I am getting the impression that you are somewhat suspicious of the school - maybe a quality issue, diploma-mill thing? Is it a for-profit? I know those kinds of schools have been subject to some media scrutiny lately. Apologies if I am completely missing the mark. But I can't think of any other reason why it would matter what other students are or are not doing, as long your DH is getting sufficient education.

This reminded me of a story about Abraham Lincoln and his stepmother, Sarah: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Bush_Lincoln

I know how you feel. When I mess up like that, though, I say, "five bucks in the therapy jar." It does help a little!

I completely agree with Tokyomarie. My parents kept financial and voting information private, and made sure we knew why. I did not live through McCarthyism, for example, but I know what happened then and what can happen any time down the road. For my first two years of college, my mother had me fill out everything I could do myself on the forms and then pass them to her for completion. It wasn't until my junior year that she gave me the information, and that was only because logistics prevented it from being done as it had in the past. That said, my plan for DS is different. He does not know now how much we make, and only occasionally learns about this or that bill - but that's because he's only 11. By the time he hits high school I will be doing a lot more financial training - assuming I can trust by then that he will not blab it around at school or to the family or on Facebook. If I don't feel like I can trust him, I will just have to wait longer to teach him. But I would definitely fill out FAFSA forms openly when the time comes. We have more than he thinks we do, and I absolutely do not want him letting something slip to certain family members who would no doubt show up with open hands and a sob story. And the situation is completely avoidable by keeping my little 11-yr-old leak in the dark. ETA: I do take him into the voting booth with me, but before we go I review the right to privacy and my desire to maintain it. He is required to save his questions and observations until we are away from the polling place. He has done very well with these requirements, which gives me hope for future situations!

Oh, my, YES! Fforde is Ffabulous. :) She may also enjoy his "Nursery Crime" series, starting with The Fourth Bear. (The "crimes" are silly - Fourth Bear is a retelling of the Goldilocks story, for example.)

He read D&P, but we weren't doing any exercises. And, to be honest, even though I read the books myself about a year ago, I don't remember them well enough to say off-hand what is absolute necessity. I would think you could start working in the pre-alg book and pull out D&P if a sticking point emerges. ETA: I should clarify: my son is in public school, so he already has a daily math curriculum. My goal with LOF (and with all our afterschooling) is to show him that there is so much more to it than what he is getting there. He is still rather stuck on the notion that "math" equals "arithmetic" and nothing else. We have never tried using LOF as a sole, or even main, curriculum.

If she is enjoying the story, can she just read it for fun? Is she the type to notice and figure out something she doesn't already know? My DS, who has some whole-to-parts tendencies and is in PS, has read the pre-alg books for entertainment. I have decided to leave it at that, at least for now, because I don't want to ruin something fun. I can see us using LOF as a reference down the road, for an alternative explanation of a concept if necessary, but for me, right now, it is enough that he A. enjoys a math story and B.* sees some practical applications of math. As long as you are doing another math program alongside, I wouldn't worry about it. In fact, I think I would actively try to avoid overkill. * ETA: Can't get the darned smiley to leave my parenthetical B alone!

Why not get both? The internet isn't helping me much, but the closest I can get seems to show meat/starch/veg for both.

Have you tried using Romaine as a wrap (instead of a tortilla or pita)? That may work well for you in terms of convenience and nutrition.

I made the right choice to post before reading - now I know I could never really be happy with just 8 ingredients.

I have to answer before reading other posts or I'll be confused. ;) Eggs Nuts Bacon Tomato Spinach Tuna Onion Rice Now I can go read. :)

Seconding the Mensa recommendation. She may find some of the online and teen groups to be especially good fits for where she is socially.

Very cool! I wonder how he found it. He mentioned that he just transferred, so I wonder if the new place found it by Googling his name and then told him about it. Maybe you helped him as much as he helped you! :)

That's how we do it, too. I figure they're only slightly worse than commercial granola bars. The worst culprit here is Starburst candy - so it has not been in our home for about 7 or 8 years now. But I understand that the issue here is not the Pop-Tarts, but your DH not being fully committed to your wish for healthier snacks (or at least not to sticking to your list). Can you arrange to serve the Pop-Tarts when he will be home? Tell him what happens, then let him see it (and deal with it) for himself. Sometimes just hearing "they go nuts" doesn't convey the reality completely, you know?

