We have a very small house with an open concept living room/dining/kitchen main room. Under the stairs is the perfect size to tuck an ikea desk and desktop computer, with bulletin board, phone/answering machine, printer on top of a small ikea chest and a file box. Only cons are it's a bit dark (a desktop lamp helps some) and it is really dusty! In an ideal world I would have a basement and this under the stairs area would be a storage closet, but then where would my office be until the kids move out? So yeah, it works.

We put in a similar backsplash almost seven years ago, but yes much flatter. We put a sealant of some sort on it (sorry, can't remember what it was) and it wipes up easy peasy.

I tried a Yoga for Weight Loss dvd from the library. Three 20 minute-practices on it, just did Whittle Your Middle a couple of times and love it. Fast-paced for most of it, really need to be paying attention to your rights and lefts, then a bit of that yoga rest at the end.

I would send them a message. I had a co-worker who tried to change her last name on Facebook the night she got married and (drunkenly) misspelled it. They usually have a waiting period before you can change your name again, but she sent them a message and was able to get it changed sooner.

I hung a bulletin board over the coat hooks at the front door. I print off pretty versions of motivational quotes (like "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take") I find free on the internet, then change them up from time to time. I've gotten dd on board, telling her she can hang anything she wants up there too. I wouldn't necessarily pick some of the stuff she does, but it's a nice little way to get some of that stuff in there. ETA: Another fave is that Winston Churchill quote: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

I can relate. I'm going to send you a message. Basically, I suspect you can't do more than what you are doing, and that you're going to have to let him have some time to come to terms with trying again. Life will probably give him opportunity to see how much he needs to do this, it just sucks for you in the interim.

Oh I missed that too. It's obviously a topic I'm interested in. Sorry, OP.

DD wears leggings with no-show socks. Neither overlaps the other.

Moved On, you've described the way you think on this thread several times as pretty much exactly a growth mindset, without the terminology. If the label bothers you that much, possibly because it is associated with this commercialized venture, that makes sense. Other posters can politely decline to throw the baby out with the bathwater, however. Of course it is your right, but it's other people's right on a discussion forum to share their experience too, without that being a personal attack on you; unless as Pen mentioned you specifically request no feedback on your post. Back and forth is not pointless - sharing differing points of view is often how we learn new things.

Forty-two posted that she did. I did. If the search function for the board is working, the book has been discussed here before, so presumably many others have, too. This is an education forum. Books about education will likely be read and discussed, not sure I would call that following the herd.

I like that a common sense theory has a name and some attention. The attempt to commercialize and profit from it is disappointing but not surprising. I think most posters here can clearly take the wheat from a book and discard the chaff. We've all watched the education system fads come and go, not much we can do about it.

Heathermomster, if I understand it correctly, it is similar to the way in which a person may improve their IQ score over their lifetime. https://www.edglossary.org/growth-mindset/ Quotes from the link: ETA: And I'm pretty certain every single person on this board has a growth mindset.

I hate it when a perfectly reasonable, common sense theory becomes popular. Suddenly, it becomes shallow and commercialized. Really, a growth mindset in the bigger picture of life is a game changer and one which could benefit everyone. Telling a struggling math student that they can improve their algebra grades if they just put effort into improving their intelligence is not in the same category.

Yeah, why is the first recommendation always seaweed? Ew. However, I do like yogurt, or scrambled eggs with some veggies (zucchini, spinach, peppers, cherry tomatoes) and a bit of cheese. It's fall here, so we're in the middle of filling the dehydrator with racks of plums for drying. Just like gummy candies. ?

For right this second, like a visit from your friend, I would try moving the map to the longer wall, maybe rotate the printer table so it backs against the window wall. The wheelie cart you're not using and *any* curriculum that won't be used this school year could head down to the basement. I so wish I had a basement, it may be a good thing for my packrat tendencies that I don't. ? Longer term, check into a buffet or something similar with doors or baskets so much-loved projects that need to hang around for awhile can be out of sight. The small desk and folding chair could probably go, hey?

Would yoga or tai chi be options?

What does your son want to do? My reaction would be the same as yours, just wondering if it might help *him* to do something.

Move on to the Middle Ages. Perhaps Notgrass has something for that time period, or you could give History Odyssey another try. We used SOTW vol 2 along with titles from Sonlight's booklist for that time period. For one child we added IEW's Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons; for another, selections from K-12's Human Odyssey.

How long have you been in your home? If you've managed hardwood in your kitchen and it still looks good, I would be hesitant to change.

Ooo, inspiration: vanilla Greek yogurt with cold coffee... sounds like a yummy treat.

For a 1-2 person smoothie, I start with about 1/2 cup of frozen berries and 1/2 cup of milk. Sometimes I add yogurt, sometimes I can sneak in some spinach or Swiss chard with no one noticing. Then I add sweetener to taste (I would have none; if dd will actually drink it, I do), and adjust milk and/or berries to consistency. If this drives you crazy, once you find your mix, write it down. I did that for awhile at the beginning but this is the strategy that works right now.

I've been enjoying the 7-Minute Workout over the past few weeks. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/

Roller blinds

Sounds normal for an iphone to me.

I'm not understanding the anti-shower curtain thing at all. Take down the landlord's and put up your own. They need to be replaced from time to time anyway and cost very little.