I had never heard of one, but after reading your description, I believe the neighboring county has something similar. It's a fairly recent facility but I don't know anything about it.

What age audience is the book intended for? My 6 year old would love that subject, but is definitely a beginning reader. I don't mind reading to her, but want to make sure she is in the age range of the intended audience.

I'm so sorry, saying a prayer for him, you, and his family.

Oh man that brings back memories. Our high school orchestra was awful! Twice a week the first and second chairs from each section of band had to go practice with them. I'm pretty sure we only went to help cover the sound of the strings. Individually there were several good musicians but together they were painful.

They are near the granola bars across from the cereal aisle where I shop.

My husband is capable of keeping the house cleaner when he is at home all day too. For one day. He also doesn't sit down and read, or play a game, or stop whatever he is cleaning to answer 800 questions. He doesn't cook an actual meal for lunch or take the dog for a walk. On days the house is spotless while we was with the kids, his focus was on cleaning not the kids. That's fine from time to time but not sustainable. I don't try to clean until the kids are in bed. I do get things done during the day, but they aren't in my plan. It's understandable why you aren't getting much done during the day.

On a camping trip they can be the main course or a side and the s'mores can be dessert.

Thanks for your input. The two boys did get along quite well last year but being in different groups this year they are always in different parts of the building and don't really see each other. I really like his mom and could see a friendship forming there. I think I'm going to see if they want to go to the park or something after class next week but I won't approach her about her son unless it comes up naturally.

Well my friends who work full time, including my husband, tend to handle these types of things by leaving work a little early or taking a long lunch. The kids are at school or after school programs. I cared for a couple different children before I homeschooled and those parents almost always handled appointments during the day because I was watching their children. This may not be something that was difficult for you, but it is something I have found challenging specifically because of homeschooling. My husband travels frequently so late afternoon or evening appointments are still challenging for me as I still have my kids with me. They do pretty well at the hair salon though and I get my hair cut infrequently enough that it isn't too inconvenient to take them. They were even fabulous for a 4 hour eye appointment. However I would rather they didn't have to hang out in the lobby at the eye doctor for 4 hours while the ophthalmologist tried to figure out what was going on with my vision. An 8 and 6 year old aren't quite old enough to be home alone for an afternoon and daytime sitters are also difficult to find.

Oh and quite a few of the families participate in a weekly co-op, he does too so I know he knows the other kids but he doesn't seem to be friends with them. We are not involved in the co-op.

I don't really know how to describe why I think this mom is overwhelmed, she just seems really tired every week and I can tell her child is challenging for her. Her mannerisms seem frustrated. He isn't a bad kid, though he can get pretty animated at times. The teachers of the pe class are just other moms trying to engage 10-15 other kids so they don't have specific training to help him. I suspect if he was in a public school he would get in trouble a lot but in this setting he is definitely accepted. They weren't there today so I didn't get to speak to the mom. We live in opposite directions of the town where the class is, so I'm not sure a "play date" would work without a ton of driving but we could try to get together before class for lunch or after class just to play. It very well may be that her child is doing great for him, I don't know the family so he could be doing awesome. That's part of why I wanted to know if there was a way to approach her without it coming across as rude. If she feels like pe class is a safe place where people leave her alone, I don't want to ruin it for her. It could be that there isn't really anything I could do to help. I am there for two hours every week though and if I could be helpful, I would like to offer that assistance.

I think of them as candy. I really dislike the word gummies the way some people can't stand the word moist.

I don't know. I'm not an animal person but I understand what you are referring to. The shedding, the chewing, the escaping with my first two dogs drive me nuts daily. Yet when my first died at 9 I grieved her deeply. Her brother died a year ago at age 16, our whole family grieved him. Our house felt so quiet without him even though he was pretty calm in his old age. We got another dog about 3 months ago. He sheds, which still drives me nuts, but there is something about him that makes him a part of the family. My kids all love him in different ways. I think there is some sort of bond there that is different from a sibling relationship.

I want to be sensitive so I am going to try to give enough details without jumping to conclusions. Is there a way for me to reach out to a mom I don't know to ask how I can help support her? I don't want to offend her, she just seems overwhelmed. There is a boy who attends the same PE class as my kids, I believe he is 11. Last year he was in the same group as my son and they were friendly with each other although I wouldn't say they became friends. This year the boy is an older group. He is obviously very intelligent but rarely participates in any of the classes. He frequently wanders off unless he gets one on one attention from the instructor which the classes are not set up to allow for. He will often roam the halls at the y looking for his mom. From her I suspect he does better when she isn't in the room. He has difficulty following directions, in swimming last year he wanted to do his own thing and never participated with the group. At first I thought he was defiant, but on further observation he is possibly fearful of the water. In the gym classes he again has difficulty following directions, it comes across as defiance but I think there is more to the situation, I don't want to guess what because I have no experience with this. He gets frustrated easily and doesn't seem to want to be with the group but does ok one on one with other kids. For example if everyone is shooting hoops, he goes to the other end of the court and refuses to be with the other kids. If one kid joins him he is fine but if the rest of the group comes down there he is likely to leave the gym. He must be getting something out of attending these classes because it isn't free and he has been attending for years. Anyway, I don't want to be nosy, but if there were some way I could reach out to this mom and figure out how to offer support during classes I would like to help. Would that be appropriate? Or would that just be seen as rude since I don't really know them? The mom is kind and we have talked, but never about anything deep.

