Oooh, the ferry! Now there's an idea!

I wouldn't take the subway in from Riverdale. The express no longer runs and so it will take an hour to get down to Mid-town and an hour back. PLUS, on the way home, you still have to drive *out* of the city in the evening when everyone is coming back from their weekend. OP would drive south from Riverdale down the Henry Hudson Parkway (either to the George Washington bridge or the Lincoln Tunnel) -- major traffic down the Henry Hudson Parkway at that time on a Sunday (as a previous poster warned, Sunday evenings can be full of "returning" traffic). *if* I was going to take the train and head south for home in the evening, I'd DEFINITELY do it from the Jersey side and take the PATH (which ends up pretty close to the NYPL) both ways. That way you avoid driving out of the city in the evening and also avoid paying tolls. If I was going to drive, I'd go the prearranged garage route. OP should keep in mind that there may be heavy road traffic on the way out of the city in the evening. Either way could work.

Some of my kids have been eager and driven in the language arts. Here is what we have done at ages close to your dd's: 1) Skipped spelling for my natural spellers. Used All About Spelling for those that need it. Etymology curriculum has been enjoyed. We use Vocabulary from Classical Roots. https://www.amazon.com/Vocabulary-Classical-Roots-Nancy-Flowers/dp/0838822525 It's easy for my 11 year old and he enjoys reading through the extensive lists of challenge words and reading the "nota bene"s. He incorporates as many obscure words as he can find related to the roots he is studying into his daily speech. Silly boy. 2) Ds on/off gets a kick out of Cover Story (from the same publisher as One Year Adventure Novel). A child could do the bare minimum with this curriculum and "get away with it" but it delights ds to be creative and he's learned a lot along the way. http://www.coverstorywriting.com/ This is a curriculum that you'd want to use sooner rather than later with a gifted kiddo. Dd was 13 when I tried to use it with her and it was too late (not enough for her and she was bored and felt talked down to -- ends up she much prefers more open-ended writing assignments and can spend hours a day for weeks creating her own). Luckily, I had other kids coming up and saved it for them. Ds was 10 when we started and it was perfect (part of this may be personality, too -- he gets a kick out of the author's approach). 3) Latin. My boys have studied Latin for years. Translation texts have been much more of a hit than memorization texts. Ds11 likes Ecce Romani. https://www.amazon.com/ROMANI-LEVEL-STUDENT-HARDCOVER-2005C/dp/0131163701 I got it used for cheap! Translating the stories makes him *think* and not just regurgitate. Plus, the stories are entertaining (again, this may be his personality). Mostly, we do tons of reading and some of my kids have done lots of writing. Funny, my most accelerated language arts learners have also been my most accelerated math students. The ds I mentioned several times above just loves logic puzzles and has a appetite for math. My most prolific and natural writer is starting college for aerospace engineering in the fall and has taken a number of calculus classes at a university while in high school. I guess ya never know where they'll end up. (I always thought of him as a humanities guy.) Hope this helps.

https://www.panynj.gov/path/maps-schedules.html If you decide to take "the train" from NJ, take the PATH. Here's a link that shows you where it goes (closest to the library is either the yellow or blue lines that end at 33rd and then you walk a little). There is a "fares" tab so you can figure out the ticket prices. Depending on the number of people you have, it could be pretty much the same price to take the PATH and walk as it would be to pay for tolls into the city plus parking. It could even be cheaper. Jersey people: Which PATH station would be easiest in this situation? (parking, easy to get to from the highway, etc.)

You said "everyone is going pretty slow" and I just about cracked up! Where in Manhattan is everyone going slow? OP: Here are my two cents. The most stressful part of driving in Manhattan is the taxis and the pedestrians. Taxis will cross lanes without signalling, will drive practically *into* you to get in front of you, and will streak across several lanes and stop suddenly in the middle of the side-most lane to pick up or drop off a fare. Pedestrians in Manhattan, in many places but specifically in lower Manhattan, will cross when it is not their turn, will cross in the middle of the road (not at the intersection), and will *run* across in front of you hoping to make it across before you get there. Some don't even look. Nowadays with cell phones becoming ubiquitous, there are more and more pedestrians crossing without looking up from them. *Some* stare you down and hold up their hand in the "stop" position while walking right in front of your *in motion* vehicle. If you are used to this, you are hyper-aware as you drive, and it's "no big deal," though it creates enough stress that daily Manhattan drivers sometimes yell curses out the window and lean on their horns. Easiest driving is to be had on the highways that run up/down the western (West Side Highway) and eastern (the FDR) sides of the island. Here, traffic can be quick in places, and people *will* cut you off. Exits come up quickly with short exit/entrance ramps. Vehicles, therefore, accelerate and decelerate quickly, which is something else to be aware of. There shouldn't be much traffic (compared to weekdays) on a Sunday, so it is definitely the best time to drive into/out of Manhattan!

