and only chance to go to Ireland (she wouldn't always be so cute and little), we went. We didn't tell her she would not win. We only told her that competitions are for fun and she can only control her level of preparation and her performance on that day. She cannot control who is competing against her or their preparation level (or in music, what any particular adjudicator prefers). Winning, if it happens, is "icing" on the cake after preparing well, performing in a way you are happy with, and making new friends. We've kept that same approach to competition through the years. She makes friends with her competitors, cheers them on when they perform, and is happy for them when they win. Sometimes she is disappointed when she does not place after working really hard and performing really well but it's a momentary thing. She likes to discuss what she liked and didn't like so much in all the performances she heard…things she might like to include to improve in her own performance or what she thought that particular judge was thinking (she will make a good adjudicator someday as she's learned to appreciate the skill involved even when the style isn't one she prefers). Then she's off to have some tunes into the wee hours with her friends. All that to say…talk with your ds about the reasons why he is competing. Did he initiate the idea of doing competitions? Does he enjoy competition? (My middle ds loves his music but hates to have it judged against other people so does not compete. Performing and playing are enough for him.) Is he able to have time to hang out and get to know the other competitors? Is he competing for some gain/prize or is it to see where he is with the things he has learned? Whatever the reason, knowing why he is there and setting a personal goal, one not attached to those things he cannot control (ie. other people's performance), might help. After the competition, maybe look back at his performance and discuss whether or not he answered correctly on those things he studied. Did he meet his personal goal? Praise him for correct answers especially in areas he worked hard. Was there an area where he needed more preparation? Set goals for working on those areas. Some kids are very competitive and hard on themselves no matter the parental input. So if nothing else works, maybe finding other activities until he is able to handle disappointment better might be a good thing…maybe find other smaller ways to teach him to deal with disappointment before doing more competitions or find some sort of group competition/games where he is working cooperatively with others to solve a problem…(do they still have Odyssey of the Mind or Olympics of the Mind competitions around? I loved doing those.)

I would have to see the situation and the behavior of those involved to guess whether or not I'd call it flirting. Could be having fun/being silly or could be flirting…though it is a bit immature in any way.

1. I also cannot pack lightly. I try…oh, how I try. 2. Squish a bug/spider. I cannot stand the crunch. 3. Wake up in the morning without a shower.

:grouphug:

My dd is headed into 9th grade but has already completed a couple courses I would list as part of high school. She spends chunks of time traveling for music where Internet access is not always available and hours each day practicing. I am still in the process of figuring out how to schedule and what courses will work with her schedule though I am thinking not much will change from what we are doing now at least this coming year. The following year DE or more than one online APs might need to be fit in. We basically school from mid-August until July. There are about 6 weeks this summer devoted to two different music camps, a very long weekend traveling across the country for an orchestra performance, and another week plus in Ireland for competition so no school will happen then. School work is completed whenever she has time....sometimes a regular 5 day schedule and other times school is on weekends. She does math and music theory online so those have definite amounts of work to be completed. Some courses I give her material to cover each day though it is more to help her spread out the weeks worth and she can do it however she wants. She works on writing with a tutor and we recently met an Irish woman teaching Irish Gaelic at a local university who is willing to tutor dd in that. Credits will be awarded with courses are completed...online course finished, textbook completed, or syllabus I created completed.

I also thought it was the best episode I've seen in a long while. I might even go with best ever. I didn't like how they shot the killing fury at the end but it did show how everyone was pulling their weight and killing. I have not read the comics so for a minute thought they had killed off Carl…until Rick carried him into the infirmary. I was worried Glenn was a goner as well before he got to talk to Maggie…seemed to happen with anyone else associated with Maggie. I would never have handed my baby to Gabriel, though, and especially not in that situation. Glad Gabriel redeemed himself a bit. I am also rooting for Rick and Michonne…if I had to hand my baby to anyone, it would have been Michonne. I couldn't figure out if the Wolf dude was taking her along to eat her later or because he needed her to take care of him.

No. I do not expect it. If it ends up being something I need and something they want to do and it works for their family situations, I will be grateful. There are too many reasons why it might not work best for any of my kids...lifestyle choices, family situations, any factors affecting my health requiring different levels of care (dementia, stroke, who knows??). Hopefully, dh and I will have planned well for our retirements and, if necessary, my kids will chose a nice place for us close enough to at least one of them for a visit now and then.

All last year I had in my head I was 46 when really I was 45. Made this year's birthday an easy one…I didn't get any older. I am still 46.

I didn't read the other replies so sorry if these have already been suggested but how about volunteer work or finding her a mentor in the area (you mentioned art and photography)…where she could sort of "apprentice" with a like-minded person. Maybe finding someone from one of the colleges who might be interested in tutoring her in art or photography or something else she is interested in. Would she be interested in finding a way to use her talents and interests to help other people like creating a craft or selling artwork or photography to raise money for a charity she supports? Visiting with elderly people at a nursing home? Being a mother's helper to a family who needs help? Some museums or colleges have people who would love to share their knowledge with an interested teen. Sorry I am all over the place but trying to type and get off the computer.

I remember quite a bit from my childhood. Moments here and there, little episodes good and bad, general feelings associated with different things that happened, etc… Small things popped into my head when reading the initial post... like riding on the Dumbo ride when I was 6 yo or the way it felt when my dad threw a coffee table through the ceiling when I was 11 or 12 and I thought for the rest of the day that my parents were going to divorce. I remember my sister always crying and telling my parents it was my fault even if I wasn't anywhere near her at the time. I remember long days spent outside between my yard and the neighbor's yards playing with the neighborhood kids. I remember my aunt living with us when I was 4 and loving her so much, how she would let me "do" her beautiful, long red hair. I remember the years when my dad wasn't speaking to that aunt and I wasn't allowed to see her or talk about her. I remember sitting on my great-grandfather's knees on his porch listening to soaps on the radio and the little cookies with sprinkles my great grandmother would give me…he died when I was 18 months old so I must have been a little over a year old. I remember favorite books and the librarian who would save me any new books that came in because I read everything I could get my hands on.

We travel quite a bit for the kids' music, performances throughout the year and camps in the summer, so usually don't take any other time off. Dd does school through the summer and most of the other holidays when we are not traveling to stay on track. So, all our time off is spent doing something for music. When traveling, we fit in museums, sightseeing, and shows.

We downsized a few years ago so for awhile I felt if every room in my house were a foot bigger in each direction the house would be perfect. Our furniture was sized for a rancher with large rooms but as it gets old and needs replacing that issue goes away or I am just used to it now. I like my house and will love it once my husband completes all the remodeling we have planned (the house is a long term project). I love my yard and the gardens, space for chickens, privacy afforded us by trees surrounding the yard, and the "man cave" (a pole barn at the back of the property). I even like the location in the country but wish I were a bit closer to the places I need to go for everything and wish we lived in a less expensive state.