I have a dd5 officially starting Kindy with me this year. She is radically accelerated in many areas, and I am really trying to find some 'extras' to take her a bit broader rather that letting her continue at the same pace through a traditional program. Her manuscript and cursive are both really quite good, and when I asked her for ideas of what she would like to learn this year she suggested calligraphy. It is not the first time she has asked, so I think it could work! Anybody know of a calligraphy book or lessons? Pens? Ink? Anybody done this with their kids and have any advice?

Hhmm. As I said in the post, I DO have some rules that I set, such as clothes in at the dinner table. The child on the sofa IS clothed, and her parents would replace the entire sofa if I required it. There is no disrespect. The shaming I was referring to does not come from making rules, it comes from the pointed comments we as adults might make to the kids. I think it would even be unintentional. The point I was trying to make is that you can discuss rules with the parents if it is really important to you, but that you have to let them deal with it. I have personally decided that they are just kids and the nakedness is not really an issue I am willing to lose friends over.

Lol, it isn't that I don't agree. And there have been times when I have been a bit uncomfortable. However, as both of their parents are university professors and are fully aware, again, their responsibility.The kids are good kids. They aren't hurting anything with their sometimes disregard for clothing. In the grand scheme of things it just isn't even worth worrying about for me:)

No...not per say. But my making comments or inadvertently shaming her would be. Her parents are very aware of it, are working on it, and have even lost friends over it. Nothing I do or say is going to change the issue. So I have the choice to enjoy their company at my house during this time or not.

My dd5 has a set of boy/girl twin 5yo friends whose parents are from another country. When they come over it is not at all unusual for one or both of them to shuck their clothes. Often there is context: the girls may have been playing dress up and the little girl didn't bother with clothes after that. The boy has sensory issues with clothing and will strip off the offending articles. One day we had a small wading pool set up in the driveway and both just stripped naked and hopped in with no regard:) And as a separate issue (as she is usually clothed at the time) the little girl has a very obvious uh, stimming issue. The thing is, they are just kids. Getting naked is not their issue, it is how we as adults choose to view it. It has actually been very healthy for my dd to discover that bodies are just bodies. I think that no other, however well-meaning, adult has the right to make pointed comments or shame the child into putting clothes on. Not their place. If it bothers you, talk to the parents. If they don't agree, don't invite them over if it is something that truly offends you. We do have a couple of 'rules' that I mention in front of the parents and that works. Clothes on at the dinner table is the one that comes to mind. The little girl tends to ride the arm of the sofa as 'her horse' and so I insisted on a blanket 'saddle' as she actually wore a near hole in the arm. Am I thrilled with it? Not at all. But it is her parents job and concern. Mine is to teach my dd that people come in all shapes, sizes, and sorts and we do not judge. We take them as they are and decide if they are those we want in our lives.

This. Just this week I got the bill from the hospital for a newborn hearing test...apparently the hospital contracts it out, so it came back as 'out of network' for our insurance. The total was $275. I called our insurance company, and the amount they would have paid the provider was $16.35!!!! Unbelievable. The providers are charging those who can least afford it, without insurance, hugely inflated prices:( Our insurance company told me to phone back the provider and ask them to negotiate. Before I even got the sentence out, I was informed they could offer me a 50% reduction. I asked to speak with a supervisor and they changed that to a 75% reduction with minimal conversation or complaint. It infuriates me because unless you know to ask, and just pay bills as we have done many times in the past you are seriously overpaying.

Ahhhh- Pretty much sweet silence, hooray! Hubby just left to take dd5 to Parent's Night Out at her gymnastics studio:) There is a clock ticking and the baby is happily and noisily slurping whilst BFing. Sheer bliss except for the frequent and absurdly loud gas he keeps passing!

I was hoping someone with more than one child that went through it would answer, or at least a more typical experience would, but I can give you some answers... At the very beginning of the verbal problems book is a nice introduction explaining the setup and notation used in HOE, as well as some ideas for teaching and practice. I wouldn't say it is extensive handholding, but definitely gets the job done. Then, after each level of problems the worked solutions are given along with a little diagram of what the setup balance should have looked like. We do HOE on Friday Fun Days. Dd really enjoys them so it becomes part of our extension activities. I also often put up a problem or two on our huge dry erase board in the living/dining area and just leave it there for her to do when the urge strikes:)

I have a very accelerated, clever dd5. Since she was tiny and reading out the grocery list at the stor for me before she could run, she has heard the peanut gallery comments of words like 'smart, genius, etc.'. I found that you cannot control what other people say within earshot of the kiddo. Instead I started reflexively saying, "yes, but more importantly she is a hard worker." I don't even have to say it to my dd...she just hears it often in conversation and I truly believe it makes a huge difference. I have heard her say the same thing several times when she thinks I am not there. The other day at the bank when she added up a deposit for me In line, I heard a women ask her age and tell her she was a 'genius'. Ugh, I HATE that, but I was very proud when my dd turned to her and said "Thanks, but I am a hard worker!"

