I was ready to cringe when I clicked the link (being from WV, you know we don't have the best educational reputation!), but I'm relieved to see it's the Mary-Poppins word that I don't even know how to spell. Wisconsin is funny. If I had to guess the state with residents who misspell its name most often, I'd say Mississippi, Illinois, Arkansas...

I have a rising 8th grader who wants to take "Chinese with Mike" next year. http://www.chinesewithmike.com/ I've been looking into resources for learning Mandarin Chinese locally and finding nothing. I wonder if starting down this path is no big deal, or if he might come to a dead end and have to start over with another language in high school. I also wonder whether this course would be considered a high school level course or not (how would I know?). Ds13 is not a kid who does well with being uprooted/starting a subject afresh. I'm sure there are online courses that he can continue with after CWM... I think I just need some reassurance that I'm not painting us into a corner. I struggled with foreign language classes, and I know that experience makes me extra apprehensive over planning this for him.

Are you in favor of treating other destructive invasive species like the emerald ash borer and zebra mussels the same way? I feel like cats get a pass because they are cute, furry mammals and traditionally kept as companions. Positive connotations all the way.

Feral cats are considered an invasive species -- they're part of the "100 worst" list of the Global Invasive Species Database. An invasive species that is very successful, with a strong negative impact on native species, should be controlled. http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/speciesname/Felis+catus

I was trying to decide on a ribbon for a gift box earlier. Polka dot won.

When I was pregnant with #2 and probably 37-38 weeks, I had run into a drug store late one night to grab something. A woman at the far end of the aisle started toward me, pointing, fanning herself and kind of whooping and hollaring? When she got near she was looking me over, caught her breath and asked if I was carrying twins. I said no... "Are you sure?" Yes... She left still making all sorts of noise and acting all overcome by seeing my belly. It was a very uncomfortable moment. Granted, I had extra amniotic fluid with him and when I'm pregnant I carry all in the front. I also hate having just given birth, being somewhere with the little newborn and people look at my midsection and ask how far along I am.

A frivolous poll for Friday. [What I mean by "gingham" is that country-style checkered plaid pattern.] I'd have to choose polka dot. Gingham is cute and all that, but polka dot makes me smile!

A large hotdog novelty pillow. A frozen turkey.

Going through responses and adding some more details... Older brother (#3) was intervened/hospitalized/heavily supplemented at <2 weeks by an overbearing ped, not the ped I have now. I don't think he ever went below 5%. From that experience (I trusted the doc and suddenly he turned on me and was threatening CPS) I have a knee-jerk fear of peds. I don't know what the child's normal would have been. He had some kind of physical trouble eating no matter from the breast, bottle, syringe, cup, SNS or anything else. I have fragmented memories of that time because of the extreme exhaustion of feeding him very slowly 24/7. Somewhere between a year and 18 months he figured out how to eat efficiently (solid food), and now he's a machine. He recently turned 3 and is about 35 lbs. That looks close to 50%. Although I am an advocate of exclusive breastfeeding, I'm pleased to have made it 9 months and would be at peace with supplementing now, even weaning, if it helps. This baby is not interested in switching, he's definitely not lethargic and is meeting milestones early. I don't have momma-intuition-red-flags popping up, except that the cute clothes I have for the summer just sit there and wait for him to grow bigger! I believe his height/head circumference growth are positive and within normal. Baby sleeps 2-3 hours at a time at night and then nurses both sides. He's a night owl like me so we go to bed 11 or midnight and wake up for the day at 8, and he gets in 3 or 4 good naps. We do a modified bed-share with a side-car crib. None of my children have been the magical babies of lore who sleep for 6+ hours at a time... Thanks for all the food ideas!

