We had an interesting experience with the movie Hidden Figures. Ds11 watched it with us. I had not prepped him with the knowledge that "colored" is a term we no longer use nor that it is offensive. (He's never heard it before, but he likes to take new vocabulary and work it into his daily... well... you can see where this is going...) Unfortunately, it happened when we were out in public. I just about died. We were at an aquarium in a very diverse city on a school day. Lots of school groups! Well, ds looked to one area of the sea lion theater and noticed all the school groups sitting together and said that it looked just like the "colored section." He said it with a smirk, thinking he was making a joke, but I was MORTIFIED that someone might have heard him and misunderstood that he was referring to the movie he had just seen the night before. I ASSURE you that ds is not one to judge people by the color of their skin. We have a diverse family. We have discussed American history very bluntly for years. The movie made an impact on him that night... I immediately began to hiss an explanation in his ear and made sure to let him know that this word is highly offensive to a great many people today and to please *not* use it in public. (I also told him that I understood what he was referencing, but other people would not immediately see that and he needed to explain his point very clearly if he was going to say it out loud in the future.)

Specifically "Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans" -- We have that book. My kids have read it. At 6-7 years old they are old enough to engage in a simple conversation about the racist and sexist content as we come upon it. (Not only in this book, of course.) I distill it down to terms they will understand. I ask them questions like, "If you were in so-and-so's shoes, how would you feel?" "How do you think that person/that group of people felt about being treated that way?" "Would YOU want to be treated that way/expected to do that?" "What if they switched places?" Often we draw comparisons with other people groups (other times in history). Honestly, we use that book much less as a history book than we do as a reading primer. The history lessons, themselves, are too shallow. I prefer other resources, that go a bit deeper, as our spines even at those ages.

I second Nate the Great, Cam Jansen, the Boxcar Children, and Beverly Cleary's Ramona series. Dd has also enjoyed the Littles, Flat Stanley, Pippi Longstocking, and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. She did binge-read a ton of Geronimo Stilton books and Magic Tree House books. Dd (7) is reading over my shoulder and suggests Rainbow Magic and Scooby Doo, but I wouldn't consider them "quality literature." Lol Try Sonlight's reading lists for ideas. Click on their reader packages by grade (2 and/or 3) and you can see the titles. https://www.sonlight.com/homeschool/subjects/readers/readers-2/ Good luck!

Two were reading Biscuit-type books at 3 and two, at 6. One of those has dyslexia. By a certain age, all were reading pretty much whatever they wanted, even the one with dyslexia. I don't think it matters very much how early they learn to read, just so they learn that books are wonderful. I've got four bookworms. :)

Our oldest played the cello for 9 years... then he wanted to quit. I asked him if he was willing to practice a little longer and try out for the state regional orchestra. He agreed... and quit right after that. Never looked back. The cello is sitting in my living room... I guess I looked at it this way -- unless he was going to become a professional cellist (which was not going to be his path -- he had stronger interests elsewhere), he was probably going to stop practicing every day at some point. He would likely stop dedicating so much time to orchestra, quartet, and private lessons on a weekly basis. At *some* point. And I wanted it to be his decision. (I knew that he would always have the potential to start up again in the future if he wanted to do so... pay for his own lessons as an adult... or just fiddle around on a rental cello on and off.) Last month he picked up the cello and practiced for an hour straight! After not touching or even looking at the instrument for 3 and a half years! I was shocked. He sifted through his old Suzuki books and just played piece after piece after piece. Now, granted, his intonation was rather off and he was very stiff about the whole thing... He confided in me that he wished he had not quit and said it was hard to pick up the instrument and "be bad." I told him he would always have the potential to practice and take lessons in the future if he wished... and that was that. Cello back in the corner for the last month. Not touched again. So what does it mean??? I don't know, but this one is for sale. If he decides he wants to try the cello again, he can always rent. Anyone looking for a good full-sized cello?

