Jr year- ACT/ SAT/ PSAT testing Tour colleges she is interested in, take note of special opportunities like fellowships and scholarship deadlines. Many are by December of Sr year. I made a checklist. Get financial stuff organized and know your budget Get transcript prepared and ready for admission applications Keep a list of all activities, awards, etc. Summer Between Jr and Sr year Finalize the application list- revisit any places you need to Check Net Price Calculator for all schools Make a checklist for each school- applications open, dorm deposit open, fellowship and scholarship deadlines Make a Student Resume and start thinking about scholarship application essays- write a few to tweak later. Fall Sr year Apply to all schools on your list Fill out FAFSA Re-take tests if you are trying for a better score or are near a higher cut-off The rest depends on the kid- if you have a kid who knows where they are going, money works, go ahead and accept, pay housing deposit as soon as it opens and enjoy your spring! If you have a kid who is still waiting on Scholarships, admission, trying to decide- that's when it's harder! Best of luck!

I have 2 in college and they each do it differently. Kid1 school puts the entire year onto the Fall Year 1098-T (also has full ride, so owes taxes on part of it). Spring tuition is due in late December, so both are billed in that same year. Kid2 school bills Fall Year for fall tuition only. They bill Spring tuition the following spring, it's billed in mid-January. The 1098-T had only Fall tuition included. I expect the next year to have Spring 24 and Fall 24 on it. We decided to wait on the AOTC for that kid bc she plans grad school. You are saying they billed it in the fall year, but dispersed it in the Spring year? I would call the financial aid office and ask to speak with a higher up.

I wouldn't have taken her around and introduced her. Healthy boundaries! Cordial, polite, but separate.

Every option has pros and cons- such is life! Where to live? College to attend? Career? Partner? This will be a recurring conversation her entire life. My suggestion would be to say yes, there are some things you will miss. Then talk about the things she will gain- for mine that is a lot of time to do what they want, trips and days out, a higher quality education, and in high school better DE options. I love how flexible HSing high school is! My kids haven't had graduation ceremonies, but we do have a big party. Prom- some HS groups have one, if they know Publix schoolers, they can go to the local high school proms as a guest.

Me, too! Trying to decide if I'm doing Geography or restarting Ancients for 8th grader.

Congratulations on becoming debt free!!!! We always have a lit of cars, lol. I recently got a smaller vehicle that won't hold everyone, but its so much smaller and easier to drive. I would suggest something easy to have kids drive- my regular car is a Suburban. It's really hard for new drivers to see out of, it's harder to park, harder to handle curves. The smaller vehicle is so much easier, and my new drivers will use it for their driving test. Another plus- if it gets wrecked I still have a vehicle we can all fit into.

I think a few years of breathing room will be great for your family. Enjoy this last little bit of having them all (mostly) home. With jobs and school, the older two will be gone a lot.

This is me! I found it easier when they were all little, but I currently have 2 in college, 2 in high school, 1 in middle school and 1 in elementary. My brain hurts trying to jump from phase to phase! Helping the college kid with travel and flight, next with job hunting- all 4 older ones with college course selection, etc. Middle school one- ugh! Least favorite phase- friends, hormones, weird body shapes to try to clothe, and the little one jumping all over and curious about everything. I know I will miss this one day, but it's a lot of jumping back and forth. I do teach co-op class and try to plan activities for the teens because no one else will and I know it's so important. Managing friends and such with the middle schooler who would love for me to plan similar activities for her age- I'd happily attend, but I just cannot plan more. Oh, and I'm also my DHs brain, lol- great phrase! I have to listen to all pros and cons- the sounding board. I do know my kids appreciate me. The older two have both made several marks to the tune of Thank you, friends parents didn't help them as much with learning soft skills, I'm always there to listen and give advice or talk through options. I'm also available to friends who need a listening ear ;) My kids and husband tell me I need to be a councilor, lol!