If you're familiar with Manhattan, you're right, it's not a big deal. If, however, you don't know the area, it can be easy to miss a turn and can take *forever* to get back to where you need to be because of one way roads, construction (happening a lot in these last few weeks), and even a garbage truck or an oil truck blocking a side street (sometimes for 10 minutes). I drive in Manhattan every weekend and have for years... however, there are days/times that are stressful for me (and I am not a shy driver). I think we have to consider that the OP is not familiar with the city. That makes it harder. Doable, yes, especially on a Sunday. But probably a little bit of a deal, even on a Sunday. Have fun, OP.

And several friends who have hives (raise bees) say they lost everything this winter. Shiver.

We usually have thousands of honey bees in our pasture (clover, etc.)... but so far this spring - none. Not one. I'm worried.

If you have to do it, Sunday is the best day (for driving in the city). You have parking figured out, so that makes it a lot easier. Just to echo previous posters, expect tolls heading into the city. One more bit of advice -- Make sure you have your tank filled enough so you don't need to find a gas station in the city. That's no fun. -been driving in Manhattan for 20 years (driving in the city on *weekdays* is NO fun and AVOID RUSH HOUR LIKE THE PLAGUE)

Go the the Violin Channel's website: https://theviolinchannel.com/category/vc-artists/ Menu across the top lists VC Artists (choose any of the artists, rising stars, or young artists for some great videos). Also check out their "videos" tab. So, so many amazing musicians playing incredible pieces. Seriously, you won't need another resource. Enjoy!

We used that Alfred's as an introduction to music theory for dd before she started at her current music school. At the time she was 10 and had had no formal music theory instruction at all, save what she picked up from 7 years of Suzuki viola lessons/group class/orchestra/chamber music. So here's my heads-up: we completed the whole book together and I thought she really knew the stuff, but when she took the theory placement test at her music school, she tested into the "Foundations" level ( pre-level 1). So, now I wonder if there may be a whole lot that this book leaves out. Or perhaps it's not a very good place to start? YMMV, of course, as always. Edited to add: I was totally FINE with her placement, BTW, as she was really a newbie to theory, BUT I thought sharing the experience might be useful for someone who is looking for a resource that would give a solid foundation. I don't think this book delivered that (at least not for us). In her fourth year of music theory instruction, dd is now at level 3 and doing very well, so the issue was not her ability to understand etc.

The last bit from the above video -- "Because that's what musicians do best: argue." Is EXACTLY why my dd is a musician! Bwhahahaha! So true. (This is exactly what she and all of teachers and her peers at her music school do all day every Saturday!)

The nice thing about having a tall AL is that they blend easily into the group of older kids when they're placed in a group working at their level (and so don't get judged as being a misfit little upstart and ALSO don't get the praise and compliments about how amazing they are, which can influence them in negative ways over time)... However, the hard thing about having a tall AL is that they blend easily into the group of older kids! Wait, didn't I say that was a nice thing? Well, yes, until they have a moment when they act their age and then everyone assumes they are being immature or misbehaving... other parents judge US... I can share some of my experiences involving the downside of having tall ALs. My oldest was the size of a 3 year old at 12 months. We were at the playground and he was standing around my legs and just being cute. The other adults made several comments and asked me why I didn't just "let him go play." They obviously thought he should be out there tearing around with the other 3 year olds... and being a first-time mom, *I* didn't realize he was actually much younger than those other kids and started to doubt my parenting (Was he too "clingy?" Did I need to encourage him socially? What WAS I doing wrong??). Now I look back and realize that the other 12 month olds at the playground that day were still confined to their strollers, eating snacks from their mommies' hands. Silly me to feel such doubt! My second child was a 4 year old in a music class of 5-7 year olds. She sat in line with the other 6-7 year olds and followed the teacher's directions... for the entire 45 minute class... except the few times when she got wiggly. When she was wiggly she was redirected a bit harshly, just like the 6-7 year olds. I didn't realize it at the time, but the 5 year olds were allowed (and encouraged) to sit on their mothers' laps when they were not actively participating. I didn't realize she was so much younger than the other kids, and the expectations (and teacher's reaction) were unrealistic. Kudos to her for largely living up to those expectations, but looking back, I wish the teacher had remembered she was 4 (and I wish I had known at the time that she was younger than the other kids)! My youngest routinely befriends 8-9 year olds in her music class. (She is 7.) She is more on-task and focused than most of these kids during the class... but *the look* the parents give me if they happen to catch her having some age-related behavior after class! One 9 year old who was enjoying dd's company for a few weeks suddenly turned a cold shoulder (and starting acting superior) when she asked dd about school and discovered the kid was a first grader. Sigh! The girl no longer even makes eye contact with dd. Dd was hurt and sad at the change in her "friend."

She sounds beautiful! I recently heard this piece and had the same reaction you did: it's incredible.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And how sweet does THAT feel to him after a zero! Congrats to him for all of his hard work!

American Waterweed needed for experiment in the textbook. Petco doesn't have it. Where did you get yours? Thanks!

