Yes, I do realize this. :( One would have to be doing it for the love of it rather than to save money.

I read this whole thread just to see if someone said clothes. So that I could be green with envy. I don't have the time or talent, but I dream of being able to sew the things that I have in my head that I can never find when I want to buy them. I hate clothes shopping. Anyway...carry on.

I suspect some kids, including my ds8 (and me!), want to know that they are going to enjoy the book before committing. Because it's work, and anybody wants to feel like their work is worthwhile, yk? I've found that if I pick up the books I expect him to be able to read on his own, and read a chapter or two out loud to him, sometimes just getting that taste encourages him to pick it up and keep going. Or not. I don't have to do that for Magic Treehouse, because he knows he loves them and can get through them quickly. But for a new author/series, yes. And if it doesn't seem to be doing anything for him, I just quietly return it to the library and try something different. Mine's reluctant with pleasure-reading too, but he's getting better.

I agree completely! I fear what will happen if we start placing unnecessary expectations on medical personnel who are volunteering their time and potentially their lives. Will fewer people go on short-term assignments if they face a 21day quarantine requirement on re-entry? That could potentially make an assignment last much longer and could discourage taking it on in the first place.

Not a whole lot of advice to the OP, but you have my commiseration. Everything local around here goes for a premium. I can buy boxes of blemished apples for a reasonable price to make into applesauce. That saves me money on organic applesauce. And we have a dairy in this region that produces good quality humanely produced milk that is competitive in price to the mass produced organic milks in the health food section. But we have no Aldi, no TJs, nothing but Kroger, Walmart and difficult-to-afford local stuff. I don't blame the farmers. I understand they need to make a living and be fairly compensated. That's why I've gotten to where I don't go to the farmer's markets anymore. I don't want to feel guilty about not buying and I don't want to blow my entire grocery budget on half of what we need for the week. I know I will fall prey to the organic/humane/natural marketing at the store. But you've got to buy something!

The "anyone can breastfeed, you just have to trust the process" thing really bit me. :(

Maybe try several homemade cracker recipes, I know there are a few on the King Arthur site. Also, I've tried these with success. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/278744 I used olive oil, and thought that 100% olive oil was overwhelming, unless you have a fabulous olive oil, in which case you wouldn't want to use it up on crackers!

Just had a praline from River Street Sweets in Charleston this weekend, and enjoyed every bite. :)

I'd be horrified! And I'd probably not make whatever it was for years. I want DH to like what I cook.

Yep, I've noticed. Panera has become my camp out place too. What Starbucks I buy is usually drive thru these days. While we're talking about despised interiors can I just say Chipotle is horrid??? I like the food, but I never go there.

We just go through the textbook verbally when needed and write only the workbook problems. If we went through all of the problems in the text and workbook, my DS would die of boredom. I figure the reason for the quantity of problems is that the curriculum was developed for classroom use, so the text is more in-class practice while the workbook is homework. Homeschoolers don't need that much material IMO.

You all are making me cry. Thanks. :/

I understand. It's hard and expensive to keep an elderly animal comfortable and well cared for health-wise. You love them and don't want to resent them. We had an elderly greyhound who was having trouble with her back legs late in her life. The last time I took her to the vet for her difficulty walking she had visibly lost weight in the last few weeks, and her feeble-ness was contributing to her slipping and hurting her legs. It was a miserably cold evening. When the vet saw her and weighed her she was certain there was something more going on than just age and hurting legs. She very compassionately explained to me that she would do anything I wanted to find the underlying cause for the weight loss and frailty, but made pretty clear that my dear dog had reached the end of any good quality of life. She had a very nonjudgmental attitude about euthanasia. My dog was so pitiful and tired that I didn't even want to ask her to go back through the cold and the getting in the van to go home. I went ahead with it (euthanize) and it was hard, but made so much better by the vet staff. Not all vets are alike. They do have to tread lightly, because for some people, the pet is their life, their child. And to suggest not doing everything medically possible might be unacceptable.

a cup of hot tea.

My third grade son writes in both manuscript and cursive, cursive being slightly better, but both needing work. He is currently working through the 3rd grade Zaner Bloser book, and has requested that he learn "fancy printing." I assume this means italics. D'Nealian perhaps? (Though in looking it doesn't have this lowercase "a" he's so fond of.) I'm a little torn. Should I be letting him sort of hop around, never getting really good at any one form? Or is it good to be exposed to a lot of styles? I know that most people eventually adopt some sort of hybrid based on what is easiest and/or what is aesthetically pleasing.... Anyway I told him he won't be getting a new book until this one is finished, so I have a little time.

I'll be the first to admit I'm flakey, by the way. I'm one of those who would give you a vague answer because I didn't know or have my calendar. I just never have learned to keep a calendar well (trying - it's not going well). Though when I do commit to something I view it as a firm commitment. Okay well, I did show up a day late to a women's function for which I was supposed to bring a dessert recently. Ugh. :banghead I really, really appreciate email and text reminders. 'Cause I'm a well-meaning flake.

I think the problem is pervasive over the *entire* society and I suspect it's a generational thing (children raised by baby-boomers and Xers). I've been working behind the scenes at our church for several years and it's just amazing to me to watch pastors and staff try to get commitments on ANYTHING. Back when I was planning my wedding, the stationary guy told me not to even bother with the RSVP cards because people would not send them back. I didn't listen and was out a lot of work and postage for all of those stamped envelopes that just vanished into people's homes. I think the flakey-ness is way more pervasive than just among homeschoolers or even parents. You all just have more opportunity to see it there.

Hands down favorite here too! We call it "Gold Standard" chicken we like it so much, and I make it every other week.

I'm reading it right now too. I think a discussion could help me get more out of it. I tried doing the assessment near the front of the book last night and ended up giving up and realizing that DS is lacking in all except goal-oriented persistence. But the ones I think he's most lacking in were not coming up that way. I trust my own judgement better than how I might interpret and answer those vague questions. <shrug>

I think the total amount needed goes down from toddlerhood, and then starts increasing again as they start caring about clothes (i.e. having something current and wanting to not wear the same things over and over again.) Obviously that upward drift is going to vary with the child. I like to choose the amount of clothes needed by thinking about what I'd pack for a weeklong trip with no ability to do laundry. Not that you will go on a weeklong trip, but that you know that you have enough to get each person through a week. You'd want more than one dressy church outfit though, so you're not all wearing the same thing every Sunday. In addition to the lists above, you'll also want a hoodie, a winter coat and a dressy coat. What a blessing to have so much given to you!

Oh and with my second, I did something weird with my sternum. It hurt!

Not sure if broken but at least fractured or seriously bruised with my third. She was posterior - I think that's what did it.

It is sort of nebulous isn't it? Good question!

I saw my DS do this the other day, but he'd already demonstrated a firm grasp of the material, so I didn't worry. Timely question! ETA - I don't think of this as a totally bad thing. I remember quite a number of multiple choice questions in a (particularly hard) college finance class where I backed into the answer. ;)

This is us except we are using The Reading Lesson instead of Ordinary Parent's Guide. :) Going great so far.