I think she knows she came off as a total B and is trying to save face. Seriously- she was mad you HELPED MAKE HOMEMADE DINNERS!!!!! It has nothing to do with dinners or the new helper. She's actually very jealous that you are a nice, caring, wonderful DIL. FWIW, my dad's sister is often the same way with my mom. My parents care for my grandparents and aunt is always sticking her nose in. She can't or won't help, causes more issues when she tries, but she's jealous any time anyone looks at my mom with thanks. It's a tale as old as time- it's been going on since they married. It carried over to me and my siblings vs her kids, too. The jealousy isn't toward physical things, it's jealously towards anyone thinking well of my mom or their kids. My parents deal with it differently than you and your DH are. My Dad sides with my mom 1000000% and the ignore her! Like they do exactly what they want to HELP MY GRANDPARENTS. That includes meals, home repairs, Dr visits, etc. And the both just ignore my aunt. As an adult grandchild, I find her behavior so childish- its predictable, like your SIL. I think on some level she knows it, but she can't break out of the pattern. She also talks Mt grandma into giving her stuff now- like jewelry- because she's the " only daughter" and she doesn't want us to have them. She took quilts my great grandma hand pieced..... then donated them!!!!!! Nothing to do with wanting those things- she doesn't want ME to have them. I see much of this when I read about your SIL. She wants to be the boss, the martyr, get glory for helping and be able to say she's so alone in all this. It's messed up.

I'd go meet the new lady tomorrow- why not? Your SIL is a real piece of work and your DHs family actively works to undermine your marriage. Your in laws do not deserve you!

If it I liked the program and could afford it, yes. I still haven't decided if we are going to use that program or not.

What are the things you are looking for in a program? Singapore Math did a great update in 2022. I used it for K and liked it- workbook and teaching in the same book, but it does have Book A, Book B - one for each semester. Math Mammoth is very straightforward and easy to use. Miquon- I've used it in pieces over the years, depends on the kid if they like it or not.

I have been in your exact shoes- my kids are now almost grown. We tell them the truth. No matter how you try to spin it, she will figure out, internalized it. We got ahead of it. Yes, siblings older and younger do grasp academics easier than you. It's not fair that you have to work harder to learn the same material- I'm sorry! I also point out the things that child excelled at- organization, kindness, empathy, cleaning her room- anything I noticed she did naturally well in- you could also use sports if that works. I have no problem pointing out that other kids struggled with other things- very hard time organizing, difficult time controlling outbursts- non-academic things. Life is not all academics- and we all struggle with something. When you feel like you are the only one, look around! The person who has it all is struggling with something. Do YOUR best, compete against the you from yesterday and do not compare your progress to other people, only to yourself. See yourself move forward and be proud of that progress. When you see siblings struggle with other things, empathize and try to help them grow as well. My one who struggled so much learned to study and apply herself. She's one of the top students in her classes and tells me that while she had to struggle so much when she was younger, it's paid off because she knows how to study in college- many kids do not. They struggle to get to class on time, turn in assignments, etc. My kid who struggled between gifted siblings is most likely 2E. I knew she had something wrong, but it took until 14 to finally get the right diagnosis and treatment. It made learning so much harder. It is not fair, but such is life. Don't make a doomy, gloomy part. It's just the way life is. Someone struggles in a wheelchair, another struggles with reading, another with attitude- but these are all struggles. Some have more struggles than others and always will. Life is what we make it! Focus on the positive. As for what curriculum to use- I homeschool to give each kid the specialized program that they need. It doesn't make sense to use the same programs unless that program is best for both kids. If you are using AAR, it's okay to use it with both and it's also okay if younger eclipses older siblings. Same for math. The question should be what does Child 1 need, Child 2 need, Child 3 need.

The Notgrass books are short enough that you could do both the World History and the Geography.

I just wanted to say that going back was the right thing to do! I would call it consumer math.

Coming back to say that two of my loved ones have had to do this in the last few years. No one hired an attorney. Theyworked with someone from the LTC facilities to do the paperwork. One had no assets besides money in an account. They had enough to pay 3-6 months' worth of care, afterwards Medicaid has stepped in. The other had a house and a few months worth of money for care. Their house was sold quickly so the money was put into their account to be used. One paid for funeral plans ahead of time, which I would suggest or you will have to pay that yourselves.

I would not do this either. It may be legal- and I'm not sure that it actually is if anyone were to perform a look-back- but it's sketchy. I'm sorry that both of your parents are in different expensive facilities, but sometimes this is what happens in the end. Be thankful that they have enough to last a while and establish themselves into the care they need. Hopefully Medicaid will pick up the tab once have spent down all their money. I have had loved ones that were in this same situation and while it's hard to accept that they won't leave an inheritance- they also shouldn't leave a debt. LTC is extremely expensive, but they do have enough assets to pay for it for now. Hugs!