You are exactly right: they cannot hear the difference when they hear the kids perform. It takes years for the students/musicians to train their ears to hear tiny details and then to figure out how to make improvements in their playing to be able to create those details. Most people simply haven't had that training and cannot hear those details. To them, someone who has been playing for 5 years and is an advanced high school musician can sound exactly like a college conservatory student or even a professional... because they simply do not have the trained ear to tell the difference. Edited to add that I was not responding to Wooly Socks when I wrote this (below): Honestly, music is a "group sport" and even professionals play with others at wildly varying different levels of musicianship and skill *all* the time. Playing music is not a sequential thing and all levels can play together all the time. One person's skill level does not describe nor equate to that of the other person they happen to be playing with at the time. (Even student musicians sitting next to one another/sharing a stand in an orchestra can be a very different playing levels.)

Your ds really does sound like a happy, well-balanced, lucky/blessed person!

I haven't yet read the book, but... While watching the movie, I *couldn't believe* how courageous these women were! I was very impressed with their courage. (I guess I'm in for a *knock me over with a feather* experience when I read the book?)

This.

Did you see Hidden Figures? That movie comes immediately to mind: female heroes who succeeded without needing to resort to violence.

Also, we're driving both ways, so we have the opportunity to take one route on the way out and another on the way back. Off to check out your suggestions!

We plan to choose the route based on what we want to see. Making that list now. :D

I had tubes in my ears twice when I was a kid. Pediatricians have told me this happens in "cycles." For a number of years, tubes are recommended quickly/frequently, then for a number of years, it's "the last resort." Did your dd see the pediatrician or the ENT. FWIW, the ENT is usually going to want to jump right to the "quick and thorough" solution. It's what they do. The pediatrician is more likely to try other (simpler, cheaper, and less invasive) things first. If the doctor said you can wait, go ahead and wait, but don't just do nothing. In the meantime, try a decongestant. See if it makes a difference. Try allergy medication. Maybe your dd has an allergy that you didn't realize she had developed. (Happened to my kid.) You've got a month. Capitalize on it. Good luck!

Hmmm... I don't know. For a something important? A couple of hours maybe?

I think we'd probably want to camp overnight at least... Spend a day? Sure. We'd be making "stretch your legs" stops along the way, too... bathroom, lunch, etc.

If you were driving from Kansas City to San Francisco, where would you stop along the way? What would you plan to see? What would you want to do? What is "not to be missed?"

When my oldest dd (the musician) was about 4 or 5, she went months asking "what?" all the time. I called the pediatrician who used an otoscope to check the eardrum for middle ear fluid. If there is excess fluid in there (usually comes with cold/congestion but can also happen with allergies), the eardrum doesn't move as well and so doesn't conduct sound as well into the inner ear and on into the brain. So, anyway, she had fluid. No infection, but fluid. For weeks! (We were told to show up every week to check on it. Thankfully covered by our insurance.) Pediatrician ended up suggesting a decongestant... if that didn't work, next step was antihistamine (for possible undiagnosed allergies). Last step would have been tubes in the ears. A month later she was fine and the "what?" responses never resurfaced. Go figure. I hope it's something temporary and simple. Good luck!

Ds took Alg, Geometry, Pre-calc, and Calc 1 and 2 in high school. He's going to college for aerospace engineering. He used Singapore Primary Math (textbook, workbook, intensive practice, and challenging word problems books). I give all the credit to the curriculum because ds was a total humanities kid when he was homeschooled (the only type of science he liked was paleontology) and often said his least favorite subject was math. Math is *still* his least favorite subject, so don't ask me why he's going into engineering! lol For my younger ds, along with the Singapore, I've added Beast Academy. This kid gets the math quickly, LOVES math books, and doesn't need much review, so with the Singapore we've nixed the workbook and only use the most challenging of the word problems in the CWP books. He much prefers Beast Academy, but I feel "safe" with the Singapore, so we haven't dropped it. Plus, I think the word problem solving techniques taught by Singapore and the amount of practice with challenging word problems is unparalleled. Both of my girls have done well with Singapore. They're content to just complete the assigned exercises, but neither are particularly "mathy." 15 y.o. is now self-studying geometry with Khan Academy and Lial Algebra and is very thorough. She makes very few errors in her practice problems. (She says she doesn't much like math, though she likes being independent with her learning.)

Two youngest have grown nearly all their teeth in this house with this non-fluoridated water. (Two oldest got their teeth when we lived elsewhere with fluoridated water) Before fluoride tablets, they got cavities on every dental visit (twice a year). They brushed twice a day and flossed and used a fluoride mouth rinse every day. (All with parental oversight.) Dentist suggested fluoride tablets. I asked doctor. Doctor prescribed. Six months later -- no cavities. Ever since that visit (two years ago) -- no cavities. Same daily brushing, flossing, and rinsing. Go fluoride!

Well, I *llke* Disney and I didn't read her post, but if she DID imply that people should go to Europe to see real castles, then she has a good point. Disney *is* fake. (I mean, that's perfectly okay if you aren't looking for *real* for that particular vacation.) Not sure how Europe could be cheaper than Disney. I know how to make Disney expensive, but I also know how to make it cheap. I know not everyone can make it cheap. This is what we did to make it cheap: drove down (1K miles) in our van with all six of us... driving through the night so we didn't have to pay for a hotel... stayed in a 3 bedroom/2 bath condo right outside Disney Maingate during the off season for $65/night for 8 nights... went with the Carolina homeschool group (half price on tickets)... didn't eat in the parks (drove to the local Publix and packed lunches and snacks in)... brought our crockpot down and filled it up in the mornings before we left the condo (so dinner was ready when we got back to the condo). Quite literally our food budget was exactly the same as it would have been if we were home. It was cheaper to purchase food down in Orlando than it is at home, but we also *did* eat at the parks one day (nibbled our way around Epcot World Showcase all day -- the kids LOVED this) so it all evened out. Not sure if I could make Europe as cheap as this. Anyway, she's also right if she said that Disney has a sweet deal going on because... they do! Would love to be able to take my crew to Europe one day.

When we went to Russia the summer my oldest two were 5 and 2. We did a couple of museums (things my 5 year old liked), but largely we just "lived as the locals did." I would suggest you take your kids to the places the local kids go and try to give them opportunities to do what the local kids do. We played at famous parks and had ice cream from street carts every day (as we walked along the city streets). We did go to the summer palace, which was gorgeous, but the only thing my kids liked about it was the boat ride there and then playing in the fountains (someone controls the height and timing so that when little kids approach, they get wet). Oh yes, and we went to a puppet show -- that was a hit. Teach them a few words in that language... they'll hear them at the park. Shop in the local markets. Maybe rent bicycles? Wait... will there be snow? This is winter... so perhaps my suggestions above will not be worth much. Local kids will be in school, right? Where do the locals hang out on winter weekends? Hope it's a great trip!

"Be very careful in Chicago" Really?! Sigh! (these are my eyes rolling) Thanks, we will enjoy the trip.

Wow! So many great ideas! I'm so glad I asked!

Hmmm... it will be summer... I'll check out the website. Thanks!

Younger dd is reading Om-Kas-Toe and a collection of Geronimo Stilton books. Younger ds is reading Minecraft books (grrr). Older dd is reading several "candy" books from the teen section of our library. (I don't even want to know.) Oldest ds just read The Man in the High Castle by Philip Dick (because he was hooked on the TV series). He enjoys dystopian alternative history stuff. He tells me he's also reading the sci-fi thriller The Martian, I'm reading two "old" anthropology books by Robert T. and Barbara Gallatin Anderson. One is a study on changes over time in a Danish maritime village and the other, Bus Stop for Paris, focuses on the changes in a French village . I was introduced to Barbara Anderson's writing when a book was assigned in a college anthropology class years ago. I have read that book many times over the years... Recently it struck me that she might have written more, and of course, thanks to the internet, the answer was easy to find! That first book is called First Fieldwork. The second one I read is Around the World in Thirty Years: Life as a Cultural Anthropologist. And now I've found two more! I think I may be reading them more for nostalgia at this point than anything else. Heh.