Song School Latin -- we are both really looking forward to learning Latin SOTW 2 -- Kings, Queens, Knights, Vikings! Reading lots of Newbery winners

Mine are still little, but my oldest was in preschool when he was an only, so I had the days to myself. I am a completely reluctant homeschooler because I need alone time. I am soooo not one of those people who can spend long periods of time with kids -- most likely because I had my kids pretty late in life and had already fallen into a pretty comfortable rhythm in my adult life. We live on our sailboat in large part so that my husband doesn't have to work very much and we can keep our housing expenses low (the biggest $$$ in most people's budgets in So Cal). Economizing on housing costs frees up money and time for me to get massages, mani/pedis, read fiction, and for my husband to go off adventuring with the kids while I drink wine by the pool. Without it, I'd go completely insane. :)

My husband owns his own business and has a flexible schedule. While I am the SAHM, he most definitely co-parents in every sense of the word. He has frequent playdates with women -- sometimes I go along, sometimes I am too tired or busy and send him alone. SAHDs/WAHDs at playdates are a totally normal and frequent occurrence in our area/social circle. To the OP, I hope that you will give this man a chance and welcome him on playdates. You might be surprised to make a wonderful friend.

I am also in the 'shelve it' camp. If you are not opposed to electronic use, my son really enjoyed Reading Eggs when he was 3-4. It got him from knowing his letter sounds at 2 to beginning blending at 4. From there, we have done Progressive Phonics, which he preferred to OPGTR, because PP involved us buddy reading together. I think it was less intimidating for him this way, as he has perfectionist tendencies. He's still a fairly reluctant reader at 5.5 (in part because of a vision issue, but probably also because I am pretty lenient about Minecraft), but is currently at a second grade level.

Come on, you wouldn't believe the conversations about transubstantiation I've had with Hobby Lobby while waiting for Christmas services to begin or the filioque throw-down Conestoga Wood and I had on Palm Sunday (CW can throw some real shade). I can't believe liberals would question these persons' sincerely held beliefs. They should just sit down with the corporations, and have a real heart-to-heart, you know, like "persons" do.

Quoting Ginsburg: "The ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives."

Sickening. ETA: And they just found the bodies of the 3 Israeli boys. Not sure this day could get much worse.

Thank you for the information. It is very helpful. I will be homeschooling my son through a public charter school in the fall. He will be taking on-site classes 3 days per week. Do you think it is worth mentioning this issue to the school? Also, has anyone seen these glasses being used? They appear to be in a clinical trial in the U.S., so I assume that they are still not FDA approved. More here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164454

My DS5 was diagnosed yesterday with amblyopia. We started patching tonight. He is supposed to do 4 hours per day. We go back for a recheck in two months. Does anyone have any tips on dealing with amblyopia? How to make the patching easier, etc? He has warn glasses for the past year, as he has an astigmatism. My husband and I didn't understand that the glasses were supposed to help with the amblyopia, so, to be honest, we haven't been uber strict about my son wearing them. Apparently, the pediatric ophthalmologist suspected amblyopia a year ago, but it wasn't clear to my husband or I. My son has been learning to read for the last year and I honestly thought that it would go faster than it has. (He has never been tested for giftedness, but I suspect that he is). He is currently reading at about a mid-second grade level, but it's been pretty reluctant, and the amblyopia now makes a lot of sense in the context of the reading and other issues (primarily things like catching balls) that I have seen. He is a very extroverted and social boy, plays sports, swims almost daily, etc., and I really hope that this condition doesn't interfere with any of that. Thanks for any advice and experience.

Can you TAG your way in using dual-enrolled courses? Meaning, would they allow you to TAG into, say, UCSB if you got all the pre-req's done through dual enrollment?

It was serious business. They wanted pics of me pregnant, medical records, proof of how long I have resided in the U.S. (i.e. college/law school transcripts, tax returns). And it took forever. The baby was born in August. We didn't have the CRBA until December.

Another California baby machine here, and we didn't have to show our marriage certificate for my DS1. Now, getting a Consular Report of Birth Abroad for my triple citizen DS2, that was a serious deal.

Exactly. But for the grace of G-d, go I.

