I love it. I have a seemingly natural speller so many would argue that spelling was unnecessary...but she really enjoys the rules-based approach and the format. She loves being able to identify the 'why' of how a word is spelled. We finished level 6 and are going through level 7 a bit more slowly as she has suddenly thrown herself into spelling bee prep:)

Yes, please be careful:( Local reports say more violence is expected and that bikers are traveling from further away...which means up and down the I35 corridor.

I agree, which is one of the reasons I am so sad about this. We have lived here for years, and the city is mostly just your average normal city.

It is right off the i35 freeway at the HWY 6 junction. Not downtown Waco no, but I wouldn't consider it far removed either. It is right in the center of all the new stores and shopping area in Waco. That shopping center is the largest in a Waco and is home to all the major shopping in the town...including many popular student places. We shopped there on Saturday.

I just do not understand. Waco never seems to hit the news unless major violence or horrible explosions are involved... Today NINE people are dead after rival biker gangs fight over a PARKING SpOT. With staff and customers of Twin Peaks locking themselves in the freezer to escape. I am so sad for the situation and how violence affects everyone around them:( http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/17/us/texas-shooting/

Shockingly ironic...and on the pet grooming renovation page she happily announces that 'groomer Nicole will offer in-home grooming' where customers can save the gas AND Nicole will do all the cleanup! Yikes:(The cynic in me wonders if she will still offer that service now that she no longer will be able to bring one of her children to clean up for her😟 The whole situation makes me sick and angry. http://blessedlittlegroomingcompany.com/amazing-salon-makeover/

I think it is extremely important to make sure kids know these feelings are normal and teach them to channel their emotions appropriately. When I was very young, maybe 5? I remember having this almost uncontrollable urge to squeeze something when I got angry. I tried telling my mother, and I guess I happened to be petting my dog when I was talking to her. She FREAKED (later I discovered she thought I meant I wanted to harm small anjmals?!). She scared the pants of me making me feel like there was something very wrong with me. In fact, she specifically told me about how kids with anger issues get locked up. I became terrified that I was secretly bad and violent and couldn't let anyone know...for years😒 Obviously an extreme case, but making sure kids know strong emotion is natural, and so is the DESIRE to react physically...how to channel those emotions into something more appropriate is the way we deal with them.

Do they tend to be fairly straightforward, no-nonsense meals, but maybe a bit of creativity? I have made several recipes from her cookbook and the site and enjoyed them. With a new baby who seems to be struggling with the small amounts of dairy in my breast milk, a very picky dd5 (who is essentially vegan because of dairy issues), and post-partum health issues, I NEED something simple and planned for me!

Not a huge deal here, but we are making an effort because my dd5 is excited. I shall lie abed pretending to sleep (ie feeding baby) until hubby and dd bring me a bagel and fruit in bed:) First MD as a family of four so I plan to take the pictures I have been meaning to take:)

I have a singer too...but I actually WISH she would make up some words! Instead she sings the same 5 words of songs all day long. I have a thing about repetitive noises and it just kills me! I have actually tried printing out the words of her favorite songs thinking that she just needed to learn the words-nope. She just likes the repitition😣 How is this child mine?!

Such sweeties! His little cheeks in the bottom picture are just made for kisses!

Ha! Or could have something to do with the rates they are being charged for private use of the hospital suite where she gave birth, lol. Only $9650 per night, with consultant fees of about $8800. And she gets a 10% loyalty discount since she is a repeat customer! Again, she can't win...stick around and there probably would have been articles written on how she was leisurely convalescing when she should have just popped the kid out and got out of there to save the cash...and to free up the parking that has been suspended for the last 3 weeks or so:) I can't imagine living where every single thing my family did was scrutinized so closely, but especially something like giving birth. The 'after' part of pregnancy is misery to me so the thought of sharing that with millions of people, stylists or no, makes me shudder😠Link to article: http://m.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/royal-baby-prep-begins-at-kate-middletons-hospital-in-london-photo-2015144

Typically a bra and a shirt😄 Oh wait. A massive collection of math manipulatives, science overflow from cabinet, and more books.

I can attest to the fact that there are indeed purple, pink, sky blue, and lime green taxis traveling through London with all the traditional black version:) I know this painfully well because on our recent trip to London at Christmas we had occasion to use the taxi queue at London/King's Cross throughout the trip. Embarrassingly enough, I am sure we reinforced several American stereotypes because my 5 yo insisted that we travel in one of every color😊If you have ever been in a taxi queue in the UK you will understand how painful this was...a couple of times we just had to send groups behind us in line ahead so that we could hit it just right. It was REALLY important to the kid, but even then we had to draw the line after we did it for pink and purple! Ridiculous. And it is STILL one of her favorite stories about London: 'Remember when we got to ride in the purple taxi? And I didn't have to sit in a car seat? And the car drove fast and crazy?!" ETA: it was a sort of lilac purple and a Pepto Bismol pink:)

Sat holding my own beautiful two-week baby that defied all odds with me (and not nearly as dire as little Caden!) and am teary-eyed with happiness for you. I know that you guys have a long road ahead, but you must be ecstatic to have him safely here and in good hands. Well wishes for a speedy and full recovery for you and that Caden will continue to grow guickly. Happy birthday baby!