I think you need to stop and clarify your goals for next year. I can't tell what you want to do, so it's very hard to recommend a program. Handwriting- this is a fine motor skill that must be practiced, but it's normal to still be struggling at 6. I would try to work up to copywork- sentences that the child writes out, including proper punctuation, capitals, spelling, etc. You can use this to teach basic grammar and parts of speech. I like McRuffy handwriting for this but it's kinda $$. My DD is also 6 and isn't quite ready yet- hopefully next year! Right now just fill-in the blank type books with lines are best. She just needs one word at a time for now. I am focusing on forming the letters correctly, sizing and spacing. Spelling- Do you need a spelling program on her level? If she's ahead, this might be hard to find a good match. Often the levels that would challenge her in words will include activities that are too hard or don't leave enough room to write. Right now mine is doing a 1st Grade spelling. She knows all the words, but we are focusing on the handwriting part 😉 I thought Spelling Workout looked like it had interesting activities. Wordly Wise- this is a vocabulary program but you might look at it and see if it would interest her. Activities often include parts of speech, words with multiple definitions, and there are little stories that they must answer the questions from. This might be too much writing and the lines might be too small. Reading- I have not found a good reading program for kids who are still very young but reading so far above level. Most K-2 programs are still teaching Phonics. 3rd grade programs have too much output for one's who aren't ready for that much writing. I say just let them read whatever they want! Find some good book lists and see what your library has. I have used both AAR and LoE with my older kids. AAR readers are still a very good option after LoE. You might just get the readers for Level 4 to focus on the more difficult phonograms. I tried the Essentials and it felt like a completely different program! My kids didn't like it at all. I wouldn't recommend it for a younger child who is already reading. I think it would work well for an older kid who is an average reader or who struggles with reading and needs to review the reading rules.

If they are still living at home, I wouldn't worry about passports right now. Things I would plan to buy- Good tennis shoes, possibly more than one pair depending on the amount they will be walking Backpack with hidden air tag in case it's misplaced or stolen Good outdoor wear- rain boots, rain coat/jacket, etc. IPad- I found my college students like iPads for certain things, laptops for others. If it's in the budget I would get both. I wouldn't buy a meal plan yet. Wait to see how classes are scheduled. Sometimes you can just buy flex dollars they can use at any place on campus. Both the schools my kids are at have several eating locations all around campus. If they have a 20 minute break between classes, they need to grab whatever is closest. Once one of mine ate Subway- pre-ordered- 2x a week because she couldn't get anywhere else between the classes. If she had a meal plan for cafeteria food, she wouldn't have been able to use it. Usually you have until the end of the first week to change the meal plan. Vaccines- meningococcal and any boosters needed.

Yes, but it was not affective. Made me so out of it I cut my hand badly and ended up with stitches in the ER. That PG I had sickness the entire 9 months and was finally prescribed meds after 13 weeks.

I have a big extended family so I appreciate those updates about my cousins. Yes, we have FB, but no one posts much on it besides pics of their kids- which I love to see. I do update my college kids on the family members I think they would want to know about. I'm a mentally healthy adult and I don't feel in a competition with my cousins. Those updates are a fun way for me to see a piece of their life, when I only usually see them every few years. They do include divorce, miscarriage, sickness- the bad updates. Life is not all roses and sunshine! I think the person in the OP is feeling inadequate, comparing themselves to others. They aren't at a healthy place, mentally, to be hearing updates about loved ones because they feel like a failure. If this was my kid, I can understand censoring some updates. Tone really matters, as does the way its approached in conversation. I would be sure to share both good and bad news.

Oh my goodness!!!! This is such a blessing 🙌 💖

Prayers for you!

I have a 7th grader doing WWS1 this year and it does exactly what you said you wanted. She has enjoyed the range of topics in the book and become one of my favorites! I also love the W&R series and have used almost all the levels with some of my kids. The skills and feel of these two programs are totally different. I feel like WWS focuses on the mechanics while W&R has more focus on voice, flare, tone- plus it's just more fun. I will be using both, but my kid loves LA and writing! As for grammar, you can skip it if you think he's good. I usually skip it in 8th grade and do a refresh in 9th. Fix It Grammar is more like sentence correction and handwriting. I plan to use this again. You mentioned the Killgallon books- I used these with my kids who liked writing. If he likes this style book, there are high school books that cover paragraph composition! If he wasn't a fan of this style learning, I think WWS will still give enough structure.

I have had this happen several times- kiddo is fully reading, but still a little young for the output of the literature programs. I usually just do a year of books they choose. I do like Mosdos 3rd grade set, but some of the stories aren't as interesting and sometimes the writing assignments are too much for a 2nd grader. I would pick some fun read aloud for both of them and let the 2nd grader choose what to read each week. You can assign books if it's all twaddle or give parameters like 1 history book, 1 science book, 1 fun book. I would focus on finding things that are interesting and not worry about reading Level.