It's been glitchy for me for close to two years now? Maybe longer. I miss the consistency.

Debra Bell's book, the Colfax title and The Unschooling Handbook - a nice, eclectic bunch. :D

Finished two books this weekend, ADHD According to Zoe (Kessler) and Practical Magic (Hoffman). Both were light. I took things away from the first, the second was alright for waiting room-type reading.

Homeschooling always comes to an end, whether that is after one year or 13. Recognizing what is best for your family is key. While I feel some natural sense of authority over my own kids, I'm not sure I could have schooled other people's kids as I feel I'm missing the group management dynamic, too. I don't know your story, but a child's willingness to take direction is not always necessarily a reflection on the parent. (((hugs)))

This. A realistic view of the parent-child relationship and a realistic view of the teacher-student relationship. If you're shooting for the sonlight cover picture every day, you are going to feel like a failure, lol. And a willingness to do what is right for the child in front of you - yes.

That is one of the things I enjoy about Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin books: the occasional jarring use of completely different English grammar than today's. :-)

Re: PB We buy Adams Natural PB which contains only peanuts and less than 1% salt. The only painful thing is opening a new jar as the oil and solid separate. The best solution we've found is just to dump the new jar in a big bread bowl, beat with the blender until creamy, put back in the jar and refrigerate. It stays mixed until the jar is gone. I make all our salsa as our tomatoes ripen. We love the hot, sweet recipe. If that works for you, I can send you the recipe. I wouldn't use splenda as it is linked to strokes. I'd just cut the sugar, as others have mentioned, or drink more water. I'm not a purist about ketchup or worcestershire, but I do make my own cream-of base for recipes that call for soup, rather than buying the cans; and make my own broth.

:crying: :crying: :crying: Work has gotten hectic, kids are off for spring break, not much deliberate exercise happening. And I really miss it! So glad to spend time with my kids. Will also be glad to (hopefully) get at least partially into a routine again in a couple weeks. On the plus side, fingers crossed I *may* have found a walking buddy. I'm going to hit her up at the next opportunity.

That was some good advice I got on this board: I slowed my pace to just a bit over 100 wpm, then had my child read aloud along with me, kind of dragging them along. It felt painfully slow to me. I think it did really help with demonstrating what we were shooting for.

Canada - All of the provinces I am aware of have a December 31st birthday cut-off date. Other than the odd boy born in late December, most children I know of attending public school do so in their birth year. Our grade levels are actually our grade levels. Geometry and probability are included every year so most homeschool math curricula need to be supplemented to match public school guidelines. Unconventional scope and sequence such as Miquon and Math-U-See might make jumping from homeschool to public school in the elementary years more difficult, in theory, though the resulting strong base might be fine. Most curricula is on grade level. A few of the stronger programs, like Singapore and Horizons, might be ahead. True algebra begins in 9th grade. Open to any correction, this is to the best of my knowledge.

This. How could I forget? We used up so many in the food dehydrator this fall and the kids love them.

Apple crisps freeze well, too. Add to coleslaw or chicken salad. Try Waldorf salad? Apple oatmeal. Homemade applesauce.

I was just talking to someone about something similar. She was complaining about the current emphasis on downward dog. She has bad shoulders. There are over 120+ yoga positions, but the down dog-craze makes attending classes hard for her.

I didn't follow your link, but I'm sure there are more eco-friendly solutions than the Swiffer. I have Norwex cloths for "proper" dusting. Being one of those folks who can easily let perfect become the enemy of good, and leave tasks waiting for the "perfect", this is one my compromise areas. Another one is paper towel: I try to use rags and cloths for most things, but I keep paper towel around for those chores where it just makes sense. Likewise, I try to dust "properly", but did break down and get the Swiffer for those times when it just needs to get done. It does make it less of a chore, and it's probably still not getting done often enough. But you do have a good point, for sure.

I struggle with these, too. What I am trying 1. Walls - Spot cleaning with magic eraser 2. Dusting - Spent $$ on a swiffer. Putting on loud music. 3. Toilet - Bottle of spray vinegar in bathroom. At bedtime after brushing teeth and washing face, quick spritz, quick toilet brush, wipe down with face cloth, toss in washer. Elapsed time <5 min., courtesy of she-who-shall-not-be-named. 4. I've been paying dd to wash the floor. And just putting up with imperfection. And... ya.

How was her flow with Henry and Mudge? It sounds like it might have been more relaxed and smooth. If it makes sense and is pleasing (is the word prosidy?), and is within the realm of speed, even if it is the lower end, which I think it might be, then keep moving on, working to achieve the same effect at gradually higher and higher levels. My .02.

The word may does indeed make it no longer a blanket statement. And hugs to you, Jean in Newcastle. It is certainly not your fault.

Yes!! 60 minutes of driving into the city was becoming painful, as my hips were not comfortable sitting for that long. After Zumba faithfully for the past few months, it dawned on me that this issue was no longer present. My posture has noticeably improved and standing for longer periods of time is more comfortable, too.

I did 30 minutes zumba toning and 45 zumba activate. So nice to get both strength and cardio in one session. :-)

To work on reading aloud, you want passages that are well below grade level and in her comfort zone. We used Pathways readers. I would mark off a passage of about 100 words or whatever was our target. We started with grade 1, 1st reader. Once that was at target speed, we moved on to the next book and gradually worked up to grade level. I believe there is information on building reading fluency at the Dibels website. ETA: 90 wpm is not terribly alarming.

And? Thumbs up or down? I love the concept.

Stop it! Now you're making me want to try it!

My thighs are *burning* watching this.

Yesterday's beautiful weather prompted some yard work. Today's 45 minutes was Jazzercize Latin Live.

New week!