:iagree: I just wanted to second that book suggestion as highly recommended after Scratch. If your son loved Scratch and is into making games, Python is the next logical step. After Python, he should be able to move onto C++ with ease as he gets older.

Are you not allowed to get a fence for your front yard? Maybe you already mentioned this and I missed it, but my first step would be to get a fence. Fences make good neighbors.

I have not done this on myself, but doing it to others who can't bear to do it to themselves have each said it did not hurt them. There should be minor pain sensors in a skin tag, if any, but I suppose it may depend on location, too. Maybe try to pinch it with your nails at the spot you'd be cutting off circulation. That might give you an idea as to whether or not it would hurt in that spot. :)

You can tie a string around it and tie it off. It'll take a little time for it to fall off, but not very long. ETA: When I say not very long, I mean it'll take more than a day, but not longer than a week (in my experience from doing this on others).

Every author cannot possibly cater to every person's situation. You can take what they've written and apply it to your life in a way that works. For instance, I guess the author says to thank your stuff, which sounds really odd to me, but the principle behind it is actually quite wonderful. I recently read that they have scientifically found you can rewire the brain towards happiness by saying aloud three things you are grateful for over a month period. I believe it. Of course, again, you can't say that would be true for absolutely everyone, because there are just too many variables out there to consider, but for the average person, I'm sure that is true. So maybe you won't thank your stuff directly, but you can be grateful for other factors that allowed you to have that thing. Take her idea and make it practical for you. :001_cool: I'm looking forward to reading the book, but based on my number in the cue, it's going to be a little while. I'm patient. I love books, but I really hate having to take care of them when I'm done. The library is my friend in being a minimalist, so I'm not buying the book. ;)

No kidding. Sigh.

If you have a pool you're not interested in using, have you considered backyard aquaponics? You could raise fish to eat (like having a pond on a farm) and grow vegetables over it, too. You should definitely look into that. It would be labor intensive for your boys to make sure everything was in working order. There is a learning curve, but from those I know who do it, it eventually becomes second nature. I think that's a great way to utilize the pool and put your kids to work. :)

Have you looked into your city ordinances to see what animals they specifically allow and do not allow? I was surprised to find out our city allows pigs. Someone also told me about a person they knew in my city who had goats. One goat got out and Animal Control caught it, brought it back to its owner, and basically just said, "You know you aren't suppose to have this, but just do a better job of keeping him penned." That was the end of that. We've also raised chickens and rabbits on our lot before. Our kids absolutely loved it, which is what made us stop raising them so we can focus on what we need to accomplish to move to the country instead. Could you add rabbits to the mix? Their poo is great for a garden, if you have one of those. I miss living on the farm. I long for it again and I desperately desire for my kids to be raised on one before they grow up. I feel your pain. I hope others have better options for you!

Thank you for the confirmation! Toastmaster's Jr. groups is yet another thing I've never heard of. I'm writing all these ideas down and will be combing through all the options in the days to come. Thank you all!

I didn't even know our city had a YCC, but I looked it up and there it is! Thanks for the suggestion! Is this what you're talking about with regards to Explorer Post? It doesn't say Explorer Post specifically, but it's all I found. If it is, that is right up my alley. I know schools will introduce kids to various job fields out there, but I wasn't aware of any opportunities outside of that. This will be great!

They compete against local private/public schools in the area. That's all I meant by that. :)

Sounds like a deal! :laugh:

What is TKD? A Google search says it's Taekwondo, but I wanted to make sure.

Thank you for explaining and answering my questions! Using those words, I added "youth" and was able to turn up this theatre that has a very vague description of what they mean about "youth mentoring". Would you be willing to read it and tell me if this is what I should be looking for? When I dig a little deeper into the website, I found this, and this seems about right. Am I getting warmer? On a positive note, the search helped me come across a website for kids in our local area to find jobs under the age of 15. They can pay for some of these classes they seem so eager to join! :laugh: I'm going to bed now, but these have all been very helpful ideas! I certainly welcome more. I like having all my options open, especially if something doesn't work out. Thank you all!

My area is densely populated, but I am really disappointed to see our local libraries offer little in the way of clubs. Most of the classes are for preschool aged children or adults. I even pay for a membership to other local city libraries and there still isn't much offered for elementary kids and up. They do have volunteer opportunities, as another suggested, so I think we'll strongly consider that. One local city has a great 4-H program with a lot of clubs, so I guess that makes up for it. We learned our girls can easily get into the program, but if our boys want in, they have to go on a waiting list. Guess they are being fair, which I think is silly but whatever. Never thought about those other ideas. I'll look into them! Thanks for the second recommendation for the Civil Air Patrol. Sounds like a great program from what I'm reading!