Thanks for the responses, but I wasn't really looking for advice. I'm not trying to "solve" anything. I was just curious if other parents have decided to leave some of the social training stuff up to society itself to handle. This was only meant to be a conversational thread. :)

He's 11. We've been working on dental care since he had teeth. He sees the dentist twice a year (and of course the dentist has also given instruction, demonstrations, and warnings - to no avail). At some point it's up to the kid to take the reins, you know? He does brush, mostly without reminders, which is the most important part; he just doesn't do it conscientiously.

I've been thinking about the "social training" areas in which I've let myself off the hook (mostly without guilt). I am tired of beating my head against the wall, and I don't want DS to remember me as the one who was constantly critical. A few examples: Ever since he began dressing himself, I have talked to him about matching, both in terms of what colors/patterns go together and what types of items go together (e.g., a nice cotton sweater should not be worn with sweatpants). Somewhere along the line he has chosen to go monochromatic whenever possible. It drives me a little bonkers, but I have decided to let him do what he wants, and someday someone will comment and maybe hurt his feelings, and then maybe he'll consider more conventional combinations. When he brushes his teeth, he does not do a very good job, and he doesn't brush his tongue or floss. I brush well, but I don't floss regularly. Partially to avoid hypocrisy, then, I have told him that I haven't taken very good care of my teeth and I am paying for that now (somewhat) in terms of cavities and weak gums. I have told him that he likely won't see the consequences of his habits for decades, and by then he'll be paying for it out of his own pocket, so if he would rather not make good habits he's the only one who will be affected by it. I have also talked to him about the tongue-brushing and how that helps keep breath fresh, but he won't do it, so I'm waiting for someone to comment and maybe hurt his feelings before he gets it. What about you? Are there "training" areas that you have abdicated? How have you justified it?

Yikes. If I were distant enough from a host to need an ice-breaker, this would be about the *last* thing I'd think was a good one to try! :ohmy: Well ... "last" is probably extreme. "I was reading your Will and noticed I'm not in it. What gives?" would probably be worse. :p

This would bother me enough to address it as many times and in as many ways as necessary. Somehow they need to understand that what they're doing is a breach of privacy that some people do not take lightly. I think Rebecca and her stepmother handled similar situations well; maybe it will help you too.

I like this idea, but I think I'd use a different tone: "If you need to use one of my personal items, please just ask me and I will get it for you."

Review and Revel In Success! :)

From repeated recommendations here on WTM, I tried Shaklee's Vita-Lea (w/iron). Love them! They are (to me) on the pricey side - approx $30/month - and the dosage is two pills daily, which I sometimes forget, but I have really noticed a difference, unlike any other supplement I've ever taken. The afternoon slump is almost completely eliminated! That alone makes it well worth the price to me.

Because these are both "long-term behavior" areas, as opposed to "clean out the closets" areas, I would definitely give each its own month. And you know what? I don't think I'd make them adjacent months, so you'll have a "second wave" of sorts that doesn't come too quickly on the heels of trying to cement the new routines generated by the first. Uh ... again, not sure I'm making sense. Darn this cold!

In trying to help with order, my first thought is "set yourself up for success." You've already mentioned prayer and Bible study as "doable," so that helps with the very beginning. Marriage: choose the month *before* your anniversary. All that build-up could make the actual date spectacular! :) Homeschooling ... maybe March or April, if you follow a traditional school year. You'll be out of the Feb. Blah Zone and have three months or so to wind up and maybe focus on a project that synthesizes some of the year's major concepts (I'm thinking of Lewelma's science fair here, somewhat, but it could certainly take a number of different forms). Fitness - late spring, or whenever the weather starts turning so beckoningly pleasant. Make it easy to get out and move! Homeschooling in July or so - whenever you do your best intense planning for the coming year - followed by organization, to make sure you have everything you need and can find it/work with it efficiently. I would also caution against aiming for a standard that requires superhuman effort on a frequent basis. Fast-track to burnout! Instead, develop your overall goals for each area, and focus on choosing one to three small things that can be done consistently - e.g., tidy up the kitchen desk twice a week, make the binder system more accessible so we're not just tossing papers around intending to insert them "some other time," etc.; give DH five sacred minutes of focused attention before he heads to work every morning. I hope that makes some sense! Hope something in there helps. I admire your ambition and can't wait to find some for myself! :p

Did you change purses? Odd places where I have found missing items: whatever book DS was reading when he needed a bookmark; nightstand; freezer (not kidding!); recycling. :eek: And, since you were thinking of it in connection with guests arriving, maybe you scooped it up with other last-minute clutter, like wrapping paper? Sure hope you find it soon! That panicked feeling is awful.