😄You see, it all in how you look at it! He did not do something silly:) He was a Homeschooler conducting an experiment on superabsorbers. He was attempting to quantify just how much volume of liquid the polyacrylamide in the diaper could absorb. You should definitely log the time and research into your planner under science. In addition, he may well have been investigating the veracity of claims by commercial diaper companies as to how much volume diapers actually hold! You may well need to have him pee in a couple of different brands, both expensive and inexpensive. He may need to chart cost versus efficacy as well, lol. So definitely it counts as math time, as well as economics. For that matter, if he changed himself and cleaned up, that is home economics as well! 😄😄😄the beauty of homeschooling! http://imaginationstationtoledo.org/content/2011/03/how-do-diapers-work/

This is my hubby's name:) Of course, he was born in Stirling, Scotland. The massive Robert the Bruce statue there may have had something to do with it.

LOL, no I think you are right! Poor British hubby had a young college student in one of his classes last semester whose name actually WAS Fanny. He just could not handle it:) he said he turned red and stuttered everytime he had to call her name.

Nimrod Really. My Grandfather's name...if I had been a boy my mother planned to call me Christopher Nimrod. I totally celebrate the XX chromosomes that rescued me from that dire fate. On the other hand, my mother was seriously pressured to name me after my grandmother. My name was supposed to be Gladys Annabel. It wasn't until I was born that my mom rebelled and told her mother that she had another name picked out! Unfortunately she didn't, and looked around the room for inspiration. I ended up being named after a lotion bottle:) Keri is so very...

Yep. Totally the penalty for delaying your reading gratification:) If he REALLY loves you he will beat feet to B&N! #firstworldproblems!

I took our dd to get her 1st library card and then to Starbucks to have a treat and read:)

I roasted butternut squash halves. Filled them with a mixture of Morningstar veggie crumbles, onion, garlic, and diced mushrooms, and topped with veggie feta and pine nuts before browning the top. So good:) Tomorrow is stir fry as the kid has swimming lessons!

You can make it as extravagant or as simply as you like. One of our stand-by meals when people ask in summer is very simple. Make skewers of veggies and mushrooms. Bell peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, squash, all look lovely together. The only problem you will have is the grill itself. You can solve this by double wrapping the items in aluminum foil to prevent contact. Baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and a green salad. If you go the taco route, this is simple too. We actually really like small cubed of potatoes with Mexican seasoning, sometimes cooked with diced bell pepper and onions. Black beans, salsa or pico, and fresh toppings. I usually make a quick mix of chopped avocado, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, and salt/pepper as it makes a nice presentation and is tasty! If you don't want to mess with black bean burgers, marinate Portabello mushrooms instead! Very, very simple is a simple veggie marinara sauce. Serve over spaghetti squash instead of pasta. You can top with sliced Portabello mushrooms if you like, and add a green salad. ETA: simple vegan dessert: purchase vegan chocolate and melt. Dip fresh strawberries and call it good.

Oh hugs. I go through this EXACT same thing with picking out clothes for my dd4. I usually start with 2 choices. She will wantme to choose an outfit. Fine. Here you go. Nope, not thaaaaat one! And we can go through every outfit in her dresser until she finally settles on an outfit that is wet in the washing machine and has a fit because she can't wear it! Really?!! I would get upset with myself that I actually fell for it too. You can see t coming. She is fiercely independent and wants at least the illusion hat she is in control. I finally extracted myself from the situation completely. I bought one of those hanging shelves cloth organizer for her bedroom. On Sunday night we lay out 7 outfits and she puts them in the cubbies. I don't care which one she chooses for which day, but each get used during that week. If she changes her mind fine, she knows what to do. If it is dirty? Next week unless she asks ahead or needs it for something special. Everything from socks to clothes to undies are there. Is it possible for you to do something similar? Extract yourself from he power struggle because there really is no way to win. Even if she finally put on undies she went to bed with that vague unhappy feeling and knowing everyone was upset. This is how I felt. I could get her in clothes but she wen out the door with a bad start to the day that was totally unnecessary:(

What about simply having her look over the faculty web page of some of the speakers or key-notes? She will see their pics, read a very brief synopsis, and might see a few things to pique her interest. This is what I always did prior to conferences, and what hubby does still. I think that it may make her feel a bit more comfortable to match faces to names. If she is more comfortable, her natural light and interest will shine through. I have a feeling they will be more interested in HER, and if she happens to recall a fact or two of their main area of study they will be delighted.

Yes! Gonna, gotta, and yeah are prime offenders. Hubby is British and doesn't have a problem with the big three, and has much better control of his 't's and r's...but has his own strange lazy speech/portmanteau words! My dd4 is the language police however, and corrects me every time I use gonna, gotta, or yeah😳 Very aggravating yet very effective!