Thank you for mentioning this! I did a quick search on this and found something that definitely fits our needs and meets at a school within a few miles of my home. I did searches on this before, but everything turned up empty. The key word I needed was "youth" and a whole new world opened up. I feel like a dummy! We're currently involved in a competitive and professional homeschooling orchestra, but the time simply does not suit our family at this time. I'm so happy to find something in its place!

You're the second (or third) one to mention community theatre. I'm assuming you just mean a local theatre and if so, did you look for something specific, because what I'm finding are only websites where I can buy tickets to their shows. I do see an auditions section, but that appears to be for professional acting. Am I missing something? Theatre is foreign territory for me, so please forgive me if I sound ignorant. This is definitely something I had never considered before, but I'm intrigued. Would something like this be good for one who might want to learn to come out of her comfort zone and try something like it, or would I need to look at something else for a newbie?

Not to change the subject, but I had a professor who boldly proclaimed if anyone in the class used "that" in their papers where it should not be used, they would promptly receive an "F". I was mortified to use the word at all, so I would completely reword the sentence to avoid it at all costs.

These are all great ideas! Many I had not heard of or considered before. I'll have to do some research into what is available locally. I really appreciate all the responses! Thank you! I live in a mostly military area and I've never heard of this. I have one who might be interested when he becomes of age to join! Thank you for mentioning it!

Personally, I'm a big fan of the verb "to be", so I typically include them in my speech and writing. However, I have dropped "to be" from my speech when I speak quickly. Neither of them sound right or wrong to me, just a matter of preference. Right now, I'm reading a historical fiction series based on the state of Pennsylvania and more specifically, Pittsburgh. It includes the old Scot-Irish talk, which I find humorous and fun to read. It made sense to them, so I think that's all that matters. Can your audience understand you? If we can understand what someone is saying without "to be", I don't see anything wrong with it, unless you're writing a book or something. Then I would think "to be" should be included, because it just sounds more proper without really knowing why. I'd be interested in knowing why if anyone can answer.

I'm only deleting this since you've read it already. I wrote entirely too much! :o

Deleting this one for the same reason as the other.

:grouphug: If I was your friend, I'd let you cry, whine, moan, scream, or vent all you wanted on my shoulder. Do you have a friend like that? My dh lets me do that whenever I need it, but sometimes I just need a friend outside my home to cry with depending on the situation. A really good friend will comfort you, while telling you any hard truth you might need to hear. Sometimes a swift kick in the rear helps snap us out of our sorrow, so we can cope with our present reality and move forward. I appreciate the few friends I have who can do this, but genuinely care about me. I'm truly sorry you are feeling overwhelmed right now. Anything you might have done wrong is most assuredly not the first time someone else has done the same thing and certainly not the last. You're in good company. We have all made mistakes and sometimes really big ones with detrimental consequences. Whatever it is, you can move forward. Have a really good cry, get some much needed rest tonight, and realize tomorrow is a new day with a fresh perspective. It won't erase your troubles, but it can make it easier to deal with for your sake. I'm truly sorry. :grouphug: :sad:

I've never heard of her before this post, but I'm putting the book on hold from the library. I could use some fresh inspiration for how I clean and declutter my home. I've always used the standard measure of whether or not you've used the item in the last six months. I like the idea of determining if something sparks joy. I'm going through a stage in life where I am not happy with any of the colors around me. Colors I have loved for years are now bothering the daylights out of me and I want a change. This might be just what I need to help figure out how to make the change in my home to spark joy in me again. It's the little things in life that make a big difference. :) ETA: I just went to put the book on hold and I am #62 in the line-up. :ohmy:

As you know, Dr. Bernstein's main premise is to test everything to see how it affects your body. Regardless of what his ideas are on fruit or bran crackers, if it lowers or spikes your blood sugar levels, make your dietary suggestions off that. I'm certain he would tell you that if blueberries with creme made your blood sugar level drop, not spike, to do it again and again to see if that pattern continues. If it does, then you can safely assume these are safe foods for you. Will they be safe for other diabetics? They will only know if they test and test again. Even if blueberries and creme spikes a hundred diabetics blood sugar levels, but they stabilize yours, I would go with your results, not theirs. Hope you enjoyed your blueberries with creme! :drool5: