Come visit us in San Diego! :)

I just pushed the submit button on Sacha's CTY summer camp app (Be A Scientist!). I hope he gets in, and we get some financial aid $$$$. Anyone else have kids thinking about attending academic~ish summer camps, or doing cool summer projects? Let's hear about it. I like to get ideas, and to hear what all your amazing kids are up to.

Thank you! Mine will be 9, turning 10 in January, when he hits PA (if he stays on this trajectory), so it is wonderful to hear that the WTMA is working so well for the younger crowd.

As much grief as we get from homeschool purists, this conversation has really helped me to appreciate our homeschool charter. So much of the community we have as homeschoolers is because of our charter. My kid has friends from the charter, enrichment classes from the charter, field trips from the charter, contests from the charter. Notice a pattern here? The only people I know who volunteer in the homeschool community do so because they want to, not because they feel like they should. Say what you will about homeschool charters, but ours has been an amazing blessing for us. I wish more states had them as an option for homeschoolers. However, to the OP, I don't get homeschoolers who do it just for the money they receive from the charter. $3000/year in funds is quite the enticement for a lot of people (who wouldn't otherwise choose to homeschool) to pull their kids from regular public school. There is a whole cottage field trip industry that has sprung up here to cater to homeschoolers with funds to burn. Ski trips for PE, Sea World is studying Marine Ecology, and California Adventure is CA History, complete with lesson plans and samples for the charter. I am sorry, I don't care how you spin it, I don't see why the tax payers of CA should be paying for your Disney passes.

Sacha: "I can't decide if I'd rather be Secretary of the Treasury or SecDef."

Quark, I would take that info as good news for your DS!

If you are at all considering meds, Victoza has done wonders for me. I was pre-diabetic after my last pregnancy in 2013, and Victoza dropped my numbers to the normal levels when nothing else would,

Wow! I have 5 friends who are midwives, and they are so woman-empowered and femme-centric, I cannot imagine them hazing other CNMs. That just blows my mind. I worked at a Planned Parenthood clinic as an intern in college, it was the same -- very supportive environment, which is one of the things I am looking for professionally. I come from a BIGLAW/BIGBANK background, and it was very dog eat dog. I am totally over that kind of stuff.

This is so incredibly helpful! Thank you all for your amazing responses. I was aware of the move towards the DNP, and that would be fine for me. I am concerned about the bullying issues that were raised. I have always worked in very male-dominated environments, and while they were not free of hazing, men seem to be much more direct in their hazing rituals, Some of stuff that I read online about nurses bullying other nurses has given me pause (e.g. http://www.marieclaire.com/culture/news/a14211/mean-girls-of-the-er/).I am waaaaay too old to deal with that kind of junior high school drama. Is this really as prevalent as online fora would lead one to believe? Is it any better/different for the advanced practice nurses?

Yeah, but your kids are like +4 z-scores. Sacha is more like a +2. ;) I'm really just wondering if the class is a good fit with the younger crowd.

Thank you, Nyssa. This is good advice. I'm hoping that volunteering will give me greater clarity about whether this is something that I really want to pursue.

Thank you! I did sign up and made an account there today (JD2RN). I just love the advice at the Hive!

Also, re the acceptance rate, it is based on a point system, and I am a competitive applicant.

Kris, I plan to attend the local state college nursing program. It's 3500/semester (and I would likely qualify for some financial aid), so even if I wash out in clinicals, I am not out very much money. My other degree was well over 250k, and I'm not looking to replicate that scenario. Total BSN (before financial aid) = 21k. MSN is roughly 30-35k, depending on the specialty.

Just to clarify, I already have a graduate degree in a non-science field, so the BSN in 3 years is not an accelerated program. It is just giving me advanced standing for the degree. They do have accelerated BSN and direct entry MSN programs, but I'm not looking for that grueling pace or expense. I'm really trying to be methodical before jumping into something.

I am thinking about returning to school to pursue an advanced nursing degree. I'm currently knocking out pre-reqs and have applied to volunteer at a local hospital. The issue is that I have bipolar disorder, and sleep deprivation is a major trigger for me. I'm trying to figure out if this is something I can realistically and healthfully do. My pdoc is not optimistic. My current plan is to apply to nursing school in the fall. I would graduate with a BSN in 3 years. After the BSN, I would like to work part-time as an RN while I study for the MSN (likely 2-3 more years). My goal is to work part-time as a nurse practitioner (not sure on speciality, but have an interest in women's and mental health). I understand that most new grad nurses work nights at first, usually 3 12-hour shifts/week. I also understand that many NPs that work in the hospital setting work some grueling hours. I don't think I'd handle that well. My question is whether I can attend nursing school, complete clinicals, and work PT without compromising my mental health? Do you think I can stick to days and less demanding outpatient settings? I think that my pdoc is projecting her med school experience onto nursing school in telling me that this will be too demanding/require sleep deprivation. I also know that some people work and go to school FT, sacrificing sleep in the process. My question is: if I make sleep a priority, is this realistic? Thanks so much for any advice.

Semi-related, has anyone done the WTMA AOPS Pre-A or Alg with the 4th/5th grade set? How did it go?

It's hard to believe we are living in the same state. It was 75 and gorgeous today in San Diego.Just shows you how enormous CA really is. We are supposed to get rain tomorrow, but I think only around a quarter inch. Stay safe everyone!

That's awesome! I feel a little ridiculous going back to school at 42, and I may end up finding out that nursing isn't for me, but I figured that I would give it a shot. :)

Big Picture Goals for Sacha: Join a homeschool rock band. Land a role in a local junior theatre production. Improve scores in Math Kangaroo and on the Exploratory Latin Exam. Begin learning Python and improve modding in Java. Finish arduino science project. Learn to sail, skateboard, and tie his shoes! Big Picture Goals for Ronen: Graduate from speech therapy and swim school. Solidify knowledge of letter sounds and improve number sense. Begin reading and arithmetic. Big Picture Goals for Me: Complete UCSD hospital internship and nursing school pre-reqs with a 4.0. Rock the TEAS ETA: I am dipping my toe into the water to see if I want to pursue an advanced nursing degree (e.g. women's or mental health nurse practitioner, midwife, or anesthetist)

B6 + original Unisom (not the fast melts) did the trick for me. My midwife recommended it. Congratulations!!!!

Doesn't Khan Academy offer PSAT 8/9 prep? I haven't looked at the test yet, but seem to recall that.

Are boys going into puberty earlier as well? What's been your experience with your boys?

My childhood is dying. May his memory be a blessing.

Cold! 59 chilly degrees and sunny in San Diego.