So far, this is what I've got for my youngest... Math: Lial Algebra Writing: Classes w/ Lantern English Literature: Books I pick out Spelling: MegaWords, Books 7/8 Vocabulary: Wordly Wise 3000 Book 8 Grammar: Finish Analytical Grammar (we've done seasons 1&2) Science: Local co-op class, which uses Apologia Physical Science History/Geography: I'm not sure yet...DD doesn't care what we do, so I'm thinking about doing a History of Science. Both BYL and Bookshark have options using Joy Hakim's Story of Science series. That paired with some extra books and maybe some Crash Course videos sounds fun. I'm also contemplating just creating it myself. I will have to decide at some point! 🤪 Extras: MMA class

I've been contemplating whether or not to call a few classes we're doing "honors" or not, so this updated information has been helpful. Question for anyone, but @mom2scouts you mentioned it in your post. On your course descriptions/transcript, how are y'all explaining why the course deserves the honors designation? Would the criteria be what was mentioned in bold...(1) if it is designated by the class provider; (2) if the student is doing extra work/projects beyond the scope of the curriculum; (3) if the student is working beyond the normal scope/sequence for that grade level?? Would anyone add/change anything to that?

I’d go for the Thomasville as well. We had an IKEA sectional before and it was okay, but it was really low to the ground…I think many of their sofas are.

I think I’d want to be Gryffindor, but I’m Hufflepuff. ☺️

Also, just quoting myself...I often call myself the "black sheep" of my book club because my opinion on our books often tends to be different from the others. Or sometimes maybe I just have more opinions than others!!! I don't know, maybe I'm just weird! 🤪

I agree that the premise of the book was interesting. For me, the characters are pretty important, so if I struggle to connect to them, it's hard for me to connect to the story. I think I just start focusing on that, or something. ☺️ I went back and looked at the notes I took after I read the book, and I didn't feel like this book really expressed Nora's sorrow and depression very well...at least I didn't feel it. Since that goes along with the premise of the book, maybe that's why I had a hard time with it. There were some issues I had with the ending of the book too, but I don't want to spoil anything! This was not a bad book, by any means. I'd still consider reading more books by this author in the future.

Nope. The only time I even think about it is if we go to a doctor's office and they may still require it, but even then I can't think of any recently that still have those requirements. Over Christmas my dad unknowingly exposed all of us to COVID (he thought he had a sinus infection). Of the eight of us with him, my mom also got it, which made sense because she was with him the most. I think I also had a mild case. I took several at-home tests and the faintest line showed up on my test once. Like we literally needed a flash light to see the line. I was sick for a few days. The other six people did not get COVID. My DDs have not been vaccinated, but the rest of us received the initial two shots, no boosters.

We read this for our book club a couple of years ago. Most of the others in the group really liked it, but I thought it was just meh. I didn't really care for the main character...I could just never get attached to her, if that makes sense. So many people love this book, so I consider myself an outlier on this one. ☺️

I watched the Alex Murdaugh trial and I believe one of the jurors was the brother of one of the officers who had responded to scene of those murders. The lawyers were all aware of it and were fine with it.

That really stinks that they don't care. 😞

That's crazy! I live in Texas...in the two counties I've lived in there is an exemption that if you are the primary caretaker for any child under age 12, you can claim an exemption. I got a jury duty notice this year right after might youngest turned 12, so I no longer qualified; however, it was right when I planned to start school. I called the clerk, explained my situation, and she said to just write that in on the form they sent me and turn it in and that would be fine as an exemption. Once I'm done homeschooling, I'd be happy to serve on a jury. I'm just worried I'd get stuck on one for several weeks or something, although I know that's rare.