My little guy turned 9 months old this week. At his last appointment, he had dropped down to the 2nd percentile for weight I think -- that was about 2 months ago. His height was about 30 or 40%? The weight gain had been on the low side of average from birth but didn't fall off a cliff until somewhere between 3-6 months. I don't have a great scale here at home and it only measures in increments of 0.2 lb, but I can tell he's off the charts by a bit now and he hasn't gained anything at all since I started daily weighing about 2 weeks ago. Every day I feel more anxious over the weight, but he looks healthy to me and is very active (cruising) and happy. He is thin but not gaunt or peaked, and his diaper output is good. I do NOT want to go into the next appointment, which is a month from now, and be run through the FTT gauntlet. My 3rd baby was also underweight and was diagnosed FTT, although when he was a newborn, and I will do whatever I can to avoid that experience with a ped again. If I can just get him back on the chart, and we can avoid all that unpleasantness!! He is breastfed and eating solid food. At the last appointment the ped said to push solids like expressed milk mixed with rice cereal, but this baby would have none of that. He is not tolerant of spooned food in general. The first food he would eat with some regularity was cheerios that he would feed himself, but solids had been slow going until very recently. When I panicked about all this a couple of weeks ago, this is what we tried: - a nurse-a-thon for a few days, but the scale didn't move. I am nursing on demand at least every 1-2 hours. He nurses every 2-3 hours in the night. I am offering often even when he is not acting hungry. - formula from a lactation aid, but I felt like he was in danger of a nursing strike! He was upset and took a while to nurse with a normal latch again. - formula from a cup, not interested. I think he doesn't like the taste of it. - increasing variety of solid foods and adding calories where I can. So he has gotten much better with solid foods over the past week, it really is amazing! He went from eating a handful of cheerios a day to: - sometimes as much as an ounce at a time of finely ground beef & cooked onions or chicken that I give him in lumps on my fingertip (no spoons, you know) - 1/4 to 1/3 of a banana in one sitting, served in little chunks from my fingers - more cheerios, self feeding, loves them - yogurt melts, self feeding, loves them even more - gnawing/grating on the end of a big cucumber, closely supervised of course - sometimes a little shredded cheese will make it into his mouth He still refuses liquidy food like applesauce, rice cereal, baby food, anything having to do with formula... Right now I am trying to add calories to the foods he likes, but he's hard to fool. Unsalted butter or olive oil? Forget it! I am having good success with coconut oil that has been refined to be no-taste and no-smell. I know it is not as healthy as virgin coconut oil, but I have to go with what works. I just started adding coconut oil to the beef and chicken and banana. Maybe I should slather some on the end of the cucumber. I am starting to feel like I did with #3, where all of my day revolves around constantly feeding the baby. I am feeling scared. I have to muster up my courage to weigh him and then when I see the number it feels so crushing. :sad: If he doesn't gain anything in the next few days, I guess I'll have to call the ped (cue: feeling of dread). I hope she would see us as proactive and not come down like a ton of bricks.

I haven't used this myself... but it looks like something that might help? http://www.prufrock.com/One-Hour-Mysteries-P197.aspx There are more books in this series.

When my 12yo finally remembered it was Mother's Day, he offered me 5 bucks. I said, "No thanks..." So his 9yo brother gave me a slip of paper with a hastily drawn dime on it as his card/gift, "because you just said you don't want real money". Would he seriously have given me a dime and called it good? Dh did the dishes twice for me today, that's something... Chocolate sure tastes good right now.

https://www.twitch.tv/events/45384 http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/mister-rogers-neighborhood-twitch-streaming-free-1202422417/ :lurk5:

Sure, I get it most months when I'm cycling (haven't been for some time!). I usually have cramps that feel like PMS and generally feel yucky. Sometimes the pain is on my left side only. This will last for most of a day but never two days. It's been getting more painfully annoying as I grow older. I know it is mittelschmerz because we chart my cycles. I wouldn't confuse it with a UTI because in my case, that pain is really low (like, urethra low).

