My dd will finish AAS7 this summer and we will continue to use Spelling Bee prep materials, primarily because of her age and the fact that she loves to do it. If your dd enjoys that sort of thing it is a lot of fun, and has turned into a root study/vocabulary study. If not, then I would think Latin combined with her writing might be enough, especially with maybe adding in a vocab component-some of which she will get from root study. We love the games from Rummy Roots and the Greek/Latin roots cards for a more informal study if she would enjoy that:)

Ah, bureaucracy:) I think sometimes government workers get so used to following the 'rules' that it is easier to just go with it:( True story: Both my hubby and his buddy came to the U.S. from England to do postdoctoral research for a fellow Englishman. The buddy went to get his driving license at the DMV and was put through the whole thing: written test as well as driving test had to be passed. I didn't realize he had done it, and so I called to ask what the requirements were...telling them hubby was from the U.K., and he only had to take the written portion. One day after the buddy. Imagine our surprise later when we were discussing it:) Turns out, if you say you are from England the 'book' says you need both...but if you are from the U.K, it says you only need the written portion. Nothing else matters. Because so many people in the U S are known for their geography skillsðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜

We have all sorts of things out there. A swingset/two story playhouse, a trampoline, tire swing, slack line, zip line, log obstacle course, mud kitchen for the kid, tire swing. The garage has been converted into a 'woody' rock wall/cave with monkey bars, trapeze, training bars, balance beam, and more. This weekend dad is putting in a huge sandbox and soon it will be warm enough for the above ground pool to go back up. That being said, we currently only have the one 5 yo who is only now getting to the point she will play out there for long, lol. I am on bed rest so I just bought a set of walkie-talkies, and it has been perfect to lay in the hammock or even stay inside...as long as she can check in with me she is happy. This week she has been on a mission:we have TONS of pecans, and she saw a sign we drove past that advertised buying them at $0.90 per pound:) she has picked them up for hours, and taken them in twice for almost $30, lol. We have a small concrete pad out there to do something with and dad wants to make her a hobbit hole with sod over the top. Grandpa is a landscape gardener and is planning a small pond with a tiny bridge when he comes out in three weeks...but I am a low maintenance, let everything grow and get covered in ivy kind of person so it definitely will never be manicured and tended. I would like a veggie garden but can't work it:( We are instead planting riotous colored flowers and going for a butterfly garden:)

You might try calling a local tree service! I did this and got 5 large 2 feet tall pieces of solid red oak, about 2 feet in diameter, that we cut into varying heights for dd5 to jump to and play. For free! They were happy to get rid of them:)

Lol, yeah, not interested in 'taking a stand' at all at here😄 Just trying to get through the day here! And honestly, nobody in my family is interested in judging or policing what anyone else eats! Even my dd5 knows that she is 'a child of vegetarian parents' rather than a vegetarian, and that it will always be her choice. And she deserves to make or explore those choices without her parents judging or reacting:)

Thanks everyone! After I thought about it I realized I really just don't want to deal with it:) I sent an email just reiterating Tap's points below...I do think it is more than reasonable to offer money and decline at this point. And I would hate to buy something that none of the kids will eat, then have a herd of hungry 3, 4, and 5 year olds. It really will be surprising if we make it at all...if baby doesn't come, if I am not too miserable...and the fact that it is planned for a remote part of the park I am not sure how my wheelchair will handle:( Geez, it really is a disaster all around isn't it😊 The more I think about it the more I think Daddy might be fielding the event!

Lol, believe me I mentioned it to the teacher. I think she thought I was joking, so I guess ai wasn't very forceful. If the kid wasn't so excited about the whole thing we would just give it a miss...just a couple more months to get through! And we may end up missing it anyway it baby makes his appearance! One can hope....

😊 I was trying to be diplomatic as well:) If my money is paying for these I at the very least need to know they are the best I can do on all fronts!

Lol, we ARE the only vegetarians:). We are in central Texas! I am taking some veggie hotdogs just in case my dd wants one, although she has thus far refused to even try one (or a bun, or ketchup, or anything vaguely close in the standard 'kid-friendly' foods! Not even pizza:) Yeah, somehow I think I got the short end of the stick on this one! I had a look at the list of what others are bringing and they include things like the buns, or 3 bags of chips...oh well, at least I will know I tried to feed them something vaguely uh, healthier? So all beef Kosher is what to look for? Any brands to look for or avoid?

Not close enough to get to one before the event, unfortunately!

So as strange as it it, I need help with hot dogs! I have never eaten or bought a hotdog, (lifetime vegetarian) and have somehow been tasked with the bringing of some 60 of these to a Spring Fling event for a Montessori classroom. I am not thrilled by the prospect, lol, as at 36 weeks pregnant even the thought makes me nauseous😠That being said, if I am going to do it I want to make sure to get something really good quality (is that possible with a hotdog?!) that the kiddos will eat. I am on bed rest so really cannot go out to look...what says the hive?

Thanks, just realized! Pregnancy brain, lol...

nm, wrong forum!

A man once stopped me in a parking lot and told me I was beautiful, and didn't look like a 'normal wheelchair person.' Uh. I told him "thanks, but you should see me when I forget to take my anti-drool meds." I am sure he meant to be nice, but seriously?!

When we visited in December I looked all over for the perfect one:) I found this one at the official Tower gift shop and it is awesome:) in fact, I bought a whole series of them there...including one on King Henry VIII, which is the kids favorite:) It looks like they will ship it... http://www.historicroyalpalaces.com/m/theme/tower-of-london-official-gift-shop/tower-power.html

If I can get it at the beginning, taking a Midol sometimes works, since it combines the pain relief of Acetominofen with as much caffeine (vasodilator) as in coffee. I see a neurologist for migraines and he advised this along with a bit of dark chocolate. Mind you, it only seems to really be effective if I catch it before it truly settles in:( Botox injections have been a pretty good help with some prevention of tension headaches...