I completed watching The Extraordinary Attorney Woo. It was great!! I was a bit hesitant at first because it was dubbed, but I gave it a few episodes, and I was hooked. So I learned that while I prefer subtitles, I can tolerate the dubbing. Some of the voices irritated me a little because they didn't seem to match the person, but again, it wasn't a deal breaker. I really liked the actress that played Attorney Woo. Also, I thought the whale thing was weird at first, but then there were references to it during the show that made me understand its importance. My youngest DD again started watching with me towards the end of that show, so we ended up choosing the next show together so we can start from the beginning. ☺️ It was a total random pick as we scanned through Netflix...we chose Once Upon a Small Town. The farm setting looked interesting. This one is much shorter than the other ones. It is 12 episodes and each one is about 30-40 minutes, so I think we'll fly through it. We've already watched 3 episodes. So far it's good...addictive! Even the mediocre ones are addictive. 🤣

Looks like you picked out some really good books! So cute! 🥰

I'm terrible with remembering codes...we have a few of these smaller biometric safes that house our handguns. They are so easy and they even notify you if someone has tried to access it that doesn't have their fingerprint stored. We also have a larger safe that houses DH's rifles (plus some of our important documents) and I'm always forgetting the stupid code. ☺️

I didn't ask my DDs, but I assume they do because they've baked with my MIL and she regularly uses cookbooks. I don't think I've ever seen her pull up a recipe from the internet...she doesn't really like technology. 😂 We have some cookbooks at home too, but we don't use them very often.

This book is on my TBR shelf! Sounds....intriguing. 😂

New thread…

Happy April!! 💐 I guess spring is officially here. I have to admit that spring is not my favorite season. 🫣 I like all the new plants/flowers, but I hate the bugs, and we get a lot of them here…scorpions, centipedes, tarantulas! I have actually come to accept the tarantulas, though, because they eat the scorpions. 🤪 Anyways, I hope you all are enjoying some warmer weather! My March reading was okay, but I got a little derailed with YouTube and a new favorite…K-dramas! I’m hoping to get back on track this month. I’m currently reading The Rose Code by Kate Quinn for my book club and so far I’m enjoying it. I hope y’all are all doing well and are reading lots of great books! Happy reading!

I agree these are loopholes that should be closed and that all firearm sales should be required to have background checks.

The 28 states you’re referring to is the column…Background Check When Seller Is Not a Licensed Dealer. Private sellers are not required to perform background checks. However as I mentioned, I think all but one state (Wyoming) the seller is required to ensure the buyer is legally able to own the firearm. That is the second column in the link I provided...Additional Regulations on Private Gun Sales.

Regarding the bolded…I’m actually not that shocked. Gun laws can be confusing to people, especially because each state’s requirements can vary widely.

I think in most states the person selling the firearm must ensure the buyer can legally own the firearm (e.g. the buyer is not a felon or something like that). I’m not sure what legal consequences there are if this isn’t done. I assume this varies by state. Also, some states require documentation, some don’t. Here’s more info… https://www.findlaw.com/consumer/consumer-transactions/private-gun-sale-laws-by-state.html

I’ll be honest, the Giffords website is not my first choice for information. I think it’s a more biased website, understandably so. However, when discussing this topic I try really hard to just look for data (which can be hard). Gun registration was mentioned and in my quick search this website had the best/easiest to read info. However, I would caution you on those surveys as they may not be the best representation of the entire country. I honestly don’t know how they conduct their surveys, but again I don’t think they’re completely unbiased. The gun registration issue seems to have lots of legal complexities, so I myself haven’t read up enough on it to make any opinions, but I find information always helps in the process.

Most stores are considered gun dealers and are required to do federal background checks, including Walmart. They have even increased their restrictions on gun sales… https://corporate.walmart.com/askwalmart/what-is-walmart-doing-to-guarantee-responsible-firearm-sales There are differences when it comes to gun shows and private sales. I do think the “loophole” is an issue and those sales should go thru background checks as well. ETA…regarding registration, looks like only a handful of states require some form of registration, and it’s not necessarily for all firearms. Here’s more info if anyone is interested… https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/policy-areas/owner-responsibilities/registration/

I felt the same after having watched both. The Uvalde videos made me sick...still thinking of them makes me ill. The Nashville ones were the exact opposite. Those officers were methodical and did not hesitate to take out the threat. I actually think those that have seen the Uvalde videos should watch these, because it will show how it should be and can be done. I understand though if it is difficult.