Dd reading next to me shouted '2!' It is the only prime even number:) She has a very, very pronounced quirky preference for even numbers and things on the left?!

How about Liberated: How to lighten up and let go...

Unfortunately, she has stated that since her name (as official clerk) is on each marriage certificate issued, allowing someone else in her office to issue them would still be her officially sanctioning gay marriage. Problem? I see the solution, even if she does not:(

No, my dd went directly into the 12+ game as soon as she finished the first, I think she was just 4. It does get more challenging more quickly...but we saw that as a distict bonus:)

I got ' look at that picture of grandma! She looks pretty there!' No dear, that is me:(((

I couldn't agree more. Hubby is British-born, and his uncle and cousins are gamekeepers on a a large estate in Yorkshire. Hubby grew up hunting and fishing there, and so discussions with dd on this book were very informative for us:)

lol, this is the only Roald Dahl book my dd was seriously offended by. She loves almost anything RD, but this one offended her in the most base fashion as she has a very developed sense of right and wrong (according to her own ideas!). It violates her ideas of fair play, and whilst we are vegetarian she can completely understand hunting for food as long as it is not wasteful. But this book went against the grain in every area for her and wow was she indignant:) Still, one of the beauty of reading RD books is that they are NOT cookie-cutter morality/ Disney fairytale. They allow readers to explore those concepts and emotions in a manner that is fun, whimsical, and safe since they are 'not rwas'--just far enough removed from reality as to make them so.

We have Dinolingo Latin ( as well as Spanish and French!) as they are fun and cute. But there really isn't a way to make them line up withSSL or SSS, they are just too different. However, Dinolingo is fantastic for vocab as a fun extra... If you sign up for email offers on the Dinolingo site they frequently have 10% and 20% off deals:)

Oh! Dd's absolute favorite stories at age 2 (and for about 2 more years!) is a collection called Farmyard Tales: seriously cannot recommend them enough! http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Farmyard-Tales-Usbourne/dp/0794509029

My baby, age 4 months, has digestive issues:( He is frequently miserable, and thus are we...by sheer coincidence we recently noticed that whenever I put on Jim Weiss audiobooks at home for dd5, the baby seemed to quiet down and relax. However, today was a breakthrough that proved it for us, lol. Max HATES to ride in the car, hates his car seat, and so driving/riding in a car is pretty darn miserable. He will literally scream for ages. We decided to test our theory by playing dd's current favorite (SOTW 1) on our two hour drive. Not a peep. Seriously. And he was awake for much of the drive! I knew his voice was soothing but I am now upgrading my opinion to magical:)

Oh no:( Sad loss indeed...

Uh, yes, oops here too:) I discovered this week, in our official first week of homeschool, that this exact scenario has happened. She has done the Key to series and suddenly everything I had planned to keep her busy is not going to! Back to the drawing board for math...

When dd was 2 her favorite things were Mr. Potato Head, books, a toy duck that quacked incessantly, Magnatiles, and a latch board that daddy made out of a piece of play wood. He put a variety of different hinges, fasteners, and padlocks, and she played with it forever. We also gave her a small bucket of different sized bolts and nuts for her to sort and match/screw together based on size. One of the best gifts ever. Hours of entertainment, fine motor,and fun:)

Wonderful! Looks like Wordsmith.org is a favorite:) In addition to the words themselves, she likes to learn the roots and ties to history, so hopefully this will be a fun addition. It has become so much fun to do as a family, although we do get a lot of strange looks:) on Alex's last day of preschool this summer her teacher approached me after class and informed me that she had never had a 5-year old use 'loquacious' and 'penultimate' in the same sentence, lol. I wish I knew what that sentence was as dd couldn't remember😄

Does anybody subscribe to a good source? Dd really, really loves words at the moment. When it first became a 'thing' for her I stumbled upon dictionary.com and their emailed word of the day. Every.single.morning she wants to know the new word, but their words are exceptionally hit and miss. She specifically does not want 'kid words,' whatever that means, but I am also looking for interesting and useful. Today's word was 'argy-bargy' and whilst that amused my Scotland-born hubby greatly, is not really what dd is looking for. It has become a fun thing for our family to do at breakfast, and we try to use the word throughout the day and thereafter...but need a better source! We need only emailed daily sources as well, as extra prep from me would fall into the 'rarely happen' column:)

Because I made a conscious decision that I will embrace my messy house and instead of keeping it it immaculate will devote that time to playing with my kids, catching up on missed sleep, lounging when ai need it, and the occasional margarita. At least, that's my official story and I am sticking to it😉

Don't you mean MAGNIFI-sssssss-ENT!

This is what our librarian told us as well. In fact, I took dd5 in to get her library card for her birthday because she had been wanting her own for quite a while. She was sooo disappointed when she learned she couldn't even walk out with one. They mail them to the physical address on your utility bill as an extra safety measure.

When my dd5 was born it was still considered a bit strange (in hubby and colleague's eyes) to meet homeschoolers and they definitely didn't have a great reputation. Particularly in the sciences, where hubby teaches. Fast forward five years and encounters with previously-Homeschooled students opened my British, traditionally-minded hubby's eyes to the possibility and benefits of homeschooling! He says he consistently meets well-read, well-spoken, hard-working students only to discover they were homeschooled...

This is almost verbatim what was on my dd5's application for a library card. She is a bit outside the norm, but the librarian was shocked when dd read it aloud and answered questions on what it meant. The librarian said they expected parents to read and explain up to age 12, and after that the kids were expected to do it.

No, no! Don't feel badly...half our school had nasty, peeling, bloody feet from those bags and moonboots! Then the teachers called it sore feet. Uh, yeah, AKA Trench foot. The bags keep the sweat and moisture trapped in the hot boots:(((

Oh wow, flashbacks. Bread bags and moon boots. Icy cold, wet winters in Idaho!

Ooh, ooh, I know a great one:) This was one of dd's favorite geography apps for a long time. It is a Montessori-style app and is wonderful:) I can't link it right now but it is called Intro to Geography by Montessorium (North America). It covers North America, Central America, pronounces the names and has you place them properly as well as a few other activities.

I NEVER walk anywhere at all. Not for pleasure, or necessity. I might even use one of those grocery store scooters. I even send my dd5 out to the mailbox! Of course, I am in a wheelchair so I have an excuse😊 Sorry, couldn't resist when I saw the topic title😄 That being said, we live across a grassy field from the University where hubby teaches specifically so that he can walk to work. We own one vehicle by design. If I go visit him at work I wheel unless it is raining. It would be difficult to park anyway since the students seem to all drive to class from their dorms/apartments a couple of blocks away! It really is shocking how few people walk anymore:( In walking that short distance, hubby has been offered countless rides by well-meaning students who assume he is walking because a) his car must have broken down or b) he must not be able to afford one. (No joke, heard in the hallway by the secretary!) ETA: of course, ironically, the endless line of treadmills and stair masters at the uni gym are always full:)