Taco seasoning and veggies. Sometimes it gets put into a tortilla:)

Ha, this is a vacation tradition for us, the only time we do cereal like that...AND we take dd for donuts the first day of vacation! She is usually just as excited by that than setting off in vacation!

I love Boise. I grew up there, my family lives there, and we are really trying to find a way to move back:) By the way, this 'aquarium' is a joke. It is actually more like a little store (in fact, it shares a building with a bail bond place if I remember correctly!)) it had a reasonable number of small tanks and some larger ones, but is more like a place for small children to go. There are so many things amazing about Boise. And yes, it does have quite a large Mormon population. But the area does not feel oppressive, and believe me, I live in Central Texas where it does! Boise itself is really quite bohemian and crunchy in many ways. Lots of outdoor activities and a general outdoors lifestyle. Always new growth for the kids and some really great opportunities for kids. I have a PG kiddo I am looking for opportunities for and I am quite surprised at the possibilities I have found there for her that have popped up since I have been gone. We were there for a month last summer visiting my family and will be going back this summer with the intent of planning a long term move:)

Weeellll worth it. You will spend a good deal of travel time waiting in lines to access things like museums. We went to Landin and Paris in Dec/Jan and had passes in both. Some places even have separate long lines where you stand in one for tickets and then wait again to gain entrance! We were able to double the things we did and saw by saving time:) Also, ours came with a red bus tour pass for a couple of days...even if you don't use them for sightseeing they are extremely useful for transportation purposes since you can hop on and off. Take advantage of both the Tube and the Metro. It will also save you a lot of time, money, and walking! One tip: I found a blog about what KIDS remember from their trips to Paris...and if wasn't the standard things:) I took their advice, and one day we completely skipped lunch. Instead we stopped at three different Patiserees and allowed everyone to select rediculous numbers of pastries and lovely sugary concoctions. We sat on benches near Notre Dame and binged, lol. My dd5 talks about it constantly, lol. Right there is a bridge where you attach a regular lock...couples carve their initials into them and swear their love. Our family did one and it is another of the high points for my dd. Take one with you, as they cost a fortune if you buy one in a tourist shop! Sketchbooks for the museums were a massive hit as well:)

Hhmm, I have read almost all of the above mentioned 'pop-science' style books and enjoyed them:) Hubby and l are both chemists and I have much more of a biology and toxicology background. Your search actually reminded me of a toxicology class I took. Whilst I had several, one in particular stands out as it was for designed for students with an interest in drugs and poisons:) We had a textbook called The Basic Science of Poisons as a spine (see below) which went through general (and many specific!) pathways and mechanisms, but the fun part was keeping a notebook. The professor gave everyone a poison or toxin every week and had them research it. It is relatively easy to find scientific papers on each known or predicted pathway, but we were also encouraged to find the fun cultural references, the historical uses, crazy instances of murder and mayhem, etc. Then we presented each to the class and were given copies for our own notebook. It was a total blast! And no one book could have provided such a both broad overview with the very specific molecular info we were studying. Just a thought, but a project like that could be tailored as in-depth and broad as needed, then kept around as chemistry/biology/cell physiology knowledge deepens:) http://www.r2library.com/resource/title/0071470514

Lol, my dd kept dropping her favorite mechanical pencil about a million times per day, on the far side of the table! With the wheelchair it was very difficult for me to get it and she took forever. One day I was at the bank and used one of those pens connected by a chain so people won't steal them, and I thought 'hey!!!!' I tied a string around her pencil and used a bit of duct tape to tape the other end of the string under the table. So when she dropped it she could retrieve it easily. Funnily enough, after that she stopped dropping it at all:)

"I will give you a sticker if you stop riding my couch" Said to a friend's 5yo after I noticed she has literally worn a hole in the arm of my leather sofa by 'riding' the arm on just a handful of visits--after I tried ensuring she used a 'saddle' (blanket) first:( "No, we cannot stop to scoop up roadkill for dissection!" To dd5 "Bird poop is NEVER something to eat!" "Because I said so!" --which I swore up and down ai would never say but after the 19th patient explanation fell upon deaf ears I simply didn't care:) "No, we don't have time to make microscope slides of your ear wax. Or nose goblins. Or mine. Or anybody's. Maybe another day. All of my these were just today.

As someone permanently in a wheelchair, this infuriates me!!! OF COURSE YOU NEED A TEMPORARY TAG!! Geez, they issue them for myriad ridiculous reasons these days. I cannot for the life of me believe they would deny it. Not just parking closer, that is the least of the concerns. There is just no way to manouver a wheelchair between closely parked cars, especially if drivers adjacent do a poor job of parking...which happens daily. And please, please do not feel you need to justify this! Pain, injury, exhaustion are enough to put anyone at the end of their rope. Anything that can help make it just a bit easier is now necessary! If her Pedi won't issue it make an appt with Ortho. It could be they have a rubber stamper admin who looks at these things, as I once found out. Go see him face to face. I don't agree that it isn't worth fighting it over a couple of months worth. Getting in and out of a vehicle as a wheelchair user, in pain, is a seriously daunting task...one that keeps me home more often than I would like! Hugs to you and your dd, I know how difficult this must be:(

'Giant' Easter baskets--shape a bean-bag chair and fill the hollow with spring goodies. Make a handle from either cardboard or something useful/fun like arranging the bag in a Hulu hoop. Big jump rope bow. That sort of thing:) It would be fun to do an outdoor the theme for the stuff, maybe the Hula Hoop handle, Nerf items, all things to play outside...