Schools are out here too, and my office (in NoVA) is closed--but I'm worried about the poor cows in the pasture across from us. They suffered through our direcho this summer out in the field, and I wonder if their owner is going to force them to endure 2 days of hurricane out there too. :glare:

Happens here too. And on a related note, every single movie--NO EXCEPTION--in which there's a scene in DC, requires them to drive right in front of the US Capitol. And by the way, there's rarely traffic. I only ever watched one episode of "Bones," but they went past the Capitol to get from something like Reagan Airport to Arlington Cemetery. Um, NO. Not unless you've got out-of-town friends in the car who want to see the sights, and you've got loads of extra time to waste on driving in a different direction and sitting in traffic. And the various senators and the snitches they're confiding in always walk along the Potomac or sit somewhere at an empty bench having their lunch. (An EMPTY bench.) I do know plenty of DC business people who go outside and walk somewhere for their lunch, mostly so they don't have to lose their parking spot. They're unlikely to spend an hour or more walking to the Potomac and back. I guess we're supposed to assume they took a taxi? They never say. But because I'm a total nerd, I usually spend the next scene or two trying to work out how they can take such long lunch breaks, how they managed to walk that far without getting sweaty or wrinkled, or how on earth they're going to find a taxi back from that spot. Or if they had a driver drop them off, then how the meeting's going to stay a secret. (The West Wing did this too occasionally, when it suited the plot; but I mostly LOVED the show because most people never had time for lunch, and if they ate at all, it was at their desk. THAT is realism, finally.)

My 7-year-old built one herself out of paper plates (the edges), short & long paper tubes, and straws (as supports--they run through the paper tubes). It took lots of tape and many, many, many adjustments to get it to work, but WOW, the end result was impressive. It twisted around several times before hitting the bottom. She can keep working on it indefinitely to change it up and add new layers/levels as she pleases. Just an idea--it's cheap, takes tons of time to create, and its size is limited only by the imagination.

I'm library & free ebooks for my Kindle too--but much as I adore my Kindle, I'm still a paper book lover above all. I love getting my books used through Better World Books. Free shipping, and the money alll goes to promoting literacy. And the books are usually CHEAP. I also buy most of our school books here.

One of my favorite topics. :001_wub: And :grouphug: to you for sticking with the program and doing your first 5k!! So awesome! I've been running since April of last year, but the first time I felt like a "real" runner was at my first race, a local 5-miler, because I got a t-shirt for it. :D Now I'm obsessed with running, even when I'm stuck at home for weeks with no way to get out. I just did my 2nd half marathon this past Sunday and LOVED it. And I'm no Speedy Gonzalez, either--but I'm faster than I used to be, and that's (mostly) all I care about. You are TOTALLY a runner. Further, you are the only one qualified to make that statement about yourself--nobody can tell you that you are or aren't. Running is a hobby, a pleasure, an addiction, a torment, a challenge, a joy--not a speed. Best wishes at your race! Be sure to come back and report.

North & South (BBC) Pride & Prejudice (BBC) The Proposal The Santa Clause Star Trek (new one) Spirit of the Marathon :001_wub:

This is a great time to start researching what's out there. In addition to the site listed above, she could also look around at the fabulous http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/ which is like Snopes for writers. There are loads of lists of various agents online (there's also an annual published version put out by Writers' Digest, I think). She'll need to find agents specifically accepting her type of book, and send them a query letter plus whatever they've spelled out they want (usually a certain number of manuscript pages). The query letter needs to sparkle. Start with the first post over at Query Shark and read every single example. It's educational AND a riot. Better than reality TV. Ditto the recommendation to find solid writers' groups who will give honest and useful critiques. But the most crucial step to getting a book published is by first making sure it is the BEST she can make it. As in--there is not one more edit she can make, not one more word that needs tweaking. THEN it'll be ready to send out. The other stuff'll be easy after that. :tongue_smilie:

Totally thought of you last night--after just having had this thread, we stayed with friends last night whose nightly bedtime story was Puff the Magic Dragon, and who had just reached THE VERY LAST CHAPTER. Which means my poor, teary, wreck of a kid had to listen to that very same chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for pity's sake...

This topic is SO helpful, and is a big part of what I described yesterday with my klutzy daughter. She cries at EVERYTHING, from microscopic bumps and scrapes to cleaning her room to having to go to bed to throwing out scratch paper. The gifted kids article was interesting. A 1-10 emotional response scale might be helpful, though I'd like to see concrete suggestions for dealing with with the various situations. Pairing a number with her feelings seems like only the first step. So it's a 5; now what?

Oh, I have the most AWESOME meatloaf recipe that goes mustard instead of ketchup. It's called "German style." 1 1/2 lb lean ground meat (turkey works fine) 1 cup skim milk 2 egg whites 2 tb packed brown sugar 2 tb spicy brown mustard 1 tsp onion salt 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs Mix all ingredients well; spread mixture of additional mustard and brown sugar over top if desired; bake in 350 oven for 1h. Let stand 5 min before serving.

Oh, hmm, I hadn't thought of growth spurts. Maybe? It feels like this has been a lifelong problem, but maybe growing has exacerbated the clumsiness. Either way, is there nothing to be done except wait it out? The poor girl has myriad tiny scrapes and bumps and an increasingly annoyed mother. PS. She just stepped on a toy.