Unfortunately, I don't know if it is that simple. This was exactly my thought process when I chose a completely non-academic preschool for my dd last year. She is crazy ahead in so many ways, but is still FOUR. I sent her 2 mornings per week, just to let her paint and play, have fun. It was a monumental failure. As Heigh Ho mentioned, I think often when kids are advanced, especially verbally, they have a lot of trouble relating to kids their age who are not. Alex wanted to play with the kids, not next to them. It was painful to watch her try to engage them, 'use her words.' Finally she would just get upset and take something she had been waiting for, or ignore them. And this is NOT an area where socioeconomic factors where largely in play. Also, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. She learned to hide her knowledge or ability and began to feign helplessness because she saw how much attention the teachers gave kids who were struggling. When this failed she would 'act up' and get very silly, mimicking whatever behavior was most successful at grabbing the teachers attention that day. Her teacher even told me she could tell exactly what was happening and could predict it! In fact, Alex would explain to her WHY she misbehaved, lol. This year we are trying a Montessori preschool with a mixed age group 3 mornings per week. We will be homeschooling full time the following year, but I really want her to have the fun experience. She started last week, and her teacher has suggested she go with the mixed Kindy class which will have more works, so we shall see if this makes a difference.

This is exactly our experience. I think this really is becoming more common. In addition, the kids start activities really young (say 3 for many) and the nature of the beast is that they all know each other. They grow up together. Games, meets, fundraisers, play dates, etc. all arise from the contact. The mothers chat and exchange info on clubs, groups, activities, schools, even teachers, and the kids tend to stick together. Unfortunately, THIS is how little proto-cliques get started. A child coming into this later, even still young, may have a very difficult time fitting in. Combine feeling left out because the kids all know each other with being physically behind them in the skill/sport and this can really become a difficult hurdle. Obviously not insurmountable, especially those really motivated, but still difficult. I grew up in a large family with 4 kids and no money for extracurriculars. I remember groups of kids even in Kindy that stuck together because they knew each other from whatever activity. In some larger cities maybe this isn't such a problem, but it seems as though middle-class suburbia wants to give their kids every early opportunity and these socialization opportunities are where it is easiest to get it...it isn't even just about the kids socializing, but the parents and the opportunities for further socialization that arise as a result. My dd4 seems to have boundless energy right now and we NEED ways to exhaust her:). In addition, I am in a wheelchair and worry about getting her opportunities to be more physical. She does swimming 2x week, gymnastics 2x week, Soroban, piano, violin, and princess chess weekly. This summer she has several camps including a zoo camp, science camp, princess ballet, and Aquatics Rescue. I see her doing lots as this age as an opportunity she won't have as she gets older and has to focus her time in things more academic or select one-two activities to enjoy. It is a sampling time. Of course the single child thing makes a huge difference in both money and time! That being said...I would NEVER put myself at risk financially for all of that. I would pick ONE and maybe even do month on/month off if possible (some places will allow) or try to take advantage of promos. And if not? It isn't the end of the world! You may just have to work a bit harder for play opportunities, and try to make sure that your kids have at least a working knowledge of sports/activities. The latter isn't 100% necessary, but has served me well in lots of situations.

Last summer my ridiculously rough and tumble nephew broke his right arm at the beginning of the summer. His had to be elevated and he was not supposed to use it. Trying to keep him busy and calm was crazy! We bought him a set of inexpensive tools and and an old computer...and let the kid take it apart piece by piece using his left hand:) It kept him busy, he learned a ton about computers, and can now use his left, non-dominant hand like a champ:)

I think it is wonderful that you are following his lead:) But I absolutely get how scary it might be. When my dd4 was 3 and working through the earlier SM books after RSA and B, I didn't consider it a big deal. She LOVES math, so okay, it is fine...just arithmetic, right? Now she is 4.5 and it recently occurred to me to check the trajectory. Obviously, she may slow down, or get side-tracked. That would be just fine. But on Thursday she stayed with the neighbor all morning. When I picked her up she had completed 26 pages in SM 4A. Some of this is because she likes the Key to...series so SM is a bit of a repeat. But wow, I spend A LOT of time and energy wondering jus how this will all work out! I love the idea of finding a math mentor who truly has a passion for sharing it. Hopefully you can find someone who has a great background in more non-traditional areas of math. And then hold on, because it seems that if you feed the beast? It GROWS:)

I feel the same way! I have a very academically advanced dd4 with a Dec bday. We will ultimately be homeschooling but I really spent a lot of time looking at every available school program because I KNOW she would enjoy the traditional fun of Kindy. But she isn't scheduled age-wise to attend until Fall of 2015, and can read anything you put in front of her, writes page narrations, and is working through SM3B/4A concurrently. Yet NO way could she go a whole day of school even if they did nothing but color and play! It really is a question of too little and too much:) One thought: my views are totally skewed. I looked at the sample above and it is so far out of my experience...my child never spelled like that or wrote like that. It is my understanding that most people find that way beyond what Kindy kids should be doing. I absolutely, absolutely agree that NO Kindy child should be REQUIRED to pass that level at that age, but I am thinking this is indicative of what is happening across the standards. If those that make/set the standards are in areas where this is common, even normal, I can see why expectations are getting higher. Once again a question of those in authority being too far out of touch with those teaching the wider variety of norms. Really, not being snarky, but can anyone point me in the direction of work that should/could be expected of Kindy? I have, of course, seen lists...but those can be interpreted in so many ways.