Mine would be hiding in the Rx bag I picked up through the drive-thru pharmacy window. Or in hubby's wallet because he needed it to pick up an Rx for me. Or folded into the cash-back and receipt from the grocery store. Or in the passenger seat/passenger seat area of the van because I neglected to put it away after errands. Or in the seldom-used checkbook because it wouldn't occur to me to check there:)

Math manipulatives of every description, Hands on Equations, Magic School Bus DVDs, popular science for kids DVDs, geopuzzles, Life of Fred series, Ed Zaccharo books, MathTacular DVDs and their science series as well...

My dd5 hated/hates them. And, as in dmmetler's experience, it is often because she couldn't draw them perfectly or found them a waste of time. I still insisted on some, but as long as she shows me the steps of her work I don't push it. She is also doing HOE, and finds the algebraic representation 'lots more fun.' I agree, it is just one tool, one approach. Sometimes we brainstorm different ways to approach problems and she will say 'I guess we could draw the bars, but I don't want to,' and we move on. A few times I have had her talk me through drawing it, but I am not overly concerned:)

Thank you for this. The Internet is extremely useful mostly...but yes, I find that dwelling in forums that tend to have misery as a focus (no matter how much others value that support!) is not good for my mental health.I am glad that you are doing better and hope you make a full recovery. This is not fun, especially piled on top of all the other adjustments. Yesterday I had just returned from the cardio when I got a phone call that dd5 had cut her thumb and needed to be picked up and taken to the ER. Daddy was in the middle of proctoring an exam and therefore u reachable. I actually thought I might just have a breakdown...luckily, her ped managed to close it with glue and steristrips in his office so I didn't have to manage my wheelchair, a screaming 5 yo, and a 10-day-old infant in the ER. I truly think I would have lost it:(

No, thank you. Your story was very helpful. The cardio is hopeful that function will return...starting stronger meds today:)

Looks like some type of June bug to me...

I know not everyone will agree, but like Gil, I have always insisted on doing all the problems. My dd5 is doing SM4B at the moment, and because of her age we want to make sure she is getting everything out of the programs. That being said, I wouldn't ever give her 4-5 pages in a row of the same problems! First, I think that just sets them up for failure. It becomes a rote process of doing the same thing again and again-in one day. Short term memory. We have found it better to say, do a page in SM, then CWP, IP, and then we like to end with Beast. I guess we go more slowly through an individual lesson (ha!) but that can be a good thing. Also, she is able to do the other problems in that lesson independently which gives us both a break:) I also keep a giant white board set up with a few problems that she does when she wants...these may be from the lesson, or Beast, or Hands on Equations. It just breaks up the time spent on one type of problem and, ime, makes for great long-term learning. I am not actually sure she NEEDS all the problems, lol, but mommy needs her to do them for now at least-and she doesn't mind when we approach it like that. Besides, I don't think my sanity could handle anything 'faster!'

My dd5 has loved just about all those listed with the exception of Shiloh...imvho hat is NOT a book for under 2nd/3rd grade. For so many reasons...language, violence of Judd against the dog, even the poor, 'country' grammar I think will be better grasped when the child is a bit older...and I have a pretty precocious kid. In addition to books above, She also loved: Mrs. Pigglewiggle Mary Poppins Babe the a Gallant Pig Anything Beverly Cleary, but the Fudge books especially The BFG James and the Giant Peach Mr Popper's Penguins The Littles books The Cricket in Times square You might consider saving the Magic Tree House books for when he starts reading himself as they are pretty good for starting chapter books...

Origami. Seriously, I once read a study about classrooms full of k-1 who spent 30 minutes 3 days per week on it. Their handwriting was beautiful and vastly different from their control groups. I did origami and ASL with my dd5 and she has gorgeous handwriting, both manuscript and cursive. Even the neuropsych eval we had commented and he believed it was hugely benificial. Obviously, one child does not unequivocal evidence make, but since it is fun and has no harmful effects, might be worth a try:)

I will hear tomorrow but know that it will be ASAP- my doctor thought tomorrow. The goal is to get the fluid off and regulate my heart. Hopefully, because it was caught early the damage will reverse itself with no permanent effects. No way of knowing right now, but they are monitoring closely as apparently pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure can occur very rapidly from this. It frustrates me to know that when the swelling originally ballooned a couple of hours after I arrived home from hospital, I phoned the hospital AND the on-call doctor and was told 'swelling was normal.'