Wow! That is cool! I, too, tried the environmentally-friendly / less toxic stripping stuff and wonder if that's part of what made the whole process take so long. It just didn't work very well. I had to use a LOT of it and I think I might have resorted to the strong / bad kind to get the final layers of paint and gunk off. Sounds like the Smart Strip would be more better.

I'll have to tell DH about the vodka recipe...He loves Cook's / America's Test Kitchen recipes. Lard and vodka...quite a combination! 😏😜 For those of you looking for recipes, he says Julia Child's (Mastering the Art of French Cooking) is the easiest dough he's found to work with.

Yes - lard - DH won't make pie crusts without it. I think I wrote "shortening" above-- Not sure if it's the same thing? Lard kind of grosses me out, but I do think it results in dough that's way easier to work with than when we did straight butter. He toys with recipes and is always on the lookout for a better one...the latest includes lard. 🤔

Despite the fact that you love the look of heavy oak grain, any chance you would consider painting *everything* white or some other color? I'm seeing lots of color on cabinets here and there (grays, navy, etc.), though I'm not really into decor trends. Seems like you might be able to just paint over everything after thorough washing, light sanding, tack cloth? Not that that would be your ideal--

Fridge - If I get distracted (phone call, kids' requests, other things cooking) as I'm rolling out crust, getting it into the pie dish, fluting it........I place the whole thing (pie dish, crust - whether in balls or partially-rolled-out) BACK into the fridge until I am able to finish. Also, sometimes it's hot / warm weather here when I'm making pies; you have to work quickly or the dough gets too warm / soft. Placing everything into the fridge - even for 10 minutes - saves a lot of frustration caused by warm dough. Cookie Cutters - For ~20 years, we have used mini seasonal Fall cookie cutters to fix "mistakes" in all sorts of pie crusts. Interestingly, the pies end up looking even more beautiful than those with "perfect" crusts. The cookie cutter shapes are: oak leaf, maple leaf, some other leaf, apple, pumpkin, and maybe an acorn. They're about 1/2" to 3/4" long / wide (not very big - I guess they're originally for mini cut-out cookies?). I make extra dough (or a recipe large enough for a bottom and a top crust when only actually needing one), and then cut dozens of these shapes out. I line the pie dish edge with them and overlap the fluting. So, if there were breaks in the fluted edge, it's all covered up by beautiful leaves. Hope that makes sense. This looks great on a pecan pie! If I bake an apple or fruit pie with a top crust, I place these cut-outs in a pattern on the top crust and "glue" them into place with a little egg wash. The eye is drawn to these shapes vs. finding the imperfections in the crust. These little cookie cutters have saved the eye appeal of many a pie! And the pressure is off: I don't worry about making perfect crusts because they cover up any imperfection. ETA: Those little cutters have been a great way to get the kids helping to make pies. They love those things and getting the chance to decorate the pie crusts -- just the right size for smaller hands and people who like to decorate! Kind of like these: Amazon International Cutters Rolling Pin - Learned this somewhere along the way: When you're ready to transfer the crust from the rolling surface to the pie dish, roll it up loosely on your rolling pin (dust with flour if sticking) like you're rolling up a map, "hover" the rolling pin over the pie dish, and gently "unwind" / un-roll the dough onto the dish. This is way easier and results in less tearing / cracking than my old method of folding it in half or moving it as a big sheet to the dish. DH is the one who's always on the hunt for a better dough recipe. You've gotten some good ones here; I believe he's currently using a Cook's Country recipe that calls for shortening an butter. Also, we definitely use a food processor for speed. Make Ahead: we're often busy and/or make several pies over the holidays. We'll tag-team it and make ~6-8 pie dough crusts, roll them into balls, put them in plastic wrap, put all of the "balls" into large Zip-Lock bags, and freeze them ahead of time (up to a few weeks). There's no point in washing the food processor between batches; we just make an assembly-line system and crank them out, sticking them into the freezer. Later, we put the dough into the fridge a day ahead of time to thaw a bit. We're one step ahead and have less clean-up. It doesn't seem as mentally-overwhelming when we break it up this way into different days.

I'm not sure if your post is a JAWM or a specific question...and I always want to be an en-courager, not a dis-courager... I'm a big believer in doing things consistently, repeatedly, in small "bites", to reach a big end goal... But... I bought a vintage bathroom wall-hung medicine cabinet and a an antique vanity (dry sink) several years ago. Needed to change the color of both (one was a dingy cream, the other a weird blue-yuck-green)... I thought, "How hard can it be to strip and repaint them?" Little did I know that it would take over my LIFE for a chunk of time. I persevered through the process the previous poster wrote out (strip, wait, scrape, reapply, strip again, deal with trim and nooks/crannies, reapply/wait/strip on thicker areas...wash, sand, paint, repaint x2-3 coats, seal with clear varnish, depending). What else could I do? I wasn't going to trash these very-specific pieces that I found and bought to go into very-specific spots in a small bathroom... Those might be the first and last things I ever strip and refinish! It was a painstaking, frustrating process that I thought would never end. 😆 So, I dunno...if you have a lot of patience and a certain amount of stick-to-it-ive-ness and won't bog down in the process-- Go for it! But, the sheer number of doors you listed makes me cringe! Any way of hiring it out -- or some of the process? If it helps ease your pain, our contractor (professional painter by trade) told me how he and his team worked painstakingly on repainting a large kitchen of cabinets, drawers, etc. The paint peeled within a few months. Little did they know: their main paint supplier/manufacturer had changed the formulation of the paint they'd used for decades. They had to strip, sand, and repaint the entire kitchen. For "free" (obviously). So, apparently, it happens to pros too.

Oy! Yes, I get it! Sometimes you just have to prioritize the biggest issues first and then go from there. Thanks for the PSA! I'm going to see if this might be a solution to insomnia / circadian rhythm issues.

Oops--internet cut out as I was trying to post--

OK, thanks for the link from Columbia--I'll check that out. Nope; not conflating lightboxes and lizard lamps! 🤣 Yeah, I was kind of hesitant to say anything, because maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill or over-complicating things. I have a tendency to do that 🤔 and then not actually change anything. Hence, never followed through on a light box last year, even though I think it could help balance hormones, improve sleep and mood, etc.)... But I'm super-careful about the sun and the last few years, I'm having stuff burned / cut off my face every year. I live in an area with intense light half of the year and I enjoy swimming and a lot of outdoor activities. Whilst I could probably use the benefits of a lightbox in the darker months, I don't want to increase bad light exposure. The article I linked up above does list the Carex as a good option. More expensive, but maybe worth it for those with pre-cancerous / fair skin issues. Off to read... Thanks for the replies--

I searched for the light box mentioned above at Costco and this is the sort of website and information that popped up last time I researched these things: https://portlandpsychotherapyclinic.com/2011/11/dont-get-your-light-therapy-at-the-portland-costco/ I want to be proactive and I think there's really good data out there about light boxes + SAD. I'm wary and skeptical of junk science and a lot of internet info, but this kind of stuff gives me pause WRT skin cancer / eye damage... Thanks to anyone who's researched this in depth and wouldn't mind passing on your thoughts! *** If you don't wish to click on an external link, here are some pertinent parts of the article (he goes on to share info about other light box options): It works really well and most people respond within in two weeks of beginning the treatment. If you have symptoms of seasonal affective disorder or the “Winter Blues” you should seriously consider getting light therapy device. Unfortunately, the manufacture and sale of light therapy devices is completely unregulated by the government. Typically, a good light therapy device is a little expensive. If someone is selling you a broad spectrum light therapy device for under $150, you should probably be suspicious (though there are some exceptions). It’s likely that it has not been manufactured to the standards used in the research studies and could be ineffective or potentially dangerous for your vision. Tested devices are typically 10,000 lux (a measure of intensity) and should say something about being “broad spectrum” and have shielding from harmful “UV rays.” It’s the UV rays that are put off by fluorescent lights that can harm your eyes. Unfortunately, one of the biggest sellers of questionable light therapy devices is Costco.

Skin cancer / light boxes - can anyone weigh in? I researched SAD / light boxes last year, but didn't end up getting one because of some reviews I read. It sounds like some lightboxes emit the kind of light you DON'T want, if you have fair skin and battle skin cancer / pre-cancerous issues? How does one balance out the need for sunlight and Vitamin D and the avoidance of damaging light with one of these things? Especially if you need to be within 2 feet of it? Any thoughts? Thanks so much!

OK, thank you! I will check this one out instead!

Katie, I'm looking for Catholic resources for kids too. I checked out the Tell Me About... (first book you listed). The reviews mention toddlers, while the Amazon description says 8+ years. I'd ask the question on Amazon, but can't find a way to do it on that particular listing: Do you think this book would be good for a 7yo who is reading at about a 4th grade level, or would you say it's more for toddlers? We converted to Catholicism about 4 years ago, so...plenty to learn, but we were already Christian, so my kids have read (have been read to) Scripture since toddlerhood. In other words, looking specifically for Catholic resources vs. more basic Bible stories. I'm going to order the second book you listed. Just bumping this thread too, in case anyone else has more recommendations. Thanks!

I don't have any suggestions. Just posting to say that I fully understand your dilemma. I just have about 15 years of random bulletins, song sheets, notes, snippets, etc., all crammed into a hanging file folder. Every time I try to go through it and purge, I get overwhelmed and can't finish. So...no great experiences here...just posting to say, "I get it!" The thought of digitizing everything doesn't appeal to me because I like real paper. I'm super-organized and trimmed down in most areas of our house, but paper hoarding is my issue! I've dealt with what you've described with all areas of ideas: home improvement, travel, recipes, crafting, gardening, etc. The only way I've found to get things just the way I want them is to have various forms of idea-keeping (online - Pinterest, bookmarks - for visual ideas and articles; Excel for some things - lists and schedules; paper / binders for others...journals for others...). It's frustrating, but customizing and making my own systems seems to be the only method that ultimately, sort-of works for me. I've yet to find any sort of pre-made notebook or system that works; I'm probably very particular. Lots of cool ideas out there for sale, but they always end up blank or not-quite-right for what I want to achieve. I'm very creative and have a lot of ideas, so I may never tame the note-taking beast. 😕😉

My parents were kind of "done" with the large party-type celebrations by the time they hit their 50th. And they have been working really hard to get rid of stuff and to downsize. So it's hard to think of material items that will bless them vs hindering them. They love nature, the outdoors, and their family. A couple of their siblings and cousins visited from out-of-state, and we (their children), and our children (their grandchildren) converged on a national park they love, camped together, and had a celebratory lunch at a lodge in the park (which made it a little more special than just camping--kind of a more formal meal). We spent an afternoon seeing one of the major natural attractions of the park, letting the kids play, and doing some mild walking / hiking. It's a really beautiful memory for all and it didn't involve the usual stress of a large party / invitations / RSVP's / catering / etc. If I recall correctly, we teamed up as families to prepare one meal each night at camp and just shared snacks, breakfast prep, etc. We did have at least 1 RV, along with some small "cabins" so that we could prep food easily and had some space. As someone mentioned above: take photos! This sort of non-material idea, for people in the stage of life who are downsizing, could be applied to a day trip too. Anything in a beautiful setting where you can celebrate the milestone, stress-free. All of us adults pitched in for a weekend hotel stay for them too. Another gift that didn't involve "stuff". A friend I know whose in-laws just celebrated their 50th went on a big family trip for 10 days: more involved, more expensive...but good memories were made...photos taken...no traditional gifts.

Brown paper bags for book covers! Used one on a textbook DD used for a class this year...it's lasted the whole year with nary a rip or tear. :) She was very impressed with my old-school book wrapping technique. The challenge is to actually find brown paper bags anymore.