An idea! How about a Maltese? Most are smaller than 10-15 lbs., but a friend has one that didn't make breed standard because it was too large and was sold as a "pet quality." She's so beautiful! Such a cuddle bug -- and EVERYONE who sees her instantly falls in love! ETA: This particular Maltese (I don't know about the breed in general) does not have separation anxiety issues (she's crate-trained) and uses an indoor "litterbox." I've never heard her bark.

I'm pretty cold about it... because otherwise I take offenses too personally. When a "friend" breaks my trust (or their child hurts my child)... When I discover that our values are at odds... I just walk away. Life is too short for that nonsense, ya know? Luckily there are lots of friends and potential friends out there! No shortage.

We tried banding once. Oh, it was horrible! Even though the chickens were already fully-grown, several of them had their legs grow quite a bit thicker and the bands got stuck in their skin/into the legs! We had to cut them out. (shiver) Chickens were fine. *I* was traumatized - heh.

We have a long list of various breeds -- chickens are like potato chips and ya can't have just one! Some of our chickens are truly for egg-laying and some are pets. A few have been dinners. We've also raised ducks, turkeys (to sell for Thanksgiving), and we keep a flock of guinea fowl for tick control. Breeds we have or have had: Ameraucanas, Red Stars, Black Stars, Rhode Island Reds, Australorps, Cornish, Jersey Giants, Orpingtons, New Hampshires, Marans, Rocks, Turkens, Welsummers, Wyandottes, Buttercups, Hamburgs, various polishes, Silkie bantams, Sebright bantams, Mille Fleur bantams, and Belgian D'uccle bantams We've also hatched out chicks that were cross-bred, with some very interesting combinations, here on our farm. We've gotten them from Murray McMurray Hatchery, Tractor Supply, local feed store "chick days," from a breeder (specific breed), from other 4H kids (kid-to-kid trades), and gifted to us from other homeschoolers who couldn't keep theirs for one reason or another. ETA: corrected spelling and forgot to add the ducks ;)

I strongly agree with your first paragraph but I have to share a different perspective on the second. My dd plays viola (small pond) and started in Suzuki lessons when she was 3 (a "headstart" compared with age peers) with the exact skill set and strengths that would allow one to learn to play music quickly and musically. She started with more passion and dedication than is typical. She has a very determined personality (when she was a baby, dh and I nicknamed her the "pit bull" because she was so tenacious about every little thing she did). Triple threat. So, she was always "the best" and "the youngest" viola student in her group classes who easily outshone the rest. By 6 she had not yet gotten a big head about her repeated experiences being "head and shoulders" above... but I was afraid it would be coming... So I decided to head it off and make sure to find situations where she was face-to-face (so it felt real) with other kids who played as well and better than she did (different, but similar, instruments). It was all very positive (no "she's better than you are nah-nah-nah"). I spent some time appreciating (out loud, and inviting dd to do the same) the other kids' strengths. Dd quickly started looking forward to socializing with *and* playing music with kids who played better than she did. She relished the challenge and it was like lighting a fire under her. A "hit" to her confidence was exactly what she needed to keep her feet on the ground, but the way we did it was what made it positive and kept her humble. Today she regularly plays music with age mates who are among the top in the world on their instruments (no kidding) and she has made some strong friendships. She has tons of confidence, yet she is humble enough to be comfortable being honest with herself and with others about her strengths and weaknesses. She's not afraid to talk about her weaknesses or to appreciate others' strengths. We regularly talk about using different measuring sticks for different folks (different strengths, different life experiences, different strokes). I think the OP intentionally setting up her ds to be "beaten" by someone else his age would be invaluable to him, as long as the parents and the other kids do not think of it as a competition, but rather finding new friendships and opportunities to engage with kids who have similar passions. Because, in the end, that's what it really is. It would be a gift for OP's ds to be able to enjoy being around other talented kids, feeling like he belongs, instead of feeling like he is always going to be the best (and having to preserve that to keep his identity), "different" from the rest of the pack. I would be much more worried that he might spend his childhood feeling like "top dog" until, in his teens or early adulthood, he meets a "real opponent" for the first time, or "is beaten" for the first time, and it ruins him (not knowing how to square that with his identity of always having been the best). I would also say that it's better to have these experiences young. The younger the better. I have seen teenage lifelong "top dogs" come to dd's music school and have a very hard time coming to terms with the idea that they weren't going to be the best all the time... I've seen kids change. From the outside looking in, it looks like they've had their self-esteem shattered... it affects them musically, socially... Some quit because they don't know how to *not* be top dog in their area of talent. From my perspective, that "top dog" identity has to go. Of course, YMMV and different personalities affect the outcome differently, I'm sure. And I want to echo Rosie's mentoring suggestion. That is top drawer stuff right there! Absolutely!

I want to "like" this so badly!!!

Ds received his second acceptance -- this one is to University of Connecticut. Several more to go... waiting is hard on the mama...

Back when I was in college my roommate and I just looked in the paper: free kittens. We called, visited the family (cute kids, clean house, adorable kittens), and took two home. The family did seem to be "vetting" us. Do people still put ads in the local paper? Or maybe Craigslist is today's version?