Well, since January I've been backpacking with a group once a month which includes camping one night. It wasn't intended as a break from my kids but that has been a nice benefit. Last month I needed to meet the shuttle at 6:00 am, it had been a long week with the kids. Partly because of the early meet time and partly because of the long week I did drive down a night early and stay in a hotel instead of leaving my house at 3:30 am, that was pretty nice. My husband travels a lot for work though so we have a lot of hotel points and the room was free.

Education Unboxed for math.

MommyLiberty, I keep checking for an update. Thinking of you today!

Yes! There is a poster who has fantastic lists that include authors and characters of color, she posts on most reading threads on the General Ed board but her name is escaping me at the moment.

I'm not sure the name but they are wooden puzzle cubes that can only be taken apart a certain way.

I ordered the approved ones from Amazon, I am a bit worried they will turn out to be knock offs. #14 welding glass can be used, that's what we used years ago. I'm tempted to pick some up locally to make sure I have something safe.

Talk to the local children's librarians and see if she can get first dibs on anything they are going to sell.

Ok I finally came up with something that isn't just regional. Bison are (were) only in North America, correct? What about something with a bison on it? We went all over the country in June and found bison memorabilia in each state from KY to CA. American football is uniquely American, you could also get them a nice ball.

Oh sweetie, I'm sorry! I'm glad he is at a children's hospital, he will be in good hands. Saying a prayer for you and for him.

I only have experience with Miquon but it's a solid program.

The Education Unboxed videos may be a good fit for you as well. They are a lot of math games mostly using cussienaire rods. http://www.educationunboxed.com

I had my oldest son complete Singapore Essentials in kindergarten, he was done with both books by Thanksgiving (I think, it's been a few years). I felt like it was a preschool book at that time and it was way too easy for him. I had my daughter start SM 1a and Miquon in kindergarten, we went very slowly and it was perfect for her. I will be using a SM Essentials with my 3rd child this fall. He doesn't know any of his numbers and I think it will be a good fit for him. When we finish we will move on to Miquon Orange. When he officially starts 1st grade we I will have him move into SM 1a. I would look through samples on the Singapore website to determine if it would be too easy for your child.

I'm at a loss for anything that represents the entire US, I keep coming up with regional ideas.

That's really neat too.

Go ahead and complete your order through the app, then when you pull into the parking click the "I'm here" button. They won't actually fill your order until you click I'm here. Then it will pop up on their screen for someone to pull it together. What you are really doing is saving the waiting in line time.

Yes the app will help. You order and pay through it, when you arrive click the "I'm here" button, go inside to where you get drink refills and they should have it shortly. One location here is super busy all the time, if where you are trying to go is like that, maybe place the order a little before you arrive. Good luck!

Here's an interactive model showing how the eclipse will look from your zip code. https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/7/25/16019892/solar-eclipse-2017-interactive-map My dad asked me if we were going to drive down to the path of totality, it would be a couple hours, but I haven't decided. From my home the sun will be 95% blocked at the peak, I think that's pretty good. My brother is driving almost 400 miles so he can see it! According to this, the sun will only be blocked 73% at his home during the peak. Edit to fix grammar.

I had a one off incident like that several months ago. It was really jarring because it was so unexpected. I never had any pop ups after that, hopefully it will be the same for you.

I'm sure I've commented on these types of threads before. If my youngest were attending B&M school, I would redshirt him. He has a summer birthday and the K cutoff is Aug 1. The kindergarten expectations here are too high and he isn't ready for 7 hour school days. We homeschool though so I'm calling this school year his K year. Instead of learning to read and starting basic math like I did with my older children, we will be working on recognizing letters. He will learn to trace shapes and use scissors, basic things that were common skills in kindergarten years ago. He will sit in on history and science with his siblings, but to observe and partipate if he wants to. If he someday goes to regular school we can make a determination at that time as to whether to redshirt or not. My school district only requires that we provide the child's name and age, not a grade level.

Looks like I could have gotten it cheaper at Kroger too. 😠We use an independent pharmacy and do not have prescription benefits until we meet a deductible. The pharmacy is fantastic from a customer service perspective. I hate that I spent too much but I'll check around next time.

My insurance sucks. The pharmacy is normally very reasonable and I didn't shop around.

Good luck today!

Oh and doxycycline isn't cheap! The pharmacist verified that I was ok with the $68 copay before he filled it.

This is what the doctor said. I asked about the sun sensitivity, he said wear sunscreen and I should be ok. He felt that because doxycycline worked better it was worth dealing with the possibile sensitivity. I'll take an umbrella to the swim meet for extra shade tomorrow. He only wrote the prescription for 2 weeks, but said if I started getting achy joints or headaches to come back in right away. He isn't my regular doctor but I have no doubts my regular doctor will extend the prescription if I start having additional symptoms. He said everything I had was textbook down to the timeline and felt confident the usual approach will be fine. I do have a friend with chronic Lyme who goes to a doctor specializing in Lyme disease, if things don't clear up I'll make an appointment with him. Thanks for the concern and advice!

Thanks for pointing that out. Swim hasn't wrapped up for the season and I have hikes scheduled for this week and weekend. Heading to the doctor now.