Count me as another who uses book lists! I actually find picture books to be the easiest because I simply put them on hold from the list and since they're short books usually, no harm if we don't like them. My absolute favorite lists are from Memoria Press. Their read aloud lists for pre-k through 2nd are really good. You can even use their Science Enrichment lists to give you some quality nonfiction picture books. I just go online, search for any that my library has, put them on hold, and pick them up! Easy. :)

It's a good Museum for kids...planetarium, IMAX, hands-on exhibits, etc. The museum and gardens are in the same area of town, too. Very close. So that could be just a one-day outing...gardens in the morning (less hot!), Museum in the afternoon. Pool later. ;)

Fort Worth Botanic Gardens are pretty. Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is good, especially for kids. It might not be of any interest at all, but we also like Log Cabin Village. Kimball Art Museum is pretty praised around there, but we never went because (gasp!), art museums just aren't our thing. There's also a great B&B there called Texas White House if you're needing a place to stay. There's also the Bureau of Engraving and Printing there! Sadly, I had no idea it was there the whole time we lived there so I never visited, but would love to. That's all I can think of for now. :)

Awe, thanks for their stories. The only thing sweeter than those kittens, is that you saved them all. Thank you.

My DS9 sounds similar to yours. He likes Dog Man (same author as Captain Underpants). Obviously, this is along the lines of 'free read/fluff'. :)

I picked the brown and white tabby because of those sweet, white little paws. 💕 The face is really thoughtful-looking too. I love them all!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation National Lampoon's Vacation and European Vacation Bean and Johnny English I like funny. 😊

We tested for the first time this year. We used the Stanford 10 Online through Seton. It was great! Easy for me, fast results. :)

Here's our pantry meals: Bean burritos Fruit and nuts (can be non-fridge fruit) Spaghetti with jar sauce Hamburgers on the grill Butter noodles (usually with Parmesan) Crock pot shredded chicken (use for burritos, nachos, etc) Crock pot BBQ sandwiches (cook a roast on low, chop it up, add BBQ sauce)

I agree with this. I've had many, many sinus infections. She most likely needs a full round of antibiotics by mouth, not just the one shot.

If the end result is usually your DD reading a book a month, then I think you should stick with that! Maybe you could pick some literature guides and go through them orally with her, which would help with the discussion you feel is lacking, and it would help her to not have to write as much. I really like Memoria Press literature guides, when done aloud. As assigned work, they would probably be quite boring and repetitive. But they've led to good discussion when we use them orally. You could easily span a couple of grade levels with their selections to find some your DD is interested in reading. This would keep her with reading full length novels (since anthologies haven't been a favorite in the past), and add a bit of discussion as well. Good luck with your decision!

Agreeing that is isn't chiggers! Those bites itch (rather intensely) for days. My vote is for no see ums too.

In a quest many years ago to find a better-than-package, but no visible spices or chunks, I found this recipe and I've been making it ever since. I have one DS who wouldn't eat chunks (even small ones) of any kind in rice. Here it is: 2 Tbs vegetable oil 1 cup long grain white rice 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp garlic salt 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup tomato sauce Heat oil on medium heat in skillet. Add rice and stir constantly for a few minutes until rice is slightly puffed and golden. Stir in cumin and garlic salt while rice is cooking. Add broth and tomato sauce, stir together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20-25 minutes until rice is done. That's it! It's simple yet flavorful. Tip: Do not remove the lid during cooking time. Once about 20 minutes is up, I'll remove the lid to check it. If it's still liquid-y, put the lid on and cook for another 5 minutes. You do NOT stir during cooking.

I don't really need anything, so I've bought pens and pencils recommended on the boards at various times. :) So far, I've purchased: Staedtler graphite pencils Pilot Varsity fountain pens Pilot Frixion Clicker erasable pens (we've had these before and like them)

My DS11 used it last fall. It took about 1 semester to complete by doing roughly a chapter a week. I usually did the supplemental questions orally with him just so we could have some discussion about the material. Overall, we both enjoyed it. Im thinking of getting the Chemistry one as well. ETA: I thought the book was a very interesting read. It discussed things such as dentistry work before anesthetic discovery, amputations, discovery of cleanliness during surgery helping with recovery...all kinds of fascinating and slightly gruesome things! :)

For leather, how about a new leather bound Bible with his name engraved? Or maybe your anniversary date engraved instead?

I'd rather mine be near-beef-jerky-tough than to even have the teaniest, tinisiest bit of pink.

Yes! Do this please! I've never heard baby whinnies and would love to!

They're both SO adorable! 💕 I'm not sure if you're taking votes here, :) but I think this baby is Tidal Treasure. Your baby from a couple of days ago is most definitely Pirate Passage. :)

I love my Tapered Mugs. I use them for my morning coffee, soup, and even cereal. They're perfect for me and my preferred servings of these foods. :)

I don't want to derail, but do puppy pads *encourage* dogs to urinate on them somehow? My 3-yr old dog is housetrained, but when we travel she does.not.like. to pee while on a leash...AT ALL! She holds it for hours and hours. :(

I'm going to post, even though I'm still planning. It will make me feel better to write it out like I'm really getting this nailed down. :) Math: Lial's PreA with Jann in TX Comp: Essentials in Writing 7 Lit: Maybe Essentials in Literature?? Or Mosdos? Or books along with Figuratively Speaking? Not sure... History: probably Notgrass America the Beautiful Science: I think I'll try a mish-mash, interest-led type of year, although I'm a bit scared to do it! I'm thinking: microscope with a good slide kit, paired with Tiner's World of Biology. That will probably just cover one semester, so we will see where to go from there. He's still working on typing. AAS 7 book (yay! to finishing this finally!)

I haven't used it yet, but I've been researching Notgrass Uncle Sam and You. It looks like a good civics class for middle school to me.

My biggest, most important-est tip is to ask them to give you the hardware for EACH bed as it's taken apart. Take the hardware, put it in a ziplock bag, then tape it heavily to each bed it just came from. Seriously, do this. :) Also tape remote controls to the tv they go with and bookshelf hardware to the bookshelf. Good luck with your move!

When I freeze strawberries I like to do them two different ways. 1) wash, let dry, freeze whole (I like these for smoothies) 2) wash, half/quarter, top with a little sugar and let macerate. Freeze. (I like these for strawberry shortcakes).