This is our life too. Thanks to this thread, I implemented the early-to-bed-but-you-can-read-for-awhile thing and it went well...thanks! I'd forgotten that one! 🙂 Other strategies: - This is the first year I've outsourced some classes each week. I've had to let go of some academic ideals and control, but my sanity and the health of the family is worth it. Without this, I would be burning out, as I have been every year by February. Again, it doesn't meet my ideals and it does cost more than we've committed to schooling in the past (prior to this year, I've done great things with a budget of *Zero* - part of the burnout). But I figure it's better for all of us, our relationships, and I'm a healthier person / mom / teacher when we are together. One might be able to achieve this type of break via babysitting, but that wasn't working for us for a variety of reasons. During these hours I really try to only do things that are well-filling and/or need to be accomplished alone vs. with everyone. I don't fritter the time away with things that are easily accomplished together. - I try to bake ahead / freeze breakfast options so the kids can get their own breakfasts easily. I'm not a morning person and this buys me just a little more peace in the mornings. Otherwise, they are full on into "talk" mode when they wake up and I...just...can't! This works with make-ahead dinners too. - We started a small, silly tradition in which I break rules by: A) letting them eat junky stuff for dinner that's normal for us (mac n cheese) and B) watching TV at the dinner table. We NEVER do these things as a family, but having a little leniency to break up the monotony helps that hour at the end of the day. Otherwise, I find dinnertime to be really depressing / a low point. I don't allow this every night he's gone, maybe just one night of the week. They think it's scandalous because Mom's usually not so indulgent and we all look forward to it. - When they were younger, we had a normal, everyday Quiet Time, no matter what. Our schedule doesn't allow for it now, but I think it's appropriate if everyone's at loose ends in the afternoon and reserve the right to call for one! - Over the years, we have discussed that everyone needs to pull more weight when Dad's gone. My 10yo is beginning to take pride in doing some of the harder outside jobs (livestock, etc.). Lots of discussion over the years too along the lines of: "Our family's a community...it's all inter-connected...whatever you add to the family in terms of how you help / do your work well, frees up more time / energy / money / etc. so that we are able to do the fun / cool / luxury things everyone wants to do." They are starting to see a direct correlation to what they put in and what they get out of it. When the family is down to 1 adult vs. 2, there's only so much time and energy to go around. This past year, we had to cut back on some gardening, property management, extracurriculars, volunteer stuff, etc., when it became apparent that it was all just too much for one person. Alone, I could not keep going what was started by two people. - We pray a lot together and we don't neglect this when DH is gone. Light a candle for the dinner table. Create beauty for those who are gathered; it makes it easier to press on. We keep the house picked up and clean (relatively) because everything seems worse when it's chaotic or messy. I used to let it all slip while he was gone and then run around trying to restore order before he got home. Then I realized that the organization and beauty mattered for us as people, too. - I allow them to have their drama (sometimes they really get a lot of joy and fun out of it, it seems 🙄), but I don't necessarily JOIN them in their drama. I will acknowledge their drama, but I don't feel that it's my duty to be sucked into it, per se. They know I am low-drama. As previous posters said, my kids are awesome and are willing to do what they're supposed to do; sometimes it's just all the drama and ***talking about it!*** that sucks the soul dry. So I don't feed it. - I minimize when I know DH will be gone. I don't take on or create extra social obligations because I need to recharge in solitude. Trying to do all of the Normal Things + all of the Amazing Things is a recipe for burnout when there is not another adult around. Some of my friends have not understood this; I have become OK with them not understanding. They're usually the people who either recharge with extroversion or who have a ton of extra support (parents, in-laws, etc.) or whose DH's get home at the same time every day, LOL. - I try to let go of some of my ideals when DH is gone. It's not the end of the world if read-alouds don't happen every night. Maybe we don't eat as healthy or make it to every cool event. Maybe I cannot serve others outside of the immediate family the way I would like to. I can't worry about those ideals; I need to stay on an even keel and, after several years of this, I am learning about what it takes to survive this ongoing "temporary solo parenting" gig. Letting go of ideals and being OK with the good...being a stable, down-to-earth mom who is there for my kids is a practical and reasonable goal. In the past, I would have given myself a lot of grief for letting go of my "standards". To be clear, it's not being lukewarm; it's a conscious choice of being OK with "good" vs. "best". Sometimes I feel badly that I am not getting my kids to as many amazing things as other homeschooling families (who have a lot of family support / no work travel) are. Ultimately, that passes and I see that having a stable family ( = no burnout), whose members treat each other lovingly, is more important than that. We do SOME amazing things; other things will have to wait for a different season. I just re-read the OP... You can't get / give water out of a well that's dry. I don't know what your A-game looks like from your perspective, but, for me, being OK with NOT always being able to be on my A-game (very difficult for me!!) is a point I've been forced to come to. Acknowledging that, for me, a game that is lesser than my A-game is kinda part-and-parcel of lacking 1/2 of the parenting equation, but the game can still be really good, just different. I just have to relinquish my amazing 1000% ideals when life is like this, as it often is. My belief is that the human family was not intended to thrive with one parent (though I see that this is possible, just more difficult); it was created via two: male & female. When you're lacking one of those two, it's going to be hard to bring the A-game to the court, consistently, over the long haul. Doesn't mean the game isn't going to be Most Excellent in many ways! You might have to re-frame your expectations of what your A-game looks like. Maybe, during those times you are flying solo, your A-game is keeping everyone (including yourself) healthy, sane, loved, and educated - all to some standard, but maybe not the standard you are able to achieve when all pistons are firing (both parents present). I hope you can find the grace to accept that what you can give is enough. 🌷

Just popping back in to clarify that both DDs will likely attend public or private high schools, so we will have to "align" to a grade level at some point vs. just "doing the next thing" (which has been a great advantage to homeschooling).