I love this kid. Love her a lot. She's a bright, cheerful, imaginative 7 (almost 8) year old. But heaven help me, she's the biggest klutz I know. Just sitting at a table eating dinner, she will find ways to bite her cheek, whack her knee, stab herself with her fork. Walking to the mailbox, she'll trip or poke herself with a stick. She falls out of bed and runs into doors. Is there anything I can do to help her? Exercises? Dexterity drills? She's got a bit of a melodramatic personality anyway (I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE SHE GOT THAT), which means I can guarantee she will spend a large part of every.single.day in tears. Help? please??? I'm having a very hard time continuing to express sympathy when it's all.the.time.

YUMMY!

If you're not in a rush, you might consider visiting Monticello on March 6 for their homeschool day. Prices are discounted etc. (My co-op is actually participating this year, and we are all* very excited.) As for Mt. Vernon, yes, gorgeous place, though last time I was there the line was too long to see the Mansion (though I did sneak through part of it; felt very National Treasure). I still got to see a lot of cool things, but my limited timeframe ruled out seeing that, which I still regret. If you make the trek all the way up there, you definitely don't want to miss seeing anything. As a side note, if you'd like a terribly interesting way to experience that area, may I invite you to join the 5,000 of us who will be running the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon on Oct 7 (ack!!!), which goes from Mt. Vernon up GW Parkway, across the Potomac, and into National Harbor. :D * By which I mean me, since I'm the Field Trip Chick.

I'm not sure dh knows--not that I'm HIDING it, mind you; I just may not have been COMPLETELY overt yet, either--but I am planning for our family to go on a Disney cruise for my 40th. Which is like a year and a half away. LET'S GET PLANNING, PEOPLE!!!! :party: (That's Mickey in the middle handing me a balloon.)

I want to hear more!!!! Have you done this program before?

Oh, it's frightfully easy!! First you register on the site. When Nov 1 hits (at 12:01am if you wish!) you start writing like mad, and you update your word count on your page there. The website will help you track your progress. There's a weekly pep talk; there are forums for everything from writers' block to what poisons were most popular/accessible in 1800. On Twitter there are word sprint challenges too. You're not required to attend anything, but the kickoff parties and weekly write-ins are FUN, and worth attending if you can. The IRL support is fantastic. To "win," at the end of the month you copy and paste your entire story in their word verifier, and it'll confirm your 50,000 count. That's it! That just leaves the simple matter of 1,667 words/day. :D

I make my own corn tortillas--a little ball of the dough, put between two circles cut out of a plastic grocery bag (to prevent sticking), topped by a cutting board. Then you lean hard on the cutting board, and PRESTO! perfectly round corn tortillas every time. Less polished than a real press, but it's a ton more fun, and the kids can help. Or do it completely, once they're strong enough. :D ETA: I keep the plastic circles in a drawer and reuse them forever. ETA II: I'd rather spend money on a proper comal than a press. That way you can get it as hot as it needs to be and you never have to share it with other food.

Agreed with everyone who said this one feels different. I also agree with those who said this is their favorite book in the series. (Apparently I'm feeling QUITE agreeable tonight. Who knew.) One of my favorite sets of stories is Arabian Nights, and I'm pretty sure one of the reasons I'm so crazy about THAHB is it's similar in style to that sort of tale. Once Shasta meets his traveling buddy, who might as well be a young Scheherazade (with maybe some Anne Shirley mixed in), you'll see what I mean. It's gorgeous and rich and hilarious.

COOL! I'm in a similar situation--I've got a rising 3rd grader and a 27-month old. And yikes. Geewillikers. My dh is mostly never home AND I work from home on top of hs'ing, and some days I think I want to die. (Make that MOST days.) Love the idea of strapping the toddler in. Last year I did "fun boxes," one for every day, that had assorted cheap toys in them he could only play with that day, separate from his regular toys. For example, one day has playdough with a plastic knife, spoon, and shape cutters. Another day has a chalkboard and chalk among other things. There's also games like Connect Four in there; some days he might spend half an hour just dropping the littles pieces in, getting them out, and dropping them in again. I'll continue with the fun boxes this year (refilling with new toys, obv--and btw, I mostly fill them with things from the dollar store or Target's dollar spot), but this year I want to add some sensory activities too. Like little containers of beans, or rice, or raw pasta, all stuff that's a blast to make a mess with. But I hadn't figured out how to do that without creating a ton more work for myself--I'm thinking strapping him in his booster seat will be perfect! It'll be a great way to continue working on counting if I wind up with a little extra ambition one day. I do sometimes let him sit on the kitchen floor and play with a bit of water and plastic cups. (But only on my very brave days.) I've also just discovered he loves to cut paper. As long as he's sitting right under my nose, this year I might let him occasionally have blunt scissors and a piece of newspaper.

Saw the for the Cloud Atlas movie today, but as I've not read the book, I thought the trailer hysterically bad. It was like someone took every plot they could get their hands on and smushed it into a single movie. Reviews of the book make it sound much the same, except most people think the muddling is sheer brilliance. Has anyone made it through this book? Is it worth the hard work that everyone says it is?

An hour and a half + an hour and a half = My House Plus I just made this roasted eggplant dip and a giant white cake with maple frosting for a party I think we're no longer going to.

I'm free Tuesday.

And that was the BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oddly, it didn't feel world collidey at all. But that's probably because of the margaritas health shakes.

You should come down here and play with me.