We found that there were lots of little things, in addition to the funeral expenses themselves, that needed to be paid. I ended up paying out of pocket and then getting reimbursed, but it was something like $10,000 when all was said and done. Keep receipts and records! It is also possible to set up a small fund ahead of time from Father's account if he agrees.

I agree with all of the above, but want to add: be sure to remember that income tax will still have to be completed the following year after death. Make sure you know who regularly does the taxes and have a access to all of the info, especially the most current set of taxes. All bank account info Passwords Get a temporary POA to use during decline- remember this expires immediately upon death so will be replaced with executor paperwork. If possible, call things like utilities and other important services ahead of time, with father in the room. All that was required in our situation was the person in question getting on after I had explained I needed to be added to the accounts (not officially but added that it was okay to discuss with me) to agree. I realize this isn't always possible, but saved me a lot of headache during the decline. Do a mail forward immediately. This became a problem from us as a check was stolen from the mailbox. Get multiple copies of the death certificate. Don't underestimate how many copies you will need. I originally ordered 5, and had to wait when more were needed. I would suggest 10 copies. I guess much of the advice depends upon the size and complexity of the estate. But definitely expect that the worst in people can come out:( I hope this goes as smoothly as possible for your family. It was stressful for me doing it, but also for my family.

Not sure what age you are looking for, the the Highlights Mathmania subscription might do the trick. HB's Coop just did a deal and they are pretty cool! https://store.highlights.com/m/puzzle-book-clubs/mathmania

We are currently in the middle of planning and acquiring quotes to build an addition onto our house. There is currently a very large master suite with a walkin closet...that has been turned into dd4's playroom, lol! We actually sleep in one of the smaller bedrooms (there are 3, so one we built floor to ceiling bookshelves and made a library, and another is a guest bedroom. It really is large enough, but the setup is not great for my wheelchair. We are going to build on to the back of the house and make a second master suite with a fully accessible bathroom, and extend the current screened-in porch to double the size and enclose it as a sunroom. Above the new master will be a large storage loft. We are also building a new detached garage because ours has been turned into a huge Rockwall, jungle gym/playground:). A by excessive, but it can be difficult for me to take my dd4 out to play enough. With her energy, it was almost a necessity! I have been putting it off because of the chaos it will cause, but it is time. We are being told six months will most likely be necessary to complete the work.

And not just that they might be exposed, because that will eventually be their problem. How about the fact that it is unfair to both the child and the mom/parents who are now put under additional stress as they care for their sick kid:( Sorry your son is unwell, and that he probably will be less than thrilled to be unable to partake in all of the festivities. I agree, I would also allow him to join in as he is able. Take precautions you would normally (his own cup, keep distance, etc.) but not specifically quarantine him the entire time. Hope he feels better soon.

You also might try cross-posting in the bilingual forum. I have seen other recs there, and many may not visit the chat forum...

Yes, last year hired someone at $50 hr, and he was just basic handyman services. I would definitely ask around though, and also ask them who/if they are bringing help. Ours did this, and it turned out he ran his handyman business but recruited as needed from Craigslist! We didn't discover this until a small water leak became an issue months later...when putting on the baseboards they had tapped a finishing nail into a water pipe. That incident and another they caused at the same time made me intensely nervous about handyman services. We now use an older gentlemen who only advertises through word of mouth but is so overly-qualified it is crazy. He charges depending upon the job, but it usually averages about $50-60/hr.

I was thinking of you today when I was debating! The price for the conversions *IS* crazy:( I am not sure why you can't see the thumbnail, but I shall attempt to send you a picture. I hope that you are enjoying the mobility and efficiency of your new van as well!

Are you looking for regular kids movies in Spanish or more just kids videos in Spanish for the kids to learn from? My dd4 is learning Spanish and I stumbled across the fact that the Scholastic Storybook Classics videos (we get them at te library but some are available online) have a Spanish Play option with English subtitles. This has been wonderful, and since she has heard or read most of the stories in English, works quite well. All of the Magic School Bus episodes can also be played in Spanish, and YouTube has many Disney movies in Spanish, if you are okay with them watching. For us, watching the Spanish version with English subtitles has been the most effective. If you google Spanish children's videos with English subtitles, AND vice versus, we usually have good luck.