:iagree: When we wipe my computer (something we do pretty often) the first things I reinstall are Opera and LibreOffice.

We moved from MPH 5/6 to PHSE this spring and it went really well. Our library actually has several of the books so I let DD pick one to use to finish up science for the year, and I think it is a great fit for her. Agreeing with everyone else that the HOTS book is great. I really wanted to like the entire program, but DD had already done so many of the experiments in outside classes that those were not very thrilling, and the textbooks and activity books are, as others have mentioned, a bit thin.

Dh is always so cautious about mentioning that he finds an actress attractive, and I just blurt out all my actor/author crushes without even thinking. Poor DH.

Short mother, tall toddler (on a chair no less!), and nursing standing up? They went all out to make that cover shot as awkward and unnatural as possible.

:iagree:

:grouphug: I have been really sheltered in terms of most negative interactions. Our co-op is extremely flexible about moving kids around based on interests and abilities, so that has never been an issue for us. Aside from being careful on Facebook, family members either live far away or have no kids near my dc in age, so that has helped. I was caught totally off guard while waiting to pick DS up from a weekend workshop for gifted kids when the mom I was chatting with realized that my DS was younger than hers, and she flipped out and started grilling me on how I had gotten him into the class and wasn't I breaking some sort of rule. I was speechless.

I think that it is often a no-win situation. If I tell people what my dc are really reading/doing in math/enjoying in their free time, one listener will feel threatened, and another will thank me for the great ideas. Some people definitely do see everything as a competition, others are genuinely curious and encouraging. I have nieces and nephews who are close to my dc in age, and I really struggle with what sorts of things to share on Facebook just so that no one takes anything the wrong way. That doesn't really answer your question, but I totally get where you're coming from.

:lurk5:

I think that sounds perfect. I am just glad I found out before the dc woke up so I could pull myself together.

That looks interesting!

:iagree: I am going to have to make a cheat sheet to keep by the computer!

I was going to take the kids to the science center, but I like this idea so much more!

I'm in. I'm a pretty boring FB poster, but this is me.

:iagree:

:grouphug:

:lol:

I have this (as well as Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?) to read this week or next -- looking forward to both. Last week I finished #60, Scapegoat: A History of Blaming Other People. It started out much stronger than it finished -- the writing seemed much choppier and the arguments less elegant as the book progressed. Still, it was full of interesting tidbits. I started a few things this week but had trouble sticking with any one book for long. I just started Kill Shakespeare (graphic fiction, someone mentioned it on here but I don't recall who!). That is lots of fun so far, so will probably be what I turn to later today (assuming I don't spend all of my "free time" finishing my Coursera logic homework and watching Sherlock).

:iagree: I tend to give a general statement about the schools not being a good fit for my dc's needs, without saying whether those needs are for acceleration or remediation. When pressed, I am more than willing to give the details.

:iagree:

:grouphug:

I voted that I give them the food without asking parents, but that was before I noticed the ages of your kids. With the preschool crowd, I would ask first to check for allergies and make sure I wasn't messing up a meal schedule.

Way to go!

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Wonderful!