I have a few questions, since the thread was resurrected. If you convert to Islam, do you get to pick which traditions you follow? Meaning, could you choose to follow the pillars of the Shia if you are an Asian or American convert? Regarding converts, how are they viewed generally within Islam? Do born Muslims have a higher status or are all treated equally -- theoretically and in practice. I have always been fascinated by Islam, but, as a Jew, I tend to feel reluctant getting into theological discussions with religious Muslims or visiting Islamic historical sites and mosques. Do you feel that most Muslims in your circles tend to feel distance or animosity towards Jews? If yes, what steps do you think that Jews could take to bring our faiths closer together? (I don't necessarily mean this as a political question, but more on an everyday, interpersonal basis.)

What can I say, I was a pretty big whore. ;) Clearly, I understand that my anecdotal experience is worthless. But, it's just as worthless as XYZ's husband who rolls his eyes when asked if circumcision at birth has had a negative effect on him. And people seem to put quite a bit of stock in the opinions of circumcised males who 1) have never known any difference and 2) aren't necessarily eager to embrace cognitive dissonance.

I definitely agree with you. Ironically, one of the things that helped me to get over my body image issues was taking pole dancing classes with a bunch of very thin model/actress types in LA. After the introductory class, I went out into the parking lot and bawled my eyes out. I was completely mortified about my body. I resolved right then to sign up for the full 8 week class. I figured that if I had that strong a reaction to the class that I had serious work to do. When our instructor asked us why we had signed up for the course, I told her my parking lot story. She said to me, "So, your philosophy is to do one thing every day that scares you?" I had never thought of myself in that way, and it was very empowering. I went on to dance in that class for two years, only stopping due to pregnancy. I did get stronger and a bit thinner (but still was the heaviest girl in my classes by far), but more importantly, I finally learned to be comfortable in my own skin. I've recommended pole dancing classes (they were from S Factor) to many of my friends and they all had the same experience. If you compared my (much younger) husband and I, it would probably appear that he is much more attractive than I am. But, I swear that it was, at least in some part, the confidence in myself that I gained from dancing that helped me to snag him (and keep him through all the wear and tear caused by two pregnancies). ;)

He was playing, but I suppose I could have been too since I didn't feel anything at the time. My point is that I was still undergoing a major surgery which, even in the absence of pain at the time, was traumatizing and painful in its aftermath. And that was a surgery to which I consented (albeit grudgingly). I just don't understand the impulse by some women to discount the physical/emotional repercussions a man may feel from having a part of his sexual organ removed without consent. We would never say this to a woman who had endured FGM, even in its "mildest" form, so why are we so quick to dismiss the feelings of men?

My anesthesiologist played Angry Birds during my c-section. It was still major abdominal surgery and sucked. :) Not sure what your point is.

Now I think you are baiting me. Lol! I am Jewish, and chose to give my sons non-cutting, britot ha shalom (covenant of peace) for precisely this reason. So many Jews are now choosing to forego circumcision that a guide book of sorts for the ceremony is currently being funded on Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1811510440/celebrating-brit-shalom

No? http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2014/02/female-genital-mutilation-and-male-circumcision-time-to-confront-the-double-standard/

I find it incredibly sad that an intelligent, grown woman has been so culturally conditioned that she would have "reservations" about a sexual partner who had a normal, healthy, functioning anatomical part of the male body. Indeed, I find that very sad. I can completely understand how a man could find it distressing that he was strapped to a board, when he was a few days or even hours old, and had a part of his sexual organ permanently removed without his consent, often with inadequate pain medication. As already discussed, to equate such an act with formula feeding or homeschooling is preposterous. I am curious if you have ever taken the time to watch a circumcision video on YouTube or witnessed a circumcision first-hand? There are plenty of training videos that have been uploaded by physicians. After seeing a few circumcisions, I would be hard-pressed to believe that you would be so nonchalant about it. And yes, Crimson Wife, while I certainly respect your opinion and advice on a great many things, I will admit that my sons' sexual health did factor into my decision. I have personally been with both intact and circumcised men, and I could tell a difference with respect to their pleasure and performance. If you have an understanding of the function and role of the foreskin, the reasons for the difference should be obvious. Upwards of 20,000 erogenous nerve endings will do that. :)

I find it very sad that any woman would have reservations about a partner with a normal, intact penis. Where I live, in Southern California, intact children are the majority. I hope that American society will continue to evolve away from removing a healthy, normal part of our children's sexual organs without their consent.