Did a little searching after I posted and found:

Reviving this thread to see if the OP has come to more conclusions about a "Gap Year"? Any other stories from boardies out there who have done this in the middle school years? DD was a precocious learner at age 4 and I didn't know what to do at the time...she wanted more than to "just play" (though we continue to play / have a high value for play)...preschool didn't seem like the right fit...so we began homeschooling for a "trial year". Six years later, here we are. Academics are going really well. She has been identified as gifted; is advanced in all of the subjects we cover. We are outsourcing some classes this year--mainly for the social aspect (she is very extroverted) and shes thriving in this style of hybrid learning. The issue is that, looking down the road a bit, I would prefer that she have another year under her belt before starting high school (and college later). I started college on the younger side too and see that I could have benefited from more social maturation before leaving home. As someone else posted, I would like her to take this gap year between 6th and 8th grades so that it won't affect her high school transcripts / college admissions. I have some ideas as to what that would look like. In some ways, it wouldn't be really different. I would create reviews in math and help her to continue / keep all of the skills she acquired fresh. She reads a ton; I would value more time to read / discuss literature more deeply with her that our current schedule allows. I'd like to find some creative writing outlet or some new way to pursue writing (creation of a website; things related to small biz ideas she has). So, the 3 R's would continue. If we can afford to, I'd like to do some extensive travel. I also have another DD who is in the same boat. Different styles of learning; she hasn't been assessed formally yet, but she skipped a grade in math and language this year and her reading skills are really taking off. In some areas, she is progressing faster than DD1 did. So, again, a student on the younger side who could probably benefit down the road from some other experiences. They both seem / feel really "young" in some ways to me. In other ways, they are very mature and responsible. Not too "street wise", though, and that scares me when I look ahead. 😕 Partly, I'd just like to get off of the grade level / cover-this-in-X-grade "treadmill" for a year for the relational aspects between all of us as well. I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who's done this sort of "gap year" and what it looked like / how it worked out. Curious about the OP's conclusions too-- Thanks--

For years I've wanted to change from being a night owl to a morning person. I don't think I'll ever truly be a morning person. I've gone through little stretches of time where I'll wake up early for a certain activity or form of exercise that I really like, but it never sticks. It's been really cool during those times to see the sunrise or feel like I crammed a lot into the day. It's just SO hard to change my body clock. Maybe another factor is being introverted: after a full, busy day with people, I really need some time to shut down mentally before bed, so I stay up to decompress alone. Going to bed early and skipping this process = bad insomnia, which is worse than staying up late. I'm very disciplined in various areas of my life, but this is one "bear" of an issue that I just don't seem to be able to change. Frustrating! Still listening, though, and holding out hope that I might be able to change at some point...

That's incredible. And hilarious!

IME, Mexican-Californian and Mexican tacos are often served with shredded cabbage, lime wedges, radishes, salsas (pico de gallo, hot, green, etc.) and then pickled vegetables on the side (carrots, jalapeno peppers, cauliflower, etc.). We eat a lot of Mexican and also a lot of vegetables, so I'm always trying to figure out what veggies "go". Often, we'll eat tacos with a large salad and then everyone's free to turn their stuff into a taco salad if they prefer, if that makes sense. Probably not traditional, but a way to get more vegs in the diet.

Back again to say that, while Spelling Power has been awesome for us, DD and I are likely natural spellers. I remember spelling being easy as a kid and it seems to be coming easily for DD. She's my first child, so I'm lacking a broad view here. After reading Lori D.'s experience, I realize that perhaps Spelling Power fits well because of our natural tendencies. And I'd agree: there's really no instruction involved with Spelling Power...which may or may not be good, depending on the student. I re-read and see the OP is looking for ways to overcome spelling struggles. So, a good option for some, but, as with ALL curricula...depends so much on a variety of factors related to the student. I hope you find a good fit, OP!

Also wanted to mention that Spelling Power can be used easily while doing other things, in case that helps anyone. Meaning, I can administer the teacher-dependent part while making lunch and then turn DD loose to do the practice independently. I can quickly check her work when she's done, if needed. I like that it's one subject that's not time-intensive (in our experience, anyway) because some of our other subjects are very teacher-intensive.