Mine did...but that child came out of the womb as a strange mix of craving fancy/sparkle/bling and wanting messy, dirty science. She immediately decided cursive was 'fancy' and it took about 3 days for her to learn cursive. I think it comes down to the desire to do it...

Draw Write Now is what we did at age 3/4. The drawing was a huge motivator:). You can tie the drawing/sentences in with a story (say for book 1) or more history if you like as well.

That was my immediate thought too:). But I am quite partial as I grew up there and my parents still live there. We would LOVE to move back, and my hubby has a constant eye on even remotely suitable positions--he even applied for one that would be a 50% pay cutðŸ˜.

I actually wondered if it was poor journalism and they were referring to Joe's oldest child that testified against him

Yes, but I admit my dd probably spends a lot more time on math than many kids out of sheer enjoyment. She is 5 and we are doing 5A/B concurrently at the moment because I am letting her jump around this summer. She has covered much of the material in them already through the Key to...series. We started in 1A after RS B and she plowed through. We started using the Textbook, workbook, CWP and IP, but end up teaching with the textbook and CWP, quite a bit of IP problems for fun, and she completes the workbook on her own whenever she wants. We also use Beast Academy. Typically 1-2 days per week, but I often just put Beast problems on the huge dry erase board and leave them to pique her interest. I am struggling to figure out what to do this fall for her first 'official' Kindy year of homeschooling. I really want to let her just explore math now that she has the tools to do so much more...but *I* need something to vaguely follow with a new baby. She has said that she wants to go back and do every Beast problem "all by herself" for her math this year, lol. Very industrious:). It is a lot of fun and looks at math quite differently, so it may suit your needs!

Yes, but who wants to bet if they actually have all the kids with them and the money that certainly hasn't gone into the home improvements they are gone in the night?

How is that even possible?! Those poor, poor children. I am so angry on their behalf...

We just got the Steven/Lucy Hawking books for kids on audio! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1111741.George_s_Secret_Key_to_the_Universe

There are a few activities on the Internet such as the following. Start by watching the 1998 film A Civil Action, based upon the non-fiction 1996 water contamination case in Woburn, MA. Even if you don't do the rest of it, the film would be a good option... http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/assets/docs_f_o/lesson_plan_case_study_a_civil_action_508.pdf

Hang a large sheet, canvas, or play wood on the fence and let her paint a masterpiece:) Do you have a dog? I used to spend hours with 2 x 4's and hula hoops pretending to train my dog for the circus.

No, I absolutely am agreeing! I am furious that she thought it was amusing, and that she thinks this is okay...and I am sad because my dd5 has probably lost a playmate. I think ladies that carry guns around in their purses are deluded at best.Sorry.

Well, obviously they would need to be secured, lol. But at least I would KNOW they were in my home. I live in Texas, but It never occurred to me that I might need a gun safe in my house although we are not gun owners:) After reading this thread I mentioned it to an acquaintance whose daughter has played at our house multiple times-she just laughed and said she always has one in her purse at my house! Thought it amusing that it was a big deal to me that all the times she sat at my house it was never mentioned:(

Hubby says we need a kitschy sign that says welcome to Out Home! Please Leave Your Shoes and Guns at the Door

Honest question though: Do you not feel like many people would feel trapped into a position of either being 'rude' or inviting you in regardless of their feelings rather than having you stuck on the porch? I think many would feel obligated to invite a guest in at that point, despite misgivings.

Yikes. I am so glad I read this thread. I live in Texas. It really hadn't occurred to me that I needed to ask guests entering my own home, or to post a sign. Geez. Yes, hubby and I have already discussed the idea that prior to our children visiting friends houses we will need to ask...but our own home?! And then I wonder: My dd's preschool had an all or nothing invite for bday parties. So every child in the class was invited or none. Obviously this would include some families we know fairly well, and others we don't. Whether I held a party at my house or at a public venue I have to think about this?! And if I choose to hold an event in a public place that allows the them, I get no say! Wow. I didn't realize I needed to choose the Shutterfly invitations template that includes the RSVP option as well as the Please Leave Your Firearms at Home option.

A ridiculous pink Hyundai. With even more ridiculous personalized license plates that I swear my mom got to spite me:) I still remember showing it to my grandpa for the first time. He walked all the way around it without saying a word. Twice. When I asked him what he was doing he said he was looking for the Tonka sticker, lol. I sold that car when I moved to Germany in the Army and bought the coolest flaming orange BMW tank over there. Alas, some other soldier is probably still driving it, several soldiers removed from the one I sold it to when I left. No more exciting cars...the minivan I swore I would never drive is the most amazing and helpful thing I own.