Did anybody else see this today? http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/05/28/the-road-to-a-genius-grant-often-starts-at-lesser-known-colleges/?postshare=1931432835574786

We dropped ETC completely once my then 5 year old took off with reading. It just seemed like busywork. I would just read (we also liked Progressive Phonics, the Nora Gaydos books, and the AAR readers) and throw in some short copywork.

This is just so rich. http://defamer.gawker.com/duggar-dads-political-platform-incest-should-be-punish-1706929035?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow One of the comments is gold: "It’s only incest if the slutty girls aren’t seducing the son with their whore like sleeping."

Sacha is only 6, and this is our first official year homeschooling, so our accomplishments this year are pretty mundane. His reading has really taken off, which makes me super happy. He loves science and anything computer-related. He's blasting ahead in math, and loves Beast Academy. I think that I am also really coming to understand (in no small part thanks to this board) that his slower gross motor skill development is part of his asynchrony. He still wants me to push him on the swing, can't tie his own shoes, and is generally slower, shorter, and weaker than most of the kids his age. At least he is wiping on his own now. That's an accomplishment, in my book. :)

Sorry. I couldn't resist. https://vimeo.com/111355193

At the Claremont Colleges, it was very common for people to change or add majors without it lengthening their undergraduate studies. CMC is very strong in econ and accounting -- areas of study that few high schoolers have explored in much depth. Like your son's school, we also had extensive liberal arts GEs, which led to greater exploration. I started off thinking that I would double major in IR and Russian (while at USC), but ended up studying Russian and PPE (politics, philosophy, and economics) at CMC. What is your son thinking about studying?

I live within spitting distance of UC San Diego, Cal State San Diego, and the University of San Diego. There are several other lesser-known universities within close proximity and several community colleges (not to mention that AOPS is here!) :)

I'm perfectly OK with potentially making an unfair statement about a cult that treats women like dog s**t.

I'm thinking something like this: :)

Alice sounds fairly illiterate, so I am assuming she has some ATI background. Michelle just strikes me as a woman with low self-esteem. The Bulimia, the incessant breeding with strict discipline and little maternal bonding, the attraction of a cult and an egomaniacal husband -- all reaffirm her worldview that she is worthless and in need of "saving" from herself.

Not a good thing? Ok, now you are just trolling.

I am not a Christian, but I disagree with Tibbie. I appreciate these types of sentiments coming from other Christians, even if they have no culpability for the actions at issue. Whenever there is some Muslim fundamentalist terror attack, people are quick to say, "Where are the other Muslims who condemn these actions?" (Of course, there are plenty.) As others have pointed out, people are leaving the church in droves, in part because they are sick of the kind of hypocrisy displayed by the Duggars. I appreciate Christians like Entropymama who stand up and say, "This is not OK. I am so sorry that this happened." I appreciate it very much. As for baptizing children, I was raised Catholic, and was baptized as a baby. I never made my first communion because I knew that I was not a Christian. In Judaism, children are not responsible for the commandments until they have their bar/bat mitzvah at age 12 or 13. I much prefer this age for these types of choices. I have always told my son that I am giving him a Jewish education, but that matters of faith are personal decisions. I was a Jew by choice, and I want my children to be as well.

I emailed them through their website about the coupon, and they responded immediately. I plan to get the $59 Build Your Own bundle with: Ellen McHenry Carbon Chem and the Brain Write From History Level 2, Early Modern and Modern The Fun Spanish Around the World Geography Copywork Quark Chronicles Botany Classical Astronomy Field Guide Fine Art Page 1 and 2

I am still afraid of thunderstorms. One-one-thousand, two-one-thousand... I think a tree will come in and get me.

Some of those purity ball photos are so very The Handmaid's Tail in their ritual.

Our academic goals for 2015/16: -- Strengthen conceptual math understanding with Beast Academy. -- Learn English cursive. -- Learn to take dictation in WWE2 -- Learn to read in French. -- Improve fluency in French, Spanish and Latin. -- Learn to write in Hebrew; strengthen Hebrew reading skills. -- Improve typing skills and ability to code in Scratch. -- Continue enjoying history, science, and reading for pleasure. -- Learn beginning Guitar and martial arts. -- Improve soccer skills to make the academy team for U8.

I have to pick my jaw up off the floor. Woah. I guess I should stick to TWTM online homeschooling conferences. I would not be able to handle that s**t.

This is why so many of us -- despite feeling horrible for the victims -- are experiencing a certain amount of schadenfreude about this whole awful affair.

You could be like the rest of California and move up to the PNW. We've been considering Bend (because we need sunshine and my DH likes to snowboard), but what about Portland or some place like Eugene? ETA: https://siliconshire.org/

If I hadn't done it myself years ago, I wouldn't have believed that you could have a lot of energy on the cleanse. If I miss a meal, I am a raving lunatic. And, I certainly was miserable for the first two days. But, after that, I couldn't believe how easy it was. Congrats!

Coercion is not consent: http://www.local10.com/news/south-florida-mother-consents-to-sons-circumcision-in-court/33167696

I am speaking only from my personal perspective. I live 10 miles to the border of Mexico, which you can walk across. My kids both have passports, which I don't even believe you need to walk into Mexico. My youngest is a Mexican citizen (by birth in Puerto Vallarta), and my oldest son and I could get citizenship. My kids are also Canadians and Jewish, so both Canada and Israel are also options. I have a law degree from Stanford, speak several languages, and enough money to get us started. If my husband wanted to mutilate our sons, I would absolutely run. ETA: I do have some Italian relatives, with very large homes on the Long Island Sound, who are rumored to have mob connections, but I think this is just family folklore. ;)

I cannot believe the defenders of this show: https://www.facebook.com/TLC/posts/10155626312840173?comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22O%22%7D