If you want to go, go. Who cares if it is weird, you will likely meet other people who gave similar interests.

Oh I miss snow! I grew up cross country skiing but now I live where we get only a handful of days with snow each year. It's not even good snowman snow but we can usually go sledding at least once if we get out before it starts to melt.

That is a great room!

Our play/school room walls are mostly taken up by bookshelves but I do have a large white board with a number line above it, a huge US map, and some artwork. On top of the bookshelves are a gram scale, globes, and some art. There is also a calendar and a pocket chart with the weather and date hanging in the closet door (we rarely use it though). On the school table they each have a name tent showing how to properly write their name (in print on one side and cursive on the other). Each child has a laminated sheet with the alphabet on one side and their full name, address, and phone number on the other that is in the daily binder. Nearby are children's encyclopedias and a children's dictionary. My oldest did use those at kindergarten age but by younger two have never used them. In our kitchen I have a decorative blackboard that has a memory verse or poem we are trying to learn. It is near the table so the kids see it at meal time. The 4 year old isn't reading but he knows it is there and what it says. When we eat in the dining room the kids have learning placemats that they love. They don't like the one for telling time, but the do like the map ones (world, and a couple different US maps), periodic table of elements, and the Presidents. Even my 4 year old can pick out several states. He can also tell you the names of our 1st, 16th, 32nd, and current president (those are the ones my 6 year old likes to quiz us on😜).

Many schools are no longer offering the PA as a masters degree and it's now a Ph.D., my friend who is a PA thinks the standard will soon be a Ph.D. although it isn't there yet. *after looking at the link you provided I might be confusing PA and PT Ph.D. programs. My friend does think the PA field is moving toward requiring PhDs, but I'm notvsurecwhat she is basing that on.

I personally felt pretty prepared for the academic aspect. I tend to be a reader and an information seeker. I followed the boards for a couple years before we started. I talked to all the homeschoolers I knew and investigated potential opportunities. I was concerned about the actual day to day part of schooling, but found my groove once we began. Even though I was used to staying home with my kids I don't think I was prepared for what that would look like once my kids were beyond preschool aged. Scheduling a dentist appointment while my husband is out of town and finding someone to watch three kids is more difficult with an 8, 6, and 4 year old. While it wasn't exactly easy when my kids were younger, there were always people available. As my kids have grown, my mom friends have mostly returned to work. There is never alone time unless I carve that time out myself. I wasn't prepared for that. My friend who is a sort of reluctant homeschooler who is also not a reader or an investigator has struggled much, much more. Her oldest is the same age as mine and she is just now finding her groove. I'm not sure anything anyone told her before she started would have helped prepare her more though.

My kids get $8 per day to walk down to the neighbors house and take the puppy out to the bathroom. They are allowed to play with or walk her but not expected to do so. The job can be done in 10 minutes, but it usually takes a little longer plus we like to take the dog for walks. I feel like it is fair we do have to set that time aside each day. It's really a lot of money for them so they are saving a significant amount.

It looks like you have some good advice. My oldest is only 8 but I do have a little homeschooling under my belt. Math is the least favorite subject for my son. It helps if we do math when he is pretty fresh. We do a sort of morning basket as a group downstairs and then go upstairs for seat work. I always have him start with math, if we do it later, he doesn't handle his frustration with not understanding something as well. I can't teach math in the afternoon, I'm out of patience by then, so if for whatever reason we are doing school in the afternoon instead of morning, we have to skip math. We are all happier that way. A while back my son was in a pattern where he was particularly frustrated with math. We started out with a game every single day for awhile. Some were from the instructors guide, some were dice games I found online. They weren't necessarily related to what he was learning, but it was a way to help him get over the anxiety he seemed to have about math. Another thing that helped was doing shorter lessons for a brief period. Good luck!

No advice but I'm jealous! Enjoy your trip.

Mama, I am sorry. As a Christian I understand how this has likely rocked your world. When my brother was expecting a child outside of marriage, it was tough! It was something our whole family struggled to deal with. Looking back I can see how we could have handled things better. Hopefully if I am someday in a similar situation with my own children I will handle it with grace. Those in the church can be quite judgemental until they have been through something similar. Pray for his parents. That grand baby is a blessing, congratulations! I know it isn't how you would have chosen for your daughter to have her first child, but don't forget to celebrate with her. For what it's worth, I know a young couple at my church who were in a similar situation. They married and have a beautiful family and are some of the strongest Christians I know. They have great kids and although their marriage and family started sooner than they would have liked, 10ish years later they are doing well.

My kids are homeschooled. Cross country for the season was $12 for the jersey and about $5 per race per kid. Outside of that you could spend whatever you want. My kids summer swim team was $35 through park and rec. Other options went up to $1500 plus uniform and meet fees. Y or church league sports like soccer, baseball, and soccer are around $80 for a season. Private clubs are significantly more expensive. I have no idea what schools charge.