We like everything of his we've tried so far. Giants is an especially fun one.

Libraries vary a lot in what they offer. If yours doesn't have a lot that is both interesting to the kids and satisfactory to you, do you have another option? Is there a used book store you could visit and bring a variety of things home from? Or maybe at the library you could set a limit like only two books per author/series/genre? If it makes you feel any better, for several years I seldom had access to any better books than the Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley High for my free reading, and in fact we watched a lot of TV, but I later did very well as an English major.

The Melissa & Doug easel (chalkboard on one side, whiteboard on the other, roll of paper, tray for paint cups) has been in use for I think four years now. The height adjusts. Well done, grandma! Wooden cut-apart fruit, too, was used for a long time.

It's for DS's benefit, so I let him do most of it, a little at a time. We don't go all out.

I do one (sometimes two) a day, five to seven days a week. It works fine. I have a hamper for everyone's whites, but we each have a hamper for the rest of our things. I often combine DS's and my darks. When DH washed his own clothes, they were always in my way when I wanted to laundry. And he's no good at folding, so I didn't want him doing mine anyway. I don't mind just washing it all.

DS's teacher does not have parents sit in. The studio is small. There is a seating area outside from which I can hear, though. Occasionally I walk to the bookstore instead, but there aren't many places to go and be back in less than half an hour. In the last few minutes of the lesson, she invites the parent in to see and hear what the child needs to work on for the week.

I was going to say Etsy, too. I have a nice necklace from Jansjems.

Our stocking tradition is a candy cane, an orange or clementine, some chocolate (often the coins), and a toothbrush. Other things I add often are a new hat or mittens, a CD (or you could use an iTunes card) or DVD... Come to think of it, more candy seems to be DS's favorite thing to find. For small toys, how about a Slinky or a Rubik's cube?

I'd probably put some into scrambled eggs. But I don't like Mexican food. :)

Could you add some lamps? Is there space for a small heater? Cuddlier chairs?

Don't panic. She can make a lot of progress in eight or nine months! In March, DS was reading single words; now he can read a chapter of an Amish Pathways reader. We've been using Logic of English Foundations B and C at a gentle pace. For reading comprehension, work on talking about stories you've read to her. (What happened in the beginning, middle, and end? Which character did she like best? What would she do in a similar situation?) Then when she develops more in her ability to get words on paper, she will be used to the thought process and can focus on writing it down.

Is she likely to be able to get transportation to ON, so you could give a gift card? Jeans are tricky to size in any case.

I'll go grocery shopping later. I might buy DS's birthday gift online as well. I hate crowds, so I don't plan to go to any malls, Target, etc., between now and New Year's.

My library has them; check yours, because free is the best price. :) They run about $3 a book on AbeBooks.com, with free shipping. That means assembling your own set, though.

reported

DS at around the same time got into light and colors. We got him (not all at once) a set of color-mixing paddles, an Alan Baker book, a prism, a magnifying glass, a flashlight, and paints and brushes. If you want to stay with the doctor theme, add some x-rays and/or a model skeleton, or books like "Your Insides" by Joanna Cole and "Me and My Amazing Body" by Joan Sweeney.

This would be too much for them to read themselves, but it's got a lot of information and pictures, and it's easy to find at less than $5. Meant as a late elementary or middle school textbook.

For humor, you can't beat "Z is for Moose."

I don't really like ham at any time, and we never have a crowd big enough to justify two meats. If anything, we sometimes have a chicken instead of a turkey, just because it's smaller. Christmas varies. We have whatever we're in the mood for. Dh makes a ham at Easter.

In my dreams, a bathroom renovation. More realistically, MORE BOOKS!

I will be thinking of you. Isn't there some football game they should be talking about instead? As the only person in my family on any side ever, AFAIK, to go into teaching, I'm spared the comments about our choice. I am thankful. I suspect my parenting doesn't meet everyone's standards, but I don't know (or much care) what may be said behind my back.

I make a crustless pumpkin pie (you bake it in a water bath) using canned pumpkin. We'll be doing that today. I got the recipe from the internet. I love the internet.

The writing would have been a little too much for DS (a lefty, and 6.5 when starting 1st). I am using the HWOT first grade printing book and short DIY copywork, emphasizing accurate letter formation. I do plan to use WWS, however, when he gets to that point.

I'm required to test annually. If I weren't required, I think I would do it less often (maybe grades 2, 5, and 8, just to see how things looked; PSAT, SAT and ACT are enough for high school).

IDK, I think he looks like a Squee. :)