We have been using Khan Academy exclusively for practice for quite a while now, although it has tapered off a little since my 7th grader already has too many things to complete. We are looking into streamlining his after school activities so that he has a little bit more time for extra practice.

My longest non-stop flight was from Dallas to Abu Dhabi which took about 15.5 hours. Since my family travels to India every couple of years, we have kind of gotten used to it. We always fly economy and soreness and jet lag are the norm!! But my longest one-way trip would be from Bangalore to Dallas, via Abu Dhabi and London..took me 40 hours to get back home. I had to book tickets just before traveling and the itinerary had 10-hour layovers in both Abu Dhabi and London. The saving grace was that I was traveling by myself and I got the opportunity to take the city tour at Abu Dhabi!

OP, its great to hear that you have had positive experiences with turmeric supplementation! I generally cook three meals a day at home from scratch and since most of my cooking is Indian, I liberally use turmeric powder in my dishes. I have never tried turmeric capsules, though. It's true that black pepper and some fat (usually ghee for me) is recommended as per Ayurveda while consuming turmeric. One could use fresh turmeric while cooking or in smoothies if it's available. But it does stain quite a bit! Fresh turmeric is usually available at Indian/Asian grocery stores.

I grew up in India in the 80's and I would just like to say for the record that not all Indian parents behaved this way with their children. :) My parents certainly never used shame or corporal punishment to motivate or pressure us into doing better in school. Like a PP mentioned, not all Tiger parents are Asian and not all Asians are Tiger parents!!

I have the Baker Creek and Seed Saver's Exchange catalogs. I am trying really hard not to order any new seeds this season. I have lots of seeds left over from previous years and a very small gardening space. I am looking forward to this season, though. I need to put my raised beds in order and will probably do quite a bit of containers as well!

I have a 6th grader this year, so this subject interests me too. What are the DM7CC books? Could you please link that one and the pre-algebra text that you are using? For the OP, my son's school has given the students an account for the Think Through Math website. (I think its called Imagine Math now) While its nothing new, it helps him get more practice on certain topics. He also practices on Khan Academy occasionally. I also have a 6th grade textbook that I purchased in India. The topics covered are the same as in the US, but word problems are slightly different and makes him think from a different perspective.

We have two kids and that's it for us. Early to mid-30's would be my personal cutoff for having kids just so that I am at peak energy levels while taking care of the newborns and older kids. My husband and I feel that with the two, its easier for us as regards to finances, stress levels, extra curriculars, being able to lavish enough time and attention on both.

How do you all wash the cloth pads? Do you need any specific laundry detergent ?

When my son was in 4th grade, he had access to a website called StemScopes. It wasnt any actual textbook, but had a lot of resources per topic that was taught in school. So if he had an upcoming test, he could just pull up the resources online and read through them. He was also allowed to get his science journal home to revise. I also googled for Jeopardy games on those topics and we spent some time revising specific test subjects that way. Its more challenging to help the kids, when we don't have any textbooks to refer to. Its a concept that I have had to get behind only after I came to the US! Thankfully, this year, my son is in middle school and he seems to have an option to get his science textbook home! Hope you find a way to help your DD do her best at school!

In certain parts of India, the rind is used while making rice and lentil crepes (dosa). The crepes taste delicious. I have also read that the rind contains Vit. C as well as beta carotene and lycopene. I don't know how far that's true. But its definitely usable.

I have been a vegetarian my entire life and so has my family. We are from India, so most of the meals I cook at home are Indian. We have rice and curries, lots of lentil preparations, stir fries, bean curries. Fruit salads and veggie salads, soups are common too. Other grains like quinoa, teff, millet and barley also get used instead of rice Since coming to the US, we have started adding oatmeal, homemade pancakes and waffles to our breakfast routines in addition to lentil crepes, etc. I do not like the taste of the meat substitutes on the market and have never needed to replace meats, so never really use them at home. As a previous poster said, almost all restaurants have some veg*n options, so eating while traveling hasn't been a problem. We do always carry some sandwiches / snacks with us. If you wanted to limit / reduce the amount of meat you eat, I think it would be pretty easy. Breakfasts and lunches could be very easily veg*n and when you sit down to dinner with the family, you could then eat lesser portions of meat. Have you read the Vegan before 6 book ? It might have some useful ideas! A recently discovered link that has lots of recipes: http://plantbaseddietitian.com/what-vegans-eat-sample-meal-plans-made-simple-hundreds-of-recipes/

I usually stir fry it in a little oil, with salt, black pepper / cayenne pepper, usually with some other Indian spices such as garam masala. We eat it as a side dish with rice and curry. Its a mild tasting vegetable.

For those of you who use the Summer bridge workbooks, would you recommend any specific ones?

If there is no cost associated with having your son tested, then I would definitely have him tested. Just to get an idea, even though like the pp said testing isnt always accurate!

I grew up devouring Agatha Christie novels :) I liked the following as well: After the Funeral Evil under the Sun Sad Cypress Elephants can remember Murder in Mesopotamia

In addition to the recipes listed above, you can use it to season any veggie stir fry recipes. It will add a little spiciness to the vegetables. Enjoy! Do check if any of the following options look appealing! http://www.wisebread.com/30-delicious-ways-to-enjoy-garam-masala

I have seen Oat Milk in our grocery stores. Would that be an option?

Plain rice or plain pulav (pilaf) is definitely eaten with curries. Any type of flatbread (chapati / roti / naan/ pita) would also be a great choice. If you have an Indian restaurant nearby, you could order a tray of vegetable fritters (pakodas) to serve as appetizers. It would come with two types of chutneys. There are different types of raitas that you could serve with a spicy curry. Although cucumber is common, so is a tomato and onion raita. A plain dal (made with yellow lentils) would also be a good side dish. There are lots of dal recipes on the web. For vegetables, a potato dish is pretty common. http://www.archanaskitchen.com/sukhi-aloo-sabzi-indian-spiced-potatoes You dont need to have all the spices mentioned in the recipe. Hope your dd has a great birthday party!

This looks great! I would try this out with my Kindergartner and my 5th grader. Although I don't homeschool, we do a lot of afterschooling and grammar is one of the subjects that I always address!

This year I did all of my back to school shopping at Target and Staples. Crayola products were much cheaper than Up and Up counterparts (50 cents 24 ct crayons vs. 1.75). Scissors were 97 cents, etc. All my paper products were from Staples. Spiral notebooks were 17c each, so were the folders. I stock up on extra notebooks and loose papers.

I sprout beans and whole lentils pretty often. I dont use any special apparatus for it. To start with, I wash the beans and soak them overnight in plenty of water. Then I drain the water in the morning and leave the beans in a sunny kitchen window. I rinse the beans every 6 - 8 hours and drain them again. Little sprouts usually emerge in 2 days (unless its very cold). I start using them from the 3rd day. I usually sprouts moong beans, whole garbanzo beans, fenugreek seeds, whole lentils, etc.

I have taken several Coursera and edX classes over the past year or so and have really enjoyed them. I don't homeschool, but I do work full time and afterschool my 4th grader and preschooler. I generally give myself some time after the kids are in bed and over the weekend to go through the course material.

I always add ground organic turmeric to all my curries and side dishes. (I am from India...its just become a habit to add turmeric to anything savory) I also give it to my son, mixed with ground ginger and long pepper with honey to strengthen his respiratory system. I have never tried taking it as a supplement, so its nice to hear that its helping so many of you with inflammation.

I started my tomatoes and thai peppers. Planted radish, beetroot, fenugreek, bok choy, cilantro and sorrel! I have some overwintered green onions still growing and the garlic that I planted in the fall is coming up well! Looking forward to sowing beans, okra, cucumber, amaranth, spinach, arugula and carrots!

My 4 year old went to his Montessori for a Hallowwen parade today dressed as Woody too!