Oh yeah... Why is the smiling part so hard to accomplish??? I also second finding a really good deal. I love picking up something useful for cheap. ~~~~ My playlist that I like to sing and dance to Nuthatches and woodpeckers Miniature dachshunds Coffee made the way I like it Uncrispy bacon A long, hot shower Beadweaving a piece of jewelry for myself Pot painting places Feeling pretty in a swishy skirt (see: dancing...). Even going up and down the stairs in a floaty skirt perks me up! Period romance flicks (Pride & Prejudice, Jane Eyre, North and South...) Hiking alone in the middle of nowhere Frozen cheesecake, lemon bars, or raw buttermilk sugar cookie dough, also baking in general Bug hunting The smell of the woods Spending time with dh Cute 9 month old happy baby face When the wind picks up and the temperature drops as a big storm is rolling in Witnessing a random act of kindness Board or card games, played with adult friends! (sorry, kids, you aren't as much fun...) Hearing the "cha-ching" on my phone when I get a sale

Yeah, me too. I don't have a big butt at all. When I wear a liner I have to put it so half of it is in front of the gusset.

We once had a rat (in a previous house) that could not be trapped. In fact, the snap traps would just... disappear, never to be seen again. Those things are impressive and such a PIA to set without breaking a finger, and how that rat would foil them is still a mystery. After weeks of trying, Dh was finally fed up. The next time he heard it rustling around, he ran after it with a broom and swept it into the new snap trap we'd set that day! He is a brave, brave man.

[eta: meant to quote Rebel] Wow, you donated a lot of stuff! I would have loved to peruse your sale... but sadly, I'm drowning in fabric as it is. It's an addiction, I tell ya. Yes, medium to large scraps. The remnants will be loose in a box, not bagged up. It would be hard for me to buy fabric enclosed in a bag without having a chance to feel it, KWIM? The yardage is already measured, rolled up, tied and labeled. I didn't bother to label fabric content. In some cases, I'm not completely sure! I penciled in a "code" for each fabric on the backs of the tags in case the ties come off and and tags get mixed up (or someone tries to pull a fast one).

I'm getting ready for a garage sale and I have a lot of experience, but I'm not sure what to price these. Opinions requested... - Fabric remnants, all kinds (costume, quilt, garment, fleece). Some boutique fabrics in here. Good size pieces. Thinking of using my kitchen scale and charging roughly $2 a lb? Or fill a gallon ziploc bag for $2? (I am also selling some yardage priced from $1-$4 a yard depending on the quality & width). - A 6.5' tall double shepherd's hook in primary blue. Really curly, whimsical. Kind of thin (good for bird feeders, not heavy hanging baskets). $5 too high? - A 60 x 36 wood pallet in decent condition, for a pallet... pretty rough wood, you know? I see DIY's with these on pinterest all the time, so I'm not crazy to try and sell this, right? $2? $4? Or I'll be lucky to give it away for free? I'll come back to this thread if I find more.

This has been my experience, too. It is always a cost/benefit analysis. I was once involved in a super-crunchy-granola group of moms and I've heard all the anti-vax arguments. In the end I wasn't convinced that vaccines aren't effective, but I definitely wanted a different schedule than recommended. It's funny, back then it seemed that pediatricians were more willing to work with me on that. Nowadays they are much more pushy. (There is one vax that I would have declined completely, but it was required for admission to public school. I still don't agree with it for multiple reasons)

This was my first year of homeschooling. Everything I mention was given to both boys but tailored to their ages/abilities. It was a steep learning curve... What worked well: Life of Fred --- They dutifully worked through the books without complaining, which was amazing (for 7th grader, that was Fractions through Pre-Algebra 2; for 4th grader, that was Apples through Decimals and Percents). They both drew large portraits of Fred on the covers of their school binders, which shows how much he is loved here! Although I was a bit nervous about the small number of practice problems, the boys don't mind doing extra worksheets when we notice a gap/weakness in their knowledge. Now that my 7th grader finished all the pre-algebra books, I am having him take some public-school-type assessments to make sure he is really ready for algebra. So far he is passing them with flying colors. Your Business Math (Simply Charlotte Mason) --- Another hit here. We did a month a week as a fun supplement. I love the practical knowledge it gave them. 7th grader didn't want it to end... SOTW coordinated with K12 Human Odyssey --- They read, they do well on quizzes, no complaints. Ellen McHenry science courses (Elements, The Brain & Botany) --- These were super fun and we looked forward to science every day! Loved all the extra activities and videos. Sheppard Software geography --- better than Seterra. Ted Ed and Crash Course anything Sleep, Shower, Sandwich What was ok but might need changing: IEW SWI B --- Mr. Pudewa is entertaining, but the exercises were tedious for the kids. The keyword outline rules have been especially difficult. Some of their work was wonderful, though! I am going to look into Bravewriter. IEW Fix-It Grammar --- Usually takes more than 15 minutes a day. This is because of the dragging of feet! I'm not sure that they will ever enjoy grammar, no matter how I present it. Ellen McHenry Mapping the World with Art --- It is not as well-liked as her science courses, and I think this is because of the preparation to drawing. Both boys have some anxiety with using a compass, getting angles right with a protractor, marking a circle to be like a clock face etc. The little chapters and activities are fine. They need geography and I really believe that drawing is the way to go. We are only about halfway through and I plan to stick with it. The Fallacy Detective & The Thinking Toolbox --- I thought I would really love these, but they were just ok. Some of the answers to the practice problems seemed arbitrary to me. The dialogues made it fun for the kids, but they haven't retained much. I am going to try "Philosophy for Kids" over the summer. Bible Basics for Catholics and New Testament Basics for Catholics --- A little over their heads at times, but this was to be expected. Cute stick man drawings were easy to replicate and made the books more interesting. The Virtual Instructor (art) --- I don't think what we get out of this was worth the money. Plus the website is twitchy. I might drop it and just get art books from the library next year. Local co-op 1x a week --- Useful for social time, but that's about it. What didn't work: Poetry Tea Time --- They liked it, but it was too much work and too much time for me to set up with the fancy tablecloth and snacks and everything, and babies just loooove to make noise when poetry is being read! Now on poetry day they make themselves a cuppa and have an assigned reading to complete on their own (not always poetry). Prodigy Math --- Not too much math gets done here. The boys spend most of their time playing the little side games, editing their characters and rearranging furniture. They say that the game won't let them advance any further, hmm... Dragonbox Algebra 12+ --- They both zoomed through this app, but they give me blank stares when I try to apply it to algebra on paper. I don't think the concept sunk in. Dance Mat Typing --- Too distracting and annoying to learn. Prefer typing.com Rummy Roots --- We find this game dry, boring and time-consuming. Memory Work --- One boy has a much better memory than the other and likes to show off, causing hard feelings. Recess --- Letting them out before school is done only leads to procrastination when (if!) they come back in. Physical Education --- Really struggling with working this in, especially in the winter months. A daily walk as a family is most doable but that certainly doesn't feel like exercise. Dropping spelling --- Both are natural spellers, but I have been noticing more errors lately. We will have to add some in next year.

write letters to loved ones, send a hug make bird feeders or houses (Melissa & Doug has a pretty nice/easy birdhouse kit) give them rolls of masking tape to design roads all over the floor for toy cars

I picked up Cry, the Beloved Country a few years ago, just on a whim... and wow, I hadn't read like that in years, where there was a connection and I was relishing each page. It was marvelous. I can't explain it. I should read it again!

It's hard for me to believe that innovation is a valid reason for average healthcare costs to more than triple since 2001 and continue on a similar trajectory into the future. You can't have a ~2% annual increase in household income and a 4-9% increase in medical costs and not expect to hit a wall. http://us.milliman.com/mmi/ My question: are the prices really reflecting the cost to bring the product to market or the value of the physician's time and skill... or is the perceived value set as high as the market can bear, which is quite high when we are talking about a major difference in quality of life, or perhaps a life-or-death condition?