You can definitely over inflate, I prefer to slightly under inflate my pad and then it’s perfect when I lay on it. I’ve never heard of an inflatable pad being too hot, but I have heard of the sleeping bags being that way. As a fellow side sleeper, I have tried the z-lite (foam), prolight (foam/inflatable combo), Klymit Static knock-off, Kylmit Static, and now a Nemo Tensor wide. Only the Tensor is thick (3.5”!) enough that my hips don’t sink to the ground. It’s an expensive pad though and I never would have bought it for myself if my friends hadn’t given me a gift card that covered most of the cost. The Thermorest Neoair has a similar amount of thickness and one of my good friends swears by it, but I’ve never tried it. Since the z-lite and equivalent knockoffs are very light and not too expensive, you could lay one on the ground with your Klymit over it. If you have a sit pad, you could put the sit pad under the Klymit where your hips would hit the ground for extra cushioning too. I have spent a pretty penny on getting the right pad for backpacking for me. If I had to do it all over, and knew I was going to backpack as often as I do, I would have started with a more expensive pad. However, the ones I own that I don’t like work well for my kids. I am fortunate that I was able to borrow gear to try out as well. If stores are open near you, go to your local outfitter or REI and test out sleeping pads to figure out what you like. I discovered a pillow makes a big difference for me. I had an inflatable pillow that just didn’t work for me, I switched to a Thermorest compressible pillow. It is heavier, but sleeps much more like my pillow at home. Oh and I have to have earplugs too.

Thank you for this! Bumping in case another parent needs to read this.

You only need to purchase a copy of the game. It’s $30 for a Switch and $5 for iPad. If you have family sharing on the iPad you only need to purchase one copy of the app. I’m not exactly sure how it works but my kids play together on different devices in the same world. Sometimes at the same time, sometimes separately. My son also plays with a couple friends he invited to play in his world. I believe if you create an account you can play across platforms (ie Kindle to iPad). I “think” my nephew plays on his Xbox with my son on his iPod, but my nephew has multiple devices so I’m not certain. For what it’s worth, my kids have never played on a pc and Minecraft is still by far their favorite game. They have said it’s better on an iPod/iPad than the kindle.

Do you have Walgreens? They have a pcr test for travel, you do the nose swab yourself. The results are available the next day at the latest. In the past year my kids have been Covid tested 4-6 times, every single time was a nose swab. They all preferred doing it themselves. None would say it was fun, but having control of your own swab you don’t hit anything painful.

I was going to post about the museum as well. It is really wonderful! We got to see the Paddington Bear exhibit when we were there a couple years ago, including the original bear! May you Rest In Peace Mr. Carle.

Thank you! I’m a few days behind on this thread, but that’s all that came up for me too.

Its been a couple years since I’ve been to a homeschool convention and talked to MCT, but I believe they have everyone start with Island. Yes the student and teacher books are very similar, but there is additional info on the teachers’ book. I am going to be away from the forums today, but I’ll try to get back and post some pictures for you.

We recently read Homer Price again, we all laugh just as hard at repeated readings. I’d like to 2nd @Lori D.’s list. Also, we are big fans of the Vanderbeekers in my house. The books appeal to boys and girls. I always like to check Memoria Press, Ambleside, and Read Aloud Revival for ideas.

Thanks for sharing this! My son isn’t quite old enough but my nephew lives just a couple hours from there and is interested in the camp.

I think full year would be better for him as well. He has never taken an outsourced class, so this is going to be completely new for him. I like that they meet 2-3 times per week as well. That should help him learn to manage his time better.

I’ve heard the name Derek Owens thrown around but never checked into it. Thank you!

Thanks! I was hoping classes were offered elsewhere, but I didn’t know where to begin.

I was planning on my son taking algebra online through Art of Problem Solving this fall. The schedule has been released and all the times appear to be 7:30-9:30pm, which would be pretty challenging for us. I was hoping a class would happen during our normal school day. I don’t see an option for self-paced for algebra, but it’s possible I’m missing it. So, I need some other ideas. He could take algebra through a local homeschool co-op, but the particular instructor doesn’t seem like the right fit for him. He could do AoPS at home, but I feel like some more instruction than I can give would suit him better. His siblings’ school work is pretty time intensive for me right now and I need to outsource something. This school year he did Jousting Armadillos and Crocodiles & Coconuts. He did well and really enjoyed both. In fact he would often discuss various problems with me later in the day, something that never happened previously. As background he did Singapore Standards for math in grades k-6. He likes math and will likely pursue some sort of engineering in the future. He is not interested in contest type math. Any suggestions?

My 13 year old was vaccinated yesterday, when I asked him today he said his arm was sore, but he hadn’t mentioned it before I asked. He hiked 12 miles today so I’d say he’s feeling fine. He had covid in February but was asymptomatic.

@OttakeeI’m so happy you are out there and that you enjoyed your solo hikes! My fingers are crossed that you stay dry! If it gets too bad you can always grab your sleeping bag and head to the car.

My car camping and backpacking set-up are a bit different, but I like to pack fairly light for both. I keep a spreadsheet on my computer so I can easily pack for a weekend and not forget anything. After my trips I track weather conditions and what worked/didn’t work. This comes in handy for when temps are going to be especially cold and I can’t remember which clothing I took last time or if my sleeping bag kept me warm. To help stabilize your backpacking stove, you can get a little tripod, they are $6 at my local sporting good store. I totally agree with enjoying a campfire hotdog, but if you want to use your little stove and not your dehydrated meals, there are all kinds of ideas on youtube for grocery store meals. I like instant potatoes with chicken and my kids like easy mac and cheese. Ramen is another easy favorite. I treat all my gear with permethrin (Sawyer spray) at the beginning of the season to help repel ticks and mosquitos. When I need additional repellent I prefer a picardin based lotion. Deet based sprays “melted” a pair of my sunglasses so I avoid it now. The one thing I always take with me camping are earplugs. I don’t always use them, but never regret having them. If you plan to do any solo hiking, leave your plan with a friend, including when you expect to be back. I hope you have a wonderful time!

I will also say that my church stopped the tradition of passing out flowers or having all the moms stand on Mother’s Day. There is usually a special prayer both honoring moms and recognizing those for whom it is a hard day. I love that about my church even though we quit going that day.

You have already changed your mind, so I’ll just add support to your decision. As a child I would have hated this. My mom left on mother’s day when I was 7. No one at my church would remember that’s when she left, only that my parents were divorced. My dad remarried a couple years later and I have a step mom that I loved dearly as a child, but Mother’s Day was not about remembering what I had, only what I lost. From the outside others wouldn’t have known that. I dutifully made the cards, passed out the flowers, or whatever else the church or school had done very year, then I would go home and sob. I’m pretty sure even if nothing was done at school or church I would have sobbed on that day anyway though. I have a younger brother and sister with the same situation, Mother’s Day never bothered them. I also have a friend with 3 daughters adopted from foster care. They came into her family quite young (infant, 2ish, and 3.5ish) but holidays for them are also about feeling abandoned not about the mom they have that they really love. Now that I’m a mom I have very complicated Mother’s Day feelings. I love getting cards and being acknowledged by my children. I also mourn the loss of my bio-mom and the babies I miscarried, one on Mother’s Day. We started a tradition a few years back to skip church and go hiking instead on Mother’s Day. As a Sunday school teacher it can be hard to ease through these situations.

I had covid at the beginning of February. Despite not isolating from the family (by the time I realized I had it, we figured everyone had been exposed long enough that it was too late), only my 13 year old got covid. He was asymptomatic and has had no side effects. Husband and 2 other children in the house never got it. They were all tested right after I tested positive, at the end of my quarantine (when my son tested positive), at the end of my son’s quarantine/isolation, and one more time since then. Husband is now vaccinated.

These Danskos are really cute too! I agree that you don’t have to buy specific shoes, but I certainly understand wanting to. I would try to find something you would wear again outside of the funeral.

I would check out Born and Naot. I have dealt with plantar fasciitis in the past but not currently, these brands work for me. Birkenstock and Chacos do as well. Chacos has expanded beyond the typical sandals, I don’t see any funeral appropriate shoes currently, but I think I remember seeing some that would work at my local outdoor store this past winter.

8th year of homeschooling but I still feel like I’m a beginner in some ways because all three kids have been so different. Oldest is finishing 7th grade and will be taking a couple of outsourced classes for the first time next year. Middle is finishing 5th grade. Youngest is 8 and I never know what grade to call him. If we had sent him to public school he would be in 2nd, but officially he is registered with the county as a 3rd grader. He is dyslexic so reading has been quite difficult and that has flowed over into everything else school wise. We are very much in the thick of things. 3rd grade the third time around is completely different than the first and second times.

An update now that it’s been almost a full day. I woke up with a headache and sore shoulder this morning. Coffee cured the headache. Once I started moving around my arm felt fine. If someone asks me how it’s feeling and I focus on it, I notice it’s a little sore but I feel good other than that.

That’s worse than my Covid experience! I’m glad he is feeling better.

One of my good friends has a medically fragile son and she is still on the fence about how to “renter” society. She and her son have been vaccinated for about 2 months now, they were among the first in our state outside of nursing homes, but they haven’t been out and about yet. Our friend group is almost all vaccinated and she is really looking forward to getting together soon, but we haven’t talked about what that will look like. I agree that as a caregiver you should be eligible for the vaccine now, I’m surprised you didn’t get it at the same time as your son. You may need your son's doctor to advocate for you.