Biblical first names: James, Andrew, Phillip Middle names: William, Henry, Edward, Nicholas

Congratulations!

I vote option #2. Your dd probably won't notice the weird faces, and glitter is a total pain.

We just got a TV on Black Friday, so that's out. We have a nice piano, so that's out. A harp, no way. They're too stinking expensive for one thing, plus I already play three instruments and don't have time to practice. I have to admit, when he first mentioned that the gift was large, I briefly hoped for an organ. Used ones can be fairly inexpensive. But obviously no organ can fit in this box. I can't imagine him being this excited about a piece of furniture, not the kind that requires assembly, anyway.

DH brought my gift home today. It's in a box that's 6' x 6' and 6" thick. He said it will have to be put together. Who can guess what it is?

Bedtime is wearing me out. The main problem is my 2-year-old, who will no longer fall asleep by himself. He had to have someone sit in the room with him until he falls asleep. Meanwhile, I have two girls who have their own little bedtime routines that require Mommy. Often they are left waiting while I try to get ds settled. It occurred to me tonight that if they all slept in the same room, I could just sit in a rocking chair and knit or something till they all fell asleep, and then I would be finished, instead of having to go through it all three times. So has anyone done this? I'm trying to figure out the logistics. They would still all need a place for their clothes and other things, and dd6 needs a place where she can be alone sometimes.

Ds looks somewhat like each of the girls, but the two girls look absolutely nothing alike.

Sometimes it's just logistics. A longer book keeps the kid occupied longer and is easier to keep up with than a stack of picture books.

I'm thinking of buying my husband a NeatDesk digital filing system. Is anyone familiar enough with this device to advise me on whether this is a good idea?

My kids finally all like audiobooks. All I have are the Pooh books (a big hit) and the Narnia series, which the younger ones aren't quite ready for. What else could I buy? I prefer to buy longer books or series to get the most for my money.

If one of your FB friends posts that she is going to a foreign country for a certain number of months, don't be gullible enough to believe it and respond. It's another stupid breast cancer awareness meme. And yes, I have a stinky attitude about it. I don't like being made to feel foolish (see any Santa thread ;-) ).

I felt betrayed. Thankfully that sense of betrayal was not directed at my parents, though, because they never lied to me. I picked up the Santa myth from other children at day care, and from the general culture around me. My parents quietly played along, following my lead. But they had no emotional investment in my belief or nonbelief. When I started asking (at age 5 or 6), my mom was truthful. I was angry at the entire world at that point. My view was that there was a vast adult conspiracy to "keep kids dumb because adults think it's cute." I recognized the wink-wink-nudge-nudge and was offended by it. I could hardly stand to watch Miracle on 34th Street. I responded obnoxiously to any poor unsuspecting adult who made the mistake of asking me what Santa was bringing me, much to my parents' humiliation. So yeah, I had issues. And my kids are on their own with Santa. If they want to believe in Santa along with fairies and mermaids, fine. But I'm not having anything to do with it.

Well, we're about to do that. We just finished Song School Latin and started Latina Christiana. Dd saw the ad for Song School Greek in the back of the SSL book and begged to learn Greek, so we're adding that as soon as the RR box gets here. She also is interested in French, so I ordered Learn French Through Fairy Tales, which is only a very gentle intro to vocabulary and pronunciation. So I've chosen to do 3 languages with 3 separate programs. Ask me in a few weeks how it's going, lol.

I vote no, get her that snake or kitten she's been wanting instead.

what article?

I think if she would wait a half second before she starts talking, and check to see if anyone else is already talking, half the battle would be won. She will often barge into a room talking, not even considering that a conversation is already taking place.

As far as reading goes, I'm liking The Reading Lesson for my almost-4-year-old. More little kid friendly than 100 EZ lessons, cute pics and not so repetitive. I also think All About Learning Press has a pretty generous return policy, it might not be too late. As far as your other question goes, I don't really have an answer. I'm in the midst of adjusting expectations for both my girls. I've just found out that dd6, who was such a precocious little one that I had labeled her as HG or PG in my mind, is actually only on the very edge between normal and gifted. On the other hand, dd3, who was a late talker, late potty-trainer, wouldn't give up her crib, etc, is suddenly demanding reading lessons, sailing through MEP Reception, and sits for hours teaching herself to write the alphabet with a focus that doesn't seem possible for a child her age. Maybe the answer is to assume nothing? I don't think much about my son's intellectual potential. He's kid #3,I figure I'll just do whatever he needs whenever he needs it.

Great idea, thanks!

We are constantly having to correct dd6 for interrupting at home. I had the opportunity today to listen in as she was talking to her friend, and dd interrupted every time the other little girl opened her mouth! I had to give her the "look" several times and motion for her to let her friend talk. So this is obviously a pervasive habit in dd's life, not just something she does at home, and I can see it leading to major social difficulties. How can I help her?

I posted a couple of weeks ago about how to combine MEP, Miquon, and Singapore for my pre-k dd. Just an update: I'm starting with MEP Reception and the pre-Miquon booklet that someone so helpfully linked. Dd is really enjoying Reception so far. I'll add in Miquon Orange when all my teacher books come in.

I'd keep homeschooling until he got around to enrolling them in ps, by which time they'd probably be married with kids of their own.

This is all optional, just stuff to do when dd wants to do math. She won't be officially school age till fall of 2013.

Rgrin, I'm planning to start MEP Reception as soon as I can get it printed out. I'll look for that pre-Miquon link - that sounds perfect! Starrbuck12, I don't plan on doing 3 math programs forever. I'm just trying to give the best possible foundation in a fun way. By 1st grade I expect dd will probably be settled into one program or another.

Thanks so much everyone for steering me in the right direction!

Before I go to a lot of effort trying to put together a flowchart for blending these 3 math programs into a perfect early math education for my eager nearly-4-year-old, has someone else already done this and put it out on the internet to share? (Dd is begging for math, loves to play with the c-rods, and is trying to learn to write the numbers. I'm not about to push her, learned that lesson with my oldest. But if she's begging to do math, I figure I might as well